"Shore Excursion" credit - can it be used for non-shore excursions?

[kj_connections]

I am looking at a sailing that has a Princess Plus offer which includes "shore excursion credit" for $100 per person.  Can this credit be used for anything or does it have to be for shore excursions?  And if I do not use it, will it be credited to my credit card at the end of the cruise if I have a negative balance? (I've done this on other cruise lines before but I have never been on Princess).

 

Thanks in advance!

[JimmyVWine]

Perhaps a travel professional who posts here knows the answers.  In looking at the terms and conditions, it reads to me like it is non-refundable OBC.  You have to have Plus or Premier to get the credit, so crew appreciation, dinks and coffee ore already taken care of, subject to any overage.  So it looks to me as if they are calling it an excursion credit as they figure that is the most likely place for guests to use the money.  (Since the introduction of Plus, I really don't covet OBC the way I used to as there isn't much for me to spend it on.)  Since the T&C say that the credit cannot be used in the casino, I read that as implying that it can be used for other onboard expenses.  Otherwise they would have said so instead of carving out the casino specifically.  The old grammar adage that exclusion of the specific implies permission of the general.  And since gifted OBC has traditionally been non-refundable, I assume the same is true here.  These are just my guesses.

[Coral]

A few years ago (before COVID) they did a similar promo. Their computer system could not tell the difference between shore excursion and other charges. So it didn't matter.

 

Have they upgraded their computer system is the question? We won't know until people go forward with the promo.

 

I don't remember if it was refundable or non-refundable last time.

Edited September 5, 2022 by Coral

[PacnGoNow]

42 minutes ago, kj_connections said:

I am looking at a sailing that has a Princess Plus offer which includes "shore excursion credit" for $100 per person.  Can this credit be used for anything or does it have to be for shore excursions?  And if I do not use it, will it be credited to my credit card at the end of the cruise if I have a negative balance? (I've done this on other cruise lines before but I have never been on Princess).

 

Thanks in advance!

This is a new promo, so we would be guessing.  The way all the other OBC goes, it just comes out of your folio/account the same, using nonrefundable OBC first.  But we don’t know for sure yet.

 

If someone has booked this, would be interested to see how it is shown on the cruise personalizer under payments/credits section?

 

Maybe someone sailing soon, will be able to tell us? 
 

Great question!
 

[Cruise Raider]

I am currently on the Ruby so asked this question at the front desk.  He said it could just be used as normal OBC.  As soon as there is not a huge line to get into see the future cruise consultant, I will also double check with her.  

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

Thanks Coral

I am wondering if they have updated this to be specific to excursions.  Or if that is a nice sounding PR gimmick.  Many people are not crazy about the cruise shop excursions offered.

For us, it would be a plus, either way, because we are looking at one shore excursion booking.

 

We had already put a booking place, at a lower fare than the new Promo, and we do have the PLUS added on.

I am wondering if we were to politely 'beg',  hahaha!  our Planner if she had any way that she could tack this $100. onto our booking?

 

[PRINCESS Sweet Pea]

Thank also  Cruise Raider, didn't want to miss that 'thank you', now that I see your good info coming in.

[kj_connections]

So if it is non refundable OBC, is there truly no way to get the value back in cash especially if you cannot use it in the casino?

[Steelers36]

4 hours ago, JimmyVWine said:

Perhaps a travel professional who posts here knows the answers.  In looking at the terms and conditions, it reads to me like it is non-refundable OBC.  You have to have Plus or Premier to get the credit, so crew appreciation, dinks and coffee ore already taken care of, subject to any overage.  So it looks to me as if they are calling it an excursion credit as they figure that is the most likely place for guests to use the money.  (Since the introduction of Plus, I really don't covet OBC the way I used to as there isn't much for me to spend it on.)  Since the T&C say that the credit cannot be used in the casino, I read that as implying that it can be used for other onboard expenses.  Otherwise they would have said so instead of carving out the casino specifically.  The old grammar adage that exclusion of the specific implies permission of the general.  And since gifted OBC has traditionally been non-refundable, I assume the same is true here.  These are just my guesses.

 

4 hours ago, Coral said:

A few years ago (before COVID) they did a similar promo. Their computer system could not tell the difference between shore excursion and other charges. So it didn't matter.

 

Have they upgraded their computer system is the question? We won't know until people go forward with the promo.

 

I don't remember if it was refundable or non-refundable last time.

I have wondered as well about that ShoreEx OBC, thinking it is likely a generic credit to the on-board account.  I'd say > 50% on balance of probabilities.

 

I would also say that it is 99.9999999% Non-Refundable OBC.  No way will it be Refundable.  Any OBC given in past sales promotions is NR.  The only OBC that is R OBC is Military and the 50% kickback on MedallionNet.  I should think the 10% rebate OBC for a pre-purchased ShoreEx is also R OBC.  But not a sales promo OBC.

[skynight]

4 hours ago, Cruise Raider said:

I am currently on the Ruby so asked this question at the front desk.  He said it could just be used as normal OBC.  As soon as there is not a huge line to get into see the future cruise consultant, I will also double check with her.  

OBC can not be used to purchase Future Cruise Deposits. FCDs are charged directly to your credit card. You can use OBC in the casino, even though it say it is excluded. Just charge to your on board account and the casino charge will net against any credit balance. You must gamble some. You can't just cash out. 

[kj_connections]

4 hours ago, skynight said:

OBC can not be used to purchase Future Cruise Deposits. FCDs are charged directly to your credit card. You can use OBC in the casino, even though it say it is excluded. Just charge to your on board account and the casino charge will net against any credit balance. You must gamble some. You can't just cash out. 

 

Can you use non refundable OBC for the casino then?

[skynight]

12 hours ago, kj_connections said:

 

Can you use non refundable OBC for the casino then?

Yes. You do not specifically assign the OBC to casino play. You just charge to your on board account. The charge will net against any credit or debit balance. At the machines there is an option to charge to your on board account. You must play, otherwise your casino account may be blocked. You can't use a slot machine as an ATM.

At the tables you ask the dealer to charge the purchase of chips to your on board account. You sign a paper and the dealer provides you with chips in the amount you requested. You then must play for awhile. You should not just walk away with the chips and then cash them at the cashier. Your casino account could be blocked if you did that. 

[HaveDogWillTravel]

22 hours ago, PacnGoNow said:

This is a new promo, so we would be guessing.  The way all the other OBC goes, it just comes out of your folio/account the same, using nonrefundable OBC first.  But we don’t know for sure yet.

 

If someone has booked this, would be interested to see how it is shown on the cruise personalizer under payments/credits section?

 

Maybe someone sailing soon, will be able to tell us? 
 

Great question!
 

This is how my Oct 15, 2023 booking lists it. This promo is for bookings from Jan, 2023 and beyond.  
Mine is listed as non refundable 

 

 

Edited September 6, 2022 by HaveDogWillTravel

[PacnGoNow]

26 minutes ago, HaveDogWillTravel said:

This is how my Oct 15, 2023 booking lists it. This promo is for bookings from Jan, 2023 and beyond.  
Mine is listed as non refundable 

 

 

Thank you for that!

 

[JimmyVWine]

2 hours ago, skynight said:

14 hours ago, kj_connections said:

Can you use non refundable OBC for the casino then?

Yes. You do not specifically assign the OBC to casino play. You just charge to your on board account. The charge will net against any credit or debit balance.

What you posted makes sense, but the Terms and Conditions of the Shore Excursion Credit state as follows:

 

$100 Shore Excursion credit per guest. Offer is applicable to all four guests in a stateroom. Offer is only applicable on bookings with Princess Plus and Princess Premier fares. Guests with single occupancy will receive double the per guest credit amount. Shore Excursion credit may be used on a single voyage only, is not redeemable for cash, cannot be used in the casino, expires at the end of that voyage and is not applicable during the land portion of cruisetours.

 

So when we blend everything together it would appear that the Shore Excursion Credit is a unicorn in that it is non-refundable OBC that cannot be used in the casino. 

 

[Cruise Raider]

21 hours ago, skynight said:

OBC can not be used to purchase Future Cruise Deposits. FCDs are charged directly to your credit card. You can use OBC in the casino, even though it say it is excluded. Just charge to your on board account and the casino charge will net against any credit balance. You must gamble some. You can't just cash out. 

I think you may have misunderstood.  I was only going to the Future Cruise Consultant because she might know the answer of what the Shore Excursion OBC could be used for.  

During the hours she is open, there has been a huge line to get in and see her.  

[skynight]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

What you posted makes sense, but the Terms and Conditions of the Shore Excursion Credit state as follows:

 

$100 Shore Excursion credit per guest. Offer is applicable to all four guests in a stateroom. Offer is only applicable on bookings with Princess Plus and Princess Premier fares. Guests with single occupancy will receive double the per guest credit amount. Shore Excursion credit may be used on a single voyage only, is not redeemable for cash, cannot be used in the casino, expires at the end of that voyage and is not applicable during the land portion of cruisetours.

 

So when we blend everything together it would appear that the Shore Excursion Credit is a unicorn in that it is non-refundable OBC that cannot be used in the casino. 

 

From lots of experience OBC is just posted as a credit on your on board account. It is not separated. When you charge anything to your on board account it nets any credit balance. Take a look at the shareholders benefit OBC terms. They have the same casino exemption, but in fact on Princess a casino charge will net against that OBC. The Future Cruise person will not know the answer. Not their job. This is the on board accounting system. Passenger services may give you the correct or incorrect answer. The person you speak with may not know the details of the computer program.

Just go to the casino slots. Charge say $10 to your on board account. Play. Then either lose it all or cash out your winnings. Check your on board account. You will see that the $10 was netted against your credit(OBC) balance. That $10 was transferred to your casino account.

If, in fact Princess has now changed their on board accounting to separate out different types of OBC for different uses let us know. But, I don't believe they have done so. 

[Dar & Bob]

5 hours ago, skynight said:

Yes. You do not specifically assign the OBC to casino play. You just charge to your on board account. The charge will net against any credit or debit balance. At the machines there is an option to charge to your on board account. You must play, otherwise your casino account may be blocked. You can't use a slot machine as an ATM.

At the tables you ask the dealer to charge the purchase of chips to your on board account. You sign a paper and the dealer provides you with chips in the amount you requested. You then must play for awhile. You should not just walk away with the chips and then cash them at the cashier. Your casino account could be blocked if you did that. 

Normally I would agree with this but in the terms of the offer the Casino is specifically excluded.  

 

†$100 Shore Excursion credit per guest. Offer is applicable to all four guests in a stateroom. Offer is only applicable on bookings with Princess Plus and Princess Premier fares. Guests with single occupancy will receive double the per guest credit amount. Shore Excursion credit may be used on a single voyage only, is not redeemable for cash, cannot be used in the casino, expires at the end of that voyage and is not applicable during the land portion of cruisetours. Shore Excursion credit is based on the ship’s onboard currency.

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, skynight said:

They have the same casino exemption, but in fact on Princess a casino charge will net against that OBC.

So perhaps the casino exemption is meant to caution people that they cannot go into the casino, tell the staff there that they have OBC, and ask to be given chips/credit.  But if you can charge $100 to your account and then have that amount paid for with your "can't be used in the casino" OBC, then I don't understand the reasoning behind the "can't be used in the casino" admonition. It would appear then that what is really happening is that the OBC cannot be used in the casino, but can be used to pay for transactions that occur in the casino.  Seems pointless.  

[dreaminofcruisin]

I just rebooked a cruise under the new promotion due to a price drop.

 

Under credits, it lists it as:

"Shore Excursion Credit"

 

Whether or not it will be restricted to that is yet to be known. It does make it very identifiable for a good programmer (LOL---probably not Princess IT, but in theory) to easily identify it.

 

 

[Steelers36]

5 minutes ago, Dar & Bob said:

Normally I would agree with this but in the terms of the offer the Casino is specifically excluded.  

 

†$100 Shore Excursion credit per guest. Offer is applicable to all four guests in a stateroom. Offer is only applicable on bookings with Princess Plus and Princess Premier fares. Guests with single occupancy will receive double the per guest credit amount. Shore Excursion credit may be used on a single voyage only, is not redeemable for cash, cannot be used in the casino, expires at the end of that voyage and is not applicable during the land portion of cruisetours. Shore Excursion credit is based on the ship’s onboard currency.

As was stated above, all of Princess OBC has the same condition/exclusion in regards to the casino.

[voljeep]

54 minutes ago, dreaminofcruisin said:

I just rebooked a cruise under the new promotion due to a price drop.

 

Under credits, it lists it as:

"Shore Excursion Credit"

 

Whether or not it will be restricted to that is yet to be known. It does make it very identifiable for a good programmer (LOL---probably not Princess IT, but in theory) to easily identify it.

 

 

agreed - look at final folio - $100 credit for excursions - no excursions noted - "POOF" - shore excursion credit disappears from folio

 

EDIT - can the shore excursion credit be used to book excursions pre-cruise?

Edited September 6, 2022 by voljeep

[skynight]

1 hour ago, JimmyVWine said:

So perhaps the casino exemption is meant to caution people that they cannot go into the casino, tell the staff there that they have OBC, and ask to be given chips/credit.  But if you can charge $100 to your account and then have that amount paid for with your "can't be used in the casino" OBC, then I don't understand the reasoning behind the "can't be used in the casino" admonition. It would appear then that what is really happening is that the OBC cannot be used in the casino, but can be used to pay for transactions that occur in the casino.  Seems pointless.  

Do you want to play in the casino? If yes, just charge play to your on board account. You will find out if it works immediately after play by checking your on board account. Nothing really to lose if you wish to play anyway.

[JimmyVWine]

1 hour ago, skynight said:

Do you want to play in the casino?

I do not.  Just trying to land on some general clarity for an issue that seems less than clear from the published material on the Princess site.  

[Steelers36]

16 minutes ago, JimmyVWine said:

I do not.  Just trying to land on some general clarity for an issue that seems less than clear from the published material on the Princess site.  

It's not a topic many of us prefer to get into the weeds on here.  But you can charge your on-board account for casino chips or machine credits or at poker table and there are no fees for doing so.  You play and enjoy and remember to cash out by the last night of the cruise before the casino closes (they seem to remind everyone every 30 minutes or so that day).