Favorite thing to use Onboard Credit on?

[allyfrizzle]

My husband and I are booked on the Escape from NY on April 7th. We each get $50 OBC to spend.

What's your favorite thing to spend your OBC on? In the past for us, it'd be drinks... but we have the UBP this time around.

Curious your thoughts. What's a good way to treat yo' self at sea?!

[PTC DAWG]

Upcharge on drinks.  🙂

[hallux]

I don't pre-pay my gratuities.  Whatever is left on my account (not much to begin with as a solo cruiser, not much used either) goes towards that.

[cheersforbeers]

Spend it on yourself.  Spa treatment if you like that kind of stuff, shirt, coffee mugs, perfume and cologne?  

[FLAHAM]

Bottle of good cognac.

[allyfrizzle]

13 minutes ago, hallux said:

I don't pre-pay my gratuities.  Whatever is left on my account (not much to begin with as a solo cruiser, not much used either) goes towards that.

 

I thought I read somewhere that OBC cannot be used for gratuity. It was probably on these boards?

 

Can anyone else chime in?

[allyfrizzle]

8 minutes ago, FLAHAM said:

Bottle of good cognac.

 

 

I like this idea. A nice bottle of booze we probably wouldn't splurge on back at home.

[allyfrizzle]

12 minutes ago, cheersforbeers said:

Spend it on yourself.  Spa treatment if you like that kind of stuff, shirt, coffee mugs, perfume and cologne?  

 

I don't think $50 will even get me a manicure on the Escape!

[WAHMto5]

We normally use ours for upcharge on some special drinks, playing darts/pool, and specialty coffee or treats.  What is left we spend at the shops.

[sunny aurora]

19 minutes ago, allyfrizzle said:

 

I thought I read somewhere that OBC cannot be used for gratuity. It was probably on these boards?

 

Can anyone else chime in?

 

You cannot use non-refundable OBC for gratuities.  You can use refundable OBC on anything. 

[DaCruiseBug]

It costs $200 per person but i'd definitely buy the thermal spa pass for the week. If there's one thing that NCL does best it's the thermal suite on the newer ships. We got it on our last cruise and used it every day. It's maybe the best $200 i've spent on a cruise.

[hallux]

4 hours ago, allyfrizzle said:

 

I thought I read somewhere that OBC cannot be used for gratuity. It was probably on these boards?

 

Can anyone else chime in?

 

Then I guess I need to eat my way through $100 somehow..

[Senoj84]

Definitely drinks, spa or at one of the jewelry sales.

[Sand and Seas]

On the Escape, I would have a great lunch or dinner at Pincho Tapas.   We have cruised 4 times on the Escape and we always love everything we tried there. 

 

[DMH15]

My choice is spa.   If less than the cost of a massage it feels like a nice discount. 

[newmexicoNita]

16 hours ago, allyfrizzle said:

My husband and I are booked on the Escape from NY on April 7th. We each get $50 OBC to spend.

What's your favorite thing to spend your OBC on? In the past for us, it'd be drinks... but we have the UBP this time around.

Curious your thoughts. What's a good way to treat yo' self at sea?!

We use ours for some shopping and in the casino. In fact for the first time in ages I actually won a little in the casino this past cruise. Oh, am not a heavy gambler so we are talking maybe a $100 more than I put in, but it was still fun. Once when we had a very large OBC we used it for spa treatments, but it just blows my mind to pay the spa prices compared to what we pay on land 

[allyfrizzle]

11 hours ago, Sand and Seas said:

On the Escape, I would have a great lunch or dinner at Pincho Tapas.   We have cruised 4 times on the Escape and we always love everything we tried there. 

 

Thanks for this suggestion. I don't recognize this one, so maybe it wasn't there last time I cruised the Escape (2016), or I just missed it. I'll keep it on my radar!

[Peachypooh]

I wait until the end of the cruise when the prices are usually better  and use my OBC in the onboard  shops. A few years ago they had some beautiful crystal ornaments left over from before Christmas (this was in Jan.) and my $100 bought four(usually $50 each)  to save to give as gifts the following Christmas. Also one time on the last sea day they were having  a last minute  special in the photo lab to put your picture in a nice folder with the ship on one side and your picture on the other. Usually there is an upcharge for this.

[Gampy1967]

Hookers and blow.  If you are in a suite, your concierge will hook you up. And straws. Lots of straws.

 

[d9704011]

4 minutes ago, Gampy1967 said:

Hookers and blow.  If you are in a suite, your concierge will hook you up. And straws. Lots of straws.

 

Me, I buy new underwear.

 

[LrgPizza]

On Escape, we always use up OBC at Food Republic and Pincho's Tapas. They are the best lunches you can find at sea!

[kochleffel]

I usually use it for wine at dinner. I don't take the UBP, because it's at best a break-even for me. When I ended a cruise with OBC left over, I used it on a bottle of cognac.

[amelia3171]

Cruise Next deposits. We had $250 non-refundable OBC last time so got $500 Cruise Next deposits for $0 additional spend. 

 

 

 

[rabidstoat]

Once I got like $300 non-refundable credit. Spent some in the spa and ended up with about $40 leftover. I wasn't interested in shopping or drinks and wasn't sure what I could spend it on. It was down to buying something I didn't really need or want from the stores, or letting it go to waste.

 

Then I learned that you can tip with it! You need to full name of the person you want to tip, then you go to guest services and they will fill out this form to get the money to the person. They give you a receipt. So I figured out the names of my two favorite staff members and tipped them each $20 from my OBC. 

[allyfrizzle]

On 2/22/2019 at 7:58 AM, rabidstoat said:

Once I got like $300 non-refundable credit. Spent some in the spa and ended up with about $40 leftover. I wasn't interested in shopping or drinks and wasn't sure what I could spend it on. It was down to buying something I didn't really need or want from the stores, or letting it go to waste.

 

Then I learned that you can tip with it! You need to full name of the person you want to tip, then you go to guest services and they will fill out this form to get the money to the person. They give you a receipt. So I figured out the names of my two favorite staff members and tipped them each $20 from my OBC. 

 

Oh this is amazing! Thanks for the... "TIP".

 

(I'll see myself out.)