Most controversial cruise opinion??

[ChiefMateJRK]

I have spent many hours gambling in the NCL casinos and I've never lost more than a dollar or two in a single day.

[ChiefMateJRK]

23 minutes ago, Rock N Roll Star said:

To me the biggest hoax is the advertising of free wi fi

It is certainly free for me and I have all the minutes I want.

 

I think I consumed ten minutes on my last cruise and thirty minutes on the cruise before that.  DW and DD didn't use any.

[wil e coyote]

41 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I have spent many hours gambling in the NCL casinos and I've never lost more than a dollar or two in a single day.

Penny slots? 😉

[ChiefMateJRK]

18 minutes ago, wil e coyote said:

Penny slots? 😉

We have a winner!!!  🥳  I can play for an hour or two and hit several of those "jackpots" when the machine lights up and plays some fancy tune.  Occasionally a bystander will ask how much I just won?  It sometimes comes out to 2 or 3 bucks, which everybody gets a good laugh from. I generally will only stop at an even dollar increment so I get a buck or two at the cashier and not a bunch of coins.

 

I still can't figure out why I haven't been offered a comped room. 🤔

[cruiseny4life]

4 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

We have a winner!!!  🥳  I can play for an hour or two and hit several of those "jackpots" when the machine lights up and plays some fancy tune.  Occasionally a bystander will ask how much I just won?  It sometimes comes out to 2 or 3 bucks, which everybody gets a good laugh from. I generally will only stop at an even dollar increment so I get a buck or two at the cashier and not a bunch of coins.

 

I still can't figure out why I haven't been offered a comped room. 🤔

 

I still haven't figured out how to bet less than $0.25 on these. It seems there is no way to bet an actual penny. If there were, then I'd definitely waste some time at these slots. I suppose I just don't like losing money to get a (trigger warning) comp. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

22 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

I still haven't figured out how to bet less than $0.25 on these. It seems there is no way to bet an actual penny. If there were, then I'd definitely waste some time at these slots. I suppose I just don't like losing money to get a (trigger warning) comp. 

Well, grasshopper, you've come to the right place.  While there are many machines that suggest they are penny slots, the number of true penny slots are very small.  For example, the Encore has exactly four machines that I can bet a single penny at a time.  While they have four or five of these Buffalo machines, only three will allow single penny bets.  You have to find the ones that don't have buttons suggesting "bet x5, bet x10 etc." and first select (single line), then hit the bet one.  Occasionally I'll screw up and bet a quarter or more on the first spin because I messed up (possibly alcohol related).

 

The other one that allows one penny bets is the lone "Stinkin Rich" machine:

The Buffalo machine will give bonuses more often but the rare Stinkin Rich bonuses are more (I think I once won $5 on a single penny).  Funny thing is, I think I have more fun than the "real" gamblers. 🥳

Edited August 8, 2022 by ChiefMateJRK

[tetleytea]

You think it's stupid to insinuate that drug pushers don't try to get you hooked, to try and make money?   Any less than casinos try to get you hooked on gambling, to make money?    Quite the opposite:  it would be incredibly naive to think otherwise.  And I don't like the idea of trying to push that kind of naivete on the CC boards.

[tetleytea]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I have spent many hours gambling in the NCL casinos and I've never lost more than a dollar or two in a single day.

 

Right.  Which goes back to what I asked earlier:  why not just have the slots dispense M&M's?

 

There is also my second question:  how do the comps work?   No, not the "industry standard":   what are the NCL cruise ships comp tiers?   Do they just return a % of your gambling losses back (just like the IRS takes a 30% cut of your winnings)?   If comps were a function of how long you played, then penny slots would be perfect.  I doubt it is, though.

Edited August 8, 2022 by tetleytea

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

 

Right.  Which goes back to what I asked earlier:  why not just have the slots dispense M&M's?

I don't really like M&Ms that much....  They really don't go well with my Scotch.

[Travelling2Some]

6 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I don't really like M&Ms that much....  They really don't go well with my Scotch.

This is very true.  Drinking will save you from desserts cause they just don't taste good together.  (Okay, I know people will start citing all those sweet umbrella drinks but people who drink scotch don't do those.)  My doctor, who is also an avid cruiser (and a good sport), said that umbrella drinks are not drinking, they are dessert.  P.S. Any drink that stays frozen doesn't contain much alcohol.

Edited August 8, 2022 by Travelling2Some

[tetleytea]

1 minute ago, Travelling2Some said:

This is very true.  Drinking will save you from desserts cause they just don't taste good together.  (Okay, I know people will start citing all those sweet umbrella drinks but people who drink scotch don't do those.)

 

Even the land casinos offer free drinks while you're gambling, but of course there is no motive or conspiracy behind that at all.

[Travelling2Some]

2 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

 

Even the land casinos offer free drinks while you're gambling, but of course there is no motive or conspiracy behind that at all.

No candy, frozen drinks or gambling for me but not knocking it.  Whatever floats your boat.  We can't all have every vice down pat.

[mast3rn8]

15 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

 

Right.  Which goes back to what I asked earlier:  why not just have the slots dispense M&M's?

Because if the machine is 'hot' then they would melt.

[tetleytea]

32 minutes ago, mast3rn8 said:

Because if the machine is 'hot' then they would melt.

 

M&M's melt in your mouth, not in your hand.  Or your slot machine.   I heard that on TV.  And the TV would never lie, either.

[pcakes122]

1 hour ago, tetleytea said:

You think it's stupid to insinuate that drug pushers don't try to get you hooked, to try and make money?   Any less than casinos try to get you hooked on gambling, to make money?    Quite the opposite:  it would be incredibly naive to think otherwise.  And I don't like the idea of trying to push that kind of naivete on the CC boards.

Same with cigarette companies, liquor companies, even soda and candy companies, etc. (Not to mention unmentionable companies lol) Casinos aren't the only ones using these tactics, but somehow they are getting a bad rap here lol However, those tactics don't work on people who don't have addictive personalities.

 

So yes, if you are predisposed to lose your self-control you should beware. As I've said before, if you're engaging in ANY activities you can't easily walk away from, you probably shouldn't be partaking at all.

[pcakes122]

1 hour ago, tetleytea said:

 

Right.  Which goes back to what I asked earlier:  why not just have the slots dispense M&M's?

 

There is also my second question:  how do the comps work?   No, not the "industry standard":   what are the NCL cruise ships comp tiers?   Do they just return a % of your gambling losses back (just like the IRS takes a 30% cut of your winnings)?   If comps were a function of how long you played, then penny slots would be perfect.  I doubt it is, though.

I actually linked you a calculator upthread so that you could see how it works. That calculator is a great gauge for NCL casino  comps. You keep referring to "gambling losses" in conversations about comps and we've explained multiple times that one thing has nothing to do with the other.

 

If you need me to walk you through the calculator and explain how that relates to an NCL cruise comp I'd be happy to do so.

[LGW59]

2 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

I actually linked you a calculator upthread so that you could see how it works. That calculator is a great gauge for NCL casino  comps. You keep referring to "gambling losses" in conversations about comps and we've explained multiple times that one thing has nothing to do with the other.

 

If you need me to walk you through the calculator and explain how that relates to an NCL cruise comp I'd be happy to do so.

we get it, you love to gamble, you get comped, you never loose money, you stay in the Haven, you have a great job, you make lots of money, you lecture on and on to infinity and beyond.  🤑

[tetleytea]

4 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

Same with cigarette companies, liquor companies, even soda and candy companies, etc. (Not to mention unmentionable companies lol) Casinos aren't the only ones using these tactics, but somehow they are getting a bad rap here lol However, those tactics don't work on people who don't have addictive personalities.

 

So yes, if you are predisposed to lose your self-control you should beware. As I've said before, if you're engaging in ANY activities you can't easily walk away from, you probably shouldn't be partaking at all.

 

The purpose of the CC forums is to give and take advice for how to cruise well.   And that includes not getting taken advantage of in the casinos, not gaining too much weight eating desserts in the MDR and the buffet, not acquiring a physical addiction to alcohol just because you bought a Free At Sea package, and not falling for any number of highly manipulative marketing tactics the mainstream cruise lines throw your way.  They are bad, and they remain bad regardless of what path you (or anyone) chooses to take.   It would be disingenuous ever to say the opposite.

[tetleytea]

11 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

I actually linked you a calculator upthread so that you could see how it works. That calculator is a great gauge for NCL casino  comps. You keep referring to "gambling losses" in conversations about comps and we've explained multiple times that one thing has nothing to do with the other.

 

If you need me to walk you through the calculator and explain how that relates to an NCL cruise comp I'd be happy to do so.

 

Actually, no you didn't.  As I explained earlier, you only linked to a self-described "industry standard", and not what NCL's comp tiering system is.  Youtr own link even admits that in the end, the casino decides it--yet you won't tell us what it is.  Furthermore your own link says that "in general, casinos comp back 30%".   What do you expect that to mean?   They comp back 30% of the house's gambling winnings (i.e. your gambling losses).  Which means you are basically paying 3 times the market value for that "free" cruise.

 

Did you read your own link?

 

Edited August 8, 2022 by tetleytea

[LGW59]

7 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

 

Actually, no you didn't.  As I explained earlier, you only linked to a self-described "industry standard", and not what NCL's comp tiering system is.  Youtr own link even admits that in the end, the casino decides it--yet you won't tell us what it is.  Furthermore your own link says that "in general, casinos comp back 30%".   What do you expect that to mean?   They comp back 30% of the house's gambling winnings (i.e. your gambling losses).  Which means you are basically paying 3 times the market value for that "free" cruise.

 

Did you read your own link?

 

Gee that did it!  You just totally changed his/her mind, wow, I'm impressed!

[pcakes122]

13 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

 

Actually, no you didn't.  As I explained earlier, you only linked to a self-described "industry standard", and not what NCL's comp tiering system is.  Youtr own link even admits that in the end, the casino decides it--yet you won't tell us what it is.  Furthermore your own link says that "in general, casinos comp back 30%".   What do you expect that to mean?   They comp back 30% of the house's gambling winnings (i.e. your gambling losses).  Which means you are basically paying 3 times the market value for that "free" cruise.

 

Did you read your own link?

 

I just said that based on my own personal comp experience WITH NCL that the calculations from that calculator are right on target.

 

I use it ALL THE TIME to calculate my comps when I plan my future cruises. It hasn't failed me yet.

 

And AGAIN, it has NOTHING to do with wins or losses. 

 

I've continued to respond because I'm hoping that there are folks out there that really want to understand how to gauge comps.  You clearly are not a player so none of this has anything to do with you.

[tetleytea]

6 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

Gee that did it!  You just totally changed his/her mind, wow, I'm impressed!

I understand.

[tetleytea]

1 minute ago, pcakes122 said:

And AGAIN, it has NOTHING to do with wins or losses. 

 

What the house wins, in general they comp 30% back (according to your source).   

 

That has to do with wins and losses.

[LGW59]

3 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

I just said that based on my own personal comp experience WITH NCL that the calculations from that calculator are right on target.

 

I use it ALL THE TIME to calculate my comps when I plan my future cruises. It hasn't failed me yet.

 

And AGAIN, it has NOTHING to do with wins or losses. 

 

I've continued to respond because I'm hoping that there are folks out there that really want to understand how to gauge comps.  You clearly are not a player so none of this has anything to do with you.

Because I like to live on the edge, I'm going to go out on a limb here and say that noone really gives a....

[MrsTocko]

I once spent a weekend in Vegas eating, gambling and drinking for 3 days on $5 total.  I had booked early, non-refundable, and ran into some car issues that resulted in nothing left in the Vegas saving fund.  Prepaid the shuttle round trip from the airport, went to the gas station on the corner for burgers and chips, and sat at the nickel slots long enough to get a couple of those free drinks.