Cruise ship on line casino playing is an enormous deal to some cruisers. You know the way you typically hear folks on a cruise ship planning their day across the leisure, excursions and mealtimes? Last evening, I eavesdropped on a dialog the place a gaggle of six folks was planning their whole subsequent day round time within the ship’s on line casino.
For different cruisers, the on line casino is extra of an onboard curiosity than anything. What are all these desk video games? Do folks really win cash — or free cruises — enjoying in cruise ship casinos?
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If you’re curious, I’ve compiled solutions to the most typical questions folks ask about cruise ship casinos. Some of the solutions might shock you.
Do all cruise ships have casinos?
Most massive, mainstream cruise ships have casinos, together with the ships of Carnival Cruise Line, Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises, Holland America, Norwegian Cruise Line (aside from Pride of America), Celebrity Cruises, Princess Cruises and Virgin Voyages.
Specialty cruise traces like Disney Cruise Line, Paul Gauguin and most expedition cruise ships shouldn’t have casinos. Premium cruise traces Oceania Cruises and Cunard have casinos, whereas Viking, Azamara and Windstar Cruises don’t. (Windstar and Azamara really eliminated casinos from their ships and repurposed the house.)
Among the posh cruise traces, Silversea and Seabourn have casinos on their non-expedition ships; Regent Seven Seas has casinos on all its ships. Smaller luxurious ships like these belonging to Ponant, Ritz-Carlton, Scenic and Emerald shouldn’t have casinos. River cruise traces shouldn’t have casinos on board, even on U.S. rivers the place “riverboat” playing is reserved for on line casino boats, not river cruise ships.
Related: A rookies information to choosing a cruise line
Are cruise casinos open in port?
With a number of exceptions, cruise casinos should not open whereas ships are in port. They are usually restricted to working whereas the ship is in worldwide waters. This is why Norwegian’s Pride of America doesn’t have a on line casino. Since the ship cruises solely in Hawaii, it by no means leaves U.S. waters.
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Cruisers are additionally typically shocked to be taught that the on line casino is closed on some nights throughout Alaska cruises. Cruises that sail from Victoria, British Columbia, to Seattle on the ultimate evening are a great instance. The ship goes straight from Canadian waters to U.S. waters with out ever reaching worldwide open waters, so the on line casino closes the evening earlier than arrival in Victoria and doesn’t reopen through the cruise.
Ports that at the moment enable the cruise traces to function their casinos whereas the ship is in port embody Bermuda and Malta, which require cruise traces to use for a gaming license. Bermuda has allowed on line casino operations for licensed ships between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. since 2013. It’s a great state of affairs as Bermuda has no land-based casinos, and lots of cruise ships in a single day in port on Bermuda cruises. Malta, which does have land-based casinos, permits ships which have been authorised for licenses to open their casinos between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m.
Which on line casino video games are on cruise ships?
Gaming in cruise ship casinos often contains a mixture of slot machines and desk video games, equivalent to three-card poker, Caribbean stud poker, craps, blackjack and roulette. Regionally common desk video games like Texas Hold ’em and pai gow may additionally be obtainable on some sailings.
Can you win cash in a cruise ship on line casino?
Most cruise ship on line casino video games function underneath the identical guidelines and payout percentages you’d discover in a land-based on line casino; subsequently, the reply is sure, you possibly can win cash in a cruise ship on line casino.
Social media posts and on line casino bulletins would point out that no less than a small handful of individuals win four- and even often five-figure slot machine payouts regularly. But simply as in a land-based on line casino, it is simpler to lose your stake than it’s to win that type of cash.
How many on line casino factors do you want to get a free cruise?
As at land-based casinos, every cruise line providing playing on board units its personal standards for incomes perks by means of the road’s on line casino loyalty program or gamers membership. Points are usually tied to the time performed and the sum of money you gamble, together with the cash you win and recirculate.
Much like an airline loyalty program, on line casino factors often accumulate over a yr, incomes you higher perks as you’re employed towards more and more greater standing ranges. Annual free or discounted cruises are a kind of perks, typically starting with complimentary (aka comped) inside cabins at comparatively low standing ranges.
Many casinos additionally allow you to match on line casino standing from land-based casinos (and even different cruise traces), providing you with a leg up. For instance, I haven’t cruised with Carnival shortly, and I’ve by no means performed within the line’s onboard casinos, however I signed up for the Carnival gamers membership through its Fun Match program. When I registered, I uploaded a suggestion from a competing cruise line and a gamers membership card from MGM. Now after I log in to Carnival’s web site, I’m proven on line casino affords that embody free and discounted cruises.
Related: How to earn free cruises and perks with on line casino loyalty applications on land and at sea
Some cruise traces additionally problem immediate awards for the variety of factors earned (i.e., cash spent) on a person cruise, no matter standing. That could be like an airline awarding free future flights to passengers who spent essentially the most cash on their flights, regardless of their loyalty standing.
Most mainstream cruise traces use comped cruises to fill cabins on dates they anticipate having a surplus of vacancies. These additional affords typically seem random, however are usually focused for advertising and marketing functions relatively than as rewards for prime quantities of play. New gamers might obtain these comps after low ranges of play as a result of cruise traces are at all times keen on attracting new on line casino gamers.
All of that provides as much as the potential for receiving a free cruise for a small variety of factors earned for cruising, in addition to assured free cruises as your factors rise to the degrees of play set out within the cruise traces’ on line casino loyalty applications.
What is one of the best on line casino sport to play on a cruise ship?
The greatest on line casino sport to play on a cruise ship is the one that’s most entertaining for you. Ultimately, you play to have enjoyable, proper?
The video games that require a mix of talent and luck are those the place the chances of successful are in your favor. For instance, the general odds on blackjack favor the on line casino by just one%, whereas the on line casino has a 25% edge total on the subject of slot machines.
Those odds imply the cruise traces working casinos will favor slot machine gamers over card gamers, each by way of the variety of video games supplied and the loyalty perks awarded.
In abstract, for successful cash, one of the best video games are talent video games. For incomes loyalty perks like free cruises, slot machines are the only option.
Are drinks free within the on line casino on cruise ships?
Historically, drinks haven’t been free to cruise ship on line casino gamblers the way in which they often are in land-based casinos. There are exceptions, nonetheless.
Free drinks within the on line casino are a perk of on line casino loyalty on Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Princess, Holland America and Norwegian Cruise Line. Reach the required stage, and you will earn free drinks from the on line casino bar, often for a full standing yr. Carnival, Princess and Virgin Voyages additionally typically throw in free drinks (both within the on line casino or all through the ship) for particular person comped cruises. Everyone actively playing within the on line casino will get free effectively drinks on Celebrity cruises.
In addition, drinks are free within the casinos of luxurious cruise traces like Silversea, Seabourn and Regent Seven Seas as a result of all onboard drinks are included within the cruise fare. On the big-ship traces, anybody who purchases a drinks bundle or cruises on a fare that features drinks may even be ingesting “free” within the on line casino.
Are cruise ship casinos regulated?
Cruise ship casinos are regulated in two methods. They usually adhere to the legal guidelines of the ship’s nation of registry. But as a result of playing usually solely takes place whereas the ship is in worldwide waters, cruise traces that sail from U.S. ports additionally adhere to the foundations set out by the Cruise Lines International Association. Those guidelines state that each one gear bought and put in on the vessels of member cruise traces will meet the regulatory requirements of the Nevada Gaming Control Board or different licensed jurisdiction for payback and inside software program.
Additionally, home guidelines should be made obtainable in each on line casino. Each member cruise line is to publish at each gaming desk minimal and most betting limits for every sport, and solely adults are allowed to play the slots or the tables.
What’s the age minimal to gamble in a cruise ship on line casino?
The minimal age for playing in a cruise ship on line casino is eighteen most often, however there are exceptions. MSC Cruises has a minimal playing age of 21 on any cruise with a U.S. port; in any other case, the age is eighteen. Some cruise traces, together with Royal Caribbean and Celebrity, increase the minimal age to 21 on Alaska sailings.
Related: The 6 greatest cruise traces for younger adults
Do ships run on line casino tournaments?
Cruise ship casinos on mainstream cruise traces typically host tournaments on board that includes numerous on line casino video games. The listing contains slot tournaments, in addition to card sport tournaments for blackjack and Texas Hold ’em.
Some tournaments are invitational, provided to on line casino loyalty members of a sure stage solely. These are sometimes held on cruises hosted particularly for gamers who’ve reached that stage. For occasion, Royal Caribbean holds Signature cruises designed to pamper and entertain these top-level gamers.
Can you smoke within the on line casino?
Casinos are sometimes seen because the final bastion of cruise ship smoking freedom (past small, designated areas on deck). But the variety of ships that provide nonsmoking casinos is steadily rising.
Celebrity Cruises doesn’t enable smoking in its ships’ casinos, and the comparatively small casinos on luxurious ships are usually nonsmoking, as effectively.
Several traces have hybrid choices. For instance, some Carnival ships have separate smoking and nonsmoking casinos. Norwegian has separate smoking rooms on some ships; nonetheless, cigarette smoking and e-cigarette use are allowed in casinos on ships that don’t have separate smoking rooms. Princess doesn’t enable smoking besides at designated slot machines, and Holland America additionally has designated smoking areas within the on line casino.
Related: Is smoking allowed on cruise ships? A line-by-line information
Do cruise ship casinos take money?
Cruise ship casinos settle for money at each slot machines and desk video games. As an instance, you possibly can sit down at a slot machine and feed in a $20 invoice, which is then transformed into “credit” on the machine’s display screen. The worth of the credit score is determined by the denomination of the machine. Alternatively, you would possibly stroll as much as a roulette desk and lay down $20 and trade that for chips.
The trade of money at machines and tables is a one-way deal, even once you win. Slot machines and sellers in cruise ship casinos don’t dispense money. When you end enjoying, chances are you’ll be issued a paper credit score slip to take to the cashier’s cage for money, or you might have your winnings loaded straight onto your onboard account on some cruise traces. At the tables, you’ll take chips to the cashier to trade again into money.
If you don’t journey with money, you could find ATMs within the on line casino or at visitor companies. Alternatives to money in cruise ship casinos are paper credit score slips, which might be performed as money at both machines or tables, onboard credit score or on line casino free play loaded in your stateroom account, or traces of credit score organized with the on line casino.
You also can cost playing cash on to your onboard account such as you would cost a drink at a bar or anything on board. Fees for playing prices range amongst cruise traces, however in most cases, desk video games cost a service payment, and slot machines don’t.
For instance, my husband not too long ago requested cash from his onboard account at a blackjack desk and was charged a 5% surcharge. The ship we have been on was not set as much as cost onboard accounts straight from the slot machines (typically they’re), so I needed to go to the cashier for a credit score slip to play. I used to be not charged a surcharge, though if I had requested for money, I might have been. Both of our prices have been added to our last onboard invoice.
Because there isn’t any payment added to cash for slot play, onboard casinos will often put guidelines in place about how rapidly you possibly can money out of the machine. The guidelines are designed to maintain cruisers from utilizing slot machines as ATMs to get both money for the desk video games or to money out onboard credit score they’ve been given from the cruise line or their journey agent.
Bottom line
If you wish to gamble, cruise ship casinos present a enjoyable solution to spend a sea day or night on the ship. You can take classes to be taught the video games you don’t know easy methods to play and even take part in tournaments.
Besides the enjoyable of enjoying on board, many cruise traces have gamers golf equipment that provide onboard perks and even free cruises. And because the odds of successful are about the identical as in a U.S. land-based on line casino, with comparable laws in place, cruise ship casinos are a protected wager for enjoyable and leisure — although we at all times encourage you to play responsibly.
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