The Palm Beach Princess Casino has a "swipe and win" game on each cruise, giving away a convertible Mustang GT, WaveRunner and a Yamaha V-Star 1300 motorcycle. The first giveaway is Nov. 22.

And they're doing something interesting in the poker room: Sharing 100 Florida lottery tickets every Saturday night. If any of the 100 tickets hit 5 of 6 or 6 of 6 -- the big money -- everyone in the poker room splits the loot. I'm not exactly sure how you qualify -- what if you're just off to the side with a beer? -- but it's a fun idea. I give them credit.

There also is a blackjack tournament the first three Thursday nights in November, with a $5,000 final. One qualifier will be chosen each tournament, with a 90 percent payback.

Poker is having a $1,000 high hand promotion on Nov. 6, a WPT satellite tournament during the day on Nov. 14 and a free $300 prize pool no buy-in tournament on Thursday evenings.

SPECIAL EVENTS:

Veteran’s Day: Veterans sail free both cruises, Nov. 11
Thanksgiving Celebration: Nov. 26, both cruises
Ladies Night: All women sail free on the evening cruise, Nov. 12. Lady voted best singer of the night will be crowned Princess Idol.

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All In Free Poker, a South Florida bar poker league, has a five-day, four-night cruise set for Jan. 12-16 on the Royal Caribbean Majesty of the Seas.

Cost is $999 for two people, including your cruise, taxes, port charges, fees & fuel surcharges, plus all food on board. Singles are $799.

All-in has set up a special private room onboard and will be running events every night that are private just to the people booking their cruises. So far they have 50 rooms booked.

Two professional players coming onboard who are going to give instructional seminars every day. Plus, there will be a private cocktail party for our group, as well as group dinner seating.

Call 954-600-9088 or go to www.allinfreepoker.com.

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The cruise ship industry reports business is down, and one theory being floated is that the slots players are preferring the on-land casinos.

And the thought is the gambling-boat market could get worse: blackjack is coming to the Indian casinos (caveat: there's the thing called a compact and ...) and that's one factor that made the cruise ships unique.

The gambling boat officials point to the economy. Just not enough disposable income floating around out there (sorry!).

So, I'm wondering. Are you cruising less because of the casinos?

To quote Gregory Lewis: Holler back.

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I like gambling.

OK, I like it more than I like to admit.

So when my husband said, "Let's go on a gambling ship to bring in the new year with some friends," I was all for it. All you can eat and gambling to boot, no need to twist my arm any further.

My level of excitement was high until I saw the ship. I'm used to grand cruise ships that sail to Mexico and the Caribbean with large casinos in them. This boat didn't come close. It looked like it was built in the 70s with a lounge decorated from that era. The food was edible, but not fantastic.

But the biggest disappointment was the casino. It was small, cramped and most of the slots didn't work, which hit me hard because I love slots.

So with the help of a friend, I played roulette for the first time. It was great! Black, red, odds, evens, all the numbers and so many choices to bet on had me hooked on the first spin of the wheel -- the white ball spinning, spinning, bouncing and landing on a number.

I didn't have to be a high roller to play, and kept within my gambling budget of $50. Did I win big? No. Do any of you have tips for winning big in roulette for those of us newbies?

I did find the one slot machine that was working and won $10. But had to call for help because the machine ran out of money when I tried to collect my winnings.

If any of you know of a gambling ship that's worth the trip, I'd like to hear from you.

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