Blue Chip Club Free Cruise

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

10 minutes ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

Wow. For $5k in the hole, you could have probably generated 45-50,000 points on slots with an estimated 10-15% breakage (not considering any major bonuses).

I guess that just goes to show you how skewed the rating method/system is for BJ. It's a piece of cake in slots - they have a record of every "spin". I will vary my bets over the course of play and, I'm sure this is just my selective memory, but it seems that the pit folks never come around to update your bet amounts except when you're near your minimum! Also, I always play two hands (identical bet amounts) and I have a feeling that sometimes that's not properly noted... do they basically give you credit for double your single bet every hand? I have, on a few occasions, asked after the fact (end of cruise, or after a sailing) what they showed as my average bet - and many times it is my base bet, at best. 

 

Tom

[sixpackeddie]

5 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

How much was your W/L ? 10,000 points per week isn't that much, although somewhat impressive that you did it with BJ, which has notoriously bad rating and tracking with Celebrity.

I came out $1800 ahead, used to play a lot of Black Jack but stuck with Ultimate Texas Hold’em on this past trip….my total points for that week long cruise was 32,000 points. I have no idea how they did the calculation….

[kwokpot]

10 hours ago, Fly and Sail said:

 

I think you're confusing Amethyst with Sapphire. The only benefits Amethyst (25k points) has is a free photo package, a few free internet minutes and $100 or 5% of previous cruises gaming activity in freeplay.

 

You're referring to Sapphire (100k points) which also - well theoretically - comes with Retreat access.

 

• Amethyst level guests, the greater of $100 or 5% of the previous sailing’s gaming activity
• Sapphire level guests, the greater of $500 or 10% of the previous sailing’s gaming activity
• Ruby level guests, the greater of $2,500 or 15% of the previous sailing’s gaming activity

Yes, my apologies. My husband is Sapphire tier. The information I provided about his points earnings and Freeplay are correct.  As an aside the BCC tier levels and benefits you listed is missing the Sapphire plus tier at 500,000 points. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

Yes, my apologies. My husband is Sapphire tier. The information I provided about his points earnings and Freeplay are correct.  As an aside the BCC tier levels and benefits you listed is missing the Sapphire plus tier at 500,000 points. 

 

They'll let you steer the ship at 500K+ points LOL

 

Tom

[kwokpot]

20 hours ago, NutsAboutGolf said:

 

They normally leave a post card at some point during sailing but on the Solstice earlier this month, I did not receive one, went to future cruises and I was on the list for a comped cruise.  What they told me they generally receive the gamblers list who are eligible for free/reduced cruises at some point on day 2 (the day after embarkation day) and you don't need to wait for the post card to book

We went to the Future cruises desk this morning to inquire about the comped Conceige class cabin offer. It's quite generous. It's cabin only good for sailings up to 1 year away on ANY CRUISE except for the Assent and major holidays. No other exclusions. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 minute ago, kwokpot said:

We went to the Future cruises desk this morning to inquire about the comped Conceige class cabin offer. It's quite generous. It's cabin only good for sailings up to 1 year away on ANY CRUISE except for the Assent and major holidays. No other exclusions. 

 

Did you inquire about the cost to bump up to a suite (if that's of interest to you)?

 

Tom

[kwokpot]

3 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Did you inquire about the cost to bump up to a suite (if that's of interest to you)?

 

Tom

I think we'll do that when we book. The card implies we have to book it onboard. We didn't confirm if that's the case or if this particular offer will be available after disembarkation. We need to look at our options. I would like to consider around the horn/South America or Spice Road/India neither which we have done. I'll update further when we book. 

[kwokpot]

19 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

They'll let you steer the ship at 500K+ points LOL

 

Tom

Yeah, it's a BIG jump from Shapphire.

 

To answer an earlier question of yours my husband plays almost exclusively slots. That wasn't the case 20 years ago. But after seeing his mom get better comps playing a couple hundred on slots in Atlantic City than him playing 3x more on roulette and craps he completely switched his games of choice and has never looked back. He is able to get the same enjoyment from playing slots as he did playing roulette or craps. He's not a card player. 

Edited February 23, 2023 by kwokpot

[sixpackeddie]

17 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

Did you inquire about the cost to bump up to a suite (if that's of interest to you)?

 

Tom

I have had 3 sky suites booked at 60% off, on the edge, reflection and beyond.

[sixpackeddie]

28 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Yes, my apologies. My husband is Sapphire tier. The information I provided about his points earnings and Freeplay are correct.  As an aside the BCC tier levels and benefits you listed is missing the Sapphire plus tier at 500,000 points. 

Does the Sapphire Level give you access to the retreat level?

[kwokpot]

20 minutes ago, sixpackeddie said:

Does the Sapphire Level give you access to the retreat level?

No, that benefit isn't being offered. You get an additional $100 Freeplay in lieu of it. 

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

1 hour ago, sixpackeddie said:

I have had 3 sky suites booked at 60% off, on the edge, reflection and beyond.

 

I know that, over the last few months, they (BCC) were moving puzzle pieces around. At one point I was told no 60% discounts on Edge class ships, then it was "yes, you can get the 60%, but only at the Sky Suite level, not higher". Then I was like... ok - I rather like the lower/end magic carpet sky suites. So, I called them back --- no dice. Sometimes it seems like they all (whoever might answer the phone) have different criteria. When I tried to pin down (reconnect) with a couple of those who had extended the 60% option, I never was able to get in touch with them again.

In retrospect, if they float a good offer - don't take time to think about and get back to them, JUST BOOK IT (as they're refundable anyway)!

 

Tom

[AlbertaCruisers]

1 hour ago, kwokpot said:

I think we'll do that when we book. The card implies we have to book it onboard. We didn't confirm if that's the case or if this particular offer will be available after disembarkation. We need to look at our options. I would like to consider around the horn/South America or Spice Road/India neither which we have done. I'll update further when we book. 

 

Thank you for the updates.  My experience is that the offer onboard has to be booked onboard and you may not get the same offer over the phone after the cruise.  I was able to book cruises further out while on board and the people on the phone could not do anything similar.

 

Last year I was able to upgrade my concierge offer onboard to Aqua class for $10 per person per day.  It would be interesting to see if they are still doing that.

 

[sixpackeddie]

13 minutes ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

I know that, over the last few months, they (BCC) were moving puzzle pieces around. At one point I was told no 60% discounts on Edge class ships, then it was "yes, you can get the 60%, but only at the Sky Suite level, not higher". Then I was like... ok - I rather like the lower/end magic carpet sky suites. So, I called them back --- no dice. Sometimes it seems like they all (whoever might answer the phone) have different criteria. When I tried to pin down (reconnect) with a couple of those who had extended the 60% option, I never was able to get in touch with them again.

In retrospect, if they float a good offer - don't take time to think about and get back to them, JUST BOOK IT (as they're refundable anyway)!

 

Tom

YES I agree Tom. It really the Wild West and depends who you talk to. There are lots of new agents in the BCC so its best to speak to an agent with some experience. I have asked for suites above Sky Suite and have never succeeded. 

[Fly and Sail]

5 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

 

They'll let you steer the ship at 500K+ points LOL

 

Tom

 

Shhhh that's a secret perk that's only available upon request. It didn't go well for COSTA Cruises btw. 😄

[Fly and Sail]

10 hours ago, Tom-n-Cheryl said:

I know that, over the last few months, they (BCC) were moving puzzle pieces around. At one point I was told no 60% discounts on Edge class ships, then it was "yes, you can get the 60%, but only at the Sky Suite level, not higher". Then I was like... ok - I rather like the lower/end magic carpet sky suites. So, I called them back --- no dice. Sometimes it seems like they all (whoever might answer the phone) have different criteria. When I tried to pin down (reconnect) with a couple of those who had extended the 60% option, I never was able to get in touch with them again.

In retrospect, if they float a good offer - don't take time to think about and get back to them, JUST BOOK IT (as they're refundable anyway)!

 

Tom

 

Totally agree. If I've learned one thing with Celebrity then it's that I take them up on anything attractive they offer me AT THAT MOMENT and not call them back later as this offer might have either been an agent snafu or the next person won't be able to find it.

[sixpackeddie]

20 hours ago, kwokpot said:

 

To answer an earlier question of yours my husband plays almost exclusively slots. That wasn't the case 20 years ago. But after seeing his mom get better comps playing a couple hundred on slots in Atlantic City than him playing 3x more on roulette and craps he completely switched his games of choice and has never looked back. He is able to get the same enjoyment from playing slots as he did playing roulette or craps. He's not a card player. 

Interesting, I thought you received more points from table games at 8 points for every dollar vs 1 point for every dollar with slots? How much would you have to gamble at slots to receive 10,000 points?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

About the only "slot" (machine) game I would play would be video poker, but alas the pay tables have gone from bad to worse over the years. Not only that - I can't, over the course of even 15-20 minutes, keep the focus needed to make the right play. I've thrown away a couple decent (potential) hands when my "auto draw" finger moves too quickly !

 

Tom

[kwokpot]

On 2/23/2023 at 11:58 AM, AlbertaCruisers said:

 

Thank you for the updates.  My experience is that the offer onboard has to be booked onboard and you may not get the same offer over the phone after the cruise.  I was able to book cruises further out while on board and the people on the phone could not do anything similar.

 

Last year I was able to upgrade my concierge offer onboard to Aqua class for $10 per person per day.  It would be interesting to see if they are still doing that.

 

We decided not to book the onboard comped cruise offer.  They charge a $10/day/pp booking fee that isn't waived. This is similar to what NCL does on their comped cruise offers. No upgrades of any kind offered through this promo, any upgrades must be requested through BCC after booking onboard. Without any added extras we didn't feel we wanted to pay the additional administration fees.  

[Fly and Sail]

On 2/24/2023 at 9:38 PM, sixpackeddie said:

Interesting, I thought you received more points from table games at 8 points for every dollar vs 1 point for every dollar with slots? How much would you have to gamble at slots to receive 10,000 points?

 

Table games are rated based on your theoretical loss, not the immediate bet size, such as with slots.

[Dreamcruise27]

Is it possible to call and ask to book a BCC cruise in Canadian dollars? Are we able to use FCC to cruise fare? (For the 10% discount offer)

[sixpackeddie]

5 hours ago, Dreamcruise27 said:

Is it possible to call and ask to book a BCC cruise in Canadian dollars? Are we able to use FCC to cruise fare? (For the 10% discount offer)

It’s really best to pay in USD as Celebrity charges you a premium exchange rate to convert to USD. It’s also a hassle to book shore excursions, dining reservations prior to your cruise in CDN dollars. On the other hand if you boos in CND dollars your won’t absorb the the evangelist rate from your CC from UDS to CDN.

[avp1234]

We just got off the solstice and received an envelope about half way through from BCC that said we could book a free balcony room at the future cruise desk. We didn’t while onboard, can we call and still book that offer?  I’ve never received it onboard. 

[NutsAboutGolf]

5 hours ago, avp1234 said:

We just got off the solstice and received an envelope about half way through from BCC that said we could book a free balcony room at the future cruise desk. We didn’t while onboard, can we call and still book that offer?  I’ve never received it onboard. 

No, that offer was on board only and based on your previous sailings play.  You can call the BCC and ask if you have any offers but now they the review your play from your most recent sailing, the Solstice

[dazey]

On our cruise in May I received the offer for comp veranda and I chose the New England cruise from Boston to Canada and back.  I got a price(no perks of course) of under $800 for two for over 10+ days.  I could not get a definite "yes" from my husband(although most times I just go with it) so I hesitated and called when I got home and the price went to over $4200(no perks with maybe a bit of OBC).  I was so angry that I did not just do it.  I am sailing this May and hope I get an offer.  Jump on the offer when onboard for sure!