OBC Question...how to get it?

[AlwaysReadyToSail]

We currently have a booking held (OCT-Equinox)but have not put our deposit down. I have noticed several low fares for upcoming cruises in the next few weeks for much less than the one I have held. Unfortunatly I can not fit any of these bookings into my schedule.

 

If we book now and the price drops can we get an OBC or some other comp? How do I go about this? Is it only for specific cabin categories? Can it be used for drink packages?

 

I see a lot of talk about OBC but have never known exactly how to go about getting them or how they work. Usually I book my caribbean cruises last minute so it really hasn't applied. Any info would be great!

[Pushkin]

We currently have a booking held (OCT-Equinox)but have not put our deposit down. I have noticed several low fares for upcoming cruises in the next few weeks for much less than the one I have held. Unfortunatly I can not fit any of these bookings into my schedule.

 

If we book now and the price drops can we get an OBC or some other comp? How do I go about this? Is it only for specific cabin categories? Can it be used for drink packages?

 

I see a lot of talk about OBC but have never known exactly how to go about getting them or how they work. Usually I book my caribbean cruises last minute so it really hasn't applied. Any info would be great!

 

I have sailed many times on Celebrity and always book pretty far ahead to get the cabin I want. I then check the Celebrity website every few weeks for price reductions. If the price for the category I booked goes down, I call my travel agent and they contact Celebrity for the reduction. It is an actual price reduction -- not an on-board credit. I have never had a problem doing this, and just got a reduction this weekend for our cruise next March.

[AlwaysReadyToSail]

Thanks!

[kenevenpar]

OBC is sometimes offered as a special promotion to help increase the bookings on a particular cruise. It can be offered by the cruise line or in some cases by a TA. Not every cruise has an offer of OBC.

 

As a previous poster mentioned, price reductions, before final payment and when not for a deal that excludes previously booked pax, are handled as a credit back to the pax.

[Phxazzcruisers]

You can also get an OBC if you own shares of RCCL stock. However, I will say, never buy a stock for the OBC. Buy it as an investment if you think it is a good buy.

[biker1972]

Most of the larger amounts of OBC will come from TA's. My TA seems to offer about $300 for each week of cruising for the typical cabin that I choose. Booking a cruise while on a cruise will also bring OBC. Celebrity will generally not let you combine OBC offers that come directly from them. This means that if you own stock and book while on board you will only collect one offer. Offers from TA's generally combine as long as X does not underwrite the offer.

[AlwaysReadyToSail]

Thanks. You all have been very helpful. I was so confused. Oh and it sounds like you have found a great TA!

[Grumpy100]

We just put down a deposit a few weeks ago for Nov. 2013 r/t Barcelona for Italy and Greece. There was a promotion with Celebrity for $200 obc and also if you used your deposit certificate which we had at the time then you got an additional $200 obc. We are supposed to have $400 obc but when I go to the website for Celebrity it does not appear. When I get back from our cruise next week I will contact them.

There are alot of big on-line agencies that offer obc you just have to check around.

Happy sailing:):):)

[biker1972]

Generally Celebrity does not post OBC to any invoice or statement that you can access directly. With the recent Captains Club early booking promotion, it did show up on the invoice. I have never had the shareholders benefit or TA's OBC show up but was able to check by calling the Captains Club and having them check prior to leaving home for a cruise. I need to know if I need to call the TA before embarkation :). My TA seems to get his in several weeks in advance.:D