I recently had the opportunity to take my first ever Brian Christopher cruise. While it took me a while to actually sign up to hit the seas with Brian, I wasted practically no time making it to the casino once aboard the ship. That’s because for me, and a lot of you, my favorite part about vacation is being able to test my luck and relax in the onboard casino.
Of course, even with your favorite things in your favorite place, there is a time when everyone could use a break. No matter if you’re down bad or riding a winning high, sometimes you just need to take a breather before locking in for another extended vacation gaming session.
Thankfully, cruise ships live up to their reputation of being floating cities by offering up many places to take that break without making it feel like a punishment. Read on below for some of my favorite places to reset my luck while traveling on a cruise ship and let us know where you like to reset in the comments!
The Spa
The spa has always been one of my favorite places to retreat after gambling for a while. While the spa is an additional charge (per service), I could argue that taking an hour or so to treat myself to a service is actually a better deal for my wallet than if I would stay in the casino. Depending on your gambling style and spa selection, oftentimes you can “save” money by visiting the spa for a massage, facial, haircut, or nail treatment. In my mind, I am preserving my bankroll by removing myself from the space while also treating myself to something I normally do not do.
Coffee Shop
When playing slots, I like to be caffeinated. Another great spot to both take a break and grab my favorite coffee is any one of the coffee shops that might be on your ship. Besides the obvious coffee choices, you can often find milkshakes or canned soda options. Order up your favorite drink and find a chair by a window or on the upper decks to watch the scenery of the ocean.
- My BCSlots Cruise took place on Carnival’s Jubilee. If you find yourself on this ship, or sister Excel class ships, for a Brian Christopher cruise in the future, I recommend grabbing your coffee at Emeril’s Bistro. This outlet had significantly shorter lines than the main coffee shop. Plus, they make a delicious iced caramel machinato that you can enjoy while watching the waves.
Cooking Classes
Outside of gambling, one of my favorite things to do is cook. If you also like to cook or just want to level up your skills, there are a wide variety of culinary classes offered throughout the sailing schedule. On this cruise, my friends and I signed up to take a pie baking class on one of our last sea days. We signed up for the class at the start of the cruise, fully anticipating we’d need a break from the casino towards the tail end of our adventure. In addition to the pie class, other popular options include pasta making, how to create delicious sushi, and the ever present cupcake class.
Attractions
For a lot of us, part of the fun of gambling revolves around adrenaline. We live for those highs of landing a major (or two) and feel a sense of accomplishment when an illusive bonus finally materializes. On any given cruise ship, provided they are up to today’s standards, you can find an equal adrenaline fix thanks to a variety of attractions that are now being built into ships. Depending on the specific ship you are on, this can look like carousels, bumper cars, and even rollercoasters!
- The Carnival Jubilee, along with its sister Excel class ships, features “Bolt,” a rollercoaster that wraps around the top most pieces at the top of the ship. For $15 at the time of publishing, you can elect to take a ride, which consists of two high speed laps around the course. While I do admit to wishing they gave you a few more laps for the price, it is something I recommend you do at least once to say you did! For what it’s worth, it is a blast!
Free Entertainment
Now for some free options! Every day that you’re on a cruise there are dozens if not hundreds of activities planned for guests of all ages to enjoy. These activities, while not always as high octane as Bolt, do offer plenty of opportunities to reset your gambling vibes. Each cruise calls their run down of activities different things, on Carnival it’s called Fun Times, within these schedules you can the full rundown of what is being offered for the day. There are things like trivia rounds, game shows (including Deal or No Deal), and high level productions featuring talented singers and dancers. If you think you’ll need a break or have recently hit a bad streak of luck, take a look at the lineup of the day’s upcoming activities and take a fun break!
If you haven’t already, you can sign up to join the BCSlots crew on an upcoming sailing here.
Go on virgin cruise. It’s amazing
We definitely hear great things!