which is best in your opinion

[mikel24m]

Which cruiseline treats the real gamblers the best

 

we usually spend between $5k-$10 per cruise

 

alot of penny slots and I play some blackjack

 

we have been offered a couple of free cruises through carnival but thats about it other than the free fruit basket and little goodies

 

Please give me some good pointers :)

 

 

Thanks

[VideoTech]

Which cruiseline treats the real gamblers the best

 

we usually spend between $5k-$10 per cruise

 

alot of penny slots and I play some blackjack

 

we have been offered a couple of free cruises through carnival but thats about it other than the free fruit basket and little goodies

 

Please give me some good pointers :)

 

 

Thanks

 

I feel that NCL treats a real gambler very well - but I'll have to say I'm not an unbiased observer since NCL and Harrah's Total Rewards have a marketing agreement, and we are Diamond level Total Rewards members.

 

We generally book our cruises through our Harrah's rep. Based on our past play, NCL's Casinos At Sea (CAS) will make us an offer on the cruise we want. Cabin level varies with the cruise, season, itinerary, and so on, but is generally not less than a balcony cabin, and often is a penthouse. We then pay the difference to upgrade to the cabin we want. Of course, even if you take just the comp'd cabin, you must pay all fees and taxes.

 

On board the ship, we always receive cards good for free drinks in the casino, and daily delivery sweets or other treats in our cabin, courtesy of the casino.

 

While playing, you earn points on the basis of 1 point for every $5 put in play. As your point level goes up, the casino staff is always very generous with offers of comp'd dinners & bottles of wine. My wife will often ask for, and receive, comp'd spa treatments.

 

At the end of the cruise, the casino staff will evaluate your play, and extend a credit against your final bill. The minimum point level to qualify for some credit is 2500. On several of our cruises, we have had our entire final bill paid by the casino.

 

Your play level is certainly enough to get you some of these benefits. While I can't compare NCL's program to any others through recent experience, I have seen many posts here about other cruise lines that lead me to believe that NCL has one of the better programs for gamblers.

[mikel24m]

I feel that NCL treats a real gambler very well - but I'll have to say I'm not an unbiased observer since NCL and Harrah's Total Rewards have a marketing agreement, and we are Diamond level Total Rewards members.

 

We generally book our cruises through our Harrah's rep. Based on our past play, NCL's Casinos At Sea (CAS) will make us an offer on the cruise we want. Cabin level varies with the cruise, season, itinerary, and so on, but is generally not less than a balcony cabin, and often is a penthouse. We then pay the difference to upgrade to the cabin we want. Of course, even if you take just the comp'd cabin, you must pay all fees and taxes.

 

On board the ship, we always receive cards good for free drinks in the casino, and daily delivery sweets or other treats in our cabin, courtesy of the casino.

 

While playing, you earn points on the basis of 1 point for every $5 put in play. As your point level goes up, the casino staff is always very generous with offers of comp'd dinners & bottles of wine. My wife will often ask for, and receive, comp'd spa treatments.

 

At the end of the cruise, the casino staff will evaluate your play, and extend a credit against your final bill. The minimum point level to qualify for some credit is 2500. On several of our cruises, we have had our entire final bill paid by the casino.

 

Your play level is certainly enough to get you some of these benefits. While I can't compare NCL's program to any others through recent experience, I have seen many posts here about other cruise lines that lead me to believe that NCL has one of the better programs for gamblers.

 

Thanks for the response .I thought that as well since Harrahs own half of NCL that the comps should be good.I have been reading some of your posts alot of good info :)

 

Do you book with a host ? We are diamond as well ,and black for borgata and the New casino here Revel we are diamond as well

 

I also read on their site that you can become a different tier rather easy just by booking in advance ,booking a suite or booking through their specials.

 

I think out next cruise we willl try NCL.I wonder if my play on land would get us a discount or free cabin on a cruise or if we need to cruise first and "introduce" ourselves and donate some money

[slotmomma3]

NCL hands down. Royal Caribbean next.

[mikel24m]

NCL hands down. Royal Caribbean next.

 

can you give me some info or experiences

 

I work for a casino and they are all not created equal

 

One cruise we get awesome service and comps and the next cruise we get nothing ,but spend the same amount of $

[slotmomma3]

On NCL anybody can sign up for a Casino at Sea card. On RCL you must be invited to join Club Royale. NCL will give you comps and discounts based on your play and Take things off your final bill. RCL is much tighter with their comps.

[VideoTech]

Thanks for the response .I thought that as well since Harrahs own half of NCL that the comps should be good.I have been reading some of your posts alot of good info :)

 

Do you book with a host ? We are diamond as well ,and black for borgata and the New casino here Revel we are diamond as well

 

I also read on their site that you can become a different tier rather easy just by booking in advance ,booking a suite or booking through their specials.

 

I think out next cruise we willl try NCL.I wonder if my play on land would get us a discount or free cabin on a cruise or if we need to cruise first and "introduce" ourselves and donate some money

 

Thanks, mikel24m. Yes, we book through our Harrah's marketing rep, but our situation may be a little different than others because here in the great state of Texas we do not have gambling, so there is no casino & casino host nearby to deal with. Instead, Harrah's has a marketing office here.

 

If you regularly deal with a particular Harrah's casino host, I would start with that person. They may direct you to someone else in the Harrah's organization, or they may just tell you to go directly to NCL CAS, but either way, that's where I'd start.

 

Not sure what you meant by becoming a different tier through booking. As far as Total Rewards are concerned, none of your play on the ship means anything. You do not get credit with TR for NCL play, and you do not get credit with NCL for TR play. However, your TR status entitles you to at least a specific discount on a cabin, check this page for details:

 

https://www.totalrewards.com/TotalRewards/RewardsAndBenefits.do?page=norwegiancruiseline

 

As for your NCL tier: Although we were Diamond level TR on our first NCL cruise, they still started us out at the bottom tier of the NCL CAS system. We moved up pretty quickly after we'd cruised several times, but your CAS card level really doesn't matter all that much, as the comps on the ship are handed out by the casino staff, and not based on your CAS card level.

 

Here's a link that details the various CAS levels:

 

http://www2.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/casinos-at-sea/players-club

 

(note that the reference to "Seabucks" on the page really just means the points you've accumulated in the CAS system. "Seabucks" is an older term that they don't seem to use much anymore).

 

You do get a few things based on your CAS card level - The first tier gets you the free drink card, and you'd get that anyway as Diamond TR members. The second level gets you free cigarettes in the casino. That's of no interest to us as we don't smoke. Not sure what the other levels bring.

 

For your first NCL cruise, I'd still say go through your casino host and/or CAS. The worst offer they'll make you is the TR discount you're entitled to. If your casino host has good contacts in CAS, and can vouch for your play, they might go ahead and offer you a comp cabin even for your first cruise.

 

Best of luck to you!

[mikel24m]

Thanks, mikel24m. Yes, we book through our Harrah's marketing rep, but our situation may be a little different than others because here in the great state of Texas we do not have gambling, so there is no casino & casino host nearby to deal with. Instead, Harrah's has a marketing office here.

 

If you regularly deal with a particular Harrah's casino host, I would start with that person. They may direct you to someone else in the Harrah's organization, or they may just tell you to go directly to NCL CAS, but either way, that's where I'd start.

 

Not sure what you meant by becoming a different tier through booking. As far as Total Rewards are concerned, none of your play on the ship means anything. You do not get credit with TR for NCL play, and you do not get credit with NCL for TR play. However, your TR status entitles you to at least a specific discount on a cabin, check this page for details:

 

https://www.totalrewards.com/TotalRewards/RewardsAndBenefits.do?page=norwegiancruiseline

 

As for your NCL tier: Although we were Diamond level TR on our first NCL cruise, they still started us out at the bottom tier of the NCL CAS system. We moved up pretty quickly after we'd cruised several times, but your CAS card level really doesn't matter all that much, as the comps on the ship are handed out by the casino staff, and not based on your CAS card level.

 

Here's a link that details the various CAS levels:

 

http://www2.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/casinos-at-sea/players-club

 

(note that the reference to "Seabucks" on the page really just means the points you've accumulated in the CAS system. "Seabucks" is an older term that they don't seem to use much anymore).

 

You do get a few things based on your CAS card level - The first tier gets you the free drink card, and you'd get that anyway as Diamond TR members. The second level gets you free cigarettes in the casino. That's of no interest to us as we don't smoke. Not sure what the other levels bring.

 

For your first NCL cruise, I'd still say go through your casino host and/or CAS. The worst offer they'll make you is the TR discount you're entitled to. If your casino host has good contacts in CAS, and can vouch for your play, they might go ahead and offer you a comp cabin even for your first cruise.

 

Best of luck to you!

 

Thanks again ,I have a friend who is a casino host ,ill see if I can get the scoop lol