Casino's CasNext certificate: Counts against the additional obc at end of cruise

[fstuff1]

I earned 7k points from slots.

Used 5k ($50) for a $250 CasNext cert.

So +$200 profit.

 

On the last night of the cruise, the casino hosts usually give additional obc if you play enough.

 

From past experiences:

4k points is +$25, 5k is +100, 10k is +300. 

 

So for 7k I'd expect around $200.

Nope. Only +$65, not including the 2k ($20) in remaining pts.

 

It was explained to me that a CasNext cert counts against the total additional obc.

 

So basically +$265 additional for earning 7k pts, which sounds about right. (I didn't lose any $)

 

I like CasNext better since it's more useful to me than $200 stuff at the gift shop, in addition to any left over obc from the $500 I get every cruise ($400 casino, $100 shareholders).

 

Note:

 I always have left over obc from that $500 because there's only so much excursions and additional dining packages I will buy.

Edited July 8, 2023 by fstuff1

[Dorhead1230]

Thanks for this info. This is useful for DH and I to know before we board Sunday.

 

You have to ask the hosts for the CASNext, right?

[BirdTravels]

6 minutes ago, Dorhead1230 said:

Thanks for this info. This is useful for DH and I to know before we board Sunday.

 

You have to ask the hosts for the CASNext, right?

You go to the hosts to exchange your points for the CASNext certificates. You have to sail by 1 year from date of issue. 

[Dorhead1230]

1 minute ago, BirdTravels said:

You go to the hosts to exchange your points for the CASNext certificates. You have to sail by 1 year from date of issue. 

Oh one year? Ok good to know; thanks for the info!

[smillerholmes]

45 minutes ago, fstuff1 said:

I earned 7k points from slots.

Used 5k ($50) for a $250 CasNext cert.

So +$200 profit.

 

On the last night of the cruise, the casino hosts usually give additional obc if you play enough.

 

From past experiences:

4k points is +$25, 5k is +100, 10k is +300. 

 

So for 7k I'd expect around $200.

Nope. Only +$65, not including the 2k ($20) in remaining pts.

 

It was explained to me that a CasNext cert counts against the total additional obc.

 

So basically +$265 additional for earning 7k pts, which sounds about right. (I didn't lose any $)

 

I like CasNext better since it's more useful to me than $200 stuff at the gift shop, in addition to any left over obc from the $500 I get every cruise ($400 casino, $100 shareholders).

 

Note:

 I always have left over obc from that $500 because there's only so much excursions and additional dining packages I will buy.

Thanks for the breakdown.  I am relatively new to CAS and wasn't really sure what to expect from the Host.  I am struggling to understand the point value/conversion rate for this line:  Used 5k ($50) for a $250 CasNext cert VS  From past experiences:  4k points is +$25, 5k is +100, 10k is +300. 

 

HELP!

 

[UKstages]

9 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

4k points is +$25, 5k is +100, 10k is +300.

this seems a little thin, frankly.
 

comps depend on a number of factors, including your ADT and the hold of the games you played (VP vs. slots vs. table games). also, unlike most land-based casinos, NCL seems to take into account a player’s loss more significantly than their action. an overall loss for the cruise usually generates more in OBC, whereas - in a “real” casino - they’re just interested in your action, independent of loss.

 

so, it’s very hard to take your experience as a general rule… my most recent experience generated comps at more than double the rate you quoted… more than $600 per 10K points earned.

[cuterlmt]

I recently sailed in April/May, 2023 and didn't know about the new program. Normally I gamble enough that they take most of my excursions/gifts purchased on the ship off of my account at the end of the cruise. They did that on that cruise so we didn't have much on our onboard account, except gratuities to pay. The host did come tell me on the last night of our cruise that everything was taken care of but didn't tell me anything about the cruise next certificates. Yesterday, I went into my account to pay off my upcoming November cruise and found a ton of cruise next certificates - $500 and $250. They expire 12/31/2024, sail by 12/31/2024. So even though I didn't get them onboard, they showed up in my account, and they expire in 1-1/2 years. So I guess YMMV.

Looking forward to trying to plan and be able to use them when there are times when you can use two or three of the coupons at a time. And I need to retire, so I can cruise more. lol

 

[BirdTravels]

9 hours ago, smillerholmes said:

Thanks for the breakdown.  I am relatively new to CAS and wasn't really sure what to expect from the Host.  I am struggling to understand the point value/conversion rate for this line:  Used 5k ($50) for a $250 CasNext cert VS  From past experiences:  4k points is +$25, 5k is +100, 10k is +300. 

 

HELP!

 

 

If you have 5000 points on your account, you can turn that into $50 of free play. (5000 points = $25,000 in slot play or $50,000 in video poker play)

 

Or now you can trade your 5000 points in for a CASNext certificate worth $250 off a future cruise. 

 

The rest of the calculation is one person's expectation of additional comps from the casino.

 

There are three things that the casino can do to help you pay for your onboard charges

1) OBC based on your CAS Tier Level ($100 Pearl, $200 Sapphire, $400 Ruby, $1000 Elite)

2) Covert unused points to OBC (e.g., 5000 points = $50 OBC)

3) Discretionary recognition of play 

 

If you are an active player, the casino hosts have the latitude to provide you with additional OBC to recognize your play. They "cover expenses on your onboard account" (which could be shore ex, dining, gift shop, etc.) Or they tell you that you can go to the gift shop and spend $xxx more. There is no magic formula. Some hosts are more generous than others. Per @UKstages post, the casino hosts tend to recognize play more if you lose a lot of money. 

Edited July 8, 2023 by BirdTravels

[fstuff1]

58 minutes ago, UKstages said:

this seems a little thin, frankly.
 

comps depend on a number of factors, including your ADT and the hold of the games you played (VP vs. slots vs. table games). also, unlike most land-based casinos, NCL seems to take into account a player’s loss more significantly than their action. an overall loss for the cruise usually generates more in OBC, whereas - in a “real” casino - they’re just interested in your action, independent of loss.

 

so, it’s very hard to take your experience as a general rule… my most recent experience generated comps at more than double the rate you quoted… more than $600 per 10K points earned.

yes, you're right about house edge mattering. (Don't know about losses since i usually dont lose big.)

My #s are mainly from VP.

Since VP is a low house edge game, my loses are usually small such that the extra obc the hosts gives me brings me close to breakeven.

 

Slots have a bigger house edge but i dont think it accounts for double the 'end of cruise' obc you're getting.

So i guess you're right in that loses counts.
And sorry that you had such big loses.

 

Edited July 8, 2023 by fstuff1

[smillerholmes]

19 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

 

3) Discretionary recognition of play 

 

If you are an active player, the casino hosts have the latitude to provide you with additional OBC to recognize your play. They "cover expenses on your onboard account" (which could be shore ex, dining, gift shop, etc.) Or they tell you that you can go to the gift shop and spend $xxx more. There is no magic formula. Some hosts are more generous than others. Per @UKstages post, the casino hosts tend to recognize play more if you lose a lot of money. 

THIS ^^^^^^^^ was the missing piece of info.  That discretionary part.  I am still learning. Thanks so much for the detailed explanation(s).  

 

On my last cruise CAS Next was explained to me but I declined because of the "use within 1 year" stipulation.  I want to like CAS Next better, but as a solo cruiser still grinding it out in the corporate world Cruise First/Cruise Next is the safer/better bet for me.  But retirement is less than 36 months away and counting so...

[fstuff1]

21 hours ago, cuterlmt said:

I recently sailed in April/May, 2023 .

Yesterday, I went into my account to pay off my upcoming November cruise and found a ton of cruise next certificates - $500 and $250. They expire 12/31/2024, sail by 12/31/2024. So even though I didn't get them onboard, they showed up in my account, and they expire in 1-1/2 years. So I guess YMMV.

 

i got a casnext from my Star cruise last month.
a month later, i still dont see it on my acct.

 

where did you see your casnext certs in your acct?

and does it say casnext?

[Russiamomm]

4 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

i got a casnext from my Star cruise last month.
a month later, i still dont see it on my acct.

 

where did you see your casnext certs in your acct?

and does it say casnext?

I don’t know anything about CasNext.  I’ve never been offered one.  But I would call CAS.  I’ll never understand how they determine who gets what, but I was talking to my CAS rep last week and asked him if I had anything sitting in my account.  Turns out I had three comped insides sitting there.  They never showed up online and I never got anything in the mail.   They were only for insides on three specific sailings, but they were there.  I ended up booking one.

[UKstages]

On 7/8/2023 at 10:56 AM, fstuff1 said:

Slots have a bigger house edge but i dont think it accounts for double the 'end of cruise' obc you're getting.

So i guess you're right in that loses counts.
And sorry that you had such big loses.

thanks. but, for the record, i actually payed almost exclusively VP on my most recent trip… three-line UX at quarters and single-line at dollars. it was 21 days on the prima on a B2B and I earned just under 30K tier, with no VP handpays.

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, Russiamomm said:

I was talking to my CAS rep last week and asked him if I had anything sitting in my account.  Turns out I had three comped insides sitting there.  They never showed up online and I never got anything in the mail.

NCL, as far as i know, is unique among cruise lines in that they do not tell casino players what their specific offers are. they typically send an email or a snail mail piece, saying that you have an offer for a 7-day or 10-day or 12-day cruise, but they never tell you what cabin those offers are good for unless you call.
 

so, now I call every month and ask what my current offers are… sometimes, it’s balcony, sometimes it’s club balcony, sometimes it’s haven. you can also have them look at your play and give you what they call a “customized” offer.

 

but my casino comp offers have never appeared online in my account.
 

not once.

 

i sure wish they did! even better if they were bookable online!

[dbrown84]

I've taken 7 cruise, all using land based comps.  I never know CAS actually offered comps direct because they don't let you know without calling.  After reading at it here on CC, I called CAS and found out i had three comps in my account.  Two are for Alaska sailings, which I have no interest in doing.

[Sand and Seas]

6 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

i got a casnext from my Star cruise last month.
a month later, i still dont see it on my acct.

 

where did you see your casnext certs in your acct?

and does it say casnext?

My CASNext have not been visible to me, but they are to the CAS agents.  I have gotten them after two cruises now and each time it has taken 5 or 6 days after cruise end for the agents to see them there.

[Russiamomm]

1 hour ago, dbrown84 said:

I've taken 7 cruise, all using land based comps.  I never know CAS actually offered comps direct because they don't let you know without calling.  After reading at it here on CC, I called CAS and found out i had three comps in my account.  Two are for Alaska sailings, which I have no interest in doing.

I hear you.  I think I had the same offers.  Alaska has been crazy cheap this year, but had no real desire to do it again.  I have a friend that really wanted to go, so we took one of the offers.  It was too cheap to say no and now I’m a superhero to my friend.  It will be fun!  😃

[fstuff1]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

thanks. but, for the record, i actually payed almost exclusively VP on my most recent trip… three-line UX at quarters and single-line at dollars. it was 21 days on the prima on a B2B and I earned just under 30K tier, with no VP handpays.

i assume you're ultra tier?

how much additional obc for 30k points? 😲

 

best vp at dollars is triple play 'stp 7/5 bp' (98.25%).

What do you play at single line?

[UKstages]

2 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

assume you're ultra tier?

no, i’m ruby… no desire to achieve anything higher. and since I’ve already hit 30K on this one trip, it’s likely i’ll be ruby again next year.. all I need do is earn an additional 5K tier on an upcoming 12-day caribbean itinerary on the joy.

 

2 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

What do you play at single line?

single line at dollars on this trip was 9/5 TDB, used as a sorbet of sorts in between losing sessions on UX, during which i played three line DDB.

 

 

[pcakes122]

On 7/8/2023 at 12:02 AM, fstuff1 said:

On the last night of the cruise, the casino hosts usually give additional obc if you play enough.

 

From past experiences:

4k points is +$25, 5k is +100, 10k is +300. 

The end of night OBC is not based on your points earned, it is based on your actual loss.

 

Several years ago one of the lovely casino hosts I'd grown close with over the years shared the formula with me. AT THE DISCRETION OF THE HOST (meaning this is the maximum they can offer you, however they do not have to offer you anything at all) you can receive up to 6% of your total actual $$$$ loss.  The spending categories this can be applied to is the same as the CAS tier $$ (so can't be used for gratuities or DSC, etc.) The OBC amount has absolutely nothing to do with the points you earned.

 

One thing that has changed with CAS Next is that she had also shared that you should always, always, always, play your earned points, otherwise NCL will add them into the OBC mentioned above. For example, say you earned 7,000 points (which is worth $70) and you lost $4,000 (which earns you $240 OBC) and you did NOT play the points back into the machine and "saved" them, on the final night you would get $240 (because they would first use your $70 and then add $170 for a total of $240.) On the other hand, if you played your points back into the machines, you would still get $240 on the final night based on your $$ loss (and you would have already gotten the benefit of spending the $70 in the machines) so your total perk would be $310. She told me they were instructed to use the points first because that results in less of an outlay for NCL. But if you use your points they can't do that 😉.

 

ALL THAT SAID, if you are planning to get a CAS Next certificate, DO NOT SPEND YOUR POINTS because you need to have them to trade for the certificate.

[UKstages]

37 minutes ago, pcakes122 said:

you can receive up to 6% of your total actual $$$$ loss. 

this aligns precisely with what I was awarded on my most recent cruise.

 

i will add that if you have any other nonrefundable OBC on your account, make sure it’s spent before you spend the OBC you’ve been given by the host. otherwise, you won’t receive the full value of the host’s OBC… because the other OBC you have on your account will be used first, as you attempt to accrue charges against the host’s reward.
 

also, typically and technically, it’s not OBC in the traditional sense. your host will give you a dollar figure, then have you go shopping, then ask you to check back with him or her after you’ve made your purchases… after which the host will apply an equal credit directly to your bill. it’s all the same in the end, but you must check back with the host to ensure they have applied the credit. my experience has been that they do not deposit OBC into your account.

 

if you have strong play, and don’t walk away a winner, keep track of your loss. you should have a good idea when you talk to the host of about how much you should be awarded. if he or she offers considerably less, you can raise an eyebrow and playfully suggest they run the numbers again. ultimately, it’s up to the host’s discretion, which is why it’s good to cultivate that relationship throughout the cruise… however, it’s perfectly OK to politely and playfully push back if you believe you’re being under-comped.

[smillerholmes]

11 hours ago, pcakes122 said:

The end of night OBC is not based on your points earned, it is based on your actual loss.

 

Several years ago one of the lovely casino hosts I'd grown close with over the years shared the formula with me. AT THE DISCRETION OF THE HOST (meaning this is the maximum they can offer you, however they do not have to offer you anything at all) you can receive up to 6% of your total actual $$$$ loss.  The spending categories this can be applied to is the same as the CAS tier $$ (so can't be used for gratuities or DSC, etc.) The OBC amount has absolutely nothing to do with the points you earned.

 

One thing that has changed with CAS Next is that she had also shared that you should always, always, always, play your earned points, otherwise NCL will add them into the OBC mentioned above. For example, say you earned 7,000 points (which is worth $70) and you lost $4,000 (which earns you $240 OBC) and you did NOT play the points back into the machine and "saved" them, on the final night you would get $240 (because they would first use your $70 and then add $170 for a total of $240.) On the other hand, if you played your points back into the machines, you would still get $240 on the final night based on your $$ loss (and you would have already gotten the benefit of spending the $70 in the machines) so your total perk would be $310. She told me they were instructed to use the points first because that results in less of an outlay for NCL. But if you use your points they can't do that 😉.

 

ALL THAT SAID, if you are planning to get a CAS Next certificate, DO NOT SPEND YOUR POINTS because you need to have them to trade for the certificate.

Thanks this is helpful.  I am currently Sapphire and hoping to hit Ruby on my next/only cruise before 03/31/2024 so any nuggets like this are pure gold.  Thank you!

[cuterlmt]

On 7/9/2023 at 5:49 AM, fstuff1 said:

i got a casnext from my Star cruise last month.
a month later, i still dont see it on my acct.

 

where did you see your casnext certs in your acct?

and does it say casnext?

So they were in my coupons and credits, and it says CruiseNext not casNext. But I have never purchased cruisenext coupons. I did copy them into a document and printed them because I was worried about them disappearing, and I can't access them now, so I don't know where they exist? Not sure if someone else can help with that? I did have more in my account today, but they were percent off, etc.