Free Stateroom offers

[Moriah]

A friend of mine just received an offer of a FREE stateroom on any of a number of HAL Caribbean cruises on Westerdam, Zuiderdam, or NA this fall/winter as a "valued casino player". The offer is for FREE inside stateroom or upgrades to each of the categories - all the way to Neptune Suite which is only $450 per person. This sounds absolutely wonderful to me! Unfortunately, not being a casino player I did not receive this offer, and my friend says he is eligible for only one stateroom on the offer. I don't remember seeing this discussed on CC. Is this something new? I might have to become a "valued casino player" if this is the result:)!

[diane.in.ny]

Would love to know the definition of 'valued casino player.' :)

[Moriah]

Would love to know the definition of 'valued casino player.' :)

Yes, I actually meant to add that my friend is NOT a high roller by any means! So I thought it interesting too and wondered if anyone who has spent ANY money in the casino (or perhaps who has frequented the casino on several cruises, regardless of actual expenditure) would be considered "valued"?

[cruz chic]

My friend also rec'd this offer. They live in NY and they don't fly anymore so they are not taking the offer. She does gamble but I don't think it's excessive. I find these offers annoying because my October cruise price is still quite high at $3700 (single supp). This is for a VH guarantee. So much for all these cheap prices people always talk about:rolleyes:.

[catl331]

Does he belong to a Players Club or frequent any land casinos, or just ship casinos? I've heard of people being labeled Casino VIPs on HAL ships, but the people who have been generally don't know why!! ;)

Edited July 13, 2015 by catl331

[CrusinAgain]

Both of my sisters got the letter as well on Saturday and I was on the same cruise but didn't get one but I didn't gamble as much as they did. I wouldn't call them "high rollers" either as I know neither one spent more than a few hundred. We are considering the free cruise but upgrading to a balcony.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sounds like a great offer for some of you.

We don't gamble either on land or ship, so we won't be getting any offer.

[bonvoyagebites]

That'd certainly be awesome. Seriously doubt that I would be likely to ever qualify.. but...

 

Congrats to all that got them... enjoy if you are able!

[Blue Mudshark]

Would love to know the definition of 'valued casino player.' :)

 

And I'd be interested in how much "free" actually costs in this case.

[CrusinAgain]

And I'd be interested in how much "free" actually costs in this case.

 

Insides are free on all the ships and dates offered: Westerdam, Eurodam, Niew Amsterdam, Oosterdam, Zuiderdam (Oosterdam and Zuiderdam is a 10 day and 11 day cruise). Oceanview upgrade is 75 per person for 7 day, balcony is 150 pp, and suites are 300 for sig suite and 450 for neptune. For the 10 and 11 day cruise oceanview upgrade is 120 pp, balcony is 225 pp, sig suite is 450 pp and neptune suite is 675.

 

You must pay port charge and of course tips. Westerdam has the most selection of dates. Some are just impossible to take unless you can drive there due to the Thanksgiving pre and post time.

 

We already have our cruise booked for November on a different cruiseline and have paid for the airline and hotel both nonrefundable so to take advantage of this "free" cruise we have to take in consideration all the funds we will loose.

[POA1]

My friend also rec'd this offer. They live in NY and they don't fly anymore so they are not taking the offer. She does gamble but I don't think it's excessive. I find these offers annoying because my October cruise price is still quite high at $3700 (single supp). This is for a VH guarantee. So much for all these cheap prices people always talk about:rolleyes:.

There were a bunch of casino offer people on the Nieuw Amsterdam the first week you were on last November. I'm surprised they missed you. I thought that people who paid almost nothing and loved to talk about it sought you out. ;) Must have been an oversight on their part.

 

There were also quite a few on the first week of our B2B (Nov 30-Dec 7.) There was one particular woman - whom I swear was on every tender and shuttle bus with us - who could not stop talking about her free trip, and how it was her first trip on Holland America. "Beautiful ship, great food, wonderful staff, but the slots are tight, so I don't know if I'd cruise with them again."

 

Apparently, she gambles frequently on land. She said that her free cruise was because of her slot machine "churn," or the volume and velocity of cash cycling (the latter are my words, not hers.) She does cruise, mostly on RCCL, Carnival, and NCL. Apparently the room offers come via a partnership between the land based and cruise based casino loyalty programs.

 

In case you're thinking that we were interrogating this woman under harsh lights in a dark room, we weren't. She would honestly not stop prattling on about her free room and amazing casino offers. If you look back at my 2nd NA "Live From," she's the woman I talked about in my Cayman tender post.

[Moriah]

Insides are free on all the ships and dates offered: Westerdam, Eurodam, Niew Amsterdam, Oosterdam, Zuiderdam (Oosterdam and Zuiderdam is a 10 day and 11 day cruise). Oceanview upgrade is 75 per person for 7 day, balcony is 150 pp, and suites are 300 for sig suite and 450 for neptune. For the 10 and 11 day cruise oceanview upgrade is 120 pp, balcony is 225 pp, sig suite is 450 pp and neptune suite is 675.

 

You must pay port charge and of course tips.

 

Port charges for the Carib. are only about $138, so my friend is taking the offer on NA and paying the $75 per person for ocean view plus the port charges and by any estimation this is an excellent deal! I was all ready to go with him and pay $450 pp for the Neptune suite but then he had to explain that um... the offer is only for *one* stateroom.. sigh.

[cruz chic]

There were a bunch of casino offer people on the Nieuw Amsterdam the first week you were on last November. I'm surprised they missed you. I thought that people who paid almost nothing and loved to talk about it sought you out. ;) Must have been an oversight on their part.

 

There were also quite a few on the first week of our B2B (Nov 30-Dec 7.) There was one particular woman - whom I swear was on every tender and shuttle bus with us - who could not stop talking about her free trip, and how it was her first trip on Holland America. "Beautiful ship, great food, wonderful staff, but the slots are tight, so I don't know if I'd cruise with them again."

 

Apparently, she gambles frequently on land. She said that her free cruise was because of her slot machine "churn," or the volume and velocity of cash cycling (the latter are my words, not hers.) She does cruise, mostly on RCCL, Carnival, and NCL. Apparently the room offers come via a partnership between the land based and cruise based casino loyalty programs.

 

In case you're thinking that we were interrogating this woman under harsh lights in a dark room, we weren't. She would honestly not stop prattling on about her free room and amazing casino offers. If you look back at my 2nd NA "Live From," she's the woman I talked about in my Cayman tender post.

 

They don't seek me out. I think that's all these people can talk about because getting cheap deals are the highlight of their life. Sad really. There were quite a few on our roll call talking about their free cruise last year. Now there was a lady on my Veendam cruise that really liked to gamble. I think she gave a couple of thousand to the Casino. I could see someone like that getting a free cruise. I just tired of posters trotting out the supply and demand argument for high prices further out on cruises. If supply is so low why is Hal giving away cruises?

[Blue Mudshark]

If supply is so low why is Hal giving away cruises?

They're not actually giving them away. A casino is paying for the cruise, for only a fraction of the amount of money the cruiser/gambler has donated to the casino. HAL gets their income, and with a very good chance that the cruiser/gambler will make a substantial donation to HAL in the ships casino.

[Moriah]

If supply is so low why is Hal giving away cruises?

 

I'm curious - is the casino a separate business on the ship, in the same way the spa is? If so, then it could be the casino company that is giving away the cruise, and not HAL? Just a thought.

[Moriah]

They're not actually giving them away. A casino is paying for the cruise, for only a fraction of the amount of money the cruiser/gambler has donated to the casino. HAL gets their income, and with a very good chance that the cruiser/gambler will make a substantial donation to HAL in the ships casino.

 

LOL, our posts crossed and you answered the question I was asking!

[CrusinAgain]

After reading so many negative reviews we have decided not to go on our "free" cruise and to keep our paid cruise. I think someone hit it on the nail that if HAL was doing really good they wouldn't have to offer "free" cruises. We were not happy on our last HAL cruise but we were willing to give it another chance, however even "free" with the problems I have read about - very recent ones - are not worth it to us.

[POA1]

They don't seek me out. I think that's all these people can talk about because getting cheap deals are the highlight of their life. Sad really. There were quite a few on our roll call talking about their free cruise last year. Now there was a lady on my Veendam cruise that really liked to gamble. I think she gave a couple of thousand to the Casino. I could see someone like that getting a free cruise. I just tired of posters trotting out the supply and demand argument for high prices further out on cruises. If supply is so low why is Hal giving away cruises?

Oh, c'mon... I was trying to make a joke. Sorry to offend.

[cruz chic]

They're not actually giving them away. A casino is paying for the cruise, for only a fraction of the amount of money the cruiser/gambler has donated to the casino. HAL gets their income, and with a very good chance that the cruiser/gambler will make a substantial donation to HAL in the ships casino.

 

You know that how?

[cruz chic]

I'm curious - is the casino a separate business on the ship, in the same way the spa is? If so, then it could be the casino company that is giving away the cruise, and not HAL? Just a thought.

 

I'm not sure.

[Moriah]

I came to this forum to read reviews because we received one of these letters for the "free cruise" and I do think I provided a lot of information to this thread that people were asking about the free cruise.

 

Yes, you did - I see that now - sorry, wasn't paying attention to who said what. Again, no disrespect meant! :)

[cruz chic]

Oh, c'mon... I was trying to make a joke. Sorry to offend.

 

You didn't offend me. When I say anything on here so often people say "no one ever talks to me about prices". It's like I'm making stuff up. It's quite annoying. If people sit at a table for two and never talk to others it's not surprising that they don't hear it. How woukd they?

[sail7seas]

We've heard of these offers before. Good for your friend. Hope they have a great time and win lots in the casino. :)

[Laminator]

You know that how?

 

Trust me he doesn't. The logic works but that is not how HAL works with the land based casino offers.

 

HAL's casinos are owned and operated by Carnival. All of the employees in the casino are Carnival employees. HAL sends out many offers during the year. The offer the poster referred to is one of the offers sent out. Their offer is for a free inside cabin. Some offers start at a free verandah room with the ability to upgrade from there. Some offers start right at the Neptune Suite level. Some of these offers include the cabin plus cash. Depending on how much you gamble is the determining factor in the offer you receive.

 

The land based casino offers are totally different from offers you receive from HAL. Way to involved to get into.

Edited July 13, 2015 by Laminator

[serendipity1499]

HAL has been offering free rooms to high stakes rollers/players for years.. We would never get an offer such as this, as DH does not gamble & I only have a small budget to gamble with.. Once I spend my budget that's it! They can easily tell who the high stakes gamblers are..:)