Tell Me About NCL "Casinos At Sea"?

[midgetcoach]

       For us the two main lines right now are RCL and Carnival. We get multiple offers for balcony and free play from each weekly. RCL being the more aggressive of the two.

       Not all casinos on ships of the same cruise line are the same. Some have more tourists while others have more players. (Do your home work).

       Carnival has Premier Cruises that draw a lot of players with better odds, higher limits, tournaments and give aways. 

       Take a look here. We have used them many times. urcomped.com

       

[aubreyc1988]

1 hour ago, Sand and Seas said:

Did you try calling to talk with another CAS agent?

I had a 'rookie' agent a few months ago that said they could give me an Ocean View.  I called back that afternoon and was offered a Club Balcony.    

 

I hate to hear that they are just offering you a 20%.....just doesn't seem right😒

Yeah, same answer, altho weeks later an agent called me back, left a voicemail saying all of a sudden she could offer me another 10% off (30% total) lol

[aubreyc1988]

1 hour ago, midgetcoach said:

       For us the two main lines right now are RCL and Carnival. We get multiple offers for balcony and free play from each weekly. RCL being the more aggressive of the two.

       Not all casinos on ships of the same cruise line are the same. Some have more tourists while others have more players. (Do your home work).

       Carnival has Premier Cruises that draw a lot of players with better odds, higher limits, tournaments and give aways. 

       Take a look here. We have used them many times. urcomped.com

       

I actually just had a horrible experience with urcomped. I haven't sailed with RCI since 2018 and not with the casino. One of their hosts asked me if I've sailed with royal in the last 24 months and I said no and sent her photos with my sailing history, also told her I've sailed in the past with Casino Royale. She tells me as long as it's been 24 months since that, they could offer me comps.  So we go through all the sailings, comps available, I talk it over with my husband and we decide on one. Urcomped actually gives me offer for a particular Symphony sailing...and then when I was ready to move forward, then her next reply was

 

"Thank you for your patience! I have heard back from our Royal reps and they have let me know that you are a house guest through Club Royale so URComped is unable to assist with comp requests for your Royal Caribbean cruises" 

 

EVEN though at the beginning of everything, she assured me it was a possibility because it was over 2 years since sailing with Casino Royale. Wasted my time (and hers)

 

Anyhow, it was a nightmare with them and I doubt I'd ever reach out again, based on my first impression

Edited July 24, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[Russiamomm]

4 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I actually just had a horrible experience with urcomped. I haven't sailed with RCI since 2018 and not with the casino. One of their hosts asked me if I've sailed with royal in the last 24 months and I said no and sent her photos with my sailing history, also told her I've sailed in the past with Casino Royale. She tells me as long as it's been 24 months since that, they could offer me comps.  So we go through all the sailings, comps available, I talk it over with my husband and we decide on one. Urcomped actually gives me offer for a particular Symphony sailing...and then when I was ready to move forward, then her next reply was

 

"Thank you for your patience! I have heard back from our Royal reps and they have let me know that you are a house guest through Club Royale so URComped is unable to assist with comp requests for your Royal Caribbean cruises" 

 

EVEN though at the beginning of everything, she assured me it was a possibility because it was over 2 years since sailing with Casino Royale. Wasted my time (and hers)

 

Anyhow, it was a nightmare with them and I doubt I'd ever reach out again, based on my first impression

Interesting.  I’m not sure how that site works, but I was able to book two comped cruises  - an inside with Virgin and a mini suite with RCL - based on an inside comp I had with NCL.  A friend who has status with several lines and has worked with URComped for years (she told me about it) was denied the Virgin cruise.  I don’t get it.  I don’t spend a fortune in the casino, but was able to do this.  I think it’s one of those situations where we just don’t know the algorithms, but I’ll take what they offer me.

[phillygwm]

1 hour ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I actually just had a horrible experience with urcomped.

Huh...I'd never heard of them.  Perhaps if NCL is becoming as stingy as everyone is saying, I'll give it a shot.  The only other cruise line I've been on was RCI and that was 2001 for a weekend booze cruise 🙂

Edited July 25, 2022 by phillygwm

[midgetcoach]

         My wife and I book RCL thru URComped. Copies of recent offers are sent to URC like the one in the pic. We don't deal with RCL directly. URComped does that for us. Many times RCL will transfer our offer to a cruise not listed when URC asks them too. They have a good re pore with them. RCL must consider you one of their customers and URC isn't going to argue with them.

          On the other hand, we deal with Carnival directly  our self's. We have gone on two crusies this year so far. Going next on a Premier Cruise with them in October that cost us $142.00 for everything including port fee and taxes.

[UKstages]

coming late to this newly resuscitated thread. some interesting views here.

 

my perspective:

 

cruise casino comps are generally based, like "regular" casinos on land, on ADT... your average daily theoretical loss. that may be the "imputed" loss spoken of above. it's a relatively simple formula and is based on the expected loss of the games you play, multiplied by how much you play in a day (your coin through on a slot machine), multiplied by your average bet.

 

the game's theoretical or expected loss is what's leftover after you subtract the game's return. if you're playing a machine that returns 85%, then the casino hold is 15%... that's equivalent to your expected loss. for example, if you put $500 coin-through an hour and you play for three hours, the amount of money you run through a machine is $1500. If you play three hours each day and your bet level is consistent on each day you play, then your expected loss is $225 per day... if it's a 5 day cruise, then your expected loss for that cruise is $1,125. 

 

don't confuse "cash" with "coin-through!" you could have a $500 bankroll, but if you keep winning and put your winnings into the machine, that counts as "coin-through." you might be able to put several thousand dollars through the machine on your $500 bankroll. and that's what counts.

 

actual loss doesn't generally enter into the equation. you could win $12,000, or you could win $2,000. or you could lose $12,000 or you could lose $2000... your expected loss, your ADT, is still the same $1,125. and that's what your comps are based on. while your actual loss doesn't matter much, the reverse can be true... if you consistently win... and win big... they may not want your action. but that applies to very few people, because most people will lose over time. the casino doesn't care if YOU win in the short-term... the house always has the advantage, and  math is on its side. 

 

i've had some very big winning cruises recently on NCL... and i still get comps. i started on NCL with balcony offers through caesars entertainment, but now all my cruises are booked directly with NCL's CAS. and my comp offers are usually for a suite or - on ships that have it -  the haven. i also get slot tournament offers on select cruises. i haven't seen my NCL comps diminish.

 

@aubreyc1988, it's difficult to say what your coin-through is because you only spoke about your loss. but based on those dollar figures, i would agree that you're severely under-comped! you should most likely be getting more than a percentage discount from NCL and probably comped suites or higher.

 

as for how "tight" cruise ship casinos are... historically, they are tighter than land-based casinos, for sure... the ship has a captive audience and all that. but on my last cruise on the gem, i found the machines to behave pretty much like those on land. i played all the machines i'm familiar with and the bonus frequency and payouts "felt" like they do on land. i won a 6K jackpot on a five dollar lightning link machine and i saw somebody hit the same jackpot (for 5K) the very next night. i also play video poker... the pay tables are not very good on cruise ships, but the machines, of course, draw randomly and behave just as they do on land.  

 

please understand that every day, many people walk out a casino saying the machines are tight. and that same day, many people walk out of that very same casino, talking about how loose the machines are and about how much they won. we make these observations after having played based on our own perceptions... but the machines are the same for both players... the one who wins and the one who loses. same thing on every cruise ship and every sailing.

 

random chance likely has more to do with how well you fare in any casino over a short period of time... actual return on a slot machine is only achieved over a million or more spins. will you do better in the long run in a land-based casino? depends on which land-based casino, but, generally, yes.

 

can and do people win on cruise ships? you betcha. on every sailing. does one cruise line have higher return (payback) than another? i doubt it. random chance dictates whether you win here rather than there... and if you win, well, yup, that's the casino you want to return to. 

 

one thing people forget to take into account is the volatility of the games they play. many newer slot machines, particularly those from konami, aristocrat and WMS, are extremely high volatility games... that is to say, you either win big, or you lose your shirt. but that's about game design more than a particular casino's return.

 

 

[chriscec2012]

Anyone been out of Port Canaveral recently that can tell me if the have a dedicated check in line for CAS? Leaving this upcoming weekend on the Getaway and just wondering if they had a check in line. 
 

thanks 

[aubreyc1988]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

 

@aubreyc1988, it's difficult to say what your coin-through is because you only spoke about your loss. but based on those dollar figures, i would agree that you're severely under-comped! you should most likely be getting more than a percentage discount from NCL and probably comped suites or higher.

 

 

 

 

I bet usually penny denom, and I play for about 2-3 hrs each night on my budget, so I am playing through a decent amount. On my last cruise with NCL I had around 2500 points, and this was just my play, doesn't include whatever my husband had (And I always tell them to combine our offers when I call. 

 

I HAVE gotten NCL comps in the past, but just recently it's been pulling teeth to get anything more than a discount. NCL's comp policy is fairly opaque so I am excited to try RCI because it seems to have more transparency (2,500 for prime, which gets you one free inside cruise of some sort)

 

Also interesting to note that whenever I play at Caesars properties, I also get sh*t comps. Ex: I could have a 500 loss with decent coin in with CET properties and only get discounted nights at ALL CET properts (Won't even give me Rio on a Tuesday), but if I do the same play at MLife, I'll get 3-4 nights at all the MGM properties+freeplay and RC. And I know CET and NCL are partnered so maybe they just hate me lol

 

and I know, I know "Don't gamble for comps" but we'd all be lying if we said it didn't factor in somewhat. 

Edited July 25, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[mianmike]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

coming late to this newly resuscitated thread. some interesting views here.

 

my perspective:

 

cruise casino comps are generally based, like "regular" casinos on land, on ADT... your average daily theoretical loss. that may be the "imputed" loss spoken of above. it's a relatively simple formula and is based on the expected loss of the games you play, multiplied by how much you play in a day (your coin through on a slot machine), multiplied by your average bet.

 

the game's theoretical or expected loss is what's leftover after you subtract the game's return. if you're playing a machine that returns 85%, then the casino hold is 15%... that's equivalent to your expected loss. for example, if you put $500 coin-through an hour and you play for three hours, the amount of money you run through a machine is $1500. If you play three hours each day and your bet level is consistent on each day you play, then your expected loss is $225 per day... if it's a 5 day cruise, then your expected loss for that cruise is $1,125. 

 

don't confuse "cash" with "coin-through!" you could have a $500 bankroll, but if you keep winning and put your winnings into the machine, that counts as "coin-through." you might be able to put several thousand dollars through the machine on your $500 bankroll. and that's what counts.

 

actual loss doesn't generally enter into the equation. you could win $12,000, or you could win $2,000. or you could lose $12,000 or you could lose $2000... your expected loss, your ADT, is still the same $1,125. and that's what your comps are based on. while your actual loss doesn't matter much, the reverse can be true... if you consistently win... and win big... they may not want your action. but that applies to very few people, because most people will lose over time. the casino doesn't care if YOU win in the short-term... the house always has the advantage, and  math is on its side. 

 

i've had some very big winning cruises recently on NCL... and i still get comps. i started on NCL with balcony offers through caesars entertainment, but now all my cruises are booked directly with NCL's CAS. and my comp offers are usually for a suite or - on ships that have it -  the haven. i also get slot tournament offers on select cruises. i haven't seen my NCL comps diminish.

 

@aubreyc1988, it's difficult to say what your coin-through is because you only spoke about your loss. but based on those dollar figures, i would agree that you're severely under-comped! you should most likely be getting more than a percentage discount from NCL and probably comped suites or higher.

 

as for how "tight" cruise ship casinos are... historically, they are tighter than land-based casinos, for sure... the ship has a captive audience and all that. but on my last cruise on the gem, i found the machines to behave pretty much like those on land. i played all the machines i'm familiar with and the bonus frequency and payouts "felt" like they do on land. i won a 6K jackpot on a five dollar lightning link machine and i saw somebody hit the same jackpot (for 5K) the very next night. i also play video poker... the pay tables are not very good on cruise ships, but the machines, of course, draw randomly and behave just as they do on land.  

 

please understand that every day, many people walk out a casino saying the machines are tight. and that same day, many people walk out of that very same casino, talking about how loose the machines are and about how much they won. we make these observations after having played based on our own perceptions... but the machines are the same for both players... the one who wins and the one who loses. same thing on every cruise ship and every sailing.

 

random chance likely has more to do with how well you fare in any casino over a short period of time... actual return on a slot machine is only achieved over a million or more spins. will you do better in the long run in a land-based casino? depends on which land-based casino, but, generally, yes.

 

can and do people win on cruise ships? you betcha. on every sailing. does one cruise line have higher return (payback) than another? i doubt it. random chance dictates whether you win here rather than there... and if you win, well, yup, that's the casino you want to return to. 

 

one thing people forget to take into account is the volatility of the games they play. many newer slot machines, particularly those from konami, aristocrat and WMS, are extremely high volatility games... that is to say, you either win big, or you lose your shirt. but that's about game design more than a particular casino's return.

 

 

 

Spot-on analysis and great explanation.  There are so many misconceptions regarding casino pay, your post was a breath of fresh air.  

[JCDCA]

On 7/20/2022 at 12:51 PM, aubreyc1988 said:

 

My fare for two people on Liberty OTS is 811.00 Inside Cabin in Sept. (of course no perks included in that like NCL), I added Royals's beverage package + 3 meal dining plan for an additional 1300 total for two people. So around 2k all in.  Of course I am paying *dearly* for the drink package, but I haven't sailed RCI in a while and supposedly they have a whole new drink menu so I really wanted to try a lot of different drinks...otherwise I probably wouldn't have paid for it and done it ala carte. 

 

A similar itinerary on NCL Sky (NCL doesn't sail out of Galveston so hard to find something comparable) is the same price with all the perks so a slightly better deal. Sailaway rate with no perks was 1,400, 600.00 MORE than RCI pricing! The skip is older than the Liberty and it really was *the only itinerary* NCL had going to the Caribbean in Sept...in addition to the Casino not comping me, I will wait until the spring to sail NCL. 

 

the casino rep has called me since I asked and all of a sudden can give me an extra 10% off but too late, already booked the liberty. Just SUCH a weird casino system on NCL...just sad because I *really* enjoy sailing with NCL. 

I agree with the bulk of the replies here saying the RC casino offers are a lot more generous.  Definitely true for me — comped cruises offered in mail and email.  NCL, zero offers, despite same amount of play . One thing I was confused by - what do you mean no NCL itineraries to the Caribbean in September? 🤔

Edited July 25, 2022 by JCDCA

[midgetcoach]

             UKstages is correct.  Theoretical loss is the basic formula casinos use to rate you. Your actual wins and losses have little to do with it. The math is in their favor.

             How ever land based casinos are regulated by the state or country they are in. And talking slots they must be set at or above a  payout percentage.  Minimums are around 89% while most are around 90%. One tenth of one percent makes a difference.

           Cruise ships however are not regulated. Therefor they can payout what ever the casino wants. My experience on the NCL Jewel was the slots being set much lower than any we have played land or sea. 

8 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

and I know, I know "Don't gamble for comps" but we'd all be lying if we said it didn't factor in somewhat.

          My wife and I base our casino play on the comps. We track all our play and play for the comps. We have records of every session we have played at any casino since 2018. Using a system of play that favors comps over winning money we have been cruising and staying at resorts since.  In the past 8 months alone we have had 7 cruises and 2 resort trips, all comped. With our play, the bankroll has grown year to year that we now pay all cruise related expenses from it.  And it still is growing.

[aubreyc1988]

7 hours ago, JCDCA said:

I agree with the bulk of the replies here saying the RC casino offers are a lot more generous.  Definitely true for me — comped cruises offered in mail and email.  NCL, zero offers, despite same amount of play . One thing I was confused by - what do you mean no NCL itineraries to the Caribbean in September? 🤔

the only 7 day itinerary to the Caribbean NCL has this year in the month of Sept is NCL Sky. 

[JCDCA]

6 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

the only 7 day itinerary to the Caribbean NCL has this year in the month of Sept is NCL Sky. 

That seems crazy! 

[aubreyc1988]

5 minutes ago, JCDCA said:

That seems crazy! 

there are a few short bermuda itineraries, but NCL has a smaller fleet than Royal, most of NCL ships are doing Alaska, Canada NE, Europe in Sept. 

[UKstages]

9 hours ago, midgetcoach said:

How ever land based casinos are regulated by the state or country they are in. And talking slots they must be set at or above a  payout percentage.  Minimums are around 89% while most are around 90%. One tenth of one percent makes a difference.

 

Cruise ships however are not regulated. Therefor they can payout what ever the casino wants. My experience on the NCL Jewel was the slots being set much lower than any we have played land or sea. 

 

it's not entirely true to say that cruise ship casinos are not regulated. they follow the gambling laws of the country in which the ship is registered. and many follow CLIA (cruise lines international association) policies which stipulate that the ship's casino must adhere to the regulatory standards of the nevada gaming control board (or another licensed jurisdiction). that is supposed to include payback. however, they can choose to follow the rules of a licensed jurisdiction with lower payback than nevada. even new jersey has lower payback than nevada... minimum payout is 85%, which is what you presumably and typically would find penny machines set at in atlantic city.

 

that being said, you're in international waters, so - the theory goes - they can pay whatever they want. well, they could conceivably do that, but there is just one problem: nobody would play. and if the prevailing theory is also that they can do whatever they like with you because you're a captive audience and you're never coming back... well, the cruise line that does that does so at its own peril. because, at any given time, a large percentage of cruise casino patrons do actually come back... a lot of people on every cruise have received some sort of discount or comp from the casino... so clearly people do come back. they don't expect to win, but they do expect to have fun and "time on device." and if the slots were set to a ridiculously low return, then they would never come back.

 

lots of people don't win a thing on cruises. lots of people have a really bad run, during which the only thing that keeps them going is a trip to the ATM, the only machine in the casino that reliably pays out every time. but when people say that a cruise line or land-based casino has set the payback really low, what they really mean is that they didn't win anything on that casino visit. 

 

those are two different things.

 

i am sorry to hear you had a bad experience on the jewel. sounds like you lost. but that is different than knowing that they have set the slots "much lower" than any other casino you've played in. your short-term experience was apparently very bad. that's random chance, more than anything. i don't do a damn thing differently when i win than when i lose.

 

one needs to play a million or more spins on each machine to get a true look at what the payback of a particular machine is. and even then, it's just a guess. unless one has access to the purchase order for the machine and can see what payback the EPROM chip is set to, or unless one has access to the virtual reels, it's truly just a guess.

 

some people will win and some will lose. and people who play longer will almost certainly lose more than those who play for just a short time. but not every time.

Edited July 25, 2022 by UKstages

[Sand and Seas]

11 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

the only 7 day itinerary to the Caribbean NCL has this year in the month of Sept is NCL Sky. 

We have had September Caribbean cruises diverted twice due to hurricanes.  It seems to be a peak month for those cruises from Miami south.

[texasreb]

How do my wife and I log into a NCL Casino at Seas account and see our offers ? This can be done with Royal Club Offers. I phoned in 10 days ago to NCL and rep said we have offers.

[Russiamomm]

34 minutes ago, texasreb said:

How do my wife and I log into a NCL Casino at Seas account and see our offers ? This can be done with Royal Club Offers. I phoned in 10 days ago to NCL and rep said we have offers.

I don’t think there’s any way to look online to see your offers - or even your status.  It’s annoying.  But if you call CAS they can tell you.  Did you not ask the rep what your offers were?  Even if there are no formal offers out there, they will usually give you a discount on the fare, depending on your play history.

[Sand and Seas]

1 hour ago, Russiamomm said:

I don’t think there’s any way to look online to see your offers - or even your status.  It’s annoying.  But if you call CAS they can tell you.  Did you not ask the rep what your offers were?  Even if there are no formal offers out there, they will usually give you a discount on the fare, depending on your play history.

You are correct.  Texasreb should just give CAS a call.  It's best to have a ship and cruise date picked out then call to see what they can offer you.   No obligation  to book, just call and ask what you qualify for.   Most CAS agents are super friendly and will answer any questions.   

 

If you get someone  who isn't  helpful call back later.

[AnitaVacation]

NCL/CAS has gotten pretty tight with the purse strings.  We get 30% off most times, sometimes we get something in the mail offering us a comp room on specific dates/ships, but once you start to upgrade it becomes 'less free' 😉 . We have a cruise coming up in about a month, we have the free drinks at sea (that everyone gets) and I really don't think we are getting any freeplay on this cruise. Carnival on the other hand, keeps sending us free balcony offers that can be used mulitple times and also includes 'drinks everywhere' (not just in the casino) and a good amount of free-play, so we've been leaning that way... 

[texasreb]

After 3 calls to NCL casino group yesterday just being on hold. I got a person today. Each of us have an offer. Comp oceanview  not free for sure. $20 per person per day admin fee. That is not the port fees and taxes. I don't see that admin fee from Royal or Carnival.

[candygirl27540]

Can anyone tell me if CAS notifies you if and when your application for a line of credit is approved? I know the website says they will check credit 2-3 weeks before cruise date. Just wondering if we get an email or do we have to wait until we board?

Thanks,Candy

[fstuff1]

17 hours ago, candygirl27540 said:

Can anyone tell me if CAS notifies you if and when your application for a line of credit is approved? I know the website says they will check credit 2-3 weeks before cruise date. Just wondering if we get an email or do we have to wait until we board?

Thanks,Candy

Around 5days before sail,I get an email from them saying there's a problem with linking my line of credit to my checking acct.

I have to contact my bank.

 

Meh.. f u CAS for only giving me a few days notice when I applied over a month ago.

 

Stopped bothering with it

[texasreb]

7 minutes ago, fstuff1 said:

Around 5days before sail,I get an email from them saying there's a problem with linking my line of credit to my checking acct.

I have to contact my bank.

 

Meh.. f u CAS for only giving me a few days notice when I applied over a month ago.

 

Stopped bothering with it

I like that Nickel and Dime Del Rio. LOL   I am still kind of miffed over "Casino admin fee" for a comp cruise. That is another $280 tacked on for 1 week cruise. No such fee with Royal or Carnival. Over the years I have done more cruises with NCL than the others. I sure don't recall that high of a fee. 36 cruises in total.