Sep 01, 2019 Why Becky & Jim Morgan chose Cape Canaveral. Walk to beach, huge private pool area. Middle of everything. Walk to pier, take a fishing charter out of Port Canaveral, gambling boat. Enjoy an afternoon or evening on board the best Victory Casino Cruise Lines! Cruises sail from Port Canaveral twice per day, 7 days a week. Victory’s fun and exciting atmosphere provides a great setting for friendly day of gambling and playing the slot machines, as well as enjoying on a fabulous buffet and having a couple of cocktails. Jan 15, 2018 The Tropical Breeze casino boat shuttle operating in the Gulf of Mexico caught fire on Sunday, and led to the death of one person and more than another dozen injured.
Gloria Roundy lives in Daytona Beach. But, once or twice a week, she shows up at Port Canaveral's Cruise Terminal B-2 for a day aboard the Victory I gambling ship.
'I like the people' staffing the ship, said Roundy, 68. 'They are so considerate. I love it.'
And the thrill of victory at the slot machines doesn't hurt, either. Once, she recalls, she hit big on a slot, winning $1,400 on a bet of less than $1.
It's customers like Roundy who have helped Victory Casino Cruises approach a major milestone — 1 million passengers sailing from Port Canaveral within their first four years of operating there.
The company expects to hit that number on March 21. It will have a big celebration aboard the ship that evening that will include a chance to win $10,000, an amount that was picked because it is the equivalent of 1 million pennies.
Victory Casino Cruises Chief Executive Officer Lester Bullock says the company has worked hard at 'building the brand' since its first gambling cruise from Port Canaveral in July 2011. That includes:
— Spending $2 million to $3 million a year on advertising in newspapers, on television, on radio and on billboards, among other approaches.
— Offering shuttle bus service to the port from a number of locations in Florida.
— Upgrading the food and entertainment quality on the ship.
— Carefully choosing the slot machines its customers want. Some of the more elaborate machines can cost $25,000 apiece.
— Emphasizing a personalized approach to customer service, so that, for example, people are welcomed aboard the ship by a group of staff members, then thanked for coming when they leave.
Bullock's approach to running the gambling ship is to make it a value to customers, even at $10 per ticket to board. He said his business model is successful, when other casino ship operators who offered free boarding failed, because of that $10 fee and his ability to give patrons a high-quality experience.
He's particularly proud of the slot machine offerings — the bread-and-butter of his business.
'When you see our casino floor, I'll put it up against anyone's,' Bullock said, including the land-based casinos operated by the Seminole Tribe in Florida and the casinos in Nevada.
Bullock's Port Canaveral ship has 620 slot machines, and he is looking to redesign the casino space to add 60 more.
He has analysts evaluating which slot machines are most and least popular, then adjusts the lineup to get more of the most popular machines. He also attends gaming industry trade shows every year to find out 'what's the latest and greatest.'
Other gambling options on the ship — once the ship gets the required three miles offshore — include 27 table games, including such popular casino offerings as craps, roulette and blackjack; bingo; and wagering on sports events.
He says he limits the ship's poker offerings, so as not to compete with the Melbourne Greyhound Park's Club 52 poker room. And, he added, he's not crazy about the efforts of Melbourne Greyhound Park and other land-based gambling venues to expand where slot machines can be placed.
The Victory ship has been a win for Port Canaveral, as it attracts more people to the area. Bullock said his company tracks the hometowns of its customers, and finds that about 80 percent of them come to Port Canaveral from more than 50 miles away. Bullock said Victory also has paid the port $10.4 million in passenger, parking and other fees since the ship began sailing from there.
Reaching 1 million passengers, Bullock said, 'shows that, properly delivered, this product has a place in Central Florida and Port Canaveral. People have been voting with their attendance. To see this milestone achieved means that we are keeping our guests happy and returning.'
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Average monthly attendance for the twice-a-day gambling cruises now ranges between 25,000 and 30,000 — roughly 400 to 500 per cruise. That's nearly double what it was when Victory began operating at Port Canaveral.
Bullock said Victory is 'incredibly grateful for the loyal customers we've had.'
And he says there's room to grow the operation, since the ship has a passenger capacity of 1,200. He anticipates annual growth of 20 percent to 30 percent.
Last June, Bullock expanded his reach by deploying a second gambling ship, this one at Mayport, near Jacksonville. That ship has had about 80,000 passengers in its less than nine months of operation.
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Illa Lay, 82, of Daytona Beach, like Roundy, is a regular on the Victory ship, typically gambling once or twice a week.
'This is my second family down here,' Lay said. 'It's a good place to come and have fun.'
The day cruises typically attract a more senior audience. But Bullock said the evening cruises — particularly on weekends — draw a younger crowd, and feature disc jockeys and bands geared to that audience.
Bullock says his biggest obstacle is the weather, because he has no control over low temperatures and high seas.
But it works both ways.
A big selling point for Victory now, Bullock said, is '$2 gas and 17 feet of snow' up north.
The Victory experience is 'a day on the high seas on the Atlantic Ocean,' Bullock said. 'Our market share keeps growing. We look forward to increased traffic for years to come. It's working for us.'
Contact Berman at 321-242-3649 and dberman@floridatoday.com. Follow him on Twitter @ByDaveBerman and on Facebook at facebook.com/dave.berman.54.
More on Victory I
Sailings: Twice a day from Port Canaveral's Terminal B-2, 180 Christopher Columbus Drive.
Day cruise times: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays; noon to 6 p.m. Sundays
Night cruise times: 7 p.m. to midnight Sundays through Thursdays; 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays
Admission: $10
Buffet price: $15 to $22.50, depending on the day and whether purchased in advance. Typically, more than half of the passengers buy the buffet.
Decks: Four
Gambling options: 620 slot machines, 27 live table games, bingo, sports book
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Staff level: 480 at Port Canaveral, about 420 of whom work on the ship and the rest on land. Typically, 80 to 100 people work each cruise, depending on passenger counts. (Victory also employs 220 people at Mayport, near Jacksonville, where it bases its second gambling ship.)
Age restrictions: 18 years or older to board and gamble; 21 and up to drink alcohol. Valid government identification is required.
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Drinks policy: Drinks are complimentary for those actively gaming.
Website: www.victorycasinocruises.com
Charities company supports: Includes Aging Matters, Children's Miracle Network, Debra's Journey for Life, Give Kids the World, Hope for a Single Mom, Hope4Heros (CQ) and Toys for Tots
MILLIONTH PASSENGER PARTY
When: Cruise leaves Port Canaveral at 7 p.m. March 21, returning at 1 a.m.
What's included: Open bar, late-night breakfast, music by Mean Gene and the Rainmakers, special memento gift, special signature drink, prize drawings every hour, and a chance to win $10,000 and other cash prizes.
Tickets: $30 per person (does not include dinner). The $50 tickets that include dinner are sold out.
To make a reservation: Call 855-468-4286 or go to www.victorycasinocruises.com
MORE ON SLOT MACHINES
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No coins needed: Victory I's slot machines operate with a 'ticket-in, ticket-out' system. They do not take coins.
No longer one-armed bandits: Victory's slot machines operate with the touch of a button. (For the traditionalists, a few still have the arm mechanism to give the reels a spin.)
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Most popular slot machines: The ones with the 'Wheel of Fortune' theme.