How to spend your OBC

[katz]

We have never had OBC before. It is automatically put on your Sea Pass and deducted as you use your Sea Pass or is it deducted from the bill at the end of the cruise. How do you make sure you have the credit before you start using them? Can you trade OBC for cash to use in the casino?

[plimsol]

We are on B2B cruises with 500 OBC for the first and 1000 on the second. I wonder if we can use the 2 together at the end or will we get 2 separate accounts?

 

Bev

Our last cruise and a previous one were B2B's that included OBC for each itinerary. Although we received a statement at the end of the first itinerary, the balance with the first OBC was forwarded to the next statement along with the addition of next OBC. We did not have to make any payment until disembarkation. We were reminded that any of our rewceived onboard credit was non-refundable.

[JimandStan]

We have never had OBC before. It is automatically put on your Sea Pass and deducted as you use your Sea Pass or is it deducted from the bill at the end of the cruise. How do you make sure you have the credit before you start using them? Can you trade OBC for cash to use in the casino?

 

Seapass is a Trademark of an......ahem........competing business concern, so lets just say that for each Oceania Passenger, an On-board Account is created. :o

 

When you get to your Stateroom, there will be cards noting what the credits are (if any) to that account. The passenger signs those cards to acknowledge he or she is aware of the credit, they are collected by the cabin attendants and turned over to the front office on the ship.

 

Some charges to the On-Board Account, such as Bar Tabs, Boutique Purchases, Shore Excursions and Spa fees, are deducted on a daily basis. Gratuities, although they accrue daily. are charged in a lump sum at the end of the cruise.

 

If your On Board Credit was purchased,, then you may draw against it in the Casino. If your On Board Credit was promotional, then you may not.

 

You may obtain an interim statement of your On-Board Account at the Pursers Office at any time.

 

Hope that this helps-

Enjoy your Cruise!

[katz]

O.K. Next question------------what is the difference between promotional and purchased OBC? What are OBCs that the travel agents give to their customers considered?

 

Thanks again.

[LHT28]

O.K. Next question------------what is the difference between promotional and purchased OBC? What are OBCs that the travel agents give to their customers considered?

 

Thanks again.

 

One is refundable one is "use it or lose it"

It depends on if the TA got it from the cruise line or they are just giving you an OBC out of their agency funds

[katz]

Would it be rude to ask the TA which one they are???

[RetiredFL]

Would it be rude to ask the TA which one they are???

On your guest statement, the one from Oceania that gives all the details of your booking, at the bottom of the first page under Gift orders, it will indicate refundable or not.

[CujoK]

We are on B2B cruises with 500 OBC for the first and 1000 on the second. I wonder if we can use the 2 together at the end or will we get 2 separate accounts?

 

Bev

 

How does one get $500 to $1200 OBC??? We only got $150. What are we doing wrong?

 

Jerry

[Mura]

There are a number of ways, and sometimes it is purely coincidental. Usually we have about $500 in OBC between Oceania and our TA, but on our Med cruise last October we had $1250! That was because we had received $1,000 as an incentive to book an Alaska cruise and then we got another $250 as an incentive to switch cruises when underbooked Alaska ended up being OVER booked.

 

The number of cruises you have taken on Oceania is another factor.

 

Mura

[CujoK]

There are a number of ways, and sometimes it is purely coincidental. Usually we have about $500 in OBC between Oceania and our TA, but on our Med cruise last October we had $1250! That was because we had received $1,000 as an incentive to book an Alaska cruise and then we got another $250 as an incentive to switch cruises when underbooked Alaska ended up being OVER booked.

 

The number of cruises you have taken on Oceania is another factor.

 

Mura

 

This is only our second cruise with Oceania. We only received $150 last time also. I used to think our TA was good but now I'm re-thinking that :(.

[Mura]

While I cannot speak definitively (!) that sounds about right for 1-2 cruises! We're on our 9th.

 

Maybe someone who can speak specifically will chime in.

 

Mura

[CujoK]

While I cannot speak definitively (!) that sounds about right for 1-2 cruises! We're on our 9th.

 

Maybe someone who can speak specifically will chime in.

 

Mura

 

Thanks for the information Mura. Maybe we'll get up there on Oceania one day.

[ORV]

This is only our second cruise with Oceania. We only received $150 last time also. I used to think our TA was good but now I'm re-thinking that :(.

 

Keep in mind that your Oceania Club level will add to your OBC, cruises 5-9 $200, 10-14 $400, 15-19 $500 and on and on. This OBC your TA has no control over as well as any other promotions that are coming from Oceania. Many people are counting that into how much OBC they get and many times has nothing to do with the TA.

[dundeene]

I am the original poster and received $400 plus prepaid gratuities from my TA.

[silkman]

I am the original poster and received $400 plus prepaid gratuities from my TA.

 

If the $400 is an actual "gift" from your TA it is refundable. If it is an Oceania "promotional" OBC it is not refundable. Our $ spent for drinks is negligible and we take all private tours , so we got a nice refund on our final bill.

 

If you are not certain which type yours is ask your TA. Don't be bashful.

[dundeene]

I finally just called and asked.

 

$300 was from Oceania promo, $100 was "gift" from TA for booking out 1st luxury cruise with her. Free gratuities was website promo.

We feel well treated and have already picked the next Oceania cruise for 2013. We plan to book on-board, and it will be automatically transferred to the booking agent of the 1st cruise.

We are going in with a very positive attitude. We expect to love Oceania and have the time of our life!

[Buranogal]

Jim how do you find out which applies to OBC promo or other?

[JimandStan]

Jim how do you find out which applies to OBC promo or other?

 

If you're asking how you find out where the credit comes from, you will get a summary of that information in the blue booklet that contains your final documents.

Expect that to arrive from six to eight weeks before your cruise.

[LHT28]

Jim how do you find out which applies to OBC promo or other?

 

I would say ask your TA but you are in Australia so that may not work out well for you

[JimandStan]

I would say ask your TA but you are in Australia so that may not work out well for you

 

Thank you-------Jim

[Lottie A]

I am having a little giggle at this thread I must confess! :D

 

I will not have a problem with what to do with my OBC.

 

We have $500 OBC for our Marina cruise in June......and I can absolutely guarantee you that I will have spent it all by Day 3! :D

[Buranogal]

Thankyou Jim and Stan. i dont think we will have trouble using the credits tho be it drinks, casino excursions etc

[ClaudiaF]

Use it all on in" your " cabin massages...:D

talk about pampering

[kathy16]

We bought watches in the gift shop with our $500 OBC

[YoHoHo]

When credits are posted to the On-Board Accounts, the source is coded by Oceania.

The actual rules are not this simplistic, but it boils down to this:

 

• If the credit comes from money that was paid to Oceania, then it may be refunded or withdrawn.
  

• If the credit was promotional, then it is only useable for goods and services on the ship.
  

That is good general advice and an easy way to remember. As JimandStan say though the actual rules are more complicated.

 

On Marina last year we had a fairly large OBC from a variety of sources; prepaid gratuities, promotional credit, a refund from a canceled pre-paid excursion, a Bon Voyage package credit, even a Bon Voyage $$ gift as a surprise birthday present.

 

I was sure we would not be able to use it all so early on I checked with Reception to find out what portion of it would be refundable if there was some left over. The first answer I got was that none of it was refundable. I was certain that would not be the case because some of it was in effect cash that I had put on as an OBC rather than take a refund to my credit card so I asked a different clerk the next day. I was told some of it was but they weren't certain what part. Another clerk told me all all of it was. Finally on the almost last day of the cruise when I knew there was several hundred dollars of credit still left I asked again. Once again I was told I would be able to get full balance, if any, in cash on the last day when accounts were settled. An Assistant Purser standing nearby overheard this and checked my account. She reviewed it with me and explained that there would be in fact about $150 that was not refundable. It was spend it or lose it.

 

Frustrated from all this I immediately booked a 'stress reduction' massage at the spa. It worked perfectly – both the stress and my nonrefundable OBC were gone. So this became a happy ending.

 

The point is that it can be complicated and that you may or may not get the correct answer on the first try. If there is any doubt and you'd hate to leave any OBC behind the simplest thing is to just pamper yourself a little bit more and you'll enjoy your cruise a lot more.