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Guys,

Help with this program.  We are Emerald members and typically visit the casino several nights during a cruise.  I play craps and usually spend $200-300 a night.  I have never received contact from the casino department.  However, was told there is no need to register with any players club.  Is this correct?  Am I just not playing enough to get any contact?

Help me crack the code.  Thanks,

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I wish I knew the code myself !  Unfortunately, it's often a moving target.

Here's what I know:

1.  You are correct.  You no longer "join" Club Royale or are offered membership, like in the past.  Basically, anyone who puts their seapass card in a slot machine (or slide your card into a reader at a table) is "in".

2.  They no longer have Club Royale membership numbers.  Everything is tracked through your Crown & Anchor membership number so be SURE that you are a member of C&A and that they swipe your card EVERY time you sit down (or go to the craps tables, in your case).  That's how they track you and maintain stats on you.

3.  There is something that I call the "additional personal discount" that is based 100% on the casino rating you receive on your last cruise.  This is an additional casino discount that you get on top of the regular [reduced] casino rate.  The casino rate is a rate that is the same for everyone who qualifies for it.  So for those who qualify, you get the reduced casino rate, which varies depending upon the individual cruise and the type of cabin that you book. It's important to realize that the casino does NOT set the casino rate.  The casino rate is established by the revenue department. Casino rate discounts are graduated so they are the highest (percent-wise) for suites and cascade down, in percentage, to the lower room categories.  Since we generally cruise in suites, the percentage discount that we usually receive is anywhere from 42 - 50% off the FULL RETAIL cost (not the discounted rate but the full base fare).

The following is experienced-based speculation:

4.  There is no substitute for being recognized in the casino by the #1, Casino Host, #2, Casino Manager and #3 Pit bosses.  I recommend that if you want to be rewarded, you take the time to introduce yourself to the Casino Host and Manager, ask them what the best way to receive "rewards" is and tell them that you are interested in being eligible for cruise rates on future cruises and cruise certificates for additional discounts and/or free cruises.  They will, undoubtedly, tell you that.....

5.  The program is based on cruise points and program levels.  I have heard many explanations about how the points work.  I even received, on our last cruise, a published breakdown of how many points are required for specific rewards.  What I have never been able to figure out is how the points are actually earned, recognized and rewarded.  I believe it is all voodoo and you are rewarded based on recognition by the management.  Right or wrong, this is what I think.  Being in the casino a LOT and being seen by and recognized by the management is KEY.

6.  While it is not acknowledged out in the open, I do believe that the "old" Club Royale VIP members receive some kind of additional recognition in the program.  This is based solely on my gut feeling and Program management will never outwardly admit it.  There have just been too many times when, based strictly on points, we should not have received the reward(s) that we received.  I truly believe that we just get a little "kick" as long time members of the program.

7.  There is some "baseline" level that, if reached, enables the "free drinks in the casino" benefit and the casino cruise rate eligibility.  I cannot tell you, with any certainty, what that level is.  A number of months ago, frustrated b/c I couldn't "break the code", I called Club Royale and asked them what it took to retain all of the benefits that we currently enjoy (free drinks, casino rates and waiver of the 5% convenience fee).  The rep just said, "whatever you're doing, just keep doing it".  Good grief !  No help at all.  So, I just keep doing what I've been doing and so far, it's worked.  These are the benefits that mean the most to us so as long as we continue to get them, we will continue to cruise with Royal.  If they were to stop or be reduced, we would start considering other options.

The best bit of advice I can offer is make friends with the host and manager and be in the casino a LOT.  Even if you are not making large wagers, the length of time you are in the casino is paramount.

Good luck !!

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Talk about a subject matter expert, that's a really interesting post, WaaayTooo. I don't gamble and rarely venture into the casino. I do, however, spend a great deal of time at/near a bar from the time of embarkation to the time of debarkation. I wonder, does Royal have a "special" club for cruisers like me with similar discounts/perks? And I'm not talking about the one where you have to go to meetings either. :27_sunglasses:

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  • 3 weeks later...
On 6/29/2017 at 2:17 PM, rjac said:

Talk about a subject matter expert, that's a really interesting post, WaaayTooo. I don't gamble and rarely venture into the casino. I do, however, spend a great deal of time at/near a bar from the time of embarkation to the time of debarkation. I wonder, does Royal have a "special" club for cruisers like me with similar discounts/perks? And I'm not talking about the one where you have to go to meetings either. :27_sunglasses:

It's called Crown Royal. ;)

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On 6/29/2017 at 4:28 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

7.  There is some "baseline" level that, if reached, enables the "free drinks in the casino" benefit and the casino cruise rate eligibility.  I cannot tell you, with any certainty, what that level is.  

In March, I was told the magic formula for this and I'll share it here in case it's accurate. It seems reasonable.

Once qualified, you get perks like free drinks in the casino and waiving of the 5% cash-from-SeaPass fee.

In order to establish your qualifying credentials, you must earn 1,500 points during a cruise. Fortunately, for slot play this is easy to determine as it's $5/point for slots and $10/point for video poker. Table games are a mystery.

Here's where it gets a little weird. If you qualified on your previous cruise, you are prequalified on your next cruise and get the benefits from day 1. To continue the chain of qualification, you must then earn 1,000 points on that cruise. If you fail to earn 1,000 points on that cruise, you are no longer qualified, and you must then earn 1,500 points on the next cruise after that one to requalify from scratch.

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Marc,

I was told the same exact thing on my Explorer cruise at the end of May. I took an Indy cruise in March and was quarantined for three of the five days of the cruise, so, of course, I couldn't gamble. I still got a small casino certificate but the casino manager told me I would not be prequalified for my next cruise, I would have to start all over again and get 1,500 points. So what you are saying might just be correct because I was told the same exact thing.

The casino manager felt terrible because I wasn't allowed out of my room and couldn't make my points but there was nothing he could do.

Candie

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Wow. I'm gonna throw some wood into the fire with this one: What if: I have 3 cruises already booked out through May 2018 and all 3 I received a hefty CR discount for each. If I decide to maybe not gamble at all (highly unlikely) on cruise # 1 or # 2 can they claw back my CR rate for # 3?????? Shall I test the waters? This program is a craps shoot anyway.

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Tony, I would not worry about the fares on any of the cruises that you have booked.  They are "safe".  The only thing that could gum that up would be if you tried to upgrade or change the reservations.  If they remain as they are, you are good.

What COULD happen though is, if you decide not to gamble, [according to  other blog posts] you might lose your status, meaning that you might not be able to get free drinks and waive the 5% convenience fee on cash advances.  ...and it might affect your ability to get a casino rate discount on any future cruises that you book.  BUT there is a chance [according to other blog posts] that we are losing those big discounts and ability to combine certificates, etc anyway.  So, as with all, things Club Royale, I just don't know !

I wouldn't worry about anything that you already have booked though.  I have the same (cruises already booked) and I will not be able to make any changes to them either not only b/c of the craziness with CR but also b/c of the non-refundable deposit bullsh*t.  The RCI glitter is definitely flaking off....

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Interesting...and surprising they don't have a more clear program and system. To spend over $7000 to get 1500 points which would get me some "free" drinks on my next cruise in the casino seems a little crazy?!

 

I was on a cruise and a cpl I was hanging out with, she spent a fair amount of time in the casino. She did not put much in at all, but kept winning enough to play. She hardly drank while there. She won one night like $1000......and later that evening management came and talked to her and offered her membership into this elusive club...

 

I have spent wayyyyy more time and money in the casino then she ever did(she wasn't even a gambler, but liked the "cute" machine she was on during the cruise) so it seems to be quite random.

 

That being said, I know I am not a big spender/gambler like many who cruise so I don't expect much in return, but surprising when you hear or know forst hand of ppl that spent way less time and money than others but somehow magically get into the circle.

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4 minutes ago, monctonguy said:

Interesting...and surprising they don't have a more clear program and system. To spend over $7000 to get 1500 points which would get me some "free" drinks on my next cruise in the casino seems a little crazy?!

 

I was on a cruise and a cpl I was hanging out with, she spent a fair amount of time in the casino. She did not put much in at all, but kept winning enough to play. She hardly drank while there. She won one night like $1000......and later that evening management came and talked to her and offered her membership into this elusive club...

 

I have spent wayyyyy more time and money in the casino then she ever did(she wasn't even a gambler, but liked the "cute" machine she was on during the cruise) so it seems to be quite random.

 

That being said, I know I am not a big spender/gambler like many who cruise so I don't expect much in return, but surprising when you hear or know forst hand of ppl that spent way less time and money than others but somehow magically get into the circle.

It's not what it seems. $7000 (if that is actually the figure) is not a true $7000. It's the running total of what is cycled through. That includes all the ups and downs while playing the machine. 

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WAAAYTOOO, explained it to me this way, gamble what you gamble, but make yourself visible to the Casino host, introduce yourself, make a point to talk with them every night, then towards the end of the cruise ask the host how you are doing and if you have anything available. I was on Liberty in June and did all of this, we didn't gamble much but may have cycled through $2000-3000 during the week, so not much, but when we visited with the host towards the end of the cruise we had a cruise discount certificate waiting for us, not a lot of money but at least it was something...

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Montocguy, have you ever called Club Royale to see if you are a member and if you are eligible for any discounts ?  They will NOT tell you (your friend's experience is very unique)...you have to find out for yourself.  I'll never forget the time that I finally called, after MUCH haranguing from my husband, to discover, completely unsuspecting, that we were eligible for a casino discount.  I guess we would never have known if I hadn't finally called !!  That was way back in "the day" of course, and these days it's completely different but you may WELL be a member and not even know it.

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2 hours ago, Orange Crush said:

Casino points have always been an utter mystery to me.  What's it really tracking?  What I put in, lose, win?  Or is it just adding up every bet I make?  How do they track that at table games?

There's the real question !  I have been told many different things.  I have been told that it's tracking your win/loss (most likely, not true.  Land based casinos don't care whether you're winning or losing.  All they care about is how much you're playing), I have been told that it's tracking what you pass through (which is most likely the real truth) and I have been told that it is tracking your betting pattern (this would be almost impossible to track, IMO...on the tables, anyway).  While they may be able to observe your betting pattern they couldn't really track it with the system they have in place.  ....although I have ALSO heard that some of the tables (primarily on the big ships) actually have sensors in the betting "circle" that weighs your chips and knows how much you are betting.  Hard to believe that the chips have different weights...and what if you're betting a combination of different denominations.  That whole thing seems a little spurious to me but who knows ?  The actual truth, I do believe, is that they track the amount of time you are in the casino and that's the most important thing...JMO.

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On 7/24/2017 at 0:22 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

There's the real question !  I have been told many different things.  I have been told that it's tracking your win/loss (most likely, not true.  Land based casinos don't care whether you're winning or losing.  All they care about is how much you're playing), I have been told that it's tracking what you pass through (which is most likely the real truth) and I have been told that it is tracking your betting pattern (this would be almost impossible to track, IMO...on the tables, anyway).  While they may be able to observe your betting pattern they couldn't really track it with the system they have in place.  ....although I have ALSO heard that some of the tables (primarily on the big ships) actually have sensors in the betting "circle" that weighs your chips and knows how much you are betting.  Hard to believe that the chips have different weights...and what if you're betting a combination of different denominations.  That whole thing seems a little spurious to me but who knows ?  The actual truth, I do believe, is that they track the amount of time you are in the casino and that's the most important thing...JMO.

Slots are easy, since the machine always knows what you're betting, but table games are still a mystery to me.  I have seen pit bosses walking around scanning tables with tablets in hand--maybe they're taking note of what the players have on the table at the time and the system figures out an average based on those samples.

I know some Vegas casinos are using machine vision in the cameras over the tables and RFID tags embedded in the chips (chips in the chips...) but I doubt Royal's that fancy.

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I am in Las Vegas right now and was told by the casino host at the Palazzo that the amount of time gambling and the amount of money you put in the slot machine is what gets you the rewards, i.e., playing for 6 hours at any slot machines but only betting the minimum won't get you much.

Two RCCL cruises ago, on the Liberty I was told by the casino manager that time played per day and amount played per day was what that rewards were based on. I asked how much time and was quoted around 4 hours a day.

Candie

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  • 1 month later...

I guess my dreams of racking up massive points on the penny and nickel slots won't get me far.  LOL.  But seriously, I have a friend who is loyal to Carnival and she told me spends roughly $150 - $200 per day in the casino and she has been invited a couple of time to casino-members-only-reward cruises (again, on Carnival).  Now, those "reward" cruises have restrictions -- I remember she had to take it within 90 days of the cruise she was just on -- which would be a problem for most people being able to take another week off within the same 90 days period.  I work at a law firm and my attorneys would laugh at me if I did that. 

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  • 5 years later...

@Orange Crushthat's the best explanation i can give as well.  it's very grey.

my dad and i are both blackjack table game players only.  we both tip well and play similarly (competently? (ha) at a middle table $25 or $50 per hand, never the biggest bettors but definitely avoid the crowded lowest play tables) Dad is diamond and has never had a piece of mail or email from club royale, but is also more stingy about scanning his seapass card everytime and maybe his accounts aren't linked? 

 

a few years ago i went on an absolute heater and won a pile of money on the last night of a navigator cruise ("just going down to cash in my chips, dear" and played until they closed the casino, whoops) and the pit boss was well aware, he and the dealers were cheering me it was a blast.  since then I have had free cruise and discount offers emailed to me regularly every month since as i'm assuming casino royale wants their money back.  cruised a couple times since without big winnings or big losses and the offers still coming.  no one has ever called or explained the points thing, don't know what any of that means, but i'll just keep cruising once a year or so and keep playing like i've been playing.  finally taking one of the free cruise offers for a 4 day this Jan.  My offers were for a free inside or ocean view room, or they said I can apply the value of that stateroom's fee towards a higher category as a discount.

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1 hour ago, DoomSlayer said:

@tonyfsu21 Congrats on the win.  I was curious how they handled Taxes on your awesome Handpay.  Did you receive the whole amount you won or did they withhold some for tax reporting? 

They take your DL and SSN and bring you the total win in cash. IRS form shows up in your stateroom by the end of the sailing. 

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3 hours ago, tonyfsu21 said:

This happened a couple nights ago on Odyssey, however, I forgot to scan my card. I haven’t received much feedback after this win and I think it might be because it was not recorded on my card. The host said “it doesn’t matter”…

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Congrats on the win!  It does not matter that your card was not scanned in, however, if you are looking to get status in the casino by earning casino points you should be scanning in so your play is calculated.  When you earn those casino points it can translate to free cruises.  My mother in law "only earned 600 points" on her first time gambling in the casino in August and she has received numerous offers in casino royale account, had she not used her seapass card to swipe in at slots or at the tables she would have missed out.  Those points do add up during the casino year -April 1 to March 31 and can bring you to Prime in the casino (2,500 pts) which means free drinks in the casino while it is open for play, a free cruise -interior cabin- awarded in April , and a 30% discount on internet-I'm sure there are a few other tings...
In regards to your payout, you can ask Royal for your win/loss statement.  Ive never had the honor of needing it but I understand some ask the casino host onboard, I'm sure  perhaps you can do that through casino royale.1=888=561=2234

You can check to see if you have casino offers and what your points total is here  https://www.clubroyaleoffers.com/

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I used a "free" cruise in October (7-day in October, Paid $168 pp for port charges) from when I played in Feb on Anthem.  I spent (lost lol) about $1200 throughout the cruise, I had almost 3000 points on my seapass card and I got a free certificate for another free cruise delivered to my room.  I also get TONS of free cruises in my email.  I am using a $500 certificate they gave me for my June 2023 LOS cruise next year.  It's over a holiday, doubt a free cruise would be offered so I grabbed the $500 and used it.  

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1 hour ago, Tania said:

I used a "free" cruise in October (7-day in October, Paid $168 pp for port charges) from when I played in Feb on Anthem.  I spent (lost lol) about $1200 throughout the cruise, I had almost 3000 points on my seapass card and I got a free certificate for another free cruise delivered to my room.  I also get TONS of free cruises in my email.  I am using a $500 certificate they gave me for my June 2023 LOS cruise next year.  It's over a holiday, doubt a free cruise would be offered so I grabbed the $500 and used it.  

Don’t forget to convert your points earned on  your cruise to freeplay  on the last day (and I’ve read some get it applied as OBC to reduce their bill),  see the casino host for details on “how to.” 
 

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56 minutes ago, Tania said:

I used a "free" cruise in October (7-day in October, Paid $168 pp for port charges) from when I played in Feb on Anthem.  I spent (lost lol) about $1200 throughout the cruise, I had almost 3000 points on my seapass card and I got a free certificate for another free cruise delivered to my room.  I also get TONS of free cruises in my email.  I am using a $500 certificate they gave me for my June 2023 LOS cruise next year.  It's over a holiday, doubt a free cruise would be offered so I grabbed the $500 and used it.  

3 of our next 4 cruises are comp cruises.  I get offers all the time from Casino Royal -- too many to be honest as I don't have unlimited PTO from work.  I average about 1100 points per cruise taking a bankroll of only $500 per trip.  I rarely lose it all and have come out ahead a few times, but never as luck as tonyfsu21.  Even if I lose the $500, I still feel like I win because I don't have to buy a drink package and I only have to pay taxes and port fees.  Most of the comp cruises are in shoulder and non-peak times, but since I don't have kids that live with us and live close to Galveston, I don't have the extra costs associated with travel.

Biggest thing I have learned about Royal's casino is that slots earn points the fastest, blackjack earns points the slowest.  I was turned off of blackjack on the ships because it is hard to find a 3:2 blackjack table anymore and points are slow to earn in table games.   I usually try to pick generic slots that don't eat my money too quickly and avoid branded slots like wheel of fortune.  Fun fact on slots -- branded machines usually have lower overall return because they are licensed, and the casino has to pay royalties to the brand owner.  I got hooked on Buffalo Gold as it became an internet phenomena with everyone trying to get records for free spins -- my personal best is about 90 free spins.

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