CAS questions

[Cruiseguy14]

@JGmf and fellow CAS cruisers. I am fairly new to cruising but kinda jumped straight into the deep end and starting with  in:

 

1. November 2022- 14 day carribean cruise 

 

2. April 2023- 15 day transatlantic cruise.

 

on the first cruise I gambled very heavily for my standards and was approached by a  casino host with a letter saying to call this number to book with the casino directly in the future. By the end of that cruise I was at Ruby level. As a result I got my second cruise “free”. They put me in a very good room on the Norwegian gem. It wasn’t the haven but I had access to priority on boarding, a butler , got these little snacks delivered to me everyday , access to a private breakfast and lunch in a restaurant. To be honest I think there was some issue with the haven on that particular ship so they gave me a room that was the equivalent but I don’t remember correctly.
 

On that cruise I gambled a good amount for regularly people standards but not as much as I did on the first cruise. I have received an offer from NCL for a free cruise up to 12 days in a haven suite as long as I take it before March 2024. Below are some questions I have if anymore additional background is needed please let me know.

 

1. These “free” cruise offers are still costing me a substantial amount of money. They are great values, for instance I have a 10 day haven cruise for 2k in March, but the land casinos offers I get will cover everything for me. So far the only comps I get from the casino are voyage fairs. I still pay (taxes, tips, shore excursions) Is this standard practice?

 

2. Outside the offers I am getting quotes on  sailings and the room quality is substantial worse than haven. To be honest I don’t really care much to be in the haven, my biggest need is room size but the cruises I want to go on the most I get offered a family ocean view. I found this insulting based on my play and seems to be wildly mismatched based on my free haven offers. For some background some of those cruises were out 18 months because I do like to plan ahead.

 

3. They never come to me. On land I am constantly bombarded with good offers from casinos by email, text and even phone calls from real hosts. I have a relationship with them and can text them at anytime and they take care of me. If that lady didn’t hand me that letter and I never called no one at NCL would or ever contacted me. 
 

Basically what I want to know is my experience common. NCL just doesn’t seem to care about my business. Which I find surprising bc I was way into the ruby level by the time of my first cruise and from their perspective would have thought I showed good potential as a new customer. I am also surprised by the level of customer service I receive. I am a planner and I do call with a list of cruise options to get quotes and I am usually met with casino host that seem more interested in getting me off the phone as soon as possible than actually helping me ( with the exception of Antoinette and Ryan). I feel like I am being treated just like a standard customer service call. This is not my experience with land based casinos. 

 

 

 

[maketime4cruisin]

1 hour ago, Cruiseguy14 said:

@JGmf and fellow CAS cruisers. I am fairly new to cruising but kinda jumped straight into the deep end and starting with  in:

 

1. November 2022- 14 day carribean cruise 

 

2. April 2023- 15 day transatlantic cruise.

 

on the first cruise I gambled very heavily for my standards and was approached by a  casino host with a letter saying to call this number to book with the casino directly in the future. By the end of that cruise I was at Ruby level. As a result I got my second cruise “free”. They put me in a very good room on the Norwegian gem. It wasn’t the haven but I had access to priority on boarding, a butler , got these little snacks delivered to me everyday , access to a private breakfast and lunch in a restaurant. To be honest I think there was some issue with the haven on that particular ship so they gave me a room that was the equivalent but I don’t remember correctly.
 

On that cruise I gambled a good amount for regularly people standards but not as much as I did on the first cruise. I have received an offer from NCL for a free cruise up to 12 days in a haven suite as long as I take it before March 2024. Below are some questions I have if anymore additional background is needed please let me know.

 

1. These “free” cruise offers are still costing me a substantial amount of money. They are great values, for instance I have a 10 day haven cruise for 2k in March, but the land casinos offers I get will cover everything for me. So far the only comps I get from the casino are voyage fairs. I still pay (taxes, tips, shore excursions) Is this standard practice?

 

2. Outside the offers I am getting quotes on  sailings and the room quality is substantial worse than haven. To be honest I don’t really care much to be in the haven, my biggest need is room size but the cruises I want to go on the most I get offered a family ocean view. I found this insulting based on my play and seems to be wildly mismatched based on my free haven offers. For some background some of those cruises were out 18 months because I do like to plan ahead.

 

3. They never come to me. On land I am constantly bombarded with good offers from casinos by email, text and even phone calls from real hosts. I have a relationship with them and can text them at anytime and they take care of me. If that lady didn’t hand me that letter and I never called no one at NCL would or ever contacted me. 
 

Basically what I want to know is my experience common. NCL just doesn’t seem to care about my business. Which I find surprising bc I was way into the ruby level by the time of my first cruise and from their perspective would have thought I showed good potential as a new customer. I am also surprised by the level of customer service I receive. I am a planner and I do call with a list of cruise options to get quotes and I am usually met with casino host that seem more interested in getting me off the phone as soon as possible than actually helping me ( with the exception of Antoinette and Ryan). I feel like I am being treated just like a standard customer service call. This is not my experience with land based casinos. 

 

 

 

1) The ships stop at ports in different countries where they have to pay port fees for every passenger on board of the ship which is passed onto the passenger. I don't believe the fees can be comped. When you are in a land based casinos you don't have such fees. You can possibly get a shore excursion comped but the other stuff i don't believe so. The casino can take some stuff off on the back end though, so just because you are paying upfront doesn't mean you aren't getting it on the back end. 

 

2) Your offers will depend on when you are trying to sail. If you are trying to go on a cruise during peak times (holiday breaks, summertime) they aren't going to give you the same offers as off peak times.

 

3) NCL in my experience will send snail mail. RC has an offer site that you log into, they send emails, and i get snail mail from them. If you are expecting them to call you, i haven't had that happen and i am a decent player. 

Edited July 16, 2023 by maketime4cruisin

[phillygwm]

I'm a Cas player, though not at the same level as you.  I'd point out an obvious difference:  Bellagio (for example) is a casino which has a hotel attached.  Yeah, they have conference business etc. but they'd close tomorrow if there were no casino.

 

Prima is a cruise ship which happens to have a casino.  Not to say CAS doesn't market their product:  Roughly 25% of the cabins on a given cruise are casino "comps" but if you spent the same amount onboard as you do in a land-based casino, you'll generally be treated "better" on land.  I don't know this for a fact, but I strongly suspect that CAS hosts are juggling more players than land-based casino hosts.  I'm within an hour of a Harrah's casino and 2 hours of MGM so I could go a couple times a week if I wanted to.  Personally, I don't, but I know people who do. A small percentage of people take more than a couple cruises per year. 

 

Also, the overhead for a ship cabin is greater than a casino room;  Onboard, every meal is covered, for instance.  You're drinking for free, not just when playing, etc.  And, speaking for myself, I play much longer on land because those are open 24/7.

 

I've found CAS hosts have gotten better than they were.  A couple years ago, it was almost as though they were in the Witness Protection Program.  I could never get an email to a human and there were long hold times if you called in.  Now, I have a specific person whom I email first.  If I need to speak with them, we can setup a convenient time to talk, usually same day.

Edited July 16, 2023 by phillygwm

[chillyw]

CAS, in general, is not near as comp-friendly as the other cruise lines, nor as proactive. It also isn't really like a land-based casino.

 

If you want that, you're better off with Royal or Celebrity, but I find their games worse (no pai gow, single odds on craps, etc).

 

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, Cruiseguy14 said:

@JGmf and fellow CAS cruisers. I am fairly new to cruising but kinda jumped straight into the deep end and starting with  in:

 

1. November 2022- 14 day carribean cruise 

 

2. April 2023- 15 day transatlantic cruise.

 

on the first cruise I gambled very heavily for my standards and was approached by a  casino host with a letter saying to call this number to book with the casino directly in the future. By the end of that cruise I was at Ruby level. As a result I got my second cruise “free”. They put me in a very good room on the Norwegian gem. It wasn’t the haven but I had access to priority on boarding, a butler , got these little snacks delivered to me everyday , access to a private breakfast and lunch in a restaurant. To be honest I think there was some issue with the haven on that particular ship so they gave me a room that was the equivalent but I don’t remember correctly.
 

On that cruise I gambled a good amount for regularly people standards but not as much as I did on the first cruise. I have received an offer from NCL for a free cruise up to 12 days in a haven suite as long as I take it before March 2024. Below are some questions I have if anymore additional background is needed please let me know.

 

1. These “free” cruise offers are still costing me a substantial amount of money. They are great values, for instance I have a 10 day haven cruise for 2k in March, but the land casinos offers I get will cover everything for me. So far the only comps I get from the casino are voyage fairs. I still pay (taxes, tips, shore excursions) Is this standard practice?

 

2. Outside the offers I am getting quotes on  sailings and the room quality is substantial worse than haven. To be honest I don’t really care much to be in the haven, my biggest need is room size but the cruises I want to go on the most I get offered a family ocean view. I found this insulting based on my play and seems to be wildly mismatched based on my free haven offers. For some background some of those cruises were out 18 months because I do like to plan ahead.

 

3. They never come to me. On land I am constantly bombarded with good offers from casinos by email, text and even phone calls from real hosts. I have a relationship with them and can text them at anytime and they take care of me. If that lady didn’t hand me that letter and I never called no one at NCL would or ever contacted me. 
 

Basically what I want to know is my experience common. NCL just doesn’t seem to care about my business. Which I find surprising bc I was way into the ruby level by the time of my first cruise and from their perspective would have thought I showed good potential as a new customer. I am also surprised by the level of customer service I receive. I am a planner and I do call with a list of cruise options to get quotes and I am usually met with casino host that seem more interested in getting me off the phone as soon as possible than actually helping me ( with the exception of Antoinette and Ryan). I feel like I am being treated just like a standard customer service call. This is not my experience with land based casinos. 

 

CAS is different that say Royal Caribbean or land-based casinos where you are flooded with flyers. With CAS, once you are a rated player, you can call and request any cruise on any cruise date. A lot easier. In the past, your rating gave you a certain level of cruise that could be comped. For example, they would comp up to $2500 pp. That would get a nice room on an older ship in the Caribbean. But would get only a balcony in the Med or even a Ocean View on a new ship in Alaska. You pick where and when you want to cruise. Now, CAS seem to be looking for opportunities to use cruise certificates issued by land-based casinos sitting around on your account... that way say Caesars is paying for the cruise versus CAS. 

 

Yes, you always pay port fees and taxes... can't get away from that since it is a non-compable item. And NCL has the annoying $20/per day/per person admin fee to book the room for you. 

 

Yes, all of the "good" / senior CAS agents have left or been laid off during the pandemic shutdown. Just a bunch of newbies answering the phones now. 

 

Your Ruby Tier level has nothing to do with your room comps. Your tier level only gets you onboard perks.

 

As a Ruby player, you get $400 OBC and three onboard treats (food or bottles of wine). If you advance against your room account, the 3% service charge is waived. You get a black Ultra drinks card which basically is similar to the Premium Plus beverage package with top shelf spirits,,, basically all of the drinks at the casino bar are fully covered. If you want to see a bartender cringe, ask them for a Remy Martin Alexander like we do.... pouring a $35 shot of cognac into a milkshake.

 

If you advance to the Elite level, you get $1000 OBC, onboard treats, Ultra dinks card, cash advance fee waived, daily service charge comped, $600 shore excursion credit, limo to/from ship, free premium internet. 

Edited July 16, 2023 by BirdTravels

[JGmf]

@Cruiseguy14 I feel your pain.  I'm going to chime-in and add to the good feedback provided by the folks above.

 

• At this point, I consider whatever CAS offers to be a 'discount' rather than a comp, which, like you said, is different than when you book a room in LV or some other land-based casino location.  That's just how it is.  It's still better than the internet price, esp since you are getting full food and drinks (and entertainment, etc.).
• As opposed to MLife, my local casinos, and even Royal, I'm similarly stumped why I don't receive any offers in the mail or even online.  It's just their business model, I guess, which, again, is jarring if you're used to others hounding you as a gambler.
• Given the radio silence from them, what I do is contact via email the CAS rep I've used in the past and simply ask her what my net cost would be for a certain cruise on a certain date.  If it meets my 'value' assessment, I email back and arrange the deposit (usually using pre-purchased  cruise next certificates).  It's not as user-friendly, say, as comparing multiple dates and ships to find the best combination that works for me, but I can't otherwise figure out a work-around.

 

Good luck. Hope to see you at the same table on some future NCL cruise.

 

 

[Cruiseguy14]

Thanks everyone. It’s perplexing to me that they aren’t following known industry best practices when it comes to gambling. I would have assumed that attracting a solid gambler would be more attractive than almost anyone else but I assume they know their business better than I do and it must not be the case. 

[drumming cruisers]

@BirdTravels

I have been ruby for years. I used to get comped balconies, then dropped to Oceanview, now just a percentage off cruise. So, if Comps aren't based on your play level, what are they based on? 

In November on Bliss casino host wouldn't waive my cash advance fees. I think because I won a BIG jackpot. Said they would give me another $500 OBC,, but had to hurry to shops, because they were closing in 15 minutes (was last night of cruise) I hadn't even spent the OBC they gave me the 1st day of cruise. On Encore in June, they weren't going to waive them either, finally after half an hour of talking, she waived some of them. 

 

[chillyw]

14 minutes ago, drumming cruisers said:

@BirdTravels

I have been ruby for years. I used to get comped balconies, then dropped to Oceanview, now just a percentage off cruise. So, if Comps aren't based on your play level, what are they based on?

 

 

A common misconception with casino gambling is that Status = Play.  Casinos generally look at play using an Average Daily Theoretical loss (or, in the case of mLife, average trip theoretical rather than daily).

 

A customer that gets to Ruby in five days is more valuable than a customer that gets to Ruby in 100 days.

[Cruiseguy14]

Fair point. But I’ve gotten conditioned by casinos that if I gamble I get a nice free vacation. Nothing worse than losing money then having to be nickled and dime by the same company. 
 

have you guys considered taking your action elsewhere ? Sounds like Royal Carribean is a better bet. 

[phillygwm]

1 hour ago, Cruiseguy14 said:

Fair point. But I’ve gotten conditioned by casinos that if I gamble I get a nice free vacation. Nothing worse than losing money then having to be nickled and dime by the same company. 
 

have you guys considered taking your action elsewhere ? Sounds like Royal Carribean is a better bet. 

It costs a cruiseline a lot more to "comp" than a casino.  Aside from the fact that you're waking up somewhere different each day, all meals are covered, all drinks (as opposed to when you're sitting in the casino, etc.)

 

Why don't I take my business elsewhere?  Simple, I'm Sapphire on NCL and have no status elsewhere.  There is some value to that.  If NCL cuts my comps (or other services) to a level I deem unacceptable, I'll start using other lines.  Until then, even though other lines' comps may be marginally better, it isn't yet enough to sway me.  

[cruiserbear55]

On 7/16/2023 at 12:22 PM, BirdTravels said:

Your Ruby Tier level has nothing to do with your room comps. Your tier level only gets you onboard perks

 

    Then please tell us how room comps are decided, if not based on play. Obviously, the more you stuff the slots the higher tier level you attain.

[Cruiseguy14]

Which benefits do you like the most from latitudes ? I am at 74 lat points after two cruises bc I got 60 for one cruise but it seems any benefit worthwhile

starts at platinum. And the best benefit that it seems is the two fresh additional specialty dinings . 

[chillyw]

18 minutes ago, cruiserbear55 said:

 

    Then please tell us how room comps are decided, if not based on play. Obviously, the more you stuff the slots the higher tier level you attain.

 

Generally casinos decide room comps using Average Daily Theoretical loss, not points acquired over time.  10000 points in 2 days is worth more than 10000 points in 100 days.

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, drumming cruisers said:

@BirdTravels

I have been ruby for years. I used to get comped balconies, then dropped to Oceanview, now just a percentage off cruise. So, if Comps aren't based on your play level, what are they based on? 

In November on Bliss casino host wouldn't waive my cash advance fees. I think because I won a BIG jackpot. Said they would give me another $500 OBC,, but had to hurry to shops, because they were closing in 15 minutes (was last night of cruise) I hadn't even spent the OBC they gave me the 1st day of cruise. On Encore in June, they weren't going to waive them either, finally after half an hour of talking, she waived some of them. 

 

As I said in my prior post, CAS seem to be looking for opportunities to use cruise certificates issued by land-based casinos sitting around on your account... that way Caesars (or some other casino) is paying for the cruise versus CAS. They will only book certificates they find. Some are "in house" certificates whose value, as you point out, don't make any sense to me. Using certificates takes any of the subjective calculation of theoreticals away from the newbie rookie phone agents. I have got them to book based on play, but it takes escalations from the newbie rookies that have been answering the phones.

 

We were on the Encore in April and the hosts were pretty bad.

Edited July 18, 2023 by BirdTravels

[Russiamomm]

43 minutes ago, Cruiseguy14 said:

Which benefits do you like the most from latitudes ? I am at 74 lat points after two cruises bc I got 60 for one cruise but it seems any benefit worthwhile

starts at platinum. And the best benefit that it seems is the two fresh additional specialty dinings . 

This thread about casino status and comped/discounted cruises from the casino.  It’s completely different from the Latitudes loyalty program, which is based solely on points earned simply from sailing with NCL.  I agree that it’s confusing, but they are two completely different programs.

 

In answer to your question, I agree that the real benefits from the Latitudes program start with reaching Platinum.  After that the additional benefits are incremental.  At least in my opinion the best perks are the two free meals, the free bag of laundry and priority boarding.

[def0715]

Apologies for jumping in, but here goes: Is there ever any way around the $20-per-person-per-day administrative fee? The “free” 10-day cruise isn’t free if I’m paying $200 to NCL for the booking. That’s more than the port taxes/fees/normal charges. (It about doubles the price of a “free” cruise.) I haven’t sailed NCL in a few years and was looking at trying NCL again but that “administrative fee”  is holding me back. Several other cruise lines I’ve sailed with don’t tack on an “administrative fee.” 

[UKstages]

the OP’s play sounds similar to mine. I put on 30K tier points on my most recent cruise and am ruby in the CAS loyalty program. i, too, have received haven and suite comps and i, too, have been disappointed when i get downgraded to a club balcony or a balcony and i, too, feel that it sometimes doesn’t correspond properly with my play.

 

here’s what i can add based on my experience:

 

CAS sends play-based offers… sort of. they send email and snail mail offers, but they almost never tell you what level of accommodation the offer is good for. you have to call or email your rep, if you have one. this is really annoying.

 

there is a 30 - 60 day delay (from the date of your last cruise) until your new offers are generated in the “system.” if your play was strong, but your cruise ended at the beginning of the month, it won’t be reported until the end of the month, which means it won’t be reflected in your offers until the month after that. if your cruise ended at the begging of june, for instance, you can’t expect your offers to be impacted until august (they could be better or worse, depending on your play).

 

offers were richer immediately after the post-covid restart. some decline in the level of accommodation may have nothing to do with your play, but more to do with the fact that many have returned to cruising and they can fill the haven and club balcony rooms with cash paying customers.

 

there may be a bit of misunderstanding about “hosts” in this thread. the folks that you call at CAS are not hosts. they are cruise consultants. in ordinary times, with manageable call volume, you will be directed to a rep who only handles CAS customers. even so, most of them can not generate custom play-based offers. some can, and the ones who can’t will usually put you on hold and come back with an an answer or a proposal in five or ten minutes.
 

the hosts onboard are not traditional hosts in that NCL is not really concerned with player development in the same way as a land-based casino. they can look after you while you’re on that cruise, but that’s about it. they rarely volunteer services or comps (except for ruby and above tier entitlements), so to make the most of your relationship, if you have strong play (like the OP), ask them for something as you go along… a comped meal, a spa visit, a go kart ride… they will most likely come through. they typically will come by and ask if you need anything… that’s your cue to ask for whatever it is you want.
 

and, of course, a night or two before your cruise ends, settle your account… have the host credit your convenience charges and evaluate your play. he or she will award you discretionary comps, usually equal to 5% - 6% of your loss. (this is different than a land-based casino, which awards as much as 15%, and which usually takes into account your “action” and not just your loss.) settle early enough so that you have time to use your OBC in the shops.

 

as far as the chicken and egg debate as to whether status or play is more important. in this case, it’s both. in the case of the OP, he played like a demon and earned 35K or more tier points on a 14-day cruise. we can infer from that that he has high ADT. as mentioned above, not all players who share status carry equal weight. there are ruby players who have 37K points and other ruby players who have 98K points. in addition, some people earn ruby status in 14 days of play and some earn their status in 60 days… or whatever. also, there is some anecdotal evidence to suggest that they don’t really use an ADT metric, but an ACT metric… average cruise theoretical… the amount of money you’re expected to lose during your entire cruise… it’s not quite the same thing; it’s similar to ADT, but takes into account the fact that the casino is closed for much of the day in most ports and that cruise ship gaming is very different… it’s rare that somebody would visit a land-based casino for 14 days in a row, yet it’s quite common onboard a ship.

 

with regard to that pesky and senseless “admin fee”… there is one way around it or at least some of it, sorta kinda… if you have a percentage-off coupon in your account, it can be applied to the admin fee. it won’t reduce any of the other components of a fully comped cruise, but it will reduce the admin fee.

[KXZ1498]

2 hours ago, def0715 said:

Apologies for jumping in, but here goes: Is there ever any way around the $20-per-person-per-day administrative fee? The “free” 10-day cruise isn’t free if I’m paying $200 to NCL for the booking. That’s more than the port taxes/fees/normal charges. (It about doubles the price of a “free” cruise.) I haven’t sailed NCL in a few years and was looking at trying NCL again but that “administrative fee”  is holding me back. Several other cruise lines I’ve sailed with don’t tack on an “administrative fee.” 

 

No way around this. 

 

@Cruiseguy14 I suggest you work with a casino junket like URComped or Ken Froom if your play is that high. They can centralize your play and solicit offers from everywhere else. Sometimes, they can escalate your offers. I was in their mini-suite before being upgraded to the Haven when I declined initial CAS offers. 

[def0715]

Thanks. Always grateful to glean so much information from this site!