Victory Casino Cruises — Local services in Cape Canaveral

ICE CUBE CULT CASINO Horrible (and bizarre) policies hurt the experience

Three stars because most of the staff are nice and I've had some good times there.

I've been gambling 15 years and have been on this boat probably 100 times because there's no competition in the area. As many have mentioned, the food is terrible. Always has been. Poor selection and quality. They know this and nothing has changed in years.

Bottom line: Whoever manages this ship either doesn't care about the customer experience or is clueless about how to run a casino.

HANDPAYS FOR NO REASON

On my latest trip, I was given two handpays. Great news, right? Nope! Neither were an actual jackpot, both were annoyances unique to victory casino.

The first handpay was a $1000 win, which falls well below the $1200 jackpot threshold set by the IRS. The second time I put multiple tickets into my machine, didn't win anything, and cashed out the ticket. Since it was over $1200, that triggered another handpay. This was not a jackpot, but I had to wait several minutes again for a handpay.

This is not a huge deal, but it IS a meaningless policy just to annoy their customers. You don't have to deal with this at any other casino. I've never gotten an explanation for the $1000 "jackpot."

Then came the ice.

ICE CULT

On my latest trip, I asked for a drink with no ice. I was told that I could get the drink, but only if it had ice in it. Yes, that's right...

Drink with ice: Allowed Drink without ice: Not allowed

THEY FORCE YOU TO PUT ICE IN YOUR DRINK. LMAO. I wish I were joking. So I ordered the drink, planning to scoop out the one cube of ice they force you to accept. Whatever, it's just one cube, right? The server brings me the drink with three ice cubes in it. They knew I didn't want ice, and proceeded to load it up with ice. After trying to fish out the ice with a weak straw, I gave them the drink back.

When I confronted the food and beverage manager about how stupid this situation was, I was gaslighted and lectured about company policy. I'm the crazy one for thinking I can get a drink without ice? Cool. Got it.

Is this petty of me? Of course it is. But if you zoom out, why do I have to argue with people for 10 minutes to get a drink without ice? What are we doing here? Are they filming this? Is it a prank? This whole thing sounds like a joke, but it really happened. They really do love ice there.

Other casinos will bring the drink you request and allow you to play unbothered. Interesting concept. Unfortunately, that's not how it works at Victory, the Ice Cube Cult Casino.

RANDOM KITCHEN CLOSING

To top it off, when the casino closed, I went downstairs to eat. They had closed the kitchen without notice to players. What a fun end to my fake handpay, ice-filled day.

This is the only casino where I've felt like they're trying to get under my skin for absolutely no reason in creative ways. Fake handpays, forced ice cubes, unannounced kitchen closures... None of these alone are egregious, but they add up to hurt the experience and they are all tied to bizarre corporate policy (according to staff). Victory will do everything in their power...

Pros: It was beautiful to sail in the day time, fun thing to do for a few hours that doesn't cost a fortune (if you have some self control that is). Friendly staff. Drinks were pretty good and not too expensive. No longer smoking inside so people can actually breathe as most casinos are no longer catering to the 1% that still smoke! Food was sufficient. Kinda like cheap cruise/resort food but good for the price if you got a bundled package that includes a meal ($14+ otherwise). Clean boat. Nice sports bar.

Cons: Only ONE or 2 Drink servers on the ENTIRE ship. "Free drinks while you play"?!? We only got 1 the entire 5 hours! Even with great tips. Had to spend more money at the outdoor bar.

The "$10 game credit" never showed on my card. Even AFTER spending enough money to earn 4 points like they tell you (only after you check in). It's not a FREE $10 either. Most of my family had to spend around $40-50 to earn the credit.

I was the ONLY person to enter the "Selfie Sunday" post to enter to win a $100 credit and still NOTHING...

Bingo was a bit of a crazy thing. Waited almost an hour because when they sold us the cards, we were told the game was "starting soon". Half the guests on the ship were sleeping in the bingo/party room for an hour. Guests looked miserable /tired the entire day.... Killed the vibe. Made me sleepy too. Staff told us after bingo there would be a DJ party, but the music was no good, we wanted to dance after a few drinks but no.... We went back outside to try to find the live music, but he only plays for 40 minutes before machines open, and a few minutes after they close. I get they want people to spend as much of their hard earned money as possible, but some of us are smart and are only there to accompany family/friends that gamble and just want to enjoy the short sail, ocean breeze and eat/drink/mingle. Seating is very limited outside and in certain areas.

If you are easily sea sick, upstairs mid ship was the only place you didn't feel queezy. Even on the calm sea day we went on! I recommend bringing some zofran if you are...

Can I just say how much I love this company? This is a boutique casino that caters to all of their customers. It is the perfect additional gem located in the largest port in the US, Port Canaveral, FL. There is something here for everyone; I saw some folks comment on some imperfections, however, this is what makes this casino so unique- all the perfect imperfections. The customer service from Pete, Liam, and Jorden who assist with reservations are very polite and explain things in detail. If you have a large group, Brandy and Heather have you covered. The security and marine crew make you feel safe and are willing to assist in any situation. The cocktail waitresses clap and greet you along with some of the marine crew when you first come aboard. There are slot techs everywhere and assist you in any way possible regarding the slot machines. But holy cow! There are many slot machines available and the newest and best ones! Table games are a blast too! The table game dealers are entertaining in their own way which makes gaming so much fun. They actually take the time to teach you to play a game if you have never played it. Then they have this upbeat lady on the mic who comes on randomly and is hilarious- Kristine b or something. The player's club folks are very nice I talked to Beverly who explained the free qualifying slot play with a reservation thing. There is a gift shop on the first deck with victory swag. The food was very good and came out just in time for us to play bingo with dj neil C. The drinks are good plus bartenders and servers are fast and cater to you. It took me a few weeks to do this write up because I wanted people to know how fun this cruise really is. I suggest to bring a sweater or jacket if you plan on being outside because it can get chilly. Yes, the boat will move and rock a bit, just pop 2 bonines in the terminal before you come on the boat and you will be fine. Victory Casino takes pride in customer service and fun. We need more! And this my friends, is my...