"Drinks and More" Package

[jg51]

2 hours ago, jg51 said:

 

We heard of something -- if legitimate -- that is not really a foolproof "formula," but it is something that can be used by a non-gambler (even someone who hates gambling [like us]) to very rapidly replace the "promotional chips" with standard (cash-in-able) chips ... unless the gambler is very unlucky.

 

DISCLAIMER:  We have never done this, and we probably never will.  Also, we know almost nothing about roulette, so someone will have to come along after us and confirm or refute it.  This is what we seem to recall reading here at CruiseCritic (some time in 2021):

 

A roulette wheel has 37 or 38 slots.  Eighteen of them are red numbers (between 1 and 36).  Eighteen of them are black numbers (the other numbers between 1 and 36).  The 37th (and sometimes the 38th) number on the wheel is a "0" (and sometimes a "00") -- which has a different color -- such as white or green. 

 

The table allows a player to place a bet that any "red number" will come up -- or to place a bet that any "green number" will come up.  Suppose one has two $50 promotional chips.  He/she could put one of them on "RED" and the other on "BLACK."  Then, the ball will come to rest almost half the time (roughly 47.4% to 48.6%) on red and the same percentage of the time on black -- but just 2.7% (or 5.3%) of the time on "0" (or "00", if it is present too).  [We seem to recall reading that Celebrity casinos' tables have just "0" -- not also "00" -- making a guest's odds better.]

 

Suppose the ball comes to rest on a red number.  The promotional chip that was bet on "RED" will be replaced by $100 in standard (cash-in-able) chips, while the promotional chip that was on "BLACK" will be lost.  [Obviously, one would be "busted" completely, in a single tough-luck spin, if the ball were to land on "0" (or "00") -- and that's part of why they call it "gambling."]

 

We will now await confirmation or refutation of the above!

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We're quoting ourselves, because it is now too late to fix an error that we made!  It was probably such a blatant error that everyone who read it realized what we meant to say.  Even so ...

 

We stated this, by mistake: "The table allows a player to place a bet that any 'red number' will come up -- or to place a bet that any 'green number' will come up. "

 

Instead of "any 'green number,'" we should have stated, "any 'black number.'"  Sorry!

 

Thanks for the confirmation, LGW59.

.

 

[luckybecky]

3 hours ago, jg51 said:

 

We heard of something -- if legitimate -- that is not really a foolproof "formula," but it is something that can be used by a non-gambler (even someone who hates gambling [like us]) to very rapidly replace the "promotional chips" with standard (cash-in-able) chips ... unless the gambler is very unlucky.

 

DISCLAIMER:  We have never done this, and we probably never will.  Also, we know almost nothing about roulette, so someone will have to come along after us and confirm or refute it.  This is what we seem to recall reading here at CruiseCritic (some time in 2021):

 

A roulette wheel has 37 or 38 slots.  Eighteen of them are red numbers (between 1 and 36).  Eighteen of them are black numbers (the other numbers between 1 and 36).  The 37th (and sometimes the 38th) number on the wheel is a "0" (and sometimes a "00") -- which has a different color -- such as white or green. 

 

The table allows a player to place a bet that any "red number" will come up -- or to place a bet that any "green number" will come up.  Suppose one has two $50 promotional chips.  He/she could put one of them on "RED" and the other on "BLACK."  Then, the ball will come to rest almost half the time (roughly 47.4% to 48.6%) on red and the same percentage of the time on black -- but just 2.7% (or 5.3%) of the time on "0" (or "00", if it is present too).  [We seem to recall reading that Celebrity casinos' tables have just "0" -- not also "00" -- making a guest's odds better.]

 

Suppose the ball comes to rest on a red number.  The promotional chip that was bet on "RED" will be replaced by $100 in standard (cash-in-able) chips, while the promotional chip that was on "BLACK" will be lost.  [Obviously, one would be "busted" completely, in a single tough-luck spin, if the ball were to land on "0" (or "00") -- and that's part of why they call it "gambling."]

 

We will now await confirmation or refutation of the above!

.

 

Clever!! I'll have to remember that!

 

[Gatordad1967]

On 8/20/2021 at 4:28 PM, LGW59 said:

Yes

The rumor is you can't play the outside numbers

 

[difranco]

Put $3 on the 0 or 00 if it’s a French wheel and that is your insurance against being wiped out. 

[W283386]

In regards to the promotional chips - If you bet $50 on red and win do you get back $100 in real chips or do they take the $50 promo chip and just give you $50 in real chips?

[Mark_T]

Pretty sure the casino is wise to this one now, they should return the stake chips and add new chips for the balance of the win.

 

... but, betting red & black is usually against the rules so they may stop you doing it anyway.

[jgmorgan]

On our recent cruise at the craps table, on winners I believe they left the promotional chip on the table and paid any winnings in real chips.  Once a losing roll occurred they raked all of them in.  It worked out for us that we were able to replace the promotional chips and actually net a small amount.

 

I suspect it would be the same practice at the roulette table.

[jgmorgan]

13 minutes ago, Mark_T said:

but, betting red & black is usually against the rules so they may stop you doing it anyway.

Maybe the assistance of a spouse/partner/stranger would work?

[jg51]

2 hours ago, jgmorgan said:

Maybe the assistance of a spouse/partner/stranger would work?

.

When this "stratagem" was revealed here (by two separate people), much earlier this year ...

(1) one person (playing red) said that a "partner" (playing black) had been used, and ...

(2) a different person, who played both colors, said that the crew member running the table gave him/her an "understanding glance."

 

No one can predict, however, what would happen, from one ship to another.

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19 hours ago, difranco said:

Put $3 on the 0 or 00 if it’s a French wheel and that is your insurance against being wiped out. 

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Can you explain this, please?

If one is playing with nothing but (high-denomination) promo chips, $3 is not going to be handy.

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[D C]

8 minutes ago, jg51 said:

.

 

Can you explain this, please?

If one is playing with nothing but (high-denomination) promo chips, $3 is not going to be handy.

.

Put in $3 of your own cash, not promo $

[jg51]

22 hours ago, difranco said:

Put $3 on the 0 or 00 if it’s a French wheel and that is your insurance against being wiped out. 

 

2 hours ago, jg51 said:

 ...

Can you explain this, please?

If one is playing with nothing but (high-denomination) promo chips, $3 is not going to be handy.

.

 

2 hours ago, D C said:

Put in $3 of your own cash, not promo $

.

Sorry to ask such elementary questions, "D C," but we don't normally visit the casino, and we have played just one roulette bet in our lives (maybe in 2015)!

 

(1)  When you say "Put in $3 of your own cash," do you mean that literally -- i.e., actual U.S. currency -- or does it have to be exchanged for three $1 chips?

 

(2)  Why such a seemingly odd number -- $3?  Is that a minimum for roulette?

 

(3)  If, when one is using the black/red strategem, one places $3 on 0/00, what is the payoff if the number really does come up as "0/00"?

 

Thanks for your patience and answers.

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[D C]

4 hours ago, jg51 said:

 

 

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Sorry to ask such elementary questions, "D C," but we don't normally visit the casino, and we have played just one roulette bet in our lives (maybe in 2015)!

 

(1)  When you say "Put in $3 of your own cash," do you mean that literally -- i.e., actual U.S. currency -- or does it have to be exchanged for three $1 chips?

 

(2)  Why such a seemingly odd number -- $3?  Is that a minimum for roulette?

 

(3)  If, when one is using the black/red strategem, one places $3 on 0/00, what is the payoff if the number really does come up as "0/00"?

 

Thanks for your patience and answers.

.

If the roulette wheel has a lone green spot, it pays 34:1 or $102 back on a $3 bet.  With 2 greens, an either-or bet would pay 17:1, so you'd have to put in $6 to get your 102.

 

 

So if you bet 50 black (credit), 50 red (credit), or 3 green (cash), one of them will win and you'll walk away with at least $97.

 

As for actual cash, you should be able to exchange real cash for chips at the table, I believe. I really don't frequent the casino at all 🙂

Edited September 4, 2021 by D C

[jg51]

1 hour ago, D C said:

If the roulette wheel has a lone green spot, it pays 34:1 or $102 back on a $3 bet.  With 2 greens, an either-or bet would pay 17:1, so you'd have to put in $6 to get your 102.

 

 

So if you bet 50 black (credit), 50 red (credit), or 3 green (cash), one of them will win and you'll walk away with at least $97.

 

As for actual cash, you should be able to exchange real cash for chips at the table, I believe. I really don't frequent the casino at all 🙂

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Understood.  Thank you.

.

[LMHSRN]

How about those drinks!  Has anyone tried to get the beverages of choice in the frig.  Hubby wont drink Heiniken, don't want diet coke, etc.  Will they sub. the bottles of wine.  All White and no Red?

[jgmorgan]

19 hours ago, jg51 said:

No one can predict, however, what would happen, from one ship to another.

True enough.

 

However, it's not unusual for my spouse and me to be on different sides of a wager (or many other things too). 😂

[CruisinKikster]

On 8/19/2021 at 9:55 AM, D C said:

We don't and it really makes it not worth it for us, especially when the premium package gives us better wine and we wouldn't normally drink what's stocked in the minibar.

 

What I haven't seen much mention of is the wine tastings that come with the package.

 

We did Drinks & More in 2019 (our last cruise) and we are doing it again for our upcoming cruise because it was a nice value for us. We don't spend a ton in the casino so the $50 each is about right. Plus the other perks.

 

I liked the La Crema wines, and I use the Anakena for making sangria. But honestly I love Apothic, which is an $8 bottle of wine, so I don't judge quality by a price tag. 

 

We did the wine tasting in 2019, and honestly, it's the same one they do for the Select and higher members, so it was a ton of people crammed into the MDR. We didn't think that it was worth doing again, although maybe it's less crowded now?  (Kinda hoping, but see see.)

 

[zitsky]

For anyone getting the $9 pp pd price to upgrade to Drinks and More.  How did you do it?  Phone call, chat, email???  What sailing are you on?

[LadyBerard]

1 hour ago, zitsky said:

For anyone getting the $9 pp pd price to upgrade to Drinks and More.  How did you do it?  Phone call, chat, email???  What sailing are you on?

Although I did not JUST upgrade, but upgraded about a month ago.........we had classic drink package as a perk, and I believe it cost us $120 for both of us to upgrade to Drinks and More.  Ours is a 5 night cruise.

[zitsky]

10 minutes ago, LadyBerard said:

Although I did not JUST upgrade, but upgraded about a month ago.........we had classic drink package as a perk, and I believe it cost us $120 for both of us to upgrade to Drinks and More.  Ours is a 5 night cruise.

 

Thanks.

 

Did you upgrade through phone, chat or email?  Who did you contact to upgrade?

 

Also people report no substitutions but surely you can say all vodka or all scotch????

Edited October 9, 2021 by zitsky

[LadyBerard]

19 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Thanks.

 

Did you upgrade through phone, chat or email?  Who did you contact to upgrade?

 

Also people report no substitutions but surely you can say all vodka or all scotch????

I called to upgrade.  I don't know about requesting other items for the mini bar, as this will be our first experience with purchasing Drinks and More.  

 

[zitsky]

Has anyone with a TA done an upgrade to Drinks and More through their TA?  Is that how it's done?

[DaKahuna]

Just now, zitsky said:

Has anyone with a TA done an upgrade to Drinks and More through their TA?  Is that how it's done?

Yes, I have done that.  
 

When I tried to do it on-line it gave me the discounted price but wanted full price for my wife saying she had to have the premium package first.  We are in a SS so both have the PBP.  
 

Sent my TA an email and next day she had it taken care of with both of us getting the discount for our upgrade.

 

[zitsky]

2 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

Yes, I have done that.  
 

When I tried to do it on-line it gave me the discounted price but wanted full price for my wife saying she had to have the premium package first.  We are in a SS so both have the PBP.  
 

Sent my TA an email and next day she had it taken care of with both of us getting the discount for our upgrade.

 

 

Just emailed my TA.  Do I understand that you get to pick what's in the fridge?  I prefer coke, scotch and club soda.

[DaKahuna]

5 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Just emailed my TA.  Do I understand that you get to pick what's in the fridge?  I prefer coke, scotch and club soda.

No, what is in the bar is set.  You might be able to get some things changed by speaking with your room steward or Retreat host but as documented no changes.  

[zitsky]

5 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

No, what is in the bar is set.  You might be able to get some things changed by speaking with your room steward or Retreat host but as documented no changes.  

 

Ok.  Does X publish what's in the fridge?  I haven't seen the details.  Thanks.