Ever heard of this?

[Travelling2Some]

We have an acquaintance who just returned from her first cruise ever (Apex - loved it) and tells us she spent a couple of hours in the casino every day and was then offered a Sky Suite FREE for booking another cruise.  She's an honest person so doubt she is lying. Do you think she lost her shirt or what? Does Celebrity actually do this?  Makes me wonder if the folks who work in the casino report passengers who are likely to loose large sums of money in the future?  Maybe they make offers to unskilled gamblers who place large bets?  We never use the casino and have no idea what to make of this but it seems so odd after just one cruise?  What do you make of it? 

[Purplsmurf]

We spend a lot in the casino and have never heard of fhis. She must’ve lost a LOT of $$ for them to offer that to her. We often get offers for free cabins, but never a suite.

[Harrisonkid]

Or she won a bunch and they want it back🤔

[Georgia_Peaches]

I spend a lot of time and money in the casino. Have sailed in a comped balcony room before but never a suite. I think I’d have to see it in writing. But I read a review today for Apex, I think. The reviewer lamented that they missed out on a sky suite “free” cruise offer bc they didn’t claim it before the deadline which was before the future cruise desk closed on the last night. I have been under the impression that Retreat was sailing sold out. Hard to believe they’d need to give away free suites. Who knows?

[Liao]

26 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

I spend a lot of time and money in the casino. Have sailed in a comped balcony room before but never a suite. I think I’d have to see it in writing. But I read a review today for Apex, I think. The reviewer lamented that they missed out on a sky suite “free” cruise offer bc they didn’t claim it before the deadline which was before the future cruise desk closed on the last night. I have been under the impression that Retreat was sailing sold out. Hard to believe they’d need to give away free suites. Who knows?

If they were a big spender, who knows.  I spent a fair amount of $$$$$ (fair, I'm lying to myself) on my cruise in Dec. and got a "free" cruise, inside cabin (never), 4 nighter (too short), horrible itin. OR a $500 credit...guess which I took!

[kwokpot]

15 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

We have an acquaintance who just returned from her first cruise ever (Apex - loved it) and tells us she spent a couple of hours in the casino every day and was then offered a Sky Suite FREE for booking another cruise.  She's an honest person so doubt she is lying. Do you think she lost her shirt or what? Does Celebrity actually do this?  Makes me wonder if the folks who work in the casino report passengers who are likely to loose large sums of money in the future?  Maybe they make offers to unskilled gamblers who place large bets?  We never use the casino and have no idea what to make of this but it seems so odd after just one cruise?  What do you make of it? 

BCC definitely offers a free suite based on accumulating enough points. What she didn't tell you is she spent THOUSANDS of dollars to obtain that. This issue comes up with every cruiseline regarding getting free cruises from the casino department and let me assure you,she didn't spend $500 to get that offer. Probably 10x that. 

Edit. How much you LOSE isn't what determines what kinds of condos you get,at least with Celebrity. It's how much money you're plowing through the casino.

Edited May 7 by kwokpot

[kwokpot]

You need to earn 25,000 points to get a certificate for a sky suite on SELECTED SAILINGS. It's from a list of preselected sailings and must be booked onboard using the next cruise program in conjunction with the earned cruise certificate. Consulting my gambler husband you would need to be putting through an average of $10-$15,000 of your own money to generate that amount of points.

Edited May 7 by kwokpot

[kwokpot]

https://urcomped.com/blog/details/3452347/celebritys-blue-chip-club-announces-onboard-certificate-program

[Travelling2Some]

Thanks, kwokpot.  I suspected there was "no free lunch"!

[kwokpot]

12 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

Thanks, kwokpot.  I suspected there was "no free lunch"!

The way gamblers look at cruise casino complementaries is that the time and amount spent in a cruiseship casino would be the same with or without the cruise being comped. So why not accept a free cruise and use the funds that would have gone to pay for the cabin to play in the cruiseship casino? Tbh that's the general 'expectation' for all gamblers towards complementaries from a casino. I come play and spend my money in your casino so even though I'm enjoying myself I still EXPECT you to give me freebies in exchange for my business.

[DingoMom]

@kwokpotis definitely correct on all points (as usual). I have ‘won’ (or’earned’) a comp Aqua class with an upgrade to a Sky Suite on select sailings. We are soon doing a B2B in a Sky suite cabin for 14 nights by combining 2 of my certificates. I lost my shirt on one, and on the other, I hit a couple of times and put it All back in. 🙄

[Georgia_Peaches]

43 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Consulting my gambler husband you would need to be putting through an average of $10-$15,000 of your own money to generate that amount of points.

Wowza!  That explains why I haven’t been offered a sky suite!

[kwokpot]

12 hours ago, DingoMom said:

@kwokpotis definitely correct on all points (as usual). I have ‘won’ (or’earned’) a comp Aqua class with an upgrade to a Sky Suite on select sailings. We are soon doing a B2B in a Sky suite cabin for 14 nights by combining 2 of my certificates. I lost my shirt on one, and on the other, I hit a couple of times and put it All back in. 🙄

We are currently on the Ovation of the Seas in Junior suite (Royal's version of a Sky Suite) on a 9 day repositioning from Hawaii to Vancouver. This was a fully comped cruise via Royal's casino program,which Celebrity has recently adopted. We are having an enjoyable time and have been having dinner in Royal's suites only restaurant. We had $1,500 Freeplay with this sailing and was able to cash out $1,877 from the Freeplay!

Edited May 7 by kwokpot

[cruisetonowhere10]

5 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Wowza!  That explains why I haven’t been offered a sky suite!

Ah yes so my plan to play with $10 isn’t going to cut it.  lol.  That’s my threshold on what I’m willing to throw way.  😂

[gcornell]

FREE?  Not likely.  Most likely that suite cost her a lot of money 

Edited May 7 by gcornell

[Travelling2Some]

1 hour ago, cruisetonowhere10 said:

Ah yes so my plan to play with $10 isn’t going to cut it.  lol.  That’s my threshold on what I’m willing to throw way.  😂

Hah!  I don't gamble, buy drink packages or take ship-sponsored excursions.  To add insult to injury, I book inside cabins and watch for price drops.  I'm surprised they don't put me on some kind of a list of unprofitable passengers and hang up on me when I call to book!!!

[hawkesbaynz]

@Travelling2Some Hah Ha but I imagine you are one of those gorgeous well dressed people we see on the X adverts. Just decorating the ship with your natural good looks and flair for fashion. That will be why they take your custom.

 

Likewise have never gambled on the ships. Went to Las Vegas and am still missing that $5 I frittered away. Happy for people to gamble to their hearts content. Sure it is helping the X profit-loss account and keeps the prices down(!).

[Georgia_Peaches]

2 minutes ago, hawkesbaynz said:

Happy for people to gamble to their hearts content.

Some of us actually have a strategy.  The last 3 cruises on Celebrity have netted me a hand-pay on each.  One of them even paid for our cruise!  I thought I was a sharp tack until I saw my win/loss statement when Uncle Sam put his hand out for a chunk of my winnings...lol.  Then I discovered MSC, which doesn't follow US tax laws and is not beholden to them to report passenger winnings...but I haven't won much on MSC, so there's that...🤦‍♀️

[Georgia_Peaches]

8 hours ago, kwokpot said:

We had $1,500 Freeplay with this sailing and was able to cash out $1,877 from the Freeplay!

Nice job to your DH...or did you get the big wins?

[Travelling2Some]

Hah again!  You have a vivid imagination.  I travel "carry-on only" and these days my fashion look is "clean and respectable".  The "gorgeous" ship sailed quite a few years ago:)

[verizon]

I very much believe what he told you.

I do know a guy who cruise FREE all the way to be Zenith.

[Travelling2Some]

2 minutes ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Some of us actually have a strategy.  The last 3 cruises on Celebrity have netted me a hand-pay on each.  One of them even paid for our cruise!  I thought I was a sharp tack until I saw my win/loss statement when Uncle Sam put his hand out for a chunk of my winnings...lol.  Then I discovered MSC, which doesn't follow US tax laws and is not beholden to them to report passenger winnings...but I haven't won much on MSC, so there's that...🤦‍♀️

Good to know about MSC.  One of my daughters is a bit of a high roller and I will pass the word to her.  She says she has a system too and seems to do nicely in the casinos.  Made enough on her honeymoon to cover the entire cost of the cruise (and they are big spenders, not like me!)

[Pinboy]

13 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

Does Celebrity actually do this? 

Sky Suite FREE ??

Kind of hard to believe unless she lost $$$$$$---even more than that.

Casinos Love Losers---especially people that split Kings because they had a " feeling " like some " Winner " (?? ) posted on CC awhile ago.

Freebies in the casino:

Lose $ 2500 ----- Celebrity Key chain

Lose $ 5000 ----- Celebrity water bottle

Lose $10,000 ---- Zero , Ya don't say nothin---Ya don't wanna admit to being so stupid.

 

 

 

 

[fenton04]

How does this work?  Recently on a back to back.  We booked a junior suite.  Before the cruise we got a message to bid on a grand suite on both cruises.  Got on cruise and was told it was a full ship on both legs.  I am thinking to myself how can it be full and I am getting these upgrade bids?
at the end of the first leg the back to back passengers are gathered in a holding area on the ship to go through customs.  We happened to be seated with a family that had a comped room.  Matter of fact a grand suite (first leg was 5 days).  We told him of our junior suite.
He explained his method of getting a comped room to us.  Then we got our new sea pass cards.  Ours were blue, (second leg 9 days) and when he saw that he said wait a minute that card should be gray?  He showed us his gray card from first leg.  When he got his new card it too was blue.  He had a junior suite which perplexed him.  I thought it a good manners not to say anymore.

My question did Royal send me those upgrade alerts because they wanted more money from me.  Are those comped rooms written in stone are is there fine print indicating that a you can be moved at a moments notice.   Am I supposed to believe that a fellow who has the wherewithal to gamble for high ticket rooms did not know the difference between a grand and junior suite?
 

 

 

[hcat]

On average, if anyone knows, what per cent of cabins per cruise are comped or discounted for gamblers?

Are these prime cabins, like the suite nentioned here or " leftovers" if bookings are slow for cettain ships/ itins?

 

  Do these deals bring alot of revenue to Celebrity?  if gambling alot..it would seem less spent on excursions, dining, shops, spa etc???