Cruise Line Casinos
Gambling is a trendy hobby by many people, and either they do it in a physical casino location or on a cruise ship. Many major ships and cruise lines have an onboard game as part of their adult entertainment.
The most luxurious ships have different casinos depending on the style, sophistication, and even design.
Which Cruise Line has a casino? You can expect to have casinos in all major cruise lines like the Allure of the Seas, Carnival Vista, Norwegian Escape, Queen Mary 2, Azamara Journey, and the Holland America Zuiderdam.
In this article, you will have more information on which cruise line offers the best casino you can get, even if it is by the sea.
Gambling On Cruise Ships
You can always expect to find casinos on many onboard major cruise lines, as you are probably aware by now. The only exceptions are Disney Cruise Line, Viking Cruise, Voyages Cruise, and Antiquity Cruise.
Seabourn Cruise Line, Silversea Cruise, and Windstar Cruises have casinos, but they are small and do not have enough slot machines and more on-table games.
Suppose you are looking for the overall casino experience. In that case, you can find it on many ships from the Royal Caribbean, Norwegian Cruise Line, Carnival Cruise Line, Celebrity Cruise, MSC Cruises, Princess Cruises, and many more.
In terms of gambling rules, many cruise ships only operate once the shift has left the port.
Also, you need to know that ship casinos are not open 24/7, so they are just open during the opening times in the day and just shut down at some point during the night.
The opening night usually varies depending on the cruise ships. Here are some of the best cruise ships where you can typically use cash and cruise cards to play them.
1. The Allure Of The Seas
To all of the 25 cruise ships under the Royal Caribbean fleet, they contain a Casino Royale. It is complete with French Riviera decor that will make you feel like you are in Monte Carlo.
The size of these casinos varies. It depends on the ships, and the most notable one is the Allure of the Seas. It is the company’s most prominent ship to date, with 362m in length and a capacity to carry 5,400 passengers.
Their Allure of the Seas casino is a massive 18,000 sq ft, and it is more significant than many land-based casinos. Inside, you can find 500 slot machines with some of your favorites.
It includes Wheel of Fortune, which is considered one of the best slot machines of all time, and video poker.
This casino can also offer you different 27 table games, including some favorites like roulette, blackjack, craps, and stud poker. They also have some scheduled events and tournaments where people can compete and earn lots of money.
You can expect to get a service straight to the tables, and when you are done, you can continue your Las Vegas experience with some shows. It includes some Broadway shows like Mamma Mia, or you can head out to one of their bars or restaurants.
2. Carnival Vista
Carnival Vista is known to have been big on many nightlife and entertainment scenes, and you can find casinos onboard on any of their 25 fleets.
Carnival Vista is the most recent addition to the clan, which has 3,900 people, and the Carnival Horizon has to bother sizable casinos. The Vista, for instance, does contain 217 machines and has 22 gaming tables.
Carnival casinos are famous for their slot machines, with guests spinning the wheels around 112 times every second across their whole cruise journey.
The company also paid out $1 million in tournament prizes in a year, including an epic Monopoly tournament. As a result, this makes casino gaming unique as the rewards keep on coming. They have a reward scheme which is called Carnival Players Club.
It has a type of promotion, and offers are given away depending on the frequency of cruises and games you played. There are also gaming lessons available for newbies out there and high-stake games for the more serious players.
3. Norwegian Escape
Norwegian has 15 fleet ships and has a total of 2,800 slot machines and 200 different gaming tables. The biggest and most glamorous casinos are on the newer ships like Escape, Getaway, and Breakaway.
There is an addition to the fleet, the Bliss Cruise Ship, with two casinos, one for the smokers and the non-smokers.
On the other hand, Norwegian Escape consists of 318 slot machines and 28 table games to choose from. It features classics like blackjack, craps, poker, roulette, and Eastern delights like baccarat.
Bets can be ranging from $5 up to $5000 on each table and one cent to $100 for tier slot machines.
If you are looking forward to betting a little higher than the amount expected, you will have to book out the VIP room.
It can accommodate the nights of high-rolling guests, and they will also give you a Casino At Sea Reward Program. This program can allow you to earn different rewards and benefits for later use on Norwegian Cruises.
4. Queen Mary 2
Cunard’s flagship is considered a cruise ship that heavily functions as an ocean liner for many transportations and running cruises.
It is actually the largest ocean liner globally, and it is full of entertainment, bars, swimming pools, a ballroom, and even the first-at-sea planetarium.
In addition to that, Queen Mary 2 has a good casino, although you can expect that it is not a big one but quite a small one.
The Queen Mary 2 offers you an intimate atmosphere and a sophisticated and casual gambling ambiance. There are a total of 99 slot machines as well as the nine bespoke designated for their table game.
Also, it includes roulette, blackjack, three-card poker, and Texas Hold ‘em, which are all favorites of many cruise enthusiasts.
The casino lacks in size, actually what makes it more on the elegance side of the spectrum. Soon afterward, you will feel like you are in a James Bond film in Monte Carlo.
For many novices out there, there are some beginner lessons available from the experienced staff. Betting limits are also reasonable, and some games have all levels up to around $500.
5. Azamara Journey
Azamara Journey is considered one of the most intimate cruises out there, and it plays host to a suitably private casino. It is while they are retaining a high level of professionalism and elegance in their services.
The same team operates the onboard casino as much larger casinos under Celebrity Cruises ships. The Azamara Journey casino team is always dedicated to providing VIP treatments to all their players.
It sticks to their conduct by ensuring that all their players are treated fairly and happily staging open for high-rollers into the wee hours in the morning. The casino team aboard in Azamara Journey is considered to be helpful.
They are only too happy to convert tables to different games depending on the demand that night.
6. Holland America Zuiderdam
Thi particular private cruise ship offers its host an incredibly modern and contemporary casino. Their casino is built around a central 11 gaming table that can offer their players roulette, blackjack, poker, and Caribbean studs/craps.
The casino plays host to more than 133 machines, and this includes eight, which provide cruisers the chance to play for the progressively growing mega cash jackpot.
What Does Casino Cruises Feel Like
In so many ways, cruise ship gambling is similar to its generic counterparts on land, and this could also mean that each casino has its own personality. In hindsight, the gaming floor is small by the standard of land-based casinos.
Although, on many ships, you will usually find the closed-in area with relatively low ceilings. These low ceilings and maze of games give the casino some comfort and cozy feeling.
But still, they are considered to be among the most significant rooms on a cruise ship.
Most notably the newest addition to Norwegian’s fleet, some ships have more open casinos than others. On these ships, the casino floor opens up to the rest of the ships, giving the cruisers some brighter feel.
As for the atmosphere, within seconds of walking into a cruise ship casino, you will forget that you are on a ship.
The Payouts Casino Cruise Ships
It is a known fact that the odds are always in the house’s favor when gambling. That is also the truth when it comes to cruises, and many people think that the games the ship does not pay that really well.
For instance, the gold standard for video poker is a 9/6 machine. It means that one pays nine credits for a whole house and six for a flush.
It will give an expected payout of 99.5% if you have the proper strategy in place and used for the long term. On many ships, you will often find 6/5 machines that offer you a 94.9% payback.
For blackjack, you will often find tables that pay 6-to-5 instead of a quality 3-to-2, and if you play at a higher-limit table, you might still find 3-to-2 payouts.
The Gambling Age
When it comes to the gambling age, there are always some exceptions, and the majority of places in the U.S. require you to be 21 to be able to gamble.
It is in any casino, but on a cruise that heads to international water, the minimum age to gamble is 18 years old. If you ever wish to try your luck but have not been old enough to head to Las Vegas, you can try some cruise ship casinos.
Few Things To Know About Gambling On A Cruise
There are things that you should be aware of when it comes to gambling on a cruise. These are useful to gain your advantage, so you make the most out of your wins or be aware of how the business works.
- There are loyalty programs in many cruise ships, just like on land, and you will learn points during your play that can be redeemed later on. It can be in the form of drinks, discounts off your cruise tab, and even pay for your future cruise adventures.
- While smoking is banned in indoor spaces worldwide, it is actually allowed in some casinos. In general, the smoke smell is not bad, and you likely won’t come out of the casino smelling like an ashtray. Just be mindful that the smaller the size of the casino, it can be tough to get away from smoke.
- Many slots and blackjack tournaments are happening on the ship, and they typically take place during off-hours for the casino. These tournaments will give you an extra win and some extra cash while risking only the admission fee.
- If you wanted to learn a game that you like, then a cruise is a great place to learn as they offer free classes to different casino games.
Most casinos have classes for games that you can join for free, and the dealer will explain how the game works and show you how to hustle. The best part of it is that it won’t cost you any money to learn and they are offering free during morning hours.
Conclusion
Overall, there are many cruise lines available to choose from, depending on your personal preferences and budget. The different cruise lines can offer you different experiences, so make sure to give all the cruise lines in this list a try.
There are fundamental differences from one another, but there will be one that will suit your needs in terms of relaxation and the thrill of casino gambling.