Bingo on Board

[rugbypopsie]

I know it sounds a bit picky but am I the only one who thinks that the cost of bingo is too high and the prizes too low? I am interested in comparing Princess to P & O and the other ships.

 

On the Diamond a single card was $10USD a triple $20 and a six pack $30 with a bonus jackpot game but you could only use it the next day 4 games in total.

 

The prizes did not vary $100 USD for 1st game then 2, 3, then the jackpot game started at an impossibly low 48 numbers and the consolation was $400 if the jackpot did not go off. Some days there were two games held and we had lots of sea days however the jackpot had only got to $3000 for the last day and the numbers needed barely went down each day it was still 53 I think before the last day.

 

I know it is our own choice to gamble but this seems a pretty poor return compared to the huge bingo prizes I remember from earlier cruising days.. Bingo is part of my cruise ritual or at least always has been....

 

Next cruise I am going to save my money and spend it on something tangible and only succumb to temptation on the last day.

 

 

[paul929207]

Bingo is a profit center for the cruise lines. That is why the make such a spectacle of it.

[thied]

I know it sounds a bit picky but am I the only one who thinks that the cost of bingo is too high and the prizes too low? I am interested in comparing Princess to P & O and the other ships.

 

On the Diamond a single card was $10USD a triple $20 and a six pack $30 with a bonus jackpot game but you could only use it the next day 4 games in total.

 

The prizes did not vary $100 USD for 1st game then 2, 3, then the jackpot game started at an impossibly low 48 numbers and the consolation was $400 if the jackpot did not go off. Some days there were two games held and we had lots of sea days however the jackpot had only got to $3000 for the last day and the numbers needed barely went down each day it was still 53 I think before the last day.

 

I know it is our own choice to gamble but this seems a pretty poor return compared to the huge bingo prizes I remember from earlier cruising days.. Bingo is part of my cruise ritual or at least always has been....

 

Next cruise I am going to save my money and spend it on something tangible and only succumb to temptation on the last day.

 

 

 

more and more seem to be playing bingo and the prize money seems to be getting smaller.

 

on our last cruise with P&O they played two times a day on sea days and there was enough people playing to fill the show lounge and the dome on every game, one would have thought the jack pot would have been huge as it did not go off till the last day, and was not every big.

 

are P&O trying to make more profit from bingo like they are on every thing else.

or does the removal of auto tipping have some thing to do this,

or was auto tipping realy given to the people that P&O said it was for,

or was the auto tipping put into P&O's pot of profit.

[Shiprobbo]

are P&O trying to make more profit from bingo like they are on every thing else.

or does the removal of auto tipping have some thing to do this,

or was auto tipping realy given to the people that P&O said it was for,

or was the auto tipping put into P&O's pot of profit.

 

Thied,

 

How about we don't make this another reason to attack P&O just for the sake of it and push what appears to be your latest agenda.

 

If you took the time to read Livingstone's review of ROS you would have noticed that Bingo games aboard her are $US32 a game, significantly more than with P&O or Princess. Now, it would be more relevant to compare the prizes between RCCL, P&O, Princess, HAL, etc against the initial cost for a card, i.e. compare the return on your investment.

 

All,

 

Over the years I do agree that the prizes appear to have reduced, however I think this may be an operational change. I believe (but am not certain), that while the Bingo on P&O and Princess ships is run by the cruise staff, the ultimate responsibility and administration is through the Casino who have the concession for all gambling on board. The concession operator (which is not the cruise line) has a contract to provide the gambling services, this includes staff etc. In return it seeks to make a profit from its operation. This is different to the way Bingo operated years ago where it was run by the cruise staff as a completely seperate operation from the casino, then it was not run as a revenue source and thus basically all the revenue was returned to players as prizes, except for a small percentage that went to marine charities.

 

The operation of concessions on ships is nothing new. Shops have been concessions for years, as are the art auctions. Fairstar operated a branch of ANZ Bank on board for many years, the photographers and beauty salons are all concessions, so rather than being a source of revenue and profit for the cruise line, they are a source of revenue and profit for their owners, be it Steiners, Alders, etc, etc.

 

So Thied, the price of Bingo has nothing to do with removal of auto tipping, or anything else. As for making a profit, well of course P&O and anyother cruise line looks to make a profit, it is why they are in business, the more profit they make the more they are likely to invest in market development, conversely the less they make the more likely they are to redeploy vessels into more profitable markets.

 

Merry Christmas

[sheridan318]

This year we have been on the pacific dawn and rhapsody of the seas, and can assure you that the pay outs on p&o is definatly the better of the two.

I love to play bingo but on rhapsody the tickets were really expensive and the payouts very poor, so I voted with my feet same as quite a few other passengers that I spoke to.

At the end of the day its are decision if we play or not, I decided not to

Jacquie

[lizzy77]

Hi Rugbypopsie/Sue. Welcome home. Looking forward to reading your review.

I like to play bingo on the ship but the last couple of cruises I only went when they had the big prizes as I think it is quite a ripoff. On the Rhapsody I didn't play at all as not only was it $30 US but at that time we were getting .61c to the US $.

Perhaps if a few more people talked with their feet the cruise-lines will get the message.

[pacificlover]

I only played bingo when on P&O, as I thought Princess, MSC, Carnival all had cards too expensive, returns were poor, and the games did not run as long. Each game was only for one line, or maybe two in different directions, instead of full cards as in the old days. $US30 for a short period of entertainment. Does the jackpot still end up around $7,000 plus on P&O?? I've not sailed with them for a few years.

[Forever dreaming]

My last cruise on P & O had the bingo running at over $10,000 on the last day and only an 8 night cruise too. There were some fairly big last game prizes on the earlier days as well. I love playing bingo with P&O -entertaining and you can win big money but I was very disappointed with the bingo when I was on Rhapsody.

 

Have a great christmas everyone,

 

Fiona

:)

[rugbypopsie]

My last cruise on P & O had the bingo running at over $10,000 on the last day and only an 8 night cruise too. There were some fairly big last game prizes on the earlier days as well. I love playing bingo with P&O -entertaining and you can win big money but I was very disappointed with the bingo when I was on Rhapsody.

 

Have a great christmas everyone,

 

Fiona

:)

That's what I thought I remembered P and O were a lot more generous. I thought $3000 prize at the end of a 17 night cruise which had nearly two weeks of sea days was pretty ordinary I realise cruising is cheaper (by comparison) than when I started and I realise they have to make a profit where they can. ... The other poster was right. Bingo is presented by the entertainment team but is run and owned by the Casino.

[happyholiday]

I have only sailed with P&O and love the bingo,i normally play just the three cards i think its about $20 and the jackpot has always been generous, the last cruise this year i played a one off game for $10 a ticket and won $2000 so i was cheering.

[victravellers]

I agree, the prizes do not seem to justify the cost. My last few cruises on Princess ships have been around 30 days and while I love bingo, $30 a hit for 4 games is awfully excessive. I was limiting my bingo on the ships to a couple of games a week, but on my last cruise I only played twice in the whole 30 days. I can play at home for $39 dollars and I play around 50 games for that money and can collect minimum $50 and up to $1000 on a few games. (and they make a nice profit)

This was the first time on Princess that they were struggling to get people to play. On the jackpot day $3000 there were lucky to be 100 people, certainly not the full house that you normally see.

So I think people are voting with there wallets and until something changes I do not think I will be playing much bingo. :(

On P&O however the price was the same but the prizes were much better.

The theatre was regularly full and on a nine day cruise the jackpot was around $8000. Maybe Princess should take a lesson from P & O.

[thied]

Thied,

 

How about we don't make this another reason to attack P&O just for the sake of it and push what appears to be your latest agenda.

 

If you took the time to read Livingstone's review of ROS you would have noticed that Bingo games aboard her are $US32 a game, significantly more than with P&O or Princess. Now, it would be more relevant to compare the prizes between RCCL, P&O, Princess, HAL, etc against the initial cost for a card, i.e. compare the return on your investment.

 

All,

 

Over the years I do agree that the prizes appear to have reduced, however I think this may be an operational change. I believe (but am not certain), that while the Bingo on P&O and Princess ships is run by the cruise staff, the ultimate responsibility and administration is through the Casino who have the concession for all gambling on board. The concession operator (which is not the cruise line) has a contract to provide the gambling services, this includes staff etc. In return it seeks to make a profit from its operation. This is different to the way Bingo operated years ago where it was run by the cruise staff as a completely seperate operation from the casino, then it was not run as a revenue source and thus basically all the revenue was returned to players as prizes, except for a small percentage that went to marine charities.

 

The operation of concessions on ships is nothing new. Shops have been concessions for years, as are the art auctions. Fairstar operated a branch of ANZ Bank on board for many years, the photographers and beauty salons are all concessions, so rather than being a source of revenue and profit for the cruise line, they are a source of revenue and profit for their owners, be it Steiners, Alders, etc, etc.

 

So Thied, the price of Bingo has nothing to do with removal of auto tipping, or anything else. As for making a profit, well of course P&O and anyother cruise line looks to make a profit, it is why they are in business, the more profit they make the more they are likely to invest in market development, conversely the less they make the more likely they are to redeploy vessels into more profitable markets.

 

Merry Christmas

 

your Quote. (How about we don't make this another reason to attack P&O just for the sake of it and push what appears to be your latest agenda.)

 

It was not an attack on P&O just an opinion thats all.

 

Why do feel you have the right to attack me?

 

I am allowed like every one else on here to have an opinion........

 

as for bingo it was once a non profit game on the ship. as is the horse racing.. thats with P&O. and the casino has all ways handled the bingo cards so no one could forge them and that is a fact.

in recent times it semms that bingo is very profitable for the cruise lines and hence lower prize money.

 

Love Thied

[Shiprobbo]

It was not an attack on P&O just an opinion thats all.

 

Why do feel you have the right to attack me?

 

I am allowed like every one else on here to have an opinion........

 

are P&O trying to make more profit from bingo like they are on every thing else.

or does the removal of auto tipping have some thing to do this,

or was auto tipping realy given to the people that P&O said it was for,

or was the auto tipping put into P&O's pot of profit.

 

Thied,

I am not attacking you. You made a statement which frankly was irrelevant in the context of the original posters comments. Perhaps if you could have explained why the removal of auto-tipping and the policy of who gets the tips related to the increasing cost of Bingo, then there would have been no need for me to respond - of course you didn't do this and hence my comment! Now, with the benefit of comments from other posters we have established that P&O probably has the lowest cost and best prizes for Bingo, so the point is moot anyway.

 

You may have guessed that I am not a fan of inflamatory and uninformed comment. Reading some of your comments recently you seem to have an opinion that cruise staff are not paid by the cruise line and rely completely on their tips - of course you cannot substantiate this comment because it is simply not true. Such action would be against international maritime law. Lets stick with the original subject.

[thied]

The question was(I know it is our own choice to gamble but this seems a pretty poor return compared to the huge bingo prizes I remember from earlier cruising days.. Bingo is part of my cruise ritual or at least always has been....

 

 

more and more seem to be playing bingo and the prize money seems to be getting smaller.

 

on our last cruise with P&O they played two times a day on sea days and there was enough people playing to fill the show lounge and the dome on every game, one would have thought the jack pot would have been huge as it did not go off till the last day, and was not every big.

 

are P&O trying to make more profit from bingo like they are on every thing else.

or does the removal of auto tipping have some thing to do this,

or was auto tipping realy given to the people that P&O said it was for,

or was the auto tipping put into P&O's pot of profit.

 

Thied,

I am not attacking you. You made a statement which frankly was irrelevant in the context of the original posters comments. Perhaps if you could have explained why the removal of auto-tipping and the policy of who gets the tips related to the increasing cost of Bingo, then there would have been no need for me to respond - of course you didn't do this and hence my comment! Now, with the benefit of comments from other posters we have established that P&O probably has the lowest cost and best prizes for Bingo, so the point is moot anyway.

 

You may have guessed that I am not a fan of inflamatory and uninformed comment. Reading some of your comments recently you seem to have an opinion that cruise staff are not paid by the cruise line and rely completely on their tips - of course you cannot substantiate this comment because it is simply not true. Such action would be against international maritime law. Lets stick with the original subject.

 

wish you would Lets stick with the original subject and stop attacking me.

 

YOU have made this comment (Reading some of your comments recently you seem to have an opinion that cruise staff are not paid by the cruise line and rely completely on their tips - of course you cannot substantiate this comment because it is simply not true.)

 

witch is totaly un true.

and if you had read it I Said that Paul Hancox tried to tell us that and my Quote reads some think like this

Paul Hancox: said on stage in the show room on our last cruise.

Quote: This is P&O's first cruise with out auto tipping and the dinning room waiters and the cbain staff do not get paid and that to remember to tip them because thats all they get paid end Quote.

 

I said that his stated was un true so I would say to you to read what I posted a little better please.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1291647&page=3

this only one of the times I have said some thing about what Paul there are many more posts from me about what he said.

 

merry xmas

Love thied

[Shiprobbo]

 

wish you would Lets stick with the original subject and stop attacking me.

 

Thied,

 

Yeh, ok whatever.....

[The_Big_M]

If you took the time to read Livingstone's review of ROS you would have noticed that Bingo games aboard her are $US32 a game, significantly more than with P&O or Princess.

 

To clarify, the amount is only fractionally more than Princess quoted above. The price is $32 for a 6 game (x 4) ticket, or $22 for a 3 game (x 4) ticket. They also have some variations such as children get 1 game for free with the above.