Carnival CASINO Cruise - 23 Day

23 Day Carnival Casino Cruise

This has been a great year for deep discount cruise offers. So I have been taking some and right now I am currently on a 23 Day Cruise from Seattle to Sydney Australia on Carnival. The cost was really low.

I will try and post some pix from time to time. But since Carnival apparently blocks WoV, I am using my phone hotspot right now and I am not sure how quickly it can upload pix.

Day 1: Boarding Process

Carnival makes some superficial efforts to streamline the boarding process by having everyone select an arrival time in half hour time slots. On paper, that’s a great idea. In practice, though, it simply doesn’t work because everyone just shows up when they want to and the reserved time slots aren’t used.

So, getting onto the ship was a tedious, frustrating, 2.5 hour cluster*%$#. Stand in a long line to have someone check your Covid vax and testing status (everyone had to have a Negative test result within the previous 3 days - which is a good thing imho), then move on to the next line to go through security and carry-on X-Ray (this was probably the shortest time), and then stand in the last line to have your other documents checked.

But of course there was no communication on what documentation you would need at this last stop, and it appeared to take a lot of this older demographic a lot of time to dig up certain things, like proof of having obtained an Australian tourist visa. Or proof that you had purchased Trip Insurance. We got our Trip Insurance THROUGH Carnival, and I am guessing that a lot of others did too, but at this check-in desk they did not have a list of who was even covered through the plan that THEY sold. Stooopid.

GRADE: D-

CASINO

The casino on this ship is fairly big, at least for a cruise ship. It is about what you would expect, LOTS of SLOTS, 12 VP machines but only 2 slightly decent ones, 6/5 BJ and some other games, Craps, and ONE 3/2 BJ table at $ 25 min. I have done OK there.

A bonus is that I am in the “PREMIER” category and there are drawings for only invited Premier members every night. Haven’t won yet but stay tuned.

GRADE: B+ for a Cruise Ship

Day 3: Covid Testing

Everyone is required to take a rapid Covid test. But it isn’t monitored. So anyone who doesn’t want to bother can just not put the swab into their nostril, run the test, and get a Negative result. I don’t know for sure if anyone did that ( my brother and I both took the test correctly and were both Negative ), but I wouldn’t be surprised if a handful of people handed in a fake result.

Masks are required in the indoor areas of the ship, except your stateroom or when actively eating or drinking. This was all clearly communicated in all the pre-cruise communication. Most people comply with this rule, but a handful of people don’t, which I find super annoying. Oh well. God grant me the courage to change the things I can change, and the SERENITY to accept the things I cannot.

Day 5: Saturday

I was looking forward to watching College Football in the sports bar. BUT NOPE, NO College football on their TV's. If you liked Rugby or a Sailing Regatta, you were in luck. Stoooopid.

GRADE: D-

Shows

Carnival generally does big, high energy, production song and dance shows in the big theater. I will post a picture when I can.





GRADE: B

Day 6: Self-Administered Covid Test

Negative.

Day 7 - Honolulu

LAND HO !

We arrived in Hawaii today so we Uber’d to Pearl Harbor to see what we could see. Unfortunately, all the tickets to get to the Arizona Memorial get snapped up in a flash, so we didn’t get to go there. So I’ll do that another time.

This is my first visit to Hawaii ( fun fact: my Mom was born in Honolulu ).

MORE PIX

Rest in Peace:





Well, as previously mentioned, the price was right:



This is never very busy and it takes up a lot of floor space, so if I was the casino bean-counter, I would replace it with some more Slot machines:

This sounds like quite the adventure. Thanks for taking us along!

Regarding Carnival's boarding process, pre-pandemic, they had this down pat. The last few Carnival cruises I went on before the shutdown, we basically walked right onto the boat. However, since they started cruising again, I have sailed five times from three different ports, and the boarding process for all have been a cluster_, to varying degrees. I think the problem is two-fold. First, I think they are still short-staffed, and second, they have to devote a good chunk of their port personnel and resources to testing, instead of boarding.

BTW, which ship are you on? I've never seen a Not Sigma Derby game in a cruise ship casino. I hope those tiny horses don't get seasick! :)

Quote: Joeman

I hope those tiny horses don't get seasick! :)
]

Hold on now, there could be a good advantage situation there.

I don't know if I said this publicly before, but about three years ago before the pandemic I was offered the position to be in charge of the casino loyalty program for all Carnival and affiliated ships (104 ships at that time I believe). I would be moving to the Miami area where Carnival is headquartered and taking approximately 10 cruises per year while monitoring the new casino computer systems being installed.

We had a contract signed but then they asked if they could change it to include about 50% travel time mostly in Italy, Germany, and Singapore where the ships would be dry docked for retrofits and then the computer systems would be upgraded there. If I was a younger single guy I would have accepted this but as a married man that would be moving his wife to Miami where we didn't know anyone I did not feel right for abandoning her. If I could have stayed based in Las Vegas for this position I may have taken it because we have family and friends there that would make the wife more comfortable.

We did not come to an agreement and I decided to stay in Vegas at that time. It probably worked out for the best because when Covid hit I may have lost that job because all cruising stopped.

The ship casino is usually pretty busy, and I assume that is because there are many many many other people with excellent casino promotions here besides myself (in fact, for the first couple of days, there was a long line at the cashier cage and I was told that was for certain invited guests to pick up free slot play or whatever perk they got).

I think that is a good approach on Carnival's part to fill up this unusual itinerary (1 way Seattle to Sydney) with only 6 days of port calls on a 23 day trip. So the casino is a go-to place for folks on all the sea days.

My perks for this cruise are the super cheap price and free drinks while playing in the casino (well the casino has also provided us with a couple of free bottles of wine with dinner so far). I'm happy with the perks (I am not a high roller at all, some $ 25 3/2 BJ and Video Poker) but of course who wouldn't mind even better offers in the future ?

BUT as we get into a post-covid environment, I suspect my offers may not be as frequent or as good. Time will tell.

Quote: JohnnyQ

BUT as we get into a post-covid environment, I suspect my offers may not be as frequent or as good. Time will tell.
link to original post

Personally, my Carnival offers kept getting better and better; that is until the end of August. My offers for this month have dropped off a bit... 1/2 the casino cash, and Oceanviews instead of Balconies.

Quote: JohnnyQ

link to original post

And those are the good paytables! There should also be 6/5 BP on that machine which is the best return at 96.87%.

I'd jump overboard before I'd wear a mask for 23 days.

Interesting we didn’t have to wear a mask at all on carnival leaving out of Dover. Also we showed up for our boarding time between 1-130 and it took maybe 15 minutes start to finish.

I didn’t have to wear a mask on my last 7-day Carnival cruise in May.

I’m assuming it’s the 23-day length that is requiring it.

Just had another 7-day cruise on NCL in August and came home with Covid.

There was no mask requirement on my Carnival Miracle cruise from SF to Alaska in July. I wonder if Australia is requiring it. Or maybe Hawaii?

Quote: Joeman

There was no mask requirement on my Carnival Miracle cruise from SF to Alaska in July. I wonder if Australia is requiring it. Or maybe Hawaii?
link to original post

Yep, that is my impression, probably both. And the length of the cruise just seems like it could snowball and then become a news story.....

Wearing a mask indoors on a cruise ship is not a big deal. For adults at least.

Quote: JohnnyQ

Quote: Joeman

There was no mask requirement on my Carnival Miracle cruise from SF to Alaska in July. I wonder if Australia is requiring it. Or maybe Hawaii?
link to original post

Yep, that is my impression, probably both. And the length of the cruise just seems like it could snowball and then become a news story.....

Wearing a mask indoors on a cruise ship is not a big deal. For adults at least.
link to original post

It would have been a big deal for me. I really just don’t enjoy wearing a mask, which I did most every day from 26-59. My recent Viking River Cruise had no mask requirement, but after a large swath of the passengers got COVID they ‘recommended’ people to wear masks, and crew had to. If you asked to take a test and tested positive you were brought to a hotel in Frankfurt, quarantined in a room for a minimum of 5 days, not sure at whose expense! Wife and I may have had it with mild symptoms; I’ll never know for sure!
If required by some regulation/law I’ll wear a mask. If not I won’t.

Same.

Recommended = 0% chance I’m wearing a mask

Mandatory I grumble and wear one. I’m way past over the mask crap. I’m triple vaxxed, had Covid, wore a mask for two years, I’m done!

How much was the cruise trip please? Min and max for craps please?

Quote: Joeman

There should also be 6/5 BP on that machine which is the best return at 96.87%.
link to original post

Yes, there is, THANKS JOEMAN.

The port of Hilo and surrounding area wasn't much to look at:



But we walked to an excursion company right outside of the port and booked a $ 110 bus day trip around this side of the big island with the emphasis on getting to Volcano National Park. We had a great guide and it was very worthwhile.



Kailua Volcano is a dome volcano, so not what most people probably expect to see, which I think would be more of the peak of a tall mountain (and obviously this one wasn't).

But very cool to see, and apparently at night there is an eerie orange-ish glow.

I second the more gambling info on carnival cruises. I tend to use them as they are the budget choice. I would love to know what are the lowest house edge games they have (other than the table games). I figure it's probably VP even at those 96% numbers you showed earlier, but just wondering. Also, if you get the chance, if you see any variable state must hit by slots, I'd love to know which ones they stock onboard. By reply or PM w/e if it's not too much hassle. Either way, keep up the pics and enjoy your cruise!

Quote: speedycrap

How much was the cruise trip please? Min and max for craps please?
link to original post

I can’t speak for the max, but on the Carnival ships I’ve been on this year the craps mins have all been $5.

If I am not mistaken, the Australia cruises are the only ones requiring a mask at this time. In fact, if your vaxxed, only Australia/Bermuda/Canada cruises require pre cruise testing and they are slowly phasing out the vaxx requirements.

Quote: Talldude90

I second the more gambling info on carnival cruises.

As far as I know, I think JOEMAN is right that the best VP paytable is 6/5 BP, 96.87%. There are 2 machines with that paytable in SPINPOKER, and the other 10 VP machines are one notch worse.

I haven't researched what the paytables are on the ULT X, but I can certainly post some pix. Stay tuned, we are docked in MAUI and the casino is closed right now.

Quote: JohnnyQ

Quote: Talldude90

I second the more gambling info on carnival cruises.

As far as I know, I think JOEMAN is right that the best VP paytable is 6/5 BP, 96.87%. There are 2 machines with that paytable in SPINPOKER, and the other 10 VP machines are one notch worse.

I haven't researched what the paytables are on the ULT X, but I can certainly post some pix. Stay tuned, we are docked in MAUI and the casino is closed right now.


link to original post

After your Hawaii stops, how many sea days until you get to Australia?

Quote: ams288

After your Hawaii stops, how many sea days until you get to Australia?

6 sea-days starting tomorrow (Friday), then 2 in FIJI, then 5 more sea-days and then into Sydney.

The casino is closed while we are in Maui, so it was easy to take some pix of the CRAPS lay-out. I hope this answers your questions.

this appears to be a trip going the opposite direction

Day 1
Brisbane Depart 4:00 PM

Day 2
Fun Day At Sea

Day 3
Fun Day At Sea

Day 4
Noumea

Day 5
Fun Day At Sea

Day 6
Suva

Day 7
Fun Day At Sea

Day 8
Cross International Date Line

Day 9
Papeete (Tahiti)

Day 10
Moorea

Day 11
Fun Day At Sea

Day 12
Fun Day At Sea

Day 13
Fun Day At Sea

Day 14
Fun Day At Sea

Day 15
Fun Day At Sea

Day 16
Honolulu Arrive

Day 17
Fun Day At Sea

Day 18 Fun Day At Sea

Day 19
Fun Day At Sea

Day 20
Fun Day At Sea

Day 21
Fun Day At Sea

DAY 22
SEATTLE

The next 6 days are going to be at sea, so this is gonna be it for updates for a while.

The Carnival internet doesn't allow access to WoV or WoO for some reason, and they said the premium internet service would not be available from here on out anyway.

And with no cell phone service, my phone hotspot won't be an option either.

Aloha for now.

Quote: Talldude90

this appears to be a trip going the opposite direction

I'm not sure without seeing the date, but I assume they will want the ship back in Seattle doing the Alaska cruises around April/June next year.

Quote: JohnnyQ

And with no cell phone service, my phone hotspot won't be an option either.

I am surprised that you don't have cell phone service. The last few cruises I was on offered cell service on ship. I don't know if it worked for all carriers but my ATT worked.

Quote: DRich

Quote: JohnnyQ

And with no cell phone service, my phone hotspot won't be an option either.

I am surprised that you don't have cell phone service. The last few cruises I was on offered cell service on ship. I don't know if it worked for all carriers but my ATT worked.
link to original post

I think there is miscommunication/misinterpretation going on here. The ability to make a phone call might still be there for Johnny Q using the Internet. But he can’t directly use his cell phone without using the boat’s internet. Which blocks evil sites like WoV.

delete

I’m assuming a loooong cruise like that will have a much higher proportion of people there on casino offers than a regular cruise.

My casino offers through Carnival have dried up so I’ve been branching out into other lines.

Actually thinking about trying a Princess cruise because I heard they are very generous with their offers.

Princess is owned by Carnival but they may have their own casino promotions department. When I was looking to go to work for them we never got into the minutia of how marketing was handled.

Well we're back in port so my phone hotspot allows me to get to WizardOfVegas. Today is Day 18 and we are in FIJI.

So catching up on things a bit:

Day 11 – Friday

This morning we took our 3rd mandatory self-administered Covid test. Negative again.

Late this afternoon, an announcement was made that Masks now would be optional. Gosh, I hope that doesn't come back to bite me in the arse. I was still cautious, using a mask in the elevator as a courtesy, etc. But I didn't wear it at all times in the indoor spaces starting today.

Day 12 – Saturday

There is an “early-riser” drawing in the Casino, and my name was drawn. Woot woot. I spun the wheel and collected $ 250. The lowest prize, if you get the "bull", is $ 50.

The casino also treated my brother and me to a bottle of wine each one night at dinner.




Once in a great while, one of the cabin TV channels is FOX1 sports. Today College Football was on, so we got to see our team trounce an unranked opponent.

- The sports bar doesn’t have any college football or NFL.
- I think it should, imho.
- By far, most of the cruisers are Americans.
- It was silly to see about 8 guys huddled around someone's personal little ipad watching the NFL in the sports bar.

International Dateline



So as I write this, it is Saturday morning here and Friday afternoon back in the States.

Waterslides

I joined several folks I have been hanging out with to do these.



Once down each slide was enough for me. You stand up in the green one and the floor flips down launching you down the tube.

Casino Nightly Promotion

Every sea day at 11 pm there is a drawing in the casino for cash prizes, usually around $ 1200 split up between 3 or 4 different "Premier" cruisers.

The good news is that I am a "Premier" cruiser.

The bad news is that there are about 1200 premier cruise members aboard, so the expected value each night is only $ 1. Well maybe a little more because not all 1200 of those folks are in the casino every night, and you have to be present to win. OK let's say the EV is $ 2.

Casino Drink Service

The drink service in the Casino is EXCELLENT. It is not uncommon to order a beverage, and while waiting for that one, have one or two more waiters/waitresses come by. I have also had one or two servers ask me if I wanted to "keep them coming".


I'll post more later.

Quote: JohnnyQ

The drink service in the Casino is EXCELLENT. It is not uncommon to order a beverage, and while waiting for that one, have one or two more waiters/waitresses come by. I have also had one or two servers ask me if I wanted to "keep them coming".

That’s how it was on the Mardi Gras as well.

My promotion had “free drinks while playing in the casino.”

I quickly learned that if I tipped them a little extra, the waiters would bring me free drinks even if I was standing around in the casino doing nothing. Didn’t need to be playing.

Saved a lot of money on drinks that way!

Quote: JohnnyQ

We
International Dateline



So as I write this, it is Saturday morning here and Friday afternoon back in the States.

Are you sure about that? At 165 degrees west I’d think you’re still well to the east of the date line. Doesn’t it follow 180 degrees west fairly close ?

Thanks Ace - - Ooooops, wrong picture posted above. That is my picture of CROSSING THE EQUATOR ! I have a certificate from Carnival recognizing me as a SHELLBACK now.

Day 16 - Wednesday

I'm not feeling great today, so to be cautious I take a Covid self-test that my brother brought along. NEGATIVE. OK, well at least I know.

Day 17 - Thursday

I don't feel any better, it feels like my seasonal allergies have kicked in pretty hard. Which doesn't make sense, at least to me, in the middle of the Pacific.

So I take another Covid self-test and *&$# my luck it is POSITIVE.

If I take a 3rd test through the ship's Medical Center and come out positive, then ISOLATION for 5 days here I come. No more casino, no more "drinks on us in the casino", no more exercise walking on the deck, etc.

But no sense staying in the original cabin and possibly getting my brother sick as well (although it seems like I probably would have exposed him - it is a SMALL cabin) and I think he may be a little more at risk to Covid complications than I am. The ship tested him, and he was NEGATIVE. But it took ~24 hours from onset of symptoms to a POS test result for me, so that could conceivably change for him too.

After a bit of discussion with my brother, I called the Medical Center, request to be tested, and sure enough that confirms that I am POSITIVE.

So I packed up my crap and moved to a cabin down on Deck 1 for Isolation. They didn't give me a key, because I'm not allowed to go anywhere.

Day 18 - Saturday - TODAY

Room service calls me to see what I want to eat, so that is pretty simple and I can order off the regular menu.

The ship's Doctor put me on MOLNUPIRAVIR, which is the Emergency Use Authorized treatment for Covid patients. Like I said, my symptoms were basically like seasonal allergies, but better safe than sorry I guess. I don't know if they expect me to pay for the MEDS, I'll ask when they call to check up on me. They didn't ask me if I had insurance, which I do.

I am feeling better today.

ONE DAY OF ISOLATION DOWN, FOUR TO GO.

Aaaarrrggghhh.

GAMBLING SUMMARY

My gambling is on hold for now, of course. But I am up $ 500 for the trip, thanks to more good sessions than bad at 3/2 $ 25 blackjack and the spin the wheel prize.

JohnnyQ,

Sorry to hear about your positive COVID test. I hope your symptoms stay relatively mild.

I also wanted to thank you for posting these cruising stories. I have been enjoying them.

Get well soon!

Dog Hand

Thanks Dog Hand !

Medically, I am sure I will be fine. I have dodged COVID for the past 2.5 years (as far as I know since many people can get it and be asymptomatic) and now it has caught up to me. I am just surprised it did on a Cruise ship, where ALL passengers had to have a NEGATIVE test before boarding.

I plan on using the internet to watch College Football games on Youtube this weekend.

As you can imagine, it is boring being cooped up in a cabin with nowhere to go.

Some of the passengers are pretty proud of their Cruising history:

Well, no sense in replacing the perfectly good upper glass on a VP machine just because the game isn't actually available to play !

Sorry to hear you’re sick but happy it’s mild. My friends wife got Covid on the first of two cruises I went on this trip and same thing she got isolated on the first deck. You should ask them about getting a credit for missed days. They gave her and her husband credit for the 4 days of the cruise that she was stuck in isolation. They can use the credit for a future cruise.

Quote: JohnnyQ

Well, no sense in replacing the perfectly good upper glass on a VP machine just because the game isn't actually available to play !

We would do that when a glass broke and didn't have the proper replacement. Just stick in the most similar one that you have.

Quote: JohnnyQ

Quote: Talldude90

I second the more gambling info on carnival cruises.

As far as I know, I think JOEMAN is right that the best VP paytable is 6/5 BP, 96.87%. There are 2 machines with that paytable in SPINPOKER, and the other 10 VP machines are one notch worse.

I haven't researched what the paytables are on the ULT X, but I can certainly post some pix. Stay tuned, we are docked in MAUI and the casino is closed right now.


link to original post

does your ship have super times pay?

on ncl, best game for low rollers is 5cent 5play 6/5bp stp.
+.25% to the 96.87% return.
not bad for $1.50/spin on a cruise ship.

edit:
sorry to hear about Covid. Hope you feel better.

Quote: JohnnyQ

Thanks Dog Hand !

Medically, I am sure I will be fine. I have dodged COVID for the past 2.5 years (as far as I know since many people can get it and be asymptomatic) and now it has caught up to me. I am just surprised it did on a Cruise ship, where ALL passengers had to have a NEGATIVE test before boarding.

I plan on using the internet to watch College Football games on Youtube this weekend.

As you can imagine, it is boring being cooped up in a cabin with nowhere to go.
link to original post

So what happens after your five days of isolation? Are you allowed back out?

I caught a very mild case of Covid on my last cruise. Didn’t test positive until the day after I got home. It took more than a week for me to finally test negative again.

Man, that sucks, JQ! Did they at least give you an oceanview cabin?

We tested positive on debarkation day on our Alaska cruise in July. At least we got to enjoy our whole cruise first.

Went to a doc-in-the-box once we got onshore. They said if we felt better after 5 days, not to even bother with a test. They said tests may show positive long after we were no longer contagious.

I had an inside cabin on Holland America (another Carnival company) Zuiderdam. It was horrible. The power was out for 48 hours and you could see absolutely nothing inside the cabin or in the hallways. Pitch black. Not even any emergency lighting. Probably not required wherever that ship was registered.

Quote: PokerGrinder

You should ask them about getting a credit for missed days. They gave her and her husband credit for the 4 days of the cruise that she was stuck in isolation. They can use the credit for a future cruise.

We're in Sydney Harbor and I'm just hanging in the isolation cabin. I think I am supposed to get off the ship last. Which is fine, because it is about 8:40 am and it won't take me too long to get to my hotel once I go through Customs, etc.

I do get a rebate for my 7 days of isolation, a whopping $ 58. So good and bad news, it is a small amount because my cruise fare was ridiculously small to start with.

The isolation cabin I am in does have 2 portholes, and that helped pass the time. I saw flying fish, a pair of albatrosses, and some sea-birds that appeared to be diving into the water, but it was hard to tell exactly because they were a 100 or so yards away.

This started out being 5 days of isolation and then the definition was 5 full days of isolation NOT counting the day that I tested positive, and then when I was expecting to get back out I got a call from the Med Ctr saying that there were new Australian rules and I had to stay isolated until the end of the cruise.

I checked the Health Ministry website and it clearly says 5 days of isolation (at least they gave me free internet during this time, and it was good enough to watch some Youtubes, play a game, and check for the latest news).



So I ended up talking with the Ship's Doctor over the phone and he said Carnival was following some other policy/guidance. Whatever. We agreed to disagree what the rules were, but I had to stay in isolation. One more day wasn't going to kill me.

The room service lady was nice, she would call me around meal time and ask if I wanted to order something. They would bring it, leave it on a tray outside the cabin, and then leave.

Cutting a typical Carnival steak in the dining room is hard with a metal knife, and it was that much more challenging with a little wooden disposable knife.

For lunch I liked getting the Mongolian Barbeque or a Pizza.

Another hour or two and I should be OUTTA HERE, woot woot.