Cruise Casinos
Carnival Splendor
Continuous Shuffle-H17-DAS-No surrender- No RSA- BJ paid 3-2 Minimum was $6. There was quite a bit more action then I was expecting, several players were playing blacks every night for multiple hours.
Quote: sodawaterI can confirm that Norwegian's "Breakaway" mega-ship does not offer pai gow tiles :(
Yeah, I've talked to NCL about not having any Fortune PGP, though they do offer the base game; they don't want the exposure for the high-odds payoffs. They also find that, although they've worked hard to offer better, "more Vegas-like" games than the other cruise lines, they don't try to offer games that only serious gamblers want to play. So tiles don't have enough casual gambler appeal for them to go to the effort of training their dealers and offering it.
I do think NCL is offering the best casino opportunities overall, and would recommend them over Carnival's offerings. However, I can't give you specifics about their BJ offerings. They do hold daily (sometimes twice daily) BJ tournaments that are fun. Those may not reflect what their table rules are, but for them it was 6 deck S17 3:2 DAS D10-11 RSA LS .
Quote: 100xOddsWhat's the craps like on the Breakaway?
I was on the Getaway (newest Breakaway class) last March, and the craps was 3-4-5x odds. I would expect Breakaway has the same game.
Here is the trip report
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/other-casinos/17520-craps-on-the-ncl-getaway-cruise/#post342472
Quote: WBGambleAnyways, I will be cruising in the not so distant future, and wondered if anyone had updates on the conditions for at least the major cruise lines.
See this post with some info on Norwegian Cruise Lines:
https://wizardofvegas.com/forum/off-topic/other-casinos/15785-worst-slot-club/
I think the best game they had was probably Blackjack, but I don't remember their specific rules.
I counted down about 20 8 deck shoes on a cruise. All but one ended with a positive count. One thing I noted is they never spread new decks on the tables. They simply lock up the shoes in a cainet with cards in them, and take them back out when the casino reopens.
The question was 'conditions on cruise casinos if I remember.
Been on 5 cruises in the last 2 years, wasn't my idea, the wife wanted to go cruising, 4 on Carnival, 1 on Royal Caribbean. I gave up casino gambling many years ago, took up mountain climbing as an alternative (better odds). But now I was back, stuck on a boat w/family (actually had a good time even if you remove the casino part).
Carnival: nice boats/crew/stateroom attendants/food. Bad coffee. BJ was 6 and 10 and 25 min tables, weird side bets, 10 table was 1000 max, hit soft 17, split to 4 hands, double after split, no surrender. 4 trips, 4 ships, always continuous shuffle machines, which at the time I thought I liked ( not a card counter). Trip 3 was half comped, trip 4 (Alaska 7 day) was fully comped by their 'Players Club' which I still believe is an almost good outfit. Ask for Maurice by phone.
Royal Caribbean: same start except good coffee. Only remember 10 and 25 min tables. Miserable max. 10 min/300 max, 25 min /500 max. Both the worst I have ever encountered anywhere anytime. I'm a progressive bet player, will not sail with RCI again. Was in a fully comped Jr Suite (really nice) and wish the casino circumstances were different on board. I was on a bad streak for the first 3 nights, won a little back on the 4th that I played. If the min/max limits had been more normal I actually would have lost more so I cannot complain too much. But I know the limits my strategy needs, know the house theoretically should not fear me, and know I will not sail again on Royal Caribbean. Sad, everything else was great!.
Two Feathers
Quote: 21formeSome cruise casinos cheat, as they have no overseeing authority. I've posted about this before on other forums.
I counted down about 20 8 deck shoes on a cruise. All but one ended with a positive count. One thing I noted is they never spread new decks on the tables. They simply lock up the shoes in a cainet with cards in them, and take them back out when the casino reopens.
Which ship was this? Just like land casinos, most large cruise ships these days are owned by mega-corporations who have little incentive to cheat players. (Offering decent rules/playing conditions is a different story.) If it was some tiny European ferry operation, though, I could see it happening.
Source: worked on cruise ships for 7 years, not as a dealer, but was and still am good friends with many of the dealers/managers I met onboard. They work MUCH harder than in any land-based casino.
Quote: TwoFeathersATLCarnival: nice boats/crew/stateroom attendants/food. Bad coffee. BJ was 6 and 10 and 25 min tables, weird side bets, 10 table was 1000 max, hit soft 17, split to 4 hands, double after split, no surrender. 4 trips, 4 ships, always continuous shuffle machines, which at the time I thought I liked ( not a card counter). Trip 3 was half comped, trip 4 (Alaska 7 day) was fully comped by their 'Players Club' which I still believe is an almost good outfit. Ask for Maurice by phone.
Thanks for the BJ report. Did you happen to notice the odds/minimums at the craps table or any VP paytables?
Quote: OneAngryDwarfSource: worked on cruise ships for 7 years, not as a dealer, but was and still am good friends with many of the dealers/managers I met onboard. They work MUCH harder than in any land-based casino.
OAD, care to elaborate? No reason, I'm just curious what they have to deal with.
Quote: JoemanFunny this thread should crop back up as I just booked a cabin on the Carnival Sensation.
Thanks for the BJ report. Did you happen to notice the odds/minimums at the craps table or any VP paytables?
OAD, care to elaborate? No reason, I'm just curious what they have to deal with.
Don't remember anything about the other games, partially because I've never played them. 2F
Quote: OneAngryDwarfWhich ship was this? Just like land casinos, most large cruise ships these days are owned by mega-corporations who have little incentive to cheat players. (Offering decent rules/playing conditions is a different story.) If it was some tiny European ferry operation, though, I could see it happening.
Source: worked on cruise ships for 7 years, not as a dealer, but was and still am good friends with many of the dealers/managers I met onboard. They work MUCH harder than in any land-based casino.
I don't recall the ship name, but it was a Royal Caribb ship. I don't know the specifics here, but often, the casino will be owned by a different company, not the cruise line.
They have plenty of incentive to cheat - $$ with no regulatory authority to oversee them in international waters. I know other APs who have reported the same.
Quote: 21formeI don't recall the ship name, but it was a Royal Caribb ship. I don't know the specifics here, but often, the casino will be owned by a different company, not the cruise line.
They have plenty of incentive to cheat - $$ with no regulatory authority to oversee them in international waters. I know other APs who have reported the same.
I think I'm done with gambling on cruise ships maybe. I mean, there's a door, or double door, right from the casino out to the rail on the ship. Way to easy for you to accidentally fall overboard. At least on land they just escort you to the door....just saying......2F
On my last cruise on Carnival Liberty, one afternoon I got lucky and turned my $60 buy-in into over $400 after about 2 hours. When I came back later that evening after dinner, I was given the 'drinks on us' card for the rest of the cruise - free drinks in the casino only. That is usually earned after earning 1500 slot points; so that was the first time I ever received that since there's no way I would run enough through a slot or VP machine to earn that many points. I would routinely buy-in for only $60 or so, and played until I lost it or until we wanted to do something else on board. The last night of the cruise, I splurged, and bought in for $100, and walked away with $275. Most of the time, though, it's rare to come out ahead in a Carnival Cruise casino.
Gem- $5 min, $300 max per #
Breakaway- $10min, $500 max per #
vp:
deuces wild 97.1% at $1 denom, 97.6% at $5 denom
8/6 JoB at $5 denom, I think. (might be 8/5)
poker: real poker dealer, $2/5 NL Hold'em, 10% rake up to $25 :(
slots machines are tight:
1cent quick hits slot machine at max bet ($1.50) -> if you get the bonus game with 3x multiplier, its rare to win $100+
when I was on Princess cruises in 2010, it was rare NOT to win $100+ if you get the 3x multiplier.
Also on Princess, electronic poker ($1/2 no limit), 10% rake up to $6.
Quote: beachbumbabsI also noticed the sub-contractors on Carnival and Holland America; English corps. FWIW, NCL's dealers are NCL employees, and "Casinos at Sea", their player's club, is a sub-division of NCL itself, not a contractor. However, I can't give you any BJ info or VP paytables, so no idea how competitive they are with other ships' casinos, just had a good impression of their games. Their carnival game paytables are the same as those you find in LV, and they claim they offer "true Vegas odds" on their games.
ncl doesn't check the video tape when there's a dealer error.
I saw in 3 card poker the dealer missed a player and proceeded to mix all the cards together except that players.
when he realized he missed a player, he called the supervisor.
the supervisor asked what were the dealers cards. (player still has his cards.) dealer said XY (but unsure of suit).
supervisor then went thru the deck and brought out any XY to show the camera then turned over the players cards.
I was watching the game but wasn't seated. that dealer was wrong what cards he had. the player would have had bottom 2 pair!
the player didn't say anything. I guess he wasn't paying attention to what the dealer had originally.
Tapes were made and sent to surveillance.
A dealer could be written up weeks or months after doing something against procedure.
There is extra work involved for dealers and supervisors that isn't done by those types of employees on land.
Dealers on cruise ships (at least back then) were responsible along with the supervisors for collecting, counting, and reconciling the cash boxes on the tables each night (toke boxes too).
At the end of each cruise, a dealer, cashier, and supervisor would do the slot machine counts (a gruelling task that started after the casino closed on the last night of the cruise and ended somewhere around sunrise as the ship returned to its home port).
Quote: Scooter77
There is extra work involved for dealers and supervisors that isn't done by those types of employees on land.
Dealers on cruise ships (at least back then) were responsible along with the supervisors for collecting, counting, and reconciling the cash boxes on the tables each night (toke boxes too).
At the end of each cruise, a dealer, cashier, and supervisor would do the slot machine counts (a gruelling task that started after the casino closed on the last night of the cruise and ended somewhere around sunrise as the ship returned to its home port).
Many lines (including Carnival) now make dealers do hotel tasks as well, such as checking guests in and answering questions on embarkation day. Can you imagine if Caesars made its dealers stand in the lobby of, say, the Flamingo and made them do the same? (Actually, better not give them any ideas...)
Because of the extra tasks, the long hours, and lower pay (Carnival, for example, pools dealer tokes across EVERY single ship they own around the world--including European-market ships, where people tend not to tip as well as Americans), most dealers you meet on ships will be from Asia or Eastern Europe. The payoff, of course, is that the casino is closed while the ship is in port, giving (possibly) a short chance to sightsee and lay about on the beach...
Quote: beachbumbabsI have had NCL floors back up the discards on a dealer error and make the player return the win, but they also do that for a player protest, so it seems fair both ways to me. Have not seen surveillance intercede or call down; it got resolved or not on the floor, not thru surveillance.
backing up the cards wouldn't have helped in this case.
dealer mixed up players and his cards together then cut the deck before he realized he missed showdown with a player.
that player was not paying attention what so ever.
Quote: 100xOddsbacking up the cards wouldn't have helped in this case.
dealer mixed up players and his cards together then cut the deck before he realized he missed showdown with a player.
that player was not paying attention what so ever.
I've had dealer refuse to allow me to double, and/or split and double the table max bet because I was already at the max bet, stated right there on the thingy. Was surreal, the pit boss got involved and agreed w/dealer initially. I was playing with a good bunch of guys/gals at the time and they went berserk. I think admittedly there were language/translation issues involved, but I'm just sitting there thinking "I probably should leave now, this place is even weirder than I am". Eventually, with some more mgt officials called into play, the pit boss admitted that I could indeed split and/or double the original bet which was the 'table max'. Now I don't even remember if I lost or won that hand, I do remember the cruise, went up 15K then down 6K, then won 6K to get back to even cause the ship was 'slowed down due to the fog'' . I was sweating like a pig. This all on a seven day cruise and left basically even, except I guess the house was down cause I left almost 3K in dealer/waitress tips. And was a magnificent cruise, Alaska, fully comped, I came home even. I counted that one as a win...2F
Just to be fair, if you call Royal Caribbean Lines ( service center somewhere in eastern Oregon, a very long way from the ocean) they will tell you that their ships are flagged in other country's and they do not provide win/loss statements...period.... Would you like to book another cruise?. If you call their casino operations in Miami you can get a win/loss statement emailed to you while you are on the phone.
Interesting, not the results I expected, still waiting on Carnival ( or Oceans Players Club ), which has an online application for win/loss statements, and, I'm quoting from their site "it's your right". However Royal Caribbean just blows you off and says " we do not provide those ". I have RCI win/loss for 2014. Still waiting on Carnival (Oceans Players Club). Today they said they mailed the response (after 3 weeks?). The application is online, but apparently they wanted to buy a US Poatage Stamp to send me my reply. I used to be able to catch free rides on cargo planes to Miami, maybe still can. I may go talk to them in person, but for now I'm told "it's in the mail". War Feathers...
Due to the poor rules and the potential of that shit going on I would say that cruise casinos are a big zero.
Edit: I had swings of +16/-30 units, flat betting. Nothing particularly unusual, but it also felt VERY streaky.
Quote: HubombaMy grandpa was on a cruise with my uncle, he had no interest in the DD game they had on the cruise since the rules were quite shotty but my uncle insisted so he just went and played so he would quit bugging him. He said they cut off a whole deck and then for 3-5 shuffles he had yet to see a Queen, when asked they said they took all the queens out since they are in international waters and can do whatever they want.
Due to the poor rules and the potential of that shit going on I would say that cruise casinos are a big zero.
lol.. furthering the myth.
which cruise line?
Quote: HubombaMy grandpa was on a cruise with my uncle, he had no interest in the DD game they had on the cruise since the rules were quite shotty but my uncle insisted so he just went and played so he would quit bugging him. He said they cut off a whole deck and then for 3-5 shuffles he had yet to see a Queen, when asked they said they took all the queens out since they are in international waters and can do whatever they want.
Due to the poor rules and the potential of that shit going on I would say that cruise casinos are a big zero.
Just because your grandfather can't see and/or read the rules of a particular game doesn't mean what the casino did was in any way, shape or form unfair.
Quote: HubombaMy grandpa was on a cruise with my uncle, he had no interest in the DD game they had on the cruise since the rules were quite shotty but my uncle insisted so he just went and played so he would quit bugging him. He said they cut off a whole deck and then for 3-5 shuffles he had yet to see a Queen, when asked they said they took all the queens out since they are in international waters and can do whatever they want.
Due to the poor rules and the potential of that shit going on I would say that cruise casinos are a big zero.
The ship casino is a vacuum cleaner for your cash.
Taking the Queen out makes it a Spanish 21 game instead of BJ. Apart from the higher HE you are playing to a completely different and wrong BS.
You would have thought they would have the good sense of taking 1 10, J,Q and K from each pack of cards and not make it so obvious.
Maybe some people would still play this game of "BJ" as they are playing for recreation. But it sure sucks plenty of your cash away.
Quote: Deck007The ship casino is a vacuum cleaner for your cash.
Taking the Queen out makes it a Spanish 21 game instead of BJ. Apart from the higher HE you are playing to a completely different and wrong BS.
You would have thought they would have the good sense of taking 1 10, J,Q and K from each pack of cards and not make it so obvious.
Maybe some people would still play this game of "BJ" as they are playing for recreation. But it sure sucks plenty of your cash away.
Jesus lord, the game is basically a spanish 21 ripoff. They take the Qs out instead of the Ts to make it less obvious they're ripping off spanish 21. The game rules are clearly posted, and there are a multitude of bonuses to make up for the lack of Qs. The game may well have had a lower house edge than the standard BJ game dealt when playing correct basic strategy.
Just because some players are oblivious and think they're playing standard BJ doesn't mean the game isn't properly labeled.
Quote: sabreJesus lord, the game is basically a spanish 21 ripoff. They take the Qs out instead of the Ts to make it less obvious they're ripping off spanish 21. The game rules are clearly posted, and there are a multitude of bonuses to make up for the lack of Qs. The game may well have had a lower house edge than the standard BJ game dealt when playing correct basic strategy.
Just because some players are oblivious and think they're playing standard BJ doesn't mean the game isn't properly labeled.
If you read the OP comments carefully again he thought he was playing BJ. The S21 had a lower HE than BJ. Not really. I doubt it on the cruise ship. S21 you know the correct BS. It is much more complicated than BJ with the bonuses, etc.
S21 is a carnival game and much more fun to play than BJ.
Label, how many people read the terms and conditions in a contract.
Quote: sabreJust because your grandfather can't see and/or read the rules of a particular game doesn't mean what the casino did was in any way, shape or form unfair.
I suppose that could have been the case, I was not there and it was only the story I was told and I didn't bother to really ask about specifics. I guess I should have actually researched the claims.
As an earlier poster said, it was most likely Fun 21 ( a blackjack derivative I never heard of ). I can see them mistaking it for real blackjack since they are not the most observant bunch.
They had a very good 5-10 limit game with a fair rake. It was an ABC poker players dream. Bottom pair holders usually lead the entire way.
The food and service was great. I was impressed with the cruise on all aspects.
Mostly 6:5BJ with 5$/min, some with 5+1 sidebet. All CSM, I believe.
Late-ish on some days, they opened a 25$ 3:2 CSM that had an incredibly awkward rack since most people were playing 500+ and the largest denomination was three columns of 100.
6:5 Interblock machine that ran 3-500.
Machines gave points at 5$/pt; allegedly, 5000 points is enough to automatically qualify for a 7-day inside cabin, and I can personally confirm that 9000 is enough to automatically qualify for a 10-day ocean-view. (Points have no use beyond giveaway qualification and future offers.) Napkin math indicates that, assuming you're paying normal sale prices on the cruise, you're better off playing the 6:5 machine instead of the 3:2 CSM, due to different rates of point accrual. (Or maybe I should've tipped more or something.)
Also had 3CP, Baccarat, I think PGP and LIR, and 1-2 Texas Hold'em on a digital table.
Princess is also good for manufactured spending, if you're into that kind of thing. No fees assessed on casino charges, and it's processed as a normal sale, not a cash advance.
Quote: VenthusPRINCESS (Ruby Princess)
Mostly 6:5BJ with 5$/min, some with 5+1 sidebet. All CSM, I believe.
Late-ish on some days, they opened a 25$ 3:2 CSM that had an incredibly awkward rack since most people were playing 500+ and the largest denomination was three columns of 100.
6:5 Interblock machine that ran 3-500.
Machines gave points at 5$/pt; allegedly, 5000 points is enough to automatically qualify for a 7-day inside cabin, and I can personally confirm that 9000 is enough to automatically qualify for a 10-day ocean-view. (Points have no use beyond giveaway qualification and future offers.) Napkin math indicates that, assuming you're paying normal sale prices on the cruise, you're better off playing the 6:5 machine instead of the 3:2 CSM, due to different rates of point accrual. (Or maybe I should've tipped more or something.)
Also had 3CP, Baccarat, I think PGP and LIR, and 1-2 Texas Hold'em on a digital table.
Princess is also good for manufactured spending, if you're into that kind of thing. No fees assessed on casino charges, and it's processed as a normal sale, not a cash advance.
Tf? I was just on that ship last fall and no IB machine. Very cool!
By any chance, have you been on any of the Carnival ships out of Long Beach in the past year?
Nope, but I have a 'free' one via TropLaugh I have to redeem by June, so... I'll get back to you in a few months?
Quote: Lucca3927Casinos have three primary revenue sources; alcohol, excursions, and the casino. They have a captive audience in international waters so you can count of finding the worst rules in any casino throughout the world.
On the other hand, 7 days with room, food, and entertainment for two for about 400$+exposure of 25k's not bad. WoO's BJ calculator gives about a 2.05%HE (uncertain about the number of hands you can split to, or RSA so I'm erring high), or an expected loss of 512.50. 25k's fairly reasonable at the green chip level for a 7-dayer, those 6:5 tables are often pretty crowded on the Strip, and they give a lot less back for the action. How much do those people spend on other expenses in Vegas for 7 days too? (Though, admittedly, us at WoV probably aren't at those tables.)
Quote: Lucca3927Casinos have three primary revenue sources; alcohol, excursions, and the casino. They have a captive audience in international waters so you can count of finding the worst rules in any casino throughout the world.
Not all the time. A guy on another website said that he won like $10,000 on a lucky slot machine in a Cruise Casino in open waters whereas he lost like $5,000 playing in his local land based Casino IIRC.
Quote: VenthusI'm not sure how much longer that info will be valid; when I checked the ship layout a few weeks ago, it asked if I was sailing before or after March 31, 2018. Given that, I wouldn't be surprised if the machines got changed fairly frequently. The IB BJ was empty most of the time too, and had non-critical errors on three days... not encouraging.
I've seen more errors on these machines than any other.
Quote: Venthus
Nope, but I have a 'free' one via TropLaugh I have to redeem by June, so... I'll get back to you in a few months?
I'm in the same boat (pun unintended) from another Trop property. Probably going to do the Inspiration in May. Can't wait to see "la bufadora" for the hundredth time!
Hah. You should hear some of the things I've said. Not a word of truth at all.
>>>he won $10,000 on a lucky slot machine
He was perhaps lucky, the machine wasn't.
Quote: RogerKintI'm in the same boat (pun unintended) from another Trop property. Probably going to do the Inspiration in May. Can't wait to see "la bufadora" for the hundredth time!
Hah! I was in Ensenada on Friday; decided to just be lazy and do a bus tour instead of my usual get lost and wander on foot for five hours. (Plot twist: Walking to Balboa Park in San Diego is really far, especially when you head southeast from the port for over a mile first...)
Was deciding whether or not La Bufadora was worth it... looked at it from like ten different angles on Youtube (including a few drones!), been there, done that, move along.
Quote: Venthus
Was deciding whether or not La Bufadora was worth it... looked at it from like ten different angles on Youtube (including a few drones!), been there, done that, move along.
It may actually be worth it if you enjoy cheap booze. Many of the shopkeepers around the attraction will give you free shots of tequila and mezcal just for appearing to be interested in their wares. Nothing like owning a vomit-stained "blowhole" tee and not remembering how you acquired it!
