Free Drinks in Casino card

[Sand and Seas]

For those of us who booked through Casinos At Sea (CAS) and receive the 'free drinks while playing' card,  I'm looking for answers for my friends.  (None of us drink enough to make paying for the UBP service  charge worth it.  A couple of drinks in the casino will be enough for us.)  As I understand it, the basic CAS 'free drinks' card covers beer, bottled water and some cocktails.   

What kind of cocktails are covered by the basic card?

What would be the up-charge cost from this basic card to get a frozen margarita or BBC or Mudslide?

 

(I have Ruby tier status and bartenders tell me I can have just about anything......not so for our friends first CET cruise! )

[BirdTravels]

Looking at a bar menu, it is the call drinks. Plus bottles water and energy drinks.  Ruby, yeah ultra premium drinks. 

Edited January 24, 2019 by BirdTravels

[Shidah]

I know things like Long Island Iced teas are not, nor BBC’s.  I have seen people try to order them and not be able to.  You would have to pay the full price of the drink.

[Pappion]

I've never had any issue getting a margarita or mudslide even when on the "basic" CET freebie card.

[Korlad]

We get the basic card on each cruise. My husband orders Champagne or Prosecco and gets it free. I order a vodka martini and I get it free. I don't get choice of vodka but that is fine with me. Be friendly with the server in the casino and don't forget to tip them each time.

[Shidah]

I had tried to give them my card while ordering a bbc and was told no.  But then I gave them my room card and it was no problem ( had the UBP).  I sat next to two ladies trying to order Long Islands and they were told no multiple times, they did not have the UBP.

Edited January 25, 2019 by Shidah
Typo

[Iluvmykindle]

I am Sapphire and get premium drinks.  Was on the Pearl last week.  Used to get Grey Goose in the casino as part of premium. This is no longer true.  No more Grey Goose for Premium Sapphire cards.

[Mike_DeA]

My understanding is they get beer, wine, and mixed drinks with one alcohol...rum and coke, screwdriver, etc. This has been my experience with the basic CAS drink card.  As BirdTravels said, it also includes bottled water and energy drinks which the UBP does not.

[Alegeeter]

i wonder if and how these things will change with the new premium beverage rollout

[Sand and Seas]

2 hours ago, Alegeeter said:

i wonder if and how these things will change with the new premium beverage rollout

That is part of my concern.  I'm sure the bartenders, including the casino bartenders, are being given new instructions on this.

You have to wonder if CAS is going to redefine what is covered as reported above that Sapphire Premium cards could no longer get Grey Goose.  

[TIBTEE]

I just returned from the Epic and had the basic drink card.

I prefer Tanqueray gin. They took $5 off the price with the card. So I paid $4.74 each time I requested Tanqueray.

[Sand and Seas]

23 hours ago, TIBTEE said:

I just returned from the Epic and had the basic drink card.

I prefer Tanqueray gin. They took $5 off the price with the card. So I paid $4.74 each time I requested Tanqueray.

I thought I had read something like this before but couldn't find the thread.  So casino bartenders gave you a $5 credit towards drinks that weren't covered under the basic card. 

Maybe that isn't happening on every ship since some are being told they just can't have those higher priced drinks with the CAS card. 

[fstuff1]

On 1/24/2019 at 10:31 PM, Pappion said:

I've never had any issue getting a margarita or mudslide even when on the "basic" CET freebie card.

 

do you tip $1 each drink?

 

i have the sapphire premium casino drink card. (1 below the Ultra drink card.)

last year on one of the big ships (forgot which), i was tipping $1 an alcoholic drink. (i dont tip if i only got water or a soda.)

 

after a few days, i asked what CAN'T i have with my sapphire drink card? 

he said he can make me anything except Johnny Walker Blue and Hennessy XO. 

Might be just that bartender though?

 

and probably no longer with the next drink prices. 😞

[Nola26]

On 1/26/2019 at 1:38 PM, Sand and Seas said:

I thought I had read something like this before but couldn't find the thread.  So casino bartenders gave you a $5 credit towards drinks that weren't covered under the basic card. 

Maybe that isn't happening on every ship since some are being told they just can't have those higher priced drinks with the CAS card. 

A cruiser gave one example, for one drink on one ship. The post above is taking that one reported experience and suggesting it is a policy, be careful. 

 

Even with the UDP cruisers are charged the difference over a threshold. The CAS threshold my not be hard, it may vary by alcoholic beverage. Personally I use the card for bottled water, juice or sodas so no upcharge experience to share. 

[Sand and Seas]

34 minutes ago, Nola26 said:

A cruiser gave one example, for one drink on one ship. The post above is taking that one reported experience and suggesting it is a policy, be careful. 

 

Even with the UDP cruisers are charged the difference over a threshold. The CAS threshold my not be hard, it may vary by alcoholic beverage. Personally I use the card for bottled water, juice or sodas so no upcharge experience to share. 

No, I wasn't trying to imply this one reported experience as policy.   I do think it might be a holdover from an older policy, but wonder if they are reviving that one.  

I do recall much older threads where several reported something similar.  I just hadn't read anything like that recently.  The posts were probably in the Cruise Casino forum and were from a year or two back.    We all know that NCL and CAS keep making changes.  Just trying to find out if the latest changes by NCL to the drink pricing was also changing things for the CAS free drink cards.

 

[kayhil3]

I have found it depends on the ship. I have had frozen mudslides on the Gem with cas card and had to pay a $4 upcharge on the breakaway. My cas card is only pearl.

[Sand and Seas]

I thought I would report back on this question.  Returned from the Bliss earlier this month.  At the 'CAS Invited Guests' cocktail party held after sail-away the hosts said that with the basic Free Drinks card you could get $5 off an Ultra drink.  

We absolutely loved the Bliss casino and the hosts there were great.   Lots of action and we heard several hand pays announced.   Main casino was smoke-free, but we felt the balance of slot machines & games looked good between the enclosed smoking area and the larger non-smoking area. 

[jethrojam]

1 hour ago, Sand and Seas said:

I thought I would report back on this question.  Returned from the Bliss earlier this month.  At the 'CAS Invited Guests' cocktail party held after sail-away the hosts said that with the basic Free Drinks card you could get $5 off an Ultra drink.  

We absolutely loved the Bliss casino and the hosts there were great.   Lots of action and we heard several hand pays announced.   Main casino was smoke-free, but we felt the balance of slot machines & games looked good between the enclosed smoking area and the larger non-smoking area. 

Thanks for the update.   I assume the Ultra drinks include the frozen kinds like muslides, correct?

[Sand and Seas]

1 hour ago, jethrojam said:

Thanks for the update.   I assume the Ultra drinks include the frozen kinds like muslides, correct?

Yes, Mudslides & BBCs and other frozen drinks would be extra

 

We have stopped paying the 'Convenience Fee' to get the UBP Promo.  We get enough drinks in the casino and just buy a couple of extra along the way if the casino is closed.  Cheaper for us!

[kmb4567]

On upcoming Epic cruise, I have both UBP and CAS beverage card.  I know I can get bottled water in the casino but wondering if I can get bottled water elsewhere on the ship since I have both cards.

[Sand and Seas]

4 minutes ago, kmb4567 said:

On upcoming Epic cruise, I have both UBP and CAS beverage card.  I know I can get bottled water in the casino but wondering if I can get bottled water elsewhere on the ship since I have both cards.

Not with the regular UBP.    Only at the casino bar do they care that you have the CAS free drinks card.   It's nice to pick up a couple of bottled waters from the casino to carry off the ship in port. 

[jethrojam]

1 hour ago, Sand and Seas said:

Yes, Mudslides & BBCs and other frozen drinks would be extra

 

We have stopped paying the 'Convenience Fee' to get the UBP Promo.  We get enough drinks in the casino and just buy a couple of extra along the way if the casino is closed.  Cheaper for us!

That was my thought too.