Semi-live: Crown Princess, “Mexican Riviera” Dec 12 to Dec 22

[mk-ultra]

Tonight is the cruise's second formal night.  I decided to play dress-up.  I thought what I had packed would look good together.  I look like a car crash at a flea market.  Whatever.  No me importa.

Edited December 20, 2023 by mk-ultra

[mk-ultra]

Still sticking to 100% Spanish onboard.  It’s hilarious.  I entertain myself. 

[mk-ultra]

Last full day onboard.  Sea day.  Woke up to a creaking cabin and decent rainfall -- and people stumbling around like pachinko balls.  Honestly, the seas aren't very high, but it's enough to make everyone walk wonky.

 

The rain has stopped, but we're still chugging through some minor rollers.  Somebody on the bridge dialed the speed down so we aren't going whack-whack-whack at perhaps 30 degrees to the rollers any longer.  Other than this early AM we've had nothing short of fantastic weather.

[Nuck Chorris]

On 12/13/2023 at 8:48 PM, mk-ultra said:

  There is one weird hand-dealt BJ-ish game I wouldn't touch with a 10' pole. 

Hey mk-ultra.  Great blog!

 

Is the hand-dealt BJ-ish game called Fun21?  Or does it have some other name?

[SFSailaway]

Thank you for your semi-live, @mk-ultra.  My husband and I are taking this cruise in March.  I was wondering if the first formal night was held on the first full sea day or the second full sea day.  I want to make specialty dining reservations for that evening, but cannot remember which night the first formal night is for this itinerary.

 

Thank you for your help!

[mk-ultra]

6 hours ago, Nuck Chorris said:

Hey mk-ultra.  Great blog!

 

Is the hand-dealt BJ-ish game called Fun21?  Or does it have some other name?

Fun 21.  Very much in the don't do category.

[mk-ultra]

So, fantastic trip.  I was up ~$5K stricly on blackjack.  Tonight being our last night, bet all the cash.  Strictly black chips.  I had set aside $1K to lose at the casino.

 

I haven't counted it out yet, but cruise is definitely more than paid for.  Mucho purple chips.

[Nuck Chorris]

44 minutes ago, mk-ultra said:

Fun 21.  Very much in the don't do category.

The house advantage is actually quite small.    Does require a modified BJ strategy though.   https://wizardofodds.com/games/fun-21/

[nyazca]

4 hours ago, SFSailaway said:

Thank you for your semi-live, @mk-ultra.  My husband and I are taking this cruise in March.  I was wondering if the first formal night was held on the first full sea day or the second full sea day.  I want to make specialty dining reservations for that evening, but cannot remember which night the first formal night is for this itinerary.

 

Thank you for your help!

On our cruise we were scheduled to board* on the 12th the first formal night was the 13th, the first full sea day.

 

Mike
* there was a “slight” glitch and many didn’t board until midnight-30 so technically the 13th.

[mk-ultra]

Annnnnd... that's a wrap!  Did the schlep my own luggage disembark right as the gangway on deck 7 opened.  Perhaps the 10th person off of the ship.  Straight into a taxi with no waiting.  Easy peasy lemon squeezey.

 

Next up: Virgin Voyages; Scarlet Lady out of Miami in March.  Virgin to Virgin.

Edited December 22, 2023 by mk-ultra

[SFSailaway]

On 12/21/2023 at 8:43 PM, nyazca said:

On our cruise we were scheduled to board* on the 12th the first formal night was the 13th, the first full sea day.

 

Mike
* there was a “slight” glitch and many didn’t board until midnight-30 so technically the 13th.

Thank you so much for your reply! 

[Santa Roger]

We will be taking the Crown Princess from San Francisco to Hawaii RT leaving 3/9/2023.  
Would love to chat with fellow travelers taking that same cruise.

[Nuck Chorris]

31 minutes ago, Santa Roger said:

We will be taking the Crown Princess from San Francisco to Hawaii RT leaving 3/9/2023.  
Would love to chat with fellow travelers taking that same cruise.

I assume you mean 3/9/2024.  There is a roll call for your cruise with comments from fellow travelers.

 

Edited December 23, 2023 by Nuck Chorris

[mk-ultra]

On 12/21/2023 at 8:30 PM, Nuck Chorris said:

The house advantage is actually quite small.    Does require a modified BJ strategy though.   https://wizardofodds.com/games/fun-21/

 

I guess it's fine, casually, but I'm not going to bother to memorize another strategy, grid and deviations to play it.  Shame, because it's the only hand-dealt game on the ship.  0.58% (Fun 21) vs. 0.5%, played 100% correct BS (which I couldn't do with Fun 21).

Edited December 27, 2023 by mk-ultra

[cant_hug_teddybear]

Thank you for the semi-live thread. Do you have a sample patter that you can share? I would like to see the current evening entertainment schedule. Thanks.

[Nuck Chorris]

On 12/26/2023 at 6:10 PM, mk-ultra said:

 

I guess it's fine, casually, but I'm not going to bother to memorize another strategy, grid and deviations to play it.  Shame, because it's the only hand-dealt game on the ship.  0.58% (Fun 21) vs. 0.5%, played 100% correct BS (which I couldn't do with Fun 21).

I hear you about the extra work to learn the Fun 21 strategy not being worth it.  I understand that POV.

 

But just to be precise, I believe that the house odds on the ship’s 3:2 standard blackjack (SBJ) are not 0.5% but, rather,  0.63%,  what with six decks in the CSM, double down permitted after splitting but splitting Aces allowed only once, and no surrender permitted.  See, for example,  https://tunicatravel.com/blog/2017/01/two-deck-vs-six-deck-blackjack-games/ and also https://www.onlineunitedstatescasinos.com/las-vegas/blackjack/six-deck/

 

So Fun 21, when played properly, has the best odds of any game on the ship by a whisker.  Fun 21 also has a smaller minimum bet than the ship’s 3:2 SBJ, which I like when I want to keep my bets small.  But the most important thing to me is the hand shuffle.  I won’t play any blackjack anywhere that is shuffled by a CSM.  So I was forced to learn Fun 21 if I wanted to play BJ on the ship.  One drawback to Fun 21 that you didn’t mention was that there are a few players who sit at the Fun 21 table who will groan when you do something “nonstandard,” like hit your hard 12 against a dealer 5 or 6.  Its always a conundrum -- do you just let the groan stand or do you try to educate them about the effect of the kings missing from the shoe??  Its best, of course, not to say anything.  But sometimes its difficult.

Edited December 29, 2023 by Nuck Chorris

[sharichka]

We are on this same trip in February.  I'm excited to read your recap and "get to know" the ship and itinerary.

[Wonders By Wallis]

On 12/28/2023 at 8:13 PM, Nuck Chorris said:

double down permitted after splitting but splitting Aces allowed only once

That's interesting. I was on the Discovery Princess in October got a pair of aces, split that, got two more and split them. I bet I will never see that happen again.