New Celebrity cruiser questions

[lisaem79]

Hello. My mom and I will be on the Summit in November. This is her first cruise ever and my first cruise with Celebrity. We took advantage of 2 perks including the classic beverage package. Do we pay gratuity on the perk beverage package? The last cruise I was on with NCL I had the "free" beverage package but had to pay gratuity on the package.

 

It's my mom's birthday the night before we depart, am I able to decorate our cabin door on the outside facing the hallway?

 

What else can we use onboard credit for? We booked all our excursions but have quiet a bit left.

 

Thank you for your time in helping newbies!

[keesar]

6 minutes ago, lisaem79 said:

Hello. My mom and I will be on the Summit in November. This is her first cruise ever and my first cruise with Celebrity. We took advantage of 2 perks including the classic beverage package. Do we pay gratuity on the perk beverage package? The last cruise I was on with NCL I had the "free" beverage package but had to pay gratuity on the package.

 

It's my mom's birthday the night before we depart, am I able to decorate our cabin door on the outside facing the hallway?

 

What else can we use onboard credit for? We booked all our excursions but have quiet a bit left.

 

Thank you for your time in helping newbies!

 

6 minutes ago, lisaem79 said:

 

 

Tips are already included in the beverage packages.  You can use your onboard credit to pay for daily gratuities, purchases in gift shops, and for Specialty Restaurants.

 

You may decorate your door but don't place anything of value and make sure the door is not damaged by adhesives.

[Reel Love]

Hi lisaem79.   With Celebrity perk of classic drink package the grats are already included; and you can decorate doors on the ship.  

One suggestion for use of your onboard credit is to use it to pay for the daily gratuities for the crew, assuming  you have not prepaid those and have not chosen "Prepaid tips for two" as your second perk.  I know there are many different ways to spend onboard credit, but for us we usually zero out our balance between shore excursions and daily grats.  Wish I had the experience of having so much onboard credit that I have some leftover 😏

Enjoy your first Celebrity cruise, and I hope your mom has a fabulous first cruise for her birthday!!!  ☺️

[jelayne]

You can use the OBC for WiFi, spa treatments, fitness classes, wine tastings, bingo, art, in addition to what others have mentioned.

[robertacrusies]

tips are included but some bartenders deserve a little extra - they work very hard

[Luvcrusn]

The only thing you can't use OBC for is for a deposit on a future cruise. There are also two types of OBC. There is OBC-N (non-refundable) which will be lost if not used before 10PM the last night of the cruise and that is usually given by Celebrity. The second type is OBC-R (refundable) which will be refunded to your credit card on file is unused, or you can request it in cash the last night (or sometimes morning) if you prefer. It is usually given by a TA. Celebrity will automatically use any OBC-N first.

OBC-N will show up in your cruise planner before your cruise and may be used by you to make pre-cruise purchases. Any OBC-R won't show up until you are on board and sometimes may take up to 72 hours (usually quicker) to appear in your account (viewable on your room TV). If you choose to use your OBC in the casino, you'll be given promotional chips and must be played. Any winnings will be yours to keep.

[Cruise a holic]

You can use your OBC at the spa, shops and if you want to upgrade to the premium drink package.  I "assume" you might want internet access also.  If not, specialty dining, photographs and shore X's.  Tipping is included in your current drink package or if you upgrade.

 

I do not think you will have any problem using your OBC!  Goes quickly.

Edited May 13, 2019 by Cruise a holic

[JFontaine]

You can use it in the casino to play table games or slot machines. The winnings are yours to keep.  There’s a small. Apple store on board. Use it on laundry and go home with clean clothes. 

[killsport]

If you have the classic package, you can also pay the difference on a specific alcoholic beverage (and of course, you can use OBC to cover it). I believe classic covers up to $11/drink. So if you buy a $12.50 drink with the classic package, you would pay $1.50 + 20% gratuity on the $1.50 ($0.30) for a total of $1.80

If you find yourself regularly ordering above the $11 limit, you may consider upgrading to the premium ($10/day/person + $2 gratuity/day/person = $12/day/person total).

Enjoy!

[JaneAustenCruiser]

On 5/13/2019 at 8:56 AM, killsport said:

If you have the classic package, you can also pay the difference on a specific alcoholic beverage (and of course, you can use OBC to cover it). I believe classic covers up to $11/drink. So if you buy a $12.50 drink with the classic package, you would pay $1.50 + 20% gratuity on the $1.50 ($0.30) for a total of $1.80

If you find yourself regularly ordering above the $11 limit, you may consider upgrading to the premium ($10/day/person + $2 gratuity/day/person = $12/day/person total).

Enjoy!

Is the new limit for the Classic package $11? I thought it was $9. I hope I'm wrong! My last sailing was 1.5 years ago....

[killsport]

Hmmm... I thought it switched to $11, but maybe someone on a recent US based cruise could chime in.