[mmindal]

Does anyone have experience with Bridge Cruises that offer Gold/Red MPs? How many points can one expect to end up with after a cruise, assuming one has "average" success during the week but doesn't win repeatedly?

[jillybean]

That would depend on what the duration of the cruise is, how many times you were playing and how large the field was.
Wouldn't Gold Rush Pairs be a better bet?

[mycroft]

ACBL Tournaments page is a great resource for this. Search on "All months", Category "Regional", Type "Cruise", and you'll get all the information for completed tournaments (5 last year, 2 so far this year - new year's cruise is in both).

For example, here is the results of that new year's cruise. Note that this is a 17-day cruise, 9 days "at sea" with "nothing else" to do. It might be a bit unusual...

I'll leave it to you to determine what is "average success" for you.

[pescetom]

mycroft, on 2024-April-29, 15:02, said:

I'll leave it to you to determine what is "average success" for you.

I once went on a cruise (nominally for another card game, but it wasn't the only reason).
Biting my tongue

[jillybean]

I'd like to know how much it costs per master point to get these gold points on a cruise.
What a great business!

pescetom, on 2024-April-29, 15:26, said:

I once went on a cruise (nominally for another card game, but it wasn't the only reason).
Biting my tongue

I hope you won plenty of cash and also saw some interesting sights and got a sun tan.

[pilowsky]

Very little.
Here's a quote from a Bridge column in The Spectator.
"I recently read an amusing article about this by the Scottish novelist Alexander McCall Smith, author of the hugely popular No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. He and his wife love bridge, and some years ago took a cruise which offered classes. His wife, a 'much stronger player', chose the intermediate class. She soon realised she was out of her depth: she belonged with 'the novices'. As McCall wrote, it was 'a difficult thing to be told when one has been playing bridge regularly, every other week, for 35 years'."

[P_Marlowe]

pilowsky, on 2024-April-29, 22:31, said:

Very little.
Here's a quote from a Bridge column in The Spectator.
"I recently read an amusing article about this by the Scottish novelist Alexander McCall Smith, author of the hugely popular No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. He and his wife love bridge, and some years ago took a cruise which offered classes. His wife, a 'much stronger player', chose the intermediate class. She soon realised she was out of her depth: she belonged with 'the novices'. As McCall wrote, it was 'a difficult thing to be told when one has been playing bridge regularly, every other week, for 35 years'."

The series is great, although I stopped with the 3rd entrance.

[Tramticket]

P_Marlowe, on 2024-April-30, 00:38, said:

The series is great, although I stopped with the 3rd entrance.

The Sunday Philosophy Club series is worth a read as well.

[barmar]

jillybean, on 2024-April-29, 17:23, said:

I'd like to know how much it costs per master point to get these gold points on a cruise.
What a great business!

It's really great for the directors. They get a free (or subsidized?) cruise.

[mycroft]

...with the only issues being an hour or two of lessons a day (plus prep time, but after a while...), and directing one or two sessions a day. And maybe have to play pickup, with kitchen-table level players.

Having said that, it does "pay" more than a regular tournament, and definitely more than club games...

[pescetom]

mycroft, on 2024-May-15, 14:45, said:

...with the only issues being an hour or two of lessons a day (plus prep time, but after a while...), and directing one or two sessions a day. And maybe have to play pickup, with kitchen-table level players.

Having said that, it does "pay" more than a regular tournament, and definitely more than club games...

Trying not to be cynical or nostalgic, I imagine it works out for the Director in one way or another.

I recently spent a week as customer in a not dissimilar event, but based on land in a plush hotel in a tourist paradise.
The Director was also the Organizer and thus not only enjoying the venue, but also earning a living...
one player (very good) was on his payroll for those without a partner, no idea how close to break even point.
The payroll also covered a laid back but very competent TD (and his dog), so no complaints

[johnu]

pescetom, on 2024-May-15, 15:27, said:

Trying not to be cynical or nostalgic, I imagine it works out for the Director in one way or another.

I don't have personal experience in bridge cruises (or luxury hotels in paradise), but regular cruises can cost many thousands of dollars, and cruises arrange a lot of off ship activities that can cost several times as much as self booked ones for those who don't research. I remember looking at a poker cruise years ago, and IIRC, the table rake in cruise poker rooms was about twice what brick and mortar card rooms were charging. When you are on a cruise, you are a captive audience so the cruise ship feels free to charge their customers as much as possible.

Also, in the ACBL monthly magazine, there are usually a couple of full or nearly full page ads for bridge cruises going to various places. There is definitely money to be made.