Casino Questions

[ronews]

Going on Reflection in March. My Wife and I like to spend some time in casino after supper. From previous experiences we know the slots are very tight so it's all about entertainment and don't spend like we do at our land casinos. Probably will spend $2,000 -$3000 (thru put)... It's not like a high roller but would like to maximize $$ spent for points and comps (if possible). Questions:

 

1) How is the best way to do this. I have read that if you put $$ up front they will give you a percentage in free play. Is this still available? How do I do this?

 

2) Can my wife and I play on the same card to maximize our points?

 

3) Was planning on talking to casino host about what to do but after reading on here they may not be the friendliest or most helpful people you would want to deal with. Would it help if I asked the host in Michael's club to hook me up with a casino person?

 

We love casinos but I'm still trying to figure out the psychology of having fun and losing money at the same time. Maybe it has something to do with the free (?) cocktails.

[vvnh16a]

One thing I do know is you and your wife can only use the same card if you play separately...for the card needs to be inserted in the machine while you are playing. So if you play she cannot and vice versa. Now if you hit it big and have the wrong card inserted, I dont know if that would cause a problem with payout.

[FastandFurious]

Speak with the Casino host/hostess on the first night. You may have read about the inconsistency with the attitude of him or her but remember that I have experienced some awesomely friendly and helpful ones that will make your cruise very special. You will be able to tell pretty quickly. The past posts you may have read just stand for the proposition that you never know what to expect. But I do agree with the previous poster that trying to share a card could be problematic. Not sure what you mean about upfronting a set amount of money for play. I am a Sapphire and have never heard of segregation of funds for gambling. You might want to ask the host/hostess to consider waiving the otherwise applicable fee if you withdraw money at the casino and of course followup with actual gambling. At the end of the day (cruise) it all comes down to the machine generated points in terms of assessing your status.

[roxievegas]

We were on a B2B2B (13 night transatlantic, 9 night Norway, 12 night Baltic) = on each leg we went to the casino cage and purchased $1500 credit that went on our room key - we received $1750.00 (so we got $250 free money). On our recent Alaska cruise they did not offer that program - told it was the duration of the trip.

No free drinks were ever offered - but my husband was given a free dinner at any restaurant he wanted.

I had two nice jackpots - one for $400 and another for over $1800 (for which I received a 1099)

machines are tight, but not bad.

[FastandFurious]

Yes In my response I did not take into account the special offers provided (during limited times) by the casino to get a bonus. This would be a good subject to discuss with the host/hostess on the first night to see when the offer will be available on the cruise. I just can’t remember if it is offered at the beginning or middle of the cruise but I believe it does go away at some point. Thank you to the previous poster for the information. This type of information is what makes this site so helpful.

[Cruise Raider]

By chance, do you visit any MGM/Mirage casinos while gambling on land. Celebrity has some benefits offered to you based on your play with M-life casino corp. They recently just signed their 2018 contract and sent out an email on what you receive for the different tier status you've achieved based on casino play at these casinos.

If not, you may want to look into the Blue Chip Club once onboard. Even if it doesn't help you on the current cruise, it will help you on your subsequent cruises throughout the year.

And, while some say the casinos are tight, we've been lucky on cruises nearly as many times as we've been lucky in Vegas. No, it's not equal but still fun and still a game of chance.

In the casinos on the ship, they do have some fun and sometimes free raffles / tournaments you can join in on. A couple of times, I won a chance for a tournament with the officers (one slot and one blackjack). Both times were a blast....one time, I even took first place.

[MadManOfBethesda]

Not sure what you mean about upfronting a set amount of money for play. I am a Sapphire and have never heard of segregation of funds for gambling. You might want to ask the host/hostess to consider waiving the otherwise applicable fee if you withdraw money at the casino and of course followup with actual gambling. At the end of the day (cruise) it all comes down to the machine generated points in terms of assessing your status.

 

Yes In my response I did not take into account the special offers provided (during limited times) by the casino to get a bonus. This would be a good subject to discuss with the host/hostess on the first night to see when the offer will be available on the cruise. I just can’t remember if it is offered at the beginning or middle of the cruise but I believe it does go away at some point. Thank you to the previous poster for the information. This type of information is what makes this site so helpful.

 

There is another way to segregate funds for gambling, albeit without receiving a bonus from the casino. Prior to sailing you can request a line of credit. Then, once onboard, you give the cage a signed blank check and then you draw against it during the course of the cruise. At the end of the cruise, you settle up your account and the amount of any outstanding markers is simply withdrawn from your checking account.

[FastandFurious]

Another good suggestion but I don’t want a “hard hit (check) on my credit rating nevertheless you are absolutely correct. I got a Celebrity CC and just draw on that during the cruise. The points can be redeemed for cruise stuff like OBC. BTW I did win a 7.5 K slot payout on the Connie so it is possible. On our last cruise wife won 1.5K. And I absolutely agree the tournaments are a lot of fun. Only free play but with some luck it can turn into actual $$$.

[ronews]

Thank you all for your input. I will check on board with host on what may be best on this cruise. As I said we may not be spending as much $$ as in a regular casino (we are paying in CDN $ so it's @ $4,000 so it's significant to us) but just trying to figure out how to have a good time and recoup some of our losses thru comps. On land we always seem to lose enough to have everything comped (rooms, food, transportation etc) . Of course there are winning times. That's why you go back!

My 3 pieces of advice I always give to my Wife when she is down on the slots:

1) Winners know how to lose

2)Bet max

3) You are only one spin away from getting it all back

 

Good Luck to you all!

[dkjretired]

Thank you all for your input. I will check on board with host on what may be best on this cruise. As I said we may not be spending as much $$ as in a regular casino (we are paying in CDN $ so it's @ $4,000 so it's significant to us) but just trying to figure out how to have a good time and recoup some of our losses thru comps. On land we always seem to lose enough to have everything comped (rooms, food, transportation etc) . Of course there are winning times. That's why you go back!

My 3 pieces of advice I always give to my Wife when she is down on the slots:

1) Winners know how to lose

2)Bet max

3) You are only one spin away from getting it all back

 

Good Luck to you all!

 

Another tip if you are losing is don't bet up to get it back.

[NantahalaCruiser]

Going on Reflection in March. My Wife and I like to spend some time in casino after supper. From previous experiences we know the slots are very tight so it's all about entertainment and don't spend like we do at our land casinos. Probably will spend $2,000 -$3000 (thru put)... It's not like a high roller but would like to maximize $$ spent for points and comps (if possible). Questions:

 

1) How is the best way to do this. I have read that if you put $$ up front they will give you a percentage in free play. Is this still available? How do I do this?

 

2) Can my wife and I play on the same card to maximize our points?

 

3) Was planning on talking to casino host about what to do but after reading on here they may not be the friendliest or most helpful people you would want to deal with. Would it help if I asked the host in Michael's club to hook me up with a casino person?

 

We love casinos but I'm still trying to figure out the psychology of having fun and losing money at the same time. Maybe it has something to do with the free (?) cocktails.

You can buy a lot of cocktails with $2000 to $3000 :confused:

[TeachKinde]

By chance, do you visit any MGM/Mirage casinos while gambling on land. Celebrity has some benefits offered to you based on your play with M-life casino corp. They recently just signed their 2018 contract and sent out an email on what you receive for the different tier status you've achieved based on casino play at these casinos.

If not, you may want to look into the Blue Chip Club once onboard. Even if it doesn't help you on the current cruise, it will help you on your subsequent cruises throughout the year.

And, while some say the casinos are tight, we've been lucky on cruises nearly as many times as we've been lucky in Vegas. No, it's not equal but still fun and still a game of chance.

In the casinos on the ship, they do have some fun and sometimes free raffles / tournaments you can join in on. A couple of times, I won a chance for a tournament with the officers (one slot and one blackjack). Both times were a blast....one time, I even took first place.

 

Could you tell me more about the Blue Chip Club?

[cruisestitch]

Look on the Celebrity website FAQ....there’s quite an extensive description of this Blue Chip program.

[miched]

You can buy a lot of cocktails with $2000 to $3000 :confused:

 

Years ago I dealt cards in a Detroit casino. A player asked for the pit boss to get a comp. The PB looked at account and told him that he could give him a lunch buffet if he played another 15 minutes. The guy kept on playing and lost a little over $400 during that extra time. He got his “free” lunch buffet that cost around $15.

 

Happy cruising 🇺🇸🚢🌊🌅