Getting Annoyed with NCL

[casofilia]

Basically if you bought the OBC it will be refundable. If it was given to you by NCL then it will not be. I don't know about 3rd party OBC but I would guess it also won't be refundable.

 

If you get an onboard statement it will show your balance and your non-refundable balance.

 

Mike

[KeithJenner]

I'm not sure why people would buy OBC? Register a card and walk off the ship at the end. Your card gets charged?

 

 

As has been said, it's because of exchange rates.

 

It's worth you looking too, if you are likely to have some onboard spend. On my last cruise before I started getting the UBP thrown in, I bought some OBC and saved nearly £50 on my onboard spend.

 

As an example, I'm likely to pay $250 for some cruise credits on my next cruise. At current exchange rates, they will cost around £175 taking into account foreign currency fees on my credit card. I can buy $250 of OBC for about £160.

 

Probably not worth the bother (basically the risk of it not showing up on my account) for that saving, but worth considering.

Edited February 10, 2016 by KeithJenner

[Cauzneffct]

Huh. We had about $900 left over on our last Princess cruise (we bought OBC for a pricey excursion that was cancelled) and they gave it to us in cash the last night. I assumed that was standard, but apparently not.

[Got Tequila?]

We got off the Breakaway on December 20th, and received our check yesterday....I had forgotten all about it so it was a nice surprise. :)

[fshagan]

I'm not sure why people would buy OBC? Register a card and walk off the ship at the end. Your card gets charged?

 

Here in the US you can't "charge" gambling, so when you use a credit card you are actually getting a "cash advance" at much higher fees and interest rates than regular charges. Not sure of what happens with the card agreements in other countries. You can charge OBC when you purchase it, so you save on the fees and higher interest rates.

[agabbymama]

Huh. We had about $900 left over on our last Princess cruise (we bought OBC for a pricey excursion that was cancelled) and they gave it to us in cash the last night. I assumed that was standard, but apparently not.

 

NCL mails the check to your home address. They don't refund in cash.

 

But on our cruise I had purchased $1200 OBC for excursions I knew I was taking. The print-out from the front desk shows refundable & non-refundable in plain language, so it's easy to see which they are using. I knew I was flying to Hawaii the week after the cruise ended, so the last night I went to the credit desk and asked for the refund of my $200 pre-purchased OBC and the $100 NCL OBC was also still showing. The rep explained it was NCL policy to mail the check and that I would lose the $100 NCL OBC. I went to the casino cashier and paid the 3% fee to get my $200, then stopped at the watch shop and bought a new watch with NCL $100 OBC.

 

We had eaten in a pay restaurant, done 4 excursions, had a few drinks, and purchased a few photos, so for the NCL $100 OBC to still be on the books shows that my Refundable OBC was used first.

 

I've read many different stories on this board, so I don't think you can be sure on any given day of what is going to happen. It seems to change from sailing to sailing, and not a set policy.

Edited February 10, 2016 by agabbymama

[vince_g]

NCL mails the check to your home address. They don't refund in cash.

 

And years ago on Carnival Conquest, there was a check stapled to our folio. They actually cut our refund check on the ship. Just goes to prove that the lines are really different.

[vince_g]

How can you tell refundable OBC and Non-Refundable OBC? Are both indicated on your bill when credited or do you need to ask Guest Services?

 

Review your account on your cabin TV. At least on Breakaway it shows you your refundable OBC balance. If you also have non-refundable OBC it is included in your account balance, and it is used before your refundable OBC.

 

So if you bought $500 OBC, and your TA gave you $200, you will see OBC of $500 and an account balance of $-700, when the ship downloads the OBC information.

[Dennisgirl]

Thanks to everyone for posting! This story DOES have a happy ending, but it shows that NCL's left hand does NOT know what NCL's right hand is doing...the afternoon after I finally called, our checks were here in the mailbox!

[sparks1093]

Thanks to everyone for posting! This story DOES have a happy ending, but it shows that NCL's left hand does NOT know what NCL's right hand is doing...the afternoon after I finally called, our checks were here in the mailbox!

 

Glad that it worked out and yes, that is often the case.

[beerman2]

Thanks to everyone for posting! This story DOES have a happy ending, but it shows that NCL's left hand does NOT know what NCL's right hand is doing...the afternoon after I finally called, our checks were here in the mailbox!

 

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