FIRST CASINO OFFER

[Cruise Raider]

Just now, memoak said:

We are still getting good offers and have 40 cruises with Princess. In a 7 day coastal in April we got a free balcony and $500 in free play

 

Wow ... that's awesome!!  We are almost at 40 cruises with Princess as well (not quite there yet) ... never been offered a free balcony from the casino but have gotten $500, $400, $200 and $100 in freeplay since the return to service.  

Again, not complaining as we've gotten free upgrades and free cruises through Princess since the return to service ... just not through the casino.  

[voljeep]

15 minutes ago, Cruise Raider said:

 

Wow ... that's awesome!!  We are almost at 40 cruises with Princess as well (not quite there yet) ... never been offered a free balcony from the casino but have gotten $500, $400, $200 and $100 in freeplay since the return to service.  

Again, not complaining as we've gotten free upgrades and free cruises through Princess since the return to service ... just not through the casino.  

where do these 'free cruises not thru the casino come from ? - without giving too much info ...

[Cruise Raider]

2 minutes ago, voljeep said:

where do these 'free cruises not thru the casino come from ? - without giving too much info ...

 

I'd tell you but ... well, you know how it goes.  I'm not at liberty to share that info. 

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, voljeep said:

where do these 'free cruises not thru the casino come from ? - without giving too much info ...

Which raises a question (of little importance, I suppose).  Do the cruise lines own and operate their own casinos, or are they third-partied out like most of the Art Departments and Retail Shops?  If they are owned and run by third parties, then I suppose that all of the offers are actually coming from the casino operator even if they are marketed through Princess. In other words, the casino operator buys out a block of rooms at a consolidator price, and then re-sells them to casino regulators at a "loss", expecting to make back the difference and more through onboard play.

[Guppy99]

On 3/3/2022 at 6:46 PM, victory2020 said:

Hello, we have received (well, my husband did - for playing about $10 for the first time) a casino offer for a inside room for $249 with $100 pp OBC for a 7 day cruise. Is there anything else that comes with this? Seems like I keep seeing people getting free drinks or even better deals (ie free cruise). 

Wow.... you're looking for a better deal than that?  Pretty sure they aren't giving away free cruises and adding in drinks, tips, wifi. If so, I'd probably just move in. 😄

[Guppy99]

19 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Which raises a question (of little importance, I suppose).  Do the cruise lines own and operate their own casinos, or are they third-partied out like most of the Art Departments and Retail Shops?  If they are owned and run by third parties, then I suppose that all of the offers are actually coming from the casino operator even if they are marketed through Princess. In other words, the casino operator buys out a block of rooms at a consolidator price, and then re-sells them to casino regulators at a "loss", expecting to make back the difference and more through onboard play.

I asked once and they are a vendor...but I'm not sure if the business agreement is structured the same as the art/spa/store vendor agreements are. On a celebrity ship I had dinner with the ships' officer in charge of the vendor relationships on her ship and she implied each was structured differently. Obviously corporate does the deals across the fleet, but someone "local" is responsible for the vendor/passenger relationship on board and reporting the financials. 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

25 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

Wow.... you're looking for a better deal than that?  Pretty sure they aren't giving away free cruises and adding in drinks, tips, wifi. If so, I'd probably just move in. 😄

But they do give away free cruises that include Princess Plus.  Pack your bags and get ready to move in, lol.

[victory2020]

53 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

Wow.... you're looking for a better deal than that?  Pretty sure they aren't giving away free cruises and adding in drinks, tips, wifi. If so, I'd probably just move in. 😄

As Msssocalcruiser says - yes they do! Just want to know exactly what is included when I book so I don't miss out on anything.

[MsSoCalCruiser]

37 minutes ago, victory2020 said:

As Msssocalcruiser says - yes they do! Just want to know exactly what is included when I book so I don't miss out on anything.

They will let you know what is included with your offer. If you haven’t played that much then more than likely your offer will be a discounted rate with some casino Free Play. They will let you know when you book.

[WAvoyager]

43 minutes ago, victory2020 said:

As Msssocalcruiser says - yes they do! Just want to know exactly what is included when I book so I don't miss out on anything.

We’re cruising in a few weeks on a free balcony + Princess Plus + casino $ offer.  Now that I work completely remotely, if the new WiFi is good enough, I just might move in!

 

If you gamble enough onboard (time x wager), you could easily get enough offers to sail almost year round.  If it weren’t for the darn daughter, we could’ve booked 8-9 sailings this year with the offers they’ve sent…. From activity from one cruise on Princess 3 years ago.   (Hmmmm….  Wonder if she can fend for herself for a little bit…. She did just turn 5 after all! 🤪)

[memoak]

25 minutes ago, WAvoyager said:

We’re cruising in a few weeks on a free balcony + Princess Plus + casino $ offer.  Now that I work completely remotely, if the new WiFi is good enough, I just might move in!

 

If you gamble enough onboard (time x wager), you could easily get enough offers to sail almost year round.  If it weren’t for the darn daughter, we could’ve booked 8-9 sailings this year with the offers they’ve sent…. From activity from one cruise on Princess 3 years ago.   (Hmmmm….  Wonder if she can fend for herself for a little bit…. She did just turn 5 after all! 🤪)

Each offer code is limited to x amount of cruises so you can’t really just move in. Also the free cabins are not included for just any cruise. They are for certain cruises. 

[WAvoyager]

2 minutes ago, memoak said:

Each offer code is limited to x amount of cruises so you can’t really just move in. Also the free cabins are not included for just any cruise. They are for certain cruises. 

This past year I’ve had 3 different offers, all for free rooms (interior to balcony), and each offer was good for use for three sailings.  Each offer had 7+ different itineraries, and multiple sailing dates (all dates for same itinerary I believe).  

So I theoretically could’ve booked 9 different cruises.  (May have been limited by date conflicts). I know I couldn’t have actually moved in, but 120 out of 365 days is pretty close.

[srpilo]

This last year for the first time I've received several Princess Casinos "Free Cabin" offers, some with Princess Plus, some without..

 

My question is, how much does the casino expect you to play (total amt $ per day or total $ cruise) to justify the free cruise ? 

 

While obviously these offers are appealing, I don't like the thought of the casino's expectation of me having to gamble the actual cost of the cruise once onboard... So what the casino's expectation of you on a free cruise ??  

[MsSoCalCruiser]

26 minutes ago, srpilo said:

This last year for the first time I've received several Princess Casinos "Free Cabin" offers, some with Princess Plus, some without..

 

My question is, how much does the casino expect you to play (total amt $ per day or total $ cruise) to justify the free cruise ? 

 

While obviously these offers are appealing, I don't like the thought of the casino's expectation of me having to gamble the actual cost of the cruise once onboard... So what the casino's expectation of you on a free cruise ??  

I’m not sure what the expectation is but if you do not gamble enough while you’re there you probably would not receive another offer.  I guess you have to look at it this way… If you would have to pay $500 for a cruise but you got the cruise for free, wouldn’t it be better to go on the cruise and use that money for play money instead? 

Edited March 5, 2022 by MsSoCalCruiser

[srpilo]

7 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

I’m not sure what the expectation is but if you do not gamble enough while you’re there you probably would not receive another offer.

LOL.. Obviously

Up thread someone posted that they play between $100 & $300 a day, and repeatedly receive free cruise offers.

But ... Since you can currently book a seven day Mex Rivera cruise for around $299, playing $1500 or $2100 just to justify a free $299 cruise doesn't make much sense IMO

 

Just curious, am I missing something ??

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 minute ago, srpilo said:

LOL.. Obviously

Up thread someone posted that they play between $100 & $300 a day, and repeatedly receive free cruise offers.

But ... Since you can currently book a seven day Mex Rivera cruise for around $299, playing $1500 or $2100 just to justify a free $299 cruise doesn't make much sense IMO

 

Just curious, am I missing something ??

Oh no, you’re not missing anything. I wouldn’t spend that much money.  I’m not seeing seven day cruises for $299. Which ship?  🏃🏻‍♀️ to book another cruise, lol. 

[srpilo]

47 minutes ago, MsSoCalCruiser said:

Oh no, you’re not missing anything. I wouldn’t spend that much money.  I’m not seeing seven day cruises for $299. Which ship?  🏃🏻‍♀️ to book another cruise, lol. 

 

The April 2nd Majestic is listing at $399.00 right now, but when I log in my Personalizer it's currently $299.00.

I saw the 7 day Majestic as low as $179.00 in January 🤡

[Jadn13]

1 hour ago, srpilo said:

LOL.. Obviously

Up thread someone posted that they play between $100 & $300 a day, and repeatedly receive free cruise offers.

But ... Since you can currently book a seven day Mex Rivera cruise for around $299, playing $1500 or $2100 just to justify a free $299 cruise doesn't make much sense IMO

 

Just curious, am I missing something ??

If thats the itinerary you like.

You can sail to Europe and stay for 2 weeks on B2B2B

or you can sail on  multiple 20 day cruises in the Caribbean. A few weeks in Alaska was also on option.

So, you can pick a week cruise or other itineraries and play with a lot less money. Remember the money rotates so just because you play say  $500 doesn’t mean that a good portion of that wasn’t from winnings.  

 

[MsSoCalCruiser]

1 hour ago, srpilo said:

 

The April 2nd Majestic is listing at $399.00 right now, but when I log in my Personalizer it's currently $299.00.

I saw the 7 day Majestic as low as $179.00 in January 🤡

Thanks!  We booked a cruise on the Discovery for an amazing deal last month.  I will have to look at the Majestic. We were on a four day on the Majestic last December and had a great time!

[Mississippian]

I've taken eight or nine Princess cruises and have never gotten a penny from the casino, even though I played a moderate amount (almost every day, although not for very long on most days). My experience is that I could play for hours and not be able to get a single free drink (in days before drink packages). I booked a cruise for April and was surprised to find a $300 casino credit applied to my booking. I don't remember any emails telling me this was available but am glad to have it.

[srpilo]

6 hours ago, Jadn13 said:

If thats the itinerary you like.

You can sail to Europe and stay for 2 weeks on B2B2B

or you can sail on  multiple 20 day cruises in the Caribbean. A few weeks in Alaska was also on option.

So, you can pick a week cruise or other itineraries and play with a lot less money. Remember the money rotates so just because you play say  $500 doesn’t mean that a good portion of that wasn’t from winnings.  

 

 

Yeah I got that offer too, and in fact, could sail the Sky, and Regal in europe for over 40 days on a B2B2B with Princess Plus included,  but that brings me back to my previous question, on 40 days of free cruises HOW much casino $$ play is expected by the casino from the passenger over those 40 days of free cruising or simpler yet even over a 7 day free cruise ???

 

There has to be some minimum casino expectation, right ?

 

[suzyed]

On 3/3/2022 at 7:28 PM, Cruise Raider said:

 

For $10 spent, you probably got the best deal you are going to see.  Gambling more gives higher discounts or even free cruises.  You can probably add the Princess Plus package for $40 a day pp.  

Amazing that you got anything.

 

[WAvoyager]

32 minutes ago, srpilo said:

 

Yeah I got that offer too, and in fact, could sail the Sky, and Regal in europe for over 40 days on a B2B2B with Princess Plus included,  but that brings me back to my previous question, on 40 days of free cruises HOW much casino $$ play is expected by the casino from the passenger over those 40 days of free cruising or simpler yet even over a 7 day free cruise ???

 

There has to be some minimum casino expectation, right ?

 

I don’t think anyone outside of the casino group will ever know the answer to this question.  I would guess that the answer is : (total play x average loss) + average customer incidental spend profit = comp value.

 

A 7 day cruise is currently $300-$500 value (with current discounts).  My guess would be that the average passenger contributes $100 in incidental spend profit (excursions, drinks, WiFi, specialty dining, etc).  So the passenger has to generate $200 in casino profit to be breakeven.  Someone betting $100/hour, and playing 10 hours over their trip, would generate $200 in profit.  ($100/hour * 10 hours = $1000 in wagers, cruise payout rate is probably 80%, so $200 in potential profit).  As usual, the house will stack the odds in their favor, so maybe $1200 in wagers instead.

 

Lots of guesses in there.  And table players bet more slowly, and have better odds than slots, so it varies by the games that are played.  But I’m guessing the logic is pretty sound.  

Also - right now the cruise lines want people back cruising, so this impacts the break even calculation (value of the cruise and probably some additional customer value addition in the calculation) so I’m sure it’s easier than ever for them to justify free offers.  It’ll definitely tighten up once ships are at higher capacity.

Edited March 6, 2022 by WAvoyager

[Guppy99]

I would suspect that it changes, based any number of variables....just like the odds change in the casino with the flick of a switch (for the slot machines).

[Jadn13]

7 hours ago, srpilo said:

 

Yeah I got that offer too, and in fact, could sail the Sky, and Regal in europe for over 40 days on a B2B2B with Princess Plus included,  but that brings me back to my previous question, on 40 days of free cruises HOW much casino $$ play is expected by the casino from the passenger over those 40 days of free cruising or simpler yet even over a 7 day free cruise ???

 

There has to be some minimum casino expectation, right ?

 

Nothing is expected. 
You could show up and play $0.