dallasdan Posted April 21, 2020 #26 Share Posted April 21, 2020 That makes sense. Maybe I gambled more than I thought. We are looking at booking the 11-29 Edge Sailing. Would love to do the 12 Equinox, but already have a September cruise with Carnival scheduled. So don't have enough vacation days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WanderLuster101 Posted April 30, 2020 #27 Share Posted April 30, 2020 I booked the 9/4 Millennium Alaska sailing - taking my dad along. I'm not certain it will happen given everything, but cautiously optimistic. I've never cruised Celebrity before so very much looking forward to it. I booked through an independent host (urcomped) and my offers from them usually vary from inside to oceanview to (very rarely) balcony depending on the cruise line, itinerary, and date, so a Verandah cabin on Celebrity was definitely a generous offer for my play level. I have a couple of questions for all of you Celebrity comped casino cruise experts: My understanding is that drinks are free in the casino while playing and maybe also at the casino bar when not playing - does anyone have any experience with this? Is it OK to walk out of the casino with a comped drink. I've done this on Royal, but not sure of the rules on Celebrity. I'm debating whether we should still get alcohol packages anyway as my dad is a big drinker, so any clarity here would be really helpful. Also, on Royal they have very clear point earning thresholds for getting future comped cruises (something like XXX points for an inside; xxxx for an oceanview; xxx for a balcony); does Celebrity have anything like this? Thanks in Advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwokpot Posted April 30, 2020 #28 Share Posted April 30, 2020 (edited) 5 minutes ago, WanderLuster101 said: I booked the 9/4 Millennium Alaska sailing - taking my dad along. I'm not certain it will happen given everything, but cautiously optimistic. I've never cruised Celebrity before so very much looking forward to it. I booked through an independent host (urcomped) and my offers from them usually vary from inside to oceanview to (very rarely) balcony depending on the cruise line, itinerary, and date, so a Verandah cabin on Celebrity was definitely a generous offer for my play level. I have a couple of questions for all of you Celebrity comped casino cruise experts: My understanding is that drinks are free in the casino while playing and maybe also at the casino bar when not playing - does anyone have any experience with this? Is it OK to walk out of the casino with a comped drink. I've done this on Royal, but not sure of the rules on Celebrity. I'm debating whether we should still get alcohol packages anyway as my dad is a big drinker, so any clarity here would be really helpful. Also, on Royal they have very clear point earning thresholds for getting future comped cruises (something like XXX points for an inside; xxxx for an oceanview; xxx for a balcony); does Celebrity have anything like this? Thanks in Advance! Attached is a chart describing the tiers. https://www.celebritycruises.com/bccbenefits Edited April 30, 2020 by kwokpot 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WanderLuster101 Posted April 30, 2020 #29 Share Posted April 30, 2020 1 minute ago, kwokpot said: Attached is a chart describing the tiers. 01-21-SP-Casino-BCC-Chart-Update.pdf 749.73 kB · 4 downloads Thank you! Do you happen to know if the drink packages at Sapphire and above are only in the casino or good throughout the ship? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
winslow050 Posted April 30, 2020 #30 Share Posted April 30, 2020 5 minutes ago, WanderLuster101 said: Thank you! Do you happen to know if the drink packages at Sapphire and above are only in the casino or good throughout the ship? Drink packages for Sapphire and above are good on the entire ship for the cruise. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dallasdan Posted April 30, 2020 #31 Share Posted April 30, 2020 We ended up booking the 12 Day Southern Caribbean Cruise on the 11-27. Between my September Cruise and this one I hope we sail on at least one. To answer the questions about the drinks, I ordered drinks when I was in the casino and not playing from one of the servers that knew I was gambling. Didn't try to order a drink at the casino bar. I would think those would not be free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poffles Posted May 1, 2020 #32 Share Posted May 1, 2020 (edited) On 4/20/2020 at 1:39 PM, dallasdan said: If both my wife and I received the offer, could we book 2 rooms on the same cruise and bring another couple? OR ... if you got offers of two sailings that run back to back, one books one cruise the other books the following one. Did this with my friend on the Edge last year. Was awesome 14 day cruise and even had them put us in the same room for each so didn't even have to move our stuff! And as someone mentioned above, they knew what we were doing as we passed the phone back and forth and got the same room 🙂 Edited May 1, 2020 by poffles 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted May 1, 2020 #33 Share Posted May 1, 2020 12 minutes ago, WanderLuster101 said: My understanding is that drinks are free in the casino while playing and maybe also at the casino bar when not playing - does anyone have any experience with this? Is it OK to walk out of the casino with a comped drink. I've done this on Royal, but not sure of the rules on Celebrity. I'm debating whether we should still get alcohol packages anyway as my dad is a big drinker, so any clarity here would be really helpful. Also, on Royal they have very clear point earning thresholds for getting future comped cruises (something like XXX points for an inside; xxxx for an oceanview; xxx for a balcony); does Celebrity have anything like this? On the BBC site, they say changes are coming, unsure what those are. Previously: 1) Drinks are not automatically free while playing until you get hit a certain tier 2) The pitboss, or host can greenlight a drink 3) X has run multiple promos on select sailings where drinks are free while playing in the casino, various data points ranging from the first sea day only - the entire sailing 4) Casino bar does not give free drinks; some ships have VP and some don't 5) No one will care if you leave with a comped drink now perhaps if you do this several times a day over multiple days, they'll talk to you. 6) With "XXX points = stateroom type" X isn't as clear cut as RCL, you generally need to call; since they laid off a bunch in the BCC call center, perhaps this will be more transparent as before you generally had to call/email the BCC dept 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted May 1, 2020 #34 Share Posted May 1, 2020 15 minutes ago, poffles said: OR ... if you got offers of two sailings that run back to back, one books one cruise the other books the following one. Did this with my friend on the Edge last year. Was awesome 14 day cruise and even had them put us in the same room for each so didn't even have to move our stuff! And as someone mentioned above, they knew what we were doing as we passed the phone back and forth and got the same room 🙂 Great idea, could also do different ships/itineraries 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poffles Posted May 1, 2020 #35 Share Posted May 1, 2020 3 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said: On the BBC site, they say changes are coming, unsure what those are. Previously: 1) Drinks are not automatically free while playing until you get hit a certain tier 2) The pitboss, or host can greenlight a drink 3) X has run multiple promos on select sailings where drinks are free while playing in the casino, various data points ranging from the first sea day only - the entire sailing 4) Casino bar does not give free drinks; some ships have VP and some don't 5) No one will care if you leave with a comped drink now perhaps if you do this several times a day over multiple days, they'll talk to you. 6) With "XXX points = stateroom type" X isn't as clear cut as RCL, you generally need to call; since they laid off a bunch in the BCC call center, perhaps this will be more transparent as before you generally had to call/email the BCC dept Where do you see that changes are coming? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted May 1, 2020 #36 Share Posted May 1, 2020 2 minutes ago, poffles said: Where do you see that changes are coming? https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/casino 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poffles Posted May 1, 2020 #37 Share Posted May 1, 2020 2 minutes ago, NutsAboutGolf said: https://www.celebritycruises.com/things-to-do-onboard/casino Thanks ...must have been a refresh thing on my browser because I was seeing a different screen when I was going there but yours link took me to this ... interesting. Be good to see what might be changing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NMTraveller Posted May 1, 2020 #38 Share Posted May 1, 2020 Just curious. How much do you need to gamble to qualify for these offers? How do they count? Is it by time or dollars spent or something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare NutsAboutGolf Posted May 1, 2020 #39 Share Posted May 1, 2020 For the next roughly year, I predict big free play offers with a minor shuffle of tiers and benefits 2 minutes ago, NMTraveller said: Just curious. How much do you need to gamble to qualify for these offers? How do they count? Is it by time or dollars spent or something else? "Something else" = Four parts, Oversimplified Numbers, Gaming Accrual, Sailing Redemption and Partnership Bonus: 1) Oversimplified Numbers: On a seven night cruise, I can confirm five hours of $100 bets will get you a free cruise 2) Gaming Accrual: The more boring answer, how it really works is ADT or theoretical loss (theo). They generally prefer you gamble for at least a consecutive hour, they then "rate" your average bet. 3) Sailing Redemption: Its still by fare, if your play gives you a $5K comp, its your choice if you want the suite life in the 5 nighter or a OV in a 20+ nighter (for example). 4) The Partnership Bonus, RCL/X, has a partnership with MLife which is nationwide but predominately in Vegas; MLife send there info to X's casino dept quarter and can offer "comped" cruises on a quarterly basis. If you play enough at MLife, you'll receive RCL/X offers quarterly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingBrian Posted May 2, 2020 #40 Share Posted May 2, 2020 On 4/30/2020 at 5:43 PM, winslow050 said: Drink packages for Sapphire and above are good on the entire ship for the cruise. Hi - I am Sapphire and eligible for the "Classic" Beverage Package. That's great. However, I don't drink alcohol. My preferred bev is bottled Perrier (or San Pelligrino - which has more salt) and three /four lattes every day. Neither are included in the "Classic". The first thing I do when I get on board is find the host and ask him/her to put a premium beverage sticker on my SeaPass Card. After the first night, all the servers know that I drink sparkling water and they offer one every time they see me. Or just bring me one. I also tip them in cash, which is obviously their incentive. As Sapphire I can also go into Michael's Club and The Retreat and get all the bottled water I want. I take that back to my stateroom. I've run into butlers I've had in the past and they will send a couple of six packs to my room, even tho I don't travel in suites anymore - too expensive. And I travel solo - doubly expensive! Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingBrian Posted May 2, 2020 #41 Share Posted May 2, 2020 On 5/1/2020 at 12:35 AM, NutsAboutGolf said: For the next roughly year, I predict big free play offers with a minor shuffle of tiers and benefits "Something else" = Four parts, Oversimplified Numbers, Gaming Accrual, Sailing Redemption and Partnership Bonus: 1) Oversimplified Numbers: On a seven night cruise, I can confirm five hours of $100 bets will get you a free cruise 2) Gaming Accrual: The more boring answer, how it really works is ADT or theoretical loss (theo). They generally prefer you gamble for at least a consecutive hour, they then "rate" your average bet. 3) Sailing Redemption: Its still by fare, if your play gives you a $5K comp, its your choice if you want the suite life in the 5 nighter or a OV in a 20+ nighter (for example). 4) The Partnership Bonus, RCL/X, has a partnership with MLife which is nationwide but predominately in Vegas; MLife send there info to X's casino dept quarter and can offer "comped" cruises on a quarterly basis. If you play enough at MLife, you'll receive RCL/X offers quarterly. Well said, "Nuts"! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingBrian Posted May 2, 2020 #42 Share Posted May 2, 2020 RE: Comp Cruise Offers Offers to me have been sporadic. Sometimes I get an email (the last one was in November 2019) and sometimes I get a glossy mailing. Usually I pick a cruise I want and call Miami to see if they can comp it. And usually I am booking too far out (I'm a planner!) so they make the reservation minus the 20%, try to get me an additional perk (I prefer gratuities), and take a deposit. Then I call back sporadically to see if they've gotten a casino rate for the cruise I'm booked on. That sometimes works since I book + one year in advance. Finally, before final payment is due I call and ask to apply any applicable comps I have to the reservation. Bam. Complimentary cruise, with a 90% success rate. But BCC has been very good to me. I always asked for Renata (or emailed her directly) when I called. And if I was looking for something specific, I would contact Macie. Both were always busy (there must be a lot of us!) but in the end it always worked out. Unfortunately they are both gone now. So we are (pun intended) in unchartered waters. Sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisingBrian Posted May 2, 2020 #43 Share Posted May 2, 2020 Question: I always send a thank you card to the representative that helped me book when my cruise is over. Twice I've done cruises with extended family and I've sent a photo along with the card to show them what joy they helped bring. And to my regular representatives in Miami I send flowers on birthdays and a basket of goodies for the holidays. Wondering if other people do this? Is this standard? No judgement ... I've just always wondered. Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poffles Posted May 2, 2020 #44 Share Posted May 2, 2020 4 hours ago, CruisingBrian said: Hi - I am Sapphire and eligible for the "Classic" Beverage Package. That's great. However, I don't drink alcohol. My preferred bev is bottled Perrier (or San Pelligrino - which has more salt) and three /four lattes every day. Neither are included in the "Classic". The first thing I do when I get on board is find the host and ask him/her to put a premium beverage sticker on my SeaPass Card. After the first night, all the servers know that I drink sparkling water and they offer one every time they see me. Or just bring me one. I also tip them in cash, which is obviously their incentive. As Sapphire I can also go into Michael's Club and The Retreat and get all the bottled water I want. I take that back to my stateroom. I've run into butlers I've had in the past and they will send a couple of six packs to my room, even tho I don't travel in suites anymore - too expensive. And I travel solo - doubly expensive! Brian Lattes are included in Classic on Celebrity. I've had the Classic package as an offered booking perk and have always indulged in these for free, lattes and cappuccino's ... yum. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffybunny22 Posted May 8, 2020 #45 Share Posted May 8, 2020 (edited) My husband gambles a couple of hundred dollars per cruise. It's probably been 3 years since our last Celebrity cruise. We've gotten a couple of Blue Chip offers for free veranda rooms on select sailings. Some of the sailing are holiday sailings. Are these legit? With almost all of our planned travel for this year canceled we do have some vacation time available and we have been wanting to go away for Christmas for a while so this kind of fits our needs. TIA Edited May 9, 2020 by Host Kat Threads merged. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Georgia_Peaches Posted May 8, 2020 #46 Share Posted May 8, 2020 I gamble in the casino frequently..win some, definitely lose some. Have never received a casino offer... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
39august Posted May 8, 2020 #47 Share Posted May 8, 2020 My husband usually gambles a few $$ on every cruise. Never got such an offer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
omeinv Posted May 8, 2020 #48 Share Posted May 8, 2020 I got the offer yesterday (May7). Someone else on here reported having received it as well. Harris Denver, CO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fluffybunny22 Posted May 8, 2020 #49 Share Posted May 8, 2020 41 minutes ago, omeinv said: I got the offer yesterday (May7). Someone else on here reported having received it as well. Harris Denver, CO I got the email yesterday. I also got one in April. Maybe my husband is gambling more than I'm aware of. I still think we've come out ahead because my son has won bingo on our last 2 cruises. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kwokpot Posted May 8, 2020 #50 Share Posted May 8, 2020 Also received an offer and definitely legit. Actually one of the cruises listed, the Apex departing on November 14th is one we're already booked on from a prior Blue Chip Club (Celebrity's Casino Program) offering. We're going to monitor the whole situation and if the virus issues have not emerged in any meaningful way and prior cruises have been OK I would like to sail on this Apex cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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