robmac330

Newark is also a good option depending on which airline you're flying.

The Florida Beer Company tour in Port Canaveral. We did it last year on Breakaway. $35 got you bus transportation to/from the brewery, a tour, a (conveniently pre-wrapped) pint glass, and 5 free samples. Booked it through NCL. Not sure what time Gem docks in PC, but when Breakaway was there we didn't arrive until 1pm, and with the short time there it was a fun way to get off the ship without dropping too much money on excursions we were sort of "eh" about.

Robmac330, You can tell by now that I LOVE playing craps. There is a website that I play for fun on and it has taught me other things about craps that other people swear by. It's called Wizard of Odds and it has all casino games that you can play for fun. It doesn't cost anything and I play for fun all the time. Some of your questions could probably be answered more in depth by it's question and answer section. I am assuming you are in the good old USA were most of the advertizing on that site is illegal. Play on it and it mighy strengthen your understanding and enjoy your cruise flip

That's actually the site I've been using since I first read the most basic rules of the game. It's great because if I read a new idea and want to try it out I can just play for 20 minutes and see what happens. If an idea works I'll reset my buy-in and try again and see if I can repeat any measure of success.

While I find something weirdly relaxing about table games, the closest casinos to me are 60-90 minutes away (Mohegan Sun and Foxwoods in CT), so Wizard of Odds is great for keeping my mind right on the proper ways to bet..

Robmac330, On the craps tables that I play on, On a $10 min table every bet other than the prop bets (the hardways,craps,yos, horns) all have to be atleast $10. So if you are playing the field that has to be atleast $10. If you are placing the 6 or 8 you want $12 on those bets. Some people that are new to craps might only put $10 on those 6 and 8 place bets but the proper odds are divisible by 6, so 12,18,24,30 and so forth. As I mentioned before if you get a dealer that is looking out for you they will sometimes explain that to you. A $12 place bet on the 6 pays $14 if you had only $10 on it, it would pay 11.66 which wouldn't be possible since they don't even have 50cent chips. Unlike a roulette table each bet is a separate wager again except for the boxes in front of the stick

Good to know these things before I get on board! As I learn I've been limiting my live-action money to the $5 tables, but I'm starting to understand enough of the math and strategy that $10 minimums seem safe. Thanks to you and everyone else who has provided advice, I really do appreciate it.

So in theory playing a $10 pass with 345 odds and placing $12 on 6 and 8, the worst I'm looking at is laying $64 for 4/10 points and $74 for 5/8 points. That's sustainable.

If you're not going to take advantage of max odds on your come bets, place the numbers. Odds are the only bet there is no house advantage on.

 

Sounds like the box person was just an a$$. 20 years in the casino industry as a craps dealer/supervisor and now shift manager you never turn a bet down for the dealer, yes we will make a players bet proper to benefit you, but we can pay anything if it's a tip!

Yeah that one time was just very strange. The box was just very disengaged while the dealer at my end was incredibly friendly. Oh well, that's life.

I guess when it comes to come bets I liked the "insurance" you get against a 7 on Roll 1, but I found an article this morning that told me I'm an idiot because you make no money on that first roll.

So, and this is my "I've only played $5 minimum craps tables" naivete, on a $10 minimum table as I'm laying a $10 pass line bet (since that's always on), I can make $5/$6 place bets and still be OK? Kind of like roulette where a $25 minimum just means I have to have $25 worth of bets spread across the table per spin?

I agree with flip8683, make sure that you have budgeted for your gambling. I told my kids (all in their 20's) to plan what they would be willing to pay for a nice night out, as you are likely to loose it all---so only gamble what the entertainment is worth to you. The idea is to have fun, not be sweating how you are going to pay your bills!

Absolutely, I've been playing Blackjack and Roulette for more than a decade and picked up Craps once I realized it provided me the random chance of something like Roulette paired with the statistical strategy you use in Blackjack, all without House control of the outcome of each play. Any gambling I do comes from money I set aside throughout the year for vacations/entertainment. I also typically have a walk-away number in my mind if it's not my night.

I wonder if you can use your own insulated mug? We (and many others) do that at the all inclusive resorts we have been to and it is great -- the bartender pours right into your mug and it keeps your drink cold while you are lounging in the sun Anyone know if that's ok on the ship, or is it frowned upon?

I suspect for cross-contamination reasons they will not let a bartender fill your mug directly (much like not letting you fill water bottles directly from the tap at the buffet) but there's nothing stopping you from ordering a drink and then transferring it from the cup it comes in to your mug.

I don't know what that boxman was thinking, the casinos I go to allow a dollar bet for the dealers on the pass line. Also you being a newer player if you bet for the dealers they will help you in a good way. Alot of people don't know the amount to put on the numbers when doing a place bet. Dealers, again if they are friendly and helpful will coach you. If everyone's playing with the shooter and winning, you have 8 to 12 brand new friends!! LOL

That's the thing, that same casino I've never had a problem with dollar bets other than that one time. It was kind of a perfect storm: it was only my 4th time playing for real (I practice quite a bit with fun money online), it was the day shift, and the only other two players were non-English speakers. I was pretty sure the boxman was wrong, but I didn't want to push it. The rest of the crew was great so I just tipped them out at the end.

I haven't played much with place bets, I've mostly been playing the Pass with 345 odds and a couple of Come bets with single odds, but it feels inherently wrong to me to play against the shooter.

It appears the Gem makes her 2nd to last run to Bermuda August 30 - September 6, then does Canada/New England cruises (alternating departure ports of Boston and Quebec) for the rest of September. There is a week-long gap (September 27-October 4) where there is no publicly listed cruise but in that time the ship somehow gets from Quebec back to Boston. After another week-long gap from October 11-18, she does return to Bermuda for one final sailing October 18-25.

The 7 Layer Cake at Cagney's on the Dawn had me seriously considering making another reservation just to have dessert! :hearteyes::hearteyes::hearteyes:

I will usually make a bet for the dealers if they are friendly and have somewhat of a personality. If they acknowledge the bet I will continue to make bets for them. It's usually a two way Yo on the comeout after a point is made. Our last cruise in Europe hardly anyonr plays craps, if you are in the Carribbean the tables are played more. Cruises are a great place to learn new casino games. I am sure you have found that craps is the most adicting game around. enjoy your cruise

Good to know, thanks! I'm the same way with tipping, if they are supplementing my enjoyment of the game (especially as a newer player who sometimes makes out-of-place or dumb moves) then I tip.

I typically make a small pass line bet with odds for them but I suppose, while less likely, the two way Yo pays better in the end. Only once did I have a boxman tell me that a crew bet on the Pass still had to meet the table minimum, at which point I said OK and took the bet back entirely. Shooter threw a 3 and that casino lost out on 2 of my hard earned dollars!

Has anyone participated in the single traveler program on the Escape in recent months? I would love to get your review of the plans and activities so as to decide on whether to rely upon the program for my evening activities. I did the single traveler program two years ago, and it was wonderful. Every night we had a reservation to dine as a group in one of the main dining rooms, followed by one of the shows. I didn't need to make reservations on my own. I was able to meet lots of people and then ventured off with some for specialty dining (which I don't think that single diners can reserve). I've heard that the quality of the program depends on the staff member responsible for it, so I'm wondering what recent experiences have been especially in 2018. Thanks!

I certainly agree that the success of the solo passenger gatherings and activities relies on the cruise staff. I haven't been on Escape (yet, leaving on her in 34 days and will report back) but the programming on Breakaway when I sailed solo in 2014 was lackluster. It was a combination of an disengaged staff member and a particularly introverted group of solo cruisers.

As for booking specialty dining, you can make single reservations. In the Dining section of your reservation you can select "1" as the party size for any of the restaurants that allow pre-booking.

And I'm sure you've already seen it, but the Solo Cruisers board on here has a lot of fantastic information and I'm sure has a higher percentage of people who have sailed solo on Escape (or other -away class ships) and can talk about the solo programs

Maybe the “joke” is not for you. The package works great for most.

Agreed. What I end up doing is buying one of their water packages and either using OBC from booking perks (returning cruiser, onboard spend, etc.) or load some on ahead of time to pay for my Red Bull (not a coffee or Pepsi person, so it's my caffeine lifeblood on cruises) so everything feels "included" once I'm on board.

After searching through the threads, and since I never take anything I consider "normal" for granted when it comes to at-sea casinos: Is tipping the crew in Craps in the form of "dealer bets" allowed in NCL casinos?

I've learned to play Craps over the past 6 months or so, but this will be my first time on a cruise since then so I was wondering if anyone can shed some light on this.

We hit a bit of a standstill going into downtown Miami and the we did not pay anything additional than what was quoted. We sat there for probably 10-15 minutes getting off the Expressway. This was in December on a Friday night.

So this had been bugging me ever since I read it yesterday since I take uber at least 1-2x per week and had never thought to look.

The consensus at work was that since Uber has traffic tracking technology they use to route their drivers, they use that and factor traffic that exists when the request is made into the price and only add a waiting fee when you take forever to get out to the car once it arrives, if you make an unplanned stop, or if you hit traffic that has cropped up since you made the request.

Incredibly scientific research on my part, if you ask me. **sits at the aft of the ship, waiting for his Nobel Prize to arrive**

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Have you spent much time in Miami? Asking because there is quite a bit to do, just not directly at the Biscayne Bay. We've stayed there and it's a great hotel, but...

 

We spent a day post-cruise last year, and actually did a HOHO, which I normally loathe, but this one was pretty good. If you've done the art deco district at Miami Beach, that's probably not a great recommendation, for instance. (If not, head over there; you don't actually have to go to the beach itself if you're not a beach person.)

I have family in the area (specifically North Beach) and have done the Art Deco district, but they'll be out of town this time so I chose the hotel for the proximity to PoM.

Overall Wynwood and some of my original plans seem to be the winner. Thanks all!

As for Publix subs, I've typically had them after having a few, so in my mind they're still good!

I'm heading out on Escape on 3/17, flying into MIA the morning before. Assuming I can check my bag with Bell Services at the hotel, does anyone have any recommendations for things to do around that area?

So far all I've got on my list is:

- Perez Art Museum

- Laser Rock Shows at the Science Center Friday Night

- Get a sub from Publix (because, well, Florida)

Not really a "head to the beach" person, but would love to hear if anyone has good recommendations for Cuban food, any breweries in the area, or other art/culture stuff I may have missed!

So, if they run into a typical Florida standstill jam, the meter keeps on like a taxi but just at a lesser rate? So, stuck for 15-30 minutes, could be $15-30 more?

I actually just learned something by reading the fine print. Uber gives you a price up front, and if you don’t hit a standstill that’s the price you’ll pay. For each minute you wait, you’re on the hook for those charges. But as it was mentioned, they’re relatively minor.

I just put in MIA to POM and got the following:

UberPool: $8.53 with a $.20/minute wait charge

UberX: $14.24 with a $.23/minute wait

UberXL: $42.38 with a $.30/minute wait

UberLux: $50.57 with a $.40/minute wait

UberLux SUV: $90.18 with an $.80/minute wait

So if you were in an UberX and sat in 30 minutes of traffic you would pay $21.14

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Yea - looked at that option, just trying to avoid bouncing all over the place and get something direct from a Disney Hotel to the ship...

Understood, figured it at least got you heading in the correct direction towards the port, even if you did have to stop off at the airport.

Another option is a service like Uber, which the estimator I use thinks would run anywhere from $70 (UberX) to $120 (UberXL). Depending on how many people you have, it could be competitive with the $20/person you'll pay for Cortrans, with (at least personally) any difference in price being the cost of using a direct point-to-point service.

I found them earlier - doesn't list the Disney hotels as options.

If you're staying at a Disney hotel you can take the Magical Express back to MCO and get a Cortrans shuttle from there.

Disappointing...Is there a bar onboard the Dawn that is usually more lively around 5pm?

When I sailed on Dawn in August, Gatsby's always had some kind of live pre-dinner music going on and a pretty good crowd, just not the flashy bartenders you were hoping for.

The Florida Departures board on here has great tips and tricks for finding hotels, definitely worth checking out!

Just realized I posted about the Florida Departures board IN the Florida Departures board...

...I'll see myself out

Thanks for the info! Found a great rate on a flight into Miami the morning before. Better safe than sorry. Now to find a hotel!

The Florida Departures board on here has great tips and tricks for finding hotels, definitely worth checking out!

So if they hit a traffic jam, the meter doesn't keep running like a taxi?

Correct, once you enter your pickup and destination you are quoted a price.

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The Uber and Lyft Sites provide a fare estimator.

 

For basic Uber-X $31.00 to $42.00.

 

For basic Lyft $35.00

 

My experience is that the estimators are pretty good.

 

Keith

Agreed, since the estimator uses Uber's actual fare schedule and mapping, the only reason you would expect the price to be significantly higher is if they entered surge pricing. It's also nice that when you officially request a ride it gives you a locked-in price, as opposed to a cab driver who may "accidentally" miss your turn so you have to go loop around and try again.