Ocean Resort Casino: Review

The Ocean Casino and Resort, or is it the Ocean Resort and Casino? Either way, “Ocean” boasts one of the best casino hotel rooms I’ve stayed in. They are, by all accounts, the best basic rooms in Atlantic City. While Ocean is the only AC resort I’ve stayed at, I can at least attest that these rooms are going to be hard to beat.

During my first walk into Ocean, I noticed that it’s a resort that is more vertical in nature. A series of escalators guides guests to the hotel lobby, not before passing the casino floor. I like gambling, of course, but not having to traverse a crowded casino floor with luggage in tow is a nice feature. The lobby is sprawling and, at least on my visit, adequately manned to handle the expected load of guests. I never saw the line more than two parties deep.

The room’s floor to ceiling windows means you’ll never be bereft of natural light, as long as you don’t find yourself in the freakishly foggy weather as I did. It’s a pretty standard room design and layout, but it’s simple elevated. The furniture is of high quality, modern, and comfortable.

The bathrooms were spacious, equipped with a double vanity and enough lighting options to complement any of your washroom moods. I opted for a more ‘sanitary serene’ type of feel. I appreciated the separate toilet room.

I was in town on a busy weekend, so the casino was perpetually busy, especially during the Witching Hour. Despite this, I found the table limits to be reasonable considering the luxurious nature of the resort. It wasn’t difficult to find $10 craps until the early evening. Limits did tend to move up to $15 – $25 for most table games after 8 pm. I found myself with other Gamblepalooza patrons at the $25 Pai Gow table most nights, pushing and drinking the night away.

There were plenty of slots and underwhelming video poker machines. The casino’s focal point is the large William Hill sportsbook, which displaces the center casino bar. This was one slight disappointment- there was no true upscale casino cocktail bar. It’s an empty complaint because Ocean is flush with casual and upscale restaurants and bars. I just like a fancy drink to pair with my people watching and VP play.

And about those restaurants. I only spent time and money at American Cut and their casino level taco truck. I snacked on some late night apps at American Cut, but the beef that arrived at our table looked good. It’s a pretty standard hotel steakhouse. My taco truck experience was great, even though I had to share some communal seating with rival podcasters. Also, there are enough fast casual options to satisfy late night casino cravings, including Wahlburgers and some pizza by the slice.

There are a number of other amenities that make Ocean a top tier resort. Notably, the outdoor pool area is popular and the fitness center is impressive by hotel standards. Naturally, my time was mostly spent perusing various AC casinos with new and old friends, so I didn’t get the full experience.

Ocean may be the gem of the Atlantic City boardwalk. Avid gamblers likely balk at staying here simply because they’re getting comps elsewhere. But if you’re a loyalty free agent or just looking for a change, Ocean is worth considering. Further, thanks to a convenient partnership, rooms are bookable with a modest number of Hyatt points. This is one of the better ways to get in the door cheaply and establish yourself in the casino. I’m looking forward to planning another AC trip. When I do, Ocean will again be at the top of my list.