On board booking certificates

[davwen81]

Hi fellow Aussie/NZ cruisers, I am furious and hoping someone can help us out with information. We bought an onboard cruise booking certificate for a future cruise when we were on a TA in April. I have been negotiating with a US travel agent who has now been informed by RCCL Miami that I cannot transfer this booking no to her as we paid for it in Aussie dollars. RCCL Sydney have also confirmed this. Has anyone else had this experience??? Do you have to request your future booking to be paid in US $ so that you can book through the US and if so do they do this. We are really mad as we wouldnt have done it if we knew we couldnt use it in any country we wanted to book in. Hoping someone may enlighten me as I feel this is against all free trade policies we have and I did not request the booking to be paid in A$ just presumed as it was charged on board it would be paid in US$.

 

Thanks in advance for you help

[Big Kev]

Hi fellow Aussie/NZ cruisers, I am furious and hoping someone can help us out with information. We bought an onboard cruise booking certificate for a future cruise when we were on a TA in April. I have been negotiating with a US travel agent who has now been informed by RCCL Miami that I cannot transfer this booking no to her as we paid for it in Aussie dollars. RCCL Sydney have also confirmed this. Has anyone else had this experience??? Do you have to request your future booking to be paid in US $ so that you can book through the US and if so do they do this. We are really mad as we wouldnt have done it if we knew we couldnt use it in any country we wanted to book in. Hoping someone may enlighten me as I feel this is against all free trade policies we have and I did not request the booking to be paid in A$ just presumed as it was charged on board it would be paid in US$.

 

Thanks in advance for you help

 

 

When we have purchased, the OBC is in USD, but there have been options to puchase a certificate in Euro, GBP, CND, USD or AUD..

 

You can only book in a country using the actual currency of the certificate purchased.. If you did not specify, perhaps it was assumed that you wanted one in the currency of your previous booking..

 

Phil

 

 

 

.

[The_Big_M]

You can only book in a country using the actual currency of the certificate purchased.. If you did not specify, perhaps it was assumed that you wanted one in the currency of your previous booking..

 

Phil

 

 

 

.

 

I'd say that's it.

 

They don't convert currencies for bookings and you can't for example transfer bookings between countries.

[icat2000]

I got given a FCC for NZ300 because I had some trouble on the TA in April with my cabin. My cousin booked the cruise, who was a TA in NZ. Celebrity Australia said they would convert the NZ into AUD when I booked my next cruise with Celebrity. I got the email in writing.

[cassamanda]

I assume you mean Next Cruise Certificate and no these are not transferable to a US agent despite what the Loyalty Lounge might tell you. Same happened to me and others on CC.

A Future Cruise Cert (FCC) is issued as compensation for things that went wrong on a present cruise or cancelled cruises.

[fishtaco]

The only way you can purchase a NCC is with a Credit Card and our Credit Cards are in AU Dollars so have to book with AU agent or RCI/Celeb AU because the NCC will always be in Australian Dollars.

 

I even tried to buy one onboard with USA Cash but they would not accept it:(

 

You cannot transfer an AU Dollar NCC to USA Dollars and you cannot book with Celebrity or RCC USA you can only book through RCI Australia or australian T/A which puts you out of the USA T/A perk system and it stinks!

 

The only way around this is to ask a US Cruiser to purchase one for you and nominate your preferred US T/A then have them transfer it into your name

[Big Kev]

I assume you mean Next Cruise Certificate and no these are not transferable to a US agent despite what the Loyalty Lounge might tell you. Same happened to me and others on CC.

A Future Cruise Cert (FCC) is issued as compensation for things that went wrong on a present cruise or cancelled cruises.

 

Yes, it is the "Next Cruise Certificates" that you purchase on board.. Nothing sinister about them. For obvious reasons, it is just that you cannot swap and change currencies willy-nilly.. As stated, you must purchase them for the country you are going to make your booking in.. (and therefore that countries currency)

 

If you purchase a Euro one, you must subsequently make a Euro booking.. If you purchase a $Canada one, you must make a $Canada booking.. If you purchase an AUD one, you must make an AUD booking.. Puchase a USD one, must make a USD booking.. etc. etc.

 

Hope that helps. :)

 

Phil.

 

.

[Brossy]

The only way you can purchase a NCC is with a Credit Card and our Credit Cards are in AU Dollars so have to book with AU agent or RCI/Celeb AU because the NCC will always be in Australian Dollars.

 

I even tried to buy one onboard with USA Cash but they would not accept it:(

 

You cannot transfer an AU Dollar NCC to USA Dollars and you cannot book with Celebrity or RCC USA you can only book through RCI Australia or australian T/A which puts you out of the USA T/A perk system and it stinks!

 

The only way around this is to ask a US Cruiser to purchase one for you and nominate your preferred US T/A then have them transfer it into your name

 

That's interesting, because on my last Radiance cruise, I purchased 2 certificates, one in US$ and one in Australian $ and had no problems whatsoever purchasing these.

[davwen81]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your info.

 

So Phil are you saying if I ask to pay for my FCC on board in $US we should be able too then book with a US TA?? Wish they would tell you this but I guess they have to keep the Aust TA'S happy but boy do we get slugged in the meantime . The cruise I'm booking in US is A$1200 dearer to buy here!! Its a disgrace!

[icat2000]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your info.

 

So Phil are you saying if I ask to pay for my FCC on board in $US we should be able too then book with a US TA?? Wish they would tell you this but I guess they have to keep the Aust TA'S happy but boy do we get slugged in the meantime . The cruise I'm booking in US is A$1200 dearer to buy here!! Its a disgrace!

 

You could still book the cruise. You don't need your FCC to go ahead with the US agent. If your saving $1200, that would surely outweigh whatever benefit the FCC gave you.

[Big Kev]

Hi everyone, thanks for all your info.

 

So Phil are you saying if I ask to pay for my FCC on board in $US we should be able too then book with a US TA?? Wish they would tell you this but I guess they have to keep the Aust TA'S happy but boy do we get slugged in the meantime . The cruise I'm booking in US is A$1200 dearer to buy here!! Its a disgrace!

 

 

 

In our experience.. You must pay seperately by credit pay card, it cannot be charged to your shipboard account.. You must pay your new deposit/cruise in your selected currency. (A UK person will generally purchase a GBP one; a Spaniard a Euro one etc). Typically, you want to pay $100 USD deposit on certificate/cruise which must remain in USD irrespective of currency fluctuations.

 

You card provider will charge you conversion fees as well, as per any other overseas transaction. If you are keeping your reservation with the cruise line, they will normally need you to have a residential address in the country for the related currency. If you have an agent that is in another part of the world, it may be wisest to allocate the booking to them whilst you are buying the NCC. You may need to sort that out first

 

Re the price differential you mention, have you checked the cruiselines AU site, as compared to AU agents? Remember also, that NEWSPAPER ads in Australia prices include both taxes and gratuities--- In US advertising, it is extra. We have also noted that with the slide of the AUD against USD, plus conversion fees etc. prices now advertised are often cheaper if one books direct with cruise line in Australia.

 

The booking conditions imposed by Australian agents is the main hurdle here. In USA, the agents are exactly that.. agents.. Payment details are passed onto and processed by cruise company, and they are paid a commission when you actually finalise payments and cruise. In Australia, it appears that they hang onto the money as long as possible, and take commission and all sorts of fees out before the cruise lines see any.

 

Phil

[cassamanda]

Just to clarify my earlier statement. If you wish to transfer your NCC to a US agent then you need to pay on board with an American issued credit card.

This was the response by my US agent when I tried to transfer a NCC paid with an Aussie credit card. "We can only take over bookings that are in US or Canadian funds. In order for you to travel with our agency, we have to create a new booking for you which I have done."

Hugh

[MMDown Under]

Just to clarify my earlier statement. If you wish to transfer your NCC to a US agent then you need to pay on board with an American issued credit card.

This was the response by my US agent when I tried to transfer a NCC paid with an Aussie credit card. "We can only take over bookings that are in US or Canadian funds. In order for you to travel with our agency, we have to create a new booking for you which I have done."

 

Hugh

 

The problem is not that you paid with an Aussie credit card, it is that your NCC was in Aussie dollars.

[davwen81]

Ok, now we know what to do next time thank you all for your suggestions.

Have still booked with US TA as they offered OBC and free gratuities as well as a much cheaper price which inc port charges and taxes, so no brainer!!!

We also use a CC that doesn't charge conversion fees so works well when making OS payments. Taking all that into consideration it's worth sticking with US TA.

Cheers Wendy and David