Picture a game of Bingo and you likely think of little old ladies playing a game for a couple of dollars in a church or retirement home. But on a cruise, Bingo is a big deal with hundreds of players at a time and literally thousands of dollars to be won.
You’ll find the game on practically any cruise you take. Before you play, however, there are a few things you’ll need to know… especially if it’s been awhile since you’ve played or you’ve never played on a cruise ship.
Will My Cruise Have Bingo?
We’ll admit that we have yet to sail every cruise line out there, but we’ve sailed a lot. If you are sailing a major line, such as Carnival or Royal Caribbean or NCL, then it’s likely to have Bingo onboard. It’s a fairly popular staple across the entire industry.
That said, we have noticed that more emphasis seems to be given to it on longer cruises (5+ days). If you sail a short cruise that doesn’t mean it won’t be offered, but we seem to notice it more on longer trips where there is more time to fill. It makes sense that a cruise of just a few days would have less time onboard (and more time in port) making it hard to fill games.
To play, just pay attention to the daily cruise planner. It will list when there are games and when you can buy cards.
Bottom line: If you’re sailing a large line and it’s a longer trip, then Bingo is almost surely going to be offered.
What Does it Cost to Play?
The first time we attended Bingo on the ship, we thought it would be free to play. In fact, it costs money to play the game, and it can be a significant amount.
Depending on the particular cruise line, the cost to play starts around $30. But you can spend as much as you want buying additional game cards. Packages are normally sold that give you multiple cards to play at once. It’s rare that you can just buy one card.
For instance, a recent NCL cruise had a $49 package as the cheapest offering, with three cards for each game played. The most expensive offer was a $79 offer with nine cards, raffle tickets, a t-shirt and more.
Royal Caribbean offered a package with three cards for $29. The highest-tier package was $69 with 12 cards for each game, plus a stuffed animal or a t-shirt.
In other words, if you’re wanting to play then expect to pony up some money. And it’s not just a few bucks.
One thing to note is generally it’s a much better value if you opt for a more expensive package. The higher priced offers have more cards per dollar spent.
How Much Can You Win?
If the price of Bingo on the ship may be a downside, the upside is that a lot of that can be returned as prizes. Yes, Bingo on a cruise awards actual cash prizes to players and the amounts can be significant.
Typically there are multiple rounds of the game played. The first rounds will have cash prizes for a few hundred dollars (the amount seems to vary based on the buy-in). The final round has the biggest prize, which can either be a large amount based on buy-ins or a guaranteed figure. We’ve seen awards of up to $5,000 in some cases.
There are usually some details associated with this, such as the grand prize has to be a Bingo within a certain number of balls drawn. Still, if you want a chance to win big without wagering an enormous amount in the casino, Bingo might be your best bet.
What Games Are Played?
In the games we’ve attended, there are normally three rounds played. The first game is a classic Bingo where you have to make a line in any direction on your card (including diagonal). The second game is normally filling the four corners of the card to get a win. Finally, the grand prize game is usually blackout, where you have to cover the entire card to get a Bingo.
Keep in mind that games can vary. Typically, we’ve seen three games and the total play time taking about 30 minutes.
Each round has it’s own color card (e.g. you use the green cards for the first round, purple for the second, etc.). After the round is over, those cards you just used are useless for the next game.
How Old Do You Have to Be to Play?
Want to bring your kid to the casino? That’s not allowed. Want to bring them to Bingo? Feel free.
Despite playing for real money, it’s no big deal to allow your kids to join in the fun. There’s no age requirement to attend the game. However, you will need to be of age (18 years old) to actually buy a card and to win money.
So sure, your kid can play along with you, but if they win you’ll need to be there to actually cash in.
How Many People Play?
The number of people playing can vary widely. It really depends on a number of factors. For instance, is it a day at sea and the weather is bad? Then expect Bingo to be more popular. Are you sailing a shorter cruise when more people are visiting ports or getting sun? The attendance will be lower.
We’ve attended games where there are hundreds in attendance and games when there are far fewer. While more people means a more “buzzing” atmosphere and bigger prizes, having fewer people should increase your odds of actually winning.
And if you happen win? Be ready to be despised by hundreds of others on the ship!
