Using OBC to book Shore Excursions prior to sailing

[JJG99]

I thought that I had read somewhere on this board that you are able to use your OBC to book shore excursions before you get onboard.

 

We have booked a 15 night cruise for January 2022 to use up our substantial FCC from 2B2B cancelled cruises in March 2020. HAL also gave us $1000 OBC for our inconvenience. The trouble is we booked the View and Verandah promotion-so have drinks, gratuities, 10% discount on shore tours and a dinner included. We are not gamblers and the shops on HAL leave me cold  If the prediction is true that you will have to take ship booked tours to disembark- then it looks like shore excursions is the way to go for us to use our OBC. I phoned HAL Australia office and the lady there said that I will have to wait until I get onboard and head to the shore excursion desk to book tours or book and pay for the excursions now, which still leaves me with the $1000 OBC.

Does anyone have any experience with this?? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Jenny

[CruiserBruce]

Nope. OBC is used for on board spending only.

[Horizon chaser 1957]

Yes, we have tried to do the same. OBC can only be spent once you are on-board. Anything you want to buy in advance, excursions, wine packages, whatever, must be paid for separately and up front. This makes shore excursions a gamble. You have to wait to buy them with OBC, but by then some of the more popular ones with limited space could be sold out.

[Cruise Suzy]

If you are within 3 days of departure, you can call HAL Shore Excursions and use OBC if the one(s) you want still have room.

[Florida_gal_50]

52 minutes ago, Cruise Suzy said:

If you are within 3 days of departure, you can call HAL Shore Excursions and use OBC if the one(s) you want still have room.

This is true.  I know someone that was able to do this.

[JJG99]

Thank you everyone for your replies.

I will definitely try to book within the 3 days from departure.

Cheers,

Jenny

[Alberta Quilter]

I did it on our last cruise (Feb/20)!  Worked quite well.  I just booked the shorex over the phone (within the three days of departure), did not have to pay over the phone, received the tour tickets onboard and our onboard account was charged.  Awesome way to use one's OBC. However, just to be safe, since you’re from Australia, check the HAL Aus website.  On the North American website, there is verbiage about calling them if you’re within that three day timeframe.  If that shows same verbiage shows on the Aus website, you should be good to do it.

 

Before you call, have a Plan B for every port in case the first tour you choose is sold out.  Makes the call very quick if you’ve figured it all out beforehand. Also, if there is a tour that is very important to you, book in advance and pay for it because it could be sold out long before departure.

 

Please come back and let us know if it worked for you in Aus!

[PROCRUISE]

As others have said, HAL doesn't allow you to spend your OBC before boarding the ship, or 3 days before sailing. This is particularly frustrating, especially since we all know that ship sponsored excursions will be required to get off the ship for probably quite sometime.

My favorite option is to simply cruise with Celebrity or Princess who will gladly allow you to book shore excursions ahead of time using OBC.

[bcummin]

They do have waitlists for tours that are sold out.

We have had very good luck using them in the past.

Good luck !

Barbara

[Alberta Quilter]

8 hours ago, PROCRUISE said:

As others have said, HAL doesn't allow you to spend your OBC before boarding the ship, or 3 days before sailing.

Please read my post right above yours where I said that I was able to book shorex three days prior to sailing and used OBC.  I am not lying or exaggerating.

[Alberta Quilter]

Here is a link to the thread, from Feb/20, about using OBC three days in advance:  

 

[RuthC]

11 hours ago, PROCRUISE said:

This is particularly frustrating, especially since we all know that ship sponsored excursions will be required to get off the ship for probably quite sometime.

We don't 'know' that, as nothing definitive has been announced yet. As of now, the idea that we 'must' take a shipm sponsored shore excursion if we wish to leave the ship is speculation only. Certainly it is a possibility, but not absolute. 

[KirkNC]

It’s too bad HAL doesn’t allow this beforehand and online.  Other cruise lines do allow this.

[DinkyDee67]

23 hours ago, JJG99 said:

I thought that I had read somewhere on this board that you are able to use your OBC to book shore excursions before you get onboard.

 

We have booked a 15 night cruise for January 2022 to use up our substantial FCC from 2B2B cancelled cruises in March 2020. HAL also gave us $1000 OBC for our inconvenience. The trouble is we booked the View and Verandah promotion-so have drinks, gratuities, 10% discount on shore tours and a dinner included. We are not gamblers and the shops on HAL leave me cold  If the prediction is true that you will have to take ship booked tours to disembark- then it looks like shore excursions is the way to go for us to use our OBC. I phoned HAL Australia office and the lady there said that I will have to wait until I get onboard and head to the shore excursion desk to book tours or book and pay for the excursions now, which still leaves me with the $1000 OBC.

Does anyone have any experience with this?? Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Jenny