OBC: Refund or Lose It??

[SilvertoGold]

I have friends who have just booked a HALcruise. Since it is a short one and they have over $650.00 OBC, they want to know if they don't spend it all, do they lose it or do they get a cash refund on board?

The OBC is mainly from FFC and a HAL promo.

 

I haven't a clue, having never been in such a position!!

 

Thanks if anyone has experience in this.

[CowPrincess]

We had a bunch of promo credit on one cruise. We were told it would not be given back as a refund. So we upped the hotel service charge :) to use up most of it. Didn't quite work as expected because on the last day they chased us down to hand us $20ish back. So I don't know.... but thought I'd share the HSC increase idea ;)

[AlohaPride]

I think it's use it or lose it. With auto gratuities of $11.50 per person per day, drinks, and booking shore excursions on board it should be easy enough ;)

[jtl513]

I believe that OBC from HAL is use it or lose it ... but they should ask at the front desk to be sure.

 

If unused OBC will be lost there's a couple of things they can do: (1) go to a slot machine in the casino and charge money against their on-board account, then go cash out. I believe there's a $100 limit each time you do this, so if they can't get enough out that way, then (2) on the day before debarkation go to the front desk and take a cash advance for the rest. There is a 3% fee for this, but at least they'll be getting 97% of what they'd otherwise lose.

 

Or as CowPrincess said, increase the HSC so that it goes to the crew rather than HAL.

[grandgeezer]

I usually don't have problems spending the obc on HAL because it never was a huge amount. Our last two cruises were on Celebrity. On Celebrity, the obc you get from them is use it or lose it. The obc from the travel agent is credited to your credit card if there is any left. We got a few hundred back both times. I don't know if HAL operates this way.

[Loreto]

I now check our shipboard account early in the cruise to make sure any credit we are supposed to be getting is there. Early on in our HAL cruising I was surprised to find when the preliminary end of cruise statement was delivered, that we had been given shipboard credit as an amenity for booking with our TA. We had no idea! By then all the shops were closed and we couldn't face another drink, so we let it go.:(

 

Karen

[jtl513]

... that we had been given shipboard credit as an amenity for booking with our TA. We had no idea! By then all the shops were closed and we couldn't face another drink, so we let it go.:(

Unused OBC given to you by a TA (or anyone else) or purchased by you should have been refunded to you. At least that's the case now; maybe at one time it wasn't.

[SilvertoGold]

Thanks for the imput and ideas. I will be passing these along to my friends and I know they will appreciate it!

[Krazy Kruizers]

If the shipboard credit is from HAL - and they do not use it up -- they will lose it. That is why it is suggested that they go to the casino -- play a slot -- and then head to the teller and cash out.

One time we had pre-booked several excursions -- as did many others -- and due to heavy rains in Hawaii -- most of them were cancelled by HAL. Tours are always credited to your shipboard account. And many of us had quite a bit left at the end of the cruise -- and we did get it back.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I now check our shipboard account early in the cruise to make sure any credit we are supposed to be getting is there. Early on in our HAL cruising I was surprised to find when the preliminary end of cruise statement was delivered, that we had been given shipboard credit as an amenity for booking with our TA. We had no idea! By then all the shops were closed and we couldn't face another drink, so we let it go.:(

 

Karen

 

Within a couple of days of getting onto the ship I always check our shipboard account to make certain that we have gotten all the shipboard credit that we are due. One time we did have a problem -- and the ship had to call Seattle to get it straightened out.

Our TA always sends us a copy of all the shipboard credit that we are due. And then I make a couple of extra copies to take with me. Like in the situation I mentioned above, I just gave them one of the copies.

[sapper1]

On our NA cruise last Nov we had 950 dollars in various onboard credits from HAL. Since we had prepaid the Pinnacle and bought drink cards we had a 92 dollar surplus at the end of the cruise. A few days after we arrived home we saw the credit on our credit card.

 

The credits were a combination of stockholder benefits, FCC's and compensation for the toilet and AC problems on the Zuiderdam.

[SilvertoGold]

Within a couple of days of getting onto the ship I always check our shipboard account to make certain that we have gotten all the shipboard credit that we are due. One time we did have a problem -- and the ship had to call Seattle to get it straightened out.

 

Our TA always sends us a copy of all the shipboard credit that we are due. And then I make a couple of extra copies to take with me. Like in the situation I mentioned above, I just gave them one of the copies.

 

KK You certainly have all the angles covered! Thanks!

[LoveHAL]

On two occasions (recently and several years ago) we did not spend all our credits. On the final evening of the cruise I went to the front desk and received cash on the spot. No problem at all.

[Typhoon1]

OBC from a TA or other source that is unused at the end of the cruise will be refunded to your credit card.

 

HAL issued OBC is gone.

[alwaysfrantic]

Costco told me that funds they give us as OBC can be refunded to a credit card if unspent. They said OBC by Holland America was use it or lose it.

 

I wasn't sure how the office would decide if I spent their money or Costco's money first, so to avoid any problems, I just spent it all 😄

[jtl513]

I wasn't sure how the office would decide if I spent their money or Costco's money first, so to avoid any problems, I just spent it all 😄

People have said in this forum that they use HAL's first, so as long as you've spent at least that much you will get back any unused beyond that. We've never had so much that we couldn't spend it all!