Page 14 - November 2005 • Southern California Gaming Guide

by Anna Tennant
F or many of us, the idea of embarking on a cruise usually summons up pictures of fun and excitement at sea, visiting romantic and beautiful ports of call, colorful
and exotic locations we’ve read about or seen in photographs and lms. ese exciting images often include the glamour and thrill of playing games of chance as we sail the high seas to our chosen destinations. ose of us who have enjoyed vacations at ne casino resorts have challenged cruise lines to meet and exceed our expectations, then waited for the result.
And now the reality is living up to the dream!
Now a vacation experience that equals or surpasses a stay
at a top-notch casino resort makes cruises more attractive than they have ever been to experienced casino players and newcomers alike. I am referring to those of us who enjoy gaming in great locations that o er outstanding services, fantastic entertainment, a beautiful setting, and the thrill of a possible win — and who wouldn’t want all that?
Award-Winning Casinos at Sea
Leading the way in o ering casino player guests the best ocean-going gaming activities, pleasures, and rewards available is Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL). e NCL
“Casinos At Sea” experience consistently receives highest marks from those who have enjoyed playing slots or table games on the Norwegian Dawn and the Norwegian Spirit, according to the online site Cruise Casinos (www.cruise- casinos.com). Add NCL’s Freestyle Cruising, which allows guests the freedom to choose the details of their cruise experience, and the combination is unbeatable.
When I recently joined the U.S. inaugural cruise of the Norwegian Jewel, the newly launched agship of the NCL eet on a fall cruise of New England and the Maritime provinces of Canada, I heard new and return visitors alike enthusiastically praise the service, the setting, the many choices available, and the attention they received
both as guests and players. Many individuals and couples I met onboard were veteran NCL cruise-goers to various exciting destinations like the Mexican Riviera, Alaska, the Bahamas, the Caribbean, Hawaii, and South America, to mention only a few. ey have also been regular players in NCL’s casinos, some as many as a dozen times. It wasn’t unusual to hear of people taking back-to-back or multiple cruises with NCL, playing regularly and enjoying the slots and tables each time they came onboard.
My rst time at the Norwegian Jewel’s glamorous circus- themed Jewel Club Casino, it was easy to see why people love the NCL gaming experience.
“We value all our guests very highly, whether they are rst- time players or regular visitors,” said Dana Leibovitz, NCL Senior Vice President of Casinos. All sta members on the casino oor and behind the scenes dedicate themselves to ensuring that guests’ time at the slots and the tables is entertaining, pleasant, and positive in all aspects.
I learned right away from the casino hosts that the rst time you visit the Jewel Club or other NCL eet casinos you are invited to join the Casinos at Sea Players Club program, free to everyone who chooses to play. Unique to all ships of the NCL eet with onboard casinos, the Casinos at Sea Players Club is a signi cant factor in making the NCL ocean- going gaming experience equal to and even better than the best and most popular land-based casinos.“ ere’s no other program like it,” one guest who’d been on over twenty cruises told me. Well over half of the trips he and his wife had taken had been with NCL, enjoying the chance to play and win.
Members of the Casinos at Sea Players Club can advance through several levels of participation and privileges based on play. Once you earn points, or NCL “$eabucks” at slots and table games, you can redeem them for onboard purchases, shipboard account discounts, reduced rates on
future cruises, and other comps, which can be signi cant if you are a consistent player. e choice of rewards is totally yours, determined by your play.
The Newest Slots and Thrilling Table Games!
e selection of gaming experiences on the agship Norwegian Jewel includes nearly 200 of the newest slot machines, some with links to onboard progressives and others with hyperlinked connections to slot machines on other NCL ships. During the cruise, the eet-wide Cash Connection progressive was o ering a payo jackpot of well over $100,000! Some slot machines on NCL ships post a 95% or greater payback, certi ed by the independent agency, Strictly Slots. at’s at least ve percent greater than the cruise industry average!
T
$400 million beautiful Norwegian Star has 10 fantastic restaurants, 13 bars and lounges, a world-class spa and indoor lap pool, a pool deck with water slides, and a gorgeous array of staterooms and suites — over two- thirds feature a private balcony or ocean view!
e Norwegian Star’s Star Club Casino o ers the latest slots, Blackjack, Mini Baccarrat, Roulette, Craps, Pai Gow, and other table games.
e Star is built for Freestyle Cruising — the Norwegian Cruise Lines innovation that translates to a casually elegant voyage with none of the traditional cruise restrictions like assigned tables, dinner seatings and formal dress. is is a fun, exciting cruise, perfect for a couple, singles, and families. And what a fabulous holiday gift a Mexican Riviera cruise on the Norwegian Star would be!
Page 14
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
November 2005
he exciting eight-day round-trip cruise departs from Los Angeles and visits Acapulco, Zihuatanejo/
Ixtapa, Puerto Vallarta, and Cabo San Lucas. e