recyclelady Posted March 23, 2017 #1 Share Posted March 23, 2017 I'm not new to Viking, but I am new to the concept of shipboard credit on Viking. We don't drink and I know there are no Bingo games to buy into! Am I able to use shipboard credit for the crew tips at the end of the cruise? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jrkstl Posted March 23, 2017 #2 Share Posted March 23, 2017 I'm not new to Viking, but I am new to the concept of shipboard credit on Viking. We don't drink and I know there are no Bingo games to buy into! Am I able to use shipboard credit for the crew tips at the end of the cruise? Hello! I'm fairly certain that shipboard credit can only be used for drinks, optional excursions and for items in the small shop onboard. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mskaufman Posted March 23, 2017 #3 Share Posted March 23, 2017 I had the same question. On ocean cruises we could use it for excursions, spa and photos. Last year on the last night of the cruise I went in and bought a watch. However, here I think the previous poster has it correct. Not much for a non drinker, especially since drinks are included with meals. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wheezedr Posted March 23, 2017 #4 Share Posted March 23, 2017 May also be used for laundry which would be a better benefit on a longer cruise to allow less packing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Clay Clayton Posted March 23, 2017 #5 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Have Happy Hour for all your new friends on the last night of the cruise? That is what we did with ours! LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recyclelady Posted March 23, 2017 Author #6 Share Posted March 23, 2017 Thank you all for your suggestions. I think (due to some booking issues) that I will have onboard credit. All ideas are welcome! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
glmschlaglp Posted March 24, 2017 #7 Share Posted March 24, 2017 Look in the gift area near the main desk. You could get a sweater, mini-binoculars, and the like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mhb1757 Posted March 24, 2017 #8 Share Posted March 24, 2017 You can use it for optional excursions if you wait until you are onboard to book them. That's what we did with most of ours. Although I do like the happy hour idea that Clay Clayton suggested Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RealCajunLady Posted March 25, 2017 #9 Share Posted March 25, 2017 We were able to use ours for gratuities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
recyclelady Posted March 25, 2017 Author #10 Share Posted March 25, 2017 We were able to use ours for gratuities. That would be fantastic! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gamers12 Posted March 28, 2017 #11 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Good info...we are new to Viking RIver cruise. We have just booked the Douro River cruise July 29 - Aug. 8ths.... Any information or any tips about Viking would really be appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mskaufman Posted March 28, 2017 #12 Share Posted March 28, 2017 That would be fantastic! That's what we do on ocean cruises. We were able to get prepaid gratuities on Viking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mimmy52 Posted March 28, 2017 #13 Share Posted March 28, 2017 That's what we do on ocean cruises. We were able to get prepaid gratuities on Viking. I was on a Viking river cruise in August 2016 and had shipboard credit. I was not able to use it for gratuities. I could have prepaid gratuities if I'd wanted, but that is different from shipboard credit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFS517 Posted March 28, 2017 #14 Share Posted March 28, 2017 Good info...we are new to Viking RIver cruise.We have just booked the Douro River cruise July 29 - Aug. 8ths.... Any information or any tips about Viking would really be appreciated. We were on the Viking Douro cruise last year and had to pay gratuities in cash - something about how the staff is taxed on tips. Luckily we had extra Euros, a lot of our fellow passengers had to visit an ATM at our last shore excursion. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare mskaufman Posted March 29, 2017 #15 Share Posted March 29, 2017 I was on a Viking river cruise in August 2016 and had shipboard credit. I was not able to use it for gratuities. I could have prepaid gratuities if I'd wanted, but that is different from shipboard credit. Were you able to use it for anything but excursions, drinks or laundry? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobchico Posted March 29, 2017 #16 Share Posted March 29, 2017 We were on the Viking Douro cruise last year and had to pay gratuities in cash - something about how the staff is taxed on tips. Luckily we had extra Euros, a lot of our fellow passengers had to visit an ATM at our last shore excursion. What itinerary were you on? We are on a Rhine cruise in Oct and I can't find anything about paying gratuities in cash. I thought we could just add them to our shipboard account and pay with credit card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LFS517 Posted March 29, 2017 #17 Share Posted March 29, 2017 What itinerary were you on? We are on a Rhine cruise in Oct and I can't find anything about paying gratuities in cash.I thought we could just add them to our shipboard account and pay with credit card. Yes you can - I believe cash tips are only required on the Portugal Douro River cruises. We have been on other Viking cruises (Seine and Rhine) and were able to pay gratuities with our credit card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dogsarepeopletoo Posted April 7, 2017 #18 Share Posted April 7, 2017 I read a blog where the writer used their unused credit balance on the last day to purchase bottles of wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MadcityTravelers Posted April 10, 2017 #19 Share Posted April 10, 2017 We used shipboard credit for the occasional cocktail in the lounge and all of our optional excursions. Additionally, we were able to purchase discounted vouchers for future travel ($100 for a $200 vouchers). We asked, but were told that shipboard credit cannot be used for crew tips! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVP123 Posted June 23, 2017 #20 Share Posted June 23, 2017 We were able to use ours for gratuities. Did you use your onboard credit for gratuities on a Viking Ocean Cruise? I know that we were not able to use our onboard credit on a Viking River cruise for gratuities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2Otstr Posted June 24, 2017 #21 Share Posted June 24, 2017 Did you use your onboard credit for gratuities on a Viking Ocean Cruise? I know that we were not able to use our onboard credit on a Viking River cruise for gratuities. OBC cannot be used toward gratuities on ocean cruises, either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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