Our strategy with OBCs

[edpeeks]

We just got back from the Star, 10-day cruise. It was wonderful. The one thing that CC had alerted us to however was the OBC and how Princess had or had not handled them.

 

We had $225 OBC (military, stock and TA). When at the Pursers desk we signed a form that put both of our tips onto my folio. If we had not done that my wife would have had the tips on her folio (and we would have had to pay with our AMEX). My folio, not withstanding any other charges, would have had my tips on it. That would have left over $100. OBC still on my folio. We would have lost any excess OBC. When we were told that we then made the request to have my wife's tips transferred.

We left the ship (after having a couple of tea purchases) with less than $1. OBC which we lost. You know on Carnival, any OBC that is left, they cut a check and put it in your box by your door on the last morning. It is a shame that Princess, with their 'new' system doesn't allow the same procedure.

Make sure you try the goat cheese souffle.

[cruiseron36]

I don't quite understand. If you both use the same credit card the overage is transferred at the end of the cruise. If you think you will have OBC unused just open an account at a slot machine for xx dollars and cash out.

[Toto2Kansas]

Refundable onboard credit will be refunded by Princess, but many types of onboard credits are not refundable. I don't think even Carnival refunds non-refundable shipboard credit such as Military credit or stockholder credit or TA credit (?). These credits are 'use or loose' types of credits.

So, I am a bit confused by your post about a refund OP. Are you saying that Carnival has cut you a check if you had excess stock or military credit left at the end of the cruise?

[Pia1913]

We just got back from the Star, 10-day cruise. It was wonderful. The one thing that CC had alerted us to however was the OBC and how Princess had or had not handled them.

 

We had $225 OBC (military, stock and TA). When at the Pursers desk we signed a form that put both of our tips onto my folio. If we had not done that my wife would have had the tips on her folio (and we would have had to pay with our AMEX). My folio, not withstanding any other charges, would have had my tips on it. That would have left over $100. OBC still on my folio. We would have lost any excess OBC. When we were told that we then made the request to have my wife's tips transferred.

We left the ship (after having a couple of tea purchases) with less than $1. OBC which we lost. You know on Carnival, any OBC that is left, they cut a check and put it in your box by your door on the last morning. It is a shame that Princess, with their 'new' system doesn't allow the same procedure.

Make sure you try the goat cheese souffle.

 

I need a whole lot more clarification. If you used one credit card, it shouldn't have mattered whose accounts were plus, or whose were minus. At the end they are combined.

[Toto2Kansas]

I need a whole lot more clarification. If you used one credit card, it shouldn't have mattered whose accounts were plus, or whose were minus. At the end they are combined.

Pia, it seems this isn't always happening with the combining of the shipboard accounts on the same credit card with two passengers in the same cabin. We ran into this same problem last month on the Royal, he had a credit, I had a balance. His credit was given back to the cruise line as unused, my balance was billed to my credit card. I spent an hour at the purser's desk that final morning argueing this point, they finally cut me two refund slips to my credit card, but never turned in the refund slips (that I had refund receipt copies). And I had checked my account the day before and they were showing as combined, but they changed it that final morning. Princess finally honored them though, after we got home, but it took contacting my TA, and several disagreements with Princess to straighten it out. It seems their new software system is having some definite problems, OR they have changed the rules on this one. It doesn't seem to be fleet wide, but it's being handled differently depending on the ship you are sailing on. :eek:

[Pia1913]

Pia, it seems this isn't always happening with the combining of the shipboard accounts on the same credit card with two passengers in the same cabin. We ran into this same problem last month on the Royal, he had a credit, I had a balance. His credit was given back to the cruise line as unused, my balance was billed to my credit card. I spent an hour at the purser's desk that final morning argueing this point, they finally cut me two refund slips to my credit card, but never turned in the refund slips (that I had refund receipt copies). Princess finally honored them though, after we got home, but it took contacting my TA, and several disagreements with Princess to straighten it out. It seems their new software system is having some definite problems, OR they have changed the rules on this one. It doesn't seem to be fleet wide, but it's being handled differently depending on the ship you are sailing on. :eek:

 

Bye Bye Royal. Thanks Toto. Maybe I'd better rethink my balances. No problem on the big ships with the automatic slots; little ships a problem until they change them. And we are doing both the Ocean and Pacific this year. Now I have to be proactive with my OBC. :eek:

[Toto2Kansas]

Bye Bye Royal. Thanks Toto. Maybe I'd better rethink my balances. No problem on the big ships with the automatic slots; little ships a problem until they change them. And we are doing both the Ocean and Pacific this year. Now I have to be proactive with my OBC. :eek:

Pia, you might want to check. I know I read where at least one of the smaller ships now has the cruise card reader for the slots (it might even be both of them by now). I just can't remember which one I read about, the Ocean or the Pacific. So, you might be safe there if you can find out which one has changed out the slots. ;)

[Pia1913]

Pia, you might want to check. I know I read where at least one of the smaller ships now has the cruise card reader for the slots (it might even be both of them by now). I just can't remember which one I read about, the Ocean or the Pacific. So, you might be safe there if you can find out which one has changed out the slots. ;)

 

Slot card makes life much easier. I'm not going until October, so perhaps by then they will both have it.

[hansi]

I don't quite understand. If you both use the same credit card the overage is transferred at the end of the cruise. If you think you will have OBC unused just open an account at a slot machine for xx dollars and cash out.

 

I think the accounting system has been changed, They do not transfer credits from one account to the other any more. You just have to watch which card the OBC's are on and use that card till it is all used up and then use the other one.

[san diego sue]

The larger credits are always on my husband's card. I make sure to charge

all the tours to his account and with the tips charged to him, wipes out most of it.

On mine, the tips take care of my credits.

On long trips, no OBC are left over.

It is the short one week trips, you have to watch more closely.:D

[Pia1913]

The larger credits are always on my husband's card. I make sure to charge

all the tours to his account and with the tips charged to him, wipes out most of it.

On mine, the tips take care of my credits.

On long trips, no OBC are left over.

It is the short one week trips, you have to watch more closely.:D

 

Our OBC is about even. HE gets the military, I get the shareholder. We both get FCC's, we both get TA, but HE gets loyalty. Works out fine. Haven't lost a dime yet.

[cruiseron36]

I need a whole lot more clarification. If you used one credit card, it shouldn't have mattered whose accounts were plus, or whose were minus. At the end they are combined.

 

Did I not say that in my earlier post??

[cruiseron36]

I think the accounting system has been changed, They do not transfer credits from one account to the other any more. You just have to watch which card the OBC's are on and use that card till it is all used up and then use the other one.

 

Just got off the Emerald a few days ago and our charges were combined for final billing. They have not changed. I also took all the unused credit out in the casino and it balanced out at the end.

[edpeeks]

I was just giving an account of what we head read on CC and what the Star purser staff told us. According to them, if we had not signed a form to put both tips (my wife and I) onto my folio number where the OBC existed, she would have had a balance on her folio number and we would have had our AMEX charged that amount.

My folio number, with the OBC's would have had extra credit on the last day and unless I would have bought something or gone to the casino and done the procedure there (as some have done or suggested), I would have lost the remainder of our OBCs.

Frankly, it was a lot easier to sign a form than to go do the casino procedure. (IMO)

Anyway, this was just an FYI.

[bigguy1]

I was just giving an account of what we head read on CC and what the Star purser staff told us. According to them, if we had not signed a form to put both tips (my wife and I) onto my folio number where the OBC existed, she would have had a balance on her folio number and we would have had our AMEX charged that amount.

My folio number, with the OBC's would have had extra credit on the last day and unless I would have bought something or gone to the casino and done the procedure there (as some have done or suggested), I would have lost the remainder of our OBCs.

Frankly, it was a lot easier to sign a form than to go do the casino procedure. (IMO)

Anyway, this was just an FYI.

 

Appreciate the info. Our accounts are always combined. We always have the stock OBC, the FCC OBC and some TA OBC. Just wondering how you possibly have have a credit balance at the end of a cruise when you consider excursions, tips, wine , etc.

[Toto2Kansas]

bigguy1-Up until last month, I would have totally agreed with you, our shipboard accounts have always been combined in the past. But they weren't on this last cruise. Hubby ended up with in excess of $300 shipboard credit and I had a balance of over $300 shipboard charges at the end of the cruise. They billed my credit card my $300+ charges, while saying his credit was just 'lost' and not used.:eek: (I did argue this point with Princess and was refunded what was charged after we arrived home, but it was a three week long struggle to have that done).

I can answer how some can end up with credit at the end of the sailing, if you don't mind?

 

Since this was a back to back cruise, we had stockholder credit, FCC credit, refund of port fees and taxes that was overcharged, etc for each sailing, which was double the normal credit issued plus more from the taxes and fees refunded. We booked all private excursions and paid cash. Our auto gratuity was taken out of our shipboard account, and we tipped quite a bit extra throughout the 22 days, only in cash.

We did dine at the specialty restaurants, and bought drinks onboard also. But when you don't book shipboard excursions, those credits don't disappear quite as quickly as if you do. ;)

[cruiseron36]

we usually walk off the ship with some cash. It has always been combined and was as late as March 28 when we disembarked the Emerald. I guess I will have to watch it closer if it is now not being combined?

[caribill]

Just wondering how you possibly have have a credit balance at the end of a cruise when you consider excursions, tips, wine , etc.

It is easy if both accounts have OBC, but excursions, wine, etc. were all charged to just one account and the tips did not use up all the OBC on the other account.

 

With the old accounting system, the ending balances would have been combined and there would not be a credit balance of the total.

 

With the new accounting system, the ending balances would not be combined and the account with unused OBC (if not refundable OBC) would lose what is left.

[cruiseron36]

It is easy if both accounts have OBC, but excursions, wine, etc. were all charged to just one account and the tips did not use up all the OBC on the other account.

 

With the old accounting system, the ending balances would have been combined and there would not be a credit balance of the total.

 

With the new accounting system, the ending balances would not be combined and the account with unused OBC (if not refundable OBC) would lose what is left.

 

When did this new accounting system start. On the Emerald as of march 28 they were still being combined.

[Zena,W.P.]

When did this new accounting system start. On the Emerald as of march 28 they were still being combined.

 

 

It is possible that they were not combined after all on the very last day. Prior to the last day the folios are combined netting out credits/charges. On last day, they have been individual. This is a new policy, maybe by accident, with some new software. You may want to review your credit card account. There is an extensive thread on this subject. Look back around a week or so ago.

[FLACRUISER99]

It is possible that they were not combined after all on the very last day. Prior to the last day the folios are combined netting out credits/charges. On last day, they have been individual. This is a new policy, maybe by accident, with some new software. You may want to review your credit card account. There is an extensive thread on this subject. Look back around a week or so ago.

Sounds to me like figures don't lie but lier's figure.

[Putterdude]

We both use up our OBCs so it hasn't been an issue but this will be something to watch for in the future.

[Toto2Kansas]

It is possible that they were not combined after all on the very last day. Prior to the last day the folios are combined netting out credits/charges. On last day, they have been individual. This is a new policy, maybe by accident, with some new software. You may want to review your credit card account. There is an extensive thread on this subject. Look back around a week or so ago.

That is exactly what happened to us. We received a read out of our folio the night before, showing they had combined the accounts. But not so on the final morning just about 12 hours later. ;)

[bdjam]

We both use up our OBCs so it hasn't been an issue but this will be something to watch for in the future.

This is the most difficult thing for me to understand - how anyone would not use up all their on board credits...isn't that what they're for?

[cruiseron36]

This is the most difficult thing for me to understand - how anyone would not use up all their on board credits...isn't that what they're for?

 

I would have to buy useless stuff that I have no need for in order to use it all up. On a recent Emerald B2B we had $500 on the first leg and $350 on the second leg. It paid for tips, one Crown Grill trip and some misc boutique charges. I walked off the ship with about $300 in cash.