On Jul 28, 2013 4:14 PM, "Misscraps" <
misscraps@aol.com> wrote:
> **
>
>
>
> I get bored on cruises easily (my husband loves them), and often play in
> the casino despite bad pay tables. On our Epic trip I played with two
> friends, primarily at the casino bar near the dining room, and we played
> and played and all of us had horrible luck on different machines. Never
> have I seen so few quads. It reached the point where not only did I see a
> lack of quads, but began to see unusual patterns of cards (something like
> 2,3,4,5 or 3,4,5,6 not necessarily in that order, but the last square was
> not a straight card, hold the 4 to a low straight and up came a queen, like
> one out of every two times, or more...always a queen). -- and decided the
> VP definitely wasn't random.
>
> In years past I've played on other cruise ships, including Carnival and
> Princess, with poor pay schedules, but the machines were never as tight as
> on recent NCL cruises. And the Epic was the worst.
>
> Now that isn't to say that no one ever hits Aces (I did) or a royal (I
> think Coachvee/Hedy did on an Epic cruise), but it sure seemed to me like
> these machines were gaffed in some way.
>
> You can expect bad pay tables, like 6/5 JB, but the lack of quads was
> something else.
>
> I didn't hear of a lot of people hitting the reels either on that trip.
> Usually there are some reports of big jackpots, especially the first day,
> even on NCL, but the Epic seemed worse.
>
> The best games to play are craps or BJ. Really bad odds if you play bingo
> (too many people and low payouts), scratch cards, slot tournaments (unless
> free), blackjack tournaments, or other "special" non-normal type
> tournaments.
>
> The good news -- if you are there with a NCL certificate, drinks in the
> casino are free. We would go to the bar and get a drink prior to dinner and
> take it with us. You'll be invited to A special casino party, generally the
> first night, with free appetizers and drinks, and they will give you a
> special card for the drinks.
>
> If you are a degenerate gambler (like me) and can't stop yourself from
> gambling on a cruise, even after my warning, remember to contact the casino
> host after a day or two, and see if you qualify for any comps. They
> generally will give you a free specialty dinner with wine as a comp for
> heavier play, and maybe send a bottle of wine or other goodies to your
> cabin. Continue to play and get more free specialty dinners (they will make
> a reservation for you), but if you wait too long to ask for the comps, the
> cruise will be ending, so ask as you go.
>
> Also the casino gives free play or comp money to your onboard account.
> They post the amounts they give. BUT if you are a heavier gambler, the host
> will give you extra credit. I think I got twice or more of the posted
> amount, to pay for certain charges to your room, such as Internet or spa.
> I'm not sure I'd shore excursions or gifts were included, there were some
> restrictions, but ask about this if you are playing a lot.
>
> VP pay schedules are a bit better for higher denominations such as $5 and
> up, but still poor. Some people enjoyed playing poker on the ships, but
> they do take a larger rake than on land. My friend Siona played in a poker
> tournament and won some money, but since there are a lot of people playing
> in them, the odds aren't good.... If you play in the BJ tournament, play
> toward the end so you know what sort of score you need to win.
>
> Also, the casino in the Epic was extremely busy and smoky. A lot of people
> onboard seem to have never been in a casino before, and since the casino is
> in the middle of the ship, right along the main corridors, rather than a
> separate room, people are constantly playing and watching other people
> play. There is a lot of noise, smoke, and congestion. This is one reason we
> did not like the Epic.
>
> We pretty much hated the Epic, unfortunately. I think this is a link to
> part 1 of my super long review
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vpFREE/message/119292, and here is part 2
>
>
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vpFREE/message/119292
>
> Other people have gone and enjoyed it a lot more than we did. The fact
> that I was in a handicapped room with no couch and had to negotiate narrow
> hallways clogged with cleaning carts in my scooter didn't help at all! A
> non handicapped person would have had a lot less trouble. But still the
> awkward setup of the bathrooms, the smokiness of the main area which
> combined a casino and entertainment/eating venues, the necessity of
> prebooking shows, and the lines to get in everything (or end up not getting
> decent seats), the lack of good areas to walk around the ship or sit
> quietly without loud Muzak, all might be troubling to non handicapped
> people too. Things may have improved since we went, back in Jan. 2012.
> First time cruisers definitely would enjoy more than we did (not having the
> experience of over 20 other, and better cruises to compare), and most we
> talked to on the ship were having a good time. But for us, we would never
> go back on the Epic again. (note we are repeating trips on other NCL ships)
>
>
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