Cruise ships are one of the most popular ways to see the world. You can travel across the entire globe and see every country you’ve been wanting to see. It’s a convenient way to travel for those who might be scared of flying, and a much more enjoyable experience for everyone.
You have everything you could ever need on a cruise ship. There are pools, restaurants, bars and even shops and cinemas. Another added bonus is that there is typically a casino on board as well.
Anyone who is worried about leaving their gaming behind when they’re on board doesn’t need to worry – it’s coming along with you! But what are the differences you could expect to find when you’re on a cruise ship casino?
We’ve got all of the inside info so you know exactly what to expect when you visit a casino on a cruise ship.
Differences to expect at a cruise ship casino
- No need to carry cash
One massive benefit to visiting a cruise ship casino is that you don’t need to carry a wad of cash around with you in order to play. Most cruise ship casinos will let you charge any deposits to your room, so there’s no need to even have a card with you.
Of course, you do need to keep an eye on how much you’re spending, so it could be worth looking out for that. But as long as you’re sensible, it’s a really handy benefit. There’s no need to use the cash machines on board, which can charge a fee.
You can usually print off a slip at the end of your gaming to keep an eye on how much you’ve spent that day, so you know what to expect at the end of your trip.
- Odds are not in your favour
One unfortunate difference between a casino on land and a casino on a cruise ship, is that the cruise ship casino will have worse odds. Obviously, the house holds most of the power in any casino, but this is even more prevalent on a cruise ship.
When you’re visiting a casino somewhere like Las Vegas, the payout is typically around 90%. However, when you’re on a cruise ship, this goes down to something like 80%. It’s still going to be fun, but don’t expect to be making your millions if you’re playing on board.
- Table minimums are lower
So although the payout might not be as good, the minimum you have to put down in order to play at a table is lower. This encourages people who might not usually play to have a go as they’re not going to lose out on too much.
It also makes you play a bit longer and enjoy yourself a bit more as you haven’t had to part with too much money in the first place. This is a great benefit and means you can game more than you usually would.
- Different opening hours
Most casinos you find on land will be open all hours, every day of the week. This is one of the biggest benefits to land based casinos as there’s always an opportunity to get a game in. However, this all changes when you’re on a cruise ship.
Cruise ship casinos will have much stricter rules when it comes to opening hours and therefore won’t be open all of the time. This is because when you’re travelling on international waters, the rules for any kind of gaming are different.
It also means that this could change during your trip, so make sure you keep an eye out for any changes in opening and closing times. It might be that only certain games are allowed to be played during certain hours, so make sure you check with staff on board.
- More opportunities to socialise
When you’re at your local casino, there might be the regulars who are there just to play and relax by themselves. There might be people who solely want to hang out with the people they came there with. All of these are totally fine, but it does mean that there doesn’t tend to be much mixing of groups.
However, that all changes when you’re on a cruise ship. You’re all there together for typically a long period of time. Therefore, people are more up for getting to know one another. People also tend to be more relaxed when they’re on holiday so they might be more up for socialising.
This makes a cruise ship one of the best places to visit a casino as you know that the atmosphere is going to be great. It’s a great way to meet people you’re on board with and make new friends in the process.
Playing at a cruise ship casino is different to playing on land, but there are lots of benefits to be had. Will you be playing on your next cruise?