Casino Host

[denuzzo]

This is geared toward the gamblers out there....My husband and I are frequent cruisers (18 with Celebrity) We have not been on a ship since the Summit in January 2020.  We are planning to get back on board in Feb/March to the Caribbean.  We spend a lot of time in the casino and have had excellent, and not so good, Casino Hosts in the past.  I am wondering if any recent cruisers could provide some info about who their Host was on their ship, and how the overall crowd/vibe has been in the casino since covid?  We are leaning toward Millennium because of the itinerary and being the sister ship of Summit (our favorite) but have never sailed that one or Reflection.  Since we haven't sailed post-pandemic I welcome any feedback/advice.  

[Oldsweets]

More info…..

the past summit host is likely moved on to another ship if that is your question.  We hope he moved to solstice for our March cruise. Nice Guy as were the husband and wife team aboard summit.

[SLOTheta]

1 hour ago, denuzzo said:

This is geared toward the gamblers out there....My husband and I are frequent cruisers (18 with Celebrity) We have not been on a ship since the Summit in January 2020.  We are planning to get back on board in Feb/March to the Caribbean.  We spend a lot of time in the casino and have had excellent, and not so good, Casino Hosts in the past.  I am wondering if any recent cruisers could provide some info about who their Host was on their ship, and how the overall crowd/vibe has been in the casino since covid?  We are leaning toward Millennium because of the itinerary and being the sister ship of Summit (our favorite) but have never sailed that one or Reflection.  Since we haven't sailed post-pandemic I welcome any feedback/advice.  

I’m having a brain freeze and I can’t recall our Casino Host’s name. I came off the Solstice yesterday. I played every day for several hours, a mix of slots, tables, and roulette. It was moderately busy. It never was super packed, which was fine by me. I asked the host several times how comps and perks go, since with amount of gambling, I would have expected free Dinners, spa discounts, free cruise offers delivered to my room (my experience with HAL) he said he would review my play and comp me at the end. I reminded him the last night. Nothing was done to adjust my bill. 

We shall see if I get any offers in the coming weeks. But, my first experience gambling on Celebrity wasn’t as fruitful as I would have hoped (lost quite a bit and didn’t get any comps). I am MGM platinum (I go to vegas once every other month) and sail on HAL typically. I’m not sure if I will try Celebrity again since gambling and the perks that go with it are a big part of enjoyment. 

[Cruising89143]

2 minutes ago, SLOTheta said:

I’m having a brain freeze and I can’t recall our Casino Host’s name. I came off the Solstice yesterday. I played every day for several hours, a mix of slots, tables, and roulette. It was moderately busy. It never was super packed, which was fine by me. I asked the host several times how comps and perks go, since with amount of gambling, I would have expected free Dinners, spa discounts, free cruise offers delivered to my room (my experience with HAL) he said he would review my play and comp me at the end. I reminded him the last night. Nothing was done to adjust my bill. 

We shall see if I get any offers in the coming weeks. But, my first experience gambling on Celebrity wasn’t as fruitful as I would have hoped (lost quite a bit and didn’t get any comps). I am MGM platinum (I go to vegas once every other month) and sail on HAL typically. I’m not sure if I will try Celebrity again since gambling and the perks that go with it are a big part of enjoyment. 

We had a conversation with the host on the Solstice in December. He stated that he was new and had turned down an offer from Carnival to take the Celebrity job. I found that statement odd and him useless. We did receive an offer for a future cruise but we had to call. We signed up three times for communication from BCC and have yet to receive anything. On the other hand, we receive offers at least weekly from RCI who is the sister line of X. The casino hosts on RCI have a desk on the casino floor with posted hours listed on the desk. RCI does an overall better job but you have to deal with smoking in the casino. 

[Janthere]

3 hours ago, cruisingator2 said:

We had a conversation with the host on the Solstice in December. He stated that he was new and had turned down an offer from Carnival to take the Celebrity job. I found that statement odd and him useless. 

I absolutely LOL'd at that last sentence. I cruised on Solstice in November and was not impressed with the host either. He seemed more interested in being the joker and center of attention than being useful at anything to players but maybe that was just my experience. 

 

 

Edited February 6, 2023 by janbear
correction

[SLOTheta]

38 minutes ago, janbear said:

I absolutely LOL'd at that last sentence. I cruised on Solstice in November and was not impressed with the host either. He seemed more interested in being the joker and center of attention than being useful at anything to players but maybe that was just my experience. 

 

 

I would say that was my experience, too. He liked to crack jokes and organize free slot pulls. But, every time I had a question about comps, future cruises, points, etc, he never gave me an answer. I thought the point of a casino host was to encourage consistent gamblers to come back. All the free gimmicks just draw people in who wouldn’t typically spend a lot of time or money in the casino. 

[mcrcruiser]

From some one who did business for over 30 years with the Casinos & Hotels in Las Vegas ,you are way ahead of the game by keeping your money in your pocket  .I do encourage Cruise Critic Fun slot Pulls on the $5 machines better odds in the casino  when  busy at night . Best game for odds is craps  nothing else .But knowing how to bet &managing  money on a craps table is the answers to wining

[mcrcruiser]

We win   most times on the $ 5 slots playing at night  when it is most busy 

 

 Craps is the best game playing pass line & back numbers  only  .Other bets are sucker house bets  .Behind the line offs works better in Vegas where you can get up to 20 times odds behind the line Cruise ships limit 2 times  odds

[Janthere]

1 hour ago, SLOTheta said:

All the free gimmicks just draw people in who wouldn’t typically spend a lot of time or money in the casino. 

You hit the nail on the head with that one. I may be in the minority here but I can't stand slot pulls - participating in them or listening to them happen (but that is just me - obviously many people enjoy them so more power to them!) 

[Fly and Sail]

From a gaming and customer service perspective Celebrity has the worst casino hosts and loyalty program handling in the industry. And that's saying something.

[dodger1964]

Well I am not going to complain about the program. We are Elite Plus, never gambled a single dollar in the casino, and are packing for a free (just pay taxes and gratuities) 10 day cruise!

 

I suppose that says something about the program!

[Georgia_Peaches]

8 hours ago, SLOTheta said:

I would say that was my experience, too. He liked to crack jokes and organize free slot pulls. But, every time I had a question about comps, future cruises, points, etc, he never gave me an answer. I thought the point of a casino host was to encourage consistent gamblers to come back. All the free gimmicks just draw people in who wouldn’t typically spend a lot of time or money in the casino. 

Would you mind sharing again the site you used to convert your casino offer (free cruise) over to Celebrity?  I think you mentioned it in your live review but can’t find. 

[toohod]

1 hour ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Would you mind sharing again the site you used to convert your casino offer (free cruise) over to Celebrity?  I think you mentioned it in your live review but can’t find. 

I have been using URcomped for years utilizing my offers and play from multiple cruise lines. I like the flexibility where my play translates between multiple cruise lines. 
 

I also have 3 x upcoming trips booked with them, all on Celebrity as far out as 2024 to Europe and based on my play qualify for Aqua Class and Always Included and paying only port fees/taxes. 
 

Cheers,

Mike

[Cruising89143]

8 hours ago, janbear said:

You hit the nail on the head with that one. I may be in the minority here but I can't stand slot pulls - participating in them or listening to them happen (but that is just me - obviously many people enjoy them so more power to them!) 

Add me to that list. 

[Cruising89143]

2 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

From a gaming and customer service perspective Celebrity has the worst casino hosts and loyalty program handling in the industry. And that's saying something.

Agree. X has so much potential to increase revenue and guest play if they would just put in some effort. Night and day different experience from sister line RCI. I can’t believe that X doesn’t have a website dedicated for guests like RCI. Seems like they’re not even trying and they are tying up a good amount of real estate on the ship with their casinos. I found the casino very slow on our last cruise. 

[Cruising89143]

Keep in mind that Urcomped has rules in place if you currently have a cruise booked or have cruised on a specific line within the last year. They ask this question when you go to claim an offer. 

[hopeless holiday booker]

So you can just sign up to this website and you can have a free cruise?  Am I confused?

[Fly and Sail]

7 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

Keep in mind that Urcomped has rules in place if you currently have a cruise booked or have cruised on a specific line within the last year. They ask this question when you go to claim an offer. 

 

Even if you get an initial offer for a comped stateroom, they might just come back to you saying yo uhave to pay a supplement. I was never once able to get a cruise comped through them. Last year I earned ~ 35,000 points with BCC (slots, total money maker for the Casino) yet "my verified play wasn't sufficient" for a full comp. No idea what their Celebrity liaison tells them but URcomped has been a complete waste of time for me.

[Fly and Sail]

9 minutes ago, hopeless holiday booker said:

So you can just sign up to this website and you can have a free cruise?  Am I confused?

 

No, you have to upload offers (flyers, screenshots, photos) you receive from other cruiselines and then URcomped acts as an agent to get you onboard another cruiseline as a player. The agent will then get paid by that cruiseline for bringing them business. However if you don't play or play extremely little they won't extend another offer to you which is fair enough.

Edited February 6, 2023 by Fly and Sail

[Fly and Sail]

22 minutes ago, cruisingator2 said:

Agree. X has so much potential to increase revenue and guest play if they would just put in some effort. Night and day different experience from sister line RCI. I can’t believe that X doesn’t have a website dedicated for guests like RCI. Seems like they’re not even trying and they are tying up a good amount of real estate on the ship with their casinos. I found the casino very slow on our last cruise. 

 

I keep hearing more and more things that make RCL sound extremely positive to me. I might have to give it a try because I'm getting increasingly annoyed with X and their annoying antics. Not saying I haven't gotten value out of them but if something bugs me too much I'd rather try some other options.

 

By the way, check out Youtube there is a new interview online that URComped did with a Blue Chip Club manager. Thank god the decided to not have that shifty guy Patrick Jacquot (Head of BCC) on again after he promised people plenty of things 18 months ago and none of it came to fruition.

[hopeless holiday booker]

2 hours ago, dodger1964 said:

Well I am not going to complain about the program. We are Elite Plus, never gambled a single dollar in the casino, and are packing for a free (just pay taxes and gratuities) 10 day cruise!

 

I suppose that says something about the program!

I'm sure you don't know the answer - but how does this happen

[Lilycat2010]

As a frequent Celebrity cruiser and gambler, I find zero benefit to BCC.  I have never been offered a free cruise!  Although I have received free cruise offers from HAL and RCI.  We have enjoyed a few casino hosts (Renee on Apex), but most have seemed hard to find and vague.  We gamble a lot, but never seem to reach the magical threshold to the next level.  We were told we were only a few hundred points from getting bumped up, but then after another cruise and lots of gambling, we were told we didn’t qualify.  Calls and e-mails to BCC were useless.  A casino host once told us they could only offer comps and perks if you are Amethyst and above.  I have given up on BCC.

[Fly and Sail]

2 hours ago, dodger1964 said:

Well I am not going to complain about the program. We are Elite Plus, never gambled a single dollar in the casino, and are packing for a free (just pay taxes and gratuities) 10 day cruise!

 

I suppose that says something about the program!

 

Pretty sure it must have been at least $1 sometime in your past such as during the free casino credit nights. That way you get a BCC number assigned an be on their list. CC status alone doesn't get you invited.

[Fly and Sail]

1 minute ago, Lilycat2010 said:

As a frequent Celebrity cruiser and gambler, I find zero benefit to BCC.  I have never been offered a free cruise!  Although I have received free cruise offers from HAL and RCI.  We have enjoyed a few casino hosts (Renee on Apex), but most have seemed hard to find and vague.  We gamble a lot, but never seem to reach the magical threshold to the next level.  We were told we were only a few hundred points from getting bumped up, but then after another cruise and lots of gambling, we were told we didn’t qualify.  Calls and e-mails to BCC were useless.  A casino host once told us they could only offer comps and perks if you are Amethyst and above.  I have given up on BCC.

 

That's for the annual free cruise. I got Amethyst well above threshold and called them to use my free cruise. Their answer: You didn't play much on your LAST cruise so your free trip offer doesn't apply. Well for one, half their dealers were out during that cruise (as close Covid contacts) and I felt under the weather as well. I came to the point of being indifferent now. I have 3 more cruises booked. Will get my free photo package and $100 freeplay during these cruises and then let them rot.

 

I definitely received free cruises as a non-Amethyst onboard Millennium as an onboard offer.

[Guppy99]

The casino is a vendor.  The Casino host cannot answer a lot of the questions posters here have asked. It isn't the host's fault.

Also, he has no control over who gets offered a comped cruise. That criteria is decided in the casino home office and changes frequently.

Your guessing, is just that, a guess.