Shipboard Credit?

[Saga Ruby]

My first SS cruise will be a repo next year. I have been sailing the oceans blue since 1957 and look forward to what I hope will be an equivalent experience to the late, lamented Royal Viking.

 

Back in the day, in trivia games or bingo or shuffleboard, we were awarded prizes like lovely leather bookmarks, RVL drinks glasses, a gold charm with the RVL sea-eagle logo. I'm aware that shipboard credit is accrued nowadays and can be used to buy a sweatshirt or other prizes but would like information about the system used to accrue credits.

 

Are the points awarded for expenditures on shore excursions, in onboard games, the casino? Are points awarded for buying from the ship's gift shop, photographer, spa?

 

Thanks for any information.

 

Ruby

[Saga Ruby]

With over 70 views and no answers, I shall assume that shipboard credit is put onto individual accounts by travel agents in recognition of a booking. One post mentioned a "hefty" onboard credit, enough to pay for a shore excursion, which is certainly larger than points toward a cap or tee.

 

Carry on.

 

Ruby

[unfathomable]

Cruise points -- slips of paper -- are awarded for winning onboard competitions. On the last afternoon of the trip, there is an opportunity to exchange them for bookmarks, coasters, T shirts etc. You need to be a keen collector to get a big prize like a T shirt.

 

Cruise credit is different, mainly a booking incentive, sometime from SS and sometimes from your TA.

[Silver Spectre]

Cruise points -- slips of paper -- are awarded for winning onboard competitions. On the last afternoon of the trip, there is an opportunity to exchange them for bookmarks, coasters, T shirts etc. You need to be a keen collector to get a big prize like a T shirt.

 

Cruise credit is different, mainly a booking incentive, sometime from SS and sometimes from your TA.

 

'Points for Prizes' as noted above can be obtained for playing Team Trivia, usually 3 per player for winning, 2 for coming scecond or 1 for third, unless its Fernando officiating, in which case everyone gets at least one point.

 

If you are that bored, the most effective way to win points is to play bingo. I seem to remember that the winner gets 25 points.

 

And, if you have nice bridge directors you can sometimes get 25 points for winning the overall duplicate.

[Saga Ruby]

Thanks to both of you for this information. It clarifies the confusion I had of using points versus credit for a shore excursion.

 

I'm afraid I won't be getting prizes onboard. I like to be out and about most of the time, mostly holding down a deck chair with a firm grasp on my Kindle.

 

Again, many thanks for the comments.

 

Ruby

[Keith1010]

Ruby I had mentioned ship board credit. On our Alaska Cruise last year we received a good amount of shipboard credit from both Silversea and our Travel Consortium for bookng the cruise.

 

Keith

[Saga Ruby]

Ruby I had mentioned ship board credit. On our Alaska Cruise last year we received a good amount of shipboard credit from both Silversea and our Travel Consortium for booking the cruise.Keith

 

Thanks, Keith. The clouds have parted, the sun is shining, and now I understand what "the deal" is. I need to pay better attention to the individual concepts of points versus credit onboard the ships.

 

Gosh - "Travel Consortium" - what an intriguing phrase. I'm thinkin' James Bond or Daniel Silva.

 

Ruby

[Keith1010]

Ruby,

 

Travel consortiums refer to ones such as Virtuoso, Ensemble, Signature, American Express and other large consortiums. Some TA's belong to one of these. Because the consortiums do a lot of business with various cruise lines many times they are able to pass on some benefits to their clients that a TA who is part of a small independent agency could not pass on. They can also add some other value added benefits. We have found this to be benefiicial for us, particularly on saiilngs with the luxury cruise lines.

 

Keith