FranciscoFamily

1 hour ago, ngrund said:

You can buy OBC on their website with the credit card, (don't use points) and it will be refundable. I recently did this to get an AMEX cash back offer fulfilled.

 

You don't need to and really shouldn't do that.

 

Just charge whatever onboard, pay final bill with the NCL card, then, after you get home and the next statement and earn those last points trade them in for cash or statement credit.

I understand the point everyone is making and why it is smart to do it thst way. Thank you all for the info.

 question on redeeming points for statement credit...can you do that whenever you want? What are the details?

For example, can I use the credit card to buy on board credit and then immediately redeem my previously earned points for statement credit? I know I would not yet have the pints foe that day's purchase

1 hour ago, slidemaster5 said:

 

You never want to use points to buy anything NCL related - redeem points as cash back. 

 

Example: Say you go on a cruise and have an on-board balance of $1000. You also have $1000 worth in points. You don't want to use the points to pay your balance. Instead, you pay the $1000 with the NCL card and then use the points as cash back to pay off the $1000 you just charged. That way you get points on the $1000 you just spent which is worth at least $30-$50. 

Um, didn't know I could get cash back.

Is it paid at the same rate as onboard credit?
Example...say I have $500 that could be used towards onboard credit, are you saying I could alternatively get back $500 in actual cash? like a check/direct deposit?  Or is it a statement credit? I have searched the terms and conditions and I see it says "cash" is a reward but does not give any details

Also, although this gives me more info which I appreciate, it does not answer my question regarding if I DID use the points for onboard credit, would it be refundable if I did not spend it all?

Perhaps a silly question, but here it is:

If I buy onboard credit with my credit card points and then don't spend it all, is it refundable?

6 hours ago, ngrund said:

Are you planning to just cash in the points or are you trying to get enough points for the cabin upgrade-if looking to get the upgrade, the earlier you get those points the better for cabin availability.

 

Lastly, if you intend to use the card for other spend, the earlier you get it, the more points you can earn sooner.

Just planning to use anything earned for spending money on the cruise.  

I understand that upgrades are another way to use the money with a higher return percentage but that is not my goal for this trip.

2 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

You may want to check some of the recent posts on the thread dedicated to the subject of the NCL Master Card. That thread is pinned near the top of the first page of this NCL forum.  There have been some recent posts there about a temporary offer of 25,000 bonus points.  I'm not sure if that offer is still current, but it has been made several previous times. 

Thank you!

My last question on the topic and then I will make my decision, thanks for all the feedback!

Here's the question, are there ever promotional opportunities to get a better bonus than the 20,000 points if you spend $1000 in 90 days?  I know sometimes cards run specials if someone refers you or other types of promotions, just thought I would check and see if there's any better deals out there for this specific card than what google finds...which is the same thing as on the ncl website

1 hour ago, hallux said:

You're right, there is no incentive to use it as OBC.  Actually, there is if your sole purpose is to get the credit for a single cruise.  The sign up bonus is your incentive - get the card, spend the required amount to get the bonus, request that your points be applied to OBC for your cruise.  Your $1,000 spend to get the bonus gets you points worth $20,000 of spending on non-NCL purchases.

 I was looking at it again last night and thinking about it this way, lol!  I think we might do it!

Thanks for all the responses.

If the points earned is just 1% on most purchases and no incentive to use it as onboard credit then it may not be worth it.

We would not be doing this in hopes of earning future upgrades and cruises, the sole purpose would be to accumulate $$ for onboard credit for sept 2025.  We'll give it some more thought

We've already booked an NCL cruise(our first one with NCL) for September 2025.  I was wondering if there would be any benefit to getting the NCL credit card to build up any kind of rewards or points between now and the cruise? So not to use on future cruises but to be used onboard the Sept 2025 cruise that we have already booked. I don't even know how rewards are redeemed or if there is even anything to be used onboard, I was hoping there were ways to earn points that could be used as onboard credit. Thoughts?

Were masks required onboard?  If so, in what areas?  Do you know if they sailed "full" or with reduced capacity?  Did it seem crowded anywhere?

On 8/7/2021 at 8:00 AM, ChipLondon said:

anybody booking VV will receive a lot of information,  it is important to read the messages/emails and understand the ability to book restaurants and shows before you even board the ship. Arrange your own schedule around activities and shows.

 

When does one receive this information?  I've booked and all I've received is a "you are booked" email.  Nothing more.  My cruise is in October.

1 hour ago, TeaBag said:

With the new procedure of getting your room keys outside the door of your room and being able to offload your carry-ons, as soon as you board (way before the 1:30 rooms ready announcement), 

Is this available on the Eclipse?

7 hours ago, Northern Aurora said:

The Aqua Spa Cafe is another embarkation day option. 

 

Is this a free place or is there a fee?

I am saddened by all the food that is NOT included onboard.  I am used to Disney and there is free food everywhere!

13 hours ago, chemmo said:

 

Sushi can be a nice relaxing venue to start your vacation. As it has an a la carte menu it can be good and not expensive if you only want a light lunch...

 

The poolside grill area can be great if you want to board and immediately enjoy the sun.

 

 

We are on Eclipse.

There is a charge for sushi I guess?

No charge for poolside grill?

What are the hours on these places(not on embarkation day, just in general)

This may be a silly question but I was just reading about how suite passengers have a lunch on embarkation day and it made me wonder....the rest of us, non suite not elite just regular cruisers....there is lunch provided for us as well, right?  Is it the buffet or are there other choices as well?

I've seen people talking about the Celebrity App which I think lists onboard activities?  Not sure what exactly it does.  But I also thought I read that you don't use the App on the Eclipse.  Is this correct?

7 hours ago, SHIP TRAVELER said:

There is an "S" class spread sheet in a sticky post at the top of the Celebrity forum.  It can be searched for cabin reviews.

 

Follow up to an earlier reply on this thread.  We are on your cruise and did change from an inside to a veranda on the recent

price drop.  We were able to pick a nice cabin by up grading instead of making a move up bid.  That said we also put in

weak move up bids for a family ocean view and a sky suite.  We will most likely remain in our veranda.

Hope to meet you at the "connections" event on the cruise.

Phyllis

We also just upgraded to a verandah which is why I was wondering about the stateroom reviews.

4 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Here you go:

 

Click here to Access the Spreadsheet.

Thank you!

I thought there was a link somewhere on here to a spreadsheet with cabin reviews by cabin # and ship but I cannot find it.  Does such a thing exist?

6 minutes ago, jelayne said:

When you clicked on Manage Reservation and started to scrolled down past Flights By. Celebrity, Cruise  Planner, Shore Excursion, etc I forgot to tell you to click on the Delivery OnBoard link  OBC is one of the options in that category.  I apologize for omitting that info, rather than easing you stress seems I made it worse.

I see it!  Yay!

42 minutes ago, jelayne said:

if you go to your reservation and click on Manage Reservation then scroll down to Bin Voyage Gifts then as a selection in there you will find  the link to purchase OBC.

 :( Sadly I cannot find this either.  I click on manage reservation but there doesn't appear to be a bon voyage gifts choice.  Thanks for trying to help though, I thought we had a winner!

Thank you all for the replies but I was hoping to avoid emailing or calling the TA or celebrity.  I had hoped it was as easy as a few clicks on the website.  I assume from all your replies that that is not the case and I will need to contact my Travel agent.

I did look for an option to add to my onboard account like to purchase on board credit and did not see that as a choice.

I have to say that I find the website sorely lacking as far as the options for an existing reservation.  It is very difficult to accomplish what you set out to do.

We've got a cruise booked and I was hoping to go online and prepay my tips but I don't see a choice anywhere online.  How can I accomplish this?

1 hour ago, Fouremco said:

We never book cabins directly under an active deck area. 3116 is directly under Celebrity Central and the Entertainment Court, so noise might be a consideration. The other negative is that the view from deck 3 is quite limited compared to higher decks. Personally, I'd go for the move up bid as I think you have a pretty good chance of getting a better cabin.

Thank you for that info!  I had not even heard of celebrity Central and the entertainment Court before your post.  

3 minutes ago, phoenix_dream said:

 The other upside is that the lower you go, the less motion if that matters to you.

Is the veranda a GTY?

We have done a lot of cruising(on other lines) in the carribean and never been bothered by motion don't know if it is different on the California Coast

No, it's a move up bid.  Not sure if we want to do it or if it will be accepted even.  Just looking for pros and cons.  thanks so much for the help!  

1 minute ago, Fouremco said:

Could you give us a bit more detail, such as the prices for these two options, which ship and what itinerary. These factors certainly influence any recommendations.

I did mention that it was on the Eclipse.

It's a Pacific Coast Cruise-9 nights

$200 more for the veranda

I am not really worried about the cost, I guess just wondering how an oceanview on deck 3 would compare to a veranda anywhere else.  Is there an upside to deck 3?  A downside to deck 3?  Any reason we might not want a veranda in an unknown location?