Carnival Cruise Line has been considered one of the most generous cruise lines when it comes to their casinos.
Players regularly won free cruises and some of the top players received offers that included suites, free drink packages and even airport transportation.
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Many cruisers have noted that Carnival, like its main rival, Royal Caribbean, has become stricter with those offers.
Deals can now include interior rooms instead of balconies or suites, and those “drinks on us, anywhere on the ship” deals are either limited to the player or disappear entirely.
It's very difficult to understand when a cruise line has become less generous with its casino program. This is because standards change every month and while gameplay is a factor, there may be other things that cruise lines are considering as part of their compensation formula.
No cruise line tells players exactly what criteria is included in their email offers. Some people believe that if you have too many cruises booked, your offers will decrease or disappear.
In theory, your bids are directly linked to your average daily theoretical loss. That is, how much money you should have lost based on the games you were playing, even if you had actually won.
That's probably an important part of the formula, but where you live, how much you spend elsewhere on the boat, and other factors may apply.
Carnival rarely comments specifically on changes to its casino program. However, brand ambassador John Heald recently answered a question about casino competitions and got a response from one of his colleagues in that department.
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Carnival shares major casino change
Gilda Mack Benton wrote to Heald on her popular facebook page.
“I have noticed a big change in the VIFP casino offering. I was given an email address to ask about the changes which included drastically reduced benefits for rooms and drink packages and received a response from a “not so customer service friendly” young lady. Is there any information why such a big change? “I'm just wondering since nothing was communicated,” he wrote.
Heald has long made it clear that he has no idea about the casino's program.
“Hello, my knowledge and influence in the casino is limited and not that good. However, other people have asked, so this is what a senior casino colleague told me. Thanks, I'm really sorry I can't do anything with this except promise to pass it on to the right people. I hope you had a great time and I wish you a very Merry Christmas,” he shared.
Heald's colleague addressed at least part of the question without being completely specific.
“We adjusted the way Premier works earlier this year, and now guests can book a Premier experience on any sailing, not just as part of a group. However, we still have the Premier groups that guests were able to book previously and indeed for the rest of this year and into early 2025; In them we continue to offer all the comforts of the Premier group, including the raffles that we had before,” they shared.
Carnival makes changes to casinos
Carnival offers three different levels of casino offers with different types of benefits: Premier, Ultra and Elite. Each tier offers enhanced benefits with Elite, including free Internet, shore excursions, and air transportation.
The cruise line appears to be changing the way it offers Premier benefits.
“For guests who opt for the Premier experience on non-group sailings, they will receive fantastic Premier gifts and be recognized as such on board. There will be no exclusive raffle for them, but we will have our very popular Heat Wave and Fireball raffle promotions, where guests under the Premier offer will be able to win double the prize money if selected,” Heald's casino colleague added.
That doesn't really explain why many riders on social media report lower levels of profit when they haven't changed their playing style.
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Richard Westdyk shared what he thinks the answer is on Heald's facebook page.
“Gilda Mack Benton, I think the reason for the drop in profits is that they don't need to offer them, as Carnival is seeing record bookings well into 2026 at higher prices, so the casino doesn't need to offer those great deals that we were receiving. because players will play with or without good offers,” he wrote.
Cruise lines never fully share how they determine which players get which deals. Profits will likely be affected by Carnival's record year, but players are a profit center for the cruise line, so free rooms and other benefits remain, but may be more limited for level players. lower.
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