Casinos at Sea

[chloemonkey]

My "old" contacts for NCL have left CAS and as we have recently been using only Oceania for cruises....(and THIS gal was supposedly promoted?) I am out of the loop as far as how to contact them.....as we have another trip coming up and I need to update my Credit Line etc....

 

Also, if anyone DOES know who is handling the CAS bookings for Oceania and Regent now - that would be greatly appreciated!

 

Best!

Debby

[edgee]

2 hours ago, chloemonkey said:

My "old" contacts for NCL have left CAS and as we have recently been using only Oceania for cruises....(and THIS gal was supposedly promoted?) I am out of the loop as far as how to contact them.....as we have another trip coming up and I need to update my Credit Line etc....

 

Also, if anyone DOES know who is handling the CAS bookings for Oceania and Regent now - that would be greatly appreciated!

 

Best!

Debby

AFAIK the person (who goes by her 2 initials) has been promoted but has not replaced herself. In my experience if you contact her she can either take care of you as she has in the past or refer you to her replacement if one exists.

[chloemonkey]

8 hours ago, edgee said:

AFAIK the person (who goes by her 2 initials) has been promoted but has not replaced herself. In my experience if you contact her she can either take care of you as she has in the past or refer you to her replacement if one exists.

I do know the "two initial" person that you are referring to and would rather find another option as she has now lost TWO of our reservations over the past 1 1/2 years.....in addition to smaller details.that have dropped out of our reservations and planning.  Her latest response was "I am sorry...not much more that I can say or do".....at which point this having been TWO cruises that we lost our bookings for.....I did not feel the need to continue to enlist her assistance.  But thanks anyway.....I just feel that CAS has truly left those of us who are willing to spend WAY more money on cruise fares have been left in the dust so to speak.....as at least with NCL there were more lucrative perks/discounts AND you always had a host that you could rely on.  Since switching to Oceania and Regent booking.....we have NOT enjoyed anywhere NEAR the discounts/comps....and then were left with an agent who was not even competent enough to not lose our reservations/deposits.....

We have enjoyed Oceania - despite not enjoying any real discounts let alone customer service....and as now my land based hotel (Wynn Hotel) has begun to coordinate with a cruise line or two....it may be time to "jump ship!" so to speak....never thought that I would say that....as we were loyal NCL (Haven) for 30+ cruises......then Oceania/Regent for the past 4 years +....

Thanks for your response...and hope that you have better luck with our "two initial" friend going forward.....and for the record?  WHO in the world is in the position to name their OWN replacement?  I can only wonder if the powers that be know what is truly going on here?  And how many Oceania/Regent passengers have been left hanging?

[edgee]

Sorry she has messed you up. She has done fine helping me, however I use her only to apply the casino benefits to bookings made through my travel agent. I also then get benefits travel agent offers like rebates, gratuities, and Amex Platinum onboard credit in addition to the casino discount off of the cruise. BTW I  assume she will be replacing herself by hiring a new person because her former position will report to her in her new promoted position managing casino bookings for all 3 NCL owned cruise lines.

[Sand and Seas]

Although a couple of my old favorite CAS agents are no longer there, I have done OK by calling the main CAS line for NCL cruises.  It takes a bit of patience and time on the phone.  They  have loaded a number of 'offers' for the CAS players that the new agents can see and process for you.   

 

For my play, they usually have to put me on hold and talk with a supervisor to approve some of my requests, but I am still getting the longer cruises and decent cabins🤞

[BirdTravels]

@Sand and Seas as you know, there were only 126 guest on my most recent cruise. There were no guests at your tier level. One guest at the level above you. CAS is doing everything in their power to kill their business. 

[Sand and Seas]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

@Sand and Seas as you know, there were only 126 guest on my most recent cruise. There were no guests at your tier level. One guest at the level above you. CAS is doing everything in their power to kill their business. 

That's just sad, especially for a ship of that size.  It seems more & more are looking at other cruise lines.   Who was the Exec host?     

 

We haven't cruised for the last four months as we had three surgeries scheduled.  As a result,  I haven't had to call CAS to book anything new for awhile.   The good news from all of that?  I no longer need contacts or glasses.   Two cataract surgeries, and now I see better than when I was 8 years old😊    My DH has had a little rougher time and is recovering from shoulder replacement surgery.   With his new 'bionic' shoulder, we will be back to cruising again next month on Joy.      

 

[BirdTravels]

On 9/10/2023 at 5:14 PM, Sand and Seas said:

That's just sad, especially for a ship of that size.  It seems more & more are looking at other cruise lines.   Who was the Exec host?     

 

We haven't cruised for the last four months as we had three surgeries scheduled.  As a result,  I haven't had to call CAS to book anything new for awhile.   The good news from all of that?  I no longer need contacts or glasses.   Two cataract surgeries, and now I see better than when I was 8 years old😊    My DH has had a little rougher time and is recovering from shoulder replacement surgery.   With his new 'bionic' shoulder, we will be back to cruising again next month on Joy.      

 

Encore Sep 2023

Exec Host Ana Villamin

Sr Host Lourdel Gotera

Host Saya Kimura

Host Joyce Segatto

[Beach Life 1]

On 9/10/2023 at 2:51 PM, BirdTravels said:

@Sand and Seas as you know, there were only 126 guest on my most recent cruise. There were no guests at your tier level. One guest at the level above you. CAS is doing everything in their power to kill their business. 

CAS is getting really stingy with their discounts and free cabins.  I feel like I have to beg when talking to a rep,  and even at that,  they still can't give an answer,  you have to be put on hold so they can talk to their supervisor.  @Sand and Seasyou are  right,  we too may be looking at other cruise lines. I just read on FB that if you book through CAS,  you have to call them to make dinner reservations?   Sounds kind of odd.  Does anyone know if this is true?

[Sand and Seas]

6 hours ago, Beach Life 1 said:

CAS is getting really stingy with their discounts and free cabins.  I feel like I have to beg when talking to a rep,  and even at that,  they still can't give an answer,  you have to be put on hold so they can talk to their supervisor.  @Sand and Seasyou are  right,  we too may be looking at other cruise lines. I just read on FB that if you book through CAS,  you have to call them to make dinner reservations?   Sounds kind of odd.  Does anyone know if this is true?

We have all been frustrated with some of the newer agents that answer the phone.   I call those the 'rookies' as they have no power to do anything other than check & see what type of discount or comped cabin is listed for your account.   I usually just call back and get another agent another day.  Some will actually listen to what I am asking for, then put me on hold and get approval from a supervisor.  It's not easy, but with patience we are still getting the cruises & types of cabins that we are interested in.  (Good thing we are retired & I have the time to wait on the phone!)

 

Yes, as pointed out above, there are probably going to be less & less CAS comped cruisers on board each cruise unless they make a change to their current practices.  Very sad as we & many others truly love NCL freestyle cruising.

 

As far as booking specialty dinners, you do NOT have to book through CAS.  In our 40plust CAS cruises, I've never asked CAS to book our dinners.   We do our own booking online at the appropriate time.  For most, that is 120 days prior to cruise.  If you don't find the days/times available that you want, check onboard the first day of cruise.     

 

There is a lot of misinformation on FB about NCL cruises.  I read FB posts, but I don't post there....too many conflicting postings that overshadow the correct information.    I suggest you come on cruise critic and ask here.  If someone on CC doesn't give you a good or clear answer, others will quickly correct them.   I have found the most reliable information on CC and that has really helped us plan for our cruises. 

[Beach Life 1]

54 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

We have all been frustrated with some of the newer agents that answer the phone.   I call those the 'rookies' as they have no power to do anything other than check & see what type of discount or comped cabin is listed for your account.   I usually just call back and get another agent another day.  Some will actually listen to what I am asking for, then put me on hold and get approval from a supervisor.  It's not easy, but with patience we are still getting the cruises & types of cabins that we are interested in.  (Good thing we are retired & I have the time to wait on the phone!)

 

Yes, as pointed out above, there are probably going to be less & less CAS comped cruisers on board each cruise unless they make a change to their current practices.  Very sad as we & many others truly love NCL freestyle cruising.

 

As far as booking specialty dinners, you do NOT have to book through CAS.  In our 40plust CAS cruises, I've never asked CAS to book our dinners.   We do our own booking online at the appropriate time.  For most, that is 120 days prior to cruise.  If you don't find the days/times available that you want, check onboard the first day of cruise.     

 

There is a lot of misinformation on FB about NCL cruises.  I read FB posts, but I don't post there....too many conflicting postings that overshadow the correct information.    I suggest you come on cruise critic and ask here.  If someone on CC doesn't give you a good or clear answer, others will quickly correct them.   I have found the most reliable information on CC and that has really helped us plan for our cruises. 

Thanks, for the info.  We too,  always sail NCL through CAS,  and definitely see the comps are getting less generous.   I also,  always book my reservations on line,  and thought it sounded really weird that you would have to book through CAS for dinner.   You are right,  FB can be very misleading. I have dealt with the same agent for years,  but this last cruise,  he seemed like he didn't want to be bothered.   It was always,  I'll call you back,  or I have to check with my Supervisor and call you back,  and he never did. So I called the main CAS number,  and spoke to someone else.  Yes,  I was put on hold for a few minutes, because she had to check with a Supervisor,   but she was able to book the cruise I wanted (after much begging and pretty please, on my part,  lol).    I was told they cut back a lot,  and  the way they compute comps is very different now.  Our friends switched to Carnival,  and the comps they receive,  and the cash they receive is sooo much more then NCL gives.   I still love NCL,  I guess because we are used to it, and just really enjoy it.  We have a cruise booked for February,  and I hope it's not our last with NCL.  I don't understand why they are choosing to alienate Casino players.   I hope you and your husband are healing well,  and you have fun on your next cruise.  Have fun!

[Jeffffffs]

23 hours ago, Beach Life 1 said:

  I also,  always book my reservations on line,  and thought it sounded really weird that you would have to book through CAS for dinner.   

We had this exact issue for our last 2 cruises...no ability to make any reservations online.  I finally called to ask about it, and they said I had to call CAS.  When I called CAS they knew all about the issue and made the reservations.  I have no idea if this was just a technical issue, or some new "improvement", but it definately has been happening.

[Beach Life 1]

7 minutes ago, Jeffffffs said:

We had this exact issue for our last 2 cruises...no ability to make any reservations online.  I finally called to ask about it, and they said I had to call CAS.  When I called CAS they knew all about the issue and made the reservations.  I have no idea if this was just a technical issue, or some new "improvement", but it definately has been happening.

Wow, it doesn't seem to make any sense to have to call CAS for dinner reservations. I will call CAS a few days before I can book dinner reservations and ask them if I still have to go through them.   Thanks for relaying your experience.

[Sand and Seas]

34 minutes ago, Beach Life 1 said:

Wow, it doesn't seem to make any sense to have to call CAS for dinner reservations. I will call CAS a few days before I can book dinner reservations and ask them if I still have to go through them.   Thanks for relaying your experience.

 

Whatever the technical issue might have been, we had no problem booking dinners for our CAS reservation a few days ago.   

 

By the way, even though it says 'not able to book yet', if you have tier status,  or are in a Haven or Club balcony,  system will let you  book at 125 days or 130 days out.  

[BirdTravels]

On 9/18/2023 at 2:17 PM, Jeffffffs said:

We had this exact issue for our last 2 cruises...no ability to make any reservations online.  I finally called to ask about it, and they said I had to call CAS.  When I called CAS they knew all about the issue and made the reservations.  I have no idea if this was just a technical issue, or some new "improvement", but it definately has been happening.

FWIW, we have never had this issue. Dining reservations opened promptly at 125 or 130 days for us. We had/have a cruise in September and October 2023 and booked with no issues.  

[BirdTravels]

On 9/17/2023 at 1:55 PM, Sand and Seas said:

As far as booking specialty dinners, you do NOT have to book through CAS.     

My CET host has been bugging me to join her group on the MSC Seascape early next year. She has a comp'ed balcony waiting for us. From all of the videos, it looks like a nice, new ship with a nice casino. While we normally only sail on NCL and Royal, maybe it's time to try something new. 

[Sand and Seas]

28 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

My CET host has been bugging me to join her group on the MSC Seascape early next year. She has a comp'ed balcony waiting for us. From all of the videos, it looks like a nice, new ship with a nice casino. While we normally only sail on NCL and Royal, maybe it's time to try something new. 

I hadn't heard of CET hosting groups on MSC.  I would find that interesting too!

 

My CET host has taken us on NCL for Alaska & Caribbean.  CET paid the dsc/admin/port fees which made it nice.  They also let us 'earn' airfare during a visit to LV.    

[Beach Life 1]

On 9/25/2023 at 11:44 PM, BirdTravels said:

My CET host has been bugging me to join her group on the MSC Seascape early next year. She has a comp'ed balcony waiting for us. From all of the videos, it looks like a nice, new ship with a nice casino. While we normally only sail on NCL and Royal, maybe it's time to try something new. 

May I ask what is CET? 

[Sand and Seas]

6 hours ago, Beach Life 1 said:

May I ask what is CET? 

Caesars Entertainment.    

[Beach Life 1]

2 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

Caesars Entertainment.    

Oh,  OK,  thank you.

[dwc13]

On 9/25/2023 at 10:44 PM, BirdTravels said:

My CET host has been bugging me to join her group on the MSC Seascape early next year. She has a comp'ed balcony waiting for us. From all of the videos, it looks like a nice, new ship with a nice casino. While we normally only sail on NCL and Royal, maybe it's time to try something new. 

 

My wife and I had a comped balcony room for a 7-day Caribbean cruise on sister ship MSC Seashore in Fall 2022 courtesy of my local casino. Very nice ship with really good pizza -- the privately held parent company was founded in Italy and is owned by an Italian family. Seashore had a very nice casino...except there was no craps table. The explanation I received is craps is dead in Europe -- it is -- and that's where the parent company is headquartered (Switzerland). Plenty of slots and roulette tables, including a single zero table (try finding that on a US-based cruise line, lol). 

 

MSC Cruises is a European cruise line that has been making a concerted effort in recent years to break into the North American market. Some things (entertainment, food) will be different from you have experienced on NCL and Royal Caribbean, but I definitely recommend giving MSC a try. MSC Yacht Club ("ship within a ship", kind of like NCL Haven) gets high marks from people who have booked those rooms. We haven't yet decided to try Yacht Club but we have booked balcony rooms on 2 MSC cruises this year and are looking at a third one.  

[def0715]

On 1/6/2024 at 5:53 AM, dwc13 said:

 

My wife and I had a comped balcony room for a 7-day Caribbean cruise on sister ship MSC Seashore in Fall 2022 courtesy of my local casino. Very nice ship with really good pizza -- the privately held parent company was founded in Italy and is owned by an Italian family. Seashore had a very nice casino...except there was no craps table. The explanation I received is craps is dead in Europe -- it is -- and that's where the parent company is headquartered (Switzerland). Plenty of slots and roulette tables, including a single zero table (try finding that on a US-based cruise line, lol). 

 

MSC Cruises is a European cruise line that has been making a concerted effort in recent years to break into the North American market. Some things (entertainment, food) will be different from you have experienced on NCL and Royal Caribbean, but I definitely recommend giving MSC a try. MSC Yacht Club ("ship within a ship", kind of like NCL Haven) gets high marks from people who have booked those rooms. We haven't yet decided to try Yacht Club but we have booked balcony rooms on 2 MSC cruises this year and are looking at a third one.  

The Seashore had at least one craps table on my Caribbean sailing this month. Beautiful ship, and we enjoyed Yacht Club.

Edited January 25 by def0715

[negn]

On 1/24/2024 at 12:09 PM, JackHH said:

Hello, everyone. I am new here. I want to go on a cruise with my wife, but it's our first time and we don't know anything about it. I'll just say that we want to sail in the ocean and have a casino on board. I would be grateful for any recommendations.

I think first thing is to decide where and when you want to go.  Do you want a larger ship with all the bells and whistles or smaller and usually older one.  Do you want to sail Princess or looking at other lines.  FYI almost all ships have casinos ( not on Disney) and are open on sea days and after leaving port.   If you could be more specific , we may be able to help

[Globaler]

On 1/27/2024 at 7:36 PM, negn said:

I think first thing is to decide where and when you want to go.  Do you want a larger ship with all the bells and whistles or smaller and usually older one.  Do you want to sail Princess or looking at other lines.  FYI almost all ships have casinos ( not on Disney) and are open on sea days and after leaving port.   If you could be more specific , we may be able to help

I would find a cruise line you like and stick with it. Build up loyalty and perks.

[edgee]

On 1/27/2024 at 8:36 PM, negn said:

I think first thing is to decide where and when you want to go.  Do you want a larger ship with all the bells and whistles or smaller and usually older one.  Do you want to sail Princess or looking at other lines.  FYI almost all ships have casinos ( not on Disney) and are open on sea days and after leaving port.   If you could be more specific , we may be able to help

I prefer Celebrity mainly because they are only non small ship cruise line with no smoking casinos. Also, if you are a blackjack player you may enjoy the fact that they have mainly hand shuffle at their bj tables.