NCL Pearl question

Hello,

My BF and I each received a free cruise through the total rewards program. We are booked to sail 3/31-4/7. I know we will be getting the drink card and players card in our rooms once we arrive, but I was curious if anyone knows if we get priority boarding on and off the ship.

Also, for a first time cruiser who loves to gamble- how much should money should we allot per day? I know this is a personal preference question but I am wondering if others could share a range so we have an idea of how much cash to bring.

Thanks!

I'll be on the Gem departing in 2 days for a 9 night cruise. I typically bring around $150 to $200 per day for the casino. My game is craps and usually on the first night I play very conservatively to try to preserve my bankroll. Lets say that I don't lose any money for the first 2 nights, this results in having more available for the remaining nights.

I don't know if this makes any sense but I find that it usually takes me a few days to get acclimated to a new craps table that I haven't played on before.

Dicenator

I was on the Pearl in October sailing on a "free" trip through a Harrah's TR/CAS promotion. I did not see any priority embarkation lines, but we got there around 1030-11am, and didn't need any priority line because the wait was so short to begin with.

If this is your first cruise, don't spend all your time in your casino. They tell you that you can't leave the casino with your free drinks, but you can very easily and everyone does it so don't feel like you have to be there. Make sure you take plenty of singles for tips though. Also, I found the drink service in the casino to be deplorable - to get a server's attention you have to be almost rude. Walking up to the bar and getting a drink was the easiest way. Unlike most casinos, you do not have to be gambling to get the free drinks. Once you have the card, you get the free drinks - so enjoy them!

That being said, of the 7 ships I've been on, I think the Pearl casino was the smallest and with the least amount of gaming options. It wasn't very fun to be honest (but maybe that's just my wallet talking!). Just make sure you don't have very high expectations... there's enough to do for some time, but there's so much on the ship to take part on you need to make sure you enjoy your vacation - you can gamble anywhere, but you're only on a ship once a year (or more for some of us!). The Pearl is one of my favorite ships though - just not the casino itself.

I agree with Dicenator about the cash to bring, but because the casino is so small... if you're not winning you don't have too many other options so you might not go through as much money. There is an ATM in the casino, but it was broken for most of the week I was on board. You can also withdraw cash from the casino cage from your sail and sign card (or whatever it's called). They charge a 3% fee to do this (because people would withdraw cash for other things, not the gamble). Still, that's not a huge amount in the long run if you have to withdraw cash a few times here and there. Considering it's being charged to your credit card (and it goes on as a regular entertainment charge), it's a heck of a lot better than a credit card cash advance fee!

I will say with regards to slots, it's been my experience that they pay better on the first few nights and then don't pay as well. I know that's an urban legend, but in general it's the way it's seemingly worked for me. I did, however, win $7500 on one of my last nights on Carnival in September ... very glad it wasn't at the beginning of the cruise or else I wouldn't have come home with any of my winnings!!

GOOD LUCK!!