Casino Refresher Course Needed

[MsTabbyKats]

Going on the Gem tomorrow....after an "almost 2 year cruise hiatus" and am having a senior moment!

 

Please correct me if I am wrong:

The cabin key card is also used in the casino

If you insser the card into a slot machine, you can put $$$ on the card and charge it to your cabin

Your pin# is your b'day...mm/dd

After you finish wih a machine....you cash out and get your ticket

 

Any corrections will be appreciated

[jvsnana]

That is what I remember from past cruises.

I am wondering if non refundable OBC can still be used doing this?

I am going to try on my upcoming Bliss cruise.

Please report back if this is still the same procedure as you remember 😀

Have a fantastic cruise!!!!!

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Going on the Gem tomorrow....after an "almost 2 year cruise hiatus" and am having a senior moment!

 

Please correct me if I am wrong:

The cabin key card is also used in the casino

If you insser the card into a slot machine, you can put $$$ on the card and charge it to your cabin

Your pin# is your b'day...mm/dd

After you finish wih a machine....you cash out and get your ticket

 

Any corrections will be appreciated

Have a great cruise. 
 

Yes, all correct. Room charges come with a service fee, unless you are in the upper tiers of the CAS player’s club where that is waived. 
 

If you pull your card before printing a ticket, the money in the machine will transfer to your card. (On most ships). You need to transfer the money onto your next machine using the process you described. 

[MsTabbyKats]

1 minute ago, BirdTravels said:

Have a great cruise. 
 

Yes, all correct. Room charges come with a service fee, unless you are in the upper tiers of the CAS player’s club where that is waived. 
 

If you pull your card before printing a ticket, the money in the machine will transfer to your card. (On most ships). You need to transfer the money onto your next machine using the process you described. 

Hmmm....i forgot about that servicve fee.  What is it...5%?

[ChiefMateJRK]

I just stick cash into the slot machine and cash out at the cashier window when I'm done.  Of course, I find one of the true penny slots and rarely have more than $5 in the game....  (i.e. I'm not close to a "real" gambler)

[cruiserbear55]

2 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Going on the Gem tomorrow....after an "almost 2 year cruise hiatus" and am having a senior moment!

 

Please correct me if I am wrong:

The cabin key card is also used in the casino

If you insser the card into a slot machine, you can put $$$ on the card and charge it to your cabin

Your pin# is your b'day...mm/dd

After you finish wih a machine....you cash out and get your ticket

 

Any corrections will be appreciated

You  either use your key card or a casino issued card. The problem with having just the key card is if you order a drink and the attendant takes your card, you lose all the points you would have accrued until you get the card back. You can charge money to your room at a 3% fee. If I remember correctly, you're right on the pin. And lastly, yes, you can cash out and get a ticket. In my case, there is usually no cash left , therefore no ticket!! Happy cruising!!

[BirdTravels]

4 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Hmmm....i forgot about that servicve fee.  What is it...5%?

I think NCL is 3% (Royal is higher). 
 

Consider if you charge $500 to your room, you pay $15 service charge. If you withdraw from the ATM few it is $9.99 (or $6.99). 

[MsTabbyKats]

16 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I just stick cash into the slot machine and cash out at the cashier window when I'm done.  Of course, I find one of the true penny slots and rarely have more than $5 in the game....  (i.e. I'm not close to a "real" gambler)

I don't like to carry cash with me.  I'm more disciplined with charging it to my room....because I see those charges!  With cash...I tend to forget (more senior moments) what I put in...lol.

 

Oh well....time to pack!

[Yesimapirate]

23 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

I think NCL is 3% (Royal is higher). 
 

Consider if you charge $500 to your room, you pay $15 service charge. If you withdraw from the ATM few it is $9.99 (or $6.99). 

This is true......  except some banks reimburse a certain number of out of network fees per month.  One of my banks does that so I end up not having an ATM charge.  

[Beach Life 1]

I think it's better getting a casino card.  I would be afraid of forgetting my key card in a machine.  Also, with a casino card, they track your play and you can get comps and discounts or free cruises in the future.   I don't know if the Casino tracks your play if you're just using your key card.

[MsTabbyKats]

2 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

This is true......  except some banks reimburse a certain number of out of network fees per month.  One of my banks does that so I end up not having an ATM charge.  

If I charge to my cabin it gets put on my credit card.  My credit card gives me 5% cash back for "cruises".  So, I'll be ahead of the game!

[julig22]

55 minutes ago, jezabel80 said:

I think it's better getting a casino card.  I would be afraid of forgetting my key card in a machine.  Also, with a casino card, they track your play and you can get comps and discounts or free cruises in the future.   I don't know if the Casino tracks your play if you're just using your key card.

That would be good to know, although I believe it doesn't matter.  My casino card never seems to work, so I gave up trying to use it (not that I gamble enough to get their attention anyway).

[julig22]

10 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

If I charge to my cabin it gets put on my credit card.  My credit card gives me 5% cash back for "cruises".  So, I'll be ahead of the game!

Interesting thought.  I use my NCL card on cruises to get the worldwide points to use for upgrades.  Have a couple of spendy cruises planned in the future and the value of the upgrade(s) is way more than a service charge (which also gets 3x points!).

[Yesimapirate]

8 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

If I charge to my cabin it gets put on my credit card.  My credit card gives me 5% cash back for "cruises".  So, I'll be ahead of the game!

I don't think you full thought that out. 

 

If you take out $1,000 (for ease of argument), there will be a service charge of $30.  You're correct if you lose all $1,000.  Then you'll be $20 ahead (or $980 behind😉).

 

However,  I've never met a gambler who plays to lose a their money.   If you only lose half, then you'll pay a $30 service charge and receive $25 back.  The less you lose, the more you lose in your example.   

 

Just like any other aspect of gaming,  it's silly to think you're going to find a sure fire method to beat the system. 

[MsTabbyKats]

9 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

I don't think you full thought that out. 

 

If you take out $1,000 (for ease of argument), there will be a service charge of $30.  You're correct if you lose all $1,000.  Then you'll be $20 ahead (or $980 behind😉).

 

However,  I've never met a gambler who plays to lose a their money.   If you only lose half, then you'll pay a $30 service charge and receive $25 back.  The less you lose, the more you lose in your example.   

 

Just like any other aspect of gaming,  it's silly to think you're going to find a sure fire method to beat the system. 

I have a Chase preferred client card (I forget the exact name).  It gives me 5% cash back on all travel....cruises, airlines etc.  Whatever the final bill for the cruise is, I get 5% cash back.  So, if they add the service charge to the $1000 cash advance...my bill is $1030 and I'll get $51.50 back.

 

It's not my method to beat the system....it's my method to not need cash.  The "cash back" just compensates for paying the fee.  Some restaurants around here now charge a fee if you use a credit card.  I get 3% cash back for that...so if they charge a 3% fee, the bottom line is that it's the same as if I used cash.

[julig22]

On 11/20/2021 at 7:33 PM, Yesimapirate said:

I don't think you full thought that out. 

 

If you take out $1,000 (for ease of argument), there will be a service charge of $30.  You're correct if you lose all $1,000.  Then you'll be $20 ahead (or $980 behind😉).

 

However,  I've never met a gambler who plays to lose a their money.   If you only lose half, then you'll pay a $30 service charge and receive $25 back.  The less you lose, the more you lose in your example.   

 

Just like any other aspect of gaming,  it's silly to think you're going to find a sure fire method to beat the system. 

Definitely don't follow your "less you lose" statement - I don't believe your "cash" is going back onto your onboard account unless you choose to put it on your account.

But consider this:

I get a cash advance for $1k - that I can use anytime, any place.  So assuming it is entered as a purchase (I've not done this),  I would get 3,090 points (10% of the amount needed for an upgrade).  I can use it in the casino, spend it on souvenirs when I go ashore, use it for tips or just take it home with me.  So I can essentially "buy" points toward an upgrade for $30.  I have a cruise later this year and currently that upgrade is worth about $6k - so my $30 fee is now worth over $600 in that scenario.  And I still have my $1k to spend or gamble away if that's what I want to do.

 

Or I can bring cash with me - and not get any points.

 

[Selion]

On 11/21/2021 at 8:27 AM, MsTabbyKats said:

I have a Chase preferred client card (I forget the exact name).  It gives me 5% cash back on all travel....cruises, airlines etc.

Going off topic...

 

Do you mind sharing what card it is?  I have yet to find a Chase card that offers 5% (either in cash back or in Ultimate Rewards points) for travel when paid outside of Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.

 

I used to have a Sapphire Reserve that paid 3% on travel.  Currently have an Ink Preferred that pays 3% on travel for less than 1/5 of the annual fee of the CSR. 😄  Also have a Freedom Unlimited that pay 5% on travel for travel booked/paid through Ultimate Rewards.  FOMO is bugging me now.  LOL!

[phillygwm]

35 minutes ago, Selion said:

Going off topic...

 

Do you mind sharing what card it is?  I have yet to find a Chase card that offers 5% (either in cash back or in Ultimate Rewards points) for travel when paid outside of Chase Ultimate Rewards portal.

 

I used to have a Sapphire Reserve that paid 3% on travel.  Currently have an Ink Preferred that pays 3% on travel for less than 1/5 of the annual fee of the CSR. 😄  Also have a Freedom Unlimited that pay 5% on travel for travel booked/paid through Ultimate Rewards.  FOMO is bugging me now.  LOL!

There are some games you can play.  I also have the Sapphire Reserve and yes, it's nominally 3% back for travel, restaurants, etc.  But if you redeem for travel through their portal (or some other limited things) you get a 50% bonus, so now it's 4.5%.

 

I also have a Chase Freedom card with the rotating 5% categories.  You can transfer these points to your Sapphire card and, if you redeem those points for travel through the portal, you're now getting 7.5%.

[don't-use-real-name]

Something recent here on CC about *"NOT"* being able to use NON-REFUNDABLE OBC

for the Casino like it was in the past.

 

C L A R I F I C A T I ON  Please !

[Daytonasailor]

It's been over two years since on board, but I think this is the way it went. I received a $100 credit from NCL. It was non-refundable. I went to the casino cage and asked them to put a charge of $100 on my card. They said it would cost 3%. No problem, I got $97 placed on the card. I went to a slot, pulled the handle and lost a dollar. Then I cashed out, took the ticket back to the cage and they gave me $96 cash.

[seaman11]

On 11/20/2021 at 11:48 AM, BirdTravels said:

I think NCL is 3% (Royal is higher). 
 

Consider if you charge $500 to your room, you pay $15 service charge. If you withdraw from the ATM few it is $9.99 (or $6.99). 

On royal im a casino vip and have no fee.  For my Gem cruise ill just bring cash the fees do add up. 

[Keata]

On 12/3/2021 at 9:02 AM, Daytonasailor said:

It's been over two years since on board, but I think this is the way it went. I received a $100 credit from NCL. It was non-refundable. I went to the casino cage and asked them to put a charge of $100 on my card. They said it would cost 3%. No problem, I got $97 placed on the card. I went to a slot, pulled the handle and lost a dollar. Then I cashed out, took the ticket back to the cage and they gave me $96 cash.

can any recent cruisers let me know if the above is still correct?  Thanks in advance. 

[MsTabbyKats]

@SelionI'm glad this thread was resurrected....as I was "misinformed" (probably really just misinterpreted).  My card didn't pay 5% back outside the rewards program....just the regular "cash back".

 

[julig22]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

@SelionI'm glad this thread was resurrected....as I was "misinformed" (probably really just misinterpreted).  My card didn't pay 5% back outside the rewards program....just the regular "cash back".

 

If your Chase card is the same as mine, the "travel" reward only applies to travel arranged through them.

But I did charge money in the casino on my last cruise and it comes through as a NCL purchase, so got points toward my next upgrade.  It should appear as a travel credit for anyone who gets points/rebates for travel on their cards.

[jlseymour3]

On 11/20/2021 at 12:40 PM, jezabel80 said:

I think it's better getting a casino card.  I would be afraid of forgetting my key card in a machine.  Also, with a casino card, they track your play and you can get comps and discounts or free cruises in the future.   I don't know if the Casino tracks your play if you're just using your key card.

I would assume the Casino tracks everything it can.