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A Cruise Line Casino Offers Something for Everyone
For anyone looking for enjoy a casino experience while sailing the high seas, there are a wealth of cruise line casinos you can experience and not have to worry about flying to Vegas. Whether you just fancy trying your luck at slots or you're an avid poker player, or somewhere in between. A cruise line casino is able to cater for most casino gambling needs.
The options vary depending on the cruise line, with some offering more games than others. Standard on most ships are blackjack, poker, roulette and slots. But to help you pick the best line for your taste we thought we'd put a list together, with all the important information in one place.
| CRUISE LINE | GAMES | MINIMUM BETS | PENNY SLOTS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Azamara Club Cruises | Blackjack, roulette, three-card poker, slots | $3-$5 for table games; penny slots | Gaming lessons available; Age limits 18; payments in cash, onboard account or pre-approved line of credit |
| Carnival Cruise Lines | Blackjack, roulette, three-card and electronic poker, craps, bingo, slots | $5 for blackjack and craps; $1 for roulette; penny slots | Card tournaments on certain sailings; Age limit 18; payments in cash or onboard account |
| Celebrity Cruises | Blackjack, roulette, three-card and electronic poker, Texas Hold'em, craps, slots, baccarat and let it ride; number of tables and slots varies depending on the vessel | Various for table games; $5 for blackjack; penny slots | Age limit 18; 21 on Alaska sailings payments in cash or onboard account |
| Costa Cruises | Blackjack, three-card and five-card poker, fun 21, roulette, slots | $5 for card games - $3 on port days from 8-9pm and sea days from 2-6pm; $1 for roulette | Age limit; 18; payment by onboard account, cash, or line of credit established before sailing |
| Crystal Cruises | Blackjack, craps, roulette, three-card and electronic poker, Texas Hold'em, slots, mini-baccarat upon request | $5 for table games; penny slots | Age limit: 18; payment by cash or onboard account |
| Disney Cruise Line | These ships have no casinos | ||
| Holland America Line | Blackjack, roulette, craps, three-card poker, Texas Hold'em, slots | $5 for table games; $1 for roulette and Texas Hold'em; penny slots | Lottery, tournaments in slots or blackjack, free gaming lessons, Club 21, a frequent players club that pays out rewards for every game played; Age limit: 18; payments using cash, onboard account, cash advance. For slots payment is using a card registered with onboard account. |
| MSC Cruises | Blackjack, poker, roulette, chemin de fer, punto banco, trente et quarante, slots, bingo | $5-$10 for table games; penny slots | Tournaments; age limit: 18 on Mediterranean sailings and 21 on Caribbean sailings; payment by cash, credit card or onboard account |
| Norwegian Cruise Line | Blackjack, craps, roulette, let it ride, three-card poker, Texas Hold'em, pai gow poker, baccarat, slots | $5 for table games; penny slots | Tournaments in blackjack, slots and Texas Hold'em; free lessons on certain games; reward programme available; Age limit: 18; payment by cash or chips |
| Oceania Cruises | Blackjack, poker, roulette and slots | $10 for 2 blackjack tables; $25 for 1; $5 for all others | Age limit: 18; payments by cash or chips |
| Princess Cruises | Blackjack, roulette, craps, Texas Hold'em, three-card and five-card poker, let it ride, slots, bingo | $3-$5 for table games; penny slots on certain ships | Blackjack, Texas Hold'em and slot tournaments, table game lessons and a lottery; Age limits: 21, 18 in Australia or the UK, 20 in Japan; payments by onboard account or cash |
| Regent Seven Seas Cruises | Blackjack, poker, roulette, mini-craps, slots | $10 for 2 blackjack tables; $25 for 1; $5 for all others | Age limit: 18; payments by cash or chips |
| Royal Caribbean International | Blackjack, roulette, craps, poker, slots | $3-$5 for table games; penny slots | Blackjack, Texas Hold'em and slot tournaments; rewards programme; game lessons; Age limit: 18, 21 on Alaska sailings; payments by cash, onboard account or pre-approved line of credit |
| Seabourn Cruise Line | Blackjack, roulette, slots, poker on certain days | $5-$100 | Age limit:21; payments in cash, onboard account or travellers cheques |
| Silversea Cruises | Blackjack, roulette, slots | None | Gaming lessons; age limit: 18; payments by cash or cash advances |
| Windstar Cruises | Blackjack, poker, roulette, slots | $5 for table games | Age limit: 21; payments in cash |
So there you have it. A comprehensive list of the cruise ships that offer casino games. Certainly plenty of choice for anyone looking to enjoy a few games while enjoying a relaxing holiday. Some of you may have a few questions, so we'll try and answer the most common ones.
FAQs about cruise line casino
Q: Will there be high stakes tables?
A: A few cruise ships will offer truly high stakes gambling. The tables are generally limited, but certain ships, for example Royal Caribbean ships, if enough high rollers want to play the pit boss may be happy to arrange a game.
Q: Is a cruise ship casino open 24/7?
A: Cruise ship casinos are only open when the ship is out to sea or in port in a few select countries such as Bermuda and Malta. Some casinos will be closed during daylight hours, but during the night many stay open until 2 or 3am.
Q: What is the minimum age to play?
A: For most cruise ships the minimum age is 18. Certain cruise lines raise the age to 21 during certain sailings.
Q: Are drinks free in a cruise ship casino?
A: Only in casinos on ships where the drinks are always free, such as luxury lines. On most ships you'll have to pay for your drinks. However, certain ships give pit bosses the authority to buy a round for the table a couple of times a night.
Q: Is smoking allowed in the casino?
A: This depends on the cruise line.
Tips for Playing in a Cruise Ship Casino
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So, you're planning a couple weeks away, sailing on the high seas. You know there's an onboard casino and you're considering playing a hand or two. Before you head down to the casino floor, take a moment or two to read these top tips.
Casinos onboard a cruise ship are much smaller than those you'd be able to visit on land in destinations such as Las Vegas, but they usually mirror the rules and standards expected of the dealers. You'll find the latest and most popular slots and table games, including blackjack and penny video slots.
A cruise ship that also has a casino can provide vacationers with some great entertainment choices, as well as the possibility of making some money. Read and take note of the following tips and you should be able to improve the odds of winning and enjoy playing more.
Learn the rules
When you play at a land-based casino on visit one online there are plenty of choices when it comes to the games. This gives you more opportunities to ship around and find the most favourables rules for the game you'd like to play. A cruise ship casino, on the other hand, will only offer a select number of games and it's highly likely the rules will be less favourable than those you'd find in a land-based on online casino.
The History of Ships
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Up until the Renaissance, technological navigation stayed rather primitive, but this didn't hold back some civilisations from becoming sea powers. The Byzantine navy and the Vikings are a couple of examples. The design of ships started to change towards the end of the 14th century with ships such as the carrack using towers on the bow and stern. This hampered the ships stability and by the 15th century, the caravel had been designed by the Portuguese. It was based on the Arabic qarib and was able to sail closer to the wind and became more widely used. Gradually, the towers were replaced by the foreastle and sterncastle. This also allowed for another innovation, the freeing port and associated artillery. In the 16th century, these structures became widespread on galleons. Galleons included multiple decks and a versatility that allowed them to be used either as trading or war ships.
Ships in Asia were developing much the same way as in Europe. During the 15th century, China's Ming Dynasty gathered together one of the largest and most powerful naval fleets. Whereas in Japan, one of the world's first iron ships was also developed. During this time there was an increase in foreign commerce with more and more ships sailing to and coming from Arabia, India, Venetia, Persia, Egypt, Portugal and even China. Cloth and spices were traded for gold, wax and ivory.
