Thank goodness for HAL Casino rates

[Lady Arwen]

We wanted to book the TA in October 2021 on the new Rotterdam VII.  We need a balcony for this many sea days, so we expected pretty high rates.  Without logging in, I checked cabin availability and pricing.  Just as we thought, prices were definitely more than you would expect for a TA, but these are different times we live in.  We decided to log in and see if our casino rate would apply to this cruise, as some sailings are not included.  Voila!  $1600.00 (Canadian) savings.  Could not pass up this opportunity to sail on the new Holland America flag ship with a very fair rate.  Now, we just have to pray that with all that’s going on in the world and the delay in getting Rotterdam built, we get to actually sail!  

[DaveOKC]

Yes, HAL's casino rates are great!   We normally get a 10-20% discount and we are very small time gamblers.

 

One thing I really like about them is that you can still pick a specific cabin (I am pretty fussy about that).  With the casino OFFERS (which are often VERY low priced) you have to take a guarantee (most times).

 

 

[Lady Arwen]

1 hour ago, DaveOKC said:

Yes, HAL's casino rates are great!   We normally get a 10-20% discount and we are very small time gamblers.

 

One thing I really like about them is that you can still pick a specific cabin (I am pretty fussy about that).  With the casino OFFERS (which are often VERY low priced) you have to take a guarantee (most times).

 

 

Yes, some folks confuse the two......casino rate, which is a percentage off original rates and applies to most sailings OR casino offers, which is extremely cheap with some restrictions and not available on many sailings.  Our current booking worked out to 20% discount.  We’ve had some offering only 10%, so you never know.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I’ve even had the odd sailing where the casino rate was 25% off the prevailing rate (before tax).  It’s a nice savings and often makes HAL significantly more attractive an option than their competitors who don’t offer me this kind of discount. 

[kazu]

I was pleasantly surprised to see I was still getting a casino rate on our cruise next year even though I hadn’t been on a ship for over a year.

 

It is a nice savings and I save more than I spend in the casino 😉 

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Mine comes from a cruise I did on the Eurodam in 2009 - I don't know how much my sisters spent in the Casino (we were all in same cabin) but ever since I get the discount.  I rarely spend more than $100 in the casino.  I've taken two HAL cruises since 2009 - one in 2011 on the Ryndam where I don't think I gambled at all and on on Amsterdam last summer where I spent maybe $120-150 total in the casino.  Still after a decade It's offered to me on almost all HAL cruises I price/book.  It's almost as if once attached to your Mariner # it stays there in perpetuity.  Not gonna complain about that!

[Stateroom_Sailor]

I was surprised to see a 10% Casino discount applied to our 2022 Panama Canal cruise, and initially thought it was a typo.  I hardly ever gamble without incentives, such as a Nevada casino that used to give me free nights, with as little as an average $30 loss (tips included).  Our last cruise on HAL was only 5 nights, and I had $350 leftover in OBC.  Not wanting to blatantly take advantage of an American Express offer that we had activated, I played the dollar machine exactly 300 times, and my wife played the $50 on the penny machine.  At the end, she was roughly broke even, and I came out $180 ahead.

 

At the time I thought this counted towards our spending bonus, but the reality of a cruise discount is even better.

[Tampa Girl]

How does one get these casino rates?  I assume you have to apply onboard?

[kazu]

25 minutes ago, Tampa Girl said:

How does one get these casino rates?  I assume you have to apply onboard?

 

No,  you have to play in the casino.  Whether it’s penny slots, slots, cards whatever.

It’s not necessarily the amount you spend but how much time you spend there playing.

 

If you play enough (and no I don’t know the magic number) then somehow you become eligible.  Mind you, casino rates aren’t available on every cruise.  I know they weren’t on a couple of my Prinsendam cruises but they are fairly often.  Other than a couple of cruises I usually get them.  It’s a nice savings as long as you don’t spend more than the savings on board gambling 😉 

[Lady Arwen]

3 hours ago, Tampa Girl said:

How does one get these casino rates?  I assume you have to apply onboard?

Nobody, including Celebrity casino staff, has any idea how it’s determined.....I’ve asked a few times.  All they know is that you have to play in the casino most days of the cruise, but how much you bet, win or lose, is not a factor.  We are not big rollers by any stretch, but we use the casino slots everyday.  We were offered this rate a few years ago and it just stayed with us.  Also, we just book standard balconies not suites, so this is not a factor as well.  Don’t know, don’t care, but really appreciate saving thousands of dollars each time we cruise.

[Sue from Canada]

I got a great casino rate as a solo passenger in a lanai cabin for Nov. 2021 to Hawaii.  Previously I wasn't going to pay what HAL wanted for a lanai cabin and solo.  

[DaveOKC]

With Casino Rates the higher priced cabin you book the more you are actually getting (in dollars) off your fare as the prices are based on a percentage discount.  I suspect that is why some people say that they save more than they spend in the casino.  For example, if you book a cabin with a fare of $1000 and you get a 20% casino discount, you are saving $200.  If you book a $3000 cabin, you are saving $600.  

 

This is not the same as in land based casinos, where your savings are based on your play, regardless of the type and cost of your room.

[CineGraphic]

6 hours ago, DaveOKC said:

With Casino Rates the higher priced cabin you book the more you are actually getting (in dollars) off your fare as the prices are based on a percentage discount. 

 

Are you sure that the discounts are not scaled like they do at Princess?

[AtlantaCruiser72]

38 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Are you sure that the discounts are not scaled like they do at Princess?

 

I mostly book interior/oceanview and when I check prices the % discount is different for each sailing and each cabin category.  Even in a similar sailing region.

[CineGraphic]

25 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

I mostly book interior/oceanview and when I check prices the % discount is different for each sailing and each cabin category.  Even in a similar sailing region.

 

I like to know exactly what I'm gonna pay before I book, so I prefer the Princess scaled program, although there have been several times when I've booked so far ahead, that the casino rate isn't available yet, so I book my preferred cabin and have my TA apply the discount when it becomes available.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

3 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

I like to know exactly what I'm gonna pay before I book, so I prefer the Princess scaled program, although there have been several times when I've booked so far ahead, that the casino rate isn't available yet, so I book my preferred cabin and have my TA apply the discount when it becomes available.

 

When you search for cruises on the HAL website, or have a travel agent/HAL sales agent shop (over the phone) with your Mariner # any sailing that qualifies for the casino discount will auto adjust all categories, for all fare options (including agency promotional group rates), to reflect the application of the casino discount.  I find this a pretty transparent and easy way to search as I can see the rate with my casino discount as I am browsing the HAL website (while logged in with my mariner #).  Much easier than applying the code after the fact with Princess and having to do math (I hate math!)

[CineGraphic]

10 minutes ago, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

When you search for cruises on the HAL website, or have a travel agent/HAL sales agent shop (over the phone) with your Mariner # any sailing that qualifies for the casino discount will auto adjust all categories, for all fare options (including agency promotional group rates), to reflect the application of the casino discount.

 

In my experience with the HAL website, I haven't seen the discounted pricing until I get to cabin choice, but this was with a "VIP" offer, so maybe they treat those differently. In the end all that really matters is that I was able to book a transatlantic with drinks while in the casino, some money to play with, and a few other perks at a fair price.

[DaveOKC]

1 hour ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Are you sure that the discounts are not scaled like they do at Princess?

Interesting - i have not picked up on that at HAL, so it is possible.  However, we are small time gamblers and get about 15-20% off on most cruises.

 

[CineGraphic]

10 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Interesting - i have not picked up on that at HAL, so it is possible.  However, we are small time gamblers and get about 15-20% off on most cruises.

 

 

Even though HAL and Princess have the same corporate parents, their casino programs are seemingly different. We are platinum with Princess, and we consistently get our casino discount, but they've never offered us free sailings. We've sailed with HAL once, and the free offers seem to come every month. I gave up trying to figure out the rationale, although I tend to believe that the free offers only come when you have nothing booked. Why give a free cruise to someone who is willing to pay anyway?

Edited September 7, 2020 by CineGraphic

[Lady Arwen]

3 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

Even though HAL and Princess have the same corporate parents, their casino programs differ. We are platinum with Princess, and we consistently get our casino discount, but they've never offered us free sailings. We've sailed with HAL once, and the free offers seem to come every month. I gave up trying to figure out the rationale, although I tend to believe that the free offers only come when you have nothing booked. Why give a free cruise to someone who is willing to pay anyway?

Op here.  I think you may be confusing casino rates and casino offers.  Casino RATES apply to virtually all sailings and all categories and the discount is applied when perusing/booking cruises.  There are no restrictions on choice of cabin or itinerary.  Casino OFFERS are on select sailings and range from cheap to free, usually in lower level categories of cabins.  Other restrictions apply.   It can be confusing for sure.  We have never received a casino OFFER for a free cruise.

[CineGraphic]

1 minute ago, Lady Arwen said:

 I think you may be confusing casino rates and casino offers.

 

Not confused in the slightest, but thanks for trying to straighten me out.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

26 minutes ago, CineGraphic said:

 

In my experience with the HAL website, I haven't seen the discounted pricing until I get to cabin choice, but this was with a "VIP" offer, so maybe they treat those differently. In the end all that really matters is that I was able to book a transatlantic with drinks while in the casino, some money to play with, and a few other perks at a fair price.

 

Yes the main page will show the publicly available rate - you have to go into the shopping process to see your discount, and ensure you choose between the current promo or a saver fare before going into cabin selection.  That said the main shopping page at least gives you an idea of which cruises are of interest, which are more/less expensive, etc, then you can shop for specific categories etc and immediately see you casino discount rate

[kazu]

30 minutes ago, Lady Arwen said:

Casino RATES apply to virtually all sailings and all categories and the discount is applied when perusing/booking cruises.  

 

 

Sorry but I have to disagree on this one.  Casino rates do not apply to every cruise/sailing.  They apply to most but not to all.  I know having not gotten them because “there was no casino rate for that cruise”.  I do get them most times and am grateful for them.

 

Totally agree with the rest of your post.

 

[Lady Arwen]

1 minute ago, kazu said:

 

Sorry but I have to disagree on this one.  Casino rates do not apply to every cruise/sailing.  They apply to most but not to all.  I know having not gotten them because “there was no casino rate for that cruise”.  I do get them most times and am grateful for them.

 

Totally agree with the rest of your post.

 

Yes, you are correct.  Some folks have reported that a sailing they were interested in did not offer the casino rate.  I’ve been lucky in that every cruise I wanted did offer the discount.  I should have worded my post more accurately.  Thank you for correcting me.

[Josie201]

Glad to have found this thread but I'm still somewhat confused!  Not unhappy but confused.  For several weeks I had been tracking pricing on the 25 day Koningsdam Mex Riviera and Hawaii cruise for February 2022.  It was pricey and never changed, but I finally bit the bullet one day.  To my surprise and delight I thought oh there's some type of sale, and I saved about $2800 Canadian for the 25 day cruise for the cabin.   When I got my invoice I noticed it said "Casino Rate" or something like that which I thought very odd/confusing.  We never enter the casino when we cruise.... but maybe now I should so that I ensure this rate keeps popping up for me!  Lol.