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My lucky streak continues with a big win at Bingo

Itinerary, Menus, When & Where and Entertainers

I haven’t played Bingo in several cruises. But I received a single, free Bingo card from the slot pull yesterday, so I decided to stop by and check it out. Here are some of the changes I noticed – but they may not be recent since I haven’t played in a while.

The games are run out of the Casino department instead of the Hotel department and they are played in Billboard instead of the Main Stage or one of the larger venues. They will play a game with as few as 10 people with the following prizes for the four games: $50, $75, $100, and $150 (There is a progressive jackpot if you get a blackout in 50 numbers or less – the odds of that are about 1 in 200,000 )

When I checked in for the game, I looked at the various prices for the number of cards you could purchase. I was feeling pretty lucky, having just won at Texas Hold’em so I bought the Mega Value Pack for $59. This got me a tablet with eight cards for each of the four games preloaded, plus 3 hard copy cards and a scratch-off card – Wow! A $90 value they advertised. I also picked up a bingo dabber for $2.50 – I went All In!

Susana, from the activity team, stood behind the pianos and called the numbers using a tablet. The games went pretty fast as Susana was all business calling the numbers with very little banter that used to be common. During bingo on my earlier cruises each number had a little story or associated phrase (for example B-1 “The loneliest number in bingo”).

I was using a tablet in addition to paper sheets. Once they start calling the numbers, the tablet is linked via the network, and each card is marked automatically. I didn’t have to DO anything. Just stare at the screen. The hard cards require a little more effort using the dabber. Playing all four games would take about 45 minutes.

I didn’t come close on the first three games, but I was doing pretty well on the final blackout. They no longer ask anyone to stand when they get down to one number remaining, but the tablets make a sound when you get closer, so you will hear a little chime when people get down to one or two numbers. When I was down to two numbers left, a man called BINGO!, but it turned out to be a FALSE CLAIM OF BINGO. I breathed a sigh of relief, and I then hit the next two numbers, and my tablet started chirping and flashing “WINNER.” I paused to listen for someone else to claim BINGO, but it turned out I was the single winner of $150 – which they paid in cash. I am not sure I will play again, as the odds are not very good compared to other casino games, but we’ll see what happens!

Tonight was a dressy night – with no particular theme. You can see the activity list HERE with my suggested themes when the ship is silent. I suggested we dress in white tonight, and we had a few takers.

Tonight the Zuiderdam Singers and Dancers performed Classique for the second time; the first time was on 20 January. We enjoyed the show the second time as much as the first. I never mind seeing a show a second time, especially if it’s one I enjoy, like Classiqiue.

The show opens with the four Zuiderdam dancers: Alexei Hawkey, Deven Muhammad, Abigail Smith, and Kirsten Flood, dressed in glittery tuxedos, dancing to Coldplay’s hit Viva La Vida. They were joined onstage by the four Zuiderdam singers: Kiana Bell, Michael Roach, Sveva Petruzzellis, and Cole Cloutier, who sang with beautiful harmonies. They ended the show with a stirring rendition of Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody and received an enthusiastic standing ovation from the audience at the 9:30 pm show.