Most controversial cruise opinion??

[graphicguy]

10 hours ago, The Shrike said:

The Godfather is overrated.  There, I said it and I don't regret it.

 

Blasphemer!!!!! 😉

[ChiefMateJRK]

13 hours ago, tetleytea said:

I also don't necessarily view heavy gamblers as the experts on gambling--I consider more the statisticians, insurance actuaries, and the people who actually made the machines the experts (just as I consider the rehab doctors the experts on drug use--not the drug users).  

This is so funny because it is SO true! 😎

[ChiefMateJRK]

55 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

I think most of us are more concerned about you coming for coffee in your undies than about your sailor mouth 🙂  🙂😉 

There is also the minority who have no concerns whatsoever. 🥳

[SeaShark]

27 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

There is also the minority who have no concerns whatsoever. 🥳

 

Not to mention those who, while they do have concerns, don't see a point in verbalizing them publicly.

[Sailing12Away]

1 hour ago, PATRLR said:

I think most of us are more concerned about you coming for coffee in your undies than about your sailor mouth 🙂  🙂😉 

Oh, no need to worry about me. That's why we opt for the balcony or bust mentality when booking rooms so I don't have to venture outside my cabin in those undies. It's @ChiefMateJRK that I'm worried about! 🐀

[alysonofagun]

Don't know if its already been mentioned, but my controversial opinion is that I preferred being served at the buffet (post-Covid) than seeing the amount of adults that don't know how to behave hygienically around communal food/apparatus (recent cruise)... even though it meant continually asking for 'more, please' 🤣

[jsn55]

4 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Isn't Viking a bit hoity toity with their actual fancy nights and such, unlike NCL where we can walk for coffee in our PJs/Undies? We've been eyeing Virgin Voyages for such a reason... just haven't found one that fits our schedule yet.

 

I would love to see NCL have an adult-only (but not a winky winky "adult only") cruise one day. We tend to book our trips at the opposite times when kids and families will be on board, so we haven't experienced many in our travels. It's more so because they're cheaper than to specifically avoid the germ mongers, but that's a nice plus. 

 

Not anti-children per se, but when the free at sea drinks package is flowing, I don't want to have to constantly watch my sailor mouth.

What does the presence of kids have to do with walking around before you get dressed?  I always travel with a pair of jammies from Virgin-Atlantic, black l/s v-neck top and long pants.  They are the perfect loungewear and great for morning trips to get coffee on a cruise ship.  I might even tie a little scarf around my neck if I'm cruising on Cunard. 

[scooter6139]

13 hours ago, The Shrike said:

  Viking has it right, no kids under 18.

 100%.  Loved cruising when the kids weren't allowed on NCL due to vaccination protocols.  It was Bliss (wink wink)

[cruiseny4life]

5 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Not anti-children per se, but when the free at sea drinks package is flowing, I don't want to have to constantly watch my sailor mouth.

I definitely don't look around before I let loose with a *#(@ or @*$(# or @*$(...you get the idea. 🙂 If a parent doesn't want their kid hearing something, then they shouldn't take their kid in public. 

 

Besides, if the kid is 6, or over, they've heard it from their friends at school. I was a K-8 school administrator - you all would probably be surprised at what I've heard come from those darling little children........and yes, I did look around before cussing at school. 

[tetleytea]

I'd like kids on board if there weren't these unspoken socioeconomic barriers between the kids and the older adults.  I barely ever talk to them.  The kids will talk to each other even if they're strangers, and the adults will talk to each other even if they're strangers.  But how do you get the two to relate with each other?  At least on a surface level?  I guess maybe the adults are more interested than the kids are.   The cruise directors would have the power to do something about that in the Atrium events (e.g. "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" the gameshow).

[skeeter195]

On 8/15/2022 at 1:02 PM, tetleytea said:

 

Board:   pay attention at what is being claimed.    According to this particular comp calculator (which is not NCL's, but it is claimed it is a good gauge and an industry standard), casinos pay back 30% of projected losses back as free cruises and such.  This is admitted.

 

Meanwhile, it is asserted that there is "confusion" as to what constitutes projected losses vs. the sum total of all your bets (or "bankroll", as it has been called).   If you read higher up, CCL gave back $5k in freebies in exchange for gambling $20k.   That's 25%.  The "industry standard" is supposed to be 30%.  That was called "bad"--and indeed 25% is, after all, less than 30%.   But that is supposing the $20k is your losses.

 

Suppose the $20k is your bankroll.   Now suppose you don't lose everything you bet, but that CCL pays back 50% of your bets in winnings (we can adjust that 50% up or down later).  If you wager $20k, then you win back 50% of that, or $10k.   That means the $5k in freebies you got is in fact *50%* of your losses--NOT 25%.    How is 50% payback "poor", when you just got done saying 30% is "standard"?   Moreso, NCL allegedly pays back even more than that.

 

Let's tweak the payouts upward, to 90%.  You bankroll $20k, you win back $18k.   CCL is now comping you $5k on $2k losses.   Do you truly believe CCL is really giving away more than double what you lost?   Regularly?  Come on.    And that is what is being called "bad'.   So what, then, is Norwegian paying back in free cruises and such?   Triple??     Keep in mind, these are the same people saying that paying back 30% of losses in the form of freebies is standard.  Now we have them paying back even more than twice what you lose, and that is considered "bad".

 

Let me try and put this in more simple terms for you.  

 

Bankroll-the amount of money someone uses to gamble with for the trip

Losses-the amount of money that is lost from the bankroll

Theoretical, projected, possible future losses or whatever term you want to use-the amount of money the casino expects you to lose based on the game you play and how you play it.  Example, if the slots are set at an 80% payback and if you play through(not lose) 10k then your theo loss is $2000.  If you play perfect basic strategy at blackjack then your expected loss would be around $50 per 10k played through.  

Comp value - at 30% the comp value of the slot loss would be $600 and $15 on the blackjack.  This is the money "you can use" for future bookings.

 

Now here is where you are way off.  You do not have to lose money to be comped.  I did not see where anyone brought this up(maybe I missed it) so I will.  Overall I am a big winning player on NCL(not the case for all casinos).  In 2004 I won a lot on one cruise.  I started out small and increased my bet size and had a dream week of gambling until the last day when I lost almost 30k.  I walked of the ship with 52k more than when I boarded.  That cruise alone got me offers for the next few years(I played through around 1.2 million while never being down more than $500).  In fact I am still using my winnings from that cruise to gamble and pay for cruises(over 25) on NCL.  Lastly in May of this year I won just under 1k playing around 15 hours total.  I made big bets and am happy with my outcome.  Why?, because I booked 2 cruises within the last 2 weeks and they are both Haven comped cruises.  

[tetleytea]

15 minutes ago, skeeter195 said:

Let me try and put this in more simple terms for you.  

 

Bankroll-the amount of money someone uses to gamble with for the trip

Losses-the amount of money that is lost from the bankroll

Theoretical, projected, possible future losses or whatever term you want to use-the amount of money the casino expects you to lose based on the game you play and how you play it.  Example, if the slots are set at an 80% payback and if you play through(not lose) 10k then your theo loss is $2000.  If you play perfect basic strategy at blackjack then your expected loss would be around $50 per 10k played through.  

Comp value - at 30% the comp value of the slot loss would be $600 and $15 on the blackjack.  This is the money "you can use" for future bookings.

 

Now here is where you are way off.  You do not have to lose money to be comped.  I did not see where anyone brought this up(maybe I missed it) so I will.  Overall I am a big winning player on NCL(not the case for all casinos).  In 2004 I won a lot on one cruise.  I started out small and increased my bet size and had a dream week of gambling until the last day when I lost almost 30k.  I walked of the ship with 52k more than when I boarded.  That cruise alone got me offers for the next few years(I played through around 1.2 million while never being down more than $500).  In fact I am still using my winnings from that cruise to gamble and pay for cruises(over 25) on NCL.  Lastly in May of this year I won just under 1k playing around 15 hours total.  I made big bets and am happy with my outcome.  Why?, because I booked 2 cruises within the last 2 weeks and they are both Haven comped cruises.  

 

I thought everybody wanted to put this to rest?

 

Do we, or don't we?

 

 

[UPNYGuy]

4 hours ago, PATRLR said:

I think most of us are more concerned about you coming for coffee in your undies than about your sailor mouth 🙂  🙂😉 

 

And I promptly thought of this...

 

 

 

 

 

[skeeter195]

I am just being nice as I think you were confused with a lot of it.  If this makes you understand a little more of how things actually are then I am glad to have helped.  If not I am sorry for bringing it up.

[tetleytea]

17 minutes ago, skeeter195 said:

I am just being nice as I think you were confused with a lot of it.  If this makes you understand a little more of how things actually are then I am glad to have helped.  If not I am sorry for bringing it up.

 

No, your computation pretty much exactly matches the computation I did using jezebel's data.  

 

Your $1.2 million bankroll is a useful data point, though.

[skeeter195]

I am sorry to everyone else here for bringing this up.  I guess there is just no way to explain something to a rock staring at a tree.  

[complawyer]

little snippy, arent we?  i think the sarcasm is somehow unwarranted!

[ChiefMateJRK]

38 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

Your $1.2 million bankroll is a useful data point, though.

That and math speaks volumes to those with ears to hear.

[tetleytea]

1 hour ago, skeeter195 said:

I am sorry to everyone else here for bringing this up.  I guess there is just no way to explain something to a rock staring at a tree.  

 

Maybe if the rock talks back to you, then it is not a rock.

 

Why did you leave out the theoretical/projected loss on your $1.2 million bankroll?   80% slots payout.  You put $1.2 million in those slots.  You do understand that I know why your actual loss (-$52k) does not match that, right?

Edited August 16, 2022 by tetleytea

[The Shrike]

3 hours ago, tetleytea said:

I'd like kids on board if there weren't these unspoken socioeconomic barriers between the kids and the older adults.  I barely ever talk to them.  The kids will talk to each other even if they're strangers, and the adults will talk to each other even if they're strangers.  But how do you get the two to relate with each other?  At least on a surface level?  I guess maybe the adults are more interested than the kids are.   The cruise directors would have the power to do something about that in the Atrium events (e.g. "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader?" the gameshow).

If I wanted to relate to kids I'd have had some of my own, or I can visit family.  😁

[The Shrike]

1 hour ago, tetleytea said:

 

I thought everybody wanted to put this to rest?

 

Do we, or don't we?

 

 

[The Shrike]

1 hour ago, skeeter195 said:

I am sorry to everyone else here for bringing this up.  I guess there is just no way to explain something to a rock staring at a tree.  

Have you tried interpretive dancing at it?  😜

[DCGuy64]

4 hours ago, alysonofagun said:

Don't know if its already been mentioned, but my controversial opinion is that I preferred being served at the buffet (post-Covid) than seeing the amount of adults that don't know how to behave hygienically around communal food/apparatus (recent cruise)... even though it meant continually asking for 'more, please' 🤣

Oh I agree 100%. I also wonder if the cruise lines might save money by not having people pile their plates high and then dump 1/2 of it in the trash later. Personally, I eat less if I need to go back for 2nds and 3rds. (I may be in the minority here, a lot of folks think cruising is a contest to see who can eat and drink the most-not me, that's not fun.)

[skeeter195]

9 minutes ago, tetleytea said:

 

Maybe if the rock talks back to you, then it is not a rock.

 

Why did you leave out the theoretical/projected loss on your $1.2 million bankroll?   80% slots payout.  You put $1.2 million in those slots.  You do understand that I know why your actual loss (-$52k) does not match that, right?

Pat attention now. 

-I never said what my bankroll was(less than 2k by the way), if it was 1.2 then I would have my own yacht to sail on

-the 1.2 was what was played through by me

-I played mostly blackjack and craps with very little slots so the house edge was closer to 2%, thus giving me a comp of around $7200.

-52k loss?????, where does this come from?

 

[cruiseny4life]

19 minutes ago, The Shrike said:

If I wanted to relate to kids I'd have had some of my own, or I can visit family.  😁

I definitely don't want to. I don't mind saying hi to a kid in the hallway, but that's about all I want to do. Don't tell me to travel on Virgin or Viking - I'm neither party hardy or high falutin enough for those options.