Cruise Line Dealers

Anyone played poker, blackjack, or roulette on a cruise? Any inside information as far as hours the dealers work, if there's gambling while the cruise is ported, and if the dealers seem to have a positive experience during their work?

I have played on Princess cruises. The dealers do not work in port and one of the dealers told me that other employees dislike dealers because of that. On one cruise, I was stuck in the port of Houston for 3 days because of an oil spill and the dealers didn't work, although some of the new dealers did use that time for training. I also think that the table games open around noon and probably go to midnight or 1am. I don't remember any disgruntled dealers or pit bosses.

On the NCL Epic (Norwegian), the dealers do not work in port. The casino closes around 1-2am (they will keep a table open late if it has action, but will call "last hand" eventually), reopens around 7am with a few tables, most are open by about 9am. Slots available 24/7 except in port. I think this applies pretty much across NCL ships. There are 2 shifts, and dealers sometimes work as many as 10 hours/day, especially those designated as "closers", though that assignment seems to rotate. Possibly a dealer/floor will be scheduled for a double on rare occasions.

The dealers have a few duties during embarkation/disembarkation, sometimes train while in port, otherwise have free time. They seem to love their jobs.

Quote: beachbumbabs

On the NCL Epic (Norwegian), the dealers do not work in port. The casino closes around 1-2am (they will keep a table open late if it has action, but will call "last hand" eventually), reopens around 7am with a few tables, most are open by about 9am. Slots available 24/7 except in port. I think this applies pretty much across NCL ships. There are 2 shifts, and dealers sometimes work as many as 10 hours/day, especially those designated as "closers", though that assignment seems to rotate. Possibly a dealer/floor will be scheduled for a double on rare occasions.

The dealers have a few duties during embarkation/disembarkation, sometimes train while in port, otherwise have free time. They seem to love their jobs.

I've been on about 5 or 6 cruises. While it does seem like the dealers do like dealing, 95% of them are not from North America which tells me something. To me that means the pay is not that good. Yes, people from Czechoslovakia, Russia, Hungary, Bulgaria are happy dealing, but why no U.S. dealers?


ZCore13

Quote: Zcore13

I've been on about 5 or 6 cruises. While it does seem like the dealers do like dealing, 95% of them are not from North America which tells me something. To me that means the pay is not that good. Yes, people from Czechoslovakia, Russia, Hungary, Bulgaria are happy dealing, but why no U.S. dealers?


ZCore13

My impression is that the pay is ok but not great, but the hours are not what US labor force is used to; they deal 6 days a week, sometimes 7, for an 8 month contract. It's pretty easy to save up money on board, though, because your contract includes food and room, and some amenities like laundry and employee pricing on luxury items. They often get moved from ship to ship, usually with each contract, but sometimes in mid-contract. They live 4 to a cabin, which is too crowded for US standards for that long a period. The NCL crew was about 1/2 Eastern European, 1/2 Philippino. The company recruits those places, and tends to only recruit US personnel for entertainment staff. Beyond that, I don't know much, but there are several books written by ex-employees about their time on board.

Quote: beachbumbabs

On the NCL Epic (Norwegian), the dealers do not work in port.

That's got nothing to do with the cruise line or country of registry, but the laws where the port is. Most (all?) countries do not allow gambling in port. Got to go out to international waters to open the casino.

And since the cruise lines make money off the shore excursions, they dont really mind the rule.

Besides, rules were made to be broken: I was on a cruise that returned to port for a medical emergency. The casino stayed open even though we were in New Jersey.

Quote: Zcore13

... but why no U.S. dealers?

Maybe for the same reason that there's a lot of foreign dealers in US casinos.

Quote: Zcore13

I've been on about 5 or 6 cruises. While it does seem like the dealers do like dealing, 95% of them are not from North America which tells me something. To me that means the pay is not that good. Yes, people from Czechoslovakia, Russia, Hungary, Bulgaria are happy dealing, but why no U.S. dealers?


ZCore13

They are paid based on the GDP of their home country and work 70 to 80 hours a week. Average pay is about US$300 per month. Oh, if it is not a casino ship they get them to do other work like check in guest, fire drill, etc.

On Princess, almost all of the dealers were eastern European, but there was one from England on one cruise and one from South America who I saw on 2 cruises on the same ship. She was the only dealer I recognized on two occasions, which were 9 months apart. The rest could have taken assignments on other ships, I suppose. I doubt the pay is great, but it is something you might do once as an American if you can be away for an extended time. Plus, you can have virtually no expenses, which would permit you to save more money than many jobs.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

That's got nothing to do with the cruise line or country of registry, but the laws where the port is. Most (all?) countries do not allow gambling in port. Got to go out to international waters to open the casino.

And since the cruise lines make money off the shore excursions, they dont really mind the rule.

Besides, rules were made to be broken: I was on a cruise that returned to port for a medical emergency. The casino stayed open even though we were in New Jersey.



Maybe for the same reason that there's a lot of foreign dealers in US casinos.

You are correct about the casino being closed in port. International waters is required for casino operation. So does that mean any winnings should be declared as foreign income?

I took the phrase working in port, to mean the dealer does not have a secondary job that requires them to work in other areas of the ship, while the ship is in port.
The NCL dealers told me they did nothing but casino work. I think it was RC (but may have been Carnival) where the dealers also had secondary jobs on the ship.
And I remember someone telling me that everyone had a job to do when the offboard and onboard of a new cruise took place. No one got shore leave on the turn around days. That may have been the NCL crew that told me that.

I once inadvertently went through the door which separated the living quarters of the crew from the rest of the ship. I was stunned how small their cabins were. 4 people crunched into a room that 4 people couldn't stand in at the same time.

Quote: RaleighCraps

You are correct about the casino being closed in port. International waters is required for casino operation.

No. See Bermuda as a counter example.

As I mentioned in the other thread, the casino staff on most ships works much longer hours than those on land, and for lower pay. In addition to the other duties mentioned here, they must also do the hard and soft counts themselves, since there is no dedicated count room/team like in a land casino.

Most American dealers would find such a schedule intolerable, which is why you don't see too many of them. The only exception was a small luxury cruise line I worked for, whose casinos were managed by an old-time Vegas guy--who basically just hired all his old buddies to come out and work onboard (and they in turn would recommend their friends, etc.). The casino had a hard close time of 2AM every night, usually even earlier (it was mostly older retired folks who didn't gamble, so they were never very busy) so the hours weren't as bad, though still more than on land. The pay was still pretty lousy, but that wasn't really that point, the main goal was traveling and seeing the world...