BamaCruiser39

CAS was already rock bottom of all cruise lines in terms of comps and benefits. Looks like they decided to whip out their shovels to try to dig even lower if they actually get rid of comped drinks in the casino as a benefit.

No, but CAS does charge an additional $20 per person per day "admin fee" for CAS bookings that no one else charges. That's in addition to DSC if you do not have the DSC waived via CAS status

I like Blu, but I definitely wouldn't pay extra for it as specialty dining

Yup. That's exactly why I'm sailing on Carnival for the first time in a few weeks. I was an NCL loyalist (so much so that I was on their first post-Covid sailing out of the US even after a somewhat short-notice port and ship change) until they lessened their casino comps post-Covid (and kept asinine $20 per day "admin fees" for comped bookings) and sent most of their non-high rollers to Carnival/RCCL/Celebrity who are offering better comps for less actual and theo loss.

NCL has lost their damn minds

NCL still is (and has been) my preferred cruise line, but they are simply no longer worth the hefty premium over other similar lines (RCCL/Celebrity) given their current product - even after CAS comps.

Teppanyaki and Le Bistro. Cagney's was extremely underwhelming last time I tried it (which was pre-covid)

Cash with a handwritten note thanking them for their hard work + leaving good reviews on comment cards/sending an email to cruise line after specifically mentioning them and how good they were if deserved (I've never had a bad room steward on NCL).

Sounds about right for CAS and seems to be an increasingly common theme. Hate that they drove you away from NCL too.

Has anyone recently been on the Apex that can tell me how many decks they use for blackjack, whether or not they use a continuous shuffler, and table minimums? Not worried about the table rules or any side-bets at the moment. If anyone knows the roulette minimums from a recent sailing, that would be great too. Thanks!

Same experience as Aubrey here regarding laughable NCL comp offers. I'm typically a table games player so I can't speak to the slot payouts or anything like that. That being said, I've always had great experiences with NCL table games/dealers/casino staff/etc. I wasn't a huge fan of my first RCL trip (I have my first Carnival in October and second Celebrity booked for 2023), but one major plus of RCL's "Club Royale" is that they are extremely transparent in terms of points earning, benefits, and comp offers. They have a separate webpage dedicated entirely to casino offers where you can see all available comp offers and discounts after you input your information. They are also extremely consistent about sending comp offers via email and hard mail: something NCL never does. Unfortunately, NCL's comps are hot garbage right now compared to other lines so for now I'm cruising with everyone else when I save a thousand+ per trip before even boarding for comparable cabins/ships/itineraries

Booooo. War Eagle!

Available immediately on new bookings as well as existing bookings.

Yup. For a nearly identical 7-night itinerary this upcoming February, Celebrity fully comped me an aqua class balcony cabin on the Apex (room rate only) on less theoretical and actual loss than my last NCL cruise where they are offering me an all-inclusive oceanview on the Encore. Even after paying separately for the upgraded "premium" drinks and "premium" wifi packages on Celebrity, it's costing me over a thousand dollars less than it would cost to upgrade to a regular (NOT spa) balcony on the Encore - not even including the price I would have to pay to upgrade the wifi on NCL which I have to have when I am out of the office. If NCL wants me to continue to sail with everyone else (including more "premium lines"), I'm more than happy to oblige if it saves me thousands of dollars a year lol