Something a Little Different

[AndyTheK]

DW and I have just returned from a four day cruise from here in Israel (Haifa Port) to two Greek islands, Rhodes and Kos, and back to Haifa. Basically this post is about our casino prurience, but with a little orientation to set the stage.

 

Cruising the way we know it is not a particularly popular vacation for Israelis. I would guess the fact that no matter where the cruise goes, there is a whopping air fare to get to and from the embarkation/debarkation cities, makes it more expensive than land vacations in Europe or the Far East. For example, on our planned Eastbound TA, a ticket from TelAviv to New York (stay a few days in the NY/NJ area with family) then NY to FLL, and after the cruise Barcelona back to TelAviv, cost $1800+ per person.

 

There is one Israeli cruise line: Mano tours. They run two ships. We were on the smaller of the two. The passenger count is about 1000. This ship is OLD - built in 1971 (not a typo) and of Russian manufacture. So, we are not talking about the standard of cruise ships we are all used to: no balcony cabins (so since we were traveling with our children and grandchildren, we took three insides). No TV. No WiFi. No Room Service or 24-hour food available. All meals buffet (a common Israeli practice).

 

But - the ship was in excellent condition. Decks, railings, doors, carpets, etc. iwell kept . Muster was the same as on all other cruise ships. The food was good. The staff was magnificent (same mix of nationalities found on most cruise lines), the weather was great.

 

Now... to the casino. Open according to the usual schedules: whenever the ship is not in port, until the wee hours. Personnel were the same as you'd find on any cruise line - a good number of dealers from Eastern Europe with one from the UK and one from India. Floor people were quite friendly, but dirm on obeying the age rules (lots of families on this short summer cruise).

 

There were a goodly supply of slots, and included some multi-game offerings (King Kong strikes my memory),. But the ones they had did not seem to make the cacophony of the loud music/shooting/etc that some casinos "feature". We didn't play the slots, so I can't comment on tightness or on the mechanics of play.

 

Although the "currency" (cruise card managed of course, but listed prices) aboard ship was Euros, in the casino it was strictly US dollars. We brought cash and were paid by the cage in dollars. Table games available were blackjack, American roulette (0 and 00), Caribbean Stud with the US pay table, Three card poker (didn't check the pay table there). Surprisingly, Let it Ride was not offered. There was a live dealer poker table... since I'm not poker player, I can't comment on the game.

 

We spent every evening and a few "pre dinner" hours at the blackjack table. The minimums were $15 and $25. We stayed at the 15 because DW does not want to play green. The rules at first glance are quite lenient. They use six decks dealt from a shoe (although shuffling after about three decks are played). The first five cards of each shoe were burned, but shown to the players! Blackjack paid 3 to 2 (but no $2.50 chips - if you were owed $2.50, you got a "split chip" - a chip that had to be played on the next hand, and if you won, you got the chip). insurance as usual. Dealer stands on soft 17. Double any 2 cards. Double after split. Split all pairs. Only one card on split aces (no re-splitting aces). Split other pairs up to four total. Early surrender on any two cards.

 

Sounds great, right? We soon learned that there ain't no free lunch! The dealer did not take a hole card. If he got BlackJack he took all bets on the table (except other blackjacks of course). All splits and doubles went down. This means that you should double less often, split less often, whenever the up card is an ace or ten. But I was not prepared for this, so the adjustment learning process was a little expensive.

 

How did we do? First, let me mention that we pool our resources - it;s not unusual for one of us the take $50 from the other during the course of play. Color up together and cash at the cage together. In about 20 hours of play, we ended up just about even. There were sessions where we won several hundred, and sessions which were disasters.

 

Our goal is to have a good time, which we did. It's not the rent money or the grocery money.

 

We loved it!

 

Shalom from Tel Aviv. Andy

[JGB]

really enjoyed your informative review! a russian cruise ship, i thought that the communists had no middle class so who did the cruising!?!? anyway would love to see your country some day.

John

[davecttr]

DW and I have just returned from a four day cruise from here in Israel (Haifa Port) to two Greek islands, Rhodes and Kos, and back to Haifa. Basically this post is about our casino prurience, but with a little orientation to set the stage.

 

Cruising the way we know it is not a particularly popular vacation for Israelis. I would guess the fact that no matter where the cruise goes, there is a whopping air fare to get to and from the embarkation/debarkation cities, makes it more expensive than land vacations in Europe or the Far East. For example, on our planned Eastbound TA, a ticket from TelAviv to New York (stay a few days in the NY/NJ area with family) then NY to FLL, and after the cruise Barcelona back to TelAviv, cost $1800+ per person.

 

There is one Israeli cruise line: Mano tours. They run two ships. We were on the smaller of the two. The passenger count is about 1000. This ship is OLD - built in 1971 (not a typo) and of Russian manufacture. So, we are not talking about the standard of cruise ships we are all used to: no balcony cabins (so since we were traveling with our children and grandchildren, we took three insides). No TV. No WiFi. No Room Service or 24-hour food available. All meals buffet (a common Israeli practice).

 

But - the ship was in excellent condition. Decks, railings, doors, carpets, etc. iwell kept . Muster was the same as on all other cruise ships. The food was good. The staff was magnificent (same mix of nationalities found on most cruise lines), the weather was great.

 

Now... to the casino. Open according to the usual schedules: whenever the ship is not in port, until the wee hours. Personnel were the same as you'd find on any cruise line - a good number of dealers from Eastern Europe with one from the UK and one from India. Floor people were quite friendly, but dirm on obeying the age rules (lots of families on this short summer cruise).

 

There were a goodly supply of slots, and included some multi-game offerings (King Kong strikes my memory),. But the ones they had did not seem to make the cacophony of the loud music/shooting/etc that some casinos "feature". We didn't play the slots, so I can't comment on tightness or on the mechanics of play.

 

Although the "currency" (cruise card managed of course, but listed prices) aboard ship was Euros, in the casino it was strictly US dollars. We brought cash and were paid by the cage in dollars. Table games available were blackjack, American roulette (0 and 00), Caribbean Stud with the US pay table, Three card poker (didn't check the pay table there). Surprisingly, Let it Ride was not offered. There was a live dealer poker table... since I'm not poker player, I can't comment on the game.

 

We spent every evening and a few "pre dinner" hours at the blackjack table. The minimums were $15 and $25. We stayed at the 15 because DW does not want to play green. The rules at first glance are quite lenient. They use six decks dealt from a shoe (although shuffling after about three decks are played). The first five cards of each shoe were burned, but shown to the players! Blackjack paid 3 to 2 (but no $2.50 chips - if you were owed $2.50, you got a "split chip" - a chip that had to be played on the next hand, and if you won, you got the chip). insurance as usual. Dealer stands on soft 17. Double any 2 cards. Double after split. Split all pairs. Only one card on split aces (no re-splitting aces). Split other pairs up to four total. Early surrender on any two cards.

 

Sounds great, right? We soon learned that there ain't no free lunch! The dealer did not take a hole card. If he got BlackJack he took all bets on the table (except other blackjacks of course). All splits and doubles went down. This means that you should double less often, split less often, whenever the up card is an ace or ten. But I was not prepared for this, so the adjustment learning process was a little expensive.

 

How did we do? First, let me mention that we pool our resources - it;s not unusual for one of us the take $50 from the other during the course of play. Color up together and cash at the cage together. In about 20 hours of play, we ended up just about even. There were sessions where we won several hundred, and sessions which were disasters.

 

Our goal is to have a good time, which we did. It's not the rent money or the grocery money.

 

We loved it!

 

Shalom from Tel Aviv. Andy

 

Intersting comment about the hole card. The two cruise lines I use have different rules. One has the dealer hole card and that little mirror so the dealer can check. The other deals a hole card but does not check so you have to watch your doubles and splits. As I often alternate the cruise lines I have to make the appropriate adjustments :confused:

 

How much do you take to the table? I take 30 times the bet so £150 for a £5 minimum table. I don't see the point of gambling more as it just as much fun with small stakes. I have learned basic strategy so I can people watch, chat etc and have a good time.

 

All those early morning finishes are tiring though. I need a holiday to recover from the cruise:D

[AndyTheK]

really enjoyed your informative review! a russian cruise ship, i thought that the communists had no middle class so who did the cruising!?!? anyway would love to see your country some day.

John

You'd be surprised at how much misinformation we had "back in the day" about life in the former Soviet Union. Here we had a large influx of people as the USSR broke up - my closest friend was born and raised in St. Petersburg. Life was not THAT different from the West although personal freedom was sharply controlled.

 

Intersting comment about the hole card. The two cruise lines I use have different rules. One has the dealer hole card and that little mirror so the dealer can check. The other deals a hole card but does not check so you have to watch your doubles and splits. As I often alternate the cruise lines I have to make the appropriate adjustments :confused:

 

How much do you take to the table? I take 30 times the bet so £150 for a £5 minimum table. I don't see the point of gambling more as it just as much fun with small stakes. I have learned basic strategy so I can people watch, chat etc and have a good time.

 

All those early morning finishes are tiring though. I need a holiday to recover from the cruise:D

The only place I ever played where the dealer did not take a hole card was at the MGM Grand in Vegas in the mid 1970s. If he got blackjack, only your original bet went down, not splits or doubles.

 

We go with a variable stake depending on cruise length. For a shortie like this one, 25 x minimum approximately. For longer cruises like a 15 day TA, might be 50 x or more.

[Casino Player]

HHHHHEEEEELLLLLLLLLLOOOOO AndyTheK:Read about your experience on your cruise out of Haifa. Glad you and your wife had a good time on the ship. Also, glad that you are feeling better. As Mr. Spock said on Star Trek, "life long and prosper."

[alaska_planner]

this is a relatively old thread, but i found it when i searched on mano...

i've been thinking of taking a short weekend cruise on mano (for reasons you mention above, no need to get on a plane!! always a good thing!)

 

i was wondering how it measures up..

[AndyTheK]

this is a relatively old thread, but i found it when i searched on mano...

i've been thinking of taking a short weekend cruise on mano (for reasons you mention above, no need to get on a plane!! always a good thing!)

 

i was wondering how it measures up..

I can sum it up the way my travel agent did when I asked him to book it: "It's the Shuk HaCarmel" demographically! We did it as a chance to be away for a few days with the family. And enjoyed it. Shalom.

[alaska_planner]

I can sum it up the way my travel agent did when I asked him to book it: "It's the Shuk HaCarmel" demographically! We did it as a chance to be away for a few days with the family. And enjoyed it. Shalom.

 

 

you know in the past i wouldn't have wanted to be caught on a ship in the middle of the ocean with that demographic - but after 30 years, i find them much more endearing - and they usually know how to enjoy a party! :) (though i'm sure the buffets are something of a nightmare :eek: )

[alaska_planner]

by the way, did you pick the royal iris (over the golden iris)?

or was it just the one that was sailing when you wanted to cruise?

 

in looking at the two ships, the golden iris seems nicer....but it's hard to get a idea from pictures....(the golden iris was originally built for cunard, as the cunard princess...then went to starlauro, then maybe to msc, then to mano)...

[AndyTheK]

by the way, did you pick the royal iris (over the golden iris)?

or was it just the one that was sailing when you wanted to cruise?

 

in looking at the two ships, the golden iris seems nicer....but it's hard to get a idea from pictures....(the golden iris was originally built for cunard, as the cunard princess...then went to starlauro, then maybe to msc, then to mano)...

We chose on the basis of cruise date and length - hard to fit into the schedule of our son, DIL and teenage grandchildren.

[alaska_planner]

by the way, did you pick the royal iris (over the golden iris)?

or was it just the one that was sailing when you wanted to cruise?

 

in looking at the two ships, the golden iris seems nicer....but it's hard to get a idea from pictures....(the golden iris was originally built for cunard, as the cunard princess...then went to starlauro, then maybe to msc, then to mano)...

 

 

arrggg ....that should have been "an" idea....

i hate typos!!!! :eek: