Know The Ins And Outs Of A Cruise Vacation, Part 3, Put On Your Bingo Shoes

In part 2 on my series of enjoying a cruise vacation, I gave you three ideas on how to enjoy yourself that you just may not thought of. You were introduced to wine tasting, art auctions and the fitness center. In this article I want to go over another fun area while on board, that you probably see at your local church, but never bothered to stop in, and that is Bingo.

Let me ask you this, do you like Bingo? Yes, no, not sure? Doesn`t matter, if you play just one time you`ll get hooked. Most cruise lines have a daily bingo session, sometimes twice daily. During bingo there are a series of individual games each worth a cash prize, getting incrementally larger until the final game, which is fill the board and you win that week`s jackpot. If no one wins the jackpot, it grows larger for the next game and day, and so on, until the final day of the cruise (so as long as no one has won the grand prize) when they MUST give it to a winner. In other words on the final game, they will draw balls until someone wins.

It costs anywhere from $10 to $50 to play a session of bingo, depending on the cruise line, how many bingo cards you purchase and how many jackpot cards you purchase, which is usually sold separately, unless you buy a pre-made package. Bingo on the cruise ship is a great way to have some fun, enjoy a few drinks and meet new people, if you are looking for something to get away from the buffet line or the pool.

Heed this advice. If you are new to cruising and/or have never played bingo, you will want to play a session early in the week, usually your first or second day. This is when the crowds at the bingo sessions are at their smallest. It gives you a feel of how the game is run and so on. I tell you this because you will want to attend the final day when they are giving away the jackpot. I have seen jackpots as high as $7,000 given away. That could pay for the cruise you are on and the next one. Be forewarned get to the final bingo session area EARLY. The place fills up quick as you can imagine. There are so many people at final bingo, sometimes I swear they fly people in off the islands to play. You will want to get there early to grab a good seat. If you get there late, chances are you will be standing. Trust me it has nothing to do with which card you get either. I heard one lady actually say that as she was in line, that "all the good cards are gone, because I got here too late." Trust me the cruise director drawing the balls and the machine itself has no idea who has what card.

If it is within your budget, buy an extra jackpot card. They are, for obvious reasons, the most expensive of the cards. They can run $10 to $20 per card. You`ll have to be the judge as to whether it is worth paying that amount for a chance at a huge jackpot. I always partake in jackpot bingo. It is a really good time. The closest I have been to winning was two numbers away, but probably by that point everyone else in the room had two numbers left also.

Not sure how you handle pressure, but I can tell you this, on jackpot bingo on the final day and you have two numbers left, you get a bit tense, the palms start to sweat a little, and then on the next number, someone yells Bingo and crushes your dream. Just kidding obviously, but you get the point.

Want my advice? Play bingo, you will absolutely love it, even if you only play on the final day for the big jackpot.

By: Bruce A. Tucker

This article is the third part of a series of articles on choosing a cruise as your vacation. In this issue, the author specifically outlines many tips to choosing to participate in bingo on board.

About the Author:
Bruce A. Tucker is the Associate Director of Indocquent.com, an online resource that allows travel agents, cruise lines, and vacation desitnation businesses to post their products and services for sale and in 20,000 cities throughout 200 countries around the world.

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