Awsi Dooger
Junior
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2012
- Messages
- 2,662
When I lived in Las Vegas I did several cruises on Norwegian, all leaving from Seattle or Honolulu. I definitely recommend that cruise line although I'm biased because I had a connection who worked for NCL and therefore my fares were severely discounted.
As others have mentioned, the freestyle aspect carries the day. Or 10PM or whatever. It was a joy to eat whenever I wanted to, just like Las Vegas and unlike the stuffy cruises I took as a kid with my parents. Those cruises to and from Europe on the France and Raffaello may have been very memorable but even at that age I couldn't stand formal dining and at a specific table and hour. No thank you, not when I'm paying and calling the shots.
On NCL I like to forego the canned excursions but study the pamphlet on what they are doing and often mirror it on my own. That allows so much more time and flexibility. You aren't waiting for a group of 30 to wander around and take pictures when you can already be en route to the next stop. Often when I compare notes with others at the late night buffet I managed to see and experience twice as much as the excursion group. Plus I get to laugh like **** at all the morons who actually pay for rental car insurance. Now that takes a special type of wimp. Let me guess, they purchased trip insurance also.
NCL has very classy entertainers and performances. Yes, the crowd tilts older but it's hardly crutches and limps and an overriding theme of the journey. There are basketball courts and I've played in friendly pickup games with guys 25 or more years younger. There are also golf driving nets, ping pong tables and other activities. The pools are normally so jammed I make sure to make one trip, just to say I did.
By far my favorite cruise on NCL was 2005 on the Norwegian Star to Alaska. I wandered into the small casino and almost fell against the wall when I saw the lineup of Vision series slot machines. Those are bonus machines that are incredibly favorable with selective intelligent play. You literally can't lose, not in the long run. They have bonus features and you can see how close you are to the bonus. Hence the Vision tag. By spring 2005 those machines were virtually extinct in Las Vegas. The heyday was 1996 to 2002. A guy wrote a book called, "Robbing the One Armed Bandits," that put heat on the machines and slowly ruined it for everyone. They were steadily removed and basically reached the end of their lifespan.
But here I was on the Norwegian Star and suddenly it was like 1999 all over again. There were at least 25 Vision machines, of all types. And I was the only person on that cruise who had a clue. If that had been Las Vegas there would have been guys fighting over the machines. Instead, I could wander in whenever I wanted and pick off the plays at my leisure. I literally would stop in the casino on the way to the late night movie, see what Vision plays were juicy, and then leave it alone, certain it would still be sitting there two hours later after the movie. And it would be.
I made slightly over $1600 on the machines with only a few brief visits to the casino per day. I didn't allow it to dictate my cruise. But I added some excursions like a helicopter ride to a Juneau glacier thanks to the profits on those wonderful machines.
The slot personnel did know what was going on. I'm sure it varied quite a bit in that era, some cruises in which nobody knew how to play the Vision machines, and other cruises with several people. When I signed up for the player's card I heard them comment behind the counter that I was from Las Vegas. It wouldn't have been a surprise to them, since I'd already pounced on the machines.
On the final afternoon I planned to tip those casino workers. The casino was scheduled to close as soon as we departed international waters before reaching Seattle. It was more than a half hour before listed closing time. I had a juicy play on a Kool Kat machine, with all three high stacks, for anyone familiar with that machine. As I was spinning the machine suddenly the Asian slot girl started slapping my wrist violently. "Get off machine. Get off machine. Casino closed." I kept spinning briefly in disbelief. That only accelerated her wrist slapping.
Okay, I got the picture. They had been jealous all week and wanted me off the machines. Meanwhile, they allowed the table games to continue. Casino closed, huh? If that had been Las Vegas they would have known I was a generous tipper and allowed me to continue. Nope, they forfeited it. I used the money to visit the top of the Space Needle instead, and eat in the fancy restaurant up there. Plus it was terrific that the Seahawks football stadium was relatively new and within walking distance of our pier.
As others have mentioned, the freestyle aspect carries the day. Or 10PM or whatever. It was a joy to eat whenever I wanted to, just like Las Vegas and unlike the stuffy cruises I took as a kid with my parents. Those cruises to and from Europe on the France and Raffaello may have been very memorable but even at that age I couldn't stand formal dining and at a specific table and hour. No thank you, not when I'm paying and calling the shots.
On NCL I like to forego the canned excursions but study the pamphlet on what they are doing and often mirror it on my own. That allows so much more time and flexibility. You aren't waiting for a group of 30 to wander around and take pictures when you can already be en route to the next stop. Often when I compare notes with others at the late night buffet I managed to see and experience twice as much as the excursion group. Plus I get to laugh like **** at all the morons who actually pay for rental car insurance. Now that takes a special type of wimp. Let me guess, they purchased trip insurance also.
NCL has very classy entertainers and performances. Yes, the crowd tilts older but it's hardly crutches and limps and an overriding theme of the journey. There are basketball courts and I've played in friendly pickup games with guys 25 or more years younger. There are also golf driving nets, ping pong tables and other activities. The pools are normally so jammed I make sure to make one trip, just to say I did.
By far my favorite cruise on NCL was 2005 on the Norwegian Star to Alaska. I wandered into the small casino and almost fell against the wall when I saw the lineup of Vision series slot machines. Those are bonus machines that are incredibly favorable with selective intelligent play. You literally can't lose, not in the long run. They have bonus features and you can see how close you are to the bonus. Hence the Vision tag. By spring 2005 those machines were virtually extinct in Las Vegas. The heyday was 1996 to 2002. A guy wrote a book called, "Robbing the One Armed Bandits," that put heat on the machines and slowly ruined it for everyone. They were steadily removed and basically reached the end of their lifespan.
But here I was on the Norwegian Star and suddenly it was like 1999 all over again. There were at least 25 Vision machines, of all types. And I was the only person on that cruise who had a clue. If that had been Las Vegas there would have been guys fighting over the machines. Instead, I could wander in whenever I wanted and pick off the plays at my leisure. I literally would stop in the casino on the way to the late night movie, see what Vision plays were juicy, and then leave it alone, certain it would still be sitting there two hours later after the movie. And it would be.
I made slightly over $1600 on the machines with only a few brief visits to the casino per day. I didn't allow it to dictate my cruise. But I added some excursions like a helicopter ride to a Juneau glacier thanks to the profits on those wonderful machines.
The slot personnel did know what was going on. I'm sure it varied quite a bit in that era, some cruises in which nobody knew how to play the Vision machines, and other cruises with several people. When I signed up for the player's card I heard them comment behind the counter that I was from Las Vegas. It wouldn't have been a surprise to them, since I'd already pounced on the machines.
On the final afternoon I planned to tip those casino workers. The casino was scheduled to close as soon as we departed international waters before reaching Seattle. It was more than a half hour before listed closing time. I had a juicy play on a Kool Kat machine, with all three high stacks, for anyone familiar with that machine. As I was spinning the machine suddenly the Asian slot girl started slapping my wrist violently. "Get off machine. Get off machine. Casino closed." I kept spinning briefly in disbelief. That only accelerated her wrist slapping.
Okay, I got the picture. They had been jealous all week and wanted me off the machines. Meanwhile, they allowed the table games to continue. Casino closed, huh? If that had been Las Vegas they would have known I was a generous tipper and allowed me to continue. Nope, they forfeited it. I used the money to visit the top of the Space Needle instead, and eat in the fancy restaurant up there. Plus it was terrific that the Seahawks football stadium was relatively new and within walking distance of our pier.
