OBC, what can you get with it?

[Caps_Shield]

So our June cruise was cancelled and we moved the cruise to 2022 and received $600 OBC.  What in the world can you do with that much OBC?  Can you pay tips with OBC?  Can you book excursions PRIOR to boarding with OBC?  We are on the Mardi Gras and would probably like to book much early, but would OBC count toward that since you are not on board.  I guess you can buy Cheers! but it is cheaper to buy that prior to too.  Anyway, is there a  listing of things to do with this much cash?  Maybe I'll put it all on red on the roulette wheel 🙂

[asalligo]

I have never used OBC before boarding the ship and doubt that is possible, but once onboard, drinks, tips, soda packages, excursions, pictures and anything in the shops I think.

 

[d12j28]

7 minutes ago, Caps_Shield said:

So our June cruise was cancelled and we moved the cruise to 2022 and received $600 OBC.  What in the world can you do with that much OBC?  Can you pay tips with OBC?  Can you book excursions PRIOR to boarding with OBC?  We are on the Mardi Gras and would probably like to book much early, but would OBC count toward that since you are not on board.  I guess you can buy Cheers! but it is cheaper to buy that prior to too.  Anyway, is there a  listing of things to do with this much cash?  Maybe I'll put it all on red on the roulette wheel 🙂

Pretty much anything you would purchase on board. Anytime you pay for something on your sail and sign card the on board credit will be reduced first, if you go over the 600 it will start charging your credit card on file. 

[asalligo]

Specialty dining 

[MistyRo76]

We have an OBC too - usually I try to pre-pay as much as I can especially where you get a discount to do so. Things like Cheers, Wi-Fi we will buy before the cruise to get the discounted pricing. But I think we'll wait to have our gratuities assessed until we're onboard, so that will come out of our OBC. 

[BoozinCroozin]

Once July is canceled, we will have over $1,000 on our Thanksgiving cruise. We will use it for the room tip fee, specialty dining, souvenirs, and general tips. We will use it for shore excursions if we are forced to use ship based excursions only.

[skrufy]

4 hours ago, Caps_Shield said:

So our June cruise was cancelled and we moved the cruise to 2022 and received $600 OBC.  What in the world can you do with that much OBC?  Can you pay tips with OBC?  Can you book excursions PRIOR to boarding with OBC?  We are on the Mardi Gras and would probably like to book much early, but would OBC count toward that since you are not on board.  I guess you can buy Cheers! but it is cheaper to buy that prior to too.  Anyway, is there a  listing of things to do with this much cash?  Maybe I'll put it all on red on the roulette wheel 🙂

You can use your OBC for anything onboard including tips. You cannot use OBC prior to boarding the ship. You will be surprised how fast you will go through the OBC. It’s gotta be black

[firefly333]

3 hours ago, BoozinCroozin said:

Once July is canceled, we will have over $1,000 on our Thanksgiving cruise. We will use it for the room tip fee, specialty dining, souvenirs, and general tips. We will use it for shore excursions if we are forced to use ship based excursions only.

Lol how did you get 1000. I had 800, cancelled, rebooked now 750 obc. 600  plus 100 stock, 50 to rebook this last time. Mine keeps dropping.

[BoozinCroozin]

If canceled, $600 OBC added, $200 from TA, $100 from CCL, and another $50pp through TA.

[ProgRockCruiser]

If you drink a bit but not a lot, such that you feel the Cheers package is "a little too much of a good thing", you can burn through $600 on a 7 day cruise very quickly at $10 a drink (tax and tip included) - that's 5 drinks each for six of the days.  Or as you noted you can buy Cheers once on board (paying a slight premium over the pre-cruise discounted rate) - I just calculated it as $82.60 extra (including 18% grat) for a couple on a 7 day cruise.

 

Excursions (booked once on board) and auto-grats are another way to burn through some of it.

 

We like to get photos (and actual prints), so we can burn though a couple hundred bux easily that way.

 

And as mentioned, the specialty restaurants can help you spend that OBC.

 

We have $650 in OBC for our Dec cruise on Mardi Gras ($600 for cancellation, $25 each for whatever special was on when we re-booked, I guess).  We'll start planning our expenditures once we get closer and the actuality of the cruise is more realistic.  We'll balance whether there are specific excursions we want (need to wait to see what might be available, and how they will operate) vs Cheers vs photos/grats/restaurants.

 

Edited April 7, 2021 by ProgRockCruiser
correct our OBC amount

[ProgRockCruiser]

Also, I just need to get this off my chest.

 

I am a big Pink Floyd fan, as you might guess could be possible from my tag name.

 

One of their lesser-known albums, a film soundtrack, but one of my favorites from them, is called "Obscured By Clouds".

 

Guess what goes through my head every single time I see "OBC"?

[sgttami]

You can use it for anything that you would charge to your sign and sail.  Tips, drinks, dining, excursions, photos, casino.  I go through that quickly, especially since I like the casino.

 

I have $900 OBC on my next cruise, if it ever sails...LOL

[Theo1429]

You cannot use OBC for the casino but you can use it for everything else. Cheers package is about $56 per person plus 18% grats if purchased onboard About $51 in advance. We have $900 OBC.

[Cafedumonde]

Tips

[SNJCruisers]

From left field...you can always go to the Cherry on Top store on board and buy Carnival gift cards to pay for a future cruise.

[d12j28]

11 hours ago, Theo1429 said:

You cannot use OBC for the casino but you can use it for everything else. Cheers package is about $56 per person plus 18% grats if purchased onboard About $51 in advance. We have $900 OBC.

You can use it in the casino. If I have $600 OBC and charge $200 at a slot machine to my players bank I now only have $400 OBC. Same if I went up and got some chips for table games. When you charge to your sail and sign card the OBC goes first.

[sanmarcosman]

12 hours ago, Theo1429 said:

You cannot use OBC for the casino but you can use it for everything else. 

Since when? We always do.

What Onboard Credit Can Be Used For

• Spa services, such as massages or haircuts.
• Alcoholic drinks (including beverage packages)
• Specialty (up-charge) dining.
• Shore excursions.
• Gratuities (aka service charges)
• Onboard retail purchases (gift shop merch)
• Gambling and other onboard games.
• Internet access.

[sgttami]

I don't know why people say you can't use OBC at the casino.

It's where 99.9% of mine goes...LOL

[Anyislandwilldo]

Jewelry, Jewelry, Jewelry!!  By yourself a nice gift from the jewelry store!

[d12j28]

6 minutes ago, sgttami said:

I don't know why people say you can't use OBC at the casino.

It's where 99.9% of mine goes...LOL

%100 of mine! LOL

 

What happens to the other %0.1?

[sgttami]

1 minute ago, d12j28 said:

%100 of mine! LOL

 

What happens to the other %0.1?

That will usually go to the casino too...LOL

[Banditswife]

We have well over $1000 OBC for our April of 2022 cruise due to several cancelations, travel agent perks & stock credit.  Casino, gift shops, spa, gratuities, shore excursions, steak house, bars- many places to use OBC.  Ours is a 16 day with many sea days, so I know we won't have a problem using it.

 

 

[Theo1429]

My mistake checked it out with Carnival OBC can be used in casino. Let's sail the seven seas