Cruise ship casinos: Everything you need to know about gambling at sea
Table Of Content
Each member cruise line is to post at every gaming table minimum and maximum betting limits for each game, and only adults are allowed to play the slots or the tables. Much like an airline loyalty program, casino points usually accumulate over a year, earning you better perks as you work toward increasingly higher status levels. Annual free or discounted cruises are one of those perks, often beginning with complimentary (aka comped) inside cabins at relatively low status levels. If you're curious, I've compiled answers to the most common questions people ask about cruise ship casinos. You know how you often hear people on a cruise ship planning their day around the entertainment, tours and mealtimes?
Are drinks free in the casino on cruise ships?
And since the odds of winning are about the same as in a U.S. land-based casino, with similar regulations in place, cruise ship casinos are a safe bet for fun and entertainment — though we always encourage you to play responsibly. Because there is no fee added to money for slot play, onboard casinos will usually put rules in place about how quickly you can cash out of the machine. The rules are designed to keep cruisers from using slot machines as ATMs to get either cash for the table games or to cash out onboard credit they've been given from the cruise line or their travel agent. You can also charge gambling money directly to your onboard account like you would charge a drink at a bar or anything else on board. Fees for gambling charges vary among cruise lines, but in most instances, table games charge a service fee, and slot machines do not. As at land-based casinos, each cruise line offering gambling on board sets its own criteria for earning perks through the line's casino loyalty program or players club.
Award vs. cash calculator
Most cruise ship casino games operate under the same rules and payout percentages you would find in a land-based casino; therefore, the answer is yes, you can win money in a cruise ship casino. Casinos are often seen as the last bastion of cruise ship smoking freedom (beyond small, designated areas on deck). But the number of ships that offer nonsmoking casinos is steadily growing. But because gambling normally only takes place while the ship is in international waters, cruise lines that sail from U.S. ports also adhere to the rules set out by the Cruise Lines International Association.
Cobranded Cards
Carnival Cruise Line explains onboard ban that angered passengers - TheStreet
Carnival Cruise Line explains onboard ban that angered passengers.
Posted: Sun, 21 Apr 2024 21:47:07 GMT [source]
Most mainstream cruise lines use comped cruises to fill cabins on dates they anticipate having a surplus of vacancies. These extra offers often appear random, but are generally targeted for marketing purposes rather than as rewards for high amounts of play. New players may receive these comps after low levels of play because cruise lines are always interested in attracting new casino players.
Are cruise casinos open in port?
If you like to gamble, cruise ship casinos provide a fun way to spend a sea day or evening on the ship. You can take lessons to learn the games you don't know how to play and even participate in tournaments. Cruise ship casinos accept cash at both slot machines and table games. As an example, you can sit down at a slot machine and feed in a $20 bill, which is then converted into "credits" on the machine's screen.
The exchange of cash at machines and tables is a one-way deal, even when you win. When you finish playing, you may be issued a paper credit slip to take to the cashier's cage for cash, or you may have your winnings loaded directly onto your onboard account on some cruise lines. At the tables, you will take chips to the cashier to exchange back into cash. Besides the fun of playing on board, many cruise lines have players clubs that offer onboard perks and even free cruises.
Learn About Reward Programs
When you choose to apply (and are approved) for a new credit card through our site, we may receive compensation from our partners, and this may impact how or where these products appear. Please view our advertising policy and product review methodology for more information.
Carnival Cruise Ship Casinos Adding Progressive Table Games - Casino.Org News
Carnival Cruise Ship Casinos Adding Progressive Table Games.
Posted: Tue, 26 Sep 2023 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Card Type
Points are generally tied to the time played and the amount of money you gamble, including the money you win and recirculate. For example, my husband recently requested money from his onboard account at a blackjack table and was charged a 5% surcharge. The ship we were on was not set up to charge onboard accounts directly from the slot machines (sometimes they are), so I had to go to the cashier for a credit slip to play. I was not charged a surcharge, although if I had asked for cash, I would have been. If you don't travel with cash, you can find ATMs in the casino or at guest services. Those odds mean the cruise lines operating casinos will favor slot machine players over card players, both in terms of the number of games provided and the loyalty perks awarded.
Which casino games are on cruise ships?
The ship goes straight from Canadian waters to U.S. waters without ever reaching international open waters, so the casino closes the night before arrival in Victoria and does not reopen during the cruise. Some cruise lines also issue instant awards for the number of points earned (i.e., money spent) on an individual cruise, regardless of status. That would be like an airline awarding free future flights to passengers who spent the most money on their flights, no matter their loyalty status.
But just as in a land-based casino, it's far easier to lose your stake than it is to win that kind of money. Celebrity Cruises does not allow smoking in its ships' casinos, and the relatively small casinos on luxury ships are generally nonsmoking, as well. Cruisers are also often surprised to learn that the casino is closed on some nights during Alaska cruises. Cruises that sail from Victoria, British Columbia, to Seattle on the final night are a good example.
The minimum age for gambling in a cruise ship casino is 18 in most cases, but there are exceptions. MSC Cruises has a minimum gambling age of 21 on any cruise with a U.S. port; otherwise, the age is 18. Some cruise lines, including Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, raise the minimum age to 21 on Alaska sailings.
River cruise lines do not have casinos on board, even on U.S. rivers where "riverboat" gambling is reserved for casino boats, not river cruise ships. Free drinks in the casino are a perk of casino loyalty on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Line. Reach the required level, and you'll earn free drinks from the casino bar, usually for a full status year. Carnival, Princess and Virgin Voyages also often throw in free drinks (either in the casino or throughout the ship) for individual comped cruises. Everyone actively gambling in the casino gets free well drinks on Celebrity cruises.
Now when I log in to Carnival's website, I am shown casino offers that include free and discounted cruises. For example, some Carnival ships have separate smoking and nonsmoking casinos. Norwegian has separate smoking rooms on some ships; however, cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use are allowed in casinos on ships that don't have separate smoking rooms.
Cruise ship casinos on mainstream cruise lines often host tournaments on board featuring various casino games. The list includes slot tournaments, as well as card game tournaments for blackjack and Texas Hold 'em. The games that require a combination of skill and luck are the ones where the odds of winning are in your favor. For example, the overall odds on blackjack favor the casino by only 1%, while the casino has a 25% edge overall when it comes to slot machines. Among the luxury cruise lines, Silversea and Seabourn have casinos on their non-expedition ships; Regent Seven Seas has casinos on all its ships. Smaller luxury ships like those belonging to Ponant, Ritz-Carlton, Scenic and Emerald do not have casinos.
Alternatively, you might walk up to a roulette table and lay down $20 and exchange that for chips. Many casinos also let you match casino status from land-based casinos (or even other cruise lines), giving you a leg up. For example, I haven't cruised with Carnival in a while, and I've never played in the line's onboard casinos, but I signed up for the Carnival players club via its Fun Match program. When I registered, I uploaded an offer from a competing cruise line and a players club card from MGM.
Comments
Post a Comment