Celebrity Likely Adding Casino Surcharge For Cash Advances

[FinelyCruising]

[quote name='Drew B']Phew! I guess the word "expecting" threw md. :p



[/QUOTE]

Drew, I did say expecting because I am expecting. I am not going to sit for hours on end all day long any more than I would do that at a pool bar. But in the world of casinos, where I am participating on a regular basis, win lose or draw, I am going to be expecting a more traditional casino experience and I will not be ignoring that aspect as I have and tolerate the slight of my presence. Land based casinos make no distinction to length of play or dollars bet for tray service.

I have gotten some wonderful pours at the casino bar that could be a two for one since I enjoy cordials while I play, but I prefer to play at the same time as I indulge. So its really a mutual consideration to meet the same end.

[Drew B]

[quote name='FinelyCruising']Susie I do think they watch to see if you are winning. I don't think those who are up overall benefit.[/quote]

I can't speak to the cruise line casinos in particular, but the land-based casinos are FAR MORE likely to throw perks at you if you are up. They don't want you to leave before they have a chance to win back the money, and they'll do whatever it takes to make you feel happy and well-cared-for so that you will stay for a good, long time! I see no reason why they wouldn't think the same way at sea...

[Lois R]

[quote name='kitty9']Yes Lois, my mom, sister and I love the casino. We've been offered dinner in the speciality restaurants which was a very nice gift. And, on the second night of some of our cruises, the wine steward tells us that we have a wine credit from the casino so we can pick any wine we want with that credit.[/quote]

Darcie, I have spoken with the wine steward too:)
but he always makes me sign that receipt;)

[FinelyCruising]

[quote name='Drew B']I can't speak to the cruise line casinos in particular, but the land-based casinos are FAR MORE likely to throw perks at you if you are up. They don't want you to leave before they have a chance to win back the money, and they'll do whatever it takes to make you feel happy and well-cared-for so that you will stay for a good, long time! I see no reason why they wouldn't think the same way at sea...[/QUOTE]


Drew free rooms, food and shows are minimum standards just to have you show up in their place on land. On the floor drinks are offered without anyone knowing if you have even spent one red cent on any game.

[Drew B]

[quote name='FinelyCruising']I am going to be expecting a more traditional casino experience and I will not be ignoring that aspect as I have and tolerate the slight of my presence. Land based casinos make no distinction to length of play or dollars bet for tray service.[/quote]

I'm afraid you will be disappointed. Free drinks is a regular, ordinary perk in land-based casinos. Receiving these drinks is the rule and not an exception. At sea, free drinks are an exception. Getting these perks once in a while is a nice little bonus, but nothing that you can or should "expect". The policies of these casinos simply are not the same as the ones on land!

And I wouldn't call the fact that you don't get offered free drinks a "slight" of your presence any more than it would be if you were not upgraded to a higher level cabin or if you were not invited to dine at the Captain's table... Getting an upgrade or an invite to the captain's table is a nice treat, but not something you can expect...

[FinelyCruising]

[quote name='Drew B']I'm afraid you will be disappointed. Free drinks is a regular, ordinary perk in land-based casinos. Receiving these drinks is the rule and not an exception. At sea, free drinks are an exception. Getting these perks once in a while is a nice little bonus, but nothing that you can or should "expect". The policies of these casinos simply are not the same as the ones on land!

And I wouldn't call the fact that you don't get offered free drinks a "slight" of your presence any more than it would be if you were not upgraded to a higher level cabin or if you were not invited to dine at the Captain's table... Getting an upgrade or an invite to the captain's table is a nice treat, but not something you can expect...[/QUOTE]

Drew this is about the casino only. Your commingling of yours or others expectations in casinos has nothing to do with mine that are related to the casinos on board and tray service.

The 'nice little bonus' you infer is exactly the baby step from the cruise line I am after as I am playing in the casino while I am on an X cruise. I intend to address that aspect, and expect to address that aspect while on board next.:)

[Drew B]

Alright. Good luck. I hope you succeed in getting what you want.

[raudacruise]

[quote name='Drew B']I can't speak to the cruise line casinos in particular, but the land-based casinos are FAR MORE likely to throw perks at you if you are up. They don't want you to leave before they have a chance to win back the money, and they'll do whatever it takes to make you feel happy and well-cared-for so that you will stay for a good, long time! I see no reason why they wouldn't think the same way at sea...[/quote]

Maybe because you can't walk across the street to another Casino :D

Seriously, I don't expect my cruise experience to be the same as my Vegas experience.

But back on topic. Let's face it folks, RCL is under stress to push up profits after all of the ship building they've been doing. Adding 3% on casino withdrawels is one way (and yes folks, many took the casino withdrawels without having any plans to place a bet - I've advised people to do that). In other threads you'll find conversations about maintenence of the existing fleet being down.

For those of you that bought RCL stock at $45 for the OBC, hope you can recoup it now that its at $35.

[aandjw]

Could you send yourself $2000 in casino credit, charged to your preferred credit card, 3 days before sailing? Would that work?

[kitty9]

[quote name='usha'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=magenta]I have to ask some of these high rollers who get all the perks in the casino: Wouldn't it just be a whole lot cheaper just to save all the money you gamble away at the tables, and just [I]buy[/I] your drinks/wine/dinners in specialty restaurants? All I can think is that you must be making quite a contribution at the casino! Hope this doesn't offend anyone.:o [/COLOR][/FONT][/QUOTE]


Well, you do your thing and we do ours. We would never question why an individual chooses to do whatever on a cruise, and it's impolite to question what we do, with our own money, I might add. If I were taking money out of your wallet, and gambling with it, then you'd have a point, but it's not your money !!! And we most certainly DON'T do it for the perks. I was just informing someone that perks certainly are there in the casino. Just as someone chooses to purchase a $100K Mercedes while another choses a basic Chevy, it's absolutely no one's business to ask the why's and wherefores?

[raudacruise]

[quote name='aandjw']Could you send yourself $2000 in casino credit, charged to your preferred credit card, 3 days before sailing? Would that work?[/quote]
Now thats an idea I'd never thought about. Shhss.

[usha]

[quote name='kitty9']Well, you do your thing and we do ours. We would never question why an individual chooses to do whatever on a cruise, and it's impolite to question what we do, with our own money, I might add. If I were taking money out of your wallet, and gambling with it, then you'd have a point, but it's not your money !!! And we most certainly DON'T do it for the perks. I was just informing someone that perks certainly are there in the casino. Just as someone chooses to purchase a $100K Mercedes while another choses a basic Chevy, it's absolutely no one's business to ask the why's and wherefores?[/quote]
[COLOR=magenta]Sorry; I've evidently offended you, and that was not my intent. But what does pouring money down the gullet of the casino have to do with the sort of car anyone drives?????:eek:[/COLOR]

[lets talk cruising]

[quote name='usha'][COLOR=magenta]Sorry; I've evidently offended you, and that was not my intent. But what does pouring money down the gullet of the casino have to do with the sort of car anyone drives?????:eek:[/COLOR][/quote]

Seems to me it was an analogy. I got it.

[Shipyard Cruiser]

[quote name='usha'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=magenta]I have to ask some of these high rollers who get all the perks in the casino: Wouldn't it just be a whole lot cheaper just to save all the money you gamble away at the tables, and just [I]buy[/I] your drinks/wine/dinners in specialty restaurants? All I can think is that you must be making quite a contribution at the casino! Hope this doesn't offend anyone.:o [/COLOR][/FONT][/quote]

Yes, it does offend some of us.

But don't worry about it.

[mgg42]

[quote name='Drew B']I can't speak to the cruise line casinos in particular, but the land-based casinos are FAR MORE likely to throw perks at you if you are up. They don't want you to leave before they have a chance to win back the money, and they'll do whatever it takes to make you feel happy and well-cared-for so that you will stay for a good, long time! I see no reason why they wouldn't think the same way at sea...[/quote]

This isn't really accurate. As a vegas regular, and an avid blackjack player, I have spoken with my host on many occasions, and even seen my play report. Comps are not based on winnings or losings. Comps are based on play rating, which is a formula using average bet size, and number of hands per hour. They KNOW the more someone plays, the more they earn. So they don't chase wins or losses (they leave that for us suckers), they chase players.

Statistically, people will play more and longer when they have been winning, so they end up with a higher rating, but it has nothing to do with the casino wanting to "win their money back". If you play at all, they win.

[Desertbelle]

[quote name='mgg42']This isn't really accurate. As a vegas regular, and an avid blackjack player, I have spoken with my host on many occasions, and even seen my play report. Comps are not based on winnings or losings. Comps are based on play rating, which is a formula using average bet size, and number of hands per hour. They KNOW the more someone plays, the more they earn. So they don't chase wins or losses (they leave that for us suckers), they chase players.

Statistically, people will play more and longer when they have been winning, so they end up with a higher rating, but it has nothing to do with the casino wanting to "win their money back". If you play at all, they win.[/quote]

He's exactly right!

[claud925]

[quote name='kitty9']Well, you do your thing and we do ours. We would never question why an individual chooses to do whatever on a cruise, and it's impolite to question what we do, with our own money, I might add. If I were taking money out of your wallet, and gambling with it, then you'd have a point, but it's not your money !!! And we most certainly DON'T do it for the perks. I was just informing someone that perks certainly are there in the casino. Just as someone chooses to purchase a $100K Mercedes while another choses a basic Chevy, it's absolutely no one's business to ask the why's and wherefores?[/quote]

Good for you, Darcie. Well said.

But to put it another way: there are those who enjoy patronizing a casino purely for the form of entertainment it provides. And, like any other entertainment, are prepared to pay (and once in awhile, even come out ahead) for the entertainment. And it doesn't matter what anybody thinks about it.

People enjoy - and pay for - their own particular forms of entertainment, to be sure. One can only imagine the myriads of gullets that money gets poured down.

"Judge not, lest ye be judged", I always say....:)

[kitty9]

[quote name='usha'][COLOR=magenta]Sorry; I've evidently offended you, and that was not my intent. But what does pouring money down the gullet of the casino have to do with the sort of car anyone drives?????:eek:[/COLOR][/QUOTE]

It's an analogy. Some people spend their money on gambling, some on expensive cars, some on alcohol and cigarettes. If you want another analogy, some people will pour thousands of dollars every year into seat licences and tickets to watch professional sports while others think that it's pouring money into a an athlete's gullet with absolutely no tangible return. It's called entertainment and personal choice. Some people spend their entertainment dollars at sporting events, in casinos or theaters or travel and some don't.

[usha]

[FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=magenta]I'm sure that we all understand how someone would spend thousands of $$$$ a year on [I]cruising,[/I] but some poor souls will just never get it...:D [/COLOR][/FONT]

[lets talk cruising]

[quote name='usha'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][COLOR=magenta]I'm sure that we all understand how someone would spend thousands of $$$$ a year on [I]cruising,[/I] but some poor souls will just never get it...:D [/COLOR][/FONT][/quote]

oops - I just re-read your post and I do believe it can be taken two ways. I now understand you to be saying that the poor souls who don't get it are the ones who cannot comprehend why people spend thousands on a cruise.

[usha]

[COLOR=magenta]Yike, lets talk cruising, ever considered decaff?[/COLOR]

[mgg42]

Here's a really CRAZY idea: I'm actually going to respond to the OP!!!!!!

[quote name='Host Andy']Hi Everyone !

I wanted to let you know that it appears Celebrity is adding a 3% surcharge for Cash withdrawals at the Casino. They started to do it on last week's Constellation sailing, charging a 3% fee for any Cash withdrawals at the Casino Cashier and at the Gaming Tables. It was met with great resistance, and many on our Cruise complained about it. Towards the end of the Cruise, we recieved a letter saying the 3% charge had been rescinded, and we did get a credit for it back for the fees to our account. However, they did say that the 3% charge would begin for sailings that depart in April. So, it probably exists once again.

Personally, I think this is a ridiculous move, to pay a fee for the opportunity to lose money in the Casino. Sadly, I am sure many people abused this, by running up charges, and that is likely why all of us will pay for it now. With that said, its clearly more evidence of the nickel and diming that Celebrity is getting agressive with. Not good news at all.[/quote]

I guess I don't see the big deal. Every land based casino charges a transaction fee (unless you arrange bank credit in advance). There's an easy solution: BRING CASH!

Don't want to carry that much cash? How about Travelers Checks?

[lets talk cruising]

[quote name='usha'][COLOR=magenta]Yike, lets talk cruising, ever considered decaff?[/COLOR][/quote]

see above - I misunderstood you

[usha]

[quote name='lets talk cruising']see above - I misunderstood you[/quote]
[COLOR=magenta]Thanks.:o [/COLOR]

[Drew B]

[quote name='mgg42']This isn't really accurate. As a vegas regular, and an avid blackjack player, I have spoken with my host on many occasions, and even seen my play report. Comps are not based on winnings or losings. Comps are based on play rating, which is a formula using average bet size, and number of hands per hour. They KNOW the more someone plays, the more they earn. So they don't chase wins or losses (they leave that for us suckers), they chase players.

Statistically, people will play more and longer when they have been winning, so they end up with a higher rating, but it has nothing to do with the casino wanting to "win their money back". If you play at all, they win.[/quote]


You're right, of course. I was addressing this point:

[QUOTE]Susie I do think they watch to see if you are winning. I don't think those who are up overall benefit.[/QUOTE]

...and trying to explain the justification for why casinos would want to reward those who are up. I wasn't as accurate about the mechanics of it as I should have been.