Tell Me About NCL "Casinos At Sea"?

[Mike_DeA]

20 hours ago, pinklucky61 said:

how do you check points? just came back from cruise 2 weeks ago. btw-received cruise through hardrock in biloxi, ms.

i've also gotten cruises from imperial palace, but those were carnival.

You put your card in any slot machine and your points are displayed.  Since you're no longer on the ship you can call CAS at 1-877-752-9625 and inquire about your past points and what kind of discount/comp they can offer you.  It helps if you have a future sail date in mind.

[Mike_DeA]

13 hours ago, Love my butler said:

It's a giant rip off.  The casino on NCL ships are not regulated so the house has a huge edge compared to Vegas or AC.  You can earn comps but they are peanuts compared to what you will lose to the house.  Lots of people come to these boards and claim to win big, but don't believe them for a second.  CAS is just a faster way for NCL to take your money.   For your convenience of course.

Completely untrue.  Table games have the exact same rules as many land based casinos  Slots are a little more murky with payback percentage, but people do win. 

[Son of a son of a ...]

50 minutes ago, Mike_DeA said:

Completely untrue.  Table games have the exact same rules as many land based casinos  Slots are a little more murky with payback percentage, but people do win. 

 

To be honest, slot pay backs at sea do stink relative to a land based casinos.  Comps are less, too.  

[pinklucky61]

1 hour ago, Mike_DeA said:

You put your card in any slot machine and your points are displayed.  Since you're no longer on the ship you can call CAS at 1-877-752-9625 and inquire about your past points and what kind of discount/comp they can offer you.  It helps if you have a future sail date in mind.

thanks, actually have deposit on another cas cruise

[Sand and Seas]

10 minutes ago, Son of a son of a ... said:

 

To be honest, slot pay backs at sea do stink relative to a land based casinos.  Comps are less, too.  

True, but we look at it differently since we love to be AT SEA😎

 

If I go to Las Vegas to pick up a 'free cruise' voucher, I'm spending a good amount of gambling $$ there sometimes while enjoying a nice comped room and comped food too.   We have found it 'cheaper' to take  a good portion of our gambling $$ directly on a cruise and enjoy the cruise,  CAS Tier status OBC, and other comps from CAS.    Since we are now cruising four times per year, we start each cruise with $400 Ruby OBC and other comps on board.  (Similar to building up status at Caesars on land.) 

 

When we were working 60 hours per week (exempt positions), we took several Las Vegas week-ends each year to play & de-stress from work.  Now that we are retired, we have the time to take more cruises each year.  It all depends on where you want to spend your gambling budget and how much time you have to enjoy it.    

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, Son of a son of a ... said:

 

To be honest, slot pay backs at sea do stink relative to a land based casinos.  Comps are less, too.  

Actually, if you take the time to build a relationship with the casino hosts, they are more than willing to comp a lot off your room bill (more than what you "earn" by playing). 

[Mike_DeA]

14 hours ago, pinklucky61 said:

thanks, actually have deposit on another cas cruise

That's great, congrats!

[Mike_DeA]

14 hours ago, Son of a son of a ... said:

 

To be honest, slot pay backs at sea do stink relative to a land based casinos.  Comps are less, too.  

I don't disagree with that, but there were some just plain false statements in the post I replied to (bolded)

 

It's a giant rip off.  The casino on NCL ships are not regulated so the house has a huge edge compared to Vegas or AC.  You can earn comps but they are peanuts compared to what you will lose to the house.  Lots of people come to these boards and claim to win big, but don't believe them for a second.  CAS is just a faster way for NCL to take your money.   For your convenience of course.

Edited May 1, 2019 by Mike_DeA

[Smq123]

I don't think any of us that go as CAS guests are expecting to win big on the ships. We all hope we end up with more money in our pockets or break even knowing we'll have another comped cruise after our play. At one time or another we have all won. Just like at the land based casinos. The fact is we enjoy gambling. What's nice about CAS gamblers is you spend a lengthy amount of time gambling with the same people over several days or weeks. Friendships develop & you'll run into those same people on other cruises. 

 

 

[Peachypooh]

Maybe the slot machines are not as generous or any other video gambling but I

am thinking that anything with a dealer has the same odds as on land (poker,

blackjack).

[jk131313]

I went on a cruise last month out of New Orleans. I like to play craps and also play a little slots/video poker but mainly craps. Over the course of the week I accumulated 10k points. I am thinking about going on another cruise in December so I called CAS and asked what offer if any I could get on this trip. They told me a 20% discount which is basically the same discount that I get for being a Diamond member at Harrahs. I really was expecting to get some type of comped offer based on racking up 10k points on the one cruise. Were my expectation out of line?

[Smq123]

That's a hard question to answer. They use a whole formula to determine your compensation. It's based on how much money you spent, how many days & hours each day, etc. It's hard to understand by what standards they are using. 

[drvmywifecrzy]

2 hours ago, jk131313 said:

I went on a cruise last month out of New Orleans. I like to play craps and also play a little slots/video poker but mainly craps. Over the course of the week I accumulated 10k points. I am thinking about going on another cruise in December so I called CAS and asked what offer if any I could get on this trip. They told me a 20% discount which is basically the same discount that I get for being a Diamond member at Harrahs. I really was expecting to get some type of comped offer based on racking up 10k points on the one cruise. Were my expectation out of line?

 

If you are diamond and from Atlanta you should have free cruise offers from Murphy and/or Cherokee.  Every Wednesday in May is a cruise promo

[Mike_DeA]

2 hours ago, jk131313 said:

I went on a cruise last month out of New Orleans. I like to play craps and also play a little slots/video poker but mainly craps. Over the course of the week I accumulated 10k points. I am thinking about going on another cruise in December so I called CAS and asked what offer if any I could get on this trip. They told me a 20% discount which is basically the same discount that I get for being a Diamond member at Harrahs. I really was expecting to get some type of comped offer based on racking up 10k points on the one cruise. Were my expectation out of line?

It's been reported that CAS has moved away from the points criteria and is not looking at actual losses.  So if you won, or "only" lost under say $2,000, they may not comp your next cruise.

[Sand and Seas]

2 hours ago, jk131313 said:

I went on a cruise last month out of New Orleans. I like to play craps and also play a little slots/video poker but mainly craps. Over the course of the week I accumulated 10k points. I am thinking about going on another cruise in December so I called CAS and asked what offer if any I could get on this trip. They told me a 20% discount which is basically the same discount that I get for being a Diamond member at Harrahs. I really was expecting to get some type of comped offer based on racking up 10k points on the one cruise. Were my expectation out of line?

Earning 10k points sounds good, but I'm not sure how they look at table game points.  I can tell you I deliberately switched from video poker to slots on the ship.  Playing less $$ but earning better comped cabins.    I'm sure it has to do with theoretical but we hear they also look at actual $$ lost.     

 

With 10k points you should have achieved higher Tier status with CAS which will get you some guaranteed onboard comps like OBC.   Their Tier year is points earned from 4/1 of a year to 3/31 of following year.    This has nothing to do with your cabin comps but is nice if you are cruising often with NCL.  With 35k points plus each year I start each cruise with $400 OBC, Ultra drinks in casino and 400 minutes wifi.   I cruise four times a year to make that 35k points.  When I was a little lower status I started with $200 OBC each cruise.   This is in addition to other comps the hosts can give you at the end of the cruise based on your play.

[Sand and Seas]

13 minutes ago, Mike_DeA said:

It's been reported that CAS has moved away from the points criteria and is not looking at actual losses.  So if you won, or "only" lost under say $2,000, they may not comp your next cruise.

 A couple of years ago I was told by a CAS agent that they could comp an Inside on an actual or theo loss of $2500.

An OceanView was at actual or theo loss of $3000 and up.  Balcony started at $3500.

 

It has sounded like they have tightened up on comps for some that have reported here.  So far, they have been somewhat consistent with me, but that's possibly because my play onboard is consistent and I'm cruising with them more often now.   It does matter what type of cruise you are asking for and the popularity of that cruise.   Before the Bliss came out they only offered me an OV on it.  Same phone call and asking about the Escape instead I got a MiniSuite level.

[NCLetscruise]

This is a bit off topic, but I just have to get it out there..

 

To the gamblers: Did you ever notice that people on here seem to get really mad that we gamble? People make stupid comments like "waste of money" "you can't win" etc.. Why is it that some non-gamblers feel that they have to be in our business? Are they jealous that they can't afford to gamble? I like to gamble. It's a hobby. I have plenty of money to do it. If I want to blow $3,000-$4,000 on my upcoming cruise, it's my business. I can afford to lose it. It seems like on this site, people have a tendency to bad mouth gamblers, when in fact it doesn't affect them at all, and frankly, it's none of their business. I always found that interesting. Ok, gotta go now.. time to run to the Meadowlands and get my derby picks in!

[Peachypooh]

15 minutes ago, NCLetscruise said:

This is a bit off topic, but I just have to get it out there..

 

To the gamblers: Did you ever notice that people on here seem to get really mad that we gamble? People make stupid comments like "waste of money" "you can't win" etc.. Why is it that some non-gamblers feel that they have to be in our business? Are they jealous that they can't afford to gamble? I like to gamble. It's a hobby. I have plenty of money to do it. If I want to blow $3,000-$4,000 on my upcoming cruise, it's my business. I can afford to lose it. It seems like on this site, people have a tendency to bad mouth gamblers, when in fact it doesn't affect them at all, and frankly, it's none of their business. I always found that interesting. Ok, gotta go now.. time to run to the Meadowlands and get my derby picks in!

I've just started gambling so just started  following the CAS threads so for now haven't seen this yet. I do however

try to not talk about my trips to the casino  with family and friends. Gambling like any other hobby has people who take it to the extreme and I have known people who don't pay their mortgage so they can gamble. Responsible gambling is not the same as someone who can't stop and destroy their personal finances in the process. I think some people assume all gamblers are like this. Just a guess.

[NCLetscruise]

6 minutes ago, Peachypooh said:

I've just started gambling so just started  following the CAS threads so for now haven't seen this yet. I do however

try to not talk about my trips to the casino  with family and friends. Gambling like any other hobby has people who take it to the extreme and I have known people who don't pay their mortgage so they can gamble. Responsible gambling is not the same as someone who can't stop and destroy their personal finances in the process. I think some people assume all gamblers are like this. Just a guess.

 

There's been a touch of it in this thread, but not bad. Keep an eye out for it tho in other threads. Whenever the topic of gambling comes up on here, non-gamblers always make it a point to tell us gamblers how stupid gambling is. I guess it's just a sign of the times, people have a hard time minding their own business. 

[Son of a son of a ...]

1 hour ago, NCLetscruise said:

This is a bit off topic, but I just have to get it out there..

 

To the gamblers: Did you ever notice that people on here seem to get really mad that we gamble? People make stupid comments like "waste of money" "you can't win" etc.. Why is it that some non-gamblers feel that they have to be in our business? Are they jealous that they can't afford to gamble? I like to gamble. It's a hobby. I have plenty of money to do it. If I want to blow $3,000-$4,000 on my upcoming cruise, it's my business. I can afford to lose it. It seems like on this site, people have a tendency to bad mouth gamblers, when in fact it doesn't affect them at all, and frankly, it's none of their business. I always found that interesting. Ok, gotta go now.. time to run to the Meadowlands and get my derby picks in!

 

Like drinking, smoking, and drugs ... if done in moderation, gambling is fine.  Folks’ opinion of “moderation” differ.  

[kittykittygrrl]

I've started cruising because of my gambling.  Like others, it's not something i share readily.  But it has afforded me a lifestyle I enjoy very much and share with my family.  So I take advantage of perks gained.  Like the CAS line, or free drinks.  I don't judge how others spend their money, it's their business.  And I have a great time with my "degenerate" habit.

[Sand and Seas]

17 minutes ago, kittykittygrrl said:

I've started cruising because of my gambling.  Like others, it's not something i share readily.  But it has afforded me a lifestyle I enjoy very much and share with my family.  So I take advantage of perks gained.  Like the CAS line, or free drinks.  I don't judge how others spend their money, it's their business.  And I have a great time with my "degenerate" habit.

Well said!    Years ago we cruised in the cheapest inside cabin a few times  and paid full fare. 

Now we've worked hard, saved a good percentage of our salaries towards retirement, and can afford to 'play' as we choose.  It's fun to get comped cruises as I'm going to gamble somewhere anyway.   CAS gives me guaranteed OBC, Wifi minutes and Ultra drinks in the casino.   We have separate banking/savings accounts for household expenses and 'play' money (to pay for airfare/travel/gambling.)   We never visit an ATM in a casino and we never gamble more than we are comfortable with losing.   

   

I thought it would be great if we could afford to cruise once a year in retirement, but now we find it easy to cruise four times a year plus continue with a few 'comped suite' trips to Las Vegas and New Orleans.  (My friends from work pay outrageous costs for nice Las Vegas rooms & meals).    With Caesar's, I'm able to use my once a year free airfare to New Orleans and stay at the beautiful Harrah's there for a few days pre and post cruise.   Very easy to roll our suitcases right over to the port in New Orleans.   

 

My retirement hobby is planning the next several trips and and keeping DH and myself in good enough shape to enjoy them! 

[kittykittygrrl]

There ya go!  We've been on three cruises in the last 18 months from casinos.  We were flown out to Reno by  Harrahs and had a great time.  Like you, we have a dedicated vacation fund and I'm constantly looking out for ways to enjoy this too short life.

 

We're totally inside cabin people, we actually enjoy the complete darkness and spend money on experiences.  Last year we rented a twizzy in Bermuda.  We took a food tour in Jamaica.  We walk the boardwalk in AC, and take an annual Vegas trip.  I like the slots and will continue to budget for my habit.

 

I'm hoping to use my trip to Atlantis.  Have plans to go to Orlando and will stay (compd) at hard rock Tampa.

 

Work hard, play hard, enjoy the ride!

[NCLetscruise]

8 minutes ago, kittykittygrrl said:

Work hard, play hard, enjoy the ride!

 

 

A"friggin"MEN!!

[drvmywifecrzy]

CAS is great for Gamblers