KJ Aussie Posted April 8, 2014 #1 Share Posted April 8, 2014 I have booked my first ever Princess cruise and I am accustomed to pre paying my gratuities by giving myself onboard credit. Is this possible on Princess? And also I see I can only reserve my excursions, so is it possible to pre pay those? I like to spread my costs out over the months preceding the cruise making it a lot less painful on disembarkation. Any advice would be great, thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgirl Posted April 8, 2014 #2 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Yes. You can add OBC at anytime. I just did $425 and was charged in CAD not USD so i saved about $40 if not more depending on exchange that day! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted April 8, 2014 #3 Share Posted April 8, 2014 You can send yourself a "gift" of OBC. There is an option to "pre-pay" gratuities but all that is is OBC in the amount of the hotel service charge, aka "auto-tip." Excursions are just reserved and will be charged to your onboard account after boarding. Your onboard account is a simple credit/debit system. Anything charged to it is deducted from any OBC, regardless of the source. Here's a link to the OBC information: http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/onboard_credit/Index.jsp Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ Aussie Posted April 8, 2014 Author #4 Share Posted April 8, 2014 Thanks Pam in CA and disgirl, that's just the info I needed, so it really is not too different to HAL or RCI which I have used in the past. Thanks for the link, I have forwarded it onto to our travelling companions as they have never cruised before. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted April 9, 2014 #5 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Thanks Pam in CA and disgirl, that's just the info I needed, so it really is not too different to HAL or RCI which I have used in the past. Thanks for the link, I have forwarded it onto to our travelling companions as they have never cruised before. Its a great way to handle paying ahead for all these things. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nanabananna Posted April 9, 2014 #6 Share Posted April 9, 2014 IF, there is any left over funds in an OBC is that refund on the last day? or a checked mailed or does it stay on the account for future cruises?:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colo Cruiser Posted April 9, 2014 #7 Share Posted April 9, 2014 IF, there is any left over funds in an OBC is that refund on the last day? or a checked mailed or does it stay on the account for future cruises?:D Yes they will refund cash or they will send a check. I have seen it done both ways. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pusywillow Posted April 9, 2014 #8 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Yes they will refund cash or they will send a check.I have seen it done both ways. They would rather pay you in cash on the ship. We had a note in our stateroom mailbox telling us to come to the desk to get our refund the last night. Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ Aussie Posted April 9, 2014 Author #9 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I have had a look at the link given below and it has an order form to fill out and fax to Princess, but is there a way to do this online within their site, that is what I usually do on other cruise lines. Faxing or ringing from Australia is a not the most efficient way to handle transactions. Thanks for any info Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 9, 2014 #10 Share Posted April 9, 2014 They would rather pay you in cash on the ship. We had a note in our stateroom mailbox telling us to come to the desk to get our refund the last night. Sue I would imagine it depends on the amount as well.:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sparky-elpaso Posted April 9, 2014 #11 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I have had a look at the link given below and it has an order form to fill out and fax to Princess, but is there a way to do this online within their site, that is what I usually do on other cruise lines. Faxing or ringing from Australia is a not the most efficient way to handle transactions. Thanks for any info Unfortunately, no. I wish there was (and I'm in the US). I can pay for the cruise online but to get my OBC I'll have to call. But I still plan to get a bunch beforehand. That way I can spread the cost out and not have a huge bill at the end (we're doing some ship's tours and you don't pay for them upfront on Princess). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KJ Aussie Posted April 9, 2014 Author #12 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Sparky-elpaso, Thanks for your help. It's a shame is not online based, guess I will just have to do it the old fashioned way. My daughter is my travel agent so she will be able to sort it out for me I am sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JoAnneNYI Posted April 9, 2014 #13 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Anyone know what would happen if you cancel a cruise and have pre paid your gratuities and/or bought OBC? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pam in CA Posted April 9, 2014 #14 Share Posted April 9, 2014 (edited) Anyone know what would happen if you cancel a cruise and have pre paid your gratuities and/or bought OBC?Good question. I assume your pre-paid OBC (pre-paid gratuities are just pre-paid OBC) would be refunded to your credit card. It's once onboard that it's refunded in cash as that's a different accounting system. Your TA can charge your card for pre-paid OBC and handle it for you. Another reason to book using a TA. Edited April 9, 2014 by Pam in CA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lrm Posted April 9, 2014 #15 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I have booked my first ever Princess cruise and I am accustomed to pre paying my gratuities by giving myself onboard credit. Is this possible on Princess? And also I see I can only reserve my excursions, so is it possible to pre pay those? I like to spread my costs out over the months preceding the cruise making it a lot less painful on disembarkation. Any advice would be great, thank you. I prefer to add to my savings account in the months before a cruise....use my credit card to pay all cruise costs to get the points.....then pay the card off with my savings account as soon as I get home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sept10dsm Posted April 9, 2014 #16 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Everyone does different things. I really would just rather save myself and charge the cc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atmx093 Posted April 9, 2014 #17 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Yes. You can add OBC at anytime. I just did $425 and was charged in CAD not USD so i saved about $40 if not more depending on exchange that day! :D Last time I called to inquire about pre-paying OBC, I was told that it would be charged in USD on my CC because all transactions on board of the ship are in USD. If there's a specific person to contact or a way to get it done, I'd really like to know! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RetiredNTraveling Posted April 9, 2014 #18 Share Posted April 9, 2014 You can send yourself a "gift" of OBC. There is an option to "pre-pay" gratuities but all that is is OBC in the amount of the hotel service charge, aka "auto-tip." Excursions are just reserved and will be charged to your onboard account after boarding. Your onboard account is a simple credit/debit system. Anything charged to it is deducted from any OBC, regardless of the source. Here's a link to the OBC information: http://www.princess.com/learn/onboard/gifts_services/onboard_credit/Index.jsp Pam in CA, you are a wealth of information! :) Thanks again for posting!:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
disgirl Posted April 9, 2014 #19 Share Posted April 9, 2014 Last time I called to inquire about pre-paying OBC, I was told that it would be charged in USD on my CC because all transactions on board of the ship are in USD. If there's a specific person to contact or a way to get it done, I'd really like to know! I just spoke to the agent who answered the phone. I ordered $425 OBC knowing it is USD and when I got my CC statement the charge was $425CAD from Pricness Vancouver. A nice surprise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atmx093 Posted April 9, 2014 #20 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I'd say! Wow, I have to try. That's some really good savings when you look at the exchange rate right now! Thanks a lot for developing on that. Envoyé de mon iPhone à l'aide de Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare MicCanberra Posted April 9, 2014 #21 Share Posted April 9, 2014 I just spoke to the agent who answered the phone. I ordered $425 OBC knowing it is USD and when I got my CC statement the charge was $425CAD from Pricness Vancouver. A nice surprise. Doesn't work for Aussies, I tried this in February, gifted myself $425 OBC, with the conversion/international fee, it was more like $475 AUD on the credit card statement. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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