What good are your shipboard credits?

[cubfan63]

Some folks might say that a "good cruise line excursion" is an oxymoron :) Must admit that we like the Princess approach to onboard credits. They simply refund any remaining credit. On our last Princess cruise we had nearly $2000 in OBCs and were welcomed home by a check from Princess for a few hundred dollars of unused credit. It was the first time in an awful lot of cruising when we got paid by the cruise line at the end of the cruise :). On our next HAL cruise (38 days) we originally booked with the drink package and were wondering if we could spend all of our onboard credit. But when HAL dropped the price of our cruise by about $10,000....but we had to give up the drink package to save that money,....our problem was solved :)

 

 

 

Hank

 

 

Also, I like Princess allowing shore excursions to be reserved and not requiring them to be pre-paid. This way large amounts of OBC can actually be used to pay for them.

[cruz chic]

Also, I like Princess allowing shore excursions to be reserved and not requiring them to be pre-paid. This way large amounts of OBC can actually be used to pay for them.

 

I like the way princess does that. The problem is that people bulk up knowing they won't go on all. I've seen people admit it on here. A few selfish people ruin it for the rest.

[CruiseWhere]

We already have free dinner in the specialty restaurants and free alcohol. Can you use it towards gratuities and I guess photos?? :confused:

 

I'm just curious how you receive free alcohol;)

Edited September 24, 2014 by CruiseWhere

[PathfinderEss]

Amazing how people get distracted from the original question of using OBC. How did you all get to critizing on HOW to book excursions

 

I agree, how did we get here from the OP question?

Trust me, there are lot of ways to use up your OBC other then excursions. There's drinking :D, specialty dinning :), drinking :D, shopping on board :), drinking, oh I think I said that before.:)

[3rdGenCunarder]

I like the way princess does that. The problem is that people bulk up knowing they won't go on all. I've seen people admit it on here. A few selfish people ruin it for the rest.

 

My niece did that on her first cruise (on Princess). She was telling me about all the excursions she had reserved. She had a couple of expensive dive excursions on the list, and said "Well, if we don't feel like going on the first one, we'll skip it and go on the second one." She did not read the fine print and had NO IDEA that she would be charged for the excursions she didn't use. If I hadn't told her to check the cancellation policy on her excursions she could have had a very expensive vacation.

[cruz chic]

I'm just curious how you receive free alcohol;)

 

Likely explore 4

[CowPrincess]

Innlady1 I interpreted Sail7Seas' post exactly as you did. Despite the different interpretation now being offered by another poster when I re-read Sail's post I still interpret it as you did.

 

Written communication can be so difficult.

Edited September 24, 2014 by CowPrincess

[innlady1]

Innlady1 I interpreted Sail7Seas' post exactly as you did. Despite the different interpretation now being offered by another poster when I re-read Sail's post I still interpret it as you did.

 

Written communication can be so difficult.

 

Thank you, Cow Princess. Good to know that I'm not totally misunderstood.

[summersigh]

We always use our shipboard credits towards excursions. I understand you need to pre-pay for excursions so this would not be an option. We already have free dinner in the specialty restaurants and free alcohol. Can you use it towards gratuities and I guess photos?? :confused:

 

From your list below it looks like you're asking this question on the wrong boards :)

Royal Caribbean- Freedom of the Seas - 3-1-2009

Emerald Princess - 3-7-2010

Carribbean Princess - 9-14-2013

Norwegian Dawn - 1-26-2014

Norwegian Getaway - 11-29-2014

[SeaBands]

you buy on the ship, in the shops, casino and spa as well as the daily charge and tours.

[Windsailer]

I tried really hard to use all my OBC on my last cruise. I thought I had done a good job, until I got the final statement. At that point it was time to disembark so I couldn't buy anything else. Got home and found HAL had posted the remaining OBC to the credit card they had on file. I had OBC from my TA, from HAL, CCL stock, FCD and ZPM. I think what got refunded was from the TA as the rest was "use it or lose it."

[sail7seas]

From your list below it looks like you're asking this question on the wrong boards :)

Royal Caribbean- Freedom of the Seas - 3-1-2009

Emerald Princess - 3-7-2010

Carribbean Princess - 9-14-2013

Norwegian Dawn - 1-26-2014

Norwegian Getaway - 11-29-2014

 

 

 

Thanks. I wondered the same thing. :confused:

[rostbp]

I KNOW what board I am posting my question. It is because I NEVER have been on HAL I don't know the answer. Thinking about an Alaskan cruise on HAL next August.

[sail7seas]

I KNOW what board I am posting my question. It is because I NEVER have been on HAL I don't know the answer. Thinking about an Alaskan cruise on HAL next August.

 

 

Thanks for responding. You likely can understand our confusion.

Hope you find the perfect Alaska cruise whether HAL or any other line. :)

[Typhoon1]

It is used just like cash.

 

Anything on your shipboard account can have OBC applied to it.

[sppunk]

Wait, you can cash out OBCs via the casino?!

[Windsailer]

Wait, you can cash out OBCs via the casino?!

 

Yes. Set up an account on a slot machine. Download $$ from your shipboard account to your "bank" - it's all done on your Sea Pass card after you set up your account. Do a couple of spins. Cash out to your card. Take the card to the Cashier and get the $$. Easy-peasey.

[sppunk]

Yes. Set up an account on a slot machine. Download $$ from your shipboard account to your "bank" - it's all done on your Sea Pass card after you set up your account. Do a couple of spins. Cash out to your card. Take the card to the Cashier and get the $$. Easy-peasey.

As someone who's never played a single game in a onboard casino (I can't recall the last time I walked through one even, ha), thank you so much as I'd have never know this and we find ourselves often wasting money on junk we don't need or excursions we don't really care about to use OBC.

 

Thank you, thank you!

[albingirl]

Just to clarify I don't really have a lot of problems exercising, walking etc. I just have issues crawling around in vans. A small bus would be ok. Also no one has ever bullied me on a roll call. It's more people on these boards that look down their nose at hal excursions. There is nothing wrong with them (except the boredom factor). I've loved many of the hal shorex I've taken.

 

I agree. I've had a great time on HAL tours and learned a lot along the way. Plus, I feel safer in countries where I don't speak the language! And, please get me to the ship on time counts a lot in any language.:)

[Windsailer]

As someone who's never played a single game in a onboard casino (I can't recall the last time I walked through one even, ha), thank you so much as I'd have never know this and we find ourselves often wasting money on junk we don't need or excursions we don't really care about to use OBC.

 

Thank you, thank you!

 

Happy to help! I tried to calculate how much I needed to break even on my last cruise. (i.e. spend all my OBC)...but had a "senior" moment and miscalculated and left HAL with some $$. But somehow it was "refundable" OBC - must have been from my TA - so they gave me a credit on my credit card!

[sail7seas]

Yes. Set up an account on a slot machine. Download $$ from your shipboard account to your "bank" - it's all done on your Sea Pass card after you set up your account. Do a couple of spins. Cash out to your card. Take the card to the Cashier and get the $$. Easy-peasey.

 

Exactly. :)