Drinks On Us Casino Promotion

[SarahJeanneSays]

I booked a 3 day in December on the Inspiration on a casino promotion.  I've never gambled on a cruise so not sure why it showed up in my offers but whatever.

It includes $50 to play in the casino with and Drinks on Us while playing.  Is there penny slots in the casino or should I except my $50 to be gone quick?  How does the Drinks on Us work?

Edited October 2, 2019 by SarahJeanneSays
spelling

[my kids mama]

18 minutes ago, SarahJeanneSays said:

I booked a 3 day in December on the Inspiration on a casino promotion.  I've never gambled on a cruise so not sure why it showed up in my offers but whatever.

It includes $50 to play in the casino with and Drinks on Us while playing.  Is there penny slots in the casino or should I except my $50 to be gone quick?  How does the Drinks on Us work?

There are penny slots but they can take your money just as fast depending upon if you get lucky or not.  You are supposed to be actively playing in order to get a drink.  I could totally see a bar tender getting you a drink if you were watching someone else play though since he/she will see your DOU card connected to your sign and sail card.  Just make sure to tip them and they will keep the drinks flowing while you are in the casino.  The DOU benefits do not work at the casino bar though, only in the actual casino.  Have fun. on the Inspiration.  I have been on her twice and I am going on her sister the Sensation next week.  She is an older, smaller ship but I like her.  

[SarahJeanneSays]

1 minute ago, my kids mama said:

There are penny slots but they can take your money just as fast depending upon if you get lucky or not.  You are supposed to be actively playing in order to get a drink.  I could totally see a bar tender getting you a drink if you were watching someone else play though since he/she will see your DOU card connected to your sign and sail card.  Just make sure to tip them and they will keep the drinks flowing while you are in the casino.  The DOU benefits do not work at the casino bar though, only in the actual casino.  Have fun. on the Inspiration.  I have been on her twice and I am going on her sister the Sensation next week.  She is an older, smaller ship but I like her.  

I've sailed on the Imagination but not the Inspiration.  We were on the Splendor last month. 🙂

Thanks for the reply. 

[coevan]

full play on penny slots to get the bonus is $2 a pull

[illinoisfive]

or $8.88 depending on which machine you are playing at max bet LOL

[my kids mama]

48 minutes ago, illinoisfive said:

or $8.88 depending on which machine you are playing at max bet LOL

I usually do somewhere around $2 a pull on the pennies but always $3 on a dollar slot.

[MT_Sea_Cruisers]

Helpful hint for those that don't want to spend a lot each slot pull and take advantage of the "free drinks on us". . . . If there is a Dancing Drums slot machine you can play all lines for as little as 8 cents per spin (Select "1 Gold Symbol" and the "Play 1X" option).  We've been lucky and won up to $50 on a single spin.

[my kids mama]

19 hours ago, my kids mama said:

I usually do somewhere around $2 a pull on the pennies but always $3 on a dollar slot.

That is exactly what I do as well. 

[Nic6318]

Hi

 

One thing about money in a casino, is that it is the same no matter where...your $50 will last longest if you either win or don't play much. 

 

have a great cruise

[SarahJeanneSays]

3 hours ago, MT_Sea_Cruisers said:

Helpful hint for those that don't want to spend a lot each slot pull and take advantage of the "free drinks on us". . . . If there is a Dancing Drums slot machine you can play all lines for as little as 8 cents per spin (Select "1 Gold Symbol" and the "Play 1X" option).  We've been lucky and won up to $50 on a single spin.

 

I'll keep an eye out for this one. 

 

My thoughts were by the time someone came around to take my drink order and then brought it to me I'd be out of money.  lol.

[SarahJeanneSays]

1 hour ago, Nic6318 said:

Hi

 

One thing about money in a casino, is that it is the same no matter where...your $50 will last longest if you either win or don't play much. 

 

have a great cruise

 

I just want to take advantage of the Drinks on Us.  We were thinking of getting Cheers this time but I don't think we'd spend that much just buying a drink here and there . 

[Nic6318]

2 hours ago, SarahJeanneSays said:

 

I just want to take advantage of the Drinks on Us.  We were thinking of getting Cheers this time but I don't think we'd spend that much just buying a drink here and there . 

 

Hi

You could also just play very slowly. Sit down, give the slot a try. Win or lose, wait till you see a server, order your drink and wait. When you receive your drink, give the machine one more try and then leave. At that rate, even if you never win a spin, you should get quite a few drinks. If you do win, you will get quite a few drinks and more money. 

 

have fun

[sanger727]

11 hours ago, Nic6318 said:

 

Hi

You could also just play very slowly. Sit down, give the slot a try. Win or lose, wait till you see a server, order your drink and wait. When you receive your drink, give the machine one more try and then leave. At that rate, even if you never win a spin, you should get quite a few drinks. If you do win, you will get quite a few drinks and more money. 

 

have fun

 

This, you can milk $50 for a good long time. When I got on a trip to Vegas over the course of the trip I rarely gamble more than $50. Just usually go with someone to play slots, spin low bets occasionally, mostly talk. Obviously I wouldn't do this if the casino was crowded.

Edited October 4, 2019 by sanger727

[evandbob]

I'll guess that anyone "milking" the system with slow or pretend play will not find any good future casino offers in their VIFP folders after that cruise.

 

Casino fare offers correspond to one's level of play.  Obviously, $50 casino cash is the lowest level offered, so if the casino doesn't see a decent amount of time gambling, that may be the only offer they extend.  The DOU promotion is meant to encourage casino play and have gamblers spend more than they intend.

[Davey Wavey]

45 minutes ago, evandbob said:

I'll guess that anyone "milking" the system with slow or pretend play will not find any good future casino offers in their VIFP folders after that cruise.

^^^^So true!!!

But for using the Drinks on Us, no milking necessary. You just have to place an order with a Waitperson on the casino floor. I have never seen or heard of there being an issue with actively playing or not. And let me just add something to consider. I have been on 23 casino promo cruises with the DOU card, which my wife also receives. The primary and guest DOU cards are the same, and just stipulate they can only be used while in the casino (NOT only while gambling). She doesn't gamble, but is free to order all the drinks within the limits just like everyone else with a DOU card. Just flag down a waitperson and order, then stay in the same place where they can find you (haha that's kind of important). BUT don't take my word for it, ask a few waitpersons and talk to the pit bosses like I do. They will tell you they would love for you to play, but it isn't mandatory for using the DOU card.

[Nic6318]

1 hour ago, evandbob said:

I'll guess that anyone "milking" the system with slow or pretend play will not find any good future casino offers in their VIFP folders after that cruise.

 

Casino fare offers correspond to one's level of play.  Obviously, $50 casino cash is the lowest level offered, so if the casino doesn't see a decent amount of time gambling, that may be the only offer they extend.  The DOU promotion is meant to encourage casino play and have gamblers spend more than they intend.

 

Hi

 

This might be the case, but the OP said that she "never gambled on a cruise". Now if you were to start "gambling" just because they give you something, it would seem silly to me. Imagine, if I never gamble and someone gave me $50 and I went and lost $100, I would feel quite foolish. 

[RoperDK]

8 hours ago, sanger727 said:

 

This, you can milk $50 for a good long time. When I got on a trip to Vegas over the course of the trip I rarely gamble more than $50. Just usually go with someone to play slots, spin low bets occasionally, mostly talk. Obviously I wouldn't do this if the casino was crowded.

Thanks for being courteous if the casino is crowded.  There is nothing more frustrating to a slot player than to come up to their favorite slot machine and find someone just hanging out and visiting with their spouse or friend and never intending to actually play the machine they are sitting at.  The ship's casino is very small compared to Vegas and there are times where nearly every machine is being played.  At those times, I have never had a problem getting a drink with the DOU card if the waiter sees you waiting for a machine. They have a good feel for what's going on in the casino.

[sanger727]

Ok. Just to be clear. I’m not much of a gambler (I think that would be obvious). I don’t gamble at all at home and only occasionally on vacation. I don’t get casino offers, free play, of DOU cards (and have no intention of trying to get them, I would rather pay for my cruise and drinks than lose an equivalent amount gambling). I was only addressing the OPs question on whether or not they could drag out $50 free play long enough to get a free drink with their card. Of course they can. And agreed that they would be unlikely to get any future offers milking the system. But, then again; it seems like they haven’t played enough on a cruise to justify getting this in the first place so who knows.

Edited October 5, 2019 by sanger727

[coevan]

what people will do for a free drink 🤔

[Nic6318]

22 minutes ago, coevan said:

what people will do for a free drink 🤔

 

Hi

 

Considering people will actually stand in line for a thimble full at the FunShops when they have their alcohol promotion, sitting down and waiting for a server to come around and getting a real drink doesn't sound too unreasonable to me. 😄

 

My only gripe would be, while I regularly lose a nominal amount in their casinos, I have never been offered a DOU card. The best I have received is some Fun Chips and they routinely goes back to them, and here a fellow cruiser who doesn't gamble gets both. 😊 That's the way it goes.

[RandomUser123]

Do you cruise often? If you do maybe that's why you got the offer so they can get you in the casino. 

[urbanhawk]

20 hours ago, RoperDK said:

Thanks for being courteous if the casino is crowded.  There is nothing more frustrating to a slot player than to come up to their favorite slot machine and find someone just hanging out and visiting with their spouse or friend and never intending to actually play the machine they are sitting at.  The ship's casino is very small compared to Vegas and there are times where nearly every machine is being played.  At those times, I have never had a problem getting a drink with the DOU card if the waiter sees you waiting for a machine. They have a good feel for what's going on in the casino.

If the slot is not being played, you could just ask, in a courteous manner, that if it is available, you'd like to play. Has always worked for me! Happy cruising.

[RoperDK]

3 hours ago, urbanhawk said:

If the slot is not being played, you could just ask, in a courteous manner, that if it is available, you'd like to play. Has always worked for me! Happy cruising.

That's just what I do! Never had a problem. I really think that most people want to be considerate, it's just that some people don't know they are impacting others.        

[RoperDK]

4 hours ago, Nic6318 said:

Considering people will actually stand in line for a thimble full at the FunShops when they have their alcohol promotion, sitting down and waiting for a server to come around and getting a real drink doesn't sound too unreasonable to me. 😄

 

For those that don't frequent the casino, there aren't the amount of servers you get in a regular bar area.  They are more frequent at night, but at times during the day, there are very few.  Even though I have a DOU card, I am not going to waste 30 minutes or more hoping for drink service.  I will step up to the bar and pay for my own.  In my case though, I may spend way more on a cold slot machine while waiting for a drink than the actual cost of the drink. LOL!!  😁   

[SarahJeanneSays]

Hello!  I'm back!

 

So I went to the Casino cage on the first night and they had no record of my offer!  I was asked to come back after 10:00pm.  I did and still nothing.  We checked back the next day and they found my info.  I was handed $50 in cash and a Drinks On Us card  with my name and our sail dates on it was attached to my Sail & Sign Card.  We sat at a slot machine and flagged down a server when he walked by.  I asked if the hubby and I could each order a drink and he said it was 1 every 5 minutes so I could just order another when he came back with my first drink.  He came back in 7 minutes (yes, I timed it).  Tipped him $2 and ordered hubby's drink.  He came back in about 7 minutes again so we again tipped $2 and ordered another and told him we were moving to the Craps table.  The hubby gambled at Craps for about 90 minutes, we ended up with 7 drinks and started tipping $5 chips.  We walked out with 2 full drinks and still had $15 of the original $50.  We never did make it back to the casino after that afternoon.