Denied Use of OBC for Excursions

[luv4cruises]

I once was an enthusiastic HAL cruiser. This year I have encountered many disappointments.

 

I just booked shore excursions for my upcoming Nieuw Amsterdam cruise.

Regrettably I was unable to use any of my 600.00 OBC to pay for the excursions.

Celebrity, on the other hand made it so easy to use my OBC to pay for excursions on my 3 future cruises booked with them through 2019.

I will be forced to use my 600.00 HAL OBC for things or activities I do not want. Why not allow guests to use their OBC for HAL excursions?

 

This coupled with the poor and limited entertainment, reduced on board activities, lack of variety in musical entertainment, lack of opportunities to dance in various venues, elimination of the TRUE Piano bar that we experienced on the Koningsdam make

my once favorite cruise line a distant 3rd choice,

Our March 2017 Koningsdam cruise left us

longing for the Celebrity Soltice class ships or the Royal and Regal Princess ships,

It took HAL years to catch up to all other mainstream cruise lines in eliminating smoking on balconies. I guess it will be the same for honoring their guests with the ability to use their OBC to pay for EXC HAL shore excursions.

[RocketMan275]

Is your obc refundable?

[Higntn]

You can use them for them once you are onboard. Taking a risk that the ones you want will be sold out.

[cccole]

I have read this comment on Hal previously and I think the responses indicated that 1) once on board you can use OBC for shore excursions, and 2) unused OBC will be credited back to your credit card on file. I may be wrong in remembering these two responses, and it does not help you with reserving excursions in advance. Possibly this OBC will help cover your daily per person hotel fee. I like all of the cruise lines you have mentioned and have never had a bad cruise. I hope that this issue with HAL does not ruin your cruise. Cherie

[sail7seas]

I once was an enthusiastic HAL cruiser. This year I have encountered many disappointments.

 

I just booked shore excursions for my upcoming Nieuw Amsterdam cruise.

Regrettably I was unable to use any of my 600.00 OBC to pay for the excursions.

Celebrity, on the other hand made it so easy to use my OBC to pay for excursions on my 3 future cruises booked with them through 2019.

I will be forced to use my 600.00 HAL OBC for things or activities I do not want. Why not allow guests to use their OBC for HAL excursions?

 

This coupled with the poor and limited entertainment, reduced on board activities, lack of variety in musical entertainment, lack of opportunities to dance in various venues, elimination of the TRUE Piano bar that we experienced on the Koningsdam make

my once favorite cruise line a distant 3rd choice,

Our March 2017 Koningsdam cruise left us

longing for the Celebrity Soltice class ships or the Royal and Regal Princess ships,

It took HAL years to catch up to all other mainstream cruise lines in eliminating smoking on balconies. I guess it will be the same for honoring their guests with the ability to use their OBC to pay for EXC HAL shore excursions.

 

Sorry you didn't know HAL's rules in this regard. this is not new and has been their policy for some itme. OBC means on boad credit. That means to be usd on board. Wait until you are on board, , book your excurions and use your oBC:) Choose which crruise lines you like best by whast rules youu like best as one of tthe facdtor in your choie... Not all are t gthe same and many of us are happy hey aewr not tthe same in all ways. . We can pick and chooose Happy cruising on which ever cruise line. :)

[Cruising-along]

If I'm not mistaken, it's a recent change that Celebrity does this? We just took our 4th cruise with Celebrity and did use OBC before the cruise for some excursions. We cruised with them last year and that option wasn't available then. I agree, it's a great perk, and I do hope HAL follows suit. :)

[Krazy Kruizers]

I don't know how long your Nieuw Amsterdam cruise is, but that $600 can be used for your Hotel Service Charge -- and that can be used up very quickly.

Once on the ship you can purchase excursions with your shipboard credit. Hopefully the excursions you want will still be available.

You can also use the shipboard credit for dinners at the specialty restaurants (try Tamarind -- so good -- JMO), purchases in the shops, and if you weren't given any drink package -- then your shipboard credit can be used to buy cocktails, bottles of wine, bottles of water, specialty coffees, etc.

Depending on who gave you the ship board credit and if you have any left at the end of the cruise will influence if you get anything credited back to your credit card.

[luv4cruises]

Our promo included pre-paid gratuities. I don't want the OBC refunded either. I just want to use it for the excursions we love to do.

[DeeniEncinitas]

Everyone is right! Our up coming month cruise we booked onboard. $1,000.00 on board credit 500pp, all gratuities, 200 minutes of internet services and Pinnacle Grill and Explorer 4. Will be trying to book a couple of excursions if we’re lucky 👍.

I’ll shop at Marabella only if I have too😜

Denise:)

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Celebrity allows the use of OBC to pay for excursions booked online prior to the cruise and I think Princess now does the same so maybe HAL will soon follow suit. Who knows?

[Turtles06]

If I'm not mistaken, it's a recent change that Celebrity does this? We just took our 4th cruise with Celebrity and did use OBC before the cruise for some excursions. We cruised with them last year and that option wasn't available then. I agree, it's a great perk, and I do hope HAL follows suit. :)

 

Yes, it's a very recent change by Celebrity.

[VMax1700]

Another less than honest thread title! :confused:

 

O.P. you have not been denied use of OBC as you are not ON BOARD yet!

[canadianbear]

We are in the same boat for our upcoming 3 week cruise-we have over $1300 OBC and the gratuities included etc. We also want to use it for excursions but knew we had to take our chances and wait to book on board. We are pretty flexible so if some sell out that's fine as I'm sure we can find something.

 

I'm sorry the OP didn't know this ahead of time. I had heard Celebrity recently allowed it so I bet, in time, HAL will too but probably not this year.

 

 

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[oaktreerb]

We had a lot of OBC on the Noordam in June. I went to the excursion desk two days prior to a costly excursion that I had prebooked and paid in advance. I told the excursion rep that I had a lot of OBC and I needed to use some of it on an excursion that I had prebooked. The excursion desk credited my excursion to my shipboard account and rebilled the excursion to my OBC. The money that I had prepaid was refunded by HAL at the end of the cruise. I expected to see a separate credit to my credit card but it all washed out through my onboard account. It’s awfully hard to monitor that shipboard account but it came out right in the end.

[canadianbear]

Everyone is right! Our up coming month cruise we booked onboard. $1,000.00 on board credit 500pp, all gratuities, 200 minutes of internet services and Pinnacle Grill and Explorer 4. Will be trying to book a couple of excursions if we’re lucky [emoji106].

 

I’ll shop at Marabella only if I have too[emoji12]

 

Denise:)

 

 

 

Lol-I think I may do the same if I have to-shop at Marabella!! My husband doesn't drink at all so it's a heavy burden I have to use up all the OBC!! (Wink [emoji6])!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[SFO Peter]

Back Up Plan

=========

 

Go to the $1 slot machine.

Open an account

Transfer $500 at a time to slot account.

Place $1 bet

Cash out balance at Casino Cashier a few days later.

Works every time.

 

Peter

[bUU]

My understanding is that on board credit is to be used on board. Wouldn't they call it something else if it wasn't too be used on board?

 

This post may have been entered by voice recognition. Please excuse any typographical errors.

[DeeniEncinitas]

:cool:

Lol-I think I may do the same if I have to-shop at Marabella!! My husband doesn't drink at all so it's a heavy burden I have to use up all the OBC!! (Wink [emoji6])

 

Those chocolate diamonds 💎 are calling

LOL 😀 who can resist ? Not me🤔...

Have a great cruise too !

Denise:)

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[luv4cruises]

We had a lot of OBC on the Noordam in June. I went to the excursion desk two days prior to a costly excursion that I had prebooked and paid in advance. I told the excursion rep that I had a lot of OBC and I needed to use some of it on an excursion that I had prebooked. The excursion desk credited my excursion to my shipboard account and rebilled the excursion to my OBC. The money that I had prepaid was refunded by HAL at the end of the cruise. I expected to see a separate credit to my credit card but it all washed out through my onboard account. It’s awfully hard to monitor that shipboard account but it came out right in the end.

I will definitely try your plan! Thanks!

[TAD2005]

Any OBC coming from your travel agent or purchased by you, or gifted to you by a friend will be credited back to your credit card if unused. Any OBC given by HAL must be used on board, not online prior to the cruise. Use it or lose it !! I have heard that you can use the slot machine trick to credit a portion of your OBC into the machine, do a few pulls and cash out later. However, in the detailed description of the Explore-4 OBC given to suite bookings ($100 p/p) HAL says specifically that it cannot be used in the casino. But I don't see how they can regulate that. All of your OBC, from your TA and from HAL is all dumped into your on board account. Once it is intermingled with your cash, how can they tell the difference ?

[perfect match]

Back Up Plan

=========

 

Go to the $1 slot machine.

Open an account

Transfer $500 at a time to slot account.

Place $1 bet

Cash out balance at Casino Cashier a few days later.

Works every time.

 

Peter

 

I wondered if that trick still worked on HAL. We don't normally gamble, but I may just try it. We already have prepaid grats and a fair amount of OBC between HAL and TA.

 

We have been able to prepay for excursions, internet pkg, & beverages with our on board credit on bout Princess and RCI. I know the intent is to use the credit when you're actually on board the ship, but it really is nice to be able to use it in advance. I expect it is also useful to the cruise line to know what they will be selling to us in advance of when we board

 

There are so few excursions being offered on our cruise that I'm having trouble finding HAL excursions we want to do. I've already booked privately for some of our ports because what we want simply wasn't offered. Never thought I'd have so much trouble finding ways to spend money!

Edited September 28, 2017 by perfect match

[Sea42]

I would think HAL would be happy to have someone want to take their excursions! I know that after our first cruise we never took a ship excursion again.

[Hlitner]

We agree that HAL has had this same policy for a long time (since the last century). We also suspect that HAL will have the same policy in the next century because this cruise line thinks "modernization" is a cuss word. It is similar with their HAL Air program...where flight options cannot be accessed (and explored) online.

 

But in defense of HAL, Celebrity has only recently started their program of allowing the use of OBCs....for pre cruise bookings. And we would also mention that Celebrity also has more then its share of issues...many related to cut-backs implemented by their current CEO. DW likes to remind me that our next 4 cruises are on 4 different cruise lines (1 HAL, 1 Celebrity, 1 MSC, and 1 Princess). Despite being a very frequent cruiser (often over 100 days a year) we have no loyalty to any line. Cruise lines need to earn our loyalty....and at the moment its just not happening.

 

Hank

[jenp123]

Our promo included pre-paid gratuities��. I don't want the OBC refunded either. I just want to use it for the excursions we love to do.

 

If u pay for the excursions before the cruise and get the obc paid out at the end, you are essentially repaying yourself for the excursions and using your obc for what you want it for

[Boytjie]

 

Good luck on MSC! :eek: