? Cabin Crawl and Poker experiences?

[Susie51]

Anyone have any good or bad experiences to share?

 

Would you do it again?

[my_crib_too]

I've been on two cabin crawls. One was great, fun people, lots of laughs. The other one was not as much fun. I wouldn't attend a third NCL cabin crawl but if I ever go on a non-NCL cruise, I would consider going on one. I've never been on a non-NCL ship before.

[Susie51]

Thank you for your reply, my crib too. What made the other one not as much fun?

[valleyvillage]

Ours was a lot of fun. The folks who hosted their cabins were just wonderful!

 

Some pax had snax, some champagne, really sweet.

 

We did the poker draw, which added some spice...the couple who set up the whole crawl made really nice name tags with a color photo of the Star and our names. They had the DOS, which was where the crawl ended.

 

Wonderful little cocktails in chocolate shot glasses with alcohol infused whipped cream! Whoa!

 

Our host won the poker hand and graciously bowed out, didn't feel it was right since they had set it up.

 

All in all, a wonderful time was had by all.

[SuiteCruisin14]

Anyone have any good or bad experiences to share?

 

Would you do it again?

 

Went on the Jade last Fall and had both a cabin crawl and a slot pull, both organized by me. It was my first time doing this and I learned a few things. We had a blast with both because we had all been on CC for months and felt like we knew each other. The Cabin Crawl had 8 cabins of different types so everyone was able to see what they looked like. It was fun and most of the hosts had snax or wine to share.

The slot pull had 12 people and we were hooting and holloring like crazy. I arranged this with the slot host but on retrospect, I would have just shown up, picked a machine and had us all play.

 

I would do the Cabin Crawl again if there were cabins I had not seen. I will always sign up for the slot pull.

 

Hope this helps

 

Lynda

[Susie51]

Went on the Jade last Fall and had both a cabin crawl and a slot pull, both organized by me. It was my first time doing this and I learned a few things. We had a blast with both because we had all been on CC for months and felt like we knew each other. The Cabin Crawl had 8 cabins of different types so everyone was able to see what they looked like. It was fun and most of the hosts had snax or wine to share.

The slot pull had 12 people and we were hooting and holloring like crazy. I arranged this with the slot host but on retrospect, I would have just shown up, picked a machine and had us all play.

 

I would do the Cabin Crawl again if there were cabins I had not seen. I will always sign up for the slot pull.

 

Hope this helps

 

Lynda

 

How is the slot pull organized?

[peg013]

Went on the Jade last Fall and had both a cabin crawl and a slot pull, both organized by me. It was my first time doing this and I learned a few things. We had a blast with both because we had all been on CC for months and felt like we knew each other. The Cabin Crawl had 8 cabins of different types so everyone was able to see what they looked like. It was fun and most of the hosts had snax or wine to share.

The slot pull had 12 people and we were hooting and holloring like crazy. I arranged this with the slot host but on retrospect, I would have just shown up, picked a machine and had us all play.

I would do the Cabin Crawl again if there were cabins I had not seen. I will always sign up for the slot pull.

 

Hope this helps

 

Lynda

 

Never hurts to coordinate with the Casino Host/Hostess. They gave us two bottles of sparkling wine for our top two winners of our Slot Pull on the Jewel last month.

 

To the other person that asked how the Slot Pull is run....the way we did it was everyone put in $21 and that gave each person 7 pulls each. ($3.00 each pull on the Wheel of Fortune $1.00 machine.) After everyone gets their 7 pulls, you have to decide to stop and cash out or keep on going. (Majority rules) On the Gem we stopped and each got $16 back...on the Jewel we decided to keep playing until finally about an hour or so later we had lost it all. (But we sure had fun doing it) I then let the Casino Hostess know we were done and she secured two bottles for the top two winners. (Even though we didn't cash those winnings in) I made up a spreadsheet to keep track of the pulls and how much each person "won" during their pulls.

[cabincop]

Lyndaaaaaaaaa hi hun OMG Lynda and I had so much fun on the slot pull thingy and the casino it was crazy I guess the cabin crawl is what you put into it. If you want to see differnt cabin types it's good also it's just nice hangin with my fellow cc'ers Lyndaaaaaaaaaaaa chest bump:Dlol

[Susie51]

Peg013, thank you for your help. It sounds like a lot of fun.

[rjscott]

I've only done one cabin crawl and it was on our last cruise, on the Star. It was a great deal of fun, mostly due to the organizers and the cabin hosts. Besides being a fun way to see other cabin categories, it's one more way to connect with your roll call buddies after the Meet & Greet.

[che5904]

Never hurts to coordinate with the Casino Host/Hostess. They gave us two bottles of sparkling wine for our top two winners of our Slot Pull on the Jewel last month.

 

To the other person that asked how the Slot Pull is run....the way we did it was everyone put in $21 and that gave each person 7 pulls each. ($3.00 each pull on the Wheel of Fortune $1.00 machine.) After everyone gets their 7 pulls, you have to decide to stop and cash out or keep on going. (Majority rules) On the Gem we stopped and each got $16 back...on the Jewel we decided to keep playing until finally about an hour or so later we had lost it all. (But we sure had fun doing it) I then let the Casino Hostess know we were done and she secured two bottles for the top two winners. (Even though we didn't cash those winnings in) I made up a spreadsheet to keep track of the pulls and how much each person "won" during their pulls.

 

Very good explanation Peg.

 

Neither one of my sails had anything but the M&G and a gift exchange. Besides seeing other categories of cabins what exactly happens in a cabin crawl. Thanks Valleyvillage for the input of snacks and drinks along the way and I know some are combined with a poker run. But otherwise do you just walk about the ship going to everyones cabin to have a peek? And if you are walking around the ship looking at everyone else's who is going to let them into yours?

[agabbymama]

Very good explanation Peg.

 

Neither one of my sails had anything but the M&G and a gift exchange. Besides seeing other categories of cabins what exactly happens in a cabin crawl. Thanks Valleyvillage for the input of snacks and drinks along the way and I know some are combined with a poker run. But otherwise do you just walk about the ship going to everyones cabin to have a peek? And if you are walking around the ship looking at everyone else's who is going to let them into yours?

 

I was on the same cruise as Valleyvillage and rjscott. We stayed together as a group, and when one cabin was exited the hosts tagged along to the rest of the cabins. It was a lot of fun seeing the different level of cabins. I would love to be able to afford the two bedroom family suite, but alas we had an aft balcony (that lots of the folks really loved our balcony). We also included a poker draw (you picked up a card, in an envelope to deter cheating/swapping cards) then at the end in the host cabin we opened the envelopes. As Valleyvillage stated, the host actually had the best hand, but declined the win, so I won with the second best hand.

 

We also did a slot pull, gift exchange at the Meet & Greet and a Specialty Dinner at Cagney's to celebrate a few birthdays. A lot of CC members were invited to a Bridge Tour, and Dinner with the Captain. We had a blast meeting all the CC members and continuing to see them throughout the cruise. We had done Meet & Greets on previous cruises, but this was the first time to have all the extra activities. It sure made our cruise (we had some rain, wind, high seas and canceled port) so the cruise would have been a bummer without the CC group activities.

[che5904]

I was on the same cruise as Valleyvillage and rjscott. We stayed together as a group, and when one cabin was exited the hosts tagged along to the rest of the cabins. It was a lot of fun seeing the different level of cabins. I would love to be able to afford the two bedroom family suite, but alas we had an aft balcony (that lots of the folks really loved our balcony). We also included a poker draw (you picked up a card, in an envelope to deter cheating/swapping cards) then at the end in the host cabin we opened the envelopes. As Valleyvillage stated, the host actually had the best hand, but declined the win, so I won with the second best hand.

 

We also did a slot pull, gift exchange at the Meet & Greet and a Specialty Dinner at Cagney's to celebrate a few birthdays. A lot of CC members were invited to a Bridge Tour, and Dinner with the Captain. We had a blast meeting all the CC members and continuing to see them throughout the cruise. We had done Meet & Greets on previous cruises, but this was the first time to have all the extra activities. It sure made our cruise (we had some rain, wind, high seas and canceled port) so the cruise would have been a bummer without the CC group activities.

 

Sounds like a very active roll call. Here's hoping my next cruise has an active and exciting roll call.

[jdvmd]

The only time that we have had a poker cabin crawl was this past April on the Celebrity Summit. Each cabin host provided a drink/food item from their home state. Some even provided souveniers including engraved pencils with "Summit Cabin Crawl, April 2011." We used the pencils to write down our answers for the "Name the Island Where this Sand Came From" contest. It was a very port intensive cruise with only one sea day and that was the last day of the cruise. It was a lot of fun. We also played poker getting one card as you exited the cabin. Great way to see a lot of cabins in a short amount of time.

[SuiteCruisin14]

Lyndaaaaaaaaa hi hun OMG Lynda and I had so much fun on the slot pull thingy and the casino it was crazy I guess the cabin crawl is what you put into it. If you want to see differnt cabin types it's good also it's just nice hangin with my fellow cc'ers Lyndaaaaaaaaaaaa chest bump:Dlol

 

Hi Maria, So good to hear from you, yes we did have fun and some stories....Well what happens in Europe, should stay in Europe. LOL

Sailing on the Jewel 12-10-11, couldn't resist the price, wish you were, too.

 

Lynda

[Susie51]

Agabbymama, thank you for sharing with us. Was this one of your favorite cruises?

[ForSharonB]

Never hurts to coordinate with the Casino Host/Hostess. They gave us two bottles of sparkling wine for our top two winners of our Slot Pull on the Jewel last month.

 

To the other person that asked how the Slot Pull is run....the way we did it was everyone put in $21 and that gave each person 7 pulls each. ($3.00 each pull on the Wheel of Fortune $1.00 machine.) After everyone gets their 7 pulls, you have to decide to stop and cash out or keep on going. (Majority rules) On the Gem we stopped and each got $16 back...on the Jewel we decided to keep playing until finally about an hour or so later we had lost it all. (But we sure had fun doing it) I then let the Casino Hostess know we were done and she secured two bottles for the top two winners. (Even though we didn't cash those winnings in) I made up a spreadsheet to keep track of the pulls and how much each person "won" during their pulls.

 

Hi PEG!

I was selected to organize a slot pull. I want it to be fun and run as smoothly as possible. Can you tell me what you had on your spreadsheet? Also how did your players put in their money? DID YOU COLLECT IT AHEAD OF TIME, or did EACH PERSON PUT THE MONEY IN BEFORE you started the pull?

Also, I know several players have signed up for a SLOTPLAYCOUPON.COM. Did any of your players us those credits for putting up their monies?

 

THANKS MUCH FOR ANY INSIGHTS YOU CAN SHARE!

[candydane]

I've done several cabin crawls and they're fun get togethers on a sea day and give everyone a chance to see various categories of cabins.

 

Some of the technical things:

• The coordinator needs to "pre-plot" the travel route to minimize up & down between floors and trips fore & aft on the ship.
  
• Coordinator should announce the next cabin and then ask that cabin's "owners" to lead the group. They can open the cabin for the group and then wait until everyone's done to close up their cabin and follow the group to the next cabin. Repeat at each cabin.
  
• Coordinator should bring up the rear of the group to help any stragglers who may get separated.
  
• Give everyone the option of taking an elevator or the stairs & then meet on the right deck before heading for the cabin.
  
• It's not necessary to offer food or drinks, which can be expensive and awkward in smaller cabins. People are more likely to share their cabin if they don't have to worry about the hassle and expense of serving food and drink.
  
• Depending on how many cabin crawlers, people will often need to wait in the hallway and go into the cabin as others come out.
  
• Try to keep the group moving from cabin to cabin. Many people will have other ship activities they want to attend.
  
• End at a location where whoever wants can stay and visit. I've always ended in our suite but a cabin near a bar area would work too.
  
• Someone besides the cabin crawl coordinator can run the poker draw to help things run smoothly.
  

 

I'm sure there are lots of other ideas that make this a good activity for cc roll calls.

[mpk218]

The cabin crawls can be great fun and we have always had our suite on the list when someone has organized one.. Until the "last time' , apparently one couple had such a good time they showed up at our door almost every day of the cruise just to see whats up.:eek:

I did not want to be rude and somewhere along the way they got the idea we were'nt looking for travel partners.

Oh well they are fun just change the cabin number after the crawl :D

[Clay Clayton]

We had both on our recent cruise. Both were lots of fun. One of our CCers organized both. She asked for volunteers and we ended up with all cabin types except an outside and an Owner's Suite. She set the route and had preprinted it on sheets for everyone who particpated. We ended up in one of the larger cabins and some stayed for a bit and some went on to lunch. We did it immediatley following our Meet and Greet.

 

The slot pull was held on our last Sea day and like someone else mentioned, she had arranged it with the Casino Manager who donated a bottle of bubbly for the winner. Everyone put in $15 cash - she collected it as we arrrived and then fed it into the $5 machine. She had bought (at the dollar store she said) braclets like you get at a concert. She put those on us and then everyone rotated through and pulled 3 times or some combination that resulted in $15. We preset rules that said we would keep playing until we either had no money or had won enough that we could each pull out our inital $15. We ended up spending about 45 minutes spending our money without any big win...but it was fun. I think it would be hard to use the voucher - it was pretty easy with cash. We did put the card of a Canadian in just in case we won BIG...we understood that the Casino didn't pull out the tax on them...it was up to them to report it. Figured would be easier that way.

[jdvmd]

We had both on our recent cruise. Both were lots of fun. One of our CCers organized both. She asked for volunteers and we ended up with all cabin types except an outside and an Owner's Suite. She set the route and had preprinted it on sheets for everyone who particpated. We ended up in one of the larger cabins and some stayed for a bit and some went on to lunch. We did it immediatley following our Meet and Greet.

 

The slot pull was held on our last Sea day and like someone else mentioned, she had arranged it with the Casino Manager who donated a bottle of bubbly for the winner. Everyone put in $15 cash - she collected it as we arrrived and then fed it into the $5 machine. She had bought (at the dollar store she said) braclets like you get at a concert. She put those on us and then everyone rotated through and pulled 3 times or some combination that resulted in $15. We preset rules that said we would keep playing until we either had no money or had won enough that we could each pull out our inital $15. We ended up spending about 45 minutes spending our money without any big win...but it was fun. I think it would be hard to use the voucher - it was pretty easy with cash. We did put the card of a Canadian in just in case we won BIG...we understood that the Casino didn't pull out the tax on them...it was up to them to report it. Figured would be easier that way.

 

What was the purpose of the bracelets?

[che5904]

We did put the card of a Canadian in just in case we won BIG...we understood that the Casino didn't pull out the tax on them...it was up to them to report it. Figured would be easier that way.

 

You are right they do not take the 30% tax off that U.S. land based casinos do. The ship or land based casinos send nothing to the Border services of either Country, and since it would be split so many ways there probably wouldn't be anything to report. They don't ask did you win $10,000 or more, just if you are transporting it. Casino wins or losses are not something Canadians have to report to Revenue Canada (our version of the IRS). If they did win large enough to be transporting $10,000 or more, it is just a case of filling out a bunch of paperwork at the border, and if they didn't do that they would not be able to do much with the money back here in Canada if they intended to put any in their bank. Since 9/11 Canadian banks require documentation to where large amounts of money come from that you are depositing.

[peg013]

Hi PEG!

I was selected to organize a slot pull. I want it to be fun and run as smoothly as possible. Can you tell me what you had on your spreadsheet? Also how did your players put in their money? DID YOU COLLECT IT AHEAD OF TIME, or did EACH PERSON PUT THE MONEY IN BEFORE you started the pull?

Also, I know several players have signed up for a SLOTPLAYCOUPON.COM. Did any of your players us those credits for putting up their monies?

 

THANKS MUCH FOR ANY INSIGHTS YOU CAN SHARE!

 

I attached a blank copy of the spreadsheet I used. I typed in the names and cabin numbers before we left to make it easier to collect the money. There are blanks to write in anyone else that decides to join you. We collected the money at the beginning of the Slot Pull. We usually ante $21 each but you could do $15.00 too. Depending on the amount participating you may want to exchange some of the cash at the cashier's desk for larger bills if you don't want to feed it all in. On the Gem last year we didn't use a CAS card in the machine but this year we used one of the people's doing the slot pull that gambled enough that the "play" might do them some good. I never even thought about the repercussions had we won BIG.

 

We also bought SlotPlayCoupons but did not use them during the slot pull. As far as I know the card that downloads the slotplay money into the machine has to stay in the machine until you cash out. So only one person would be able to use it and we didn't want to get into who that person would be. No one asked me if they could use it, and I didn't use it because I just didn't want to get into it. It didn't take me very long to lose that $50 that cost me $25 at another time, LOL.

SlotPull.pdf

[Susie51]

I've done several cabin crawls and they're fun get togethers on a sea day and give everyone a chance to see various categories of cabins.

 

Some of the technical things:

• The coordinator needs to "pre-plot" the travel route to minimize up & down between floors and trips fore & aft on the ship.
  
• Coordinator should announce the next cabin and then ask that cabin's "owners" to lead the group. They can open the cabin for the group and then wait until everyone's done to close up their cabin and follow the group to the next cabin. Repeat at each cabin.
  
• Coordinator should bring up the rear of the group to help any stragglers who may get separated.
  
• Give everyone the option of taking an elevator or the stairs & then meet on the right deck before heading for the cabin.
  
• It's not necessary to offer food or drinks, which can be expensive and awkward in smaller cabins. People are more likely to share their cabin if they don't have to worry about the hassle and expense of serving food and drink.
  
• Depending on how many cabin crawlers, people will often need to wait in the hallway and go into the cabin as others come out.
  
• Try to keep the group moving from cabin to cabin. Many people will have other ship activities they want to attend.
  
• End at a location where whoever wants can stay and visit. I've always ended in our suite but a cabin near a bar area would work too.
  
• Someone besides the cabin crawl coordinator can run the poker draw to help things run smoothly.
  

 

I'm sure there are lots of other ideas that make this a good activity for cc roll calls.

 

Thank you for supplying these details.

[ForSharonB]

I attached a blank copy of the spreadsheet I used. I typed in the names and cabin numbers before we left to make it easier to collect the money. There are blanks to write in anyone else that decides to join you. We collected the money at the beginning of the Slot Pull. We usually ante $21 each but you could do $15.00 too. Depending on the amount participating you may want to exchange some of the cash at the cashier's desk for larger bills if you don't want to feed it all in. On the Gem last year we didn't use a CAS card in the machine but this year we used one of the people's doing the slot pull that gambled enough that the "play" might do them some good. I never even thought about the repercussions had we won BIG.

 

We also bought SlotPlayCoupons but did not use them during the slot pull. As far as I know the card that downloads the slotplay money into the machine has to stay in the machine until you cash out. So only one person would be able to use it and we didn't want to get into who that person would be. No one asked me if they could use it, and I didn't use it because I just didn't want to get into it. It didn't take me very long to lose that $50 that cost me $25 at another time, LOL.

 

 

Peg~Thanks!!!

This is so very helpful!!!

I'm don't know much about casinos/gambling... Do you know ..

1) At what point would we need to attach a name to any winnings?

and

2) Should we try to find a Canadian who will allow us to use his/her name?

 

THANKS!