Insider Tips
- FREE Friends & Family Sail Free View Sailings As the leader in cruise gaming, Casinos At Sea is dedicated to providing guests with only the best in class gaming experience as they travel around the globe.
- With Norwegian's Casinos at Sea program, you reach the Pearl level at 5,000 points and receive complimentary house drinks in the casino, treats delivered to your cabin, and food and beverage.
- I've booked a free cruise with Norwegian through their Casinos at Sea program. This was part of a promotion from the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi, MS. I just want to reiterate that this cruise was not comped based on play on board a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship, but was comped based on play in the Hard Rock Casino.
- Ive booked a free cruise with Norwegian through their Casinos at Sea program. This was part of a promotion from the Hard Rock Casino in Biloxi, MS. I just want to reiterate that this cruise was not comped based on play on board a Norwegian Cruise Lines ship, but was comped based on play in the Ha.
Our world-class cruise ship casino rivals the biggest and the best land-based casinos with custom limits, better odds across a variety of games, and a smoke-free environment. State-of-the-art technology meets the familiar games you love to play including over 2,015 slot games and 148 table games and much more available across our fleet.
Norwegian Cruise Lineoffers paper straws with its beverages, but they're pretty flimsy and tend to collapse after a few sips or if they sit in your glass for too long. As an alternative you may want to consider reusable straws. This package of four, right, with cleaning brush is $9.99 and available at Target or online by clicking here.
If you choose a specialty dining venue that has a dress code, e.g., Le Bistro, be aware that the dress code is not enforced the first or last night of the cruise. I learned the 'hard way' when a young couple was seated across from me at Le Bistro the final night of one of my cruises. The couple – wearing swimsuits and flip flops – constantly dangled the footwear on their toes or doffed them totally as they sat on their legs with their bare feet extending into the aisle between our tables. Not a pretty sight!
Something else to consider bringing on your cruise are clips to attach your pool/beach towels to your deck chair. While a couple of simple old-fashioned hinged clothespins will work, there are some cute alternatives sold on the ship or available online. These toucan clips are $6.99 on Amazon.
If you're traveling solo and eat at the buffet, you may want to create a small tent card to leave at your table that says something like: 'Please do not clear. Be back shortly.' More than once I've even had a whole plate of food and a full can of beer discarded by an overly enthusiastic NCL employee who was taking his job a little too seriously. Download a template by clicking here.
On most ships 37 on the television is the Movie Channel. To get a schedule you'll need to ask at Guest Services. Someone will bring the schedule to your cabin.
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If you're prone to losing things, or just want the convenience of having it close at hand at all times, consider placing your key card in a plastic insert that hangs from a lanyard around your neck. You can buy them onboard for $9.99 (or three for $24.99), but they're a lot less expensive if you buy them at a local store before you leave on your cruise.
The casino is open when the ship is at sea.When at sea, slot machines are open 24/7, while table games typically open up around10 a.m. on sea days and about an hour after the ship leaves port on port days.The size of the casino varies by ship, with the newest ships like the Epic and Breakaway having larger casinos.
Be sure to redeem your slot machine voucher(s) before the casino closes on the last day of your cruise. They're void after that.
Slot machine variety is very good, with a mix of classic reel slots, recently released reel and video slots, and video poker.Denominations range from a penny to $25, with several $1/$5/$25/$100 mixed denominations.Video poker payouts range from 92 to 97 percent based on the pay schedules and optimal play.The casino is catering to a captive audience, literally, so slot payouts can’t be the highest available.All machines are ticket-in/ticket-out.A typical ship casino has one poker table, four to six blackjack tables, one or two roulette tables, one Caribbean Stud table, and one or two craps tables.The less popular table games may be open only during peak times or upon customer request.Table game minimums are typically $5 or $10, with low maximums on roulette ($200), Caribbean stud ($100) and craps ($300).Some blackjack tables have maximums of up to $2,000.According to casino brochures, high maximums can be arranged in advance of the cruise.There is also a tucked-away blackjack pit with two or three tables for semi-private higher minimum action.
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All casinos operate in U.S. dollars regardless of the ship’s embarkation point, destinations and currency of other on-ship purchases.You can use $5 to $100 bills in the slot machines and at the tables.You can also get up to $3,000 per day in chips or cash charged to your stateroom account.If you presented a credit card for stateroom charges, this will appear on your account as a transaction charge in U.S. dollars, e.g., not a cash advance and not subject to foreign currency transaction fee; however, on ships that depart from the United States there is a three percent service charge for this convenience.Casinos At Sea Free Cruise
Warning!
Be sure to cash-out your voucher before removing your players card. If not, any remaining balance will revert to your account and you'll have to download it at the next machine you play. To do this, look for the illustration of a stack of green bills, click on that, then enter your day of birth and the last two digits of your birth year.
In addition, be sure that no one else's players card is already in a machine before you insert any cash-out voucher from a previously played machine. If you insert your voucher, then you pull that other person's card, the amount/value of that voucher will be deposited into the other person's account.
Some ships have a cigar bar.Other than that, the casino is the only place on board inside the ship where a person is allowed to smoke.While that may be fine for gamblers, it is not for people passing by or those who are attired for a dress-up meal and want to be able to wear their clothes again during the cruise.For some ships such as the Star or Jade, the casino is tucked away so this is not a big deal.For other ships, such as the Epic, one has to walk through the casino to get to dinner.
The Bliss and Joy have dedicated smoking casinos that are totally enclosed.
Normally, a player has to accrue 1,500 points to get free drinks while playing in the casino (see Players Club below).However, people traveling on a Seven Stars Voyage automatically get a card entitling them to drinks while they're playing in the casino.Free drinks include draft and bottled beer, well drinks, and basic fruity drinks such as pina coladas.Considering that an adult beverage is a minimum of $5 or more, this is a decent benefit.
Insider Tip
Even if you're on the Ultimate Beverage Plan, you cannot get complimentary bottled water or energy drinks. Consequently, use your casino drink benefits to get these for free in the casino.
On sea days, there will be a few casino promotions.
- Slot Tournaments.Typically $15 or $25 buy-in to play a round and qualify for the finals.Depending on the number of players, the top eight or 30 will qualify for the finals with a top prize of up to $500 and runner-up prizes of T-shirts or the like.Payback is often less than 50 percent overall.
- Blackjack Tournaments.Typically $25 buy-in to play 10 hands and qualify for the final table to win up to $500 with second and third prize based on the prize pool.Payback is around 65 percent.
- Texas Hold ’em Tournaments.Typically buyin with $80-$100 for rebuys and add-ons.The house takes a portion of all of the above with a payback of around 65 percent.It is similar to a Turbo tournament on land, with unused blackjack tables being repurposed for the tournament.Some tournaments offer winnings that day, while others are satellites for a larger tournament later in the year. Be sure to ask before you buy in.
Card counting strategies. The minimum age to gamble at the casino is only 18, regardless of from where the ship embarks.
NCL players club
NCL has its own players club, Casinos At Sea. (Regent Seven Seas and Oceania Cruises now share the same program.) Details can be found on the NCL Players Club page. NCL does not match status with any land-based casinos.Insider Tip
Ships with ATMs charge $5.99 per transaction, plus whatever fees your bank may impose.
When you travel for the first time, you start at NCL’s lowest Jade tier.Beyond that, points accrue much the same way they do at Caesars casinos: $5 coin-in slots or $10 video poker is one point.Points accrual for table games is based on play.If you earn 1,000 points you get $10 in free slot play, in $10 increments.When you get to 2,500 points or more, you can redeem the points for comps to defray onboard expenses, or convert them to free play.Points can be transferred from ship to ship, but you need to verify that you have the same player's club number as with the prior cruise and you may need to have the casino host request a manual transfer.
Check the Casinos At Sea page for details of the amenities you receive at various levels.
At the end of the cruise
There is a two-hour window on the last night of the cruise where you can redeem accrued points for comps or free slot play.If you have more than 10,000 points for the trip, this is worth your time.Although not documented, many players have reported receiving comps beyond the 100 points: $1 ratio listed in the Player’s Club documentation.
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Playing after getting that comp applied to your onboard account will not get additional comps; however, points accrued are valid for 18 months before expiring.
Casino At Sea Offers
- When NCL offers a promotion for purchasing a cruise, such as its Premium Beverage Package, Specialty Dining Package or onboard credit, you get that, as well as your Seven Stars benefit, when booking your Seven Stars cruise.If you book. then see a better promotion, you can rebook to obtain that promotional benefit up to 90 days before your embarkation date.
- The best room available to you is not always the most expensive category.Generally speaking, the best you can get on a Seven Stars Voyage is a balcony stateroom.
- When getting free drinks in the casino, tip the server and bartender at least a dollar!This is proper courtesy and often leads to better quality beverages next time.
- This is an international trip.If you are carrying more than $10,000, including in checks, you need to report it to U.S. Customs upon boarding the ship in the United States or upon returning to the States.
- If you plan to take more than one cruise, enroll in NCL’s Latitudes Rewards loyalty program.Benefits accrue as soon as the second cruise, including a Latitudes Rewards free cocktail hour and giveaways.
- NCL runs a 'CruiseNext' promotion where, if while onboard your cruise, you make a $250 deposit (or more in $250 increments) towards a future cruise, you get an onboard credit for your current cruise. (Purchase two $250 deposit certificates and you essentially get one for free.) That deposit is good for four years on any NCL cruise of more than four days, including a future Seven Stars Voyage or one where you use a cruise certificate provided by your casino. In that case, you can use the $250 credit for prepaying port taxes, service charges, admin fees, etc. Generally, you can use only one certificate per cruise, but NCL has been running a special for months allowing up to two certificates per voyage if you book at least six months out. (Check to see if this promotion is still available.) This is a great deal if you plan to go on another cruise.
- Cruise Critic is a fantastic source of information about every ship, the layout, shows, dining, etc.
- If you sail from New Orleans, Harrah’s is a short walk.As a Seven Stars cardholder, you can park your car in the garage for free and walk over from the garage or hotel to the port.
- No one says you have to gamble while on board.Gambling or not gambling won’t affect your Seven Stars status.NCL will not require you to pay for your stateroom if you avoid the casino.