Casino Money

[Contessa30]

I am sailing on a 19 day transatlantic cruise and want to have money to play in the casino.   I will be doing some travel prior to boarding the ship and don't want to carry a lot of money with me.   Can you charge casino money to your cabin?   If so, I assume there is a charge?  Could I buy OBC and not be charged a fee for using the OBC in the casino?

Another thought was using travelers checks - Not sure they even still exist.   If they do, can they be cashed on board?

Thanks very much!

 

 

[Outerdog]

Yes, you can charge cash to your shipboard account. Easy. They are more than happy to accommodate you.

 

Is there a fee? It's NCL, of course there is a fee. 3% I believe. I'm sure the fee also applies to OBC. Not sure about travelers cheques.

 

Feel Fee!

Edited May 30, 2019 by Outerdog

[BirdTravels]

Cheaper to use the ATM. 

 

Consider $500 withdrawal from ATM would cost $500 + $5-$6 ATM fee = $506

 

Cash advance on your room account $500 + 3% = $515

 

 

[Contessa30]

Excellent idea. Does the Getaway have an ATM?

 Thanks 

[sassyshar]

Have you thought about applying for casino credit?   Use it for every cruise and find it much more convenient than carrying cash and there are no fees involved.    Explanation is on the Casino page on NCL.com along with the application form.    Basically you withdrawal cash from the casino cage by writing a personal check made out to NCL.   The approval for check cashing must be done prior to cruising.    Just another option.   

 

 

[vpearlkc]

7 hours ago, Contessa30 said:

Excellent idea. Does the Getaway have an ATM?

 Thanks 

Yes. As do all NCL ships.

[S4POPO]

11 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Cheaper to use the ATM. 

 

Consider $500 withdrawal from ATM would cost $500 + $5-$6 ATM fee = $506

 

Cash advance on your room account $500 + 3% = $515 

 

 

Great recommendation, but keep in mind the amount being withdrawn. 😉

 

Consider $100 withdrawal from ATM would cost $100 + $6 ATM fee = $106

 

Cash advance on your room account $100 + 3% = $103

[memoak]

Why the heck does NCL still charge a 3% fee while other lines such as Princess have no charge at all ???

[newty25]

12 minutes ago, memoak said:

Why the heck does NCL still charge a 3% fee while other lines such as Princess have no charge at all ???

 

Because they're charged a fee by the CC companies and they're passing it on.

 

Otherwise, you could get cash on account for free and walk out of the casino with it and spend it elsewhere.

[NLH Arizona]

18 minutes ago, memoak said:

Why the heck does NCL still charge a 3% fee while other lines such as Princess have no charge at all ???

At least it is only 3 percent, Celebrity charges 5 percent.

[pcakes122]

I have been on two cruises during which all ATMs (there is usually 2) are out of service either for a short time or extended time (almost the entire cruise!)  If you buy OBC before the trip, it is REFUNDABLE OBC so you can definitely use it in the casino. (You can't use OBC that is given to you as a promotion - that is NON-refundable and not treated as cash.)  You can also apply for casino credit as noted above.  I would definitely NOT rely on there being a working ATM based on my experience.

Edited May 30, 2019 by pcakes122

[S4POPO]

2 hours ago, newty25 said:

 

Because they're charged a fee by the CC companies and they're passing it on.

 

Otherwise, you could get cash on account for free and walk out of the casino with it and spend it elsewhere. 

Bingo.  I was guilty of this (didn't break any rules.)  But I would purposely take out $5-6k on the ship, walk off the ship with the cash and proceed to pay off my CC account (earning free rewards in the process.)  This was back in the late 2000's when they didn't charge any fees.

[memoak]

2 hours ago, NLH Arizona said:

At least it is only 3 percent, Celebrity charges 5 percent.

Another good reason to stay with Princess

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, memoak said:

Why the heck does NCL still charge a 3% fee while other lines such as Princess have no charge at all ???

Royal charges 5%

[drvmywifecrzy]

Open a line of credit.  It is free and you just write a check for any losses at end of cruise

[newty25]

16 hours ago, S4POPO said:

Bingo.  I was guilty of this (didn't break any rules.)  But I would purposely take out $5-6k on the ship, walk off the ship with the cash and proceed to pay off my CC account (earning free rewards in the process.)  This was back in the late 2000's when they didn't charge any fees.

 

Yeah... if I ever run into this... I'm definitely doing the same!

[pcakes122]

22 hours ago, S4POPO said:

Bingo.  I was guilty of this (didn't break any rules.)  But I would purposely take out $5-6k on the ship, walk off the ship with the cash and proceed to pay off my CC account (earning free rewards in the process.)  This was back in the late 2000's when they didn't charge any fees.

I still charge all my casino play on my NCL card for the triple points 😁  With my casino tier level I don't pay any convenience fee, so the OBC I make is a bonus.  Also, it is REFUNDABLE OBC, so I can recycle it into Cruise Next certificates.  I probably withdraw about $10K per cruise which equates to $300 OBC which can translate into about $500 worth of future deposits via Cruise Next for "free".  (I usually wait until I have at least 50K reward points to cash in.)