CAS Perks Questions

[dznymom]

I will be on the Breakaway on Feb 2 and I am HOT with CAS. I have a couple of questions about the perks.

 

I know my drink card is for House drinks. Is there a list somewhere of what that includes? I often drink Jack & Coke or Southern Comfort & cranberry, neither of which I consider premium. I had no issues on the Gem except the time I ordered at the bar, and the bartender told me Jack Daniels was an upgrade and gave me Jim Beam and Coke - BLECH. I know I can't have my Belvedere so there will be no vodka drinks for me this time, but if Jack & SoCo are out, I might need to plan ahead.

 

As far as the free dinner goes, am I limited in where we can go? We are both Platinum so we already have Le Bistro twice, and would like to try Cagney's since I hear the view from the waterfront is pretty spectacular. Does this dinner include a bottle of wine by any chance?

 

I have heard unflattering things about the staff on the Breakaway. We were unimpressed with the casino and staff when we sailed the Epic a while back (which is why we hesitated to book the Breakaway for so long), so I was wondering how you CAS folks have found things.

 

I think that's it for now. Thanks!

[spidybabe]

As a fellow Jack drinker, I'm sorry to tell you no Jack! And if you order Jack---they will pour Jim! We do not like Jim either.

We were not in love with the casino staff, but we hoping it has changed since our last sailing as we are again sailing, due to a Chinese New Year special from CAS. The new CAS program has changed alot of the comps-same type gambling on the Gem vs Breakaway,but very different comps at end of cruise, but on the Gem we had one of the best casino managers(Maria Marks) and when we sailed it was difficult to get our tier points transferred from The Gem to the Breakaway. Hopefully another issue that they have fixed.

We still missed the Jack

Safe sailing

[gschwartz001]

My DH is a SoCo drinker as well but unfortunately it is not available with the hot card. I got golden status may get it, but we had trouble getting a straight answer from server on gem.

[Nightengale212]

I will be on the Breakaway on Feb 2 and I am HOT with CAS. I have a couple of questions about the perks.

 

I know my drink card is for House drinks. Is there a list somewhere of what that includes? I often drink Jack & Coke or Southern Comfort & cranberry, neither of which I consider premium. I had no issues on the Gem except the time I ordered at the bar, and the bartender told me Jack Daniels was an upgrade and gave me Jim Beam and Coke - BLECH. I know I can't have my Belvedere so there will be no vodka drinks for me this time, but if Jack & SoCo are out, I might need to plan ahead.

 

As far as the free dinner goes, am I limited in where we can go? We are both Platinum so we already have Le Bistro twice, and would like to try Cagney's since I hear the view from the waterfront is pretty spectacular. Does this dinner include a bottle of wine by any chance?

 

I have heard unflattering things about the staff on the Breakaway. We were unimpressed with the casino and staff when we sailed the Epic a while back (which is why we hesitated to book the Breakaway for so long), so I was wondering how you CAS folks have found things.

 

I think that's it for now. Thanks!

 

I sailed this past June on the Breakaway Golden status. I am not much of a drinker, think I had one drink in the casino during my cruise so can't help with your drink questions. We had our comped dinner at Cagney's which included a bottle of wine, but I had to ask not once but three times for this "published" tier perk. Finally got the certificate for this dinner delivered day three to my cabin. Aside from the drink card and goodies delivered to my cabin a couple of times, all the other "published" perks of my tier were non existent. As far as the casino in general goes, being a slot player I did not care for the layout of the casino or the machines, but this is a personal preference.

 

Although I am sailing again on the Breakaway in two weeks in a comped cabin because I do like this ship and sailing out of NYC is great as we can drive to the port, but with my less than enjoyable casino experience I doubt I will be spending much if any time in the casino on this cruise. Will save my gambling funds for another cruise maybe on the Star or the Pearl again where I found playing in their casinos a much more enjoyable experience.

[dznymom]

Thanks for the replies! Even though we usually have less than a dozen drinks over the whole cruise, I like what I like. It should be interesting trying to find something worth drinking, but at least I know not to bother asking for Jack or SoCo. They don't even serve Coke for crying out loud :p

 

I am pleased that we may be able to use our dinner at Cagney's. If the wine is drinkable, maybe I will take that to the casino.... I hope I don't have to beg for this perk, though.

 

The casino experience on the Breakaway seems like it is going to be much like the Epic. There were many things we liked about the Epic, but the casino was not one of them. We really didn't like the way it was laid out, and we found the staff to be impersonal bordering on rude and disinterested. Getting a beverage was nearly impossible. Since the casino is such a big part of cruising for us, that is why we haven't done the Epic again. But we like sailing out of Boston & NY, and the Breakaway looks better than the Epic in many ways, so she won out for this next one. It was tough though, because I love, love, love the Jewel class ships. But we are excited to be trying something new, especially since the itinerary is so ho-hum :)

[Tyskie]

The casino experience on the Breakaway seems like it is going to be much like the Epic. There were many things we liked about the Epic, but the casino was not one of them. We really didn't like the way it was laid out, and we found the staff to be impersonal bordering on rude and disinterested. Getting a beverage was nearly impossible. Since the casino is such a big part of cruising for us, that is why we haven't done the Epic again. But we like sailing out of Boston & NY, and the Breakaway looks better than the Epic in many ways, so she won out for this next one. It was tough though, because I love, love, love the Jewel class ships. But we are excited to be trying something new, especially since the itinerary is so ho-hum :)

 

We just got off the BA in December. We found the casino staff very nice, I guess it did help that we had our favorite staff member on our cruise Cristina :). My DH is a Hot, me, although I gambled much more on this cruise, I'm Lucky, lol This was a CAS comp cruise for us too. We had no trouble getting a drink.............their house champagne wasn't bad (much, much better than the other NCL ships) DH drank beer or scotch. The only thing I wanted some nights was Bailey's and they didn't even have the cheaper version of it. Oh well, I survived, lol I do think you have to "track them down" for the perks............ie. dinner, wine, etc Being new to the CAS program we're still learning the ropes. :D

[che5904]

The casino experience on the Breakaway seems like it is going to be much like the Epic. There were many things we liked about the Epic, but the casino was not one of them. We really didn't like the way it was laid out, and we found the staff to be impersonal bordering on rude and disinterested. Getting a beverage was nearly impossible. Since the casino is such a big part of cruising for us, that is why we haven't done the Epic again. But we like sailing out of Boston & NY, and the Breakaway looks better than the Epic in many ways, so she won out for this next one. It was tough though, because I love, love, love the Jewel class ships. But we are excited to be trying something new, especially since the itinerary is so ho-hum :)

 

Your experience with the staff on the Epic could have been very well sail specific. "we found the staff to be impersonal bordering on rude and disinterested" is very much as I would describe the casino personel and especially the hosts I've encountered on the Dawn and Star. However, I've read where others have loved the hosts on both of those ships. Remember staff change, so it's basically luck of the draw.

 

So if you hear that the staff on the Breakaway are good or bad, does not mean they will be the same staff when you board.

 

I know what you mean when you say the casino is a very big part of your cruise experience but except for the servers, you really don't have to have much interaction with the other staff members if you choose not to. And if you can't get what you are entitled to with your card level with the host. Ask what shift the casino manager is on and speak to him/her about getting those perks.

[camper06]

I will be on the Breakaway on Feb 2 and I am HOT with CAS. I have a couple of questions about the perks.

 

 

 

 

How do you know what level you are with CAS? Also, is there a list of "perks" that go with each level? We have been cruising in comped cabins for several years, and I don't think I ever knew what our level was. :confused:

 

We do always get a comped dinner in specialty restaurant and goodies in our room.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

[che5904]

How do you know what level you are with CAS? Also, is there a list of "perks" that go with each level? We have been cruising in comped cabins for several years, and I don't think I ever knew what our level was. :confused:

 

We do always get a comped dinner in specialty restaurant and goodies in our room.

 

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

Levels are new

 

http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/casinos-at-sea/players-club

 

It's based on 12 months. Unfortunately, we only cruise every 2 years so I will never go above "lucky". Because as I move up levels on the cruise I'm on, by the next cruise I've lost my status and back down again :(. And apparently you don't get the perks during that cruise even if you move up in that cruise.

 

Since your last cruise was 13 months before this next one. You will be at "lucky"

 

I thought somewhere I had read that it was 18 months (which still wouldn't do me any good), but I can't find that on the CAS site.

 

BTW apparently the goodies in the room from CAS are a thing of the past and now you have to earn them.

Edited January 6, 2014 by che5904

[camper06]

Levels are new

 

http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/casinos-at-sea/players-club

 

It's based on 12 months. Unfortunately, we only cruise every 2 years so I will never go above "lucky". Because as I move up levels on the cruise I'm on, by the next cruise I've lost my status and back down again :(. And apparently you don't get the perks during that cruise even if you move up in that cruise.

 

Since your last cruise was 13 months before this next one. You will be at "lucky"

 

I thought somewhere I had read that it was 18 months (which still wouldn't do me any good), but I can't find that on the CAS site.

 

BTW apparently the goodies in the room from CAS are a thing of the past and now you have to earn them.

 

 

Thanks for the info. We don't usually cruise more than once a year, so I will probably never get above "lucky" either.

 

I would love to be lucky on this cruise though $$$$ - lol.

 

Looks like we wont get the drink card anymore either :(.

 

Oh well, it was good while it lasted!!

[dollydosh]

che5904 quote

I thought somewhere I had read that it was 18 months (which still wouldn't do me any good), but I can't find that on the CAS site.

 

 

Taken from CAS info

 

EARNING YOUR POINTS IS EASY.

Use your Players Club Card while playing your favorite slot machines and table games, and quickly accumulate reward points. The more you play, the more you get.

 

Reward Points can be redeemed for spa treatments, dinners in our specialty restaurants or even for a future cruise.

 

Gain access to your Casinos At Sea account right at your slot machine, and download points for play. When you earn points for credits, they’ll automatically be accumulated onto your players club card when you are done playing. Use them on your next favorite machine!

 

When you play the tables at Casinos At Sea, players club members may earn complimentaries, based on tracked play at any of our gaming tables. Just present your Casinos at Sea Club Card to any of our friendly casino dealers to rate your play.

 

Points are earned based on average bet / time / game.

Reel Slots - $5 Coin-In = 1 Reward

Video Poker - $10 Coin-In = 1 Reward

 

Earn 1500 Points to be awarded a drink card for all sailings 5 days or greater

Earn 750 Points to be awarded a drink card for all sailings 4 days or less

*Points transferred between ships are not included to reach the minimum criteria for each cruise length

 

Earn 2500 Points to redeem from folio for all ships with sailings 5 days or greater

 

Earn 1000 Points to redeem from folio for all ships with sailings 4 days or less

 

Points can be transferred from ship to ship

 

Based on your play, your Casinos At Sea status level may be upgraded from Lucky to Hot, Golden, and VIP for even more casino offers.

 

Tier elevations are based on reward points earned within 12 months, and are valid for 18 months from date of earning.

Edited January 6, 2014 by dollydosh

[camper06]

So it looks like we can still "earn" the drink card, it just wont be waiting in our room for us. Sounds great!

[che5904]

che5904 quote

I thought somewhere I had read that it was 18 months (which still wouldn't do me any good), but I can't find that on the CAS site.

 

 

Taken from CAS info

 

EARNING YOUR POINTS IS EASY.

Use your Players Club Card while playing your favorite slot machines and table games, and quickly accumulate reward points. The more you play, the more you get.

 

Reward Points can be redeemed for spa treatments, dinners in our specialty restaurants or even for a future cruise.

 

Gain access to your Casinos At Sea account right at your slot machine, and download points for play. When you earn points for credits, they’ll automatically be accumulated onto your players club card when you are done playing. Use them on your next favorite machine!

 

When you play the tables at Casinos At Sea, players club members may earn complimentaries, based on tracked play at any of our gaming tables. Just present your Casinos at Sea Club Card to any of our friendly casino dealers to rate your play.

 

Points are earned based on average bet / time / game.

Reel Slots - $5 Coin-In = 1 Reward

Video Poker - $10 Coin-In = 1 Reward

 

Earn 1500 Points to be awarded a drink card for all sailings 5 days or greater

Earn 750 Points to be awarded a drink card for all sailings 4 days or less

*Points transferred between ships are not included to reach the minimum criteria for each cruise length

 

Earn 2500 Points to redeem from folio for all ships with sailings 5 days or greater

 

Earn 1000 Points to redeem from folio for all ships with sailings 4 days or less

 

Points can be transferred from ship to ship

 

Based on your play, your Casinos At Sea status level may be upgraded from Lucky to Hot, Golden, and VIP for even more casino offers.

 

Tier elevations are based on reward points earned within 12 months, and are valid for 18 months from date of earning.

 

Thanks, you could have just quoted the last, but glad to see I'm not losing it and it is then 18 months that they are valid for.

 

Still does me no good :D :(

[che5904]

So it looks like we can still "earn" the drink card, it just wont be waiting in our room for us. Sounds great!

 

Thanks to Dollydosh for finding the 18 month window that I thought I had read. Whatever you were on your last cruise for accumulated points will be the tier level you start at on your upcoming cruise.

 

So you may already be eligible for your complimentary drink card.

 

I get one, but that's because I always take my comped cabin through a land casino instead of CAS directly.

[VideoTech]

You might find the post I just put up about our CAS experience on the 7 day Jewel last week of interest:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1966427

 

Specifically regarding the free drink card: I was second tier ("Hot") and my drink card said "house" drinks on it. DW was third tier ("Golden") and her card said "premium" drinks on it. Since neither of us are huge drinkers it really doesn't matter to us, but it seems like you have to at least third tier to get call liquor.

Edited January 6, 2014 by VideoTech

[jusstice]

Just got off the Breakaway. I had been before in May, but my husband had not. He likes the casino layout as it is more comfortable for table players. For me, it was ok as the slots were fine. I think I just don't like the actual machines they have there- give me my Banana King!

 

The casino staff was different than the May voyage, but nice. I was Hot on the way to Gold, and they put up with me asking them to track my progress for a few days. The craps dealers were awesome and fun to play with, which made the experience that much better.

 

The drink staff is awesome and plentiful. Some took the time to know my name & drink, and they would be more than happy to bring me more. I guess not too many people tip per drink, or they were just friendly.

 

Can't answer the Jack question, but I was able to get Kahlua when I made Gold, which I was not able to get as Hot.

 

As for the perks- the drink card was in my room upon arrival, as was the card for the free meal & wine. You just need to go to the casino host for them to book it for you. When I made Gold, they gave me bonus points and told me my new perks would be available on my next sailing. I was however able to get my free cigarettes.

[kayhil3]

So it looks like we can still "earn" the drink card, it just wont be waiting in our room for us. Sounds great!

 

 

If you booked a room through CAS and it was comped, not just a discount you will receive a drink card for you and whoever is in the room with you. Enjoy your cruise. BTW when I cruised in August we even were able to get frozen mudslides and their cheaper version of Baileys.

[camper06]

If you booked a room through CAS and it was comped, not just a discount you will receive a drink card for you and whoever is in the room with you. Enjoy your cruise. BTW when I cruised in August we even were able to get frozen mudslides and their cheaper version of Baileys.

 

We did book through CAS and I believe it was a comped room. They said we just had to pay taxes and fees, but on the invoice it has a small amount as the cruise fare (around $200 per person). Thanks for the info!

 

A frozen mudslide sounds pretty good! :cool:

[3DBeach]

We had drink cards waiting in our cabin in December and I booked at a discount through CAS not a comped cabin. Ours were for the first 2 guests in both cabins we booked. If you booked through CAS and you don't have them in your cabin I would ask...can never hurt to ask LOL

[epgjon]

We had drink cards waiting in our cabin in December and I booked at a discount through CAS not a comped cabin. Ours were for the first 2 guests in both cabins we booked. If you booked through CAS and you don't have them in your cabin I would ask...can never hurt to ask LOL

 

I'm on the Epic B/B 04/20 and 04/27 T/A. I have been on both the Epic and BA, and did not care much on the casino layout. It appears to be two casino's, one on each sides of the ship and way too large and disjointed. My favorite casino is on the Star.

Re 'Premium' drinks. I was on the Jade November 2013 booked thru CAS 20% discounted fare and received HOT drinks card, and got any premium drink I requested.

The trick is, on your first casino visit, look out for a bar server that is eager to serve as is keen on receiving tips. Order your Fav drink and if he/she says it is not allowed, show him/her a decent tip to share with the person behind the bar. No problem. You will have him/her looking out for you throughout the cruise.

Worked for me, might work for you.

Cheers - good gambling/drinking to all.

[spidybabe]

Couldn't get Jack on the Breakaway..... No problem on the Gem. But always tip

Safe sailing

 

 

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[Oldsweets]

We sail ncl 3 to 5 times per year and found cas and the casino process on points frustrating at best. We never seem to get proper carry over of point and play from one cruise to the next and the one time we called the shore line of casinos at sea we got simply a poor response from a less than interested clerk. While we like to gamble it certainly is the perks with cas that attracts us