It’s a Wild Roller Coaster of a Ride, You Might As Well Learn to Enjoy The Ride – and Play The Game (Comps from CSMGR Part 3)

Part of life is about taking chances ~ sometimes you win and sometimes you lose but it’s that what makes it exciting? Honestly, I don’t know if I’ll be able to take these trips ~ the last three years have shown that life (and my knee) are pretty unpredictable but I want to give myself something to work and hope for…maybe the best is yet to come. Maybe I won’t be able to take all of them but even if it’s just one or two, that will have to be enough. I didn’t put all of this time and effort in to not at least try to make these a reality.

TLDR: Spent ~$300 (flights + misc costs, hotel booked on points) + one day in Atlantic City and Philly. Parlayed Hyatt Explorist Status (that was temporary from a Bilt Rent Day status match) to elite status with many casinos earning comped hotel nights, waived resort + parking fees and multiple free cruises! (Read how here) Then took the parlay further and used those comps to get MORE comps as you can read about here. But it wasn’t all fun and games and because I gambled (plus luck in general wasn’t on my side) and I lost out on the ONE comp I was really wanting but I have to remind myself in the end, lots of freebies = winning. 

This is a story that involves quite a bit of irony and maybe just as much hubris. The irony is that I’m not even sure I’m a cruise person (important mantra in life is know thyself and cruises don’t jive w/how I like to travel). But two important things come to mind with this: cruises are a really good way for me to explore with my knee as I can figure out what my new normal is + free (or nearly free) isn’t something I should pass up considering three years of five figures medical expenses. Make that three things: I’m keen on pushing things to the max and wanna see just how far I can push things and this might be my great travel hack to date! 

The merry go round was intense and there was so much offered that I was not able to take advantage of so many things from the comp nights at Hard Rock AC, Ocean Casino, multiple Atlantis comp stays to the Margaritaville comped cruise. 

This isn’t the conclusion of the saga but simply an update for where things currently are. As my URComped host has reminded me, the offers available are based on the play information on my URComped profile (especially uploaded offers) and that their partners are constantly sending new offers. Cruise offers change based on deals URComped receives from the cruise lines so I might yet get my Patagonia offer again 🤞

But no point in looking backwards as the future is exciting and this is what is BOOKED! Below you’ll see a brief overview of each offer and the itineraries booked can be found in the photos (I’ll probably do a separate post for each sailing since I’ll need some recommendations as this is a crazy amount of trips scheduled at once but feel free to drop some below!) 

MSC Comped cruise requires $400 refundable deposit (per MSC refund schedule/policy + will credit as OBC at time of sailing) Comped cruise AND comped taxes and port fees (will be responsible for gratuities and other add-ons) 

Important Notes:

• Booked URComped MSC cruise first then booked directly with MSC for Ocean Prime comped cruise (FYI: I received an offer for a cruise I liked more after I booked and was able to text my URComped host to have the booking changed to the new offer ~ I HAD NOT booked the Ocean cruise yet)
• Matched to MSC loyalty program and currently hold Diamond (I have seen DP that some have been upgraded to balcony rooms a week or two before sailing ~ see photo for more info for status perks) 

PRINCESS (Alaska cruise (interior) booked) $200 NON refundable deposit per person to book: will credit as OBC at time of sailing (or be charged as fee if cruise is cancelled)/whilst the cruise is free you will be responsible for taxes, port fees, daily gratuities and other add-ons). (10 day max length and I didn’t run into issues re blackout dates, surcharges for dates nor availability) 

ROYAL CARIBBEAN (cruise (ocean view) booked) $200 NON refundable deposit per person to book: will credit as OBC at time of sailing (or be charged as fee if cruise is cancelled)/whilst the cruise is free you will be responsible for taxes, port fees, daily gratuities and other add-ons). Offer made and booked through URComped

WHAT IS ON THE HORIZON – to be booked/may still book 

RESORTS WORLD (Comped stay ) 2 night w/$100 dining credit and $100 free play (Ocean Prime status bene). Will book 

Various Casinos (Comped stay ) Comped stays + free play + travel reimbursement (URComped offers). Unsure if I’ll take advantage of these ~ and have not inquired for more details for what exactly is given and what the terms of the deals are

And still holding out hope that Celebrity will come back with my comped Patagonia cruise offer and Virgin comes into the fold and offers a comp (apparently hope springs eternal)

And a bit of insight about the planning and money aspects. Seneca (or at least this quote is attributed to him) said that luck is preparation meets opportunity and I’ve been working on getting all of these things this year ~ now just working on putting the pieces together. 

First is the question of costs that I have been asked about. I have an insane spreadsheet to track costs that I’ll share once I have inputted things but I’m aiming to keep total travel costs next year to a daily average of $250. That is ALL IN (so all flights , lodging, transportation, food, excursions, magnets ~ EVERYTHING!) so comped cruises and stays will be a very big portion of making that possible. But that is not the only way that I will save money or maximize my spend!

Booking/taking all of these trips is possible because I have a TON of miles and points + will use all of the hacks that I am so passionate about sharing ~ I’ve said time and time that travel hacking is simply a way to travel better and for cheaper and I’m excited to showcase that to the max. lol but also I admit that there is the chance that if I go back to my normal traveling ways, I’ll be horrible about posting again since it’s that I’m super bored and trying to distract myself from my rehab that I’ve been so active on social media right now. But I’ll commit to doing a recap of each trip especially with a financial breakdown. 

Many, many people (especially those that cruise often) have advised that I should take into account specifically the ship and the stateroom of my comped offers. Others stated that I should go with the most expensive cruise to really get the most out of the comps aka get the most bang out of the buck. I understand both of those sentiments but for me the value of the cruises was strictly in the itineraries. 

The thing that I cared most about was where the cruises were going. I went with places that I am stoked about visiting and also the cruises that had the greatest number of places I have not been to yet. I also took into account offers from across the multiple cruise lines especially if I was limited to one cruise/line. While there might have been an itinerary I would have preferred, if it wasn’t my top choice I would go and try to get as close of a duplicate as possible on another line. Evaluating all angles and then maximizing the earnings and returns was a key part of my game.

I have also decided to not upgrade any of my staterooms (at least that’s where my current thinking is at) because I figure the money could be better spent elsewhere. While sadly no skiing atm (or maybe never) and since medical expenses have been brutal (and will continue in 2024), I need to be mindful of what I am spending. Plus I’m an “experiences” person so excursions (especially since I plan to dive as much as possible) + food will be a huge chunk of my budget. I think of the stateroom like I would consider a hotel room ~ how much time will I spend there anyways? (But I also realize that lol I’m not taking advantage of my Atlantis comped offers not only because I’ve been a number of times but because staying at Baha Mar Reserve makes it seem even less attractive so I am possibly going to eat these words?)

Has anyone done comp cruises and how was your experience? What is everyone else wanting to know?