Norwegian Cruise Line: Casinos at Sea

If you’re planning on heading to the Caribbean, a cruise liner called ‘Norwegian Cruise Line’ might not be the first one that you think to turn to to book your trip. If you were to ignore them entirely, however, you would be doing yourself a disservice. Casinos at Sea is the company’s rewards programme, giving people points based on the amount of money they spend playing the likes of slot machines and table games.

That isn’t all that different to other cruise lines, with the biggest difference being that it can be notoriously quite difficult to earn rewards with Norwegian Cruise Line, meaning that players need to think carefully about how they’re playing.

The Casinos

The first thing to note is that the only ship in the Norwegian Cruise Line armada that doesn’t have a casino is Pride of America, which is due to regional laws. All of the other ships have a casino with both table games and slot machines, though the exact layout of the casino will differ from vessel to vessel. Norwegian Cruise Line, often shortened to just NCL, sells itself as being the ‘leader in cruise gaming’, with Casinos at Sea being dedicated to offering those on board the best possible gaming experience during their voyage. The casinos have been designed with comfort at the forefront, allowing you to unwind whilst you play.

Not everyone knows what they’re doing when it comes to casino games, so those of you that are new to the experience might want to consider getting involved in the free gaming lessons that are hosted on board. The staff are friendly and more than willing to teach beginners how to play the various table games on offer, as well as remind more experienced players of the various tips and tricks involved in playing as well as you can. If this sounds like something that you’d like to take part in, you can ask the Casino Host for more information. Slot machines are also explained, which can be crucial to figuring out if they’re for you.

High Roller Room

Most of the casinos that are on Norwegian Cruise Line ships will have high roller rooms. The dedicated room tends to be in its own section, cut off from the rest of the casino and offering a slightly different look to the main casino floor. They may not necessarily be the biggest rooms, with the one on the NCL Aqua having just two table games on offer, for example, but the seats and the decor tend to be slightly plusher than you’ll find elsewhere. Obviously, the stakes are also much higher, with those looking to spend big also able to speak to the casino staff if they’d like to bet even more than the minimum and maximum stakes allow.

What You Can Play

If you’ve been to a casino before, then you will know what to expect from the Norwegian Cruise Line casinos. One thing that you might not be prepared for, given the fact that we’re talking about a cruise ship, is the sheer number of slot machines that the vessels have on them. That means that there are a wealth of different slot options open to you, with all of the most modern games available to play and numerous older ones there too. You can sometimes also find the likes of video poker and electronic roulette machines, should you be the kind of person that likes poker and roulette but not talking to other people.

When it comes to the table games on offer, you probably won’t be all that surprised to learn that the big games you’ll have seen in other casinos are present and accounted for. That means that you can throw some dice as you play craps, bet on the outcome of a spinning ball on the roulette table or sit down to play Texas Hold’em, blackjack or baccarat, as well as some three-card poker if that’s more your thing. In many ways, with the casino spanning the width of the ship on most of the NCL vessels, you will find yourself in a location that is just as impressive as any casino that you could walk into whilst you’re on land.

Playing for Your Play

Throughout the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet, you will find ATMs that are well placed to be able to give you money to place your bets with. Cash isn’t the only option available to you, however. If you would rather play cashless, then you can opt to have your betting money charged directly to your onboard account, which can be done either at the game that you’re playing or else by speaking to the cashier in the casino. All gaming is done in US dollars, but Euros can be exchanged at the cashier if that is the currency that you have with you. You can make Front Money deposits for your gaming, whilst eligible players can get credit.

Casino Events

One of the things that Norwegian Cruise Line looks to do is give guests plenty to do in the Casino at Sea. As a result, you can often find some tournaments taking place on a daily basis, which you can learn about at the casino itself. Slot tournaments are popular, largely because they’re easy to participate in and no special skill is required to take part. There are cash prizes on offer, as well as the honour of being named Slot Tournament Champion. Blackjack tournaments see the players go up against one another, with poker battles also being a common occurrence, although the tournaments are only open to those aged 21 and over.

Poker Challenge

Select ships on the Norwegian Cruise Line fleet have Poker Challenge Satellite Tournaments that take place during their voyage. If you win one of these, you can qualify for the Poker Challenge Main Event, which takes place towards the end of the year. You can also buy in if you don’t want to have to qualify, whilst the Main Event cruise includes both the Main Event and other poker tournaments throughout the journey. There is also a Poker Clinic, which is ideal if you’re not the sort of person who knows what they’re doing and would like to learn more. Given the fact that the Main Event boasts a $700,000 prize pot, it might be worth it.

Loyalty Scheme

Casinos at Sea is the loyalty programme offered by Norwegian Cruise Line, giving you a chance to earn prizes the more that you choose to bet. The first tier that you can earn the right to join is called Pearl, which you make it onto by earning 4,000 points. Sapphire requires players to get 15,000 points during the evaluation period, whilst Ruby is for those with 35,000 points. Get 100,000 points and you will earn Elite status, with each level of the programme seeing you get more and more in the way of benefits. From stateroom discounts to private transfers, there is plenty to make use of with Casinos at Sea.

The period in which you can earn points runs towards your tier level from the first of April through to the 31st of March the following year. The tier that you end up in is based on the points earned during that 12 months, with all members starting the following year on the first of April with zero points. That said, tier levels can be upgraded during the year, so you will climb the levels the more points that you earn. You will get one point for every $5 wagered on slots and one point for every $10 spent on video poker, whilst points earned on tables are based on the average bet, the game type and your session play time/hands played.

Routes

Whilst a company named Norwegian Cruise Line might make you think that they’re mostly going to be heading to Norway and the surrounding countries, the reality of the chain is significantly different. You can head on cruises in the Mexican Riviera, for example, or to Hawaii. If you are based in Europe then you might want to turn to NCL for cruises around the Mediterranean or see the old world with cruises around Northern Europe. You can head to Asia, South America or along the Panama Canal, whilst cruises of Australia and New Zealand or parts of Africa are also a possibility, as well as the Greek islands or the South Pacific.

Of course, if you’re on this page then there is a likelihood that a Caribbean cruise is going to be the one that will most tickle your fancy. In that sense, you’re unlikely to be disappointed. In fact, Norwegian Cruise Line are so confident in the product that they offer that they refer to themselves as the ‘Caribbean’s Leading Cruise Line’. Whether you want to head to the Southern Caribbean, the Western Caribbean or the Eastern Caribbean, NCL have got you covered. The best bet is to choose where you’d like to sail from, the places that you fancy seeing and then have a look to see which of the routes from NCL suit your needs.

What Else Is on Board

Norwegian Cruise Line is the fourth-largest cruise line company in the world by passengers, owning just shy of 10% of the global market. They boast 20 vessels in their fleet, meaning that there can be a sense of variety from one to the other. The largest are those that fit in the Prima Plus class, with three ships ticking that box. There are two in the Prima class and four in the Breakaway Plus class. The Breakaway class boasts two ships, whilst four vessels meet the requirements to be in the Jewel class. There are two ships in the Dawn class, which is the same as the Sun class, then there are three others in their own classes.

Dining

The casino is an obvious place to head to to spend some time, but there are many other options besides that you might want to consider when you’re looking to wile away your time on board. When it comes to dining, there are some locations that are included in the cost of your package, and others that offer something a little bit more special but that you need to pay extra for. You can also head to the likes of the on-board theatre in order to enjoy one of the shows, which are considered a must-watch by many. If you’re someone that likes to have a drink on holiday, you’ll be delighted by the bar and lounge options on the ship.

Spa

For many, a holiday is a chance to get away and relax, which is where the spa space comes into its own. There are more than 50 speciality treatments that you can book and enjoy, with the hot stone massage being a particularly popular option. You might not think that a cruise ship is the sort of place that you can head to in order to enjoy something like rock climbing or rope courses, but on a Norwegian Cruise Line vessel then that’s exactly what you can do. There are also amazing slides that will take you into the pool on some of the ships, after which you might want to head to the on-board shops to see what goods you can pick up.

Activities

If you are hoping for a specific activity, it is worth looking at the vessel you want to sail on to see whether they have what you’re looking for. Generally speaking, though, these aren’t small ships that you’re going to be heading on your cruise with. As a result, most of them will have a lot of the same features as one another, even if they may come in different shapes and sizes depending on information such as when the vessel itself was last refurbished. Regardless, the good news is that there will be options aplenty for grown-ups and kids alike, promising the ideal place to head to for a trip with friends and family.