A member writes, 'Dear Geno, my friends and I have been considering taking a poker cruise. While we are not experts in any gambling game, we play poker on occasion and we like blackjack and the slots. Can you tell us what to expect when we go on a gambling cruise? We'd also like to learn more about what we can do when we are not gambling. Thanks. Jamie W., Tempe, AZ.'
It is always nice to hear from my readers. Tempe is the home of Arizona State University and happens to be one of my favorite Arizona cities. I worked as a reporter for the Tempe Daily News briefly back in the 1980s. Tempe is also close to Wild Horse Pass and Talking Stick Casino, where I have been a regular customer.
If this is Jamie's first cruise, he and his friends are in for a treat. People don't realize how much daily pressure they are under until they take a cruise. It generally takes a couple of days at sea, sailing beneath a turquoise sky on a splendidly blue ocean, before a person can relax enough to actually appreciate the experience.
Gambling cruises are well-planned adventures that are worth every dollar you pay for the joy of cruising. The cruises I have been on generally start with a welcome aboard or stowaway party, featuring entertainment, champagne and just getting acquainted with your moving home for the next week or so.
You will meet your fellow passengers as well as the people who run the poker games and other gambling events. You will be assigned to your cabin and will meet friendly crew members who are there to see to your every need. Want to sleep on deck? No problem. They will provide sleeping bags and blankets so you can enjoy the fresh salt air and the feel of the sea water as it rushes past your ship.
Casinos generally open around noon and stay open until the wee hours. You will be able to sign up for the poker games you wish to play as well as any scheduled tournaments. The other games will include craps, roulette, slot machines, blackjack and other special table games.
Most cruise ships have several swimming pools for the guests to enjoy. And once you arrive at an island destination, small boats will be available to take you and your friends ashore so you can experience life on a tropical isle just like the natives.
Card Player Magazine where I worked as a staff writer for more than a year features cruises aboard vessels owned by Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises, Holland America, and other cruise lines. Here are a few of them scheduled in 2017 and 2018:
A SEVEN-NIGHT Greek Isles Cruise from Sunday, Aug. 13 to Sunday, Aug. 20 aboard the Royal Caribbean's Jewel of the Sea. The cruise originates in Rome, Italy, and touches such ports as Santorini, Mykonos, Athens and Katakolon. The total fee is $949 per person and does not include taxes or gratuities.
Another cruise originating in Rome is a seven-night Western Mediterranean Cruise that touches the ports of Rome, Monte Carlo, Ajaccio, Barcelona, Palma de Mallorca and Sardinia. This one will cost you $999 per person.
If you want to visit Alaska, a place I have never been, the Celebrity Cruises Celebrity Solstice leaves from Seattle, WA. on Oct. 14 on a seven-night Alaska Tracy Arm Fjord Cruise. The ship will take you to Ketchikan, Tracy Arm Fjord, Juneau, Skagway and Victoria, and the total fee is $1,069 per person.
A seven-night Western Caribbean Cruise will celebrate Card Player Cruises' 25th anniversary. The Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas will leave from Ft. Lauderdale, FL. on Saturday, Oct. 14 and sail through Saturday, Oct. 21. You will visit Labadee, Falmouth and Cozumel. This cruise features a $25,000 guaranteed poker tournament with multiple satellites and costs $919 per individual.
For those who wish to stay at sea longer, there is an 11-night Southern Caribbean Cruise Poker Tour from Monday, Dec. 4 to Friday, Dec. 15. This cruise leaves Ft. Lauderdale and visits St. John's, Castries, Bridgetown, Willemstad and Oranjestad. It features a $340 main poker event with multiple satellites and costs $1,074 per person.
On Sunday, Feb. 4, 2018, a seven-night Mexican Riviera Cruise on the Holland Amsterdam will leave from San Diego, CA. to visit Cabo San Lucas, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta. You can enjoy watching the Super Bowl and play poker for only $799 per person.
An eight-night Heartland Poker Tour Eastern Caribbean Cruise will run from Saturday, March 3, 2018 to Sunday, March 11, aboard Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Seas. The ship leaves from Ft. Lauderdale and stops at Basseterre, St. Kitts, Philipsburg, St. Maarten, San Juan, Puerto Rico and Labadee. Cost is $792 per person.
An 11-day Panama Canal Sunfarer will be at sea from April 11, 2018 to Sunday, April 22 on Holland America's Zuiderdam. It leaves Ft. Lauderdale and visits Half Moon Cay, Oranjestad, Willemstad, Cartagena, Panama Canal Cristobal, Gatun Lake, Colon and Puerto Limon. Cost is $1,144 per person.
A seven-night Western Caribbean Cruise will run from Sunday, May 13, 2018 to Sunday, May 20 on the Royal Caribbean's Liberty of the Seas. This cruise sails from Galveston, TX and stops in Cozumel, George Town and Falmouth. Cost is $569 per person.
For information and to make reservations, call 888 999 4880. Tell them you heard about their cruises on LatestCasinoBonuses and LatestPokerBonuses.com. Remember that only passengers booked by Card Player Cruises are permitted to play in the poker room. Good sailing and good playing.