The Points Guy: Cruise Ship Guide

Above, a cruise ship docked at Freeport, Bahamas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Up to now, I have been on three cruises in my life.

The first was with Celebrity in 2001 with my mom and daughter to Alaska. The second was with Royal Caribbean for a cruise to Key West, Florida and Havana, Cuba in 2019.

The last was two months ago (already?!) with Norwegian to the Bahamas. 

While all were enjoyable, cruising is not my favorite way to travel. I caught some viral bugs with the trips to Alaska and Cuba. I came out unscathed with the cruise to the Bahamas. Considering how many people are packed onboard, it should come as no surprise that one may catch a bug, especially in this era of COVID-19.

I prefer smaller ships (about 2,000 passengers tops) as I don't like crowds. The new mega ships may be nice with a lot of amenities, but I am not thrilled to sail with 3,000 to 5,000 people. I am perfectly satisfied with a smaller ship with good food, plenty of bars, hot tubs/swimming pools and a casino (I've come out ahead on the cruises to Cuba and Bahamas).

Above, the casino during the Key West/Havana cruise. I came
out ahead here playing roulette. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

But, if one is thinking about taking their first cruise, The Points Guy has a guide to 20 popular cruise lines. 

They begin their guide with:

Thinking about booking your first cruise? The sheer range of choices can be daunting. There are more than two dozen lines marketing to North Americans — no two alike.

The list of brands includes everything from giant companies such as Royal Caribbean and Carnival Cruise Line, which are household names, to lesser-known small-ship operators such as Windstar Cruises.

Some of the brands — Royal Caribbean, MSC Cruises and Norwegian Cruise Line, in particular — operate massive vessels that are like giant floating resorts with multiple pool areas, deck-top water parks and other over-the-top amusements. Others specialize in intimate, boutique hotel-style ships.

Some lines, such as Carnival, are aimed at a budget crowd. Others operate vessels that are as luxurious as any upscale resort found on land. A few small luxury players such as Regent Seven Seas Cruises have ships with lavish suites that'll cost you as much as $11,000 a day.

Where should you start your search for the perfect cruise for you? Below, you'll find our quick guide to some of the most popular cruise brands. As you'll see, it's not meant to be an in-depth review of the lines. It's just a short overview — enough to give you a sense of which particular cruise operator might best appeal to you.

Once you've narrowed down the choices to a few brands that you think best fit your style, do a deeper dive into them and their specific ships, their itineraries and home ports and their comparable costs (either on your own or with the help of a cruise-savvy travel agent). Note that TPG has many in-depth guides to individual lines, which you can find by clicking on our cruise line hub pages linked in each segment below.

To read more, go here. 

What Is The Age To Gamble In Las Vegas?

Above, slot machines in Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

During the cruise to the Bahamas, I did some gambling in the Norwegian Sky casino. I played roulette and ended up making $60.

Roulette has been my favorite table game. I first started playing it in Las Vegas at the "ripe old age" of 19. Yes, I was illegally playing as Nevada law stipulated that one must be at least 21 years old to play. Yes, teens do crazy things. I must have looked at least 21 as I was never questioned.

This got me thinking, What is the current age to gamble in Las Vegas?

Well, it is still 21.

According to Casino.com:

Now comes the real question: “How old do you have to be to gamble in Vegas?” Though it is a hedonist destination, there are rules. And like the rest of the United States, the rules dictate that all players must be at least 21 years old in order to play.

Each establishment that offers gambling has to get a license from The Nevada Gaming Commission. Whether it be for a handful of slots or a full-service casino, the same rules apply. Both the Commission and the Nevada Gaming Control Board fully expect license holders to adhere to the regulations and laws that have been put into place to protect the perception and integrity of the gaming industry as a whole.

Failing to adhere to those stringent rules comes with heavy penalties. Like the six-figure-fine kind of penalty. There are even some cases where an establishment can have its license revoked without measures to improve security.

For that reason, casinos and any other establishment that offers gambling is strict about the “21 or older” rule. More importantly, the casinos aren’t the only ones being governed here. Anyone caught trying to play at a casino that is underage faces penalty as well.

In Nevada, anyone gambling in a casino that is under the age of 21 faces a fine of up to $1,000 and a jail sentence of up to 6 months. At the very least, expect to sit in a jail cell for a night and be forced to stare down expensive legal bills.

There are stories of underage gamblers who have won massive jackpots only to be forced to give them up because they were underage. Vegas staff has been trained to spot a fake, which means there is an exceptional chance of getting caught.

Some states have the same 21 years of age laws and some do allow 18-year-olds to gamble. If one is in a state where you must be 21 years old to gamble, it is best not to do it for the reasons stated above.

Universal Monsters At Fire Rock Navajo Casino

Above, Bela Lugosi's Dracula slot machine. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Following Larry Lucier's physical therapy session in Gallup last evening, we headed over to Fire Rock Navajo Casino for dinner. Neither of us had been there for quite a while and we wanted to see what they had on their menu at their restaurant, Cheii's, these days.

He had fish & chips and I tried out their brisket sandwich special. Both were quite good and we found the meals to be less expensive than at the El Rancho Hotel. Another plus, they have a bar and we had Margaritas to start.

Since the majority of their clientele are Navajos, the restaurant has several lamb dishes for them to choose from. Navajos seem to favor lamb in their diets.

Above, Margaritas before dinner.

After dinner, we wandered around the casino and watched some players playing craps, blackjack and roulette. Each table game has a five dollar minimum bet rule. Neither of us played, just watched. Larry said the last time he was there, there were no table games, just slot machines. That was around 12 years ago when the casino opened. I told him that I had played roulette there a few times. I don't recall if they provided free liquor to players like Las Vegas casinos. They definitely don't provide free cigarettes as it is a non-smoking casino. The last time I saw free cigarettes at a table game was seven years ago at The Mirage in Las Vegas. 

Above, a Universal Monsters-themed slot machine. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

In the casino, I noticed some Universal Pictures monster-themed slot machines. Each featured Dracula, Frankenstein, The Mummy, Wolf Man and Bride of Frankenstein. Occasionally, a small video clip of each movie would pop up on the screen. I was wondering as the time if they were properly licensed by Universal and, by extension, the families of each monster (such as Bela G. Lugosi, Sara Karloff and Ron Chaney).

There was occasional rains coming through the Gallup area. But it stopped by the time we headed back to Jamestown. 

It Didn't Last

Above, out front today. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

We had some snow showers today, but it really didn't stick long on bare spots nor did it add to the snow left from New Year's. We did get some good flurries at times.

The temperatures were in the upper 30s, so it wasn't cold enough for the new snow to last long. Actually, while it was snowing, the old snow on the roof was melting and dripping off.

Above, the roulette set. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

Since it was a snowy day, I decided to just stay indoors and got out the new roulette set I got for Christmas from my cousin. That kept me occupied for a while. Then, later, I popped in a Star Trek movie (Star Trek: Into Darkness).

So that was the extent of my day.