Prepurchased casino slot free play - explain it to me like I'm a 6 year old

[Honolulu Blue]

Hi guys.  I bit the bullet and decided to prepurchase $200 in slot play on my next cruise from Celebrity, which will give me a bonus $20 in freeplay.  I have faith things will work out all right, but I figure it's good to ask those who have done this before.

 

So... how do I do this?  I'm at my chosen machine with card in hand.  Do I need to "start" the machine with cash of my own?  Can I set up my PIN directly from the machine?  Will the freeplay show on the machine?  Can I select to use the freeplay first, or is it used to replace my bet (whatever it is)?  Can I use it with video poker?  Blackjack?  Keno??  Is 1x play on the purchase amount + freeplay sufficient for me to cash out my winnings?

 

I don't want to burden the poor casino workers any more than necessary, so thanks in advance for your help!

[dazey]

I have purchased this and it is very easy.  I only pay slots.  Go to the casino desk and the person will have a small card with directions. and you set up your pin.  You do not have to put any money in the machine to play your purchased $'s. One visit to the desk and you are ready to play. Cannot remember if they must activate it initially but I know I did have to show my ID but that might have been for free play from Blue Chip. The money goes fast as it is so easy to use. You can also play money from "banker" but that gets charged to your room and then onto your credit card.  Like I said, way too easy to use!

 

[Alakegirl]

Easiest …. Go to casino personnel on board and they will walk you through it.  It’s no burden for them as that is what they are there for.

Edited November 4, 2022 by Alakegirl

[SHIP TRAVELER]

Step one is to sign up at the cage.  Often they preset pin as your birthday which is easy to use.  When you get to machine, you tap your card and then your name shows in the small video box.  You select account, promo and then the amount you want transferred to the machine.  You have to play through whatever you transfer or it goes back on your card so we take smaller amounts like $20 or 50 each time.  You can always transfer more in the same session.  One catch is that you do not earn Blue chip points when you do promo play.....but hopefully you will win money.  You have to play through the entire amount by the last day of the cruise because only the slips can be cashed out. Your current promo balance will show each time you transfer credits.  This is easier than having to carry cash around because you always have your card with you and since it is a tap system there is no danger of leaving it in the machine.  We always use part of our own board credit for promo chips and slot play.  Good Luck

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Honolulu Blue]

Thanks all!  It's a little more interactive than I thought it would be, but I can deal with that.

[PTC DAWG]

This one is easy, you are not old enough to gamble. 🙂

[Jim_Iain]

All good info but I think that it depends on the ship.    I've been on  Summit, Millennium and Silhouette and at those Casino you tap your card on this little scanner (I believe it is lit up red when not logged on).   You initially activate you account and the default pin is your 4 digit DD-MM.  then you can change it to what you wish.    After that you can select account and either move money from your room key to machine or if loaded with free play you choose that.    You play and when done tag off.    It ejects a Coupon Slip with any remaining balance.   You can then move to any machine and put that in or cash out at cashier.

 

I was reading on a thread for Solstice and they said that option wasn't available and you had to go to the cashier and they issue you a Coupon Slip -   I don't have personal knowledge of this but will be on Solstice next month.

[Arizona Wildcat]

To use pre-purchased chip credit have someone lift you up to sit on the cashier's desk in the casino - assuming as a 6yr old you are short - and ask them to have someone show you how to do it.  

Important that you need to gamble the $220, but can cash out winnings.  Make sure they explain how to log out of a slot and not lose any money. 

[Veinless]

Buy candy instead!

[cruisequeen4ever]

I apparently need it explained to me like a 3 year old because even the 6 year old version has me confused. I’ve already had it explained by a casino crew member.
 

I’m just used to the simple system on Princess of using your onboard acct to find your casino play. No cash is ever needed unless you choose to use it instead. 

 

 

[PTC DAWG]

They will give you promo chips at the window if you want to play table games…winnings will be paid in regular chips that you can cash in…

[Honolulu Blue]

3 hours ago, Jim_Iain said:

All good info but I think that it depends on the ship.    I've been on  Summit, Millennium and Silhouette and at those Casino you tap your card on this little scanner (I believe it is lit up red when not logged on).   You initially activate you account and the default pin is your 4 digit DD-MM.  then you can change it to what you wish.    After that you can select account and either move money from your room key to machine or if loaded with free play you choose that.    You play and when done tag off.    It ejects a Coupon Slip with any remaining balance.   You can then move to any machine and put that in or cash out at cashier.

 

I was reading on a thread for Solstice and they said that option wasn't available and you had to go to the cashier and they issue you a Coupon Slip -   I don't have personal knowledge of this but will be on Solstice next month.

 

Special thanks to you! 👍 I will be on the Millennium using this. I hope it works as seamlessly as you say, but I'll probably just grab a spare casino worker as everyone else suggested.

 

2 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

They will give you promo chips at the window if you want to play table games…winnings will be paid in regular chips that you can cash in…

I thought about getting the table game version, but decided against it. Maybe some other time. $220 can go awfully quickly with $10 minimums, and even $550 may not last long.

[Honolulu Blue]

7 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

This one is easy, you are not old enough to gamble. 🙂

 

3 hours ago, Arizona Wildcat said:

To use pre-purchased chip credit have someone lift you up to sit on the cashier's desk in the casino - assuming as a 6yr old you are short - and ask them to have someone show you how to do it.  

Important that you need to gamble the $220, but can cash out winnings.  Make sure they explain how to log out of a slot and not lose any money. 

 

3 hours ago, Veinless said:

Buy candy instead!

Thanks! I'm really older than 6, though sometimes I wish I was 6 again, and sometimes I act like I'm 6 (like at the slot machines... )😃

[Honolulu Blue]

Sorry, had to do a new post to continue my thoughts.

 

Anyway, I find that being able to explain a concept simply with simple words is helpful throughout life. And I'm sure some of you know which movie I quoted shamelessly.

[Honolulu Blue]

UPDATE:  I'm on the Millennium right now. I've received my casino credit and played it out. Thank you to everyone that provided help in this thread. And thanks to the cashier onboard who walked me through it and gave me a card with clear instructions.

 

I lost a bit at both slots and video poker, but that wasn't unexpected.

 

Somewhat more unexpected was the result of my roulette lessons. Yes, they were free. The dealer gave me enough betting options to get me into trouble. Anyway, I bought in for $20 and cashed out for $26. No, I didn't play long. Kenny taught me when to walk away. 🙂

[Essiesmom]

I need the three year old version on the slots.  Last time I understood how to play, you put a coin in the machine and pulled the handle.  EM

[CruiseloverfromGA]

On 11/4/2022 at 2:58 PM, PTC DAWG said:

They will give you promo chips at the window if you want to play table games…winnings will be paid in regular chips that you can cash in…

PTC,  so if I understand you correctly, if I pre-purchase table games credit, say $300, I'll get promo chips of $300 plus the 10% bonus, and anything I win will be paid back in chips I can cash in.

 

Do I get that right?

[miched]

If you are 6 years old you cannot play in the casino.  😩🤗🙄

 

Happy cruising 🌊🚢🇺🇸🌅

[aggiejd2000]

On 11/9/2022 at 12:30 PM, Honolulu Blue said:

UPDATE:  I'm on the Millennium right now. I've received my casino credit and played it out. Thank you to everyone that provided help in this thread. And thanks to the cashier onboard who walked me through it and gave me a card with clear instructions.

 

I lost a bit at both slots and video poker, but that wasn't unexpected.

 

Somewhat more unexpected was the result of my roulette lessons. Yes, they were free. The dealer gave me enough betting options to get me into trouble. Anyway, I bought in for $20 and cashed out for $26. No, I didn't play long. Kenny taught me when to walk away. 🙂

Can you explain how it works?  So if I buy $200, I get an extra $20 in promotional credits.  But how does that work?  Is it all added to your seapass and you go to the machine?  Or do you go to the cashier and they give you $200 in cash and $20 in some sort of promotional credit?  If it's all on the seapass card, can the cash be segregated from the promotional credit so that if I just wanted to play the promotional credit, I could do that and not play the cash, if that's possible?  Or do I have to play the entirety of the $200+$20?  Sorry for all the questions.  Thanks so much!

[Honolulu Blue]

5 hours ago, aggiejd2000 said:

Can you explain how it works?  So if I buy $200, I get an extra $20 in promotional credits.  But how does that work?  Is it all added to your seapass and you go to the machine?  Or do you go to the cashier and they give you $200 in cash and $20 in some sort of promotional credit?  If it's all on the seapass card, can the cash be segregated from the promotional credit so that if I just wanted to play the promotional credit, I could do that and not play the cash, if that's possible?  Or do I have to play the entirety of the $200+$20?  Sorry for all the questions.  Thanks so much!

I'll try to explain how it worked on the Millennium and its machines.  I have heard that it varies on other Celebrity ships.

 

The first step is to purchase the credits before boarding.  This offer is not available to be purchased onboard.  For a $200 purchase, you'll get $220 total in slot credit.  My advice is to go to the cashier when you're ready to play the slots.  You'll get some instructions and a card that looks like this:

 

 

And follow these instructions.  You don't need to load any cash into the machine to start playing. You can play as much as you want in any particular machine but be sure to play out all the credit that you loaded on before leaving the machine.  When you're ready, cash out as normal and get a TITO.  Then repeat on any other machines you want to play.  

 

Good luck!

[flviking]

Banker option does not come up on Reflection slots last month.  Playing 3 card only the winnings were paid in "cashable" chips.  I asked to trade promo chips played on each hand for "cashable" but the dealer said no.  So effectively you have to play promo chips multiple times until you lose them all. Any times I've had promo chips on land they just had to be in play once. 

[dazey]

I confirmed with casino host that any playing with the money you paid and the extra you receive does not count towards Blue Chip status.  She also said that your Blue Chip status will be extended through 2023 and also there will be changes coming to the Blue Chip program next year. She would not say what.

[Honolulu Blue]

Hey... since you were all so helpful to me when I initially asked about this, I'm going to ask about a related subject in this thread since it's probably too niche for a new one.

 

For those of you who have cruises in the next three months, are you able to pre-purchase the chips or slot play packages online?  Or have you done it recently?  I have a cruise on the Summit in 6 weeks and I'm not seeing that option like I saw for the Millie last year. I do see options for blackjack and slot tournaments.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!!

[LaCal]

1 hour ago, Honolulu Blue said:

Hey... since you were all so helpful to me when I initially asked about this, I'm going to ask about a related subject in this thread since it's probably too niche for a new one.

 

For those of you who have cruises in the next three months, are you able to pre-purchase the chips or slot play packages online?  Or have you done it recently?  I have a cruise on the Summit in 6 weeks and I'm not seeing that option like I saw for the Millie last year. I do see options for blackjack and slot tournaments.

 

Thanks in advance for your help!!

Yes we just purchased both the slot play and table  play promo chips 

 

Go online to the Celebrity website and manage my trip 

 

Then scan through the options and there’s one that said Casino 

Edited January 16, 2023 by LaCal

[Honolulu Blue]

31 minutes ago, LaCal said:

Yes we just purchased both the slot play and table  play promo chips 

 

Go online to the Celebrity website and manage my trip 

 

Then scan through the options and there’s one that said Casino 

I did that and it's not showing.

 

I forgot to mention that this is a charter cruise. That might make a difference.