Cruise, Play Poker And Have FUN!

Card Player Cruises (CPC), the no. 1 poker cruise company in the world, is partnering with several prominent poker tours to offer new destinations and bigger buy-in main events. In the next year and a half, you can travel to great destinations including the Caribbean, Alaska, Canada and New England, and the Holy Land and Europe on fabulous cruise ships at bargain prices. CPC is celebrating its 27th year in business with an expanded tournament schedule and great pricing to please the budgets of both novice and experienced players.

To keep up with all the bookings, CPC recently opened a new office in West Las Vegas and has expanded the staff there. Card Player recently asked owners Linda Johnson, Jan Fisher, and Mark and Tina Napolitano what are the most frequently-asked questions by potential clients; this is a sampling they gave us:

What is a poker cruise?

Linda Johnson: A poker cruise is a regular cruise, with the exception that there is a dedicated poker room that spreads a wide variety of poker tournaments and live games while the ship is at sea. Customers will find the poker room to be similar to the brick and mortar cardrooms in the United States, with a very professional staff, great poker action, and a friendly no-abuse environment.

How do rates for a poker cruise compare to standard cruise rates?

Tina Napolitano: Card Player Cruises’ rates are very competitive. We lock in group rates at least a year in advance and our rates are often quite a bit lower than the cruise line offers because if the particular date is selling well, the cruise line may raise the rates, whereas our rates stay the same until 90 days before sailing. I recommend that you book as early as possible for best selection and rates. We return our inventory three months before the sailing date and after that, we are subject to current cruise line rates for the remainder of the booking term.

What is so special about the Card Player Cruises poker experience?

Jan Fisher: We enjoy taking very good care of our clients before, during, and after the cruise. Our experienced office staff is available to answer any questions regarding your booking. We send out informational newsletters prior to the cruise and have the complete poker schedule and other pertinent information available on our website. All four owners (Mark and Tina Napolitano, Jan Fisher, and Linda Johnson) escort every cruise to make sure that customers’ needs are handled. We offer private parties, complimentary lessons, and seminars, private excursions, and concierge service. We do a huge repeat business because of our excellent customer service. Our cardroom is the friendliest cardroom you will ever find which is probably one of the reasons that about one-third of our players are female. We also offer a great spread of food and coffee, tea, and lemonade in the poker room.

Where do you find your cardroom staff members?

Mark Napolitano: We are lucky that we receive many applications for every position, so we can be very choosy. Every member of our staff must come highly recommended and possess great personal skills as well as great poker dealing skills. We also meet dealers as we travel to cardrooms all over the country and the ones who excel at their trade are asked to apply.

What is available for traveling companions to do on a poker cruise if they aren’t interested in poker?

Linda Johnson: Today’s cruise ships have a plethora of activities and all standard cruise activities are available on poker cruises. There is always a full-service casino, gym and spa, pools and Jacuzzis, trivia games, movies, quizzes, enrichment lectures, libraries, cooking classes, multiple dining opportunities, and nightly Las Vegas-style entertainment. In addition, most of the ships we use offer skating rinks, rock-climbing walls, comedy shows, Broadway shows, aqua shows, ziplines, carousels, sports courts, Shuffleboard, ping pong, and many other activities. There are always children’s and teen programs. It’s hard to be bored on a cruise ship!

Do I need to be worried about getting seasick?

Linda Johnson: Today’s ships have great stabilizers to enhance smooth sailing. In fact, on many ships, I actually have to go outside to see if we are moving. If you are extremely subject to motion sickness, you can always take Bonine or Dramamine but quite frankly, the large majority of today’s cruisers don’t have the seasick problems they used to have. I haven’t taken a seasick pill in years!

What games and tournaments can I expect to find in Card Player Cruises’ poker room?

Jan Fisher: We offer a wide variety of cash games and tournaments. Every cruise is different as we cater to the requests of our cruisers, but the most common live games we spread are $1-$3 and $2-$5 no-limit, $4-$8 and $10-$20 Omaha eight-or-better, and $2-$4, $3-$6, and $4-$8 limit hold’em. We also spread pot-limit Omaha, mixed games, and higher-limit games on request.

Our tournaments range from $80 buy-ins to $1,100 buy-ins. The higher buy-in tournaments are on cruises with specific tour partners such as HPT, Card Player Poker Tour, and the Run Good Poker Tour. We offer satellites for most of our main events with buy-ins of $275 or more. We offer both Survivor tournaments, bounty tournaments, and standard multi-table tournaments.

What are your cardroom hours?

Mark Napolitano: We open at 9 a.m. on most cruises and stay open until late at night. We close while we are in port and during first-seating dinner so customers can enjoy the cruise experience.

Is CPC able to book cruises that are not poker cruises?

Tina Napolitano: Card Player Cruises is a full-service cruise travel agency and we can book any cruise. We can usually save you money on family reunions, anniversary cruises, ladies getaways, bachelor party cruises, birthday trips, etc.

Does CPC have a referral program?

Tina Napolitano: We love paying referrals! Tell your friends, family, and people you play with at home or in the casino to use your name when they call to book a cabin with us for the first time and you will earn $50 per person. If you bring enough new players, you might even earn a free cabin!

Are your clientele mostly professional or recreational players?

Jan Fisher: I would estimate that about 90 percent of our cruisers are recreational players. That’s why we run a no-abuse, fun cardroom.

Is cruising expensive?

Mark Napolitano: A cruise is probably the cheapest vacation you will ever take. Pricing starts at about $100 per person per day, and that includes your cabin, all you can eat, and first-rate entertainment. You can’t go to Las Vegas or any destination city that inexpensively! Cruising is my favorite method of travel since I get to see multiple ports and countries while only unpacking once!

How do I book my next Card Player Cruises vacation?

Our website, www.cardplayercruises.com, contains lots of information about pricing, destinations, and general information. I recommend you check it out and then call our office toll-free at 888-999-4880 and we will help you with your booking. Don’t miss the boat! ♠