Carnival Players Club Elite Cruise offer!

[LPut714]

On 9/5/2019 at 4:39 PM, bnbeyer said:

I just got a Carnival Players Club Elite Cruise offer in email!  It includes:

 

• Free balcony room for 2
• Free drink packages for 2 (everywhere on ship, not just casino)
• $500 casino money
• Free parking or airport pick-up/drop-off
• Platinum status during cruise with priority boarding, debarkation, luggage, etc
• Invitations to welcome aboard and sailaway cocktail parties
• Early room access with our preferred alcohol and non-alcohol bottles waiting
• Complimentary shore excursion for 2
• Treats and gifts delivered to room
• Free social wi-fi plan
• Waived room-service fees

 

It doesn't include gratuities and port fees/taxes.  

 

What a fantastic deal!

 

I booked the April cruise to Eastern Caribbean on the Carnival Breeze, and my sister is coming with me. Happy dance!!!

I only got the Premier offers, but have a 15 day Panama Canal Elite to look forward to next month. My PVP said there is no rhyme or reason who the Elites are sent to. They come out 3 times a year. Ultras come out twice a year. Have fun. We have done 3 Elites and 3 Ultras and many Premier. Was on the Sunrise Ultra in June-even tho we got 'free' drinks in the casino, had only one bar server for the entire casino at times. Like RC where you can just go up to the bar. Elite can get drinks any where on the ship. Fun either way.

 

Edited September 6, 2019 by LPut714
forgot word

[evandbob]

 I've frequented the casino on every night of my 41 Carnival cruises, usually wind up losing about a grand a sailing, since I budget about $150 per night for a 7 night cruise.  So far, I've been on 2 Ultra cruises and about 8 or 10 premier.  Never had an Elite offer, but if I ever got one, I'd probably book it in a heartbeat.  Good luck to the OP, and enjoy your sailing!

 

All my Carnival cruises in the last few years have been on casino fares, but that may end soon as the premier fares have been increasing and the prizes offered are decreasing.  We do have a casino fare on a Norway fjord Legend cruise next June, but we also have Celebrity, RCCL and 2 NCL's booked.  In another thread I posted what the nightly activities and $$  drawings were for our Conquest August sailing, and if that trend continues, it'll be bye bye Carnival.

 

 

[dlht]

On 9/5/2019 at 4:39 PM, bnbeyer said:

I just got a Carnival Players Club Elite Cruise offer in email!  It includes:

 

• Free balcony room for 2
• Free drink packages for 2 (everywhere on ship, not just casino)
• $500 casino money
• Free parking or airport pick-up/drop-off
• Platinum status during cruise with priority boarding, debarkation, luggage, etc
• Invitations to welcome aboard and sailaway cocktail parties
• Early room access with our preferred alcohol and non-alcohol bottles waiting
• Complimentary shore excursion for 2
• Treats and gifts delivered to room
• Free social wi-fi plan
• Waived room-service fees

 

It doesn't include gratuities and port fees/taxes.  

 

What a fantastic deal!

 

I booked the April cruise to Eastern Caribbean on the Carnival Breeze, and my sister is coming with me. Happy dance!!!

Congratulations! I just got back from that same cruise on the Breeze. It's a great one. The ship and ports are excellent. Enjoy!  

[micsse]

Well it is and it isn’t.  The casino dept is part of Carnival Corporation with includes Holland America and Princess and Costa and some others.  The casino offers are based on play across all their brands and subsidiaries.  If I include Princess and Holland America, I have at least 40 cruises in addition to racking up an average of 25-30,000 in points from slot play per cruise so anything they “give” me is not a gift. It is a casino comp similar to free rooms and food and free drinks and free play that you would get at any land based casino.  90 percent of the time I lose around 10,000 dollars on a 7 day cruise.  I cruise solo so I would pay double.  I get about 5,000 of that back from an Elite offer.  But I still paid 5,000 for the cruise based on my losses which is what I would have paid had I paid full price. So the person who is complaining about these offers needs to understand that we really earned them. They are not “free.”  The slot machines on cruise ships are so tight bc they do not have to follow US gaming laws pertaining to minimum payout percentages. They are probably even set tighter now post pandemic.  It’s nearly impossible to beat the house in the long run playing big money on slots on cruise ships. 

[PrincessPatti]

My old PVP told me that you first book the Getaway and gamble some.  Then you get a Premier offer.  Book that and gamble.  Next step is Ultra; you know the drill by now.  Then, you finally get an Elite offer.  He didn’t tell me how much you had to gamble, but he made it seem like it didn’t have to be all that much.

[Calnev1]

18 hours ago, micsse said:

Well it is and it isn’t.  The casino dept is part of Carnival Corporation with includes Holland America and Princess and Costa and some others.  The casino offers are based on play across all their brands and subsidiaries.  If I include Princess and Holland America, I have at least 40 cruises in addition to racking up an average of 25-30,000 in points from slot play per cruise so anything they “give” me is not a gift. It is a casino comp similar to free rooms and food and free drinks and free play that you would get at any land based casino.  90 percent of the time I lose around 10,000 dollars on a 7 day cruise.  I cruise solo so I would pay double.  I get about 5,000 of that back from an Elite offer.  But I still paid 5,000 for the cruise based on my losses which is what I would have paid had I paid full price. So the person who is complaining about these offers needs to understand that we really earned them. They are not “free.”  The slot machines on cruise ships are so tight bc they do not have to follow US gaming laws pertaining to minimum payout percentages. They are probably even set tighter now post pandemic.  It’s nearly impossible to beat the house in the long run playing big money on slots on cruise ships. 

Do you realize you replied to a thread that was two years old?   🙂

[Brkintx]

19 hours ago, PrincessPatti said:

My old PVP told me that you first book the Getaway and gamble some.  Then you get a Premier offer.  Book that and gamble.  Next step is Ultra; you know the drill by now.  Then, you finally get an Elite offer.  He didn’t tell me how much you had to gamble, but he made it seem like it didn’t have to be all that much.

 

Perhaps it's anecdotal, but I received Bounce Back, Premier, Premier Special Edition, Ultra, and Elite offers all at relatively the same time after my first ever (paid) cruise.  There was no escalation path.

I believe offers are entirety based on your ADT, from your previous cruises as well as the land based casinos you play at that share such info thru databases (including but not limited to LexisNexis). 

 

As to the value of offers diminishing the value of status earned by cruising, I disagree, but for different reasons than stated in the thread. On a non elite sailing, your status earned by cruising indicates the investment you've made in Carnival vacations over time. In an elite cruise, however, your 'over time' investment pales in comparison to the value of that very small subset of guests that are on board (whose presence on board likely impacts the cost of your room in a way that benefits you significantly). 

[sgttami]

Almost all my cruises on Carnival have been free casino offers and I've never paid anything to "upgrade"

Every one counted towards cruise points.  Currently,  at 128, I'm more than halfway to Diamond.

 

 

[micsse]

On 10/4/2021 at 3:17 PM, Calnev1 said:

Do you realize you replied to a thread that was two years old?   🙂

And that is important to you like why. It is still a relevant conversation and several others seemed interested enough to reply after I did in Oct of 2021!

[rayj130]

All I can say is damn!!!!!!!!! That is a great offer. Congrats. I need to figure out how to get these. I mean I have gambled just not enough

[Moviela]

I just booked an Elite with a free balcony, drinks everywhere, and $300 of casino money yesterday. I hear, but have not verified they will pick-up and return you to your home. I do live close to the port. I have also heard they have eliminated the party, and to limit state room visits, one must schlep gifts, goodies, and goo-gahs yourself. I am curious to see if the complementary excursion is of my chosing or unsold seats to the donkey riding goat roping show. 

 

I believe I received the offer because my name is on a list of people who walked of a ship with more than $5K of casino money in my pocket. Thanks to Pat and Vanna for stopping the wheel on the top prize. They just want their loot back. 

 

There are more hoops to jump through than done by acrobats in a Chinese Circus. The vax, the triple jab, the CDC record card, the pretest, the during test, the post test, and the test test. Mask on, mask off, cloth mask, surgical mast, N95, KN95, face shield, gloves, sanitizer, Lysol, alcohol wipes, Trump, Biden, and Fouci, Oh My! I think I will go and have a great time inspite of the hoops, hurdles, and hi-jinx.

 

I wonder if the original poster has enjoyed their Elite cruise?

[Calnev1]

7 hours ago, Moviela said:

 

 

I wonder if the original poster has enjoyed their Elite cruise?

My guess is that we never find out.  The OP stopped posting on these boards more than a year ago.  🙂

[kwokpot]

11 hours ago, Moviela said:

I hear, but have not verified they will pick-up and return you to your home.

It's either free parking at the port or a private car service port transfer. You will receive an email about three weeks before embarkation asking you about all the particulars. 

Regarding the free shore excursion currently what has been done is you have a choice between one or two preselected excursions OR $300 Spa credit for spa services ( Meant as $100/pp but can be used any which way by either cabin guest).

The third item in the email you need to decide is your in room bar setup. You will have a choice of alcohol, either spirits or wine, and it's 1 choice per cabin member from a list that's sent in the email. Then you have a choice of mixers to go with the alcohol which consist of sodas or waters. The alcohol are full size bottles that are delivered UNOPENED to your cabin, which means you can either consume it on board or take them off the ship and home with you.   

These are the three things you need to make decisions on when you get the email from Carnival. HAve a great cruise!

Edited January 9, 2022 by kwokpot

[lazydayz]

We did an elite cruise in late November on the Magic.  There was no schelping things to the cabin,  we received something every day from the casino and it was delivered to our cabin. The excursion was awesome, loved swimming with the dolphins.  Parking was paid by the casino.  Had a bottle of Grey Goose and one of Bombay Sapphire Gin in our cabin.  Since hubby and I had free drinks everywhere on the ships, these bottles came home with us.  In short, if you are offered an elite cruise, do it.  You will be treated very well.  

[Brkintx]

On 1/9/2022 at 5:22 PM, lazydayz said:

We did an elite cruise in late November on the Magic.  There was no schelping things to the cabin,  we received something every day from the casino and it was delivered to our cabin. The excursion was awesome, loved swimming with the dolphins.  Parking was paid by the casino.  Had a bottle of Grey Goose and one of Bombay Sapphire Gin in our cabin.  Since hubby and I had free drinks everywhere on the ships, these bottles came home with us.  In short, if you are offered an elite cruise, do it.  You will be treated very well.  

 

How does the "Platinum status for the cruise" part of the offer work?

And the free wifi - is that just log in like you've bought it or do you actually buy it and they credit it back / zero the charge (like the VIFP water works)?

I'm sailing next week on an elite sailing and my check in documents (and appointment) are based on my actual status... (and IMO, the best contextual benefit of Plat is early embark/debark)

[Brkintx]

On 1/8/2022 at 11:05 PM, Moviela said:

[...]

I am curious to see if the complementary excursion is of my chosing or unsold seats to the donkey riding goat roping show. 

[...]

I believe I received the offer because my name is on a list of people who walked of a ship with more than $5K of casino money in my pocket. Thanks to Pat and Vanna for stopping the wheel on the top prize. They just want their loot back. 

 

 

 

As was stated above, the email comes out with a set of choices to make... in my case for next week, it offered one shore excursion at each of three stops or a $150/pp x2 spa credit. Each of the excursion names translated well to some offered by Carnival and local vendors at those specific ports, and each had a retail cost between $119-139 per person.  (I'll tell you in 2.5 weeks if the one I chose is any good...) 

 

The qualifier for casino offers isn't about won money - the casino actually doesn't care about that on an individual basis. The house edge will always be present, because it's pre-programmed for each machine, table game, etc. Nothing in a casino has a 100% payback, so when you win, it's because others lose on the same machine, etc. What they care about is butt in seat time - coin in that is...  (in their system, average theoretical daily loss) which is generally summarized in lay terms as earn lots of points and you'll get the offers. You can earn a lot of points for a short time and have a higher TDL than playing a little for a long time. Higher TDL = they'll spend more money to get you in front of a machine as long as practical as compared to a lower TDL, where they know you'll sit there but won't play as much (and therefore lose as much on average). 

[lazydayz]

Since I am already Platinum, I can't confirm if those were given or not.

 

As to the excursion, swimming with the dolphins in DR was amazing.  Since I racked up a bunch of points, I asked the host if he could upgrade mine to the VIP outing, which he did.  That included lunch and we had a guide with us at all times.  

 

I am waiting to see what they offer on my upcoming Mardi Gras cruise, but I am tempted to take the spa credit and use it for a pass to the thermal suite for me, and a massage for hubby.  Given we don't know what ports we will actually make, the spa choice is a good bet.  

[lazydayz]

And for wi-fi, just had to log in.  Very easy. 

[canes20]

3 hours ago, Brkintx said:

 

How does the "Platinum status for the cruise" part of the offer work?

And the free wifi - is that just log in like you've bought it or do you actually buy it and they credit it back / zero the charge (like the VIFP water works)?

I'm sailing next week on an elite sailing and my check in documents (and appointment) are based on my actual status... (and IMO, the best contextual benefit of Plat is early embark/debark)

There is no Plat embark right now, only suites are getting on early from what I have been reading.

 

[Brkintx]

42 minutes ago, canes20 said:

There is no Plat embark right now, only suites are getting on early from what I have been reading.

 

This is a good point, and you're correct that is what is happening.

I suppose my question still applies in the context of the check-in / arrival appointment selection time and that it's printed on my boarding pass as gold. But I'm already past the appointment selection time, so that part is moot...  

Again, good point, I had forgotten that.

[Anyislandwilldo]

Congrats!  Great girls trip!

[Elaine5715]

On 9/5/2019 at 9:43 PM, Wanna_Cruize said:

I've found on the free cruise offers, if you pay to upgrade, then generally the days will count towards your VIFP program. If you just take the free room offered, it might not. So, we've gotten free inside offers, and pay $50 or so to upgrade to an outside, and get credit for all those days, because it becomes a 'paid' fare. 

 

All of my "free" cruises through the casino has counted towards my VIFP points

On 9/5/2019 at 9:51 PM, bnbeyer said:

 

Interesting point! Thanks!

[icft]

2 hours ago, Elaine5715 said:

 

All of my "free" cruises through the casino has counted towards my VIFP points

Ours have also earned points. Though I will say that our "free" cruises have required us to pay a one or two hundred dollar "non-refundable deposit" which we got back as OBC.

[Alekezam]

On 10/3/2021 at 7:53 PM, micsse said:

Well it is and it isn’t.  The casino dept is part of Carnival Corporation with includes Holland America and Princess and Costa and some others.  The casino offers are based on play across all their brands and subsidiaries.  If I include Princess and Holland America, I have at least 40 cruises in addition to racking up an average of 25-30,000 in points from slot play per cruise so anything they “give” me is not a gift. It is a casino comp similar to free rooms and food and free drinks and free play that you would get at any land based casino.  90 percent of the time I lose around 10,000 dollars on a 7 day cruise.  I cruise solo so I would pay double.  I get about 5,000 of that back from an Elite offer.  But I still paid 5,000 for the cruise based on my losses which is what I would have paid had I paid full price. So the person who is complaining about these offers needs to understand that we really earned them. They are not “free.”  The slot machines on cruise ships are so tight bc they do not have to follow US gaming laws pertaining to minimum payout percentages. They are probably even set tighter now post pandemic.  It’s nearly impossible to beat the house in the long run playing big money on slots on cruise ships. 

Finally, a sensible response to this topic. Nothing is for free and it baffles me how so many don't get it. These are not "offers" in the sense that most people define....these are "offers" meant to bait those individuals that have a history of gambling large amounts of money.

 

Thanks for telling it like it is and putting things in perspective!

[Brkintx]

58 minutes ago, Alekezam said:

Finally, a sensible response to this topic. Nothing is for free and it baffles me how so many don't get it. These are not "offers" in the sense that most people define....these are "offers" meant to bait those individuals that have a history of gambling large amounts of money.

 

Thanks for telling it like it is and putting things in perspective!

 

Outside of CC, I describe them as "Prepaid" cruises...  And when friends who travel ask how to get such offers, I tell them to begin by simply taking what they spend on the cruise and donate it to the casino over several hours / days... and see where that lands them... 😉