Casino host for The Edge?

[3red7s]

Hello fellow cruisers!!!  We will be sailing on the Edge on Easter Sunday.  We spend much time in the casino.  Can anyone tell me who the Casino Host is? Our past 2 cruises, we had Andrea and she was wonderful.

[Hawkstar33]

22 hours ago, 3red7s said:

Hello fellow cruisers!!!  We will be sailing on the Edge on Easter Sunday.  We spend much time in the casino.  Can anyone tell me who the Casino Host is? Our past 2 cruises, we had Andrea and she was wonderful.

A young guy.  Sorry but not sure of his name.  

 

[Fly and Sail]

I had Andrea as well in DEC/JAN.

 

To be honest I'm getting increasingly frustrated by the inflexibility of BCC and the casino hosts. My play would give me some significant comps in land bases casinos (and on Royal) but crickets on X.

 

Then the casino was closed on several evenings, hours cut short on other days due to staff shortages yet they refused to apply a multiplier for the points or anything. As a result I missed accelerating to the next tier level, again crickets from the host (Andrea). BCC's response? $50 free play on the next sailing, big deal.

[3red7s]

Oh my....did not want to hear this.  Staff shortages should not impact the customer...just saying.  

[LGW59]

5 minutes ago, 3red7s said:

Oh my....did not want to hear this.  Staff shortages should not impact the customer...just saying.  

How can they not ??

[avp1234]

We were on the Apex in Feb.  Craps table was closed all week. People were asking why and the pit boss was really rude. We didn't ask. That's the only thing my husband plays. It was a bummer.  He played a little poker just to not watch me the whole week. I played blackjack on the $50 min bet table during the day and evenings, I spend a lot of time at the casino. I called bluechip when we got home and I think they gave me something like 7500 pts. Not enough to matter. We cruise Celebrity almost exclusively, but I've got casino offers lately from other lines that are almost too good to pass up. We cruise the Equinox in May, so we'll see how it goes. One other thing- the dealers/staff on the Apex were probably the best we've had. 

[Fly and Sail]

5 hours ago, 3red7s said:

Oh my....did not want to hear this.  Staff shortages should not impact the customer...just saying.  

 

On a cruise ship there is no choice. If casino trained staff got infected with Covid or deemed a close contact then they're SOL except for slots.

 

Still, I think there should be some remedy from BCC to compensate passengers who rely on an operating casino to maintain their tier level. Both MGM MLife as well as Caesars Reward and most other programs have offered points multipliers or reduced requirements for their members. Yes, BCC has extended the collection period to 18 months but that just means one has to take additional cruises. Unfortunately for me I have to fly halfway around the world to catch one.

[Fly and Sail]

5 hours ago, avp1234 said:

We were on the Apex in Feb.  Craps table was closed all week. People were asking why and the pit boss was really rude. We didn't ask. That's the only thing my husband plays. It was a bummer.  He played a little poker just to not watch me the whole week. I played blackjack on the $50 min bet table during the day and evenings, I spend a lot of time at the casino. I called bluechip when we got home and I think they gave me something like 7500 pts. Not enough to matter. We cruise Celebrity almost exclusively, but I've got casino offers lately from other lines that are almost too good to pass up. We cruise the Equinox in May, so we'll see how it goes. One other thing- the dealers/staff on the Apex were probably the best we've had. 

 

Same, no craps on cruise one but then it came back online a week later. Since you mention staff attitude, I overheard other passengers complain to Andrea about rude and unprofessional floor staff. Maybe morale among casino crew isn't the best atm considering all the covid protocols and constantly being locked up as "close contacts" !?

 

Still, since tips are a huge part of their income I'm surprised that floor staff got so surly. I certainly wouldn't tip if there was a sour mood. $50 min bet tables would rack up a lot of points to begin with, are you Sapphire? What exactly did they give you the 7500 points for?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

It's not just Celebrity - not much in the way of "rewards" for play on Royal or Carnival.

 

No matter where I play, it seems that my play is way underrated. I play BJ at the $25 table, always playing two spots. My average is between $50-$75 per spot, so basically $100-150 per round. Perhaps my error is starting with 2x$25/spot, but I'm usually only at that amount for a short while (5-10% of my table time I'd guess). 

 

Out of curiosity, after my last two 3-nt Carnival cruses, I emailed the players club and asked for my stats. It certainly seems like I'm rated for just 1 spot. It's roughly the same with Celebrity and Royal - if they're going to be "off", how is it always off by that much, and in the "wrong" direction? !

 

I will say, they got pretty close to my actual win/loss amounts though.

 

In retrospect - I'd much rather take them for five or ten grand than be overly concerned with the points that I should have earned! 

 

Tom

[avp1234]

20 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

It's not just Celebrity - not much in the way of "rewards" for play on Royal or Carnival.

 

No matter where I play, it seems that my play is way underrated. I play BJ at the $25 table, always playing two spots. My average is between $50-$75 per spot, so basically $100-150 per round. Perhaps my error is starting with 2x$25/spot, but I'm usually only at that amount for a short while (5-10% of my table time I'd guess). 

 

Out of curiosity, after my last two 3-nt Carnival cruses, I emailed the players club and asked for my stats. It certainly seems like I'm rated for just 1 spot. It's roughly the same with Celebrity and Royal - if they're going to be "off", how is it always off by that much, and in the "wrong" direction? !

 

I will say, they got pretty close to my actual win/loss amounts though.

 

In retrospect - I'd much rather take them for five or ten grand than be overly concerned with the points that I should have earned! 

 

Tom

I get offers from Carnival all the time for free rooms and free play with drinks on us in the casino. I have to disagree on all lines being the same. Their casino program is a lot more generous. And we rarely cruise Carnival. 
 

The two lines are apples to oranges outside of that, I realize. I sailed their newest ship in the Havana area in Oct, and it was nice. I had an offer for a free balcony and upgraded. It was under $1000 for both. They also comped a specialty restaurant on the last night to our surprise. 

 

We primarily sail Celebrity, haven’t done Royal. I wish we took them for 5 to 10 grand!  Ha!  The casino we consider a part of our entertainment so it’s ok either way. We enjoy it and I spend a lot of time there. As I mentioned above I play the min $50 table, and I’m not playing it for points. But, comps are nice.  

[3red7s]

We just got off the Edge on 4/20...never met the casino host, nor was there any attempt to meet me.  Our friends our big time Black Jack players and after 2 days at the tables, they left, stating "something just did not feel right"  hmm

[Fly and Sail]

On 4/25/2022 at 10:09 AM, 3red7s said:

We just got off the Edge on 4/20...never met the casino host, nor was there any attempt to meet me.  Our friends our big time Black Jack players and after 2 days at the tables, they left, stating "something just did not feel right"  hmm

 

Are you an invited guest (by the BCC/MGM Casino)? Otherwise there is no contact between the casino and cruise guests aside from their welcome events on boarding day.

 

I'm MGM Noir and as per the benefit table should receive a welcome amenity and letter explaining the benefits. I got that ONCE in maybe 12 cruises.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

8 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Are you an invited guest (by the BCC/MGM Casino)? Otherwise there is no contact between the casino and cruise guests aside from their welcome events on boarding day.

 

I'm MGM Noir and as per the benefit table should receive a welcome amenity and letter explaining the benefits. I got that ONCE in maybe 12 cruises.

Well, at least they didn't forget you EVERY time !  😄 

 

I maintained Platinum for a period of time over a decade ago, which took a little work when I only made trips to Vegas a couple of times a year. I knew that Noir was out of reach. I understand they've recently made it tougher to earn points (though, I think Noir is by invite anyway - right?).

 

Tom

[Fly and Sail]

4 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Well, at least they didn't forget you EVERY time !  😄 

 

I maintained Platinum for a period of time over a decade ago, which took a little work when I only made trips to Vegas a couple of times a year. I knew that Noir was out of reach. I understand they've recently made it tougher to earn points (though, I think Noir is by invite anyway - right?).

 

Tom

 

I wouldn't say it's tougher to earn points but all that doesn't matter anyway for NOIR as there isn't a clear metric how to maintain it. I've never been downgraded from NOIR since I got it and the perks are nice. In some years I barely play enough to make Gold.

[blueskadoo]

Our last cruise was on the Edge and the casino left a lot to be desired. My husband had to keep after them to make sure they recorded his play appropriately- it was so off he had them review the tape and it was off by 1000s, which they corrected thankfully. The young man was plenty kind enough...but just sort of powerless. We too are MGM Noir (or at least have been for a while- not sure about this new MGM rewards program) and were surprised that there was never any contact from the casino team once we were onboard- you have to think they know you're there as a Plat/Noir guest. Other lines that are "fun ships" have much more outreach between the casino and the players...and while it may seem cheesy, sometimes its nice to get the little gifts in the cabin as a surprise after you've spent your time and money...makes you feel noticed. In the end, the loss was big enough the host was able to comp off some items, which we appreciated, but had we not known to ask and persist, I have no doubt we would have left comps on the table. 

[crystallake]

How much of a loss is considered enough to comp off some items.

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

16 hours ago, blueskadoo said:

Our last cruise was on the Edge and the casino left a lot to be desired. My husband had to keep after them to make sure they recorded his play appropriately- it was so off he had them review the tape and it was off by 1000s, which they corrected thankfully. The young man was plenty kind enough...but just sort of powerless. We too are MGM Noir (or at least have been for a while- not sure about this new MGM rewards program) and were surprised that there was never any contact from the casino team once we were onboard- you have to think they know you're there as a Plat/Noir guest. Other lines that are "fun ships" have much more outreach between the casino and the players...and while it may seem cheesy, sometimes its nice to get the little gifts in the cabin as a surprise after you've spent your time and money...makes you feel noticed. In the end, the loss was big enough the host was able to comp off some items, which we appreciated, but had we not known to ask and persist, I have no doubt we would have left comps on the table. 

 

Just finished our third in a row of 3-nt sailings on the Carnival Liberty (two in March, one this last weekend). I will say that I got more attention on the two (most recent) sailings where I was losing to some degree than on my first (winning) one. Managed a couple nights in the steakhouse as well as two bottles of Caymus Special Selection - so, pleased with that.

 

On Carnival I'm usually one of the higher end players. That was not the case the last two sailings - the fellow I was playing next to on the last night was playing table max ($2,500) on 2-3 spots. I've never seen that many purple chips on a Carnival ship! When I saw him (actually on the prior cruise as well) from a distance I mentioned to Cheryl that he "looked Russian" (aka Russian Mafia). Turns out he's Ukrainian, and it was a Ukrainian dealer that pointed that out when he came up in conversation. The dealer was talking about a fellow betting table max, only to occasionally drop to a single $25 chip (and that would invariably trigger a blackjack)... don't we all know how that goes!

 

Tom

[blueskadoo]

Wow! Stacks of purple chips on Carnival had to make that pit boss very very nervous! 

To answer the question about loss and comps, I don’t know where the threshold begins, but I’m going to guess it is safe to say a 5 figure loss would be worth the effort to ask. The worst they can ever say is no! 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

34 minutes ago, blueskadoo said:

Wow! Stacks of purple chips on Carnival had to make that pit boss very very nervous! 

...

 

Funny you should mention that. The pit did not seem too concerned, though they were watching the table like hawks. I could tell that at least one of the dealers was rather flustered, making a couple of mistakes (card handling, not chip related). The casino manager did make an appearance on the last night -- didn't even know there was one from my experience on the prior cruises, lol. At any rate he was over the top laughing/talking it up with the high roller - even saying (more than once, at a volume you could hear a table or two away) "you're the reason I'm not sleeping well at night".  🙂

 

Tom

[Fly and Sail]

On 4/26/2022 at 4:32 AM, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

Well, at least they didn't forget you EVERY time !  😄 

 

I maintained Platinum for a period of time over a decade ago, which took a little work when I only made trips to Vegas a couple of times a year. I knew that Noir was out of reach. I understand they've recently made it tougher to earn points (though, I think Noir is by invite anyway - right?).

 

Tom

 

As if they read this thread... there was a bottle of wine waiting for me in my cabin on Solstice although I believe every AQC guest got this and it has nothing to do with the casino.

 

But I really have a beef with BCC. They gave the guy I chat with every day a free cruise offer and he played exactly similar levels, it's his third freebie this year. When I asked the host about it the answer was "I have no influence on that." Bunch of bollocks. Anyway I'll be Amethyst after this cruise so either way BCC owes me another sailing as part of these benefits.

 

That's the other thing. If I'm at any MGM/CET casino and cross the points mark to the next tier I go to the member desk, they verify and give me my new tier card including all benefits. With X/BCC it takes a week after leaving that ship that anything happens. 🤬

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

After our 2/26 Reflection sailing I ended up booking a B2B on her again for this Thanksgiving. This weekend I was looking at a Christmas/New Year's ('23/'24) cruise. When I called, as I suspected, I was told that since they only had that recent play to go from, they could only book two sailings at a discounted rate. My B2B obviously filled that bill.

 

I don't have another Celebrity sailing until our Thanksgiving sailing, so I might just go ahead and grab a cabin now (refundable!), and see where the chips fall after our B2B...

Tom

[Fly and Sail]

2 Comp Cruises at a time seems to be normal. In December I was told to book one within 90 days and one outside 90 days but that was an onboard offer. Not sure how the guaranteed annual Amethyst (+higher) and NOIR cruise fits in here.

[Fly and Sail]

On 4/27/2022 at 5:55 AM, blueskadoo said:

Wow! Stacks of purple chips on Carnival had to make that pit boss very very nervous! 

To answer the question about loss and comps, I don’t know where the threshold begins, but I’m going to guess it is safe to say a 5 figure loss would be worth the effort to ask. The worst they can ever say is no! 

You could argue that from both sides. A five figure loss is guaranteed revenue. A five figure win is a loss for the casino and they'd want that back. The math is in their favor if they can entice the player back.

[sfos56]

I used a land based travel agency called Ken Froom Tours based in FL.  All I did was give them my players card and birthday and I got 2 comped cruises.  One on the Beyond Oct 3 Aqua Class and a TA on the Apex Concierge Class.  I think they have much better deals then you can get from the Cruise line.  Good Luck!

 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

21 minutes ago, sfos56 said:

I used a land based travel agency called Ken Froom Tours based in FL.  All I did was give them my players card and birthday and I got 2 comped cruises.  One on the Beyond Oct 3 Aqua Class and a TA on the Apex Concierge Class.  I think they have much better deals then you can get from the Cruise line.  Good Luck!

 

 

I went through them once, managing a grand panoramic suite on the Allure - for about $5k "all in". For various reasons, I ended up playing very little on that sailing. I felt kind of bad about that, and they still sent me offers for a couple years. I must be off their list now !

 

Tom