If your casino hopes rise and fall with each spin of the roulette wheel (as is the case with many European cruisers), your best bet for non-stop action at sea may well lie with Italian-based Costa -- and nowhere is this more true than on the new Costa Magica.
The Magica's Casino Sicilia (as well as the casino on its sister, the Costa Fortuna) features six -- count 'em, six -- roulette tables, compared to the two found on most cruise ships that cater to the American market.
As a result, the compact but well laid out casino -- with its 15 table games arrayed on the port side and most of the slots clustered in banks on the starboard -- only has room for four multi-deck blackjack tables, in addition to one Fun 21, two Caribbean stud poker, one three-card poker, and one craps table.
 The 172 slots offered a variety of wagering opportunities, ranging from five cents to $5. But Costa ships -- unlike the ships of other cruise lines owned by the Carnival Corp. -- are not linked to the Ocean Players Club progressive Megacash jackpot. Thus, Costa slot players this past week did not have an opportunity to try for a pre-holiday jackpot that has climbed to just under $500,000!
 All gaming play in the Casino Sicilia is overseen by 65 puppets arrayed around the perimeter, and posted at key junctures in the gaming areas, in glass display cases.
Most of the table games have a $5 minimum and $200 maximum. The casino only has one blackjack table with a $25 minimum and $500 maximum, and it seemed to draw more than the normal complement of players determined to split fives against face cards or hit 15 against dealer sixes. While this type of unconventional play (now there's a euphemism) does take something away from the game for serious players, the casino was packed well past midnight, with the action continuing one night until 5 a.m.
 The dealers on the Magica were competent and friendly (including a very personable couple from Malta, the first dealers we have encountered on a cruise ship from this tiny Mediterranean island).
No proactive effort was made on the Magica, however, to recruit new members for the Ocean Players Club. The few who introduced themselves to a host or supervisor in the Casino Sicilia were well treated, and drinks were comped for VIP players. But the impression we got was that Costa -- whose ships spend most of their time in European waters even though the Magica and Costa Mediterranea are currently wintering in the Caribbean -- still sees itself as only loosely part of the Ocean Players Club family.
For those accustomed to using their shipboard room card to draw gambling money in the casino, it is also worth noting that Costa has a $500 daily limit for casino advances -- considerably lower than most other cruise lines.
Overall, the Casino Sicilia was a fun place to play. While VIP players preapproved by the Ocean Players Club for higher stakes (up to $100 minimum-$2,000 maximum) can wager aboard the Magica above the standard table limits, we really cannot recommend the Magica if you are looking to play blackjack for serious money. But if roulette is your game, go where the Europeans go and give Costa a try.
--The Savvy Cruiser |
