Fly and Sail

Love following along, I'm missing last years voyage on the Millie already (and the casino).

Have fun!!

12 hours ago, albingirl said:

I always thought it was strange that they leave key cards outside your stateroom door.  First of all, that is your key card for drinks and other very important things that matter.  Casino isn't open but you could charge a boatload of drinks on that card.  Never mind, just thinking of mischief and mayhem.

There is plenty of security and CCTV on the ship. Not the ideal place for any kind of shenanigans.

On 4/12/2024 at 6:14 PM, POA1 said:

Speed does not change. Only service portfolio.

That's fine, I need access to pretty much everything. Where can I upgrade the service though?

How would one go to upgrade the speed from the "Have it all" Surf package? Is there something online or can that be done on the ship only?

12 hours ago, TRLD said:

So is your friend agreeable to losing future offers.

 

They have provided notice in the T&Cs.

Yes, we don't care. We didn't do the match because we want to become permanent HA customers, it was simply a promotion we took up just like joining any other players club that offers $xxx Freeplay to open an players card account.

Fine print alone doesn't count as notice for a charge, at least not in the EU. You need to be presented with a receipt/order form and sign off on it.

In any case, casinos on cruise ships are usually operated by a different entity that also takes over the fare and pays the cruise line their negotiated rate. HA would get paid for this cabin.

11 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

@Fly and Sail this has happened to me on HAL and was exactly as @Horizon chaser 1957 and @kazu said - passenger #1 was a No Show w/no repercussions. We did not cancel pax 1, they were simply a No Show.

Thanks, I appreciate it. The taxes are minimal on this sailing ($160/pax), so even if those won't flow back, that's not really relevant in the bigger picture.

35 minutes ago, TRLD said:

You might want to read the offer terms. If you choose to board and the person in whose name does not board then depending upon those exact terms you certainly could find yourself charged while on the cruise. The other alternative is to notify the casino department that they can not make the cruise and see if the offer will stand. Most of these offers are not transferable and become void if the person does not cruise.

 

Do not have a copy of Holland casino offer terms and conditions but do have the link to Royals. Would expect them to be similar.

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/terms-and-conditions/casino-promotions#:~:text=Casino Offers are nontransferable%2C cannot,be withdrawn at any time.

 

They very clearly address the situation of the primary not showing up. In addition to the other passenger to be charged full fare, the person that got the offer may find that they are nolonger eligeable for future offers.

I quoted the offer terms above, there is no such language. Either way, no matter what they write in their conditions it wouldn't allow them to charge without prior notification in the EU. T&C don't supersede valid consumer law.

I'll risk it and report back how it went.:)

12 minutes ago, Ready2go11 said:

I agree with other posters in that you could show up and may get lucky, and nothing will change OR based on the above they could cancel the entire trip or make you pay the full non-casino, discounted fare, which would significantly increase your cost.  By showing up on your own, you are taking a gamble it will work out as you hope. 

 

I am not sure what you mean by not allowing a blind charge in Europe, since you are not taking the trip that is documented on your confirmation by having 2 people, including the one the offer was extended to, participate in the contracted journey. 

Barcelona isn't much of an inconvenience for me and the city itself is quite nice to spend a weekend. In the worst case, I could always go back home, 8000 United miles for a short-haul flight on Lufthansa.

By blind charge, I mean if they wanted to charge me anything, they would have to do so at the time of sailing, allowing me to decline. They can't just charge the card at the end of the trip. Not that I'd give them a card that'd allow an unauthorized (high) charge in the first place.

29 minutes ago, leerathje said:

I would have your GF check out the offer she received.

Well, we obviously have the T&C, but those aren't saying much about this situation. There is no language in it regarding the retail rate being charged, as some quoted above from their own offers. Not that they'd get with a blind charge in Europe anyway, they'd have to tell the passengers in advance.

GENERAL FREE DEAL TERMS (APPLICABLE TO ANY/ALL AVAILABLE MATCH PROGRAM FREE DEALS (“DEAL(S)”)) Free Deals exclude any deposit and Taxes, Fees, and Port Expenses (“TFPE”). The promotional offer is applicable for 1st/2nd guests only; 3rd/4th/5th guests are responsible for prevailing cruise rates. Holland America Line reserves the right to assess a change fee according to the date of the request, the length of the cruise, and the actual cruise sail date. Cancellation penalties apply. Must be 18+ to play in the casino. Invited Guests under the age of 21 must travel with a relative or guardian of 25 years of age or older. Exclusions may apply to certain Deals. Deals (and any parts) are not transferable, not substitutable, not redeemable for cash and not combinable with any other offer/deal. Deals are only applicable to new bookings, on select sailings, and are capacity controlled (regardless of stateroom availability). Each Deal is only available on select sailings through the date set forth in the Deal’s specific terms. Free Play offers are only valid for the first two guests in the stateroom. Carnival Corporation (“Carnival”) is not responsible or liable for any printing errors. Any Deal may be changed or revoked at any time. Guests must be eligible for passage on Holland America Line ships to be eligible for these Deals. There is no guarantee of availability at time of booking. © 2022 Carnival Corporation. All rights reserved. Ship Registry: The Netherlands.

1 hour ago, Wehwalt said:

Agreed. Guest 1's presence is what HAL wants, in the expectation she will gamble enough to justify giving her the free cruise. To accept the free cruise, but with Guest 1 not there, and telling what amounts to falsehoods to accomplish that, well, there's something ethically wrong with that, at the very least.

Ethics aren't my concern at this point. And we don't expect to get any additional offers from HAL as Celebrity is our primary cruise line. We only took this offer because it was attractive and advertised, no intention to play much in the casino unless they have my favorite slot.

1 hour ago, GeorgesGal said:

Why not just contact HAL and ask them?  I assume you should speak with Guest Services or whatever they are called at headquarters.  This way you won't get any surprise at the pier.

Donna

Because I don't want them to annotate my booking or flag it in some way. Usually, the CC community always has better answers than cruise line representatives, especially when asking them a hypothetical case.

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I have been emphatically told by HAL the offer is for the named person and if they don’t show no one can step in their place. 

The offer is always for two people per cabin.

Is the Vista Suite on the Oosterdam anything special or pretty much the same as the Verandah rooms?

From what I understand, HA isn't like Celebrity, where an entry-level suite confers suite benefits.

We received a free casino comp via the HA status match in a Visa Suite for which I booked a 12 day Med cruise.

The comp cruise certificate is in the name of my girlfriend, and we booked for both of us quite a while ago. Due to some last-minute developments, she will have to sit for an exam and wants a few weeks to study for it. She can't take this cruise but needs alone time either way so I'd still go because it won't make a difference other than the free cruise expiring otherwise.

I wonder if HA will bat an eye if she (as the lead passenger on the reservation) won't check in on embarkation day. In the end, people get sick or miss their flights all the time. My parents had a similar situation on Celebrity last year, and they didn't care; even refunding the taxes for the no-show.

Thanks to anyone with IRL experience.

Book for two pax, one will be a no show. Refund the taxes.

2 hours ago, Cruise a holic said:

Definately use Uber or lyft- not expensive and you will go directly to your ship.   Easy- Or we take a regular taxii.

Nope. Takes forever to arrive and you'll have surge pricing since everybody wants to get one. Easily exceeds the $20 for a cab.

On 12/11/2023 at 2:25 PM, drakes2 said:

I don't bother with uber as too expensive. When I put in the app and converted to Canadian currency would have cost me $44 to airport so I took a cab for 20 bucks. Last year used uber from FLL to the Hilton and the driver came from Miami we waited 45 minutes then he charged me waiting time as he parked in wrong area. I went through the app and got a credit for my wait time. 

Why wait that long if you see the driver isn't near? Cancel immediately.

On 12/11/2023 at 5:27 AM, SRch said:

We just took the shuttle from port Everglades because we’re going to Miami airport. It was chaos! We were off the ship at 8:30 ish and we didn’t get to the airport until almost noon. The FLL shuttles went first but for $24.99 per person it is way less hassle and 1/2 the price to just catch a cab. We will never do the shuttle again even to Miami. Cab or Uber. Wont do hotel shuttles to port anymore either. I’m not sure what they were charging but our Uber from Crown plaza was $6+ tip.

How can a ride that's 15 minutes take you 3.5 hours?

Just to be clear, you PAID for the upgrade? You weren't "upgraded" which suggests it was complimentary?

I might try to see if I get better offers with my MGM affiliation rather than BCC.

That being said, the new site says this:

TO RECEIVE BLUE CHIP CLUB OFFERS, YOUR ACCOUNT WITH CELEBRITY CRUISES MUST MEET THE FOLLOW CRITERIA:

GAMING ACTIVITY MUST BE TRACKED ONBOARD USING YOUR SEAPASS CARD IN THE CASINO WHEN PLAYING TABLE GAMES AND/OR SLOT MACHINES. YOUR RECORDED GAMING ACTIVITY (RATING) IS THE BASIS TO CREATE OFFERS. IT IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE GUEST TO ENSURE THEIR SEAPASS CARD IS ACTIVATED FOR RATINGS EACH TIME MACHINES OR GAMING TABLES ARE PLAYED.

YOUR CAPTAIN’S CLUB MARKETING PROFILE MUST BE FLAGGED YES TO RECEIVE COMMUNICATIONS FROM CELEBRITY CRUISES AND BLUE CHIP CLUB. WHEN OPTING OUT OF CELEBRITY CRUISES EMAILS, YOU ARE OPTING OUT OF ALL EMAIL INCLUDING BLUE CHIP CLUB COMMUNICATIONS. SHARED EMAIL ADDRESSES MAY RESTRICT OFFER RECEIPT. AN OFFER IS INTENDED AND CAN ONLY BE REDEEMED BY THE QUALIFIED GUEST STATED IN THE OFFER EVEN WHEN THE EMAIL RECIPIENT IS DIFFERENT.

BLUE CHIP CLUB OFFERS VARY DEPENDING ON GAMING HISTORY AND/OR TIER STATUS. SUSPENDED OFFERS MAY BE A RESULT OF, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, SAILINGS WITH NO GAMING ACTIVITY, NO SHOW STATUS, NUMBER OF FUTURE BOOKED VOYAGES OR NO SAIL STATUS. GUESTS GENERATING LESS THAN 1000 TIER CREDITS PER TRIP WILL NOT RECEIVE OFFERS AND MAY BE ELIGIBLE FOR A SPECIAL CASINO RATE WHEN BOOKING.

SPECIAL EVENT CRUISES, OTHER THAN BLUE CHIP CLUB TIER CRUISE EVENTS ARE OFFERED BASED ON THE GAMING CRITERIA SPECIFIC TO THE SHIP, SAIL DATE AND STATEROOM OFFER OF THE SPECIAL EVENT.

YOU MAY CONTACT BLUE CHIP CLUB RESERVATION CENTER, YOUR TRAVEL ADVISOR, PLAYER DEVELOPMENT HOST OR INDEPENDENT CASINO REPRESENTATIVE IF YOU NEED ADDITIONAL INFORMATION OR ASSISTANCE.

6 hours ago, mahdnc said:

We finally made Elite Plus from our Galapagos cruise last month.  The 360 Club Points we received from it meant that all the PUP earnings were not needed to achieve it.  2 free bags of laundry here we come!

You got 360 points from ONE cruise?? 🤯

I wouldn't bother with the shuttle. It'll cost you the same as just grabbing a cab for $20 to the airport terminal. Don't bother with rideshares either because there will be surge pricing during disembarkation. and drivers are often unfamiliar with the port area. They also have to show ID to the port officers which spooks some of them.

On 12/5/2023 at 12:16 PM, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

What a cluster.  On most land-based casinos, you play at a table, and within a few minutes of ending your play session, your tier points are added to your account.  On X, why is the host involved with the rating process at all if they're unable to adjust the ratings sent over to them electronically?

 

I know X removed the ability to use BCC deals at FCV and that FCV wasn't happy about that, sounds like X relented a little by letting some with offers book again which adds to the confusion

I wouldn't be caught dead playing table games on Celebrity. The rating system is a total mess and I simply don't trust it.

15 hours ago, sixpackeddie said:

Yes or you can use a $750 credit towards another cruise. Here is a copy of the voucher you received at the end of the cruise.

 

How much did you play in order to receive this? Tables or slots?

13 hours ago, AdequateAndy said:

Appreciate the honest insight. I'd be gambling at the casino either way but may as well try and milk it for all it's worth. Such a shame that they seem to be getting tighter and tighter with the offers they are offering.

I'd rather gamble at Royal now as they have a firm rule as far as comp cruise milestones are concerned (unless something changed, but I haven't heard anything). With Celebrity, you can lose your shirt and get nothing at all. Thankfully I did rather ok even as a slot player with just dumb luck involved. I never won a jackpot or anything, but after 41,000 points, I'm only down $3,170, and I had 11 free cruises in Aqua Class.