Bingo?

[SL6827]

Current cost of Bingo? Do you like to play? Worth it to try at least once?

 

[Marthasor]

I don't know current cost as I haven't sailed in two years, but it's not cheap. It's fun! If you want to try it, I would go to the final bingo (and get there early because it fills up fast!). The payouts are bigger in the final bingo round. And you must learn the phrase, "Shake it up Betty!"

 

[reluctantredhead]

We were on a HOTHS cruise on the Wish at the end of September. I took a photo of the price sheet so I know these were correct on my sailing. Prices were:

24 card handset -- $40
48 card handset -- $50
"Family Pack" (2x24 card handset + a "free" 3-card paper pack folder) -- $60
"Mega Family Pack" (2x48 card handset + a "free 3-card paper pack folder) -- $80
One 3-card paper pack folder -- $25
They also had one option covered up...I think maybe it sold out??

We only played once -- on the final night for the big jackpot (I think it was up to $10,000 or something like that). It was expensive, but the cast members made it really fun. Would I make it a regular activity? For me, no, because I tend to be reluctant to spend money on these kinds of things. But I would definitely consider doing it again (especially on a final bingo night), and I'm glad we experienced it. It was really fun watching the winners -- at our game, kids one twice (well, officially their parents did), and they were so excited! No one won the big $10,000+ jackpot, but the top winner won several hundred dollars -- somewhere in the $500-800ish range I think.

 

[Girl of the South]

Tried it once on my last cruise. $50. I would not do it again.

 

[imbelle]

I tried it once when my sister wanted to do it. It was around $80 apiece (we did the tablet device that self checks the numbers). No one won the big jackpot. Not my thing, feel no need to do it again.

 

[Girl of the South]

They don’t tell you ahead of time that it’s possible that no one may win the jackpot. Happened when I played as well. Seems like a bait & switch although I guess I don’t understand the game.

 

[DCLMP]

It's the DCL casino. It's expensive, but people line up to hand over their money every time it's offered.

 

[PsylockeSmythe]

We only played once -- on the final night for the big jackpot (I think it was up to $10,000 or something like that).

No one won the big $10,000+ jackpot, but the top winner won several hundred dollars -- somewhere in the $500-800ish range I think.

If it is the last bingo drawing of the cruise, then they have to pay out jackpot to someone, so someone, should have won the final jackpot. On our 4 previous cruises, the final bingo session jackpot (game 4 of the session) has been anywhere from $5K to $13K and someone has always won that amount. It is one of the reasons why the final bingo session of the cruise has more players than any of the other sessions, since they have to pay out the jackpot.

Psy

 

[hardcorestitch]

It's the DCL casino. It's expensive, but people line up to hand over their money every time it's offered.

Disney doesn’t technically have a casino.

 

[Girl of the South]

“Cruise Bingo” has different rules concerning the final BIG jackpot.

“The grand prize usually requires getting bingo within a certain number of calls. It’s 45 numbers on Carnival, challenging but not impossible.”

That’s what happened when I played. “BINGO” didn’t happen within the needed number of “calls”. .

Cruise Bingo

 

[DCLMP]

Disney doesn’t technically have a casino.

Thank for letting me know?

 

[SL6827]

Ya, it would be for a fun aspect really. Might play just once. But I know better than too fork over a large sum of money for such. What times of the day do they generally have Bingo?

 

[dreamer17555]

If it is the last bingo drawing of the cruise, then they have to pay out jackpot to someone, so someone, should have won the final jackpot. On our 4 previous cruises, the final bingo session jackpot (game 4 of the session) has been anywhere from $5K to $13K and someone has always won that amount. It is one of the reasons why the final bingo session of the cruise has more players than any of the other sessions, since they have to pay out the jackpot.

Psy

No, they do not have to pay out the final jackpot amount if it's not done in so many numbers called. However they do keep playing until somebody gets bingo but they just do not get nearly as much money as the big advertised 5K or 10 K jackpot. It's normally under 1k. Somewhere around $600-$800 typically

 

[SL6827]

Is it possibly rigged?

 

[dreamer17555]

Is it possibly rigged?

I'm quite certain that DCL would not risk any sort of lawsuit by rigging anything. It's just the luck of the draw. We've been on cruises where somebody has gotten the big jackpot for final bingo on the last bingo of the cruise and we have been on ones where it did not get called in a certain set of numbers, but somebody eventually did win but the smaller amount.

I think bingo itself is a lot of fun on DCL with the entertainment host really keeping it lively, but I mostly play to enjoy and assume I will not win. I realize that even if I do win, I'm not likely to have won much after taking into account the amount spent on playing bingo.

 

[PsylockeSmythe]

No, they do not have to pay out the final jackpot amount if it's not done in so many numbers called. However they do keep playing until somebody gets bingo but they just do not get nearly as much money as the big advertised 5K or 10 K jackpot. It's normally under 1k. Somewhere around $600-$800 typically

That has not been the case on any of our previous 4 cruises. The final bingo session of the cruise has paid out the progressive jackpot each time and none of the winners won in the under the so many numbers called. At least 1/4to 1/3 of the room was standing when someone got bingo. That is not the case when you need to win within so many numbers being drawn. On our last cruise the someone won close to $8K, our 10 day Med cruise, the payout was over $12K and that person who won commented that they can now pay off their bar tab.

It is true on the other bingo sessions that you need to have bingo within so many numbers to win on the 4th game of the session to win the jackpot, but not the last bingo session of the cruise.

Psy

 

[jtkboston]

It is true on the other bingo sessions that you need to have bingo within so many numbers to win on the 4th game of the session to win the jackpot, but not the last bingo session of the cruise.

It must vary by cruise, either by ship or length of cruise. Within the past 3 years, I've seen the last bingo handled both ways: final jackpot paid no matter how many calls, and final jackpot only within some number of calls.

 

[awrites]

It must vary by cruise, either by ship or length of cruise. Within the past 3 years, I've seen the last bingo handled both ways: final jackpot paid no matter how many calls, and final jackpot only within some number of calls.

I wonder if the ship being in port or at sea might also make a difference? (At least, I thought it also ran on port days, but honestly I could be wrong; haven't done bingo on Disney in over a decade)

 

[reluctantredhead]

No, they do not have to pay out the final jackpot amount if it's not done in so many numbers called. However they do keep playing until somebody gets bingo but they just do not get nearly as much money as the big advertised 5K or 10 K jackpot. It's normally under 1k. Somewhere around $600-$800 typically

Yes, this is exactly what happened on my cruise. The cast member running the session said from the beginning of the final jackpot game that to win the $10,000 jackpot, the winner would have to get "bingo" within a certain amount of numbers called. This did not happen, so the jackpot amount dropped down to the amount that dreamer17555 said -- somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 to $800ish dollars. I can't speak to what has happened on other cruises, but this is what happened on my 4 night HOTHS cruise on the Wish less than a month ago. The room was packed, BTW, and the crew shouted out lots of "regular players," so if something was amiss or deviating from the norm, perhaps one of these "regulars" would've called it out. Most of the people there seemed very familiar with the rules and the schtick and the "call and response" type things the cast members had going on to make it fun, and my husband and I definitely felt like newbies.

We were surprised when they announced that the winner had to get Bingo within a certain number of numbers called (having never played before), and we joked to each other that we might not have played had we known that...but it honestly was a fun way to end the cruise, and we chose to play to "try everything" (that song was stuck in my head the entire cruise, haha). Again, for me it's not something I'm gonna play multiple times on every cruise, but if a family member wanted to do it once I'd happily go along with it.

ETA: With so many different experiences re: how/whether the final jackpot is paid out, perhaps those interested can inquire about this with the cast member selling the cards/handsets so there's no misunderstanding or disappointment. For us it didn't really matter...we were just playing for fun and to have the experience...but for others that final pot might matter greatly.

 

[DsneyDude1]

Yes, this is exactly what happened on my cruise. The cast member running the session said from the beginning of the final jackpot game that to win the $10,000 jackpot, the winner would have to get "bingo" within a certain amount of numbers called. This did not happen, so the jackpot amount dropped down to the amount that dreamer17555 said -- somewhere in the neighborhood of $500 to $800ish dollars. I can't speak to what has happened on other cruises, but this is what happened on my 4 night HOTHS cruise on the Wish less than a month ago. The room was packed, BTW, and the crew shouted out lots of "regular players," so if something was amiss or deviating from the norm, perhaps one of these "regulars" would've called it out. Most of the people there seemed very familiar with the rules and the schtick and the "call and response" type things the cast members had going on to make it fun, and my husband and I definitely felt like newbies.

We were surprised when they announced that the winner had to get Bingo within a certain number of numbers called (having never played before), and we joked to each other that we might not have played had we known that...but it honestly was a fun way to end the cruise, and we chose to play to "try everything" (that song was stuck in my head the entire cruise, haha). Again, for me it's not something I'm gonna play multiple times on every cruise, but if a family member wanted to do it once I'd happily go along with it.

ETA: With so many different experiences re: how/whether the final jackpot is paid out, perhaps those interested can inquire about this with the cast member selling the cards/handsets so there's no misunderstanding or disappointment. For us it didn't really matter...we were just playing for fun and to have the experience...but for others that final pot might matter greatly.

We were on the Treasure in September. They definitely "roll" the jackpots not paid out in the earlier games into the last jackpot. On our cruise, someone from NJ won 11K in that game. But don't expect the games earlier in the week advertising 5K & and 10K jackpots to be paid out. It has to be done in 46 numbers or less. The average full card ends up with 55-60 numbers called. Also, with the computerized tablets and manual cards, the cast members input your serial numbers when you buy them. The computer knows whether or not 46 numbers has been called and what is needed. So I wouldn't call it "fixed". But manipulated for the last big jackpot where all the costs are significantly the higher than earlier in the week. For the person that asked....there are generally 2 sessions a day. Usually 10 & 3 or so.