CAsino Question

[ketzelacruising]

I understand that Harrah's is now running CAS. We went to a Harrah's in Atlantic City this weekend and got our cards- and gambled for the fun of it. The Total REwards rep there told us that we will just use the same card we recevied in the Harrah's casino on the Pearl in the Casino. Is this true?

I called the casino marketing dept at NCL and got a very round about non-answer that i didn't understand.

 

Terryntex?

 

Thanks

 

Ketzela

[terrymtex01]

Two things. As of right now, Harrahs is partnered with CAS, not running CAS. I am pretty sure in the future they will probably have control over things, if I know how Harrahs operaters, but as of now they are just partners.

 

I can only speak from our experience, but even when we have sailed on the same NCL ship a few months apart, we had to get new casino cards when we started each cruise. The points you do not convert at the end of your cruise do carry forward for 18 months as long as you notify the casino manager at the beginning of the cruise to contact the last ship you gambled on and they will pull your points forward, but the cards are done when you end the cruise.

 

My thoughts are you will need to expect to have to get new cards when you board the ship.

[ketzelacruising]

Terry and Doug

 

First of all, i would LOVE to cruise with you guys sometime. i could sneak a smoke when DH wasn't looking and chat! ( something about the casino puts me back in the mood- probably the smoke!)

 

Also- do you have a Total REwards card or does the card you get say NCL Casinos at Sea or Total Rewards?

 

We have also had to replace ours when cruisng in the same year.with NCL.. kinda silly..

Sorry if i am babbling- soemthing just didn't seem right about using the land-based card on the ship. I guess I will bring them anyway see if i can glom a drink or two!

 

Ketzela

[raudacruise]

Two different cards/two different reward programs. The only indirect link is that if you have a total rewards card you can get a discount on NCL cruises.

 

We actually stayed at Harrahs New Orleans before our cruise last week. Got decent rates from being platinum. But it didn't transfer anything over to the CAS program.

 

Yes, both NCL and Harrahs are majority owned by the same holding company (Apollo) but so far no real integration in their casino operations - at least their rewards programs.

[Fishbait17]

Your cruising card card should say "Casinos at Sea", not "Total Rewards" unless something has changed very recently. And you will probably have to get a new card with each sailing, as we have in the past. FWIW, I am a Diamond Total Rewards player, but I get much better deals directly thru CAS. As of now, the partnership doesn't do much more than offer a discount for cruising for being a Total Rewards member. I did just notice that TR is also showing the ability to use points toards NCL cruises - this is new. You can cash in anywhere from 35,000 points to receive $200 credit to 105,000 points for $600 credit, and for Harrah's that's not a bad conversion. But that credit can be applied to cruise fare only, and I get comped cabins from CAS so I can't see much use for us - I wish they would offer it as Onboard Credit instead. The fine print also says that "Tier discount cannot be applied", so it's really a total waste unless you are booking a very cheap cabin (as the discount could be even better and without using you reward points up), and also that "booking fees apply" (you have to book through Harrah's travel) - but least it's something!

 

Robin

[terrymtex01]

Terry and Doug

 

First of all, i would LOVE to cruise with you guys sometime. i could sneak a smoke when DH wasn't looking and chat! ( something about the casino puts me back in the mood- probably the smoke!)

 

Also- do you have a Total REwards card or does the card you get say NCL Casinos at Sea or Total Rewards?

 

We have also had to replace ours when cruisng in the same year.with NCL.. kinda silly..

Sorry if i am babbling- soemthing just didn't seem right about using the land-based card on the ship. I guess I will bring them anyway see if i can glom a drink or two!

 

Ketzela

 

I think it would be a blast to be on the same cruise.. Yes.. you could sneak a smoke sitting next to me.. if hubby walked up we would just pretend it was my cig in the ashtray.. LOL..

 

It is fun meeting people on the cruise from CC. Be sure and go to your M&G on your cruise.

 

Have fun and good luck in the casino.

[garycarla]

As said by others, unless something changed VERY recently and nobody announced it, there is only a marketing partnership. They are both stand along systems. We are Diamond at Harrahs and do get a discount, but since we make such nice donations while onboard, they do even better.

[LEAP]

Hey there fellow gamblers! I wanted to thank you for your help Terry, Robin ,Gary.

I posted some questions on comp cruises a while back and your info was great.

I wanted to let you know I called CAS and was thrilled to be offered a 7 day comped cruise based on my play on the Sky! It is an oceanview, and I am going to use it on the Star to Alaska. I read your review Terry and you seem to really like this ship. Can you tell me if they had a video poker bar in the casino?

 

Sorry this is off topic, but hope you will still be looking thru this thread.

 

Great review by the way-Thanks

[terrymtex01]

Hey there fellow gamblers! I wanted to thank you for your help Terry, Robin ,Gary.

I posted some questions on comp cruises a while back and your info was great.

I wanted to let you know I called CAS and was thrilled to be offered a 7 day comped cruise based on my play on the Sky! It is an oceanview, and I am going to use it on the Star to Alaska. I read your review Terry and you seem to really like this ship. Can you tell me if they had a video poker bar in the casino?

 

Sorry this is off topic, but hope you will still be looking thru this thread.

 

Great review by the way-Thanks

 

Yes.. we love the Star. Great ship, great staff and very nice casino staff. Yes they do have video poker and my memory is it is right in the front of the casino as you come in and to the right. Of course they may rearrange the casino before you are on her, but I am very sure they will keep in the video poker machines. People seem to love them.

 

Have you been on an Alaskan cruise yet? If not, believe me, that is one time the itinenary is the star of the show, not the ship or crew.. 8-)

[ketzelacruising]

As said by others, unless something changed VERY recently and nobody announced it, there is only a marketing partnership. They are both stand along systems. We are Diamond at Harrahs and do get a discount, but since we make such nice donations while onboard, they do even better.

 

Hey, GaryCarla-

 

I think that it is wonderful that people like you and I make donations- especialy with the economy the way it is!

Thanks for you info, as always!

 

Ketzela

[LEAP]

Thanks terry, Yes I have been to alaska on Celebrity 3 years ago and we loved it! I thought we would only do it once, but after being there all I could think of is I can't wait to do this again. We went to all the same ports except Prince Rupert. We did the one way to Seward and flew home from anchorage. It was just awesome, even though it rained every day except at Hubbard Glacier, so hoping June will be better than last week of August. What I was asking about Video poker is if you noticed it on the bar top in the casino?

 

Thanks

[terrymtex01]

Thanks terry, Yes I have been to alaska on Celebrity 3 years ago and we loved it! I thought we would only do it once, but after being there all I could think of is I can't wait to do this again. We went to all the same ports except Prince Rupert. We did the one way to Seward and flew home from anchorage. It was just awesome, even though it rained every day except at Hubbard Glacier, so hoping June will be better than last week of August. What I was asking about Video poker is if you noticed it on the bar top in the casino?

 

Thanks

 

Yes I did notice them there. In fact, every NCL ship we have been on has had them at the bar. We loved Alaska so much that we wanted to do a B2B next year for our 10th anniv., but it just wouldn't work out with our schedules. Not going to be able to do a B2B in 2010 either, but if they still offer the new Northbound/Southbound itinenaries in 2011, b2b here we come. 8-)

[raudacruise]

The VP at the bars are sort of the worse comp/win combos (ships and Vegas). The comp is normally half of slots. Thats because VP outside the bars have progressive vs. the normally fixed rates at the bars.

 

Having said that, I did manage to pull down a Royal Flush while sipping a Bloody Mary last March (Ballys) just before going to the airport. That $1000 took a dent out of my losses ;).