Nothing is Free - Blue Chip "Free Verandah" Offer

[kwokpot]

14 minutes ago, Ex-Airbalancer said:

We never received any offer , but we never gamble 

do they offer TA or EU cruises ? 
might be time to play at least once per cruise 

Most definitely they offer European cruises. 

[cruisegirlppp]

10 hours ago, IslaSarah said:

I swear they're doing this so all of us non-gamblers think "maybe I should throw some money in a slot machine and hope to win a free cruise even if I lose my money"!

Exactly what has been going through my mind...after, "wait a minute- they are giving away free cruises?!?"

[kwokpot]

The invoice from our last 'free casino cruise'.

Checkout the numbers and tell me this isn't a great deal!

 

[grandgeezer]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

The invoice from our last 'free casino cruise'.

Checkout the numbers and tell me this isn't a great deal!

 

Funny looking invoice, especially when it says “Booking Conformation” in the upper right hand corner. Casino losses should be factored in when determining how good or bad the deal was.

[20165]

3 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Even if using cash you should put your key card in the machine. You show them you are playing and wrack up points. Not sure how they track if you’re at the tables. 

Now im kicking myself because according to this thread, it doesnt take much if anything to get a BCC.  We have a cruise at the end of Dec. on Apex so ill give it a try, maybe spend a little more than usual and see if anything happens.

Does anyone know if they have video poker at the bars in the casino on Apex?  Thats where we usually spend most of the time in the casino but we were on Silhouette a couple weeks ago, they didnt have video poker at the casino bars which i think is the first time on a cruise ship i havent seen that.  Maybe i missed it somewhere else?

thx

 

[20165]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

The invoice from our last 'free casino cruise'.

Checkout the numbers and tell me this isn't a great deal!

 

Unless your dropping thousands at the casino, thats is an awesome deal.  Even it it is a couple thousand, its still a heck of a deal for 9 night aqua class cabin.

[Fly and Sail]

On 11/26/2022 at 10:26 PM, Sunset329 said:

We are booked on a ten-day cruise on the Edge, using a "Free Verandah" Blue Chip offer. Like all cruises, I put together a cruise budget to see what is coming out of the bank account. After budgeting for transportation, hotel, shuttle, drinks, casino donations, port excursions, shopping, special dining, gratuities and port fees, our "Free Veranda" disappeared like a daydream. Granted, the complimentary verandah offer from Blue Chip is a great deal, but it certainly isn't "free". 

 

All Celebrity charged is the port tax and the gratuity. Anything else is at your own discretion. And there is no mandatory casino play. Are you saying they shouldn't be able to advertise it as free because you choose to spend on shopping, excursions and specialty dining plus transportation to the port?? 😂

[Fly and Sail]

47 minutes ago, grandgeezer said:

Funny looking invoice, especially when it says “Booking Conformation” in the upper right hand corner. Casino losses should be factored in when determining how good or bad the deal was.

 

I never had a receipt from Celebrity that said INVOICE on it. And it's well documented that Celebrity/BCC even targets customers who threw as little as 5 bucks into a slot machine. Generally speaking though even if you cycle $2000 and lose every dime that'd still be a great deal for his itinerary in Aqua Class.

[Cruise Junky]

We ended up cancelling our free veranda to the Mexican Riviera. Flights, hotel and tips. We were $1,700 Cdn in before stepping onboard.  Great deal if it was somewhere I actually wanted to go.  

[DirtyDawg]

3 hours ago, grandgeezer said:

Funny looking invoice, especially when it says “Booking Conformation” in the upper right hand corner. Casino losses should be factored in when determining how good or bad the deal was.

No one loses at the casino. They make an investment in future 'free' cruises. 😉

[ChucktownSteve]

I received a free 7 night Veranda cabin offer in October.  I called to see if there was a mistake.  Even though I've sailed Celebrity several times since 2016, according to the representative who confirmed it wasn't a mistake, the last time I gambled in one of Celebrity's casino's was 2016.

 

I've got a solo cabin in a couple of weeks with no minimum spending required in the casino.  Since I'm a bottom level club member, I have to pay the $145 port/taxes,  grats and buy my own liquor outside of the elite happy hour.

Edited November 27, 2022 by ChucktownSteve

[SusieV]

I'm disappointed that I've never gotten an offer, and I do gamble. Not a lot, but I spend at least a little time at the blackjack tables every day or two.

[ChucktownSteve]

2 minutes ago, SusieV said:

I'm disappointed that I've never gotten an offer, and I do gamble. Not a lot, but I spend at least a little time at the blackjack tables every day or two.

Whenever I've played the table games, I always buy in with a $100 bill. They've had to call the pit boss so I go on the clock immediately.  When I color out, I convert back to cash and later buy in with another $100 bill.  I also notice when the pit boss is going on break.  That's when I leave.  I've remained on the clock until he returns and notices I'm gone.  That's what I did at land casinos to increase ratings a little.

But if they don't know who you are, you don't accumulate time at the table.   And as someone else pointed out earlier, always place your room key into the slot/video poker machine when playing cash.

 

 

[Baron Barracuda]

last offer I received was good on almost 70 sailings including Edge.  Some were 10 or 11 nights.  Kinda makes you wonder how many paying customers are actually on board and puts an asterisk on Jason Liberty's claims of strong bookings.

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, Baron Barracuda said:

last offer I received was good on almost 70 sailings including Edge.  Some were 10 or 11 nights.  Kinda makes you wonder how many paying customers are actually on board and puts an asterisk on Jason Liberty's claims of strong bookings.

 

Not sure on his exact quote but did find one with him saying now that the covid protocols were dropped, they received a "strong booking BOOST".  Also that the RCI Ikon bookings had blown away their previous records.  However, even if he did say RCG as a whole had "strong bookings" it's just so intentionally vague that it's all marketing fluff

[someguyfl]

11 hours ago, kwokpot said:

The pit boss will watch a new player for the first couple of rounds then enter the amount bet each hand into the system. At least that's how's it's supposed to work.  

I’m on edge right now, and asked the blackjack dealer how it worked on this ship. She said the table had sensors in it and knows exactly how much you are betting per hand. The dealer has a keypad where they are supposed to enter what you are betting on each hand, and they check to see how close the dealer is tracking your play to the sensors. 
 

will see if my play was enough to earn any offers. I was playing $25/hand for about 30 minutes… went to $400 loss at maximum and ended at $80 loss. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

3 minutes ago, someguyfl said:

I’m on edge right now, and asked the blackjack dealer how it worked on this ship. She said the table had sensors in it and knows exactly how much you are betting per hand. The dealer has a keypad where they are supposed to enter what you are betting on each hand, and they check to see how close the dealer is tracking your play to the sensors. 
 

will see if my play was enough to earn any offers. I was playing $25/hand for about 30 minutes… went to $400 loss at maximum and ended at $80 loss. 

 

Perhaps sensors are on the E-Class but they're apparently not on the older ships as the pitboss will occasionally come by and enter your betting amounts into their ipad

 

Was told by a host (take this with a grain of salt) that its 150-200 tier points per night average to receive a free cruise

[ILgirl]

8 hours ago, 20165 said:

Now im kicking myself because according to this thread, it doesnt take much if anything to get a BCC.  We have a cruise at the end of Dec. on Apex so ill give it a try, maybe spend a little more than usual and see if anything happens.

Does anyone know if they have video poker at the bars in the casino on Apex?  Thats where we usually spend most of the time in the casino but we were on Silhouette a couple weeks ago, they didnt have video poker at the casino bars which i think is the first time on a cruise ship i havent seen that.  Maybe i missed it somewhere else?

thx

 

I haven’t been on Beyond yet, but have been on Apex and Edge and most all of M and S class ships.  The only ship with video poker at the bar that I know of is the Edge.

[NutsAboutGolf]

On 11/26/2022 at 8:02 AM, grandgeezer said:

We haven’t dropped as much as a penny in the ship’s casino in the last 20+ cruises and have received four offers in the last several months, two by e-mail and two through regular mail. I never followed up on it as we have no interest in doing it.

 

Are you under the assumption that you have to gamble?  Just letting you know you don't...There are no requirements, you don't need to step foot in the casino

[eddieg07410]

3 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Are you under the assumption that you have to gamble?  Just letting you know you don't...There are no requirements, you don't need to step foot in the casino

My wife certainly was not there long. There clearly are other forces at work here other than gambling time.

[Fly and Sail]

19 hours ago, ChucktownSteve said:

Whenever I've played the table games, I always buy in with a $100 bill. They've had to call the pit boss so I go on the clock immediately.  When I color out, I convert back to cash and later buy in with another $100 bill.

 

 

 

That makes absolutely ZERO difference.

[ChucktownSteve]

17 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

Are you under the assumption that you have to gamble?  Just letting you know you don't...There are no requirements, you don't need to step foot in the casino

That's what I was told by the rep when I asked if a minimum gamble.  Not a penny.

[NutsAboutGolf]

3 minutes ago, ChucktownSteve said:

That's what I was told by the rep when I asked if a minimum gamble.  Not a penny.

 

If there are playing requirements they need to list them in the offer email

[Fly and Sail]

37 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

If there are playing requirements they need to list them in the offer email

 

Even if there are some and you don't complete them, all that does it you won't receive future offers.

[NutsAboutGolf]

31 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Even if there are some and you don't complete them, all that does it you won't receive future offers.

 

Exactly.  For anyone reading this, they won't send you a bill...You can call BCC yourself and ask if you have any concerns