Beware Bingo! We just got off the 3 night March 19-22, 2009 sailing, and whoa! Bingo is high tech now and very expensive -- very changed since the last time we sailed on the Wonder just in February 2008.
They now have an electronic bingo machine which does everything for you for $60. It gives you the benefit of having 24 cards (equal to 4 punch-and-fold six-packs). You just watch the machine work the bingo cards, and it tells you if you have won. All you have to do is say "Bingo!" when it tells you to say Bingo. you don't touch the machines at all. They still have the punch-and-fold cards, but it is $40, and only gives you 6 chances per game (versus the electronic game which gives you 24 games). The odds are with the electronic bingo. you can get 2 six-packs for $60 -- matching the cost of the electronic machine -- but that only gives you 12 chances total, just half of the chances with an electronic machine for the same money.
As a result of all of this electronic manipulation, there are more cards in play than there would be normally (since one person could not play 4 physical cards at once, which is what the electronic game gives them the ability to do). So what is the effect? The effect is that the games go FASTER. For example, in the game of 4 corners, someone always yelled Bingo after only 4 or 5 numbers were called. It went too fast! In the old days before the electronics, it took more numbers to find a winner.
Secondly, there is no chance for error since the electronic bingo cards are always right. In the past, you might hope that someone called Bingo by mistake, but not now. No mistakes, no hope that you might still be in play.
Third, there are more multiple winners per game (because there are more cards in play than usual). So, for example, you paid $60 to play, the game is over in 5 bingo calls (about 2 minutes), there are 2 bingo winners, and they split the cash prize of $87. You spend a ton of money for a short time per game, and the winning amounts are so small, even if you have the thrill of winning, in many cases, you don't break even.
Fourth, there are only 4 games, and they don't change. The first game is a straight line, the 2nd game is four corners, the third game is a Baby X, and the last game is a large X. The full blackout is only played in the last 2 Bingo sessions on the last day. Not only do these game go too fast and are too short, at least you would think they would shake it up a little and do different patterns from game to game.
Fifth, when we first sailed, in October 2006, they had lots of cute sayings when they called the Bingo numbers. Like, 50, was "5-0, 5-0 it's off to work we go" instead of "Heigh-ho, heigh-ho." Very cute! They also gave out nice prizes randomly to the audience, like travel mugs and clocks. Now, they give out trading pins, and who they give it out to is electronically generated on the computer screen. Bah Humbug!
Leslie has been head of Bingo for 3 years now at least -- I wonder why the program has changed so much? Where are her cute Bingo expressions? Why is it so automated and expensive now?!!!
The cruise is raking in money on Bingo, and I think the fun has gone out of it. It is now more like gambling rather than a fun family activity. Although I love Bingo, next time, I'm going to skip it. It was a huge, disappointing waste, and everyone left feeling like they'd been played. Disney needs to go back to its family-friendly roots in this activity.
They now have an electronic bingo machine which does everything for you for $60. It gives you the benefit of having 24 cards (equal to 4 punch-and-fold six-packs). You just watch the machine work the bingo cards, and it tells you if you have won. All you have to do is say "Bingo!" when it tells you to say Bingo. you don't touch the machines at all. They still have the punch-and-fold cards, but it is $40, and only gives you 6 chances per game (versus the electronic game which gives you 24 games). The odds are with the electronic bingo. you can get 2 six-packs for $60 -- matching the cost of the electronic machine -- but that only gives you 12 chances total, just half of the chances with an electronic machine for the same money.
As a result of all of this electronic manipulation, there are more cards in play than there would be normally (since one person could not play 4 physical cards at once, which is what the electronic game gives them the ability to do). So what is the effect? The effect is that the games go FASTER. For example, in the game of 4 corners, someone always yelled Bingo after only 4 or 5 numbers were called. It went too fast! In the old days before the electronics, it took more numbers to find a winner.
Secondly, there is no chance for error since the electronic bingo cards are always right. In the past, you might hope that someone called Bingo by mistake, but not now. No mistakes, no hope that you might still be in play.
Third, there are more multiple winners per game (because there are more cards in play than usual). So, for example, you paid $60 to play, the game is over in 5 bingo calls (about 2 minutes), there are 2 bingo winners, and they split the cash prize of $87. You spend a ton of money for a short time per game, and the winning amounts are so small, even if you have the thrill of winning, in many cases, you don't break even.
Fourth, there are only 4 games, and they don't change. The first game is a straight line, the 2nd game is four corners, the third game is a Baby X, and the last game is a large X. The full blackout is only played in the last 2 Bingo sessions on the last day. Not only do these game go too fast and are too short, at least you would think they would shake it up a little and do different patterns from game to game.
Fifth, when we first sailed, in October 2006, they had lots of cute sayings when they called the Bingo numbers. Like, 50, was "5-0, 5-0 it's off to work we go" instead of "Heigh-ho, heigh-ho." Very cute! They also gave out nice prizes randomly to the audience, like travel mugs and clocks. Now, they give out trading pins, and who they give it out to is electronically generated on the computer screen. Bah Humbug!
Leslie has been head of Bingo for 3 years now at least -- I wonder why the program has changed so much? Where are her cute Bingo expressions? Why is it so automated and expensive now?!!!
The cruise is raking in money on Bingo, and I think the fun has gone out of it. It is now more like gambling rather than a fun family activity. Although I love Bingo, next time, I'm going to skip it. It was a huge, disappointing waste, and everyone left feeling like they'd been played. Disney needs to go back to its family-friendly roots in this activity.
And the snowball bingo was over $8,000. Unfortunately we didn't win that one. 
Well I was really looking forward to playing bingo, but not anymore.
