Please be honest about your casino offers. I am curious.

[albingirl]

Is it because you gamble at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas?  I don't understand how so many of you cruise for free. It makes those of us who spend thousands per cruise a bit confused.  I have cruises booked, but am about to cancel since I see that parts of the cruise is turning into a casino cruise.  Is this HAL's way of packing the ships?  It certainly doesn't entice us to book another very expensive cruise.

[lazey1]

I am 5* and for the past few years I have gotten multiple casino offers. I do not gamble anywhere in Las Vegas. I do usually take between $50 and $100 per day to play the slot machines in the casino aboard the ship. I have no idea how or why I started receiving casino offers.

[Laminator]

4 minutes ago, albingirl said:

Is it because you gamble at Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas?  I don't understand how so many of you cruise for free. It makes those of us who spend thousands per cruise a bit confused.  I have cruises booked, but am about to cancel since I see that parts of the cruise is turning into a casino cruise.  Is this HAL's way of packing the ships?  It certainly doesn't entice us to book another very expensive cruise.

Players at local casinos such as Vegas are offered free cruises thru their local properties. HAL's offers come directly from HAL. Alot of the offers are for discounted cabins, not necessarily free cabins. There are a few tricks to help you get offers.

[albingirl]

2 minutes ago, Laminator said:

Players at local casinos such as Vegas are offered free cruises thru their local properties. HAL's offers come directly from HAL. Alot of the offers are for discounted cabins, not necessarily free cabins. There are a few tricks to help you get offers.

And the tricks are.....?

[daisy-mae]

18 minutes ago, albingirl said:

 It makes those of us who spend thousands per cruise a bit confused.  I have cruises booked, but am about to cancel since I see that parts of the cruise is turning into a casino cruise.  Is this HAL's way of packing the ships?  It certainly doesn't entice us to book another very expensive cruise.

I wouldn't equate a casino offer with a particular social or economic status. Some folks just like a bargain. And depriving oneself of a cruise to avoid mixing with the hoi polloi is somewhat akin to biting off one's nose to spite one's face 🙂

[Laminator]

Just now, albingirl said:

And the tricks are.....?

If you play the tables make 100% certain the table supervisor records your buy in. The table supervisors are spread pretty thin and do not have the experience that land based casinos have. If you see a table supervisor watching the table for a few minutes up your bet for a few hands. If it's a $5 table up your bet to $10. 

If you are a slot player go to the cage and have them make you a players card tied into your name. Tell them you play 2 machines at once. Then have your significant other use that card. All play then goes to one person but as a whole to HAL your play looks much better. The offers that one of you receives is for 2 pax so you are covered. It is a little bit of a pain though as you can actually only cash out your slot money to the actual room card.  But it works. 

[RynoWally]

Been to Vegas twice in my life and never really gambled there. I would say I gamble about 100-200 a week while on a cruise. On the 4 cruises i have been on with HAL, i have never lost money. I have know idea why they send me free cabin offers as I don't seem to fit any criteria, maybe at some point I will end up losing. But as long as they are emailing me offers, I will keep taking advantage of them, and then upgrading my cabin with an upsell, the wife and I are about to jump on board HAL for 28 days on B2B where we paid around 1400 for port fees and taxes and will have a total of 800 (400 is from the volendam B2B cancellation) a piece in onboard credit plus 500 to gamble in casino and free drinks while playing. We used miles for our flights, the only expense we will incur is any excursions and specialty restaurants (which will be alot), It's a no brainer! A deal is a deal.

[albingirl]

1 minute ago, daisy-mae said:

I wouldn't equate a casino offer with a particular social or economic status. Some folks just like a bargain. And depriving oneself of a cruise to avoid mixing with the hoi polloi is somewhat akin to biting off one's nose to spite one's face 🙂

 

1 minute ago, daisy-mae said:

I wouldn't equate a casino offer with a particular social or economic status. Some folks just like a bargain. And depriving oneself of a cruise to avoid mixing with the hoi polloi is somewhat akin to biting off one's nose to spite one's face 🙂

Wow, not helpful at all.  How can you even know what I am thinking?  You don't even know me.  "Mixing with the hoi polloi" is a downright insult. Rude.

[albingirl]

1 minute ago, Laminator said:

If you play the tables make 100% certain the table supervisor records your buy in. The table supervisors are spread pretty thin and do not have the experience that land based casinos have. If you see a table supervisor watching the table for a few minutes up your bet for a few hands. If it's a $5 table up your bet to $10. 

If you are a slot player go to the cage and have them make you a players card tied into your name. Tell them you play 2 machines at once. Then have your significant other use that card. All play then goes to one person but as a whole to HAL your play looks much better. The offers that one of you receives is for 2 pax so you are covered. It is a little bit of a pain though as you can actually only cash out your slot money to the actual room card.  But it works. 

Thank you for that.

[Laminator]

2 minutes ago, albingirl said:

Thank you for that.

It also helps to tip the dealers every now and then. Throw a dollar tip out there for the dealer to play if your playing $5 blackjack. The table supervisors used to be dealers and appreciate the try to tip the dealers. There is a reason every table has a bell on it that is rung when the dealers win a tip. 

[daisy-mae]

6 minutes ago, albingirl said:

 

Wow, not helpful at all.  How can you even know what I am thinking?  You don't even know me.  "Mixing with the hoi polloi" is a downright insult. Rude.

I apologize if the expression offended you, and you are correct that I don't know what you are thinking. Perhaps you could explain how a casino cruise might ruin your enjoyment? 

[OlsSalt]

1 minute ago, daisy-mae said:

I apologize if the expression offended you, and you are correct that I don't know what you are thinking. Perhaps you could explain how a casino cruise might ruin your enjoyment? 

Casinos is where smoking is still allowed and there is very little buffering of the casino smoke and other public areas  on a lot of the older ships - more casino passengers onboard might make one worry about being a cruise with more smokers.

[Crazy For Cats]

Earlier this year I got what I thought was a private sale offer.  When I took advantage of the offer I was told that they were casino offers.  In 25+ cruises I have never given the casino any money.  How I got those offers I have no idea.  I was able to upgrade to a suite so it definitely wasn’t free but still a very good deal IMHO.

[albingirl]

3 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

I apologize if the expression offended you, and you are correct that I don't know what you are thinking. Perhaps you could explain how a casino cruise might ruin your enjoyment? 

Many more people, many more smokers.  On the older ships, you can't avoid smoke.  I'm highly sensitive to it.  Thanks for your apology.  Never jump to judgement.

[albingirl]

2 minutes ago, Crazy For Cats said:

Earlier this year I got what I thought was a private sale offer.  When I took advantage of the offer I was told that they were casino offers.  In 25+ cruises I have never given the casino any money.  How I got those offers I have no idea.  I was able to upgrade to a suite so it definitely wasn’t free but still a very good deal IMHO.

I'd love one of those!

[Laminator]

3 minutes ago, albingirl said:

Many more people, many more smokers.  On the older ships, you can't avoid smoke.  I'm highly sensitive to it.  Thanks for your apology.  Never jump to judgement.

The only casinos that allow smoking in the casinos are the 3 new ships. 

Edited April 27, 2022 by Laminator

[albingirl]

Just now, Laminator said:

The only casinos that allow smoking are the 3 new ships. 

Good to know, thanks.  Our next cruise is on an older ship.  Appreciate your response.

[Florida_gal_50]

24 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

I wouldn't equate a casino offer with a particular social or economic status. Some folks just like a bargain. And depriving oneself of a cruise to avoid mixing with the hoi polloi is somewhat akin to biting off one's nose to spite one's face 🙂

Is there anyone that doesn't like a bargain?  I've yet to hear anyone say I want to pay as much as possible for my cruise.  I pay a pretty penny for my cruises.  I'm still in the workforce so I am limited to when I can be gone so I do have to plan ahead.  I get annoyed to see people pay $50 for something I am paying thousands for and then start multiple threads about it.

Edited April 27, 2022 by Florida_gal_50

[OlsSalt]

1 minute ago, albingirl said:

Good to know, thanks.  Our next cruise is on an older ship.  Appreciate your response.

 

Before covid; there were smoking nights in the casinos on the smaller ships (for players only) even though they were non-smoking at other times.

 

We saw people hiding behind rows of slot machines smoking, but not really actively playing on those nights as we were forced to walk through these areas on our way to other public venues - or else make a major detour around them..

 

[albingirl]

1 minute ago, Florida_gal_50 said:

Is there anyone that doesn't like a bargain?  I've yet to hear anyone say I want to pay as much as possible for my cruise.  I pay a pretty penny for my cruises.  I'm still in the workforce so I am limited to when I can be gone so I do have to plan ahead.  I get annoyed to see people pay $50 for something I am paying thousands for and then start multiple threads about it.

Thank you for that....I am in total agreement 100%. The muliple threads are bad enough, but getting onboard and hearing people at the bar crow about it is as low as it gets. I mean there are worse things, but that's a stinger.

[albingirl]

2 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

 

Before covid; there were smoking nights in the casinos on the smaller ships (for players only) even though they were non-smoking at other times.

 

We saw people hiding behind rows of slot machines smoking, but not really actively playing on those nights as we were forced to walk through these areas on our way to other public venues - or else make a major detour around them..

 

And a big detour it is sometimes.

[daisy-mae]

3 minutes ago, albingirl said:

Thank you for that....I am in total agreement 100%. The muliple threads are bad enough, but getting onboard and hearing people at the bar crow about it is as low as it gets. I mean there are worse things, but that's a stinger.

Almost as bad as the multiple star mariners bragging about all of their perks 🙂

[Laminator]

3 minutes ago, albingirl said:

Thank you for that....I am in total agreement 100%. The muliple threads are bad enough, but getting onboard and hearing people at the bar crow about it is as low as it gets. I mean there are worse things, but that's a stinger.

I am sure that once covid calms down more you will see these offers dissipate for many pax. I think they are doing whatever they can to fill these ships right now.

[Florida_gal_50]

1 minute ago, daisy-mae said:

Almost as bad as the multiple star mariners bragging about all of their perks 🙂

What?  That is not anything the same.  Please point me to one thread where a multiple star mariner got thousands off something.  Clearly I've missed that.  $10 off here and there in no way amounts to a free cruise in the world I live in.

[albingirl]

3 minutes ago, daisy-mae said:

Almost as bad as the multiple star mariners bragging about all of their perks 🙂

Not knowing that, but you do seem rather argumentative today. Not many perks to brag about on Holland America.  Do you mean laundry?  Big deal, who cares.