Back to the "old" OBC leftover policy

[PunkiC]

I think the only people who are upset are the people who would brag about coming home with more money than they started with. I guess enough passengers figured out the system and now the cruise line has put a stop to it. I realize that if you go on enough cruises you don't spend the same as those who are first time cruisers but honestly there must be a way to spend all of the OBC.

 

My biggest concern is that people remove their Auto-tip and then cash out their accounts. That, IMHO, is just wrong, wrong, wrong and I applaud Princess for putting a stop to it.

 

We are both veterans, stockholders, elites and always have FCC. Moreover we almost always are able to snag a few hundred dollars in extra cruise credit from our travel agent as well as from Princess for special offers. Even with all that, we never have that much OBC left over at the end of the cruise, and I imagine we start out with as much OBC as anybody on the ship.

 

We always leave on the Auto-tip, buy wine for dinner almost every night and usually take ourselves and another couple out to dinner at least once in a specialty restaurant, and play a round of Jackpot BINGO on the last day, which pretty much zeros our account. If not, we can always find another way to spend it.

 

We have two cruises coming up in the early spring where we have lots of OBC and Free Gratuities. It will be fun to figure out how to spend that money. So many choices.

[billco]

I think the only people who are upset are the people who would brag about coming home with more money than they started with. I guess enough passengers figured out the system and now the cruise line has put a stop to it. I realize that if you go on enough cruises you don't spend the same as those who are first time cruisers but honestly there must be a way to spend all of the OBC.

I am mildly upset with this policy and and I am not one to brag. My concerns are as follows:

 

1. I don't think Princess has stated a clear policy.

2. The definition on the personalizer gives the impression to me that the credits are added to the folio at the start of the cruise and applied to my balance due at the end of the cruise. I take that to mean if there is no balance due then I should get the difference. This seems to be corroborated by looking at the folio of a previous cruise. At the top of the folio there is a credit. The type of credit (FCC, military, shareholder) is not defined. just one number. Everything after that number is deducted with a credit going to the CC on file at the end of the cruise.

3. I don't think Princess should apply a new policy like this after I have made final payment.

4. I think Princess caused the issue by offering OBC as a promotion. Especially OBC that is equal to the cost of the cruise.

 

Just my opinion. Out of 17 Princess cruises I have only ended up with one credit ($45.00) at the end of a cruise. I do have a B2B coming up where it looks like it might be beneficial to carry over some OBC to the second part. I also have a B2B coming up in the Spring where I have paid gratuities and $200 OBC in addition to shareholder, military, FCC, and TA, so that might be helpful to carry over also, as some family members will be joining us.

Edited September 30, 2014 by billco

[Astro Flyer]

I believe that when Princess began refunding OBC they thought it was a nice gesture for people like Bill who once in awhile had a small amount of remaining credit. Unfortunately like so many other things some used the system to turn it into a cash ATM to subsidize their cruise fare & thus this loophole is being closed. Using $100 of credit for onboard purchases doesn't cost Princess $100 but taking it in cash it does cost $100.

 

I understand why some are upset about the change particularly after final payment however I never saw the change in writing when about a year ago they began refunding OBC so we might not get a notification that OBC is no longer refundable. Being refundable was never in the contract so those who benefited & got OBC refunded got an unexpected gift from Princess. While this has been discussed on Cruise Critic probably the overwhelming majority of Princess passengers never even knew this existed.

 

To me, complimentary "onboard credit" should always have been used "onboard" and Princess made a mistake by ever refunding it...use it or lose it.

Edited September 30, 2014 by Astro Flyer

[cherylandtk]

A succinct and well stated summary, Astro.

[whatcruiseisnext]

[

I believe that when Princess began refunding OBC they thought it was a nice gesture for people like Bill who once in awhile had a small amount of remaining credit. Unfortunately like so many other things some used the system to turn it into a cash ATM to subsidize their cruise fare & thus this loophole is being closed. Using $100 of credit for onboard purchases doesn't cost Princess $100 but taking it in cash it does cost $100.

 

I understand why some are upset about the change particularly after final payment however I never saw the change in writing when about a year ago they began refunding OBC so we might not get a notification that OBC is no longer refundable. Being refundable was never in the contract so those who benefited & got OBC refunded got an unexpected gift from Princess. While this has been discussed on Cruise Critic probably the overwhelming majority of Princess passengers never even knew this existed.

 

To me, complimentary "onboard credit" should always have been used "onboard" and Princess made a mistake by ever refunding it...use it or lose it.

 

Very well said.

[Iamcruzin]

My biggest concern is that people remove their Auto-tip and then cash out their accounts. That, IMHO, is just wrong, wrong, wrong and I applaud Princess for putting a stop to it.

 

OMG! Do people really remove the auto tip that was paid with OBC? How cheap can you be. That's disgusting.

 

 

I am mildly upset with this policy and and I am not one to brag. My concerns are as follows:

 

1. I don't think Princess has stated a clear policy.

2. The definition on the personalizer gives the impression to me that the credits are added to the folio at the start of the cruise and applied to my balance due at the end of the cruise. I take that to mean if there is no balance due then I should get the difference. This seems to be corroborated by looking at the folio of a previous cruise. At the top of the folio there is a credit. The type of credit (FCC, military, shareholder) is not defined. just one number. Everything after that number is deducted with a credit going to the CC on file at the end of the cruise.

3. I don't think Princess should apply a new policy like this after I have made final payment.

4. I think Princess caused the issue by offering OBC as a promotion. Especially OBC that is equal to the cost of the cruise.

 

Just my opinion. Out of 17 Princess cruises I have only ended up with one credit ($45.00) at the end of a cruise. I do have a B2B coming up where it looks like it might be beneficial to carry over some OBC to the second part. I also have a B2B coming up in the Spring where I have paid gratuities and $200 OBC in addition to shareholder, military, FCC, and TA, so that might be helpful to carry over also, as some family members will be joining us.

I agree with all you of the above. My biggest complaints with all of the cruise lines is that they tend to change rules midstream, they don't roll it out to the entire fleet at the same time and they never communicate the change. If it weren't for CC we would all be out of the loop.

[NavyVeteran]

I believe that when Princess began refunding OBC they thought it was a nice gesture for people like Bill who once in awhile had a small amount of remaining credit. Unfortunately like so many other things some used the system to turn it into a cash ATM to subsidize their cruise fare & thus this loophole is being closed. Using $100 of credit for onboard purchases doesn't cost Princess $100 but taking it in cash it does cost $100.

 

I understand why some are upset about the change particularly after final payment however I never saw the change in writing when about a year ago they began refunding OBC so we might not get a notification that OBC is no longer refundable. Being refundable was never in the contract so those who benefited & got OBC refunded got an unexpected gift from Princess. While this has been discussed on Cruise Critic probably the overwhelming majority of Princess passengers never even knew this existed.

 

To me, complimentary "onboard credit" should always have been used "onboard" and Princess made a mistake by ever refunding it...use it or lose it.

 

Well said. Although I have cashed in OBC a couple of times, I don't believe Princess ever promised me that I could. So they are not changing a promise after final payment.

 

Cruise Critic makes it more difficult for Princess and other cruise lines to go above the policy on an exception basis. Once they make an exception, then it is published on Cruise Critic and everyone else expects it.

[tothemall&beyond]

Which only goes to prove that what you are told and what happens on the ship can be different. I am my own woman and decide for myself what to do. Why do you care if I wait to see what happens on board? You made you decision and apparently cancelled the cruise, that was YOUR decision.

 

Jackie

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

 

 

Please see other people's posts about what IS happening on the CB. With that in mind, we cancelled because we had booked 3 separate solo cabins, thinking we could spend some of our OBCs and cash out some. But with the new way of treating OBCs, we were going to have way too much in OBCs (more than $1300) that would really get wasted. We can't drink that much wine or eat enough specialty meals, or take that much alcohol off the ship. We live in Florida so there are no Caribbean excursions that would interest us. We would never buy anything from Park West Gallery. So we cancelled those reservations, and re-booked for a lower fare with far less in OBC's.

Edited September 30, 2014 by tothemall&beyond

[Times Prince]

Last night Mrs. Times Prince and I talked about our upcoming cruise where we have Princess pre-paid gratuities and lots of OBC - more than we normally spend onboard, even using OBC's for gratuities.

 

Mr. Times Prince: "This could be a problem, especially as we've been to several of the ports before and won't be doing Princess Excursions for those..."

 

Mrs. Times Prince: (with a twinkle in her eye and a cute smile on her lips) - "Not a problem spending all that OBC; they have jewelry stores on board ;)"

 

Mr. Times Prince: :rolleyes:

[dickinson]

Last night Mrs. Times Prince and I talked about our upcoming cruise where we have Princess pre-paid gratuities and lots of OBC - more than we normally spend onboard, even using OBC's for gratuities.

 

Mr. Times Prince: "This could be a problem, especially as we've been to several of the ports before and won't be doing Princess Excursions for those..."

 

Mrs. Times Prince: (with a twinkle in her eye and a cute smile on her lips) - "Not a problem spending all that OBC; they have jewelry stores on board ;)"

 

Mr. Times Prince: :rolleyes:

 

Love it!!!!

[PrincessLuver]

I have been on phone with Princess management for the past two hours. Despite whatever notation you may have on your Cruise Personalizer, the Shareholder OBC is NOT refundable, nor is the Future Cruise Deposit OBC. You can NOT use any of your Military, Shareholder, Future Cruise or Promo/ShoreEx OBC's in the casino any longer for casino credits or purchases. New policies went into effect on 8/18 enforcing what was always the actual (but unenforced) policy. Even if it looks like you've transferred $$ to your casino purse and cashed it out, beware!!! It will NOT get applied against your OBCs. It will be charged as a new purchase and billed to your account. So when you get your final folio, the OBC's (except for the Military) will still be left sitting in your account unused but not refundable nor able to be cashed out in the casino, and you will have a nice, new charge for whatever you transferred.

 

Princess needs to put this in writing......heresay is one thing and black and white print is another...:mad:

[Iamcruzin]

Hinting of desperation? That boat sailed ;) last winter when Princess allowed passengers to cruise for free, get cash for OBCs on the free cruise and cash for OBCs on the cruise on which they used their cruise credit. Pay for one cruise, get two, PLUS get cash back twice. It's a helluva business model.

The problem is that the personnel in charge of these marketing decisions are so far up the on the food chain that they don't see what happens on the front lines. Then the bean counters start scratching their head wondering why on board spending is down when they are giving away so much on board credits.

[SOLIVITA LADY]

Please see other people's posts about what IS happening on the CB. With that in mind, we cancelled because we had booked 3 separate solo cabins, thinking we could spend some of our OBCs and cash out some. But with the new way of treating OBCs, we were going to have way too much in OBCs (more than $1300) that would really get wasted. We can't drink that much wine or eat enough specialty meals, or take that much alcohol off the ship. We live in Florida so there are no Caribbean excursions that would interest us. We would never buy anything from Park West Gallery. So we cancelled those reservations, and re-booked for a lower fare with far less in OBC's.

 

I have read all the posts and OBC is still able to be used for gratuities. You can't cash out and that is fine with me as I don't use the ship as an ATM and don't expect Princess to fund the cost of my cruise. We have over $600 for a 5 day cruise. Will we spend it all, who knows. But we will have fun trying. You apparently thought you would walk away with a lot of cash in your pocket but that wasn't going to happen so you cancelled. Call it what it is - you expected a free cruise, didn't get it and now your angry. Too bad, so sad.

 

I'm done with this subject. Goodnight.

 

 

Sent from my KFTT using Tapatalk HD

[Coral]

 

 

I agree with all you of the above. My biggest complaints with all of the cruise lines is that they tend to change rules midstream, they don't roll it out to the entire fleet at the same time and they never communicate the change. If it weren't for CC we would all be out of the loop.

 

Or maybe if it wasn't for CC, there would be no loop! No one would think that they could profit from a cruise and then be disappointed. They would consider themselves fortunate to just have an OBC. I remember my first cruise when I got $50 per person OBC and thought that was a treasure. Now some people expect to cash out on OBC and cruise for free.

 

While I think CC provides a lot of resources for people researching their trips, part of CC has turned into "how to get something for free", "how to cancel tips", "how to share a drink card" - basically how to cheat the system.

[bhopal21]

While I think CC provides a lot of resources for people researching their trips, part of CC has turned into "how to get something for free", "how to cancel tips", "how to share a drink card" - basically how to cheat the system.

 

Exactly! And how can I smuggle alcohol onboard.

 

Mike:)

[Avalon35]

Please see other people's posts about what IS happening on the CB. With that in mind, we cancelled because we had booked 3 separate solo cabins, thinking we could spend some of our OBCs and cash out some. But with the new way of treating OBCs, we were going to have way too much in OBCs (more than $1300) that would really get wasted. We can't drink that much wine or eat enough specialty meals, or take that much alcohol off the ship. We live in Florida so there are no Caribbean excursions that would interest us. We would never buy anything from Park West Gallery. So we cancelled those reservations, and re-booked for a lower fare with far less in OBC's.

 

 

Maybe you can call. Princess and they will pay you to stay home?

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[richstowe]

Or maybe if it wasn't for CC, there would be no loop! No one would think that they could profit from a cruise and then be disappointed. They would consider themselves fortunate to just have an OBC. I remember my first cruise when I got $50 per person OBC and thought that was a treasure. Now some people expect to cash out on OBC and cruise for free.

 

While I think CC provides a lot of resources for people researching their trips, part of CC has turned into "how to get something for free", "how to cancel tips", "how to share a drink card" - basically how to cheat the system.

And then you have to come back to CC and brag on how you "won".

I understand this and have been guilty of it on occasion :o but only to a point.

Sometimes there is a fine line between giving advice not in the cruise industry's interest and

actually scamming the system.

An example of the first is advising newbies to take private rather then ship tours and is

what CC should be about . Smuggling booze or taking off tips (so you can tip in person HA!)

is an example of the second kind of advice.

Sometimes the lines get blurred.

[cactusrose]

Following is from a post I made to the Princess Facebook page. I think it is noteworthy that I didn't mention a specific cruise.

 

Me: I have heard there are changes to the Onboard Credit (OBC) policy. Namely designating some credits as refundable and others nonrefundable. These are designated on the Cruise Personalizer with an asterisk. What is confusing is OBCs on some cruises have asterisks, while other cruises do not for the same OBCs. Can you clarify?

 

Princess Cruises Hi Bill, we deeply apologize for your confusion! We hope this will clarify: The types of non-refundable OBCs consist of: Promotional offerings, group amenities, & shareholder benefits. OBCs that remain refundable include: Third party gifts, military benefits, & good will. Thank you for your continued loyalty and we look forward to seeing you soon!

 

Me Will this change on my personalizer for cruises that I have had booked, including the ones that I have made final payment. I have five cruises booked: 2 next month, 2 in Spring of 2015 and 1 in Fall of 2015. None of the personalizers show asterisks next to the OBCs including FCCS and Share holder benefit.

 

Princess Cruises Hi Bill, the policy has started rolling out across the fleet. It will in effect when you board Emerald Princess. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Like · 35 mins

 

Since you didn't mention a specific cruise it's interesting that they knew you were going to be on the Emerald.:confused::confused:

 

I think the only people who are upset are the people who would brag about coming home with more money than they started with. I guess enough passengers figured out the system and now the cruise line has put a stop to it. I realize that if you go on enough cruises you don't spend the same as those who are first time cruisers but honestly there must be a way to spend all of the OBC.

 

It's more like enough people talked about it on cruise critic and the cruise line reads cc so put an end to it. Like so many things that have changed, I'm sure it's because of the comments on cc.

[RickEk]

Princess needs to put this in writing......heresay is one thing and black and white print is another...:mad:

 

It's on your Personalizer...

 

Since you didn't mention a specific cruise it's interesting that they knew you were going to be on the Emerald.:confused::confused:

 

They would have his name on Facebook... no hiding behind a CC handle :)

 

 

And for those that say Princess made a mistake offering all those OBC's, it sure seems they must have done something right... they have a new ship on order.

Edited October 1, 2014 by RickEk

[dchip]

We are Elite. That being said, we still get excited with OBC and we spend it. Yes, after 17 cruises and 18 years we still book Princess excursions, drink at Crooner's, eat at the Crown Grill, and buy a piece of jewelry now and again.

 

Folks this is a vacation, enjoy it. Quit trying to figure out how to get more money in your pocket. We still work for a living but we do enjoy our time away.

 

Cheers, Denise

[Pam in CA]

Exactly! And how can I smuggle alcohol onboard.

The really fun part with those posts and threads is that Princess reads Cruise Critic. They know exactly what people are talking about and plan to do. :)

 

There has never been a written policy regarding refundable vs. non-refundable OBC that I've ever seen. Nor do I think they plan to. Plus I don't think it's necessary since the term "onboard credit" is pretty self-explanatory: it's for use onboard. I'm just grateful that Princess is so generous with OBC.

[Lovetocruiseprincess]

Please see other people's posts about what IS happening on the CB. With that in mind, we cancelled because we had booked 3 separate solo cabins, thinking we could spend some of our OBCs and cash out some. But with the new way of treating OBCs, we were going to have way too much in OBCs (more than $1300) that would really get wasted. We can't drink that much wine or eat enough specialty meals, or take that much alcohol off the ship. We live in Florida so there are no Caribbean excursions that would interest us. We would never buy anything from Park West Gallery. So we cancelled those reservations, and re-booked for a lower fare with far less in OBC's.

 

To bad you're just listening to what people post about the written rules they believe to be the final say in the word. The CB is still refunding the on board cabin credit via the casino- believe it or not. There are many people on this trip here only because they can get it and will return in a week or two for the next cruise where it was available.

[satxdiver]

We have never had this "problem" as we manage to spend all the different OBC and more!

[PrincessLuver]

It's on your Personalizer...

 

No it is not and I have checked.....it is funny how some people can get all upset about a "mandatory room service fee" that they did not know about but serious money is no big deal.....;)

[PrincessLuver]

The really fun part with those posts and threads is that Princess reads Cruise Critic. They know exactly what people are talking about and plan to do. :)

 

There has never been a written policy regarding refundable vs. non-refundable OBC that I've ever seen. Nor do I think they plan to. Plus I don't think it's necessary since the term "onboard credit" is pretty self-explanatory: it's for use onboard. I'm just grateful that Princess is so generous with OBC.

 

But you can use it to buy excursions which are technically not "On Board" :D....I do not think it is clear to people at all especially since they are changing things midstream.....any quality corporation is going to let people know about a coming policy change and then implement it..not arbitrarily do it after the fact...:cool: