CableKC Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 For those that have spent some time in the Casino Royale on the Navigator of the Seas: 1 ) Is there a Poker Table that is setup for guests to play Texas Hold'em? 2 ) About 6 or 7 years ago, when I was on the Carnival Inspiration, I remember that the table minimums started out at $5....then increased to $10 the next night...then $15 on the last night. Do you know what the minimum Table Limits on the Table games are? Does it change and increase as the cruise progresses from night to night? One of the reasons why I am looking at a cruise vacation is cuz of the option to slip away to the Casino at night time after the kids are off to bed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 I spent time in the casino on Nav, I saw Texas Hold'em but I never paid any attention to the limits. I believe the limits will change and increase/decrease depending on the players. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FLTraveler Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 I haven't been on the Nav, but Independence and Mariner both have $6 minimum blackjack tables. Oasis I believe the minimum is $10. The minimums don't change night to night, but may change based on demand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 Table limits seem to change based on demand. Lower limits in slow periods, higher limits in busy times. Odds are not favorable for some games like blackjack, 6 to 5 payout is becoming more common and 3 to 2 payouts are only at high limit tables. Getting points for status and comps in the casino is also tough for table game players, if your looking for these, slots comp a lot better. I have not seen poker tables open for normal play like I used to, but they still have poker tournaments. Poker tables are usually just considered a player convenience because they typically don’t generate money for the casino. Other table games, like craps, have the same basic rules as land casinos, but laying odds will be limited. Not sure if this answers your question completely, but hopefully it helps a little. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Va4fam Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 Related Casino question....is the casino on Navigator smoky or is it pretty well ventilated? Which are the better slot machines to use for getting comped? We've tried 1 cent, 25 cent, and 1 dollar slots but lost money quickly and ended up with no status. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 33 minutes ago, Va4fam said: Related Casino question....is the casino on Navigator smoky or is it pretty well ventilated? Which are the better slot machines to use for getting comped? We've tried 1 cent, 25 cent, and 1 dollar slots but lost money quickly and ended up with no status. I found it very smoky. I saw plenty of people not respecting the nonsmoking areas and smoking wherever they please. IMHO the best way is to find a machine where the max bet is between $1.20-2, which will usually be a 1 or 2 cent machine. You have decent odds to hit a jackpot and won't blow through your bank as fast. Also, the multi-denomination machines are a good option as well because you can usually play 50 cent hands that can win you hundreds. FireFishII and Va4fam 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 50 minutes ago, Va4fam said: Related Casino question....is the casino on Navigator smoky or is it pretty well ventilated? Which are the better slot machines to use for getting comped? We've tried 1 cent, 25 cent, and 1 dollar slots but lost money quickly and ended up with no status. I am probably not the best to judge the smokiness question for you, sorry. As for slots, your goal is to get as many spins in as possible without losing your money too quickly. You will lose over the long run, but hopefully comps will make up for it. Make sure you are using your player card and you will get points at a rate of 1 point per $5 played. Video poker is not considered a slot game, and you only get 1 point per $10 played. Also, introduce yourself to the casino host. They are usually friendly and can tell you how many points you will need to get a free cruise. They often run special and I have seen 800 points get you a free comped cruise. I usually take about $500 to $600 for slots per trip, and usually get about 1200 points per trip - usually resulting in a free cruise by booking with nextcruise onboard. I also get a free cruise offer by email every couple of months or so too. I usually stay away from what I call "Branded" slots (anything associated with a movie, tv show, games like monopoly or wheel of fortune) because the casino has to pay royalties to the brand owners, and they usually set the RTP (return to player) to about 80 to 85% since they have to share the profits. Progressive slots (with growing jackpots) are also pretty poor on the RTP and I usually avoid them. Probably some of my favorites to play the older Aristocrat games like the original Buffalo and the Buffalo Gold Collection. They have a lower volatility, which means they don't eat your money too quickly, and they are entertaining during the free spins. Buffalo became extremely popular and they keep making newer versions. Stay away from the newer Buffalo and similar games though, because they have worse RTP and more volatility - the developer was targeting casinos that were wanting to cash in on the popularity of the original buffalo games, but with worse odds for the players. You won't find much too much variance in RTP on the ship's casino between denominations, they set them all pretty low because they have a captive audience and no competing casinos you can go to. I have never worried about penny vs. dollar slots, I just pick what is fun to me within the guardrails of the previous paragraph. My average bet is usually about $2-$5 per spin, which racks up points quickly. My general rational is this -- if I am already inclined to book a cruise and that cruise will cost me $1200 or so, why not use that money to try and win a cruise. I have not won anything big in the casino payout wise, but I defiantly have saved several thousand dollars using their comp cruises, and I don't have to buy the UDP because I get comped drinks in the casino. I will also add, the only real downside to comp cruises are they are not available during peek busy times and can sometimes be in the near future. I live near Galveston and am happy to jump on board las minute because I don't have added expenses like air travel to worry about. Va4fam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus527 Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 1 hour ago, Va4fam said: Related Casino question....is the casino on Navigator smoky or is it pretty well ventilated? I have to breathe as little as possible while going through the casino. In the evenings, the smoke cloud is pretty gross. Take that with a grain of salt, I also have a very low tolerance for smoky atmospheres... Va4fam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WAYNO Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 Got off Navigator, November 18th. This casino was quite smoky. And this likely was because there were many more smokers, even as usual. Didn't matter where I sat, smokers seemed to follow me sitting on both sides of me. I was unable to escape. Yes, there was a small non-smoking area, which was also quite smoky. And the non-smoking area had ash trays. There was little enforcement of the non-smoking areas. Also, we accrued a lot of points on this last cruise and we received two very substantial cruise certificates. I filled out the Next Cruise forms to allow me to book when I left the ship. When I booked, they would not allow either certificate and downgraded the offers, also substantially. Their first excuse, was we didn't get enough points for the offers. That's absolutely untrue, and I proved it, but they still will not honor the value of the certificates. They said they'd investigate. The last I talked to them was over two weeks ago. They will not respond. Sadly, this is two cruises in a row that they pulled this. So... Get picture proof of your points to make sure they match the certificate offered. My intention here is not to bash Royal, as in spite of such problems I have a marvelous time and am otherwise well pampered. My intention is to just say, a person needs to be their own advocate and cover your own bases. WAAAYTOOO and DoomSlayer 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoomSlayer Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 22 minutes ago, WAYNO said: Got off Navigator, November 18th. This casino is quite smoky. Also, we accrued a lot of points on this last cruise and we received two very substantial cruise certificates. I filled out the Next Cruise forms to allow me to book when I left the ship. When I booked, they would not allow either certificate and downgraded the offers, also substantially. Their first excuse, was we didn't get enough points for the offers. That's absolutely untrue, and I proved it, but they still will not honor the value of the certificates. They said they'd investigate. The last I talked to them was over two weeks ago. They will not respond. Sadly, this is two cruises in a row that they pulled this. So... Get picture proof of your points to make sure they match the certificate offered. Sorry to hear that. I usually run straight to Next Cruise and book onboard as soon as I qualify, so I have never had a problem trying to do it later. Also, I have never had a problem using the comps they email me. I would be upset too if I were in your situation. WAAAYTOOO and WAYNO 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Temeculaguy Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 I was on Navigator in March this year and spent a lot of time in the casino, I did notice far fewer smokers than other RCL cruises I've been out of other ports since the restart (I've been on 4 or 5 since the restart, all different ports, Navigator being the only 3 day cruise). I think it is because Navigator it is out of LA and the 3 day trip I went on was mostly people driving to the port. California has 2nd lowest percentage of smokers, depending on the source of data you look at. Here's one source https://www.cdc.gov/statesystem/cigaretteuseadult.html But the numbers aren't close as California's rate is either 8.8% or 10% depending on source and some states are over 25%, the average is about 15% which is also the percentage for Florida and Texas. Louisiana and it's nearby states are 20+%. If half as many people within a 5 hour drive of the port smoke and fewer people fly to a short cruise, logic says you will have fewer smokers, probably half as many. 7 day cruises probably get more people flying in so this theory should diminish. I could be wrong but I am a two hour drive to the Los Angeles/Long Beach port and I'll drive to a 3 day cruise but I won't fly to a 3 day cruise. I have found all RCL ships post pandemic have fantastic ventilation so I haven't been bothered on any ship out of any port. I have an aversion/allergy to yellow curry in Indian food, normally if I can smell curry nearby I will get nauseous. Yet since the restart, even if someone at my table orders a curry dish, I don't even notice it so I'm crediting their new ventilation system. Va4fam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScooterScott22 Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 It will probably depend on your actual sailing dates, with respect to how smoky the casino will be. Even then it might be somewhat subjective. We were on Navigator over thanksgiving and it really didn’t seem too bad to me. At one point I was playing a machine in the smoking area and didn’t even realize that I was in the “smoking” section. That cruise was heavy with family and kids so likely less smokers and casino traffic in general. And the kids in the casino were not smoking. FireFishII 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cactus527 Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 2 hours ago, ScooterScott22 said: It will probably depend on your actual sailing dates, with respect to how smoky the casino will be. Even then it might be somewhat subjective. We were on Navigator over thanksgiving and it really didn’t seem too bad to me. At one point I was playing a machine in the smoking area and didn’t even realize that I was in the “smoking” section. That cruise was heavy with family and kids so likely less smokers and casino traffic in general. And the kids in the casino were not smoking. I'm glad the kids weren't smoking. Do you happen to remember how much this kid won at slots? Pattycruise, DoomSlayer and FireFishII 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ampurp85 Posted December 9, 2022 Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 @ScooterScott22I am shocked crew members let the children sit. I was on Odyssey last month and several women tried to do this with their children and staff removed them. I heard "you can only walk through" several times, when they were trying to sit or let their children pose for photos. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CableKC Posted December 9, 2022 Author Report Share Posted December 9, 2022 Thanks to all that responded. Hopefully the table minimums aren't any more thatn $15 during the peak times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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