It really depends on a number of factors, some of which are simply not known. I've got a video coming out this Friday that will discuss how most casinos, in general, assign "value" to players and the formulas they use. Different cruise lines certainly take different paths but this is a widely used formula that I think at least factors into lines like Carnival. It's not just about how much money you gamble, it's really about how you gamble that money. Keep a look out for that vid and it may be helpful to get better offers in the future. Thanks for watching!

If you have already completed the registration, unfortunately you cannot add additional cards. If you are still in the process, click where it says "Add another loyalty card. Have other offers?" and a dropdown will occur for you to be able to upload more cards. If you have already completed the registration it could be helpful to reach out to the oceanplayersclub via the following link:oceanplayersclub.com/contact/general/ I don't know if they will be able to do anything for you but it never hurts to give it a try. Good luck and let me know if they do help you so I can share with others. Thanks!

Thanks for the kind words!

The casino definitely always has the edge, without a doubt. Thanks for watching!

The 3 cruises I show are actually the only 3 I've been on, all in 2023. I booked the first cruise with a casino offer I obtained by doing a status match with my MGM status. The other two cruises were booked with offers obtained after that first cruise. Please understand, I'm just as surprised as anyone by these offers. I've been utilizing casino offers in Vegas for years and with an even bigger bankroll, I've never received offers even close to the value I've gotten with Carnival.

There are quite a few variables that go into an offer, many of which the cruise lines keep hush hush for obvious reasons. However, there is a general formula that most casinos use to provide a foundation for offers and I believe Carnival at least uses a large portion of that formula. I'll have a video coming out on the channel next Friday (7/26) going over all of that and I encourage you to stay tuned. I think you've got a good bankroll but maybe just need to make some tweaks to how you are gambling. In any casino it's not as much about "how much you gamble" as it is about "how you gamble how much you gamble" if that makes sense. As with anything, there are no guarantees but the info I'll be sharing certainly won't hurt. Thanks for watching and for the comment! Much appreciated!

@@cruisingoncomps thanks for your reply! Yes, I agree with you know one really knows the “formula”. Funny my first cruise ever with carnival was march’23 I only brought $200-300 to gamble with hit for $900 major walked away with the win, the next day I got a last minute free interior room offer jumped on it booked for a 7 day panorama. Got super lucky with a spa room! Had a blast and been hooked ever since. I will be platinum next year so I’m hoping for better 😆 thanks again for your insight! Definitely will be subscribing and watching your new video ! Leaving for a cruise next week 🚢 happy cruising friend !

Believe it or not, my very first cruise ever was in Feb of 2023! I've been gambling for well over 20 years and got deep into how to "play the system" with comps in land based casinos, especially Vegas during that time and I've found that a lot of the same information applies to cruising. Plus, cruising is just it's own special type of fun! Enjoy your cruise!

There's a ton of variables involved, many of which the cruise companies keep under wraps for obvious reasons. The awesome thing is though, you'll be cruising on a comp! Thanks for watching!

There are two types of drink offerings with the casino offers. One is the offer you are referring to which is only while actively playing in the casino. The other, which is shown in the screenshot of my offer, is drinks everywhere onboard the ship.

@@cruisingoncomps i stand corrected. I need that offer!

You get free drinks playing in the casino?! Is it a certain amount and certain drinks?

@@kiiren25depends on your status or offer with Carnival. I was playing craps for about 6 hours one day and had a bunch of drinks and when I left, I checked my count of drinks left on my Cheers package with a bartender and still had all my drinks. So, they really are on the ship.

Glad you enjoyed! Thanks for watching!

Thanks for the sub! Much more to come! Feel free to share any topics you'd like to see discussed in future videos.

They do match Casino offers! I would recommend one thing though if you choose to do so. Make sure you are ready to book because you only have 30 days from the submission to request to book then you'll have 1 year from the date you submitted the request to sail. Here's the link: princess.medallionclassmarket.com/casinooffer

Precisely why it's so important to view gambling as entertainment and not a money making venture. In the end, the casino will win. Thanks for watching!

Thank you for the kind comment!

I don't at the moment but I will be cruising at the end of August and plan to do a full casino tour and will isolate certain machines in the video that I look for. Stay tuned and thanks for the comment! Much appreciated.

Did you see the offer via the Carnival website or by another avenue? Also, what types of gambling did you do? Tables, machines or a combination of the two? I would have to guess a good bit was tables? Carnival gives 1 point per $2.50 cycled through the machine but tables are incredibly difficult to get an accurate rating. If you have an opportunity to let me know I can give better advice. Thanks!

I reached 1000 points on the slots but overall I lost 2k in the casino even tho it was my first carnival cruise and how do u know if u have any casino comps will it tell u on the website going on the freedom in October and want to take one every 5 months and willing to loose 2 to 3k every time any advice

To find your offers go to Carnival.com and sign in. Where you see your name in the top right area, click on it. Select "My Profile" and the "My Offers". This will take you to all of your current available offers. The first advice I would give is if you have 2k-3k to spend, just pay for the cruise fare outright. Chasing comps is a risky proposition when you are gambling close to what the cruise would cost anyways. Having said that, if you're in a position where you are willing and can afford to lose that amount in the casino, this would be my strategy... Take at least 50% of your bankroll, 75%-100% if you are willing, and play only slots with that amount. I would start by trying locate games such as Triple Stars, Double or Triple Diamond, Pinball, etc. with the lowest denomination possible. These will be the "3-Reel" types of machines. You'll need to max bet on any machine that allows it with one exception I'll get to in a moment. For example, if you are playing Triple Stars and it's a $1 machine but is five lines you need to play all five lines, or $5 per spin. Same with Pinball which you'll need to play at $3 per spin to be eligible for the maximum amount of bonus spins (5) if you hit the bonus. However, if you are lucky enough to find a single line Double or Triple Diamond machine, even if max bet is 2 credits, or $10 per spin, just play single credit at $5 per spin. Most likely you'll have a pay table what will be equal (1 credit one amount / 2 credits double that amount) throughout the board with exception to the top prize. Don't let this matter. These machines are about the lowest in volatility you'll find on a cruise ship and will give you the best option to stretch out your bankroll, thus giving you the ability to gain the maximum amount of points. Seek out some KZbin videos of play on these machines to get familiar with them so you'll know what to look for. Once onboard, before you go to play in the casino pay it a visit and walk around to see what your options are. The more of these types of machines you can find the better. Once you have them located and are ready to play I would start at $100 in and play until you either double it or hit zero, whichever comes first. Then, move to one of your other selections. Keep doing this and you'll be surprised how many points you'll rack up. Keep in mind, slots are (normally) the worse odds in a casino but on a cruise ship, with exception to just a few table games, you don't have much of an odds advantage over slots as you normally would on land. Think automatic shuffler and 6/5 on blackjack tables. That's a considerably higher house edge than 3/2 eight deck shoe. The other issue with tables is it's just so incredibly difficult to get rated properly. Slots track points to the penny so you'll get the proper amount of points. Tables you just won't. The last piece of advise is, I wouldn't venture over $5 per spin, no matter your bankroll size. In fact, I would try and stay even lower if you are lucky enough to find some .25 cent 3 reel machines. Betting higher amounts is just going to eat your bankroll faster, unless you get lucky. Again, the objective is to stretch that bankroll for as long as possible so you can generate the maximum amount of points. I hope this helps. Good Luck and again, if you just want the cruise, I would just pay for it out of pocket. But, if you have the money and you enjoy gambling and you can afford to spend 2-3k on your cruise, the above would be my personal approach.

Thanks a lot and I played slots just one and only one it’s called huff and more puff and was betting anywhere between 3 to 7 a spin but I did find my offers thank u so much

@@MikeSmith-ot8ow Huff and more Puff is super fun to play but on the very very high end of volatility. It'll eat a bankroll quick! Good Luck and glad you found your offers.

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for watching! Much appreciated!

Thank you so much! Please feel free to share some things you'd like to see in future videos.

Thank you kindly!

Unfortunately, Carnival does not carry over points. Your points go back to zero after each cruise.

Do you mean that you were expecting it to have more or that the $5 was unexpected?

It was completely unexpected. It just gave me $5 for no reason

@@Boatdockmlh1what is your status level? Carnival awards funplay to certain status levels. That was likely it. OR, if you had $5 left of OBC that could have also been it as you can use OBC in the casino.

Yes … carnival gives a $5.00 award every 1500 points

On the first cruise I had $250 of FunPlay and $200 of OBC I used. I took $1500 cash. On the 2nd and 3rd cruises I had $1000 of FunPlay and $200 OBC each and had taken $800 cash for each for a $2000 total bankroll but never actually got into my own money. I had some incredible luck on those two with a couple of handpays and some additional bonuses in the $700-900 range that just kept happening. As far as time spent, because of the success I was having I played heavier than usual. An average of about 5 hours per day with the sea day (these were 3 or 4 day cruises) having the heaviest play.

I used to play tables exclusively but it's so incredibly hard to get rated properly. I still play Blackjack at my local casino but on cruises I usually just play slots the majority of the time simply because of the accurate points. Plus, that auto-shuffler and 6/5 hurts my soul! Thanks for watching!

I love it! You illustrate perfectly the approach and ideas I'm trying to illustrate with this channel! Thanks so much for the comment!

The cheers package also includes Sodas, Zero-Proof frozen cocktails, energy drinks, specialty coffee, hot tea, 500 ml bottled water and other non-alcoholic beverages. I'm not much of a drinker myself but trust me, it's a huge value even if you don't drink alcohol. Thanks for the comment!

My pleasure! Thanks for watching!

I'm glad to hear you got an offer and would encourage you to keep an eye on "My Offers" on the Carnival website as you'll likely get even more offers through that in the coming weeks. I love Craps but was always too intimidated to play at my local casino. It can be stressful....lol. I played quite a bit on my last cruise though and had a blast. Much more laid back atmosphere. Thanks for watching and best of luck on your upcoming cruise!

Yeah, someone pointed that out in an earlier comment. I'm not sure what Carnival did on that one. I just took a screenshot from the email they sent me and didn't even notice. Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed the video. And, HAVE A BLAST on your cruise. You're gonna love it!

I'm just as surprised as anyone when it comes to my offers. I've got many ideas of why things like this happen that I'll be sharing in future videos. Thanks for watching!

Hey never mind .. I listened again and now understand this was a suite for one .. mine is for two costing the same as you but for myself and my wife etc etc .. now I feel a lot better 😂.. like your channel by the way and just subscribed !

No worries at all! Thanks for the subscription, it means a lot!

That is AWESOME! Things like that are certainly not common but when they do it's so much fun. Your comment is an excellent example of what can happen and showcases the premise of the video perfectly. Thank you for sharing and thanks for watching!

How many slot points did you walk out with after 10 hours?

I'm by no means a tax professional but, as far as the offers, no, the free cruise is not considered taxable income. It's simply just a deeply discounted cruise fare. Any applicable port fees and taxes still have to be paid by the cruiser but that's it. Thanks for the comment and thanks for watching!

Retired CPA here. No, it is not taxable. However, all winnings are taxable for US citizens.

Port fees, taxes, insurance and gratuities totals $383.12 for the example in the video. Thanks for watching!

Much appreciated! Thanks for watching!

All three combined was roughly 16,000 points total and $40,000 coin-in. Thanks for watching!

There are quite a few things that go into the offers they extend, many of which they keep a very tight lip about. To be honest, I’m just as shocked as anyone in regards to the suite offer. I’m by no means a high roller.

Sorry to hear about the cabin issue. I will say, to my knowledge the casino and cruise operations are ran as separate entities while on board. If you don’t mind me asking, how many points have you accumulated?

@@cruisingoncomps unfortunately not a lot. I'm at 175. And $600 in the hole.

Ouch, with 175 points off that play I'm assuming you are playing table games? Getting comps through tables is tough simply because the floor cannot see every bet and will only give you a rating when they periodically come around. I love table games but rarely play them on the cruises because of this. Machines are very precise. 1 point for every $2.50 wagered (1 point for every $5 on Video Poker). For example, if you had fed that $600 into a machine and lost on every single spin, you'd still have more points than you currently do. Play what you enjoy though, it's your money. Hopefully your luck will turn around!

@@cruisingoncomps thank you for the response. I appreciate it.

Playing slot machines you need 10,000 points for a dinner comp, then a meal or other type comp every 10,000 points. Around 7,000 points they’ll send you a bottle of wine to your table for dinner

I’m not entirely sure. I received a similar question earlier today and my advice was to upload screenshots of your offers through the FunMatch program. I’m sorry I don’t know a definitive answer.

That's not necessarily how comps work. Casinos use a general formula (spins per hour x average bet x odds) to determine value of a player. It's not really based on wins/loses but more on coin-in. The reason I use win/loss in the video is to show folks that you don't have to lose to get comps. All 3 cruises shown were booked with casino offers with the first being done through a status match. Additionally, on the last two I received $1200 of FunPlay/OBC and never touched my own bankroll. Over time will it even out? Perhaps. I view gambling as an entertainment expense and I can assure you I'd never lose over $11,000 gambling. I'd walk away way before that happened. But, as I mention in the video, everyones experience will be different. That's gambling. Thanks for watching.

Perhaps. I was gearing this more towards folks that tend to believe you have to lose a lot of money to get comps. I ended up with about 16,000 total points, or $40,000 coin-in, over the 3 cruises.

I'm thinking of working that into a future video but to answer it here I ended up with about 16,000 total points, or $40,000 coin-in, over the 3 cruises. There are a multitude of factors that go into offers, unfortunately many of which aren't known to anyone but Carnival. I was a new cruiser to Carnival and there are opinions that could be at play. Having said that, I've been gambling for years and the system, at least from my experience, does have many similarities to that of land based casinos. Spins per hour x average bet x odds. I stick to the lowest volatility machines I can find and that helps stretch out my bankroll vs. playing high volatility machines.

@@cruisingoncomps Thank you for this explanation.

I'm not much of a drinker myself but it is a good way to illustrate value for those that are. The thing I like about cheers is any and all drinks are included.....milkshakes....yummy! And 100% agree about Elite cruises. Those additional expenses add up quick! Thanks for watching!

@@cruisingoncomps i had some friends i worked with on a SunCruz casino boat they were married. before they started working with suncruz they worked in the casinos on ncl and carnival lines. that drink package the real cost is already built into the amount your paying for the room as on the books your room is compt as free for marketing to get higher rollers on the ships. as they make more money off you losing on the tables then all the food,rooms and drinks. just like a normal casino. your not really getting anything free. when you go back thru your wins and losses for each trip your losing. if your winning the cruse lines wont send out offers like this to get you on the boat they want to cool you off and hope to get you back when you lose. and on the ship your a captive gambler for how ever many days the trip is. nothing free buddy.

Although I cannot be entirely sure as I have not done this myself, if you have an offer that you can screenshot from Club Royale I would upload those as your "front and back" of card on the Fun Match Program website. I did some minimal research to try and find more specifics but wasn't able to find anything definitive. Another commenter did mention they did this with their Hard Rock sports gambling loyalty status and did receive an offer without having a physical card. Sorry I can't be of more help but let me know if it works out. Thanks!

@@cruisingoncomps Thanks. I'll let you know if I learn anything.

I received a "bounce back" offer at the end of the cruise but I recommend ignoring that one, it's usually not that good. My best offers started showing up about 2 months after the end of the cruise on the Carnival website. That's the best place to look to see all of them. You'll get emails (as long as you opt in-I would recommend that) and mailers as well but the website is the best place to find them. Thanks for watching!

@@cruisingoncomps Ok thanks for the update. I got the "bounce back" one too. Agreed, it seems to be only ~$150 off the total cost of the cabin. I earned 2,400 points on a 4 day cruise and only lost $300 so curious to see what I get. I'll update here once I get new offers.

That's awesome! Love hearing these stories! May I recommend you also look into doing a status match with Princess (owned by Carnival). The only thing about that recommendation is only do it if you are ready to book another cruise as they only allow a 30 day window to book. I did a status match with them on the Suite offer I showcased in the video and they matched it but unfortunately life got in the way I couldn't take advantage. Great comment and thanks so much for sharing and watching!

I think you came out very well on that B2B for sure. Thanks for the info on the cabin location! I haven't booked yet and that is helpful information. I've got two booked already for this year in an aft balcony and I'm looking forward to that. Middle is okay for me but always seems to be a bit more noisy. Thanks for watching!

@@cruisingoncomps Happy to have been of help! I think it really matters how much you like your balcony. Sister and I have cruised enough that we would rather spend an afternoon in solitude with a bottle of wine and the ocean than running around the ship. The balcony is pretty important to us. For some, it wouldn't be a deal breaker at all and the cabin itself is certainly nice. Deck 9, more aft than forward, is a great location to the action on 6, 7 and 8 as well. There is a nice little breakfast buffet at Pig and Anchor that is SO much less crowded than the lido. So I wouldn't rule it out necessarily, it just comes down to the importance of that balcony time. You also get the perks of platinum status with the suite, so something to consider if you aren't already platinum or above (we are, so that wasn't a selling point.) But yes, overall I definitely feel I came out ahead! 2 weeks at sea for less than $1000.

I travel solo quite a bit and the balcony certainly matters for me when I'm solo. I like to have that place I can claim as mine and still enjoy the views. I do look for certain locations but it's not an end all be all. With all the food I eat I need the exercise if I have to walk....lol!

Those deals are hard to pass up for sure. I wish I lived closer to a port and I would certainly take advantage as you have. Thanks for watching!

Hey what's up Joe, how do u receive the $100 solo cruises if u don't mind me asking? 😊

@@mclovin2k12 On the website in my account under offers.

I can relate. Unfortunately my closest port is a good 7-8 hour drive. Not gonna lie, I'm strongly considering moving closer! LOL. Thanks for watching!

If I fly to a cruise, I do a back to back .

I've yet to do a B2B but it's certainly on the bucket list!

Wow, first off I think it’s cool that you follow his page. Because I followed your page lol. Second, LA and Florida are always going to have a lot more offers because there are so many ships that cruise from there. Galveston’s availability is always a little weird. Every time we consider there, we end up leaving from New Orleans instead. The timing is just always off. 😢

It really depends on the selection onboard. I look for the lowest volatility machines I can find. If I'm lucky (and so far I haven't been) to find a "3 reel" type machine, .25 denom and it's five lines or $1.25 total bet per spin I'm planting my butt there for sure...lol. Usually I find these machines to have a $1 denom and $5 per bet for all five lines. Incredibly difficult to stretch $100 with those minimums. Instead you're really going to look for the machines with a low minimum bet. You want your average bet to start at around 1% - 2% of your bankroll in this scenario so a maximum of $1 - $2.00 per spin, lower if you can find it. A few common machines I've found are the "Wonder 4" machines that have 4 games going on at once. You don't have to play all four games to start and it can give you more action. Just know, super high in volatility. The best way to try and identify the volatility of a machine by taking a look at the rules. Fewer rules usually equals lower volatility. Check out the channels I mention in the video to get a better understanding of volatility. I'm terrible at trying to explain it and they do a much better job, especially Gamble Smart, Gamble Safe. Those guys are amazing at explaining things and I've learned a ton from them. Best of luck and thanks for watching!