Gambling hoping for some promotions

[amcankid]

My wife and I dabble on the slots here and there but nothing serious.

We are however thinking of rolling the dice (metaphorically speaking) and bringing a few thousand to play with on our next cruise in the hopes of getting some of the offers that many others seem to be getting.

My question is for those of you who have gotten Carnivals attention and are getting cruise offers did you and your spouse pick just one players card (cabin key) to play with maximizing the money played on it or did you split the money and gamble on separate accounts thus doubling up the chances of one or the other getting the free or discounted cruise offers. 

[weezal]

In my experience, earning more points on 1 card, is more valuable than splitting your slot play between 2. 

[icft]

38 minutes ago, amcankid said:

My wife and I dabble on the slots here and there but nothing serious.

We are however thinking of rolling the dice (metaphorically speaking) and bringing a few thousand to play with on our next cruise in the hopes of getting some of the offers that many others seem to be getting.

My question is for those of you who have gotten Carnivals attention and are getting cruise offers did you and your spouse pick just one players card (cabin key) to play with maximizing the money played on it or did you split the money and gamble on separate accounts thus doubling up the chances of one or the other getting the free or discounted cruise offers. 

We have cruised on casino offers since before covid. We both have our own cruise "entertainment" allowance. I spend almost all of mine in the casino while my wife likes to shop on shore. The result is I get the better offers.

 

If getting offers is the only goal you will be better to do all the gambling on one card. But that would involve one person sitting around while the other gambles which is not something we are willing to do.

 

But I have to say, gambling for offers is not something we consider wise. There are no "free" casino cruises; you pay for them with your gambling losses. Sure, there are those who say they gamble very little and get great offers, just as there are those who say they were picked up by aliens and anally probed.

 

If you enjoy gambling and would do it with or without comps then the comps are great. But gambling for comps is not cost effective in our opinion.

[Calnev1]

33 minutes ago, icft said:

 

 

But I have to say, gambling for offers is not something we consider wise. There are no "free" casino cruises; you pay for them with your gambling losses. Sure, there are those who say they gamble very little and get great offers, just as there are those who say they were picked up by aliens and anally probed.

On my last casino comped cruise I woke up one night because my rump was sore.  Do you think something happened in the casino?

[amcankid]

14 minutes ago, Calnev1 said:

On my last casino comped cruise I woke up one night because my rump was sore.  Do you think something happened in the casino?

If you woke up and it was sore that’s a good thing cause if you lost it you wouldn’t feel it!!

[amcankid]

49 minutes ago, icft said:

We have cruised on casino offers since before covid. We both have our own cruise "entertainment" allowance. I spend almost all of mine in the casino while my wife likes to shop on shore. The result is I get the better offers.

 

If getting offers is the only goal you will be better to do all the gambling on one card. But that would involve one person sitting around while the other gambles which is not something we are willing to do.

 

But I have to say, gambling for offers is not something we consider wise. There are no "free" casino cruises; you pay for them with your gambling losses. Sure, there are those who say they gamble very little and get great offers, just as there are those who say they were picked up by aliens and anally probed.

 

If you enjoy gambling and would do it with or without comps then the comps are great. But gambling for comps is not cost effective in our opinion.

Thanks. And good advice. 
In answer to your question as to what one would do as the other gambled, we’d sit at the machine (as we usually do anyway) but take turns using the same card as opposed  playing machines side by side. Wouldn’t matter whose card we pick, but whoever’s card it is we’d stick with it for the entire cruise. Which gets back to the original question. Is it better to put all the eggs in one basket or share the wealth looking to have different offers to each of us.

[icft]

Just now, amcankid said:

Thanks. And good advice. 
In answer to your question as to what one would do as the other gambled, we’d sit at the machine (as we usually do anyway) but take turns using the same card as opposed  playing machines side by side. Wouldn’t matter whose card we pick, but whoever’s card it is we’d stick with it for the entire cruise. Which gets back to the original question. Is it better to put all the eggs in one basket or share the wealth looking to have different offers to each of us.

As I said, if comps are what you are after then only play on one card. But please don't take up two chairs at one machine. They are so close you block out playing on the machine next to yours. Very rude.

[amcankid]

29 minutes ago, icft said:

As I said, if comps are what you are after then only play on one card. But please don't take up two chairs at one machine. They are so close you block out playing on the machine next to yours. Very rude.

Not to worry. Respect is my middle name. If we sit in two chairs it’s only when the casino is not full. We don’t have a problem with one sitting and one standing behind watching and would never hog a chair without playing. 

[JGB]

My wife and I play slots separately and of course as a result we get separate offers 

my cruise in august 7 days free balcony 1000 free play free drinks

I have had big wins 10k+ but usually I loose 2/3 thousand. My last trip a 3 day cruise I lost about 1500 after going through the 1000 in free play, the cruise prior I came home winners about $700.

my big wins have been on video poker but I also have gotten hand pays(jackpots over 1200) on slots 

actually there is much more to know/understand about how carnival gives comps but the above gives you an introduction 

[mz-s]

I wouldn't recommend gambling more just to get offers. It would probably be cheaper for you to just buy your next cruise.

 

Carnival does not have a published schedule for comps. There is no formula as to how many points it takes to earn a free balcony for example. So you could donate your thousands and not get a single offer out of it. Contrast to Royal that does have a published schedule.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

5 hours ago, amcankid said:

If you woke up and it was sore that’s a good thing cause if you lost it you wouldn’t feel it!!

But did you still have your shirt? 🤭

[1kaper]

7 hours ago, amcankid said:

Thanks. And good advice. 
In answer to your question as to what one would do as the other gambled, we’d sit at the machine (as we usually do anyway) but take turns using the same card as opposed  playing machines side by side. Wouldn’t matter whose card we pick, but whoever’s card it is we’d stick with it for the entire cruise. Which gets back to the original question. Is it better to put all the eggs in one basket or share the wealth looking to have different offers to each of us.

 

I never used to gamble on cruises.  In 2014 we did a cruise and I was pregnant. I would go to bed and my husband would play at the casino.  He earned enough for free drinks in the casino. 
He started getting free balcony rooms a few years ago.  We've done a couple cruises on those offers and I started to play.  We now go with a budget and both play.  I only get inside room offers.  His have been downgraded to oceanview room offers now. 

We both get pretty much the same offers except for the room type so I don't see the value in spreading it across both cards unless you may decide to book two rooms in the future.

 

ETA - I log in to both of our accounts regularly to check offers so I know what he is getting and what I am getting. 

Edited June 8, 2023 by 1kaper

[LaRue1975]

8 hours ago, amcankid said:

Thanks. And good advice. 
In answer to your question as to what one would do as the other gambled, we’d sit at the machine (as we usually do anyway) but take turns using the same card as opposed  playing machines side by side. Wouldn’t matter whose card we pick, but whoever’s card it is we’d stick with it for the entire cruise. Which gets back to the original question. Is it better to put all the eggs in one basket or share the wealth looking to have different offers to each of us.

You can go to the cashier and ask for an extra card to use in the slots for one of your accounts, They will make you a blank card that is linked to the account. We use mine because I sometimes cruise without hubby. The card allows access to the players bank and you can play side by side and accumulate points on the one account. I had read about doing this on here and Facebook but the first time I asked a casino host instead of the cashier and she said no. The last two cruises on the Vista and Breeze I asked the cashier and got the extra card without issue. I just had to wait  a bit for the tech person to make the card. 

[mz-s]

30 minutes ago, LaRue1975 said:

You can go to the cashier and ask for an extra card to use in the slots for one of your accounts, They will make you a blank card that is linked to the account. We use mine because I sometimes cruise without hubby. The card allows access to the players bank and you can play side by side and accumulate points on the one account. I had read about doing this on here and Facebook but the first time I asked a casino host instead of the cashier and she said no. The last two cruises on the Vista and Breeze I asked the cashier and got the extra card without issue. I just had to wait  a bit for the tech person to make the card. 

 

That would be like pulling the slot machine for someone else assuming you're doing this so you can accumulate points under one account. I could definitely see the casino denying a payout if someone was doing that.

[klfrodo]

From an older person, let me just share that you're playing a losing game. You're betting thousands for a free cabin and free drinks. The house wins every time with that strategy. In time, one of you will probably develop a problem. Might be a huge problem, might be a small problem. Either way, if one partner develops a problem, it's a problem for both persons as a team to work through.

 

I'm not against having fun and throwing a couple of thousand to help support the gaming community. But only play what you can afford to lose and have fun at the same time. Once there becomes an objective to playing (winning, hoping for retirement, receiving free upgrades, etc) it's no longer for "fun".

 

If you see this as a lecture, please accept my apologies. I'm just a grandpa trying to share some wisdom I've learned the hard way over the years.

[mz-s]

44 minutes ago, klfrodo said:

From an older person, let me just share that you're playing a losing game. You're betting thousands for a free cabin and free drinks. The house wins every time with that strategy. In time, one of you will probably develop a problem. Might be a huge problem, might be a small problem. Either way, if one partner develops a problem, it's a problem for both persons as a team to work through.

 

I'm not against having fun and throwing a couple of thousand to help support the gaming community. But only play what you can afford to lose and have fun at the same time. Once there becomes an objective to playing (winning, hoping for retirement, receiving free upgrades, etc) it's no longer for "fun".

 

If you see this as a lecture, please accept my apologies. I'm just a grandpa trying to share some wisdom I've learned the hard way over the years.

 

Not only that, this is a completely one-sided game. Carnival is under no obligation to extend comps no matter how much you spend in their casino. There is no published list of comps. So I really wouldn't recommend gambling to get comps especially on Carnival. It just doesn't work out.

[FastShip24]

11 hours ago, amcankid said:

My wife and I dabble on the slots here and there but nothing serious.

We are however thinking of rolling the dice (metaphorically speaking) and bringing a few thousand to play with on our next cruise in the hopes of getting some of the offers that many others seem to be getting.

My question is for those of you who have gotten Carnivals attention and are getting cruise offers did you and your spouse pick just one players card (cabin key) to play with maximizing the money played on it or did you split the money and gamble on separate accounts thus doubling up the chances of one or the other getting the free or discounted cruise offers. 

If I gamble a thousand dollars on a cruise. The next cruise is free . I just pay the taxes and fees.  Instead of paying 2500, I paid fees and taxes. Do the math.  I even been offered suites

[staceyglow]

Posting on Cruise Critic must be lucky in and of itself because I have never seen anyone on this board say that they lost more in the casino than their cruise comp was worth. 

Edited June 8, 2023 by staceyglow

[dallasdan]

I have always heard that if you hit a jackpot and your players card isn't in the machine they can deny payout.  I am not sure Carnival would deny the payment, but some of the Indian casinos would.

[dallasdan]

2 minutes ago, staceyglow said:

Posting on Cruise Critic must be lucky in and of itself because I have never seen anyone on this board say that they lost more in the casino than their cruise comp was worth. 

On our May Panorama cruise last year, I lost more than the casino comp was worth.  I am always amazed at the people that say they don't gamble much and get great casino offers.  

[Elaine5715]

The points you collect onboard are only relevant for the bouceback offers that are given to the top 10 percent of players on that cruise.  A few thousand may or may not get you there.  People can and do charge up to $5000 a day in the casino.  The casino related offers that show up regularly are based on targeted marketing demographics of which prior play is one small data point.  They don't care how much you spent last cruise, they want to know how much you can spend next cruise.  

[Elaine5715]

2 minutes ago, dallasdan said:

On our May Panorama cruise last year, I lost more than the casino comp was worth.  I am always amazed at the people that say they don't gamble much and get great casino offers.  

Gamblers are better fibbers than fishermen

[Elaine5715]

9 hours ago, amcankid said:

Not to worry. Respect is my middle name. If we sit in two chairs it’s only when the casino is not full. We don’t have a problem with one sitting and one standing behind watching and would never hog a chair without playing. 

There is something very charming about seeing a couple, wife seated and hubby standing behind her, taking turns.  Sometimes hubby doesn't even play, just watches and is her cheerleader on each spin.  

[gkbiiii]

There is an older YouTuber guy, that says $1,000 bankroll, through $1.00 "Wheel of Fortune" playing $10 games; one night a cruise will get comped balcony cabins.  Basically $100 a day gambling budget, played all in one night. The THEO (Theoretical Average) same as land based casinos, gets you better comps, with fewer strong play days, rather then many midlevel ones.  On his 30 day Australia/Vancouver & 7 night Alaska, back to back, he gambled $3,000 the first cruise and $700 the second.

 

His average, will most likely get him strong offers going forward.  Perhaps Ultra or Elite offers in the future?

[gkbiiii]

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