Seriously? Can't use OBC for tips?

[mpk218]

Thanks ...that should answer the question....we'll see.....:rolleyes:

 

 

Dont count on it , this ones not dead yet :p

[RichNY]

Dont count on it , this ones not dead yet :p

 

Thats why I used the ..:rolleyes::rolleyes::rolleyes:

[Planer's Edge]

Thanks ...that should answer the question....we'll see.....:rolleyes:

 

I guess it does not answer the question. :rolleyes:

 

Here is my question and answer lly aboard a ship implementing corporate policy.

 

First, my question:

 

From: JOHN ________

Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 3:25 PM

To: Dawn, Hotel Director

Subject: Serious question

 

Hi Hugo,

 

Can on board credit (OBC) be used to pay Onboard Service Charges ($12pp/day)? Here is an example:

 

Someone goes on an NCL cruise and does not have any charges to their on board account with the exception of their service charges. At the end of their 7 day cruise their account balance is $168.00. When they booked their cruise they were given $150.00 OBC as a promotion from NCL for booking. Can this $150.00 be applied towards their $168.00 account balance leaving them a balance of $18.00 to settle, or are they responsible for the whole $168.00.

 

Can I quote your response on Cruise Critic?

 

Warmest regards,

John _______

 

 

Now Hugo's response:

 

 

Hi John,

 

If it’s a non-refundable type of credit, such as a cruise reward, on board credits for small inconveniences etc..., then the credit is good for everything except service charges and casino!

And yes you can quote me!

 

Kind regards

Hugo Vanosmael | Hotel Director

Norwegian Dawn

______________

Norwegian Cruise Line®

7665 Corporate Center Drive | Miami FL 33126

 

Freestyle Cruising®

ncl.com

 

PE

 

P.S. Thanks for stopping by and adding nothing to the conversation except for a lame attempt at a "told you so".

[njhorseman]

Not correct. If all you have for on board charges is the DSC then OBC will not cover it. OBC will cover anything on your on board account except DSC.

 

PE

 

Not to be argumentative' date=' but read the first part of my post. If all you have on your on board account is DSC then your OBC will not pay off the balance. That fact comes from ship's personnel.[/color']

 

PE

 

The Terms and Conditions for NCL's OBCs used to say they couldn't be used for the DSC. That was quietly dropped quite some time ago. You know the single most important reason why? NCL discovered its on board accounting system didn't do it that way despite what the Terms and Conditions said...the OBC was being applied as a general credit to the account, regardless of the source of the account's charges.

 

By the way, your explanation of "If all you have on your on board account is DSC, then your OBC will not pay off the balance" fails even the simplest of common sense sniff tests. Using your explanation, even the smallest of on board charges, such as $2 for a can of soda would then be enough to trigger the OBC to kick over and pay for the DSC...at that point all of your on board account would not be DSC. Using your explanation, a couple on a one week cruise having a $100 OBC who buys absolutely nothing on the ship, would be required to pay their $168 DSC out of pocket and the value of the OBC would be lost, but if the same couple spent $2 on board, their $100 OBC would be applied to their $170 in total charges, so their out of pocket payment at the end of the cruise would only be $70 ($170 less the $100 OBC).

 

I'd suggest you either misunderstood your source, or that person is misinformed.

 

PS: Reading Hugo's response which was posted while I was typing the above, I note that it is ONLY certain types of OBCs (Non refundable)that can't be applied to the DSC, not OBCs in general. As I stated above, NCL's general terms and conditions for OBCs changed long ago. The wording prohibiting their application to DSC was removed.

[johnql]

I guess it does not answer the question. :rolleyes:

 

Here is my question and answer lly aboard a ship implementing corporate policy.

 

First' date=' my question:[/color']

 

From: JOHN ________

Sent: Tuesday, November 16, 2010 3:25 PM

To: Dawn, Hotel Director

Subject: Serious question

 

Hi Hugo,

 

Can on board credit (OBC) be used to pay Onboard Service Charges ($12pp/day)? Here is an example:

 

Someone goes on an NCL cruise and does not have any charges to their on board account with the exception of their service charges. At the end of their 7 day cruise their account balance is $168.00. When they booked their cruise they were given $150.00 OBC as a promotion from NCL for booking. Can this $150.00 be applied towards their $168.00 account balance leaving them a balance of $18.00 to settle, or are they responsible for the whole $168.00.

 

Can I quote your response on Cruise Critic?

 

Warmest regards,

John _______

 

 

Now Hugo's response:

 

 

Hi John,

 

If it’s a non-refundable type of credit, such as a cruise reward, on board credits for small inconveniences etc..., then the credit is good for everything except service charges and casino!

And yes you can quote me!

 

Kind regards

Hugo Vanosmael | Hotel Director

Norwegian Dawn

______________

Norwegian Cruise Line®

7665 Corporate Center Drive | Miami FL 33126

 

Freestyle Cruising®

ncl.com

 

PE

 

P.S. Thanks for stopping by and adding nothing to the conversation except for a lame attempt at a "told you so".

He didn't really answer your question, "Can this $150.00 be applied towards their $168.00 account balance leaving them a balance of $18.00 to settle, or are they responsible for the whole $168.00." Why couldn't he just say "yes" or "no"?

 

Also, Hugo opened up a different can of worms by indicating that you couldn't use the OBC for casino charges. A number of CCers, including myself, have withdrawn money at the casino cage and had the charge go against OBC. So, something is not right with his answer.

 

Furthermore, why did he have to muddy the waters by bringing up "non-refundable type of credit"? In your scenario, the cruiser was given OBC as part of an NCL promotion. Is that what Hugo considers non-refundable? I'm actually more confused by his answer than I was before.

[Planer's Edge]

 

By the way, your explanation of "If all you have on your on board account is DSC, then your OBC will not pay off the balance" fails even the simplest of common sense sniff tests. Using your explanation, even the smallest of on board charges, such as $2 for a can of soda would then be enough to trigger the OBC to kick over and pay for the DSC...at that point all of your on board account would not be DSC. Using your explanation, a couple on a one week cruise having a $100 OBC who buys absolutely nothing on the ship, would be required to pay their $168 DSC out of pocket and the value of the OBC would be lost, but if the same couple spent $2 on board, their $100 OBC would be applied to their $170 in total charges, so their out of pocket payment at the end of the cruise would only be $70 ($170 less the $100 OBC).

 

Oh contraire, please read the post above yours. I am sure you will admit, my source is not misinformed or confused.;)

 

PE

[njhorseman]

Oh contraire' date=' please read the post above yours. I am sure you will admit, my source is not misinformed or confused.;)[/color']

 

PE

 

Please read my edit in red, added after I read your post.

 

I said either you misundersdtood your source or your source was misinformed. In this case it appears you misunderstood your source, or at least failed to understand the very important bit of infornmation that it is only certain OBCs that are restricted.

 

Edit: "johnql" brings up some valid points, too. (And rethinking it...maybe Hugo is misinformed...or at least not answering the question directly or completely)

[PorkChopKid]

OK, lets see how this stacks up. We're booked on Jewel for an inside cabin in Dec 2010 because the price was to low to pass. I was given $100 OBC when booking my cabin. We don't drink and are planning to NOT do any NCL excursions so here's how we see the math....

 

$168 ($24/d/couple x 7 days) -$100 OBC = $66 out of pocket to cover.

True?

[sdmike]

OK, lets see how this stacks up. We're booked on Jewel for an inside cabin in Dec 2010 because the price was to low to pass. I was given $100 OBC when booking my cabin. We don't drink and are planning to NOT do any NCL excursions so here's how we see the math....

 

$168 ($24/d/couple x 7 days) -$100 OBC = $66 out of pocket to cover.

 

True?

 

Maybe, maybe not :D

 

I would expect that's the way it works, but as you can clearly see from the discussion it's not necessarily black and white. It might depend on the source/type of OBC.

[Planer's Edge]

He didn't really answer your question, "Can this $150.00 be applied towards their $168.00 account balance leaving them a balance of $18.00 to settle, or are they responsible for the whole $168.00." Why couldn't he just say "yes" or "no"?

 

What part of "the credit is good for everything except service charges and casino! " is not answering the question?

Also, Hugo opened up a different can of worms by indicating that you couldn't use the OBC for casino charges. A number of CCers, including myself, have withdrawn money at the casino cage and had the charge go against OBC. So, something is not right with his answer.

 

How can you say that cash withdrawal in the casino went against OBC? Were there no other charges on the account?

 

Furthermore, why did he have to muddy the waters by bringing up "non-refundable type of credit"? In your scenario, the cruiser was given OBC as part of an NCL promotion. Is that what Hugo considers non-refundable? I'm actually more confused by his answer than I was before.

 

Any OBC awarded by NCL is not refundable, how is that confusing? It is use it or lose it!!

Done here. I answered OP's question with factual information backed up with an actual email from a Hotel Director aboard an NCL ship. You all can discuss the possibly permutations of what you think might happen.

 

Buh Bye.

 

PE

[johnql]

I go back to my original statement unless someone, an actual cruiser with actual first-hand experience, can tell me otherwise:

 

You can absolutely use OBC for the DSC.

 

If someone out there has had a shipboard account with no charges whatsoever (other than the DSC), I would like to hear his experience with how his account was ultimately settled. Were they able to apply the OBC to the DSC or not?

 

To me, Hugo's response was not clear-cut and did not directly answer PE's question. Why couldn't Hugo simply say, "No. In your scenario, the OBC cannot be used." That would be clear-cut.

 

Lastly, I truly believe all of this discussion is moot because I don't believe NCL's shipboard accounting is capable of separating regular charges vs. the DSC charges. That's ultimately why they ended up giving up on the restriction. I concede that it's possible that NCL's official policy is that the OBC can't be used for the DSC if there are no other charges, but I also believe that, for all practical purposes, it's never enforced. Not unlike their prohibition on soda and bottled water.

[Planer's Edge]

Further information has been sent to me. I stand corrected.

 

Hi John,

Please disregard the below, this was changed recently while I was on vacation and now all credits can be used for anything!

Kind regards

Hugo Vanosmael | Hotel Director

Norwegian Dawn

______________

Norwegian Cruise Line®

7665 Corporate Center Drive | Miami FL 33126

Freestyle Cruising®

ncl.com

PE

[salty dingo]

It really does not matter, unless you were not planning on buying anything with your onboard account the entire cruise... which is possible but very unlikely.

[erdoran]

Oops, should have read the thread first. never mind!

[RichNY]

Duplicate

[njhorseman]

Further information has been sent to me. I stand corrected.

 

 

Hi John' date=' [/font']

Please disregard the below, this was changed recently while I was on vacation and now all credits can be used for anything!

 

Kind regards

Hugo Vanosmael | Hotel Director

Norwegian Dawn

______________

Norwegian Cruise Line®

7665 Corporate Center Drive | Miami FL 33126

 

Freestyle Cruising®

ncl.com

 

PE

 

FWIW (admittedly not much) from my personal experience I remember this policy was changed long beore Hugo's most recent vacation. (I was on his last cruise on the Dawn before he took his vacation this summer.)

 

The more likely truthful answer is "Oops, I just checked with my accounting manager, and he tells me that is no longer the policy." Hugo's statement looks like corporate speak damage control.

 

Obviously, "higher-ups" do not know every little detail of what goes on in the trenches...that would be impossible.

[tallyho8]

My question is "What is a refundable OBC?"

 

I have had many different kinds of OBC in the past and they have all been non-refundable.

[alwalaska]

Think of on board credit like a gift card. Restaurants will not allow you to use the gift card to tip either. They also will not allow you to take money off the card. So NCL is not any different than any other business when it comes to gift cards/on board credit.

 

I regularly use gift cards to tip at restaurants. You simply add the amount in and sign the paper. Just like a credit card. I think I saw one coupon one time that said it did not include tips or alcohol, but that was a coupon, not a gift card.

 

I don't know if there are different types of OBCs, but when we bought our next cruise certificate, I asked if it was limited on what we could use with it. They said that is was simply a $100 on our on board account and the computer didn't know the difference between it and any other credit.

[alwalaska]

My question is "What is a refundable OBC?"

 

I have had many different kinds of OBC in the past and they have all been non-refundable.

 

Refundable OBCs can be credited back to your charge card if there is a credit balance at the end of the cruise. These are typically ones that were actually paid for, such as a gift from family or TA.

 

Non-refundable OBCs are promotional OBCs and I believe the Bank of America credit card OBCs. These are use or lose. I am not postive on the BOA ones. I would need to read the find print again.

[garycarla]

You have to remember that OBC is funny money....

I bet the true "cost" to NCL of OBC is 25% or less of the stated value.

 

This is about he most illogical thing I have read in a long time.

 

If your spend $400, and your bill is reduced by $150 OBC, then NCL gets $150 less. That is exactly 100% of the stated value.

 

Or said another way, on the last day, when I reach into my pocket and pull out $400 for the money I spent on whatever. But, then NCL says to keep $150. That is $150 in MY POCKET, not their pocket.

 

Yea, yea, there is always the argument about the markup, etc. etc. but that does not matter at all. I have $150 more in my pocket.

[A.S.]

Does NCL allow you to cash in your unused OBC at the Casino?

 

I know RCCL does with a 3% charge.

 

Thanks for any replies.

[newmexicoNita]

I regularly use gift cards to tip at restaurants. You simply add the amount in and sign the paper. Just like a credit card. I think I saw one coupon one time that said it did not include tips or alcohol, but that was a coupon, not a gift card.

 

I don't know if there are different types of OBCs, but when we bought our next cruise certificate, I asked if it was limited on what we could use with it. They said that is was simply a $100 on our on board account and the computer didn't know the difference between it and any other credit.

 

What a great idea!!

[lambs2]

We were able to use onboard credit for tips back in January 2009 as well as withdraw cash from the casino. Of course our NCL-given OBC and travel agency OBC's were intermixed with a big OBC from the refund of the fuel surcharges that were charged in 2008 when we booked our cruise. We had a huge amount of onboard credit for our 21 days (B2B cruises) on the Jade! I remember being concerned that we wouldn't be able to use all our OBC but that was not an issue and all our Daily Service Charges were paid using OBC, plus we could withdraw cash in the casino for gaming or just to use for excursions, etc.. Nowhere on our bills was there any breakdown of what OBC could be used for what expenses. What an accounting nightmare that would be onboard!:eek:

[garycarla]

As the last poster indicated, and many others have said in the past, there might be a POLICY, but in reality the system just treats an OBC as a credit. So, if nobody spent a cent on the cruise, and got their bill, it might show $168 in service charges, a $150 credit and a $18 balance.

 

Again, some powers to be debate this, but we have never seen somebody come back here to say they lost their OBC because they would not apply to the DSC.

 

Anybody with REAL LIFE experience care to share?

 

(by the way, we never have a problem as we spend hundreds at the bar anyways)

[mpk218]

OBC is a credit on the account ...Period

Can you cash out the OBC at the casino NO .. Unless (the OBC is bought through Bon Voyage gifts ie. you bought it ,your TA bought it , or santa Clause bought it) Then yes.

Its that simple...;)

 

my head hurts