b_resh_uh

Sailing tomorrow with the family. Will anyone else be on board? 

+1 for St. Augustine. Such a cool town with tons to do in the area. Depending on the time year, awesome beaches to enjoy, great history and lots of amazing food. 

Hey All, 
I know it's been said here a million times before, but just another reminder to continue to check cruise planner up to your cruise for fresh discounts. I've cancelled and rebooked plans twice now for deeper discounts as our cruise on Allure gets closer next week. Every penny counts!

Hey All, 
I know it's been said here a million times before, but just another reminder to continue to check cruise planner up to your cruise for fresh discounts. I've cancelled and rebooked plans twice now for deeper discounts as our cruise on Allure gets closer next week. Every penny counts!

I mean, I'm not educated enough to know if you're right or wrong. All I know was every member of our party (five rooms) brought a simple "cruise approved" surge protector which had two USB outlets and three additional plugs and not one of us had any issues.
Now clothes steamers...that's a different story!

Slot machines are all set via PAR tables / PAR sheets which determines the payout outcome of each spin when the random number generator is stopped by the player hitting the button.  The PAR table has a list of every possible payout outcome the game can have based on the random number selected.  It is common for a 5 real machine to only use the last 5 to 10 digits of the random number to determine this, so the math of the number of payout outcomes is 10^5 which is 100,000 payout outcomes, up to 10^10 which is 10,000,000,000 payout outcomes.  The payouts are adjusted by how much the casino presets the expected return to player, usually somewhere between 95-99%.  On machines that offer multi-denominations (1cent, 2cent, 5cent, 10cent, etc.), the PAR tables and return to player are set differently for each denomination.  General rule of thumb is that the higher the denomination, the better the return to player is. (Fun tip, instead of betting more per spin, change the denomination to get a better PAR table).  Once the payout outcome is determined, the slot machine then determines a spin for the wheels that matches the selected PAR table payout. (It is funny, because most people think the outcome of the wheels determines the payout, but the reality is that the payout outcome determines what will be displayed on the wheels).
Let's assume you are playing in a casino that has set the return to player at 97%.  This means that after 300 million spins, the slot machine is expected to return 97% of what is bet on the machine.   On machines that offer larger jackpots, the payout outcomes in the PAR table will have a LOWER win/loss ratio -- meaning a large probability of a loss for any given spin, but if/when you do win, it will more than likely be a bigger win.  You will typically see big swings in your bankroll playing these types of machines and will require a huge bankroll to support a losing streak.  This type of slot machine is extremely volatile!
On machines that don't offer big jackpots or where the top normal payout is not too big, the payout outcomes in the PAR table will have a HIGHER win/loss ratio -- meaning there will be more smaller wins or break evens in the PAR table (which lowers the probability of a loss on any given spin) as compared to the machine described above.  This decreases volatility and you should experience lower swings in your bankroll over time.  These types of machines are what allow you to recycle money and get more points.
Another type of machine to avoid are branded machines.  These typically have licensed themes like Wheel of Fortune or Big Bang Theory and royalties are paid to the trademark / creative property holder to use these themes.  These royalties are paid as a percentage of the money the casino makes off the machine, so the return to player on these machines is set lower around 93-95%.  To make things worse, the Wheel of Fortune machine is a progressive jackpot machine, meaning the PAR table has a high percentage of losses in it.
I tend to play Aristocrat games like Buffalo and Miss Kitty as they tend to have a lot more small payouts hit and I can sit there for hours playing without seeing huge swings in my bankroll.  I really like Buffalo Gold Collection and spend a lot of time on it playing 2cent or 5cent denominations.  I will play it on the Wonder 4 tower if I can't find a standalone game available, although it does have a fixed PAR table at 1cent and can't be adjusted.
At the end of the day, don't take this as a way to beat the slots as that is statistically almost impossible. It is more of a "how do I last longer and get more casino player points" response.  You can obviously run into a lot of losing spins that will cut your day and point tally short, but that is part of your choice when you decide to gamble.

If you currently have an annual tier comp on the books, you only have 7 days left to use it. It will expire on 3-31-23.

Too book and sail, lol. 

A prime voucher is only valid for an interior cabin on ships over 1 year of age and not on holiday sailings.
If you do not want the interior cabin you have an option for $500 credit towards a sailing.
I do believe you should be able to ask about upgrading your interior cabin to a Junior Suite.  to get an idea of what that will cost you I recommend you do a mock booking for the cruise you are interested in and see what the interior costs and then see what the JS costs, that would be ablout the cost of your upgrade, subject to change based on promotions at time of booking, as well as prices that will likely increase as time goes on.

The annual tier voucher will show in your inbox in Casino Royale at some point in April.  Call the rep to do your booking.  You should have an idea of what you want and the approximate cost, just so you won't be shocked.  Have a back up or two available in case you decide you will not pay "the jump" from an interior to  a JS.   As others stated, if your Prime free annual cruise certifcate was awareded in April of 2022 you would need to book and sail prior to April 1st of this year.  If you earned Prime this casino year (April 1 2022 through March 31, 2023) you will receive your annual voucher in your Casino Royal account at some point in April.

If you are referring to a free cruise voucher you earned while onboard, call the casino royale office to book, it is so much better than doing an email.
If you are referring to a free cruise offer in your  Casino Royale account I would call for those as well.
Ive seen too many post that they did the submission via online and havne't heard back or didn't get what they wanted location wise and ended up having to call anyway.

Casino Royal Prime # 1-866-213-3116  M=F 8am to 10pm and Sat/Sun 9-5:30
Clubroyaleoffers.com to check your offers
 

Heading out tonight to avoid a long drive with young kids in the morning. Looking forward to kicking back and enjoying some great family time!

Much discussion here on the drink package, but seriously do the math on whether it makes sense for you. I got what I thought was a smoking deal on the package and still wound up having to drink like a fish to feel like I was getting my money's worth. Actually was more stressful that way. 

After a long hiatus, our extended family will be sailing again. Never been on Odyssey and never been to Aruba or Curacao - looking forward to both. The ship looks fantastic. Any recommendations for excursions on either island? 

We've been doing exactly this for a long time down here. Won't spend money in a place that requires a mask, there were and are to many places that don't. 

Universal Studios Orlando will be dropping the requirement for masks outdoors starting tomorrow. 

I needed to share my joy with someone so here seems like the place.  We leave Sunday on the Allure just hubby and I to celebrate 25 years of marriage then on the 27th we board the Empress with our three children for a family cruise.  I'm so freaking excited even though we just cruised in December.  I cannot wait to be without the kids for a vacation and I'm also excited for Cuba. 
 

The cheapest we've seen the DBP was $45 when they had a 30% off sale last month.
We had originally purchased it at the BOGO 50% price of $49 (which is effectively only 25% off), but when it dropped to $46 (30% off) a couple of months ago, I cancelled/repurchased.
... then it dropped to $45 (another 30% off sale). Thanks again @b_resh_uh! I guess due to rounding, sometimes the 30% off sale comes in at $45 and at other times $46. I cancelled/repurchased again for that whopping extra $1 off! It all adds up! 

Not to offend anyone, BUT ...Containers? Ziplock bags? Come on people! You are on vacation and not on the "Trailer Park Trash of the Seas"!! Use the plates. That's what they are there for.

Welcome to the message boards.
All cruise contracts on all cruise lines have provisions that permit itinerary changes.  Regardless who you cruise with, this is always a possibility.  
Keep that in mind when you book your next cruise on another cruise line.  

Thank you! I didn't check today... just cancelled and re-purchased online... so did the couple we're traveling with... I'm not ashamed of taking another $16.52 off my bill! ?
Cross your fingers it drops a little more! 

@JohnK6404 and @Hoski the deluxe drink package has dropped to $45/day. Even though the agent thought I was nuts, I just called and cancelled mine and rebooked to save $1/day! Just figured I'd send over an FYI since I can't figure out how to PM on here. 

I've got it booked just for me and not my wife, so unfortunately I've got to call and change it manually. Wish they didn't have that "every person in the room" rule. 

Realized I wasn't properly logged in when I was trying to PM. My bad. I've got it figured out now. 

@JohnK6404 and @Hoski the deluxe drink package has dropped to $45/day. Even though the agent thought I was nuts, I just called and cancelled mine and rebooked to save $1/day! Just figured I'd send over an FYI since I can't figure out how to PM on here. 

Was on cruise planner checking beverage package pricing and decided to review our shore excursions as well. Turns out one of our excursions has gone down $50/person! Was able to call and rebook at the lower price like usual. Looked like a lot of the excursions for our May Allure sailing have gone a bit. 
 
Make sure you check all your prices and hunt the best deals, even after you book!

Was on cruise planner checking beverage package pricing and decided to review our shore excursions as well. Turns out one of our excursions has gone down $50/person! Was able to call and rebook at the lower price like usual. Looked like a lot of the excursions for our May Allure sailing have gone a bit. 
 
Make sure you check all your prices and hunt the best deals, even after you book!