??? OBC should be expected

[Doylestown5518]

We booked 2 AQ A2 verandas for 4 and got two $50 obc from Celebrityand (1) $75 obc from TA. This is only our 3rd cruise and until cruise critic didn't know of obc's - is this reasonable - we also had 2 other families join us on this cruise who booked with the TA so a total of 6 rooms. I'm not looking to hurt the TA but per the forums I've read thought I would get a larger obc - any advice?

[Wine-O]

We booked 2 AQ A2 verandas for 4 and got two $50 obc from Celebrityand (1) $75 obc from TA. This is only our 3rd cruise and until cruise critic didn't know of obc's - is this reasonable - we also had 2 other families join us on this cruise who booked with the TA so a total of 6 rooms. I'm not looking to hurt the TA but per the forums I've read thought I would get a larger obc - any advice?

 

You need to shop around for TA's. Can't list them on this site. Just for an example, we booked an Oceanview Bermuda cruise, $799 pp + tax, and our TA gave us $125 OBC.

 

I don't know what you booked, or how much it costs, but $75 OBC from your TA is not very good. At the minimum, they should cover your gratuities, I would think.

[MagicMike]

OBC comes out of the TA's commission. So how much OBC you get depends a lot on how mush commission the TA gets from the cruise line.

[MicCanberra]

If you got a great price then don't stress it, If you feel like you were ripped off, contact your TA and get something out of them or move your business elsewhere.:D

[Kryssa]

It really depends on your ship, sailing date, and cabin category. If your choices are selling well, you do not get as good of a deal. We've had everything from $100 to $200 OBC per cabin, plus sometimes we get a free upgrade (pay for an inside, get a balcony, ect) or coupon books or free dinner in a specialty restaurant or free gratuities.

 

We shop around and then come back to our favorite TA with the best price and they've always matched it.

 

For our Summit March 2013 cruise we got:

 

2C Balcony for $849 per person (going rate on the Celebrity website)

$175 OBC (per cabin)

Dinner for 2 in the Steakhouse (bonus for booking the trip insurance)

$75 Loyalty/Referral OBC

 

Our TA gives us $25 loyalty OBC to use on the next cruise each time we complete a sailing, plus $25 for each stateroom we refer to them. (This is huge considering you just referred 2 families to your TA. How many staterooms was that?) Once we've booked a certain number of cruises with them, it goes up to $50 for each one.

 

With the loyalty and referral awards and the price matching, there really hasn't been a reason for us to go elsewhere. The service has been great, too.

[cocobakerchica]

We booked 2 AQ A2 verandas for 4 and got two $50 obc from Celebrityand (1) $75 obc from TA. This is only our 3rd cruise and until cruise critic didn't know of obc's - is this reasonable - we also had 2 other families join us on this cruise who booked with the TA so a total of 6 rooms. I'm not looking to hurt the TA but per the forums I've read thought I would get a larger obc - any advice?

 

OBC is just one of the "perks" that a TA's can offer. They may not offer much credit, but they can also offer other things, like paying gratuities and/or travel insurance fees depending on the length of the cruise, or cabin category upgrades(our go-to agency throws in travel insurance when booking a cruise of 5 days or longer along with OBC) which in some cases--IMO--can be better than higher $$ OBC. It never hurts to shop around other agencies to see what's offered because, as others have mentioned, you can always ask if the agency can match the competing offer(it never hurts to ask!). We've looked at other agencies that seem to offer more attractive offers than our go-to, but we always stick to our regular agent because we really like her style, her honesty, and while she works for an online agency, the company is located in my metropolitan area, and is highly rated with the Better Business Bureau.

[Doylestown5518]

We're going on the Summit Aug2012 and got the price I saw on the Celebrity site - this is an Internet TA. If I had booked directly with celebrity 13 people I feel I may have gotten more. I guess it's too late for this cruise and I'll be a better shopper next time?

[AlwaysReadyToSail]

Is there any way to snag Celrbrity OBC after you have booked? We didn't receive any OBC (TA is a relative so we didn't want to cut out part of the commission by asking for OBC from TA, nor we're we going to use a different TA) for us the OBC wasn't a deal breaker when booking but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask if there is another way of getting it.

[RMSeadog]

Is there any way to snag Celrbrity OBC after you have booked? We didn't receive any OBC (TA is a relative so we didn't want to cut out part of the commission by asking for OBC from TA, nor we're we going to use a different TA) for us the OBC wasn't a deal breaker when booking but I figure it doesn't hurt to ask if there is another way of getting it.

 

If you book directly with Celebrity from home I would not expect any OBC from them. Unless, there is a special that includes OBC, this does happen occasionally but is not the norm. I would not look for anything from X once you booked, most deals are for new bookings only. If you booked on board, expect OBC based on CAT and/or length of cruise. If you own RCL stock and book from home you may be eligible for OBC based on length of cruise. ~ Ric

[Redtravel]

Best price is what I look for. OBC is nice. I'd rather have a lower upfront cost than a promise of OBC later. OBC is a nice perk. It usually isn't enough to make me choose one cruise over another.

[MicCanberra]

Best price is what I look for. OBC is nice. I'd rather have a lower upfront cost than a promise of OBC later. OBC is a nice perk. It usually isn't enough to make me choose one cruise over another.

Agreed, we are the same when picking a cruise, actually, the Itinerary comes first for us.:D

[ottawa24]

I feel like I'm missing out on something............what is OBC? Sorry for the stupid question. I'm not great at acronym:o

[Doylestown5518]

I feel like I'm missing out on something............what is OBC? Sorry for the stupid question. I'm not great at acronym:o

 

OBC= on board credit - ship credit to be used towards expenses while on board. I too can't always follow these acronyms - still trying to figure out DH when speaking of spouse -(damn husband???)

[ischeer]

OBC= on board credit - ship credit to be used towards expenses while on board. I too can't always follow these acronyms - still trying to figure out DH when speaking of spouse -(damn husband???)

 

Dear Husband, Devoted Husband, Darling Husband, Desparate Husband.....

[MicCanberra]

Dear Husband, Devoted Husband, Darling Husband, Desparate Husband.....

 

IMO it should mean Dreadful Hangeron.:rolleyes:

[ottawa24]

Thanx's for the help:) FYI, I have a friend who is a Travel Agent (TA) and I was shocked to find out how little she makes!!!!! So my method of finding a fair price is to shop the internet, call with what I have found and ask if she can beat or match. Usually she is about the same or a little more for a "better" cabin???? All that said we have had to use the help of a TA for a couple of emergency cancellations. I had trouble with a couple of refunds, and when I sicked her on them her "contacts" were able to help ASAP. Just my humble opinion:)

 

At one time I found a whole list of acronoyms, wish I had printed them out. Maybe one of the hosts knows where the list is?????

[MicCanberra]

At one time I found a whole list of acronoyms, wish I had printed them out. Maybe one of the hosts knows where the list is?????

 

FYI, the AL (Acronyms List) is MIA.:D