Shipboard Credit for Gratuities

[glsebs]

We leave next week for our Far Eastern Horizons Cruise on the Orion. We have never cruised with Viking before. Can we use our shipboard credit for gratuities.  
I tried to search the forum, but couldn’t find the answer.  Thanks for any help.

 

 

 

[CCWineLover]

27 minutes ago, glsebs said:

We leave next week for our Far Eastern Horizons Cruise on the Orion. We have never cruised with Viking before. Can we use our shipboard credit for gratuities.  
I tried to search the forum, but couldn’t find the answer.  Thanks for any help.

 

 

 

 

Yes you can.  We did so on our past cruises.

[Peregrina651]

The answers to this question can be misleading. Usually it can but there are exceptions. In the end, I have decided that OBC comes in flavors and that depending on the flavor of the OBC is whether you can use it for gratuities or not. Not only that but all of the flavors look like vanilla so we can't tell which is which.

 

Therefore, I suggest that for a clear and correct answer, that you write to Viking at TellUs@vikingcruises.com and ask them directly. Include your name and booking number so that they can access your account and look at exactly what you have, to be able to tell you accurately if it may or may not be used for gratuities.

 

Write tonight and you will have an answer before you leave.

 

 

[Peregrina651]

Just now, CCWineLover said:

 

Yes you can.  We did so on our past cruises.

 

I still maintain that not all OBC is created equal.

 

We received a courtesy OBC from Viking and in the e-mail it specifically stated what it could be used for: Your Shipboard Credit can be used toward the purchase of optional shore excursions, treatments in the spa, the Silver Spirits Beverage Package or items in one of our onboard shops. I'm reading this to mean that it can be used only for these items and not for laundry, not for our bar bill and not for gratuities.

 

Moreover, it seems that we will not be credited this OBC until we are on board the ship and thus will not have it available when we book shore excursions prior to sailing (which is the only thing we would use it on and who in their right mind is going to wait to board to book excursions) and I am sure that this is one of those use it or lose it kind of credits that will not be credited to our credit card if we don't use it.

 

@glsebs, you probably got the same Far Eastern Horizons credit that I got. Definitely get Viking to clarify what you can and cannot use your OBC for and any other questions you have.

 

 

[CCWineLover]

Yes you are correct Peregrina.  On our cruises we had 2 types of credits - from Viking and from our Travel Agent.   The first could be used to book excursions.  The other we got when on board and we immediately asked if we could use it against gratuities since we don't buy much of anything on the ship.  Unlike some of our fellow Cruise Critic Viking people, we never had that much in OBC's - in fact, in each cruise, we had them applied to the gratuities and still didn't cover the tips - so we had no problem using them all up.  (Although we were concerned that it would be a use it or lose it).  

 

So in truth, yes you do have to make sure that you know what you are doing when you use OBC's.  But per the question, yes either can be used for gratuities.

[Peregrina651]

17 minutes ago, CCWineLover said:

Yes you are correct Peregrina.  On our cruises we had 2 types of credits - from Viking and from our Travel Agent.   The first could be used to book excursions.  The other we got when on board and we immediately asked if we could use it against gratuities since we don't buy much of anything on the ship.  Unlike some of our fellow Cruise Critic Viking people, we never had that much in OBC's - in fact, in each cruise, we had them applied to the gratuities and still didn't cover the tips - so we had no problem using them all up.  (Although we were concerned that it would be a use it or lose it).  

 

So in truth, yes you do have to make sure that you know what you are doing when you use OBC's.  But per the question, yes either can be used for gratuities.

 

I maintain that not all OBCs can be used for grats and that Viking has a couple of different OBC that it grants that do not all have the same rules for usage.

 

I have just written to Viking to clarify and I will get back here with an answer just as soon as I hear from them. Or. may be Viking will join the conversation and answer the question with a simple YES or NO: can all OBCs be used to pay gratuities? And if the answer is YES, I will happily eat crow because all these varieties are really just unnecessarily confusing for guests.

 

 

[Mich3554]

We just received $200 in OBC from Viking for our cruise bailing on a tour day in Barcelona last week due to the protesters there.  It was credited to our account, and covered part of our gratuities.  

[Peregrina651]

 

I promised. I was wrong and I apologize for the turmoil.

 

 

 

And I am thrilled that Viking has finally eliminated  the "some can be used for grats and others can't." It was too confusing and really did need to go.

 

This is what Viking said: 

yes, all SBC can be used towards gratuities... As for the Far Eastern Horizon guests who were recently extended credit by Viking, this credit can be used onboard only, but is applicable to all onboard purchases, including laundry, gratuities and bar charges.