- Joined
- Mar 13, 2006
- Messages
- 7,264
- Reaction score
- 1,988
- Location
- Milwaukee, WI
- Resorts Owned
- After 40+ years of T/S ownership, I am no longer "an owner"
I have thoroughly enjoyed traveling with my sister, and getting to experience some places even if just for a short snapshot in time. All there is to do on the ship, as well as the quality food & service, what's not to like? But I can safely say I became truly addicted, once I learned about casino comped cruises through the offers initially give to us. We both received what are generally referred to as BOGOs . . . the person receiving cruises for free (paying just the port fees + taxes), while their companion receives a 50-60% discount. Sometimes the offers also come with a nominal amount of onboard credit and/or free play. Royal Caribbean (R/C) will allow you to combine offers of the same code, so we were able to cruise 7 nights (NE/Canada) for just $225 each . . . and will be doing another to Mexico (5 nights) for just $114 each. Our individual casino lay wasn't much (less than 400 pts per previous cruises), so it wasn't like they were rewarded high play/losses.
What I learned however, is that there are higher stakes & benefits from the casino, including getting to "PRIME" (2,500 pts in a casino year which is 4/1-3/31) and if you amass enough points on a single cruise to receive an "Instant Certificate." The PRIME benefits include free drinks in the casino whenever it is open (does not require active playing) plus an annual certificate good for 2 people in an interior cabin for a 7 night (or fewer) cruise.
Additionally, at 2,000 points in a single cruise, the instant certificate awarded is also good for a cruise for two, generally in an interior cabin and for itineraries 4-10 nights (depending on the destination). There are incremental increases in cabin size and length of cruise as you get to 3,000, 4,000, 6,500 etc. These offers also come with free play and onboard credit, which increases as well.
Well I went into my most recent cruise with a couple of goals . . . (1) make PRIME (which would be good through 3/31/26), and (2) earn a decent instant certificate for a cruise I'd really like to take but may be unaffordable if I had to pay with the single supplement to cruise solo. Of course the big question would be "How much money 'invested' would be necessary to even attempt such?" I did a lot of research and study on how R/C operates their casino rewards program, and what the experiences have been by other seasoned casino gamblers. Going into our 7 night NE/Canada cruise, I felt about as prepared as possible . . . but would Lady Luck be on my side?
Here's the story as it played out, which I shared on the R/C Casino Royale Facebook page in hopes it would help others achieve whatever casino play goals they had . . .
Well now that I'm back from my 7 night NE & Canada cruise aboard the Jewel OTS, I had said I'd provide some detail on my strategy and success on getting to PRIME in a single cruise. I apologize in advance for the wonkiness (and length) of this post, but I think it will be helpful for others in the future.
FYI this was only my 3rd cruise ever, all on RC. On my previous cruises (a 5 and 7 nighter) I only averaged 425 points per cruise (playing almost exclusively roulette).
#1 I did as much research and learning as possible the week prior to my cruise. Folks in this group and the RC Degenerate Gamblers were very helpful, as were the few videos suggested.
#2 Going into any gambling vacation (Vegas/Reno or a ship), I generally have a $2,000 (cash) budget for casino play. This trip was the same, but since I learned I could use my RC onboard account and charge up to $500/day (the max allowed as a room charge) on my "NEW" RC Visa card, that's what I did through the slot machine. My cash would be for any table play I would do.
#3 My game plan was to be aggressive early in the cruise and after 2 nights, assess the likelihood of getting to Prime at an affordable cost/loss,. I felt that if I wasn't getting roughly 400-500 pts per night, playing $500/night via my credit card, it was probably not going to be affordable. I had also read that generally playing slots, getting to $1/pt is a good benchmark goal. That felt affordable . . . $2,500 = 2,500 points to achieve Prime.
#4 While I enjoy table games much more than slots, I needed to exercise some self-control to avoid dropping a lot of cash on the tables. I only played those at the end of my slot session, as a way to get a little energy after the boring slot session.
#5 About the slots . . . I opted for the higher volatility of Dancing Drums machines, and stuck to a single machine for an evening's session. Win or lose, I wasn't going to jump around and chase jackpots from machine to machine in any given night. On Jewel, I played in the 12 bank of machines in the non-smoking area. After just a couple of nights, there were several of the same players and we became friends, rooting for each other. This social aspect made the slot play less monotonous and boring. It really became more fun for me!
#6 I had decided that if I made my goal of making Prime, I would stop gambling and assess where I was financially and decide whether or not to play more that night or subsequent nights.
Here are my day-by-day results:
Day#1 Slots $500 in; $0 out 3 hours = 424 pts PLUS 3 Card Poker ($35/hand) $300 in, $200 out in about an hour = 200 pts (the dealer said "she took care of me") for a total 1st day of 624 pts and $600 lost
Day #2 Slots $500 in; $0 out in 2.5 hours = 346 pts PLUS Roulette ($6-$10/spin) $100 in, $200 out in 45 minutes = 46 pts for a running total of $1,000 lost at slots and even on the tables.
Day #3 Slots $400 in; $1,250 out 3 hours = 493 pts PLUS 3 Card Poker $150 in, $50 out in about 30 minutes (yes it sucked fast!) = 49 pts for a running total of $150 lost at slots and $100 lost at tables; grand total lost $250.
Day #4 Slots $500 in; $0 out 3.5 hours = 527 points PLUS Roulette ($6-$10/spin) $100 in, $50 out in 30 minutes = 40 pts for a running total of $650 slots and $150 tables (TOTAL points = 2,125 . . . just 375 to go!)
Day #5 Slots $400 in; $700 out in 2 hours = 376 points AND PRIME! At this point I was down a total of $500 when I made Prime. I then played a little more Roulette ($6-$10/spin) in $150, out $0 = 42 pts; bringing my net loss to $650 for the 5 nights.
The day prior to making Prime (because I knew I'd get there) I focused my thoughts on the instant certificate voucher. At 2,000 points an interior room is offered on limited sailings. But at 3,000 there were more sailings and the offer of oceanview and even some balconies. With just 2 nights left to play, I wasn't sure if chasing 3,000 points would be worthwhile, but I went into Day #6 open to seeing what might be possible.
Day #6 Started the night with 2,542 points. Slots $200 in; $300 out in about 3 hours = 635 pts and a total of 3,177 and an improved instant cruise offer! I did transfer my points to cash to play, in case i didn't do any gaming the final night. Financially, I was down $550 ($200 slots and $350 tables). VERY HAPPY!
Making it to this point, I stopped keeping meticulous notes. I did play slots on the final 7th night, $300 in, $200 out for a final of $650 total lost on the trip. Because I had cashed out my points for play on Day #6, I don't even know what my final play count in points was for the trip. I can get that from Casino Royale when I call them to book my Next Cruise/Instant Certificate. NOTE: I now know it was 3.596 which is frankly HUGE for just "investing" a loss of $650 over the course of 7 nights. Had I known how close I was to that next 4,000 level instant certificate, I would have probably played on during my 7th night. If reached, that would have given me a balcony room rather than "just" an oceanview for the 13 night Transatlantic cruise I've booked with my 3,000 certificate . . . and $500 in free play (rather than $250) and $200 in onboard credit (rather than $100). But hey . . . I am VERY HAPPY with my results!
I sincerely hope this is helpful for others who are interested in trying to chase Prime for the first time and/or the instant certificate for a free cruise.
###
FINAL COUNT . . . $650 spent, PRIME achieved PLUS a nice cruise offer which I'm looking forward to maximizing my Crown & Anchor account by doing a 13 night transatlantic solo for double points. I still have a way to go to get to Diamond . . . but I do have a plan to get there by the end of 2025.
P.S. Diamond is the Cruise & Anchor rewards program for nights on R/C. There are some very nice benefits to get to the 80 points/nights and that is my next goal, especially since cruising solo earns double points in the program, making achieving the next level more attainable, when using the casino comps for cabins for 2 passengers and no single supplement if you are traveling alone.
I will also note it is clear in my story that Royal Caribbean has achived their marketing goal of creating a guest who is HOOKED on their brand and willing to spend money cruising and gambling. Well done!
As long as I am smart in my approach to gambling and the value received is in line with the money spent/lost, I am happy to proceed as a cruise addict.
What I learned however, is that there are higher stakes & benefits from the casino, including getting to "PRIME" (2,500 pts in a casino year which is 4/1-3/31) and if you amass enough points on a single cruise to receive an "Instant Certificate." The PRIME benefits include free drinks in the casino whenever it is open (does not require active playing) plus an annual certificate good for 2 people in an interior cabin for a 7 night (or fewer) cruise.
Additionally, at 2,000 points in a single cruise, the instant certificate awarded is also good for a cruise for two, generally in an interior cabin and for itineraries 4-10 nights (depending on the destination). There are incremental increases in cabin size and length of cruise as you get to 3,000, 4,000, 6,500 etc. These offers also come with free play and onboard credit, which increases as well.
Well I went into my most recent cruise with a couple of goals . . . (1) make PRIME (which would be good through 3/31/26), and (2) earn a decent instant certificate for a cruise I'd really like to take but may be unaffordable if I had to pay with the single supplement to cruise solo. Of course the big question would be "How much money 'invested' would be necessary to even attempt such?" I did a lot of research and study on how R/C operates their casino rewards program, and what the experiences have been by other seasoned casino gamblers. Going into our 7 night NE/Canada cruise, I felt about as prepared as possible . . . but would Lady Luck be on my side?
Here's the story as it played out, which I shared on the R/C Casino Royale Facebook page in hopes it would help others achieve whatever casino play goals they had . . .
Well now that I'm back from my 7 night NE & Canada cruise aboard the Jewel OTS, I had said I'd provide some detail on my strategy and success on getting to PRIME in a single cruise. I apologize in advance for the wonkiness (and length) of this post, but I think it will be helpful for others in the future.
FYI this was only my 3rd cruise ever, all on RC. On my previous cruises (a 5 and 7 nighter) I only averaged 425 points per cruise (playing almost exclusively roulette).
#1 I did as much research and learning as possible the week prior to my cruise. Folks in this group and the RC Degenerate Gamblers were very helpful, as were the few videos suggested.
#2 Going into any gambling vacation (Vegas/Reno or a ship), I generally have a $2,000 (cash) budget for casino play. This trip was the same, but since I learned I could use my RC onboard account and charge up to $500/day (the max allowed as a room charge) on my "NEW" RC Visa card, that's what I did through the slot machine. My cash would be for any table play I would do.
#3 My game plan was to be aggressive early in the cruise and after 2 nights, assess the likelihood of getting to Prime at an affordable cost/loss,. I felt that if I wasn't getting roughly 400-500 pts per night, playing $500/night via my credit card, it was probably not going to be affordable. I had also read that generally playing slots, getting to $1/pt is a good benchmark goal. That felt affordable . . . $2,500 = 2,500 points to achieve Prime.
#4 While I enjoy table games much more than slots, I needed to exercise some self-control to avoid dropping a lot of cash on the tables. I only played those at the end of my slot session, as a way to get a little energy after the boring slot session.
#5 About the slots . . . I opted for the higher volatility of Dancing Drums machines, and stuck to a single machine for an evening's session. Win or lose, I wasn't going to jump around and chase jackpots from machine to machine in any given night. On Jewel, I played in the 12 bank of machines in the non-smoking area. After just a couple of nights, there were several of the same players and we became friends, rooting for each other. This social aspect made the slot play less monotonous and boring. It really became more fun for me!
#6 I had decided that if I made my goal of making Prime, I would stop gambling and assess where I was financially and decide whether or not to play more that night or subsequent nights.
Here are my day-by-day results:
Day#1 Slots $500 in; $0 out 3 hours = 424 pts PLUS 3 Card Poker ($35/hand) $300 in, $200 out in about an hour = 200 pts (the dealer said "she took care of me") for a total 1st day of 624 pts and $600 lost
Day #2 Slots $500 in; $0 out in 2.5 hours = 346 pts PLUS Roulette ($6-$10/spin) $100 in, $200 out in 45 minutes = 46 pts for a running total of $1,000 lost at slots and even on the tables.
Day #3 Slots $400 in; $1,250 out 3 hours = 493 pts PLUS 3 Card Poker $150 in, $50 out in about 30 minutes (yes it sucked fast!) = 49 pts for a running total of $150 lost at slots and $100 lost at tables; grand total lost $250.
Day #4 Slots $500 in; $0 out 3.5 hours = 527 points PLUS Roulette ($6-$10/spin) $100 in, $50 out in 30 minutes = 40 pts for a running total of $650 slots and $150 tables (TOTAL points = 2,125 . . . just 375 to go!)
Day #5 Slots $400 in; $700 out in 2 hours = 376 points AND PRIME! At this point I was down a total of $500 when I made Prime. I then played a little more Roulette ($6-$10/spin) in $150, out $0 = 42 pts; bringing my net loss to $650 for the 5 nights.
The day prior to making Prime (because I knew I'd get there) I focused my thoughts on the instant certificate voucher. At 2,000 points an interior room is offered on limited sailings. But at 3,000 there were more sailings and the offer of oceanview and even some balconies. With just 2 nights left to play, I wasn't sure if chasing 3,000 points would be worthwhile, but I went into Day #6 open to seeing what might be possible.
Day #6 Started the night with 2,542 points. Slots $200 in; $300 out in about 3 hours = 635 pts and a total of 3,177 and an improved instant cruise offer! I did transfer my points to cash to play, in case i didn't do any gaming the final night. Financially, I was down $550 ($200 slots and $350 tables). VERY HAPPY!
Making it to this point, I stopped keeping meticulous notes. I did play slots on the final 7th night, $300 in, $200 out for a final of $650 total lost on the trip. Because I had cashed out my points for play on Day #6, I don't even know what my final play count in points was for the trip. I can get that from Casino Royale when I call them to book my Next Cruise/Instant Certificate. NOTE: I now know it was 3.596 which is frankly HUGE for just "investing" a loss of $650 over the course of 7 nights. Had I known how close I was to that next 4,000 level instant certificate, I would have probably played on during my 7th night. If reached, that would have given me a balcony room rather than "just" an oceanview for the 13 night Transatlantic cruise I've booked with my 3,000 certificate . . . and $500 in free play (rather than $250) and $200 in onboard credit (rather than $100). But hey . . . I am VERY HAPPY with my results!
I sincerely hope this is helpful for others who are interested in trying to chase Prime for the first time and/or the instant certificate for a free cruise.
###
FINAL COUNT . . . $650 spent, PRIME achieved PLUS a nice cruise offer which I'm looking forward to maximizing my Crown & Anchor account by doing a 13 night transatlantic solo for double points. I still have a way to go to get to Diamond . . . but I do have a plan to get there by the end of 2025.
P.S. Diamond is the Cruise & Anchor rewards program for nights on R/C. There are some very nice benefits to get to the 80 points/nights and that is my next goal, especially since cruising solo earns double points in the program, making achieving the next level more attainable, when using the casino comps for cabins for 2 passengers and no single supplement if you are traveling alone.
I will also note it is clear in my story that Royal Caribbean has achived their marketing goal of creating a guest who is HOOKED on their brand and willing to spend money cruising and gambling. Well done!
As long as I am smart in my approach to gambling and the value received is in line with the money spent/lost, I am happy to proceed as a cruise addict.
