Casino's at Sea and Caesars

[CruisinHarvey]

I have a burning question, that I'm going to ask a casino's at sea rep. But knowing how that works, I may trust the CC folks more than the NCL folks.

 

Here goes.

 

My wife has been a diamond member at Caesars for years. We started cruising NCL from certificates we received from Caesars for free cruises, which we still get, by the way. Now, we've cruised plenty on NCL, and just call Casino's at Sea whenever we want to cruise. They give us a cabin, although, based on our play, it's usually an oceanview.

 

Finally, the question. We want to go on a cruise to the Baltics, where we know we'll be going on excursions all day most days. We won't be gambling much since we'll be so busy. If we book through CAS for that cruise, they will only give us the 20% we get for her being diamond with Caesars. So, if we don't gamble using our cards, will that cruise then count against us for future CAS cabins? Even if we book directly thru NCL PCCs and not use the 20% Caesars discount, will CAS still know we're on board, and as a result count that cruise into our comp calculation for the future?

Edited January 25, 2016 by CruisinHarvey

[Moby0215]

Just like on land comps are based on your ADT (average daily theoretical). So any future comps will be based on this ADT which could possibly decrease depending on your play. But why worry about it? I say just have fun and don't pay attention to that.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sjbdtz]

I have a burning question, that I'm going to ask a casino's at sea rep. But knowing how that works, I may trust the CC folks more than the NCL folks.

 

Here goes.

 

My wife has been a diamond member at Caesars for years. We started cruising NCL from certificates we received from Caesars for free cruises, which we still get, by the way. Now, we've cruised plenty on NCL, and just call Casino's at Sea whenever we want to cruise. They give us a cabin, although, based on our play, it's usually an oceanview.

 

Finally, the question. We want to go on a cruise to the Baltics, where we know we'll be going on excursions all day most days. We won't be gambling much since we'll be so busy. If we book through CAS for that cruise, they will only give us the 20% we get for her being diamond with Caesars. So, if we don't gamble using our cards, will that cruise then count against us for future CAS cabins? Even if we book directly thru NCL PCCs and not use the 20% Caesars discount, will CAS still know we're on board, and as a result count that cruise into our comp calculation for the future?

 

 

It depends.

 

Each cruise that you are comped is based on your average, and also on a 1:1 relationship with a prior cruise.

 

So it you have the cruise they evaluated against the Baltics comp, AND another cruise "in the bank", you can refer them to the "banked" cruise next time you book, and not the Baltics - as the basis for the next one.

 

However, the average is also considered, and your Baltics cruise may hit your average, negatively.

 

 

I found time to play on my Baltics cruise....not as much as usual, but enough to keep my average from plummeting. Plus, I wanted to play! :)

 

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[riddle]

Another CAS question. I have received lots of "free" cruises from CAS for asking and for tournaments as well as Caesar's. All have been 7 day. I just retired and am looking at longer cruises now. Will CAS comp any of the costs on the longer than 7 day cruises?

[Dorhead1230]

Another CAS question. I have received lots of "free" cruises from CAS for asking and for tournaments as well as Caesar's. All have been 7 day. I just retired and am looking at longer cruises now. Will CAS comp any of the costs on the longer than 7 day cruises?

 

 

When we returned from our Breakaway cruise at the beginning of last August, I saw the itinerary for the 9-day Breakaway Eastern Caribbean and Bermuda cruise this coming July. My boyfriend and I thought that it would be a really cool cruise, and it's the only date that itinerary sails (it's like some weird filler or something!). I called CAS, not expecting a comp at all, but wanting to know whether our Total Rewards discount or CAS discount would be better. Imagine my surprise when CAS offered us a comped inside! We paid to upgrade to a balcony, and then we were even able to add on a pick 2 promo at the end of November when insides were eligible. It turned into a super-duper deal! I can't offer any info about even longer cruises, but that was our experience.

[VideoTech]

Another CAS question. I have received lots of "free" cruises from CAS for asking and for tournaments as well as Caesar's. All have been 7 day. I just retired and am looking at longer cruises now. Will CAS comp any of the costs on the longer than 7 day cruises?

 

Yes, they will. Call them and ask.

[VideoTech]

I think the OP is actually asking if he can "hide" the cruise from CAS, by not booking through them, so his lowered gambling rate on this particular cruise won't affect their future consideration on other cruises.

 

The answer to that is: I doubt anyone here could answer this. It depends on how their computers reservations system is setup. I would think that once you're in NCL's system with a CAS cruiser, it would probably show that you are a CAS member every time you cruise.

 

But given how often the left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing at many big companies......:rolleyes:

 

The only sure way to find out is to put it to the test.

 

I have a burning question, that I'm going to ask a casino's at sea rep. But knowing how that works, I may trust the CC folks more than the NCL folks.

 

Here goes.

 

My wife has been a diamond member at Caesars for years. We started cruising NCL from certificates we received from Caesars for free cruises, which we still get, by the way. Now, we've cruised plenty on NCL, and just call Casino's at Sea whenever we want to cruise. They give us a cabin, although, based on our play, it's usually an oceanview.

 

Finally, the question. We want to go on a cruise to the Baltics, where we know we'll be going on excursions all day most days. We won't be gambling much since we'll be so busy. If we book through CAS for that cruise, they will only give us the 20% we get for her being diamond with Caesars. So, if we don't gamble using our cards, will that cruise then count against us for future CAS cabins? Even if we book directly thru NCL PCCs and not use the 20% Caesars discount, will CAS still know we're on board, and as a result count that cruise into our comp calculation for the future?

[pokerpro5]

I can mostly answer your question.

 

Your comps are determined by two metrics:

 

Average Daily Theoretical (ADT): This is your mathematically calculated THEORETICAL losses (not your actual losses or wins) -- basically what you would have lost if your luck was exactly average. This average theoretical loss is then divided by the number of days you've cruised, and the result is your ADT. Your ADT determines what they are expecting you to lose on your next cruise, and thus is then used to calculate how much they're willing to give you in comps to get you board.

 

Average Market Theoretical (AMT): This is a lesser-known metric, but is arguably more important than ADT. This calculates their bottom-line profit on you per day. This is determined by taking your theoretical losses, subtracting the "wholesale" cost of comps redeemed, and diving by the number of days you have been onboard. So let's say your ADT was $1000, but you were given a comp suite which they valued at $3000 wholesale. If the cruise was 7 days, they would expect you to lose $7000, but you would be getting back $3000 in comp value, so their bottom line profit would be $4000, or about $571 per day. So this is what's figured in when offering comps to you, because they are trying to determine what they're really expecting to profit off you, rather than how much you're playing. AMT is sometimes also referred to as MDV (market daily value).

 

So what is the point of all this?

 

Well, let's break down what will happen in the situations you described:

 

Situation #1: You call CAS and have them book you a comp room based upon your previous play, but then don't play in the casino.

 

Here both your ADT and AMT will take hits, because your daily average will go down, and you will be using a comp. So for this cruise you will finish with a zero ADT and a negative AMT. It is possible CAS will determine that you are no longer gambling, and may deny you comps next time.

 

 

 

Situation #2: You redeem a Caesars certificate to get a close-to-free cruise, and don't play.

 

You might think this could be a better way to go, as you already earned the cruise from your play at Caesars.

 

But wait! You actually didn't! Caesars and NCL just have a marketing partnership, so Caesars is NOT paying for your NCL cruise. NCL is the one paying. Therefore, again, you are using a comp on NCL's dime, and just like situation #1, your ADT and AMT will get hit, and you may be denied comps next time.

 

 

Situation #3: You redeem nothing, and simply use your 20% discount from being a Caesars Diamond member, and then don't play.

 

Your ADT will suffer, but not your AMT. This is because you are only getting a discount, and not receiving any comps. Unfortunately, your zero ADT for 7 days will possibly disallow you from getting a free cruise next time, as CAS may see it that you're done gambling.

 

 

 

Situation #4: You avoid CAS completely, and book through the regular NCL reservations #. You don't play onboard.

 

You may think this is clever, but it will probably backfire. I am not 100% sure, but I believe that CAS knows you're onboard, even if you don't book with them. That is, they may not ACTIVELY know, but next time you call to book through them, they will probably see 7 days of zero ADT on the previous trip, and again will possibly deny you a comp.

 

 

 

So what's the best option? Do all of these suck?

 

YES!

 

I would suggest #1.

 

Why?

 

You have not EARNED your comps. Instead, you are granted comps for expected FUTURE play. This is how all casino marketing systems work. They are predictive, and NOT rewarding past behavior. Therefore, it is always advisable (with ANY casino) to redeem the maximum now, and not "save" for the future. This is especially true if you are planning to have a no-gambling or light-gambling trip next time out.

 

Since you cannot expect CAS will allow you to get comped on the next cruise if you don't gamble on this one, you might as well take THIS cruise free, and then worry about reestablishing your play next time.

 

Also, keep in mind that CAS will never deny your 20% Diamond discount or Caesars vouchers in the future, no matter what happens with you no-playing on this or any other cruise. Those are pretty much guaranteed benefits. So take the non-guaranteed one up front, and then worry about the rest later.

Edited January 26, 2016 by pokerpro5

[CruisinHarvey]

Thanks everyone for your help. Pokerpro, thanks for taking the time list all the scenarios too. I'll be contacting CAS to see what they say, and update everyone here.

[sjbdtz]

I think the OP is actually asking if he can "hide" the cruise from CAS, by not booking through them, so his lowered gambling rate on this particular cruise won't affect their future consideration on other cruises.

 

The answer to that is: I doubt anyone here could answer this. .

 

That is what he's asking.

 

I did answer him, based on my experience.

 

 

.

[Automation]

Thanks for the info Pokerpro5.

Very informative!:)

[BirdTravels]

Another CAS question. I have received lots of "free" cruises from CAS for asking and for tournaments as well as Caesar's. All have been 7 day. I just retired and am looking at longer cruises now. Will CAS comp any of the costs on the longer than 7 day cruises?

 

The Caesars certificates are usually more restrictive. CAS will comp you for longer cruises. And your room type depends on the cost of the room and your play. On a cheaper Caribbean cruise, you may get a Balcony or a Minisuite. On a more expensive cruise, and ocean view or inside.