When you’re on vacation, your time is limited, so you need to make the most of it! For gamblers like us, relaxation and fun looks a lot more like a trip to the casino than it does the beach. Thankfully, we can have the best of both worlds by taking a cruise!
Cruises are a great option for those that like to take it easy, allowing the ship to do the navigating and all the real planning, while we jump at the chance to try our luck in the onboard casino. Of course, we can’t spend all of our time playing slots or tables, so it is important to maximize your time doing what you love!
5 Ways to Maximize Your Time in a Cruise Ship Casino
For me, maximizing my time in the casino revolves around hitting the slots when the majority of the ship is participating in other activities. Read on below to see exactly what I mean plus some of my other cruise casino tips!
Gamble During Dinner Time
Hitting the slots when most people are grabbing dinner is one of my favorite times to play. Picking slots over a traditional dinner time doesn’t mean you won’t be able to eat. There are so many options for grabbing a bite on any given cruise, play when you want to but make sure to fuel up for your next big win! You can check the hours of operation for dining outlets in your cruise schedule.
Gamble in the Morning
Inversely, gambling when you first wake up is another great option that allows you more freedom to make the casino your own. Gambling in the morning has always been one of my absolute favorite things, whether on land or sea! I enjoy waking up, grabbing a cup of coffee, and heading on out to the casino for some peaceful spinning.
When it comes to cruise ships, gambling in the morning is pretty easy because all you have to do is either walk up or down a few flights of stairs. Because I go to bed fairly early, I wake up before most people make it to the floor, which means I can snag nearly any game I have my eye on. Cruise ship casinos can get pretty full, so if you are particular about the titles you play, you probably want to schedule an early alarm clock at least one of the days.
Port Days
Although not always the case, sometimes the casino is open on port days. This means if you are more interested in trying your luck than disembarking, you’ll probably enjoy a semi-empty casino. While others are out doing what they want, you can do what you want in the air conditioned space with more available titles. You will definitely want to check with the ship’s casino team when you board to make a note of what days the casino will be open. Local laws typically dictate if the casino will be open; if the local laws prohibit the casino from opening, you will need to wait until the ship is underway once more to resume play.
Change Up Your Play
If playing for a long time is what you’re after, you may want to check out the table games that are offered on your cruise. Like land-based casinos, most onboard casinos offer a wide variety of table games including blackjack, roulette, and heads up poker variations.
Sometimes it is worth switching up your play from slots to tables to try to stick around the casino for a little longer. In my experience, I can make my entertainment budget stretch just a little farther if I switch to minimum bet on tables. This is especially true if the table is full. You will have time to relax and enjoy a soda or drink while others play their hands.
Scratch Tickets
Similar to the switch up to tables, you can buy scratch tickets in cruise ship casinos. This is a great option if you want to buy in for a set amount and take your tickets elsewhere to try your luck. I am a fan of buying $50 worth of tickets and bringing them somewhere relaxing on the ship to see what I got.
For what it’s worth, if you have a similar gambling style to myself, the hour it takes to scratch the tickets is much more friendly to my budget than what would have happened if I was in the casino for an hour. I could even argue this is the gambler’s equivalent of “girl math.”
If you haven’t already, you can sign up to join the BC Slots crew on an upcoming sailing here.
