On Board Credit

[sharpasice]

I have a couple questions about OBC. We have 323 more days till our cruise, so I was planning on purchasing OBC each payday in small amounts ..maybe $25, $50 or $100 ..first does that automatically go on my account if purchased thru the Bon Voyage dept...or do you get vouchers?

Second..If I get enough OBC..by cruise time..say $1500 or so..will Celebrity use that or must I still use a credit card or cash to back up my Seapass Account?

Third..If I don't use all the OBC will it be refunded at the end of the cruise?

ALSO

I booked a cruise on the Reflection on April 6th of this year and was told I could use any person who answers the phone as a cruise consultant. That makes me rather uncomfortable.The last cruise we were on was on RCCL (I know same company) but we dealt with the same person all the time..and I really liked that. Is this normal on Celebrity? I would rather deal with the same person

 

And lastly..I did ask all these questions while on the phone with Celebrity last week and did not get satifactory answers..so thank you to anyone who can help me out here..

[Phxazzcruisers]

Personally I would just set aside the money and not send it in for OBC until much closer to sailing date. Why let them keep and accumulate your money. Do you really think you need $1500.00 for your stateroom bill? The answer to your second question, use a Travel Agent of your choosing. It does not cost you anything and it is easier to deal with your agent for getting assistance ans answers. I hope this helps

[sharpasice]

Thanks Phxazzcruisers ..I was just using the $1500 figure..as an example..and to just set aside the money is very difficult for us..something always comes up that we would need it for.. but if it is already used for OBC then we can't touch it. I already have our reservation made..I made it directly through Celebrity..can it still be transferred to a travel agent at this point? I appreciate your help.

[Orator]

You have 60 days from the date you booked with Celebrity to transfer reservation to an agent. Shop around and see who will give you the most OBC for the reservation. What you get may be dependent on the price you paid for the cruise. Understand that once aa Agent gets it Celebrity no longer has a responsibilty to assist you. The responsibility follows the agent.

[Phxazzcruisers]

What Orator said. If you have a good Travel Agent, use them. They will get a commission from Celebrity and will be there to assist you with any questions.

[Waihekean]

The easiest way to deal with payments on board is to have a credit card.

 

I have set up an automatic account that transfers every week when wages come in an allocated amount to the credit card. This amount can be quite high when I am still paying off a cruise. On the credit card I only pay the deposit and the final payment to the TA. Both payments showed up as paid to Celebrity, so that gave a secure feeling.

For example my first cruise is now payed, but once balance is payed off, I'll keep the AP in place because going next year with DH on a cruise as well. In this way it is a forced saving without any fuss.

 

So, you could do the same with building up a fund for pocketmoney.

Even if you set up a really low AP and top it up from time to time. You really do not need to create a lot of admin for X, plus you keep your credit interest down as well.

 

Regarding OBC, as already suggested look for the best deal. You are aware that you only have to pay your onboard expenses at the end of the cruise? They then take the OBC from your bill. Any funds left over you can cash in at the casino for a 3% fee.

 

If you do not provide a credit card you will have to give them a cash amount on boarding that they will required to be topped up from time to time. I do not know what the limit is on X and if they do it the same, but on my last cruise (2010) it was $300 on the Princess Dawn.

[Orator]

The easiest way to deal with payments on board is to have a credit card.

 

I have set up an automatic account that transfers every week when wages come in an allocated amount to the credit card. This amount can be quite high when I am still paying off a cruise. On the credit card I only pay the deposit and the final payment to the TA. Both payments showed up as paid to Celebrity, so that gave a secure feeling.

For example my first cruise is now payed, but once balance is payed off, I'll keep the AP in place because going next year with DH on a cruise as well. In this way it is a forced saving without any fuss.

 

So, you could do the same with building up a fund for pocketmoney.

Even if you set up a really low AP and top it up from time to time. You really do not need to create a lot of admin for X, plus you keep your credit interest down as well.

 

Regarding OBC, as already suggested look for the best deal. You are aware that you only have to pay your onboard expenses at the end of the cruise? They then take the OBC from your bill. Any funds left over you can cash in at the casino for a 3% fee.

 

If you do not provide a credit card you will have to give them a cash amount on boarding that they will required to be topped up from time to time. I do not know what the limit is on X and if they do it the same, but on my last cruise (2010) it was $300 on the Princess Dawn.

 

The Casino charge is now 5%

[dmwnc1959]

I have a couple questions about OBC. We have 323 more days till our cruise, so I was planning on purchasing OBC each payday in small amounts ..maybe $25, $50 or $100 ..first does that automatically go on my account if purchased thru the Bon Voyage dept...or do you get vouchers?

 

I did the exact same thing last year. Started well in advance and purchased a little bit at a time over several months depending on the size of my paycheck. The OBC purchases are credited to your ship board account and will show up on the first full day after the ships departure from the embarkation port. You will also get a 'receipt' for your Bon Voyage Department purchase that will be in your room when you embark.

 

 

Second..If I get enough OBC..by cruise time..say $1500 or so..will Celebrity use that or must I still use a credit card or cash to back up my Seapass Account?

 

NO. You DO NOT have to back up anything with a credit card OR debit card.

 

 

Third..If I don't use all the OBC will it be refunded at the end of the cruise?

 

YES, OBC purchased through the Bon Voyage gifts will be refunded in CASH to you. All CASH ACCOUNTS are required to be closed and paid in full prior to midnight before pulling back into your debarkation port. I went down last year around 11:30pm and there was NO ONE in line. It took less than two minutes and was painless.

 

 

ALSO, I booked a cruise on the Reflection on April 6th of this year and was told I could use any person who answers the phone as a cruise consultant. That makes me rather uncomfortable.The last cruise we were on was on RCCL (I know same company) but we dealt with the same person all the time..and I really liked that. Is this normal on Celebrity? I would rather deal with the same person

 

No worries, anyone at the reservations department at Celebrity Cruises can assist you with your reservation.

 

 

The easiest way to deal with payments on board is to have a credit card.

 

I have never used a credit card with Celebrity Cruises. They do not require one (even when doing your pre-boarding documentation online), and for those who do not own one (like me) or prefer not to use their debit cards (like me) due to 'holds' (and the disasters that can and have come from pre-authorizing credit cards and debit cards), a CASH ONLY account is just fine.

 

If you do not provide a credit card you will have to give them a cash amount on boarding that they will required to be topped up from time to time.

 

Not true. Celebrity Cruises (unlike most all other mass market lines) allows CASH ONLY account patrons an automatic $500 pre-authorized limit with absolutely NO CASH up front. It has been that way for my last three cruises with them and confirmed for the next two. If you exceed that pre-authorized amount, your account will be frozen and you'll be asked to place cash down to re-open your account but it doesn't have to cover all charges made on board to date.

 

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HAVE A GREAT CRUISE!!!

 

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[Waihekean]

I have never used a credit card with Celebrity Cruises. They do not require one (even when doing your pre-boarding documentation online), and for those who do not own one (like me) or prefer not to use their debit cards (like me) due to 'holds' (and the disasters that can and have come from pre-authorizing credit cards and debit cards), a CASH ONLY account is just fine.

 

Not true. Celebrity Cruises (unlike most all other mass market lines) allows CASH ONLY account patrons an automatic $500 pre-authorized limit with absolutely NO CASH up front. It has been that way for my last three cruises with them and confirmed for the next two. If you exceed that pre-authorized amount, your account will be frozen and you'll be asked to place cash down to re-open your account but it doesn't have to cover all charges made on board to date.

 

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That is great to know, as I myself never wanted a credit card, only got one, because went cruising. But now I like it because it is sort of my cruising souvenir and mainly use it for that.

Also the bank gave me a gold card which has automatic travel insurance on it if the trip is purchased mostly on the credit card.

[biker1972]

There has been a change in the workings at RCCL and Celebrity with regards to the phone support staff. It used to be that you could work with one agent and that agent could book any of various RCCL lines and take care of your problems and questions. Now you are assigned someone when you book thru the internet or take the next in line. Others work with people who call in. Those stay with you from the time you book until you cruise. And now each cruise line is separate with the ops only able to book that one line. When I tried to work with a phone agent that I was familiar with, she told me that I could book with her and she would be available but since I had booked on line, she really wasn't supposed to help me. She did answer my questions but I sensed that she was afraid of "big brother".