Blue Chip Club Free Cruise

[alfred]

14 hours ago, Luvtoeat said:

Yesterday I got the free balcony offer for the Solstice most likely because my wife played in the casino for a little while and used my card to get some play on it. Today she got the same offer offer under her name. Can't imagine how many cabins must still be available that they are trying to fill. Still waiting for some offers for Florida sailings. As to the free drinks while playing, I went to the bar and pointed out my wife on a machine and they had no problem making the drink. Not always easy to find a server to place the order.

My husband received 2 email offers, both for the West coast embarkation..which would cost us too much in airfare to go.  So we wait—-will they keep sending offers?  New to this Blue Chip Offers!

[wadewood]

26 minutes ago, alfred said:

My husband received 2 email offers, both for the West coast embarkation..which would cost us too much in airfare to go.  So we wait—-will they keep sending offers?  New to this Blue Chip Offers!

6 months ago they were handing them out like candy at Halloween to about everyone who ever put $1 in a slot machine.  As we approach Spring Break and summer peak cruising time, I think the Blue Chip offers are going to be scarce unless you were a truly a high roller.

[Luvtoeat]

1 hour ago, wadewood said:

6 months ago they were handing them out like candy at Halloween to about everyone who ever put $1 in a slot machine.  As we approach Spring Break and summer peak cruising time, I think the Blue Chip offers are going to be scarce unless you were a truly a high roller.

I agree with the above. Our first BCC offer for a free balcony was last August for the Solstice and since then we have received a bunch of offers for free balconies and also for 10% off. The only ones we booked were 2 offers for sailings from Florida. 

[capsplace]

OK  I need your help.  Not sure what we are or should be doing because we've never been contacted by BCC.  We do gamble off and on, slots, Blackjack, and roulette.  Nothing major money wise, but have done so since 2017.  We are Pearl on our seapass cards.  We always cruise Aqua, with drink packages, etc., so we are paying a good price for our cruises.

Again, never have we received any communications from BCC.  I went on their website, and it looks like we are supposed to register and enter our credit card, which I prefer not doing.

Suggestions???????

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 minute ago, capsplace said:

OK  I need your help.  Not sure what we are or should be doing because we've never been contacted by BCC.  We do gamble off and on, slots, Blackjack, and roulette.  Nothing major money wise, but have done so since 2017.  We are Pearl on our seapass cards.  We always cruise Aqua, with drink packages, etc., so we are paying a good price for our cruises.

Again, never have we received any communications from BCC.  I went on their website, and it looks like we are supposed to register and enter our credit card, which I prefer not doing.

Suggestions???????

That’s prob a gambling marker/line of credit so you don’t have to bring cash a board.  You don’t need to do that, you are registered

[Fly and Sail]

23 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Perhaps I didn't lose enough... no idea, but I managed twenty something thousand points (blackjack) on our Reflection sailing (7+7 B2B) nearly three months ago - and I've been ghosted by them. No emails, no mailings, nothing. When I call, they say the best they can do is 10% off a suite, which actually makes it more expensive to book with them than with Celebrity direct online.

 

Try to get a few thousand extra points for Amethyst!

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

48 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Try to get a few thousand extra points for Amethyst!

I'm sure they'd love for me to do that, lol. Those points (earned late November to early December) can be added to through what period of time - and that holds you at that tier until when?

 

Tom

[Fly and Sail]

13 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

I'm sure they'd love for me to do that, lol. Those points (earned late November to early December) can be added to through what period of time - and that holds you at that tier until when?

 

Tom

 

Right now, they just extended the earn period again until Dec 31, 2023. From what I understand it's valid from the next sailing following qualification and for the upcoming membership period.

 

Amethyst was so-so for me... the free photo package is fun (never bought photos before). $100 Freeplay per cruise but the free annual cruise is a scam. The denied me the benefit saying "Oh you didn't play much on your LAST cruise (where I was sick and so were 3/4 of their dealers)".

[kwokpot]

4 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Right now, they just extended the earn period again until Dec 31, 2023. From what I understand it's valid from the next sailing following qualification and for the upcoming membership period.

 

Amethyst was so-so for me... the free photo package is fun (never bought photos before). $100 Freeplay per cruise but the free annual cruise is a scam. The denied me the benefit saying "Oh you didn't play much on your LAST cruise (where I was sick and so were 3/4 of their dealers)".

Minimum Freeplay for amethyst tier is $500 or 5% of the previous play on your last cruise. 

[Fly and Sail]

27 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Minimum Freeplay for amethyst tier is $500 or 5% of the previous play on your last cruise. 

 

That's Sapphire.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

9 hours ago, kwokpot said:

Minimum Freeplay for amethyst tier is $500 or 5% of the previous play on your last cruise. 

 

8 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

That's Sapphire.

 

The $500 or 5%, do they go with whichever is higher?

 

When you say 5% of previous play... what does that mean (how is that calculated)?

 

Tom

[Fly and Sail]

7 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

 

The $500 or 5%, do they go with whichever is higher?

 

When you say 5% of previous play... what does that mean (how is that calculated)?

 

Tom

 

The wording is misleading and borderline fraudulent. They calculate the 5% from losses and not from actual activity, which doesn't make any sense.

 

For example: I earned 11,000 points on the second-last cruise so I played for $11,000 (coin in) on slots which is the definition of "gaming activity" yet when I went to pick up my Freeplay on the EDGE last time I was given only $100 saying "I only lost $1,3xx so I only qualify for the minimum guaranteed amount of freeplay".

 

I'm not a big player on board, usually I end up somewhere around 50k points, but I participate in all the major land-based player's clubs and none of them considers only my losses as "gaming activity". I discussed this with two of my Las Vegas hosts and their opinion was that it's sketchy at best and they wouldn't be able to get away with that in Nevada.

 

So I stopped for a long time to consider the actual casino returns as rewards. Play enough to get another free cruise, then stop and walk away.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

19 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

The wording is misleading and borderline fraudulent. They calculate the 5% from losses and not from actual activity, which doesn't make any sense.

 

For example: I earned 11,000 points on the second-last cruise so I played for $11,000 (coin in) on slots which is the definition of "gaming activity" yet when I went to pick up my Freeplay on the EDGE last time I was given only $100 saying "I only lost $1,3xx so I only qualify for the minimum guaranteed amount of freeplay".

 

I'm not a big player on board, usually I end up somewhere around 50k points, but I participate in all the major land-based player's clubs and none of them considers only my losses as "gaming activity". I discussed this with two of my Las Vegas hosts and their opinion was that it's sketchy at best and they wouldn't be able to get away with that in Nevada.

 

So I stopped for a long time to consider the actual casino returns as rewards. Play enough to get another free cruise, then stop and walk away.

 

Interesting, and not surprising 😞 

 

Tom

[kwokpot]

On 2/21/2023 at 7:05 AM, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

 

The $500 or 5%, do they go with whichever is higher?

 

When you say 5% of previous play... what does that mean (how is that calculated)?

 

Tom

Yes, sorry amethyst (I'm not the gambler)

[kwokpot]

On 2/21/2023 at 2:42 PM, Fly and Sail said:

 

The wording is misleading and borderline fraudulent. They calculate the 5% from losses and not from actual activity, which doesn't make any sense.

 

For example: I earned 11,000 points on the second-last cruise so I played for $11,000 (coin in) on slots which is the definition of "gaming activity" yet when I went to pick up my Freeplay on the EDGE last time I was given only $100 saying "I only lost $1,3xx so I only qualify for the minimum guaranteed amount of freeplay".

 

I'm not a big player on board, usually I end up somewhere around 50k points, but I participate in all the major land-based player's clubs and none of them considers only my losses as "gaming activity". I discussed this with two of my Las Vegas hosts and their opinion was that it's sketchy at best and they wouldn't be able to get away with that in Nevada.

 

So I stopped for a long time to consider the actual casino returns as rewards. Play enough to get another free cruise, then stop and walk away.

My husband earned 52,000 pts on our Beyond Cruise in October and however they calculated the Freeplay returns he got more than the minimum Amethyst minimum of $500 and received $795 return Freeplay on our current Solstice cruise PLUS AN additional $100 for no access to the Retreat Lounge which is part of the benefits of the Amethyst tier. 

Edit: He also received a card in the cabin for a comped Conceige class cabin that can be booked onboard at the future cruises area. This is the 1st time he has ever received a free cruise offer while onboard from BCC. For years the offers were received weeks after disembarkation either via email or postcard mailings. 

Edited February 22, 2023 by kwokpot

[NutsAboutGolf]

14 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

My husband earned 52,000 pts on our Beyond Cruise in October and however they calculated the Freeplay returns he got more than the minimum Amethyst minimum of $500 and received $795 return Freeplay on our current Solstice cruise PLUS AN additional $100 for no access to the Retreat Lounge which is part of the benefits of the Amethyst tier. 

Edit: He also received a card in the cabin for a comped Conceige class cabin that can be booked onboard at the future cruises area. This is the 1st time he has ever received a free cruise offer while onboard from BCC. For years the offers were received weeks after disembarkation either via email or postcard mailings. 

 

They normally leave a post card at some point during sailing but on the Solstice earlier this month, I did not receive one, went to future cruises and I was on the list for a comped cruise.  What they told me they generally receive the gamblers list who are eligible for free/reduced cruises at some point on day 2 (the day after embarkation day) and you don't need to wait for the post card to book

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

We received "the card" for a free balcony, but since they were not extending any discount (other than 10%) to upgrade to a suite, we passed. 

 

Perhaps when we retire I'll downshift to non-suites (I already do that to some extent on Carnival, as a suite does not carry any benefits to speak of).

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

42 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

My husband earned 52,000 pts on our Beyond Cruise in October...

 

What does he play - and how many days did it take to hit that number of points?

 

I can see how they felt my 20,000+ points over 14 days didn't get their attention. Having said that, I was pretty much the highest level BJ player there both weeks (not in total hours on the first leg though - some of those guys are machines)!

 

Tom

[Fly and Sail]

9 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

We received "the card" for a free balcony, but since they were not extending any discount (other than 10%) to upgrade to a suite, we passed. 

 

Perhaps when we retire I'll downshift to non-suites (I already do that to some extent on Carnival, as a suite does not carry any benefits to speak of).

 

Tom

 

Only reaaally serious players (Sapphire Plus and Ruby) get a suite or significant discount. You can upgrade for very little money ($10/day) to Aqua Class though and I think that's a VERY solid offer.

[Fly and Sail]

10 hours ago, kwokpot said:

My husband earned 52,000 pts on our Beyond Cruise in October and however they calculated the Freeplay returns he got more than the minimum Amethyst minimum of $500 and received $795 return Freeplay on our current Solstice cruise PLUS AN additional $100 for no access to the Retreat Lounge which is part of the benefits of the Amethyst tier.

 

I think you're confusing Amethyst with Sapphire. The only benefits Amethyst (25k points) has is a free photo package, a few free internet minutes and $100 or 5% of previous cruises gaming activity in freeplay.

 

You're referring to Sapphire (100k points) which also - well theoretically - comes with Retreat access.

 

• Amethyst level guests, the greater of $100 or 5% of the previous sailing’s gaming activity
• Sapphire level guests, the greater of $500 or 10% of the previous sailing’s gaming activity
• Ruby level guests, the greater of $2,500 or 15% of the previous sailing’s gaming activity

[sixpackeddie]

1 hour ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

I think you're confusing Amethyst with Sapphire. The only benefits Amethyst (25k points) has is a free photo package, a few free internet minutes and $100 or 5% of previous cruises gaming activity in freeplay.

 

You're referring to Sapphire (100k points) which also - well theoretically - comes with Retreat access.

 

• Amethyst level guests, the greater of $100 or 5% of the previous sailing’s gaming activity
• Sapphire level guests, the greater of $500 or 10% of the previous sailing’s gaming activity
• Ruby level guests, the greater of $2,500 or 15% of the previous sailing’s gaming activity

Wow that’s great. I will be Sapphire on the Beyond next month. Does that mean I will have access to the retreat lounge? On our last cruise in January money in was $10,560 does that mean I will receive 5%of this in free play chips?

[Fly and Sail]

9 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

What does he play - and how many days did it take to hit that number of points?

 

I can see how they felt my 20,000+ points over 14 days didn't get their attention. Having said that, I was pretty much the highest level BJ player there both weeks (not in total hours on the first leg though - some of those guys are machines)!

 

Tom

 

How much was your W/L ? 10,000 points per week isn't that much, although somewhat impressive that you did it with BJ, which has notoriously bad rating and tracking with Celebrity.

[Fly and Sail]

42 minutes ago, sixpackeddie said:

Wow that’s great. I will be Sapphire on the Beyond next month. Does that mean I will have access to the retreat lounge? On our last cruise in January money in was $10,560 does that mean I will receive 5%of this in free play chips?

 

They have suspended access to the Retreat Lounge since the pandemic and it never came back. Also, the Blue Chip Club website now no longer shows the benefits flyer (you get an error message when you follow the link).

 

As I mentioned, that's apparently not how Celebrity sees it. My $11,xxx coin-in meant nothing to them. "You lost $1300, here are $100 Freeplay. Now bugger off!"

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

4 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Only reaaally serious players (Sapphire Plus and Ruby) get a suite or significant discount. You can upgrade for very little money ($10/day) to Aqua Class though and I think that's a VERY solid offer.

 

I had booked the RS on the Reflection (for the two weeks over Thanksgiving '22) during our 2/22 Reflection sailing. I had the card in our room for a free balcony, but at the future cruise desk I was able to get 60% off a suite. That worked out to about $5k/week for the RS (at the time). I thought that was a great deal. Sure, a "free" balcony would have been a great deal too. 🙂 

 

2 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

How much was your W/L ? 10,000 points per week isn't that much, although somewhat impressive that you did it with BJ, which has notoriously bad rating and tracking with Celebrity.

 

I'm not really sure - but over the two weeks my loss was likely close to $5k. The swings were not very significant on that sailing. Heck, I've had plenty of sessions/days that were like that or worse/better. To enjoy the "highs", you must endure the "lows"...

 

Tom

[Fly and Sail]

28 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

I had booked the RS on the Reflection (for the two weeks over Thanksgiving '22) during our 2/22 Reflection sailing. I had the card in our room for a free balcony, but at the future cruise desk I was able to get 60% off a suite. That worked out to about $5k/week for the RS (at the time). I thought that was a great deal. Sure, a "free" balcony would have been a great deal too. 🙂 

 

 

I'm not really sure - but over the two weeks my loss was likely close to $5k. The swings were not very significant on that sailing. Heck, I've had plenty of sessions/days that were like that or worse/better. To enjoy the "highs", you must endure the "lows"...

 

Tom

 

Wow. For $5k in the hole, you could have probably generated 45-50,000 points on slots with an estimated 10-15% breakage (not considering any major bonuses).