The casino can be a hotbed of exciting gaming activity.
You may hear about free cabins, spending money or other promotional items offered on cruise-lines for gamblin at their casinos.
I gamble, in fact when posting this I'm preparing for a free 7 day cruise on the Discovery Princess. We'll chat a bit in this article about "free" and what that can mean.
The most important point I want to make about cruise ship gambling or any gambling is NEVER gamble an amount you can't afford to lose.
A free cruise may be tempting. Your friends on Facebook may tell you how much you have to gamble to receive a casino offer, none of that matters if you can't affort what you might lose. Casinos are in the business of you losing money! Always remember that.
With that said, onboard casinos can be a lot of fun. I really enjoy formal nights, my husband and I dressed to the nines, playing roulette. I feel like I'm in a James Bond movie, with husband's tux and my gown. We gamble because we have fun. I would not recommend gambling to get a cruise perk. You will generally lose more than gain.
Casino perks can be pretty significant. If you are a gambler on a cruise ship you have probably already received perks, if not, some of these hints may help.
Set a Gambling Budget or Limit
If you win, you might reconsider that limit, but don't change that limit in the hopes you might win. It's easy to get caught in the moment. There are lots of ways to manage your casino spending. I use the "envelope" method. I take money out of the envelope for my daily cruise gambling adventure, if I win or if I don't lose it all, I put it back.
When you are playing slots, most lines will convert your funds into electronic currency. I make a concerted effort to cash out every night. This helps me see where I am for the remainder of the trip.
Meet the Casino Host/Hostess
Introduce yourself to the Casino Host/Hostess. Be friendly with your dealers, croupiers, and pit bosses, know their names.
When your seen in the casino over multiple days, you might be rewarded with a small perk. Chocolates, a complimentary specialty dinner, a bottle of champagne. These are some of the first benefits often seen by passengers new to casino perks.
I'm not trying to start controversy here, but I also tip my dealer when I have large payouts. I similarly tip the wait staff on a big win.
Having the whole casino happy you won garners attention and name recognition. It also goes a long way when that same wait staff sees you on deck the next day. Mind you, I'm only tipping a few dollars here and there.
Facebook Groups
I've learned a fair bit about casino comps from facebook groups for that particular cruise line. You will often hear chatter about the minimum "loss" required to secure a free cabin.
My experience has been, unless you have a big win, you will probably lose more than the cost of that cabin to receive the comp. For example, you gamble $10,000 you may get a comped cabin, maybe some spending money. Keep in mind, when you are playing for a cabin, vs. for fun, your wins wind up merely being more "free" money to lose.
Limited Choice or Booking Windows
Comped cruises often come with limited choices, or limited number of days, or very small windows to book or sail. If you are not prepared to book your next cruise within a short time of receiving that comp, or you don't have the PTO to travel in the next few months, the comp becomes worthless. The comped party (you and only you) must sail on the comped cruise, you can't give them away. Keep this in mind!
Brand Comps
Many of the large cruise companies like Carnival and Royal Carribbean have multiple brands. For example Carnival owns Carnival, Princess, Cunard, P & O, Holland America, Costa, etc. On their American brands my comps will sometimes cross brands. I recently received a balcony comp on Princess, but was able to book an inside cabin comp on Carnival.
Actual Cost
Free or Comped cruises really aren't free. Outside the amount you had to gamble to receive the comp, you will usually have to pay for Taxes, Tips, Airfare and other travel expenses. A free cruise for us, resulted in nearly $2000 of costs. Keep this in mind when playing for comps vs. playing for fun. Yes I'm happy I'm going on a comped cruise, but I don't deceive myself into thinking this will happen every time, nor am I prepared to use it.
Other Considerations
I've received a couple of complimentary cruises from gambling. However, you don't have to gamble excessively to become part of that cruise line's gambling club. If you just play a little Keno (only $ .25 to play), but play a little throughout your cruise you may get signed up for Casino discounts. Both my husband and I nearly always have a small amount of Casino Cash, or we've received 50% off selected future cruises, which is a great perk. Typically these types of incentives take less loss ....um ...investment.... and tend to last longer for later bookings.
In closing, gambling with the objective to win a free/comped cruise may not be the wisest choice with your hard earned vacation dollar. Gamble to have fun, make friends, and if the stars align and your comped a cruise, have fun.
Want to discuss more about Cruises/Gambling on your next cruise? Get in touch, we'll help make your next gambling journey a great travel story.
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