Annie, on our last Cunard cruise the Casino was abysmal hardly anyone in there, I think QM2 is probably busier because of there being more American passengers but I would say on both QE and QV the Casino is now very much like it is on P&O.
It's been deserted ever since they banned smoking on QE and QV. The old story - non-smokers said they'd use it if it wasn't for the smokers, but they haven't. FWIW, I don't smoke or gamble, but don't care what others do, unless they're spouting sanctimony.
Exactly and they said the same on P&O and no doubt the ASB on the ships which do still allow it are shouting loudly to get it banned but I'd better shut up now before I turn this into a smoking topic .. we all know where they lead too !! mind you it could turn into a tips and smoking thread if I were to ask 'how many tip the croupiers when they win' hmmm perhaps not
thanks for that meg I have now looked at this and it has confirmed what all are saying, that the casino is even smaller than before , thank you all for your advice, we will now have to take this into consideration as to whether we take this cruise.
ps I take on board all who say its a mugs game, the only reason we needed this advice was so that my son would have some small piece of entertainment on the penny slots for the evening, as he dislikes loud clapping and laughter, both of which are in great supply in the theatre. ( of course this is how it should be !). as we neither smoke, nor do we drink alcohol, the money saved from these pastimes will be used for his entertainment.
I hope you find an alternative which your son will enjoy too, I think many of us do things when on holiday that we don't normally do, I have never been in a Casino shore side and doubt I ever will but it is something I do enjoy on a ship, obviously not knowing your itinerary it's difficult to suggest an alternative but have you looked at Royal Caribbean or Celebrity both of which sail out of the UK in the summer months .. their Casino's are quite impressive and of course Cunard.
The point about the 1p slots for us is we can play for fun knowing we're not going to lose much and accepting we're not going to win a fortune either, while those who wish to gamble more can use the multiply buttons to stake and potentially win or lose more. If the minimum stake is £1 we're not playing, full stop. On our recent Aurora cruise the slots were busy, especially the few 1p ones, the tables were often deserted other than the croupier. The 1p slots may not earn much money, but they earn a lot more than a croupier twiddling their thumbs at an empty table!
I wasn't being dismissive of anyone playing the slots Merv there should and is something for everyone, my point or should I say theory is what I said previously that when smoking was allowed in the Casino it was always busy and imo very often smoking, drinking and gambling go hand in hand but of course there is always the exception to the rule not all gamblers drink and smoke.
See what you've done now I'm talking about smoking again
There didn't seem to be many playing the tables or the slots on our recent Celebrity cruise and the Casino was reasonably large .... perhaps it all comes to life after we have gone to bed
thanks for that meg I have now looked at this and it has confirmed what all are saying, that the casino is even smaller than before , thank you all for your advice, we will now have to take this into consideration as to whether we take this cruise.
ps I take on board all who say its a mugs game, the only reason we needed this advice was so that my son would have some small piece of entertainment on the penny slots for the evening, as he dislikes loud clapping and laughter, both of which are in great supply in the theatre. ( of course this is how it should be !). as we neither smoke, nor do we drink alcohol, the money saved from these pastimes will be used for his entertainment.
I hope you find an alternative which your son will enjoy too, I think many of us do things when on holiday that we don't normally do, I have never been in a Casino shore side and doubt I ever will but it is something I do enjoy on a ship, obviously not knowing your itinerary it's difficult to suggest an alternative but have you looked at Royal Caribbean or Celebrity both of which sail out of the UK in the summer months .. their Casino's are quite impressive and of course Cunard.
thanks jo we will look maybe to going on the cruise before on Ventura instead of Oriana. to be fair Oriana was not my most favourite ship anyway that's why it has been so long since we have been on her. or we might have a look at Cunard as you have said there casinos are good.
I was disappointed with the new system on Britannia, whereby the pot of tokens to feed into your chosen slot has gone, replaced with a coin-free account system. Without the (rare) tinkle of falling winnings the fun has gone for us. We never used the casino after the first night. Maybe not a fortune saved, but that's £130 we didn't spend (our limit used to be £10 per night)!
According to the P&O website, the casino on Oceana and Oriana still have the "old-fashioned" token operated slots. Can any recent cruisers confirm, please?confirm
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and no doubt the ASB on the ships which do still allow it are shouting loudly to get it banned but I'd better shut up now before I turn this into a smoking topic .. we all know where they lead too !! mind you it could turn into a tips and smoking thread if I were to ask 'how many tip the croupiers when they win' hmmm perhaps not 
, thank you all for your advice, we will now have to take this into consideration as to whether we take this cruise. 
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