Carnival CASINO Cruise - 23 Day
Ooops, I must have messed that up when I tried to condense it down and not re-post everything. I didn't mean to misquote or misattribute anything.Quote: JoemanI think this was actually from JackSpade's post that I quoted.
Mrs Q was a good sport on one of our recent cruises and she did them both, including the "drop" slide. She said she felt like she was being water-boarded, so the slides are no longer on her list of things to do on a cruise.Quote: ams288I always do the waterslides on the ship if they have them. So far, Mardi Gras had the best slides IMO. And I love a drop slide.
Yikes on the surcharge.Quote: ams288I did pay the $80 to be able to go to the water park on CocoCay.
I could probably make it in Vegas for a year roaming from property to property. I imagine it wouldn't take much coin-in to start getting room offers from Palms, Station Casinos, Southpoint, and some of the other lower-tier brands. It was very easy with Boyd. I might also be able to leverage my platinum status with MGM to get immediate offers from Wynn and Venetian.
Trying to live a good part of the year on cruise ships could be more difficult. I suspect that due to limited game selection and adverse video poker conditions, earning enough points to keep the free cruises coming would end up being costly to my bankroll. But there may be some tricks to doing this.
Where would you go after the comps run out or you get bored with it ? Personally, I would like the comfort of knowing I had my home to go back to.Quote: JackSpadeI plan on selling my condo next year and challenging myself to see how long I can live on comped accommodations.
Is it possible for you to keep the condo ? Get income from it from a rental agency while you are out living it up ? If having the "home base" is not important to you, of course that's good too.
My wife and I are planning to do multiple cruises in a row next year, not quite back to back to back, but almost.
Quote: JohnnyQWhere would you go after the comps run out or you get bored with it ? Personally, I would like the comfort of knowing I had my home to go back to.
Is it possible for you to keep the condo ? Get income from it from a rental agency while you are out living it up ? If having the "home base" is not important to you, of course that's good too.
My wife and I are planning to do multiple cruises in a row next year, not quite back to back to back, but almost.
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Realistically, I'll probably get sick of staying at casinos and being on cruise ships after 3 months, even if I'm still being comped at that point. So I'll probably rent a place temporarily while the housing market continues to cool. My thinking is that prices will come down over the next year, giving me an opportunity to upgrade to a better place at a lower price.
Yes, I could rent out my existing condo. But I likely wouldn't want to move back into it. It's just a matter of whether renting it is more viable than trying to sell it given current market conditions. It would be nice to have the cash from a sale, but I can take out a loan against the equity whenever I have a need for cash. In retrospect, I should have gotten a mortgage when rates were at 4%.
Quote: JackSpadeMy thinking is that prices will come down over the next year, giving me an opportunity to upgrade to a better place at a lower price.
I think that is a good plan and will likely be the case. If you have the money to buy it outright it seems like a great plan. If you have to take a mortgage at higher interest rates it loses some of its appeal.
I would think the answer is that they retain the right to revoke freeplay and charge the regular room rate, just as they retain the right to ban me entirely if they don't like my play. But I wonder if they actually would. Given my history with them, I'd expect to be given the courtesy of another chance before being cut off entirely.
If I achieve sufficient player club status on a cruise line where I can book multiple free cruises in advance, it then becomes an all or nothing consideration when it comes to future gambling. Either I'm going to keep gambling enough to generate more offers or I'm just going to cash in on the ones I have and not gamble at all (unless I find a +EV game). What if I decide to stop gambling with 30 days of free cruises already booked? What can the cruise line do to punish me over those 30 days - just scold me for ditching the casino? Or try to modify the terms of reservations already made?
a) I am not aware of any +EV games on the cruises I have been on (I guess certain free promo drawings would be the exception, as well as the slot tournament cruise I will be going on).Quote: JackSpadeIf I achieve sufficient player club status on a cruise line where I can book multiple free cruises in advance, it then becomes an all or nothing consideration when it comes to future gambling. Either I'm going to keep gambling enough to generate more offers or I'm just going to cash in on the ones I have and not gamble at all (unless I find a +EV game). What if I decide to stop gambling with 30 days of free cruises already booked? What can the cruise line do to punish me over those 30 days - just scold me for ditching the casino? Or try to modify the terms of reservations already made?
Ships do have Craps and 3/2 BJ, which should have the least House Advantage.
b) As far as not gambling at all on a free cruise, it makes sense that you would stop getting offers in the future.
c) I assume there is some fine-print that they could cancel or modify the terms of your future cruises. So instead of finding out the hard way, what about just gambling a smaller amount ?
I suspect I could string them along for a long time, getting them to keep up hope that I will be a losing gambler. Eventually, the casino would cut my comps to the bare minimum. The day they start making me pay a resort fee is the day the relationship will be over.
I don't personally value the free rooms as highly as the listed rates I would have to pay if I wasn't being comped, but they are definitely worth something. I would never pay the $350+ Vegas strip properties are now commanding from hapless tourists. If I was of a mind to spend that much on accomodations, it would be on some breathtakingly beautiful beachfront in some exotic part of the world - not the Vegas strip.
Quote: rainmanQuote: JackSpadeMy experience with cruise ship gambling is that the machines are tight and there no good video poker pay tables. Some of the table games are decent, with low minimums. It's also possible on many lines to charge casino play to your onboard account, which is linked to a credit card - effectively, giving you a no-fee cash advance that also earns credit card points.
What's a good strategy for earning player points in a cruise ship casino?
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dfVvW3WTrBE
Some good info.
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I believe most of what this guy says is true, but I am suspicious of what he doesn't say. He says he goes on dozens of "free" cruises every year and gets pretty much anything he wants on the ship provided to him for "free." He doesn't say what these "free" offers actually cost him (i.e., how much he loses at the casino).
In another video he says he typically spends 8 hours a day at the casino!
If that's true, then he just has a gambling addiction he's trying to rationalize. Nobody who lives a healthy, balanced, purposeful life would choose to devote 8 hours a day every day to gambling when they could achieve the same results by gambling for just 2 hours a day with 4x larger bet sizing.
Quote: JackSpadeI can currently book multiple comp stays, with freeplay, at any mgm property as long as I space them out. If I book two 4-night stays then decide not to do any gambling at all (other than with freeplay) during my first stay, can mgm cancel or modify the second reservation?
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The fine print for my MGM offers, which includes comped rooms and $1000+ free play, states that
Quote:FREEPLAY valid on first trip only. Must maintain historical play level to redeem on subsequent trips.
So I think your room will be fine, but if you go and don't play, the freeplay will likely dry up very quickly.
I thought I would have difficulty maintaining platinum under the new system. But I figured out I have to play where I'm going to be rewarded more generously. Aria is the worst place to try to earn points. MGM Grand is better. NYNY has been the best. I won't stay at NYNY again until they renovate their shabby rooms and suites, but I'll play there.
Received this offer yesterday for January cruises. Clearly these are the less popular sailings that they are just trying to fill up, but hey, a free cruise is a free cruise!
I’m assuming similar offers will come monthly?
Quote: DRichDo the 7-night Southern Caribbean out of Barbados.
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The 8-night southern Caribbean out of Miami piqued my interest.
Flying to Barbados would be very pricy.
Quote: ams288Quote: DRichDo the 7-night Southern Caribbean out of Barbados.
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The 8-night southern Caribbean out of Miami piqued my interest.
Flying to Barbados would be very pricy.
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Assuming no other life/work issues in the way…. Late January 8 night Southern Caribbean gets my vote. That one had a nicer room category also, right?
Quote: SOOPOOQuote: ams288Quote: DRichDo the 7-night Southern Caribbean out of Barbados.
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The 8-night southern Caribbean out of Miami piqued my interest.
Flying to Barbados would be very pricy.
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Assuming no other life/work issues in the way…. Late January 8 night Southern Caribbean gets my vote. That one had a nicer room category also, right?
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Yeah, Oceanview vs. interior.
Doesn’t make much of difference to me though. I’ve found whenever I get a balcony room, I barely ever go out there. Im just as happy in an interior, and sleep much better in them too. Plus, Royal’s interiors are pretty big (compared to Carnival).
Quote: ams288Quote: SOOPOOQuote: ams288Quote: DRichDo the 7-night Southern Caribbean out of Barbados.
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The 8-night southern Caribbean out of Miami piqued my interest.
Flying to Barbados would be very pricy.
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Assuming no other life/work issues in the way…. Late January 8 night Southern Caribbean gets my vote. That one had a nicer room category also, right?
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Yeah, Oceanview vs. interior.
Doesn’t make much of difference to me though. I’ve found whenever I get a balcony room, I barely ever go out there. Im just as happy in an interior, and sleep much better in them too. Plus, Royal’s interiors are pretty big (compared to Carnival).
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That's your advantage being a single gay man compared to me, an old married guy. My wife files for divorce if I book an interior room!
I never sit outside on our private balcony/veranda/whatever, but my wife enjoys reading a book as we meander up river or on whatever ocean we are on.
Quote: ams288Quote: DRichDo the 7-night Southern Caribbean out of Barbados.
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The 8-night southern Caribbean out of Miami piqued my interest.
Flying to Barbados would be very pricy.
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Yes, it would be pricier, but I want you to take that one so you can give me a review of Barbados. I have never been to Barbados although I almost moved there for a job.
Quote: PokerGrinderSo here’s a weird one that surprised me. My childhood friend wants to send his gf, her sister and her mom on a cruise to Alaska next year. He asked me about it and I said I should be able to get it discounted since I was planning on taking that cruise as one of my free ones. I looked at my offers and figured that adding a second room to the first (free) room would be cheaper than them just booking it themselves, nope! I do not get even a single penny of a discount on the second room. Like I said I figure they would give even like 20% for them being my guests. So odd.
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This ncl?
pre-covid i had a free inside room on ncl to lots of places.
my mom and sister were going to alaska.
i decided to go as well.
i upgraded my inside to balcony then used my caesar's diamond 20% off benefit for an inside for them.
once aboard, had guest services switch the keys around so i had the inside and they had the balcony.
that's better than me just swapping keys with them incase i or they lost their key.
ncl's policy for cabin upgrades on comped cruises has changed.
it's no longer a flat per person fee and seems random, depending on the person you talk to.
Quote: ams288A little update on my Royal Caribbean offers from my cruise a couple weeks ago. Earned roughly ~800 points ($4,000 coin in) and got a free seven day cruise next September while onboard.
Received this offer yesterday for January cruises. Clearly these are the less popular sailings that they are just trying to fill up, but hey, a free cruise is a free cruise!
I’m assuming similar offers will come monthly?
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So ever since I’ve gotten this offer I literally get about one new offer per week from Royal.
Some weeks they are just coupons for $100-300 off any sailing, sometimes they are for free interiors.
I only have ~1700 points with Royal Caribbean (which equals $8500 coin in). I’d say it was a very good investment.
Got this one last week, immediately jumped on one of the Alaska cruises:
Quote: ams288Quote: ams288A little update on my Royal Caribbean offers from my cruise a couple weeks ago. Earned roughly ~800 points ($4,000 coin in) and got a free seven day cruise next September while onboard.
Received this offer yesterday for January cruises. Clearly these are the less popular sailings that they are just trying to fill up, but hey, a free cruise is a free cruise!
I’m assuming similar offers will come monthly?
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So ever since I’ve gotten this offer I literally get about one new offer per week from Royal.
Some weeks they are just coupons for $100-300 off any sailing, sometimes they are for free interiors.
I only have ~1700 points with Royal Caribbean (which equals $8500 coin in). I’d say it was a very good investment.
Got this one last week, immediately jumped on one of the Alaska cruises:
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2008 or so did their ‘cruise-tour’ which include the 7 night cruise plus 7 days traveling up to Denali. I’d highly recommend it if you have the time.
Not bad return on investment for losing probably $200 or so!
And then just recently, Mrs Q and I both got an offer with the same 2 page list of available cruises. I was excited because that would allow us to pick two cruises, one on each offer, and do back-to-back *free cruises in Europe.
But when I was trying to book it, I noticed that the fine print said that each offer could be used for 3 separate cruises. So I revised our plan and we will be doing 3 cruises in Europe this summer, back-to-back-to-back. To make it a little simpler for us, we are staying on the same ship, but each cruise has a different itinerary.
We upgraded to a balcony for a very reasonable additional fee.
* Like every other offer I have seen, we are still paying for taxes and port fees and gratuities.
But my last Carnival cruise on the Sunrise wasn’t great, so I’m sticking with Royal for now.
Quote: JohnnyQWe have booked quite a few "deep discount" cruises on Carnival for later this year, including a couple of Alaska itineraries.
And then just recently, Mrs Q and I both got an offer with the same 2 page list of available cruises. I was excited because that would allow us to pick two cruises, one on each offer, and do back-to-back *free cruises in Europe.
But when I was trying to book it, I noticed that the fine print said that each offer could be used for 3 separate cruises. So I revised our plan and we will be doing 3 cruises in Europe this summer, back-to-back-to-back. To make it a little simpler for us, we are staying on the same ship, but each cruise has a different itinerary.
We upgraded to a balcony for a very reasonable additional fee.
* Like every other offer I have seen, we are still paying for taxes and port fees and gratuities.
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Which cruise itineraries are you doing?
ETA: JQ, I'm jealous! Those itineraries look awesome! Plus, two Alaska cruises? Are you spending any of your summer on dry land? :)
Actually three. Well, four for Mrs Q, she is taking one girls only trip.Quote: JoemanPlus, two Alaska cruises? Are you spending any of your summer on dry land? :)
We spend the month of June on dry land. After that, not so much.
