Downfall to booking cruise & excursions early

[POA1]

Why on earth would you give up more OBC to get a lesser amount of fare reduction????

 

 

Our TA buys OBC at about 82 cents on the dollar. Negotiated rates are more favorable.

 

So in answer to your "Why on Earth" question...

 

My answer is, "Math is hard." :D

[Laminator]

Our TA buys OBC at about 82 cents on the dollar. Negotiated rates are more favorable.

 

So in answer to your "Why on Earth" question...

 

My answer is, "Math is hard." :D

 

Now you've got me thinking which is quite painful for me. I am thinking of having my TA purchase $10,000 worth of OBC for me on my next cruise. I'll pay the TA $8200 and go to the casino, cash in, and come out $1800 ahead. It's the only chance I ever have of coming out ahead in the casino!

 

On another note I have always found HAL much more accommodating when you request an OBC instead of cash back. When you ask for cash back it is like jumping through hoops and 15 to 30 minutes on the phone. When you ask for OBC it is usually a 5 minute call with a positive result. That has been my experience with HAL!

Edited September 18, 2015 by Laminator

[dakrewser]

Just a reminder the poster said why on earth would anyone take a lesser reduction instead of an obc? That is insinuating what others should do and it's tiresome. I think most of us "get it" and we likely don't need guidance on what to do.

 

It's not "insinuating" anything, it's asking a poster why they prefer to spend $100 more than they have to.

[dakrewser]

Our TA buys OBC at about 82 cents on the dollar. Negotiated rates are more favorable.

 

So in answer to your "Why on Earth" question...

 

My answer is, "Math is hard." :D

 

Even if the TA got it for 50 cents on the dollar, it's still worth a dollar to you, isn't it?

[RocketMan275]

Just a reminder the poster said why on earth would anyone take a lesser reduction instead of an obc? That is insinuating what others should do and it's tiresome. I think most of us "get it" and we likely don't need guidance on what to do.

 

I'm sure you do "get it". But there are many more who don't "get it". They do not understand the differences in non-refundable and refundable OBC. Some don't even realize that OBC can be converted to a credit or cash. Some, those not as knowledgeable as yourself, probably do appreciate some "guidance".

[RocketMan275]

Now you've got me thinking which is quite painful for me. I am thinking of having my TA purchase $10,000 worth of OBC for me on my next cruise. I'll pay the TA $8200 and go to the casino, cash in, and come out $1800 ahead. It's the only chance I ever have of coming out ahead in the casino!

 

I'd love to hear how your TA reacts to that. I suspect any TA who did that on such a scale would not be a TA very long.

 

On another note I have always found HAL much more accommodating when you request an OBC instead of cash back. When you ask for cash back it is like jumping through hoops and 15 to 30 minutes on the phone. When you ask for OBC it is usually a 5 minute call with a positive result. That has been my experience with HAL!

 

I'm sure that is the case. If they give you cash back, then that cash is gone forever. If they give you OBC, they will still profit from that.

[Laminator]

I'd love to hear how your TA reacts to that. I suspect any TA who did that on such a scale would not be a TA very long.

 

 

I was using an extreme case scenario. I have disembarked a few times with a final statement in the $10,000 area. So I don't feel that an OBC of $10,000 is that far fetched.

[Kathyfromstl]

I'm a new cruiser needing guidance. My TA gave us $200 in OBC at booking. HAL chartered my booking so I changed my date and they gave me $250 OBC for this. I was able to get into the Explore 4 Promotion and HAL gave us another $300 OBC. Based on what I've been reading above, the $300 is not refundable if not used. What about the $250 for having to change our cruise date? I assume the original $200 from TA is refundable if not used. I don't expect to have a lot left over as excursions in Alaska look expensive. I assume the HSC will come out of the OBC and then if any minimal amount left over is automatically credited to my credit card. Did I miss anything?

 

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

[serendipity1499]

Just a reminder the poster said why on earth would anyone take a lesser reduction instead of an obc? That is insinuating what others should do and it's tiresome. I think most of us "get it" and we likely don't need guidance on what to do.

 

It's not "insinuating" anything, it's asking a poster why they prefer to spend $100 more than they have to.

 

dakrewser, that was my interpretation as well! IMO the poster just asked a question & expected a civil answer.. Don't believe she was trying to suggest what others should do.. It's a shame when some posts are taken as personal put-downs..:confused:

Edited September 18, 2015 by serendipity1499

[iancal]

At the end of our last RCI cruise we had a $200 balance in our non refundable OBC account. We had three choices:

 

-disembark and not use the $200 credit(no thanks)

 

-spend $200 on board on something we really did no want (no thanks)

 

-go to the casino and ask for cash against our $200 OBC balance at a charge of 5 percent (we would get $190 in cash)

 

...we took door three-cash is king in our books! Why leave money on the table for a cruise line?

Edited September 18, 2015 by iancal

[RocketMan275]

I'm a new cruiser needing guidance. My TA gave us $200 in OBC at booking. HAL chartered my booking so I changed my date and they gave me $250 OBC for this. I was able to get into the Explore 4 Promotion and HAL gave us another $300 OBC. Based on what I've been reading above, the $300 is not refundable if not used. What about the $250 for having to change our cruise date? I assume the original $200 from TA is refundable if not used. I don't expect to have a lot left over as excursions in Alaska look expensive. I assume the HSC will come out of the OBC and then if any minimal amount left over is automatically credited to my credit card. Did I miss anything?

 

Sent from my LGLS991 using Tapatalk

 

I think you pretty well got it. But, I would recommend discussing this with your TA to be sure. Both the TA's I use include the amount of OBC they provide and the amount of OBC the cruise line provides as separate entries. Then I would verify the amounts once I board the ship maybe around day three.

[RocketMan275]

Our TA buys OBC at about 82 cents on the dollar. Negotiated rates are more favorable.

 

So in answer to your "Why on Earth" question...

 

My answer is, "Math is hard." :D

 

Thank you my cruise critic friend. Because of you, I learned something today. I had no idea that TA bought OBC at a discount. Explains somethings.

Edited September 18, 2015 by RocketMan275

[Kathyfromstl]

Thanks for confirming the differences in my OBC and I'll add it to my list of things to discuss with my TA closer to my cruise date.

 

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[Laminator]

I suspect you did quite well in the casino?

 

Sometimes yes! That money goes into the room safe and I will continue to pull money from the room card. I want the miles from the credit card so any upcoming airfare or upgrades are covered.

[RocketMan275]

I suspect you did quite well in the casino?

 

Sometimes yes! That money goes into the room safe and I will continue to pull money from the room card. I want the miles from the credit card so any upcoming airfare or upgrades are covered.

 

Congratulations on your good fortune. I didn't think you started the cruise with $10K in OBC but I could imagine some who planned on spending a lot in the casino could.

[ICtheC]

We booked a year ahead - OBC was offered 2 months later but not for

us =- new bookings only, now the stateroom next to ours is selling for

$3000pp less than we paid. Not a happy camper - wrote to our TA about it but no reply so far. Lesson learned - wait until after final payment next time - or just stay home and buy a new car!

[iancal]

That is exactly why we do not confine ourselves to one cruise line and why we usually book inside the final payment window.

 

If the prices go up after final payment then we simply select another ship, another itinerary, or another date.

Edited September 19, 2015 by iancal

[avian777]

We booked a year ahead - OBC was offered 2 months later but not for

us =- new bookings only, now the stateroom next to ours is selling for

$3000pp less than we paid. Not a happy camper - wrote to our TA about it but no reply so far. Lesson learned - wait until after final payment next time - or just stay home and buy a new car!

 

Sorry to hear this - are you going to cancel your booked cruise or just grin and bear it this time?

[POA1]

So you prefer a $4500 bottom line to a $4400 one? Looking for a new house? I've got one with absolutely no OBC involved!

;)

 

 

Sorry, but I don't "get" your math on this one ... as I calculate it, you'd be $100 better off with the $5,000 fare/$600 OBC deal than with the straight $4,500 fare, and I'm not even adding in the time value of money which, of course, would make the $5,000/$600 deal even better ...

 

You might want to rethink that.

 

The OBC provided by your TA is completely reimbursable. If the exchange rate is moving against your currency, then the OBC, when it is refunded at the end of the cruise, will be worth more than what you 'paid' for it in terms of your home currency.

 

You might also want to consider this. If your TA can purchase OBC at a discount, say 90 cents on the dollar, then that is also in your favor. Which would you prefer? That she reduces your fare by $90 or gives you $100 OBC which you can have credited back to your account at the end of the cruise? Of course, the $100 OBC could also buy more of your home currency if the exchange rate is moving against your home currency.

 

That said, the TA's I work with typically give either a big discount and a small amount of OBC on those lines that allow discounting or they give no discount and a large OBC on those lines that don't allow discounting. Typically, the total discount rate (discount plus OBC divided by the cruise fare shown on the cruise lines website) are pretty much the same. Of course, individual TA can often provide greater discounts than others due to a variety of factors.

 

It's a personal preference. We'd rather keep the money up front than have the OBC. We typically get $300 in OBC from American Express Platinum plus shareholder's OBC, plus any FCC credit. Our TA usually throws in a few bucks of OBC (usually about $50.) However, we use the TA that we do because the price is lower up front.

 

I understand that some people prefer big OBC amounts and don't mind playing the refund / slot machine game. We prefer to keep the money.

Edited September 19, 2015 by POA1

[Randyk47]

It's a personal preference. We'd rather keep the money up front than have the OBC. We typically get $300 in OBC from American Express Platinum plus shareholder's OBC, plus any FCC credit. Our TA usually throws in a few bucks of OBC (usually about $50.) However, we use the TA that we do because the price is lower up front.

 

I understand that some people prefer big OBC amounts and don't mind playing the refund / slot machine game. We prefer to keep the money.

 

We've done both and really nothing particularly wrong or right with either approach but we also prefer to keep the money up front. Considering we've been cruising the Med for the last four years it's been nice to average a 12% rebate in cash that has helped defray some of the other costs associated with going so far for a vacation.

[ICtheC]

avian777

thanks for the kind words.

We are not going to cancel as we have travel arrangements that are

non-refundable and would lose that too plus at our age we think this is

the last long cruise we will be taking so it is a grin and bear it situation.

We will probably change travel agents though as we thought they should have gone to bat for us or at least tried but they did nothing. Very disappointing after all the business we have given them over the years.

[avian777]

avian777

thanks for the kind words.

We are not going to cancel as we have travel arrangements that are

non-refundable and would lose that too plus at our age we think this is

the last long cruise we will be taking so it is a grin and bear it situation.

We will probably change travel agents though as we thought they should have gone to bat for us or at least tried but they did nothing. Very disappointing after all the business we have given them over the years.

 

I'm so very sorry to hear of your shoddy treatment by HAL and your TA. If you can get your TA to respond to you, you might ask him/her to check into cancelling your current booking and then immediately re-booking the same cruise at the new fare. You may have to give up the cabin you initially booked (and settle for a lesser desirable one), but for a $6,000 savings it would certainly be worth it to me. This may not be possible, but I do think it's worth a try. Good luck.

Edited September 19, 2015 by avian777