Fall 2018 Ultra Gifts

[MAMA "B"]

We are going on the Spring 2019 Ultra and are wondering if they are still giving the "good" gifts.

Such as: ipads, computer, TVs, cash.  The offer from Carnival was NOT good, but we want to experience 1 ultra cruise.

Any experiences are welcome!!  Thank you.

[Scurvy Seadog]

Just got off a 14 day Ultra in November. Prizes included: Cash, iWatches, iPad Minis, iPad Pros, iPhone Xs, Mac Books, Laptops, Samsung phones, Samsung TVs and a few other things.

[MAMA "B"]

Thanks for letting me know.  Also, does everyone get to win something???  How did they do that on your cruise?

We are going on a 7 day in April and this is our first Ultra cruise.  Any information is appreciated.

[Scurvy Seadog]

Every primary invited Ultra guest got something. Although the second invited guest did not get one, they were eligible for the other drawings during the cruise.

[dolphiness]

Been on 20 cruises, but never heard of Ultra? please explain??

[sc4125]

I was on my first Ultra cruise in October.  My sister and I both had the offer and we both got the "big" gifts - I won a Samsung Galaxy 9plus (I was thrilled as I am retiring in June & needed to get a phone to replace my work phone) and my sister won an Apple Watch.

 

Dolphiness:  an Ultra cruise is kind of like a Premier, but you are guaranteed to win a prize.  They give you a day & time to be in the casino and you pull a ball out of a drum with a number on it - you win whatever corresponds to the number.  I liked all the promotions, but it was a REALLY crowded casino.  I heard many Ultra guests complaining that it was the most crowded they had ever seen on an Ultra.  It certainly seemed like a much larger crowd than on the Premier cruises I've been on.

 

I would do it again if I got the same offer - it was a 7 day cruise on the Glory and we were able to book a Lido balcony for just over $600 each and both received $500 casino play.

[AllAboardatSea]

We just did our second Ultra last week and we both left feeling it was a bust, again. Compared to last year's Ultra they've 'invited' twice as many people (420 was the tally we were given for last week's) so the likelihood of being called is much worse. For reference, I was called once last year (other than the guaranteed prize) and neither of us were called A SINGLE TIME this year for anything, and we showed up for every drawing, every one. The same names kept being drawn over and over again, which was frustrating to watch especially when they weren't present. 

 

Last year I won an Apple Watch (already had one), he won an iPad mini. This year, we both won iPad minis (I have a regular iPad and he has the one from last year) so we were disappointed again. The casino itself was pretty crowded at all times but never prevented us from getting seats at tables. The cigarette smoke was beyond unbearable the whole week and my throat is still recovering from the second-hand smoke it was that bad. 

 

We got the offer for another Ultra in the Spring but we're going to pass from now on. It's not worth it anymore. We're 0/2 on a good prize and don't need the massive amount of second-hand smoke the Ultras correspond with. Let's not even mention the casino offers and how far they've fallen. Mine latest one says 'up to a free inside stateroom' yet there's not a single one listed when we search under that offer code. Really disappointed in what Carnival has done to the Ultras, it was fun last year...

 

 

[rolloman]

Yeah that was my biggest complaint...if everyone has only one entry in the hopper...how in the hell does the same 3 or 4 people keep getting picked at least four times?

[spiritkat090909]

13 hours ago, rolloman said:

Yeah that was my biggest complaint...if everyone has only one entry in the hopper...how in the hell does the same 3 or 4 people keep getting picked at least four times?

 Exactly.  What I saw was that THE name that kept being called on our last Premier from Snowball/Fireball waited until the prize money was big before he showed up to claim it.  My take: the highest roller gets the ball.

[evandbob]

The price of the Ultra fares has risen again, and the discounts offered to me have been lowered.  The guaranteed prizes for all Ultra guests remain the same;  I won an IPad Pro on the Nov. 11 Magic sailing.

 

I have noticed, just like the above posters, that some names are repeatedly called for in the "computer chosen" snowball and fireball raffles, in both Ultra and Premier cruises.  Perhaps this is pure probability, since entries are determined by point count accumulated.  Those big whales get more chances entered than a low level gambler like myself, who rarely goes over 2,000 points on a 7 day cruise.

 

Then again, those names called multiple times seem to be well known and liked by the casino hosts, so who's to say?

[rolloman]

3 hours ago, evandbob said:

The price of the Ultra fares has risen again, and the discounts offered to me have been lowered.  The guaranteed prizes for all Ultra guests remain the same;  I won an IPad Pro on the Nov. 11 Magic sailing.

 

I have noticed, just like the above posters, that some names are repeatedly called for in the "computer chosen" snowball and fireball raffles, in both Ultra and Premier cruises.  Perhaps this is pure probability, since entries are determined by point count accumulated.  Those big whales get more chances entered than a low level gambler like myself, who rarely goes over 2,000 points on a 7 day cruise.

 

Then again, those names called multiple times seem to be well known and liked by the casino hosts, so who's to say?

For those type drawings you are speaking of such as fireball, yes, your theory is correct, however for the actual ULTRA players, each one supposedly has one and only one entry in the bin they select for the ULTRA games. Lets say there are 200 ULTRA players...I could see where someone could be called twice but 4 times over the course of the cruise …..highly unlikely.....