En nybörjarguide: kasinon på kryssningsfartyg

Today we present a guest article

Pay n play casino without a break in play is the motto of all major venues on cruise ships. Nowadays, cruise ships are not just a means of transport but whole places with shops, restaurants, concert and cinema halls. Generally speaking, all conditions are created for entertainment and recreation.

In addition to all of the above, almost all ships, whether small or large, have a casino on board. There are plenty of slot machines on the ships and some also have gaming tables where you can try your luck at poker, blackjack and other different types of table games with a croupier. Among the cruise lines that can offer this are the following:

Norwegian Cruises
Royal Caribbean
Carnival Cruise Lines
Princess Cruises

The only exceptions are Disney and Pride of America: none of their ships have casinos.

Table of contents

Are there big casino games on cruise ships?

Not in general, but some cruise ships offer big game on occasion. It is possible on some Royal Caribbean ships and if enough people want to play a big game, the owner can organise it.

Are there blackjack or poker tournaments?

Ships with casinos on board regularly organise various tournaments. These often involve slot machines and blackjack. Most of the tournaments are buy-ins. You pay once, as if you were participating, and there is no financial cost to the competition. Sometimes you are allowed to buy in new money during poker and blackjack tournaments. This means that you can buy chips during the game. Usually, the winner is the one who buys them consistently.

Prizes are always cash, but Royal Caribbean and Texas Hold'em, for example, can give casino winners a free cruise for two. The best part is that you don't just get to have fun - you also get to play in the final of a Royal Poker tournament with a prize pool of one million Swedish kronor.

Are casinos on cruise ships open 24 hours a day?

The casinos are only open when the ship is on the high seas or in a port in a country where gambling is allowed. For example, Malta and Bermuda. Often casinos are closed during the day, even when the ship has started its journey on the water.

The gambling clubs only open in the evening and remain open until around 2-3 am. To find out the exact schedule, you can check the cruise schedule. There you will find the times of all events and the opening hours of the different facilities.

At what age can I start playing?

Only people who are 18 years or older can start gambling on cruise ships. But this threshold can vary depending on the cruise line you choose. Royal Caribbean and Regent raise the threshold to 21 years.

Advantages of playing casino games on cruise ships

Seaside casinos have several distinct advantages over land-based venues:

Openness to guests. The casino can be visited by all passengers on the ship. The main condition to participate in the games is to reach the required age;

Floating rate. This figure depends directly on the number of tickets sold for a trip across the sea. In a good season, the stakes increase and vice versa.

Educational lectures for newcomers and incentives for experienced players. Cruise ships often welcome people who are not familiar with casinos but are eager to try them. Especially for such tourists, trainings are held in which specialists tell about the rules and nuances of gambling. And for the regulars there is a reward system;

A wide range of slot machines. Slot machines have been and still are the most popular in the global gaming industry. This is why slot machines are installed on most ships.

Chips. Some cruise companies give out chips to passengers that can be used to bet on the gaming tables. These chips are completely free.

Best cruise ships with a Ruby Princess casino

The Ruby Princess was built a long time ago and started travelling in 2008. It is 290 metres long and has a capacity of 1530 cabins. In total, the liner can accommodate up to 3,672 passengers. She will make stops in ports in Canada, the United States, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. It's a fantastic thrill-seeking journey where you get to experience the vastness of the ocean and the excitement of the casino, which is sent from the vertebrae to the heels and back again.

The ship has many lounges, a swimming pool, conference room, tennis court, church, library (for those who love to read), nightclub and the famous Gatsby Casino. There you can choose from an extensive range of machines and table games, including poker.

Queen Mary Second

This ship has been operating since 2004. It is quite large, with a capacity of 3,000 passengers in 1,296 cabins. It has a length of 345 metres. Every year the ship sails from Southampton to New York and is happy to receive guests from Sweden. Here all Swedes can find their favourite slot machine or board game.