Am Getting Free Cruise from Total Rewards

[luvcruzing]

riddle - I replied to your post on the Cruise Casinos forum earlier today.

[gooch47]

We pick up this next one in Cincy on June 8 too.

 

We are hoping for an offer for Alaska.

[riddle]

We'll maybe we'll see you on June 8. I'm hoping for the getaway on a week when I can get off work. Alaska is my dream but need to wait till retirement.

[gooch47]

We'll maybe we'll see you on June 8. I'm hoping for the getaway on a week when I can get off work. Alaska is my dream but need to wait till retirement.

 

Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately depending on how you look at it, I didn't get an offer this time, but I also have to go to a wedding shower that day. My hubby will be driving south by himself.

[g35girl]

I am CET Diamond and received a similar offer with the "Bring a Friend Giveaway" - free inside cabin on any itinerary through July 2015 (depending on the destination). I just need to go to Vegas July 25th to pick up my voucher. Since we were already planning on going in July, we shifted our dates.

 

We are going to Vegas regardless, but I am wondering if this truly is a good deal give the taxes and fees? From what I am reading here, $350-500pp in fees is not much less than actual cruise prices that I am seeing. Are there any other "perks" booking your cruise this way?

 

thanks for the input!

[garycarla]

The taxes are the same as if you booked it normal.

 

The cabin of course is different. Price it online to see. As you indicated in some cases it is not a big difference. As you move from inside up to balcony it gets better.

 

Only other perk is you usually get a drink card on day 1 vs waiting until you earn enough points.

[g35girl]

Thanks Garycarla! Is the drink card only valid in the casino?

[spidybabe]

Drink card good only in casino and premium drinks vs house drinks depends on level of previous play, and ship. Breakaway very strict, gem/jewel not so much. Can always get Jack Daniels on Gem, but rarely on Breakaway

Sometimes, depending on number of CAS guests, there is a nice casino coctail party, after sail away, for casino guests.

Safe sailing

[Susie51]

Thanks for info.

[gooch47]

Depending on the ship, you also get boarding ahead of most other groups. In NOLA, for instance we were third after suites and handicapped.

Edited May 27, 2014 by gooch47

[g35girl]

Thank you all - this is great information! I guess it's worth it :-) I'm already planning a June 2015 Alaska cruise!

[riddle]

gooch 47 - how did you find out about the June 8 certificate pick up in Cincy - was it via the website for T.R., an email, or did you get a card in the mail from Total Rewards?

[gooch47]

We found out by going to http://www.Caesars.com and checked our offers. Eventually we'll get a mailing, too.

[riddle]

Me too...just so anxious to see how I can fit it into my work schedule and what/where we can go.

[montecarloss]

We got a certificate from Caesars Windsor back in March and we booked a balcony cabin on the the Sun for February 2015. We then got another certificate this past week and booked a second week on the Sun. We are now going back to back. Each cruise cost a total of $990 for the two of us. We added another week in Clearwater, so a 3 week vacation out of the cold Michigan winter. :D

[Mustangdrew]

We did the total rewards cruise in November 2012. We sailed to the Caribbean on the Pearl.

 

We flew in January to Vegas to pick up our vouchers at Caesars. There was no problem doing that and everything went very smooth. We did pay port fees and taxes. It cost us around $700 for two of us for our free cruise, not counting what we spent on board. I would do that again in a heartbeat.

 

We booked for September for a cruise on the Getaway without having a Total rewards certificate. However, you still get a discount on the cruise with NCL depending which level you are with Total rewards. Good deal!!!

 

 

I'm a platinum card. Is it still a good deal or discount compared than going thru a travel agent? If prices drop do they credit you etc? Just wondering.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[gooch47]

We consider the Total Rewards a good deal ... obviously. Look at my signature. All those b2b's are Total Rewards cruises. And since we get free rooms at the Harrah's Casino hotel in NOLA, we go there three or four days early, stay three or four days after and really escape the OHIO winter.

 

But we've never booked one just using our Diamond level, so I can't really talk about that.

Edited May 28, 2014 by gooch47

[gooch47]

Just got our mailing. For the first time it shows the cruises we are eligible for and Alaska is included.

[chasinraynbowz]

I picked up my certificate last Saturday. Alaska, Bermuda, Caribbean, Bahama's, and Canada/NE were available. I had to book by July 25 and cruise by November 25.

 

We decided that I would sail with my Mom on the Canada/NE out of New York in October. This is an itinerary she has always wanted to go on and my wonderful husband was gracious enough to stay home so she could go. When I called and checked on Monday, the cruise was wide open with many inside cabins available. I looked today to see what cabins were available on what decks and was surprised to see that they only had guarantee cabins available. I decided I better call and make my reservations and I am glad I did. That cruise went from being wide open on Monday to having only 4 cabins today.

 

So we are booked on the Oct 11 Gem sailing. The cost was $350 each, before insurance. To upgrade to a balcony will cost an additional $500 each. This will be our first time on NCL.

[riddle]

Got my card yesterday as well. I was hoping for the Getaway but it is not on there. So now we have to decide where and when we want to use it. I was really hoping to get away this summer but our better options appear to be for Nov/Dec. Oh well, not complaining, am still thrilled to get the "free" cruise.

[ranchette]

How do you people get these free cruise? I am platinum for many years and have never received a free cruise. Where do these offers come from? I have booked NCL cruises through Harrahs and got a 10% discount but not a free cruise.

[garycarla]

How do you people get these free cruise? I am platinum for many years and have never received a free cruise. Where do these offers come from? I have booked NCL cruises through Harrahs and got a 10% discount but not a free cruise.

 

You could be higher than Platinum and still not get these offers. Offers are based on average daily play, also known as ADT - avg daily theo. If you have lots of low play days, your average is lower. This is how casinos value their players - not on tier.

 

All casinos use this measurement, or similar to determine offers. I would guess your offers for free play, etc are rather low from the casino you play at.

[gooch47]

That is true. I've been a Diamond level for many years. I've only had two offers in all that time. My husband, however is what they are now calling a Level Two Diamond player and he gets them all the time.

 

Are you saying that because we divide our play among several Caesars casinos that we get fewer offers? or do they take our overall play into consideration? Doesn't seem quite fair if they don't.

[kenlyn]

My key to getting these cruise offers has been to always reach a minimum tier credits per visit . I started getting a cruise cert every quarter this year. My tier minimum is 500 per visit. Never use your card if you are having a low play day. It's best they don't know you are there. This can get expensive so I go fewer times but spend more when I go. Remember it costs five dollars for 1 tier credit on the slots. I bounce back and forth from platinum to diamond so card status really has nothing to do with it. It also doesn't matter which total rewards casino you go to, they are linked. Just don't go to one and spend a few dollars and another for a few dollars because this will ruin your average.

Remember it doesn't take many visits to have paid for that cruise in full! I am booked on my fourth cruise in February on the Epic all through total rewards.

[garycarla]

Though there are lots of other factors, the primary one is average play per day.

 

Days that you only put in a few days will kill your average. If you are only going to play a little, do not use your card - like at breakfast on your last day.

 

Does not matter if it is fair or not. It is the best way they have to calculate what you are worth to them.