Cruising & Gambling Discounts

[ShokWaveRider]

On Recent cruises we have met folks that seem to almost brag about how they get free or subsidized state rooms, package discounts etc.

We do not gamble and get nothing other than Costco discounts, shop cards, rebates, etc. ("We have to pay $50 and pick up the garbage in the snow" .......... Arlo Guthrie from Alice's Restaurant ).

I was wondering how much folks need to gamble to get free staterooms and packages. Can folks here that gamble on a cruise ship, please enlighten me.

 

[cathy63]

I don't gamble either, but from some dinner table conversation on our last Princess cruise, it was about $7500 for an interior cabin and about 4x that for a balcony cabin. Apparently you can build up points over several cruises and use them to get a "free" one.

 

[Jerry1]

I think the points are more in play here. My sister in law cruises a lot and does not gamble and she always talking about all the deals and upgrades she gets for cheap. If you cruise a lot, maybe talk to a travel agent and/or try to stay with the same cruise line and work the system. I doubt you get the best deals from Costco if you’re a frequent cruiser and not working the cruise line perks.

 

[Car-Guy]

I don't know how much in $$ you need to gamble each year to get such perks, but I've met the hurdle rate for the last ~10+ years. I get free cruise offers all the time from Caesars and Penn Gaming but I don't like ships so I've never taken them. Other perks I've been offered are a leased Mercedes, and free air fair to Vegas but I'm always be able to work out "cash" equivalents, which I use to help feed my gambling habit. Oh, and I haven't paid (well cash out of my pocket) for a hotel room or any meals in years at a casino. Plus free/comp chips. Ex, in December I was getting $1000 every week in comp chips from one of the casinos I often visit.

So yes, it's true, they do offer free cruises, cars, air fair, rooms, meals, free play, etc. Of course the less you play, the less they'll offer you. It's all done to suck you in to play more. Trust me, their strategy works on those inclined to gamble and have some extra cash.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I meant gambling on a cruise ship not Vegas or other casinos.

 

[Car-Guy]

I understand they do have gambling on most/many cruise ships, at least the ones I've been offered.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

Yes but how does one get free cruises by gambling on them. How much does one have to gamble?

 

[cathy63]

Yes but how does one get free cruises by gambling on them. How much does one have to gamble?

That's the info I gave in post #2 ... if you spend upwards of $7500 in the ship's casino you get invited back for another cruise. There are some discounts if you gamble less, but that seems to be the minimum for a free cabin.

 

[livingalmostlarge]

If you gamble in Vegas you can still get free cruises a friend told me.

 

[jollystomper]

Here is some info that might be helpful:

Answered: How Much Do You Have to Gamble on the Ship for a Casino Cruise?

We all know that the odds are in the house's favor whenever we step into a casino no matter if it's on a cruise ship or on land. Chances are, you are going to leave with less money than you came in with. So why do we do it? The thrill of a win is always around the corner, there's something to be...

www.cruzely.com

It gives a detailed example for Royal Caribbean:

Royal Caribbean offers what it calls the Club Royale program. The program offers four tiers of membership, with increasing perks as you earn.

The levels start at “Choice” before going to “Prime,” “Signature,” and the highest level, “Masters.”

Your status increases with the number of tier credits you earn. The current breakdown is as follows:

Choice: 1-2,499 credits
Prime: 2,500-24,999 credits
Signature: 25,000-99,999 credits
Masters: 100,000+ credits

According to the cruise line, passengers earn points from April 1 – March 31. After March 31, all the credits reset to zero.

So what status do you need to get a free cruise? The reward chart shows that players can earn a free* 7-night cruise starting with the Prime status tier.
...
This program assigns points based on your play. How many points you earn depends on which games you play. The breakdown is below:

Slots: 1 point for every $5 played
Video Poker: 1 point for every $10 played
Tables: 10 points for a $10 average wager for one hour

...

In this case, with a slot machine you’d have to play $12,500 through the slot machine to earn 2,500 points. But given the payback on the machine, you won’t be out of pocket that full $12,500. After all, you have wins that go to your bankroll to be put back through the machine. Assuming a house edge of 8% on the machine, your expected loss is $1,000.

So to earn enough money for an interior room, it would cost you an expected $1,000 to reach the Prime tier and get that offer. If the house edge is higher, your expected loss increases.
...

The article has a table that breaks down,h ow much would have to be gambled for each type of casino game to reach the free* cruise. * = the cruise is never totally free, and has limits on duration, room, and destination.

 

[Drake3287]

I recently watched a YouTube video on a women who gets almost endless free cruises simply from the points she earns from gambling onboard cruise ships. Looked like you'd have to be a real gambler in order to get these perks though. I can think of better things to do on a cruise ship than spending hours at a table gambling. I believe she also lost just as much as she won so in the long run is it really a free cruse?

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I recently watched a YouTube video on a women who gets almost endless free cruises simply from the points she earns from gambling onboard cruise ships. Looked like you'd have to be a real gambler in order to get these perks though. I can think of better things to do on a cruise ship than spending hours at a table gambling. I believe she also lost just as much as she won so in the long run is it really a free cruse?

This is what I think too. I would think one does not get much for free. So I expect those who brag about getting their cruise cabins free end up paying for them in the long (or short) run.

Thanks Cathy63 and Jollystomper for the details that I asked for in my OP.

We do like cruising, but no gambling, especially in smoky casinos, I wish they would ban smoking on cruise ships period, but especially in the Casinos. As any location within 50 feet of a casino always has an odor from them. I am allergic to cigarette smoke so it makes me really uncomfortable after an hour or so in a bar that is close to a casino.

 

[mystang52]

I also don't gamble, so would not want to do what us necessary to get that supposed free cruise. My understanding is that the "free" cruise still requires you to pay the port fees and taxes. And I presume one has to gamble that much more to qualify for more than a free indoor cabin. Finally, unless one enjoys gambling the time spent in the casino is indeed another significant "cost."

 

[Aerides]

especially in smoky casinos, I wish they would ban smoking on cruise ships period, but especially in the Casinos. As any location within 50 feet of a casino always has an odor from them. I am allergic to cigarette smoke do it makes me really uncomfortable after an hour or so in a bar that is close to a casino.

That's why I hate Vegas. 50 feet? Man, I can smell it on my clothes just from going across the lobby to the elevator, and it travels up as well.

A cruise I'm about to go on has no casino, but they do have a humidor which is the only area on the ship where smoke is permitted. It's mainly designed to sell cigars but I guess give the folks who would otherwise be rule breakers a place to go. You have to be within 10 feet of the door to it to smell anything, and then nothing anywhere else on board.

 

[ShokWaveRider]

I would like to hear more about cruising and folks personal experiences. (As opposed to those who do not cruise regularly and feel the need to comment for the sake of it).

We have started cruising regularly as in our dotage we have found we basically like it overall. Of course we have opinions about different lines and are in the process of trying different ones, we do have a favourite though.

Should we start a new thread to discuss this? I am not convinced this is the place for such discussions.

 

[jollystomper]

I would like to hear more about cruising and folks personal experiences. (As opposed to those who do not cruise regularly and feel the need to comment for the sake of it).

We have started cruising regularly as in our dotage we have found we basically like it overall. Of course we have opinions about different lines and are in the process of trying different ones, we do have a favourite though.

Should we start a new thread to discuss this? I am not convinced this is the place for such discussions.

A thread for general cruising and experiences - if one does not already exist, I have not searched for that - makes sense to me. We are currently planning to take our first cruise ever in June. We have been watching a lot of YouTube videos on various topics, but as the time draws closer a discussion thread would be helpful.

 

[FIYes]

We enjoy cruising and don’t gamble. The casino is just an annoying smoky area to walk through. I have jokingly said to DH that we are probably on a cruise line “deadbeat” list since we don’t gamble and shop on board.

I recognize that for many people shopping and gambling are what they enjoy. The casinos onboard are busy.

 

[Aerides]

I would like to hear more about cruising and folks personal experiences. (As opposed to those who do not cruise regularly and feel the need to comment for the sake of it).

We have started cruising regularly as in our dotage we have found we basically like it overall. Of course we have opinions about different lines and are in the process of trying different ones, we do have a favourite though.

Should we start a new thread to discuss this? I am not convinced this is the place for such discussions.

If you really want to talk cruises, that's where you go to cruisecritic.

I have started to like cruises, but only small luxury ships with everything included.

 

[Chuckanut]

Professional gambling has the odds stacked against you. I don’t do it.

A while back an Indian owned casino near me ran ads showing happy young people enjoying themselves “where the winners go for fun!” A friend commented that it was very generous of the Tribe to build these fabulous casinos so that they can give we bilagaana a bunch of money.

Casinos owners are great at math, especially probability and statistics. They know that for every dollar put at risk by a big crowd of gamblers, they can pretty much count on keeping a few cents. It adds up.

 

[latexman]

When the casinos turn out the lights, I'll start believing winners boasting how much they won.

 

[PaunchyPirate]

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