• Welcome to the FREE TUGBBS forums! The absolute best place for owners to get help and advice about their timeshares for more than 32 years!

    Join Tens of Thousands of other owners just like you here to get any and all Timeshare questions answered 24 hours a day!
  • TUG started 32 years ago in October 1993 as a group of regular Timeshare owners just like you!

    Read about our 32nd anniversary: Happy 32nd Birthday TUG!
  • TUG has a YouTube Channel to produce weekly short informative videos on popular Timeshare topics!

    All subscribers auto-entered to win all free TUG membership giveaways!

    Visit TUG on Youtube!
  • TUG has now saved timeshare owners more than $24,000,000 dollars just by finding us in time to rescind a new Timeshare purchase! A truly incredible milestone!

    Read more here: TUG saves owners more than $24 Million dollars
  • Wish you could meet up with other TUG members? Well look no further as this annual event has been going on for years in Orlando! How to Attend the TUG January Get-Together!
  • Now through the end of the year you can join or renew your TUG membership at the lowest price ever offered! Learn More!
  • Sign up to get the TUG Newsletter for free!

    Tens of thousands of subscribing owners! A weekly recap of the best Timeshare resort reviews and the most popular topics discussed by owners!
  • Our official "end my sales presentation early" T-shirts are available again! Also come with the option for a free membership extension with purchase to offset the cost!

    All T-shirt options here!
  • A few of the most common links here on the forums for newbies and guests!

My First "Comped" Cruise

Timeshare Von

Timeshare Von

TUG Review Crew: Elite
TUG Member
Joined
Mar 13, 2006
Messages
7,609
Reaction score
2,651
Location
Milwaukee, WI
Resorts Owned
After 40+ years of T/S ownership, I am no longer "an owner"
Having sailed with Royal Caribbean twice (Sept 23 and Feb 24), I earned a comped cruise through my casino play . . . free for me plus 50% off for my travel companion . . . just having to pay the port fees & taxes. My sister also had the same offer, so we bundled them to cruise together for free. So we'll be doing a 7-night cruise from Boston to Canada later this fall for just $227 each!

You may be wondering "Sure Von it wasn't so 'free' if you lost a lot of money in their casino." First . . . I didn't play all that much, maybe only 2-3 hours for 3-4 nights on the 2 prior cruises. And while I did lose "a little money" (less than $500 on the first cruise), I won quite a bit more than that on the next cruise.

I realize they comp folks in hopes that they come back and play (and lose) more than the value of the comp given, but so far I'm really enjoying this cruise lifestyle in retirement!
 
Do you get a balcony cabin?
 
Timeshare Von said:
NOPE . . . we aren't high rollers. We're happy with an inside cabin as it's just a place to sleep :)
Click to expand...
We are going on our second cruise week after next. Disney the first time, Norwegian this time, but this one is in the Mediterranean with many stops. We did get a balcony for the views, but I know we will not be in the room much because we weren't in our room a lot on the Disney cruise. Plus, our kids and grandkids have the better cabin because they have three kids, and if we sit around, it will be with them much of the time.

I couldn't even look out from the balcony on the Disney Caribbean cruise because I would get a little queasy.
 
We have friends who gamble enough they get comped cruises. I just can’t sit in a casino for 2-3 hours each day plus, my luck/skill isn’t that good. We prefer video poker and the pay tables we’ve seen in the past have been pretty poor. Granted we haven’t been on a cruise in at least 10 years, but I just hate playing when the odds are so bad.
 
dougp26364 said:
... I just hate playing when the odds are so bad.
Click to expand...
There may be a lucky few, but for the most part...
When entering the casino, there should be a greeter who
holds his hand out and says: "Give me your money (card)."
 
I'll admit I'm pretty selective on the casino games I'll play. I love 3 card poker, but at a $10 minimum, $100-$300 goes pretty fast. My sister enjoyed her time on penny slots, and while each "pull" may be a $2-$4 spin, she did take a small haul one night (over $700). We mostly played roulette, which had the standard odds with a $5 minimum. It was social and fun every time we played.
 
My real father was a gambler. My mom couldn't deal with his addiction after he gambled away their brand new car in 1957.

I have played slots, years ago, and I really liked the one-armed bandits. I don't understand the new slots. It's no fun pushing buttons.

I limited myself to a certain amount I will lose. I have never come out ahead. I can see how someone could think they could "get back" the money lost. I don't want to gamble away our money. I already waste enough money on my timeshare addiction.
 
We save extra money each year to enjoy the casino on a cruise. We take that money in cash and whatever there is we divide it between the two of us. We might ask "How did you do" but we never really question how much either one of us spends. As long as we both know that when that money is gone, that's it. No getting extra cash or charging it to the room. We spend very little on other stuff when we cruise so this is our way of enjoying our time. And we get comp cruise offers regularly. Works for us.
 
california8399 said:
We save extra money each year to enjoy the casino on a cruise. We take that money in cash and whatever there is we divide it between the two of us. We might ask "How did you do" but we never really question how much either one of us spends. As long as we both know that when that money is gone, that's it. No getting extra cash or charging it to the room. We spend very little on other stuff when we cruise so this is our way of enjoying our time. And we get comp cruise offers regularly. Works for us.
Click to expand...
That's how I treat my/our gambling as well. My sister & I are looking forward to our upcoming cruise (just under 3 months away).
 
Well we haven't even taken our upcoming casino comped cruise yet (it's in less than 4 weeks) . . . but we've booked ANOTHER casino freebie offer for February 2025. It's cost us just $114 in port fees & taxes for a 5 night trip out of Tampa, by bundling our two offers for a free inside cabin.
 
@Timeshare Von
Is your Boston to Canada cruise stopping in Prince Edward Island?

If so, it parks in front of my office. If you are stopping at PEI, and I am around, I will buy you a decent local beer.
 
Ski-Dad said:
@Timeshare Von
Is your Boston to Canada cruise stopping in Prince Edward Island?

If so, it parks in front of my office. If you are stopping at PEI, and I am around, I will buy you a decent local beer.
Click to expand...
That would be awesome, but alas, no stop at PEI. :(
 
Had I known about your offer to Yvonne, I'd have begged for the same when our cruise called at PEI on September 6th!
Ski-Dad said:
@Timeshare Von
Is your Boston to Canada cruise stopping in Prince Edward Island?

If so, it parks in front of my office. If you are stopping at PEI, and I am around, I will buy you a decent local beer.
Click to expand...
We did have an amber at "Lobster on the Wharf"- beer good, lobster tail meh.
 
As an aside, hubby & I did spend several days on PEI on a road trip vacation to Nova Scotia back in 2017. We loved it so much, we extended our stay an extra day/night. The seafood everywhere we ate was AMAZING! We especially loved Windows on the Water in Montague, near the B&B we stayed at before taking the ferry over to Nova Scotia.
 
Just got back from our NE & Canada cruise. While the weather was chilly & windy several days, we had a fabulous time. I can say I'm officially HOOKED because I went into this particular cruise with the goal of making to PRIME status in the casino and earn not 1 but 2 comped cruises. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED with just a $500 "investment" (gambling loss) to get there! With the first of the two comps I received, I'll be sailing solo from Lisbon to Port Canaveral next October on a 13 night transatlantic cruise. In April, Prime members will receive their annual free cruise certificate, which will be redeemable for the choice of a 7-night cruise.

Next up however . . . 5-nights out of Tampa (already booked combining casino offers with my sister) for another comped cruise.

I was glad to have connected with this group who provided a lot of valuable information and insight on how to go about tackling the goal of turning casino play into free cruises. I look forward to receiving my coin soon!
RCDG original.jpg
 
Timeshare Von said:
Just got back from our NE & Canada cruise. While the weather was chilly & windy several days, we had a fabulous time. I can say I'm officially HOOKED because I went into this particular cruise with the goal of making to PRIME status in the casino and earn not 1 but 2 comped cruises. MISSION ACCOMPLISHED with just a $500 "investment" (gambling loss) to get there! With the first of the two comps I received, I'll be sailing solo from Lisbon to Port Canaveral next October on a 13 night transatlantic cruise. In April, Prime members will receive their annual free cruise certificate, which will be redeemable for the choice of a 7-night cruise.

Next up however . . . 5-nights out of Tampa (already booked combining casino offers with my sister) for another comped cruise.

I was glad to have connected with this group who provided a lot of valuable information and insight on how to go about tackling the goal of turning casino play into free cruises. I look forward to receiving my coin soon!
View attachment 101651
Click to expand...
Interesting. I can't say I'd EVER thought about what it might take to gamble my way to a comp'd cruise. Having spent a fair amount of time in Las Vegas, but gambling just never appealed enough to me to try to get any more than a night's sedentary entertainment out of it.

So, uh, High Roller Von, :) this seems to be working out fairly well for you. Congrats! Thanks for the report, and keep it up. As always, I enjoy your reports on YOUR brand of travel.

Jim
 
rickandcindy23 said:
We are going on our second cruise week after next. Disney the first time, Norwegian this time, but this one is in the Mediterranean with many stops. We did get a balcony for the views, but I know we will not be in the room much because we weren't in our room a lot on the Disney cruise. Plus, our kids and grandkids have the better cabin because they have three kids, and if we sit around, it will be with them much of the time.

I couldn't even look out from the balcony on the Disney Caribbean cruise because I would get a little queasy.
Click to expand...
Leaving Sunday, I have scopalomine patches, ginger chews, meclizine , and two anti nausea meds. We have a balcony cabin. My first cruise.
 
Less than 20 days until we leave on our comped casino play cruise out of Long Beach to Mexico. We've done this one several times so we just enjoy the ship, the excursions aren't of interest. We have a free balcony, with $600 casino credit to spend.
 
OK so it's official . . . I AM HOOKED! We just booked a back-to-back on Enchantment out of Tampa next month. It was too good a deal to pass up and maximizes the travel necessary from Wisconsin. Better to have 10 nights than "JUST" 5.
 
Effective March 2026: MAJOR CHANGES in the Casino Royale program from Royal Caribbean. The comped cabins and free play awarded for casino play have been significantly reduced. So much so, I will no longer be playing to earn reward cruises from them. There has been a lot of discussion over the past 24 hours after the March rewards were announced.

I'm happy I got to cruise as much as I did in 2025, given the significant savings afforded me through casino play. I am getting on a ship this Sunday for a back-to-back sailing out of Miami. Two 7-night cruises that cost me only $350 (port fees & taxes). These cruises were my sister & my "free annual cruise" just for being prime tier players (the lowest "awarded" tier). The other cruises I did in 2025 (6 in total/42 nights) was thanks to roughly $4,000 in casino play/losses. Easily, a nice value over time. And I still have a big 16 night transpacific cruise (LA to Tokyo) later this year that I earned last year (which also comes with $500 in free play).

So I have no regrets about playing/losing in the casino for the comps (and free play) awarded over the past 18 months. But like any other travel, you have to stay on top of how things change and whether or not you're still getting the best value for your vacation money.
 
Last edited:
i used to get comp cruises with holland america and get inside and occasional ocean view cabins but no longer get offers since last april. now only have discount cruises with $300 comp credit. I guess i don’t gamble enough
 
lily28 said:
i used to get comp cruises with holland america and get inside and occasional ocean view cabins but no longer get offers since last april. now only have discount cruises with $300 comp credit. I guess i don’t gamble enough
Click to expand...
Royal Caribbean has been continuously tweaking their casino comp program, making the cruises less and less desirable . . . and more costly to book. Earlier this year, they started to move away from casino offers where you could select your cabin. Taking a page from the airlines, if you want to book a specific state room (rather than let them assign it just prior to the cruise) . . . you will have to pay to upgrade your cruise from a GTY cabin.

And just this past week, they've dropped a marketing offer which includes a booking fee which is just that. In the past such booking fees were converted to on board credits, but no more. Another way to monetize the casino players' offers.

I'm really feeling like my retirement cruise life has run its course after a short couple of years. I have one more booked for this coming October, and it's a biggee (transpacific from LA to Tokyo); but beyond that, I may not be cruising much in the future.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top