Jeffffffs

We were also on the Star Christmas week and had a wonderful time. Service was great throughout. Food was good to excellent. Shows were great. Ship never seemed crowded (except poolside on sea days), even though a full ship during holiday sailing.

Ports were great (loved cave tubing in Belize, Maya Key in Roatan. and Nachi Cokum in Coz. Blue Kay in Costa Maya was good, but could have been better).

It's hard to believe that the recent negative reviews were of the same ship. We loved the Star and would definitely return.

Do you guys know how all the points work for table games?

I am in club royale with royal Caribbean but thinking about jumping ship.

 

I am diamond at harrahs/total rewards.

 

I play strictly roulette

on my 7 day cruise in September I played 23 hours at $170 per hand

on my 7 day cruise last week I played 41 hours at $163 per hand in roulette

 

 

any idea how this equates to ncl points?

While its never very clear for table players (and I don't really play roulette...it could depend on the type/size of your bets), with 3-4 hours/day of $150+ avg. bet, I would expect to receive at least a comped balcony or minisuite (note "comped" means you pay around $350 per person in taxes and fees, plus gratuities, etc)...and also probably some amount of cash credits against onboard purchases at the end of the cruise.

Mailed offers are usually just for specific cruises or special events (tournaments, etc.). If you qualify for these, you probably qualify for a free cruise on any sailing...no need to wait for a mailing, just pick the cruise you want and call them for reservation.

I'm not sure if it directly ties to points or some other variables, and it will sometimes depend upon the specific cruise you are looking to take. While CAS will sometimes send mailings for specific cruises/events, it's best to just call them when you are thinking about booking and asking what they can offer you.

We've done connecting rooms with our kids several times, and NCL has always set it up with one adult in each room. We were told that it was a requirement.

We will be in Cozumel on December 25, and there will be 5 ships in port that day. We were looking forward to trying Paradise Beach, but are worried that it might get too crowded. We've been to Nachi Cocom before and loved it, but think our kids (9 and 11) will have more to do at PB.

Are crowds a concern at Paradise Beach?

Perks for CAS guests: VIP check-in (but you get this for Haven anyway); snacks delivered to room (but you get this in Haven anyway) and free drinks while in casino. If you reach the next point level for a red card during the cruise, they'll give you a comped dinner for 2. At end of cruise they will (depending on play) apply comps to room charges...but they seem to be getting stingier about this.

There is no way to track points as a table player, and as skeeter mentioned, it seems that it's harder to earn points on the tables.

As far as qualifying for future cruises, it's hard to say, but you can definitely do it with a much smaller avg. bet than skeeter's.

I was on a RCI cruise a long time ago, and remember not being happy about the casino...now I remember why. But DW wants to try something new, so I guess I'll have to suck it up.

I read on some old posts that RCI only offer 1x odds on the craps tables. Is that still accurate?

That makes no sense as time is usually how hands played is calculated. Certainly nobody has the time to count every single hand. Do you get rated differently for fast or slow dealers or do they just use the standard average hands/spins/rolls per hour table found here? http://wizardofodds.com/ask-the-wizard/136/

 

What they have done is added to each table a device for counting the number of "hands". On the craps table you'll see two small lights at the top of the table...they will put the dice there after each roll to count the number of rolls. On BJ, there is a sensor in front of each player which gets triggered when the dealer places the cards (it's hard to see, but I became aware of it when a pit boss was instructing a dealer on the correct spot to place the cards).

I was recently in 12208-210 (connecting cabins). in 208, you walk in, bathroom on right, then sofa on right with pull-down bed over it, then bed next to window. In 210, you walk in, bathroom on left, then bed, then sofa next to window (no pull down bed).

Always give your players card when you go to a table. Buy in with cash or large chips (don't just take a stack of reds or greens and sit down...better to buy in for $500 than for $100 with four rebuys of $100 each). Color up when you leave (don't just take your stack of reds and walk away). Try not to table hop too much. Bet $25 or more per hand.

Basically you want to make sure the pit boss notices you as a regular, rateable, player. Don't play for comps or try to trick the pit boss. Don't try to increase your bet when he's watching, decrease when he's not. They've seen it all and won't appreciate it. If you want to receive meaningful comps you need to be a green chip or better player and put in some hours. It doesn't matter how much you win or lose...they want to see consistent play over a number of hours (and at $25/ hand it will likely take a lot of hours to get meaningful comps).

Thanks Mark. Very helpful.

I understand about theo and what kind of play is necessary to get the attention of a casino host. While I don't consider myself a "whale", I receive comped cabins on NCL (even under their new standards) and generally receive RFB status from land based casinos. My question is how does RC generally treat "players." Do they provide comped cabins or only discounts on selected cruises? What kind of play is required? Will they apply comps to my room charges at the end of the cruise based on play, and if so, how reasonable are they.

I know that everything ultimately depends on my play, I'm just trying to get a general idea of how they operate. My understanding (from many years ago) was that they did not offer much in the way of comps....I'm trying to figure out whether anything has changed.

How does Royal Caribbean treat casino guests? Do they offer comped or discounted cabins, and what level of play is required? Are free drinks provided in the casino? Are other comps available? We cruised with them many years ago, and my recollection is that the casino was not very accommodating (poor rules/very little comps). Have things changed?

I've been generally happy with NCL, and receive comped cabins and other perks from them, but DW really wants to try something new.

Since ADT is a daily average I wouldn't think it would matter...but then again it's impossible to get a clear picture of how casinos calculate these things anymore. I'd enjoy the suite and not worry about it.

I agree, the cutbacks leave no incentive to reach the next level. I just went from Hot to Golden on my last cruise and other than a better level of drinks in the casino and the spa access (that I probably won't use), the perks don't improve much. I'm about 5,000 points from VIP and I'll hit that on my next cruise in November, but I don't really care if I do or not because the perks are even less impressive from Golden to VIP than it was from Hot to Golden.

What really matters is your level of play (ADT) and not your "gold" status. Getting free spa passes or anything else based on the color of your players card is immaterial compared to the comped cabins (or PH Suites in Mikkar's case) and account credits that you receive based on your play.

On NCL I pre-arrange a credit line before departing, then I bring a check and can use whatever I want up to the pre-arranged ammount. When I am done I fill out the ammount needed to cover my credit limit and am done. No extra charges.

+1 If you have a good sized budget, this is the way to do it.

Even if the casino paid the 15% to the server for the free drink (which I do not think is usually the case...I have no idea about Carnival)...I would still tip at least $1.00 for each drink. It's good karma, and will help keep the drinks flowing quickly and smoothly.

On the NCL Pearl last December they had a live dealer...rake was 10% capped at $25!!!! And they took it every hand, even if there was no flop. Made the game unplayable in my opinion, but they had a reasonably full table almost every night.

Tell that to the Borgata in Atlantic City May 2009 when the lady held the for 4 hours 10 minutes...25 passes....174 numbers. I bet the house thinks it wasn't making a "true killing"...LOL

I heard from a dealer in AC that the total win on that roll was actually fairly modest (i forget the number, but tens of thousands, not hundreds)...so Borgata actually was pretty lucky. I like to think that my personal win would have exceded that if I was there.:rolleyes:

Also, I think the total number of rolls (including craps, etc) was in the 150's.

We just got off the Gem Christmas cruise. On port days I think the kids club had a limited schedule (with an hourly charge), but it would open up again for dinner (around 7:00) even while in port.

We didn't save the daily schedule, but my kids (in the 2-5 group) had a blast.

Bon Voyage