How to use on board credit

[smj]

Can on board credit be used for future cruise deposits or future cruise payments? Is it ever refundable?

[Baynanno1]

You can use OBC pre-cruise to reserve Azamara Shore Excursions before boarding up until two days prior to their voyage.

After boarding you can use your onboard credit to purchase more shore excursions, at which stage the balance of your OBC reverts to $US. It may also be used for upgraded beverages, Internet, specialty dining, spa and shops.

Pre-cruise, reservations booked in other currencies will display the current exchange rate to $US. This will fluctuate weekly until the first payment is made for shore excursions using some of the OBC. At that point, the exchange rate will be locked in for future purchases on that booking.

Azamara generated OBC has not been able to be used to purchase future cruises, either deposits or payments.

Any unused Azamara generated OBC goes back in to Azamara's bank. It cannot be cashed out - use it or lose it.

However if you have OBC from a Travel Agent (not Azamara generated) any unused portion of that is refundable.

[pennyroyal00]

On 11/2/2022 at 8:21 PM, Baynanno1 said:

Pre-cruise, reservations booked in other currencies will display the current exchange rate to $US. This will fluctuate weekly until the first payment is made for shore excursions using some of the OBC. At that point, the exchange rate will be locked in for future purchases on that booking.

Maybe a stupid question:  does locking the exchange rate matter only if you intend to book excursions online later on and the rate at that time is worse (i.e. price of excursions goes down but your locked in buying power is higher because of locked in more favorable exchange rate)?  But if one does not want to spend OBC on excursions, would locking in the rate be kind of useless since you cannot get anything other than excursions online and, once you get on board to book everything else, the locked in rate won't matter (i.e. the onboard OBC use is in USD)?

 

Thanks!

[Baynanno1]

The exchange rate is locked in when you make your first purchase.

 

If you are buying shore excursions prior to boarding and get a favourable exchange rate :

1 - you get better value for your dollar (or whatever currency you deal in)

2 - having "spent less" on your shore excursion, you have more left over for on board use.

[Marylebone37]

On 11/2/2022 at 11:21 PM, Baynanno1 said:

You can use OBC pre-cruise to reserve Azamara Shore Excursions before boarding up until two days prior to their voyage.

After boarding you can use your onboard credit to purchase more shore excursions, at which stage the balance of your OBC reverts to $US. It may also be used for upgraded beverages, Internet, specialty dining, spa and shops.

Pre-cruise, reservations booked in other currencies will display the current exchange rate to $US. This will fluctuate weekly until the first payment is made for shore excursions using some of the OBC. At that point, the exchange rate will be locked in for future purchases on that booking.

Azamara generated OBC has not been able to be used to purchase future cruises, either deposits or payments.

Any unused Azamara generated OBC goes back in to Azamara's bank. It cannot be cashed out - use it or lose it.

However if you have OBC from a Travel Agent (not Azamara generated) any unused portion of that is refundable.

Do you know if one is able to use non-Azamara generated OBC (e.g., from a travel agent) pre-cruise to book shore excursions or indulgence packages?

[Grandma Cruising]

1 hour ago, stines said:

Do you know if one is able to use non-Azamara generated OBC (e.g., from a travel agent) pre-cruise to book shore excursions or indulgence packages?

Your TA generated OBC probably won’t show up on your account until you board shan’t be used to book excursions. However you could book excursions you really want to do, paying by card, then cancel once aboard then immediately rebook using the OBC ( so long as you cancel 48 hours before the excursion).

[federalexpress]

13 hours ago, stines said:

Do you know if one is able to use non-Azamara generated OBC (e.g., from a travel agent) pre-cruise to book shore excursions or indulgence packages?

Grandma Cruising's suggestion above is a good one but there are some excursions which are not cancellable at short notice. In my case, this involved me wanting to use a private driver in Ushuaia on a S America cruise but pay for it using the credit from the Indulgence package. You can't buy the latter until you board and I was told by AZ that booking the excursion prior to boarding with cash or OBC would make it non cancellable. I'd still have my $700 excursion credit from the package but would have to use it on other excursions.

 

This didn't work for me, I'm self touring in the other ports, so I'm not having to take a chance they still have private drivers available at the point of boarding. Fortunately I'm in a suite and he said I'd be allowed to board from 1.30pm and he reckoned I should still get one if I act fast- get the Indulgence package, then use the credit. Apparently they save a few of the drivers just for onboard purchase- for those who don't like using internet etc.

 

 

[uktog]

1 hour ago, federalexpress said:

Grandma Cruising's suggestion above is a good one but there are some excursions which are not cancellable at short notice. In my case, this involved me wanting to use a private driver in Ushuaia on a S America cruise but pay for it using the credit from the Indulgence package. You can't buy the latter until you board and I was told by AZ that booking the excursion prior to boarding with cash or OBC would make it non cancellable. I'd still have my $700 excursion credit from the package but would have to use it on other excursions.

 

This didn't work for me, I'm self touring in the other ports, so I'm not having to take a chance they still have private drivers available at the point of boarding. Fortunately I'm in a suite and he said I'd be allowed to board from 1.30pm and he reckoned I should still get one if I act fast- get the Indulgence package, then use the credit. Apparently they save a few of the drivers just for onboard purchase- for those who don't like using internet etc.

 

 

Sorry, I have never heard of them saving private drivers for late bookers.  The concierge usually handles that and it is based on who they can get at the time you book, they do not keep reserves.  Have you got a 1.30 boarding slot?  Depends on the port you are in but most do not start until a little later

[federalexpress]

17 minutes ago, uktog said:

Sorry, I have never heard of them saving private drivers for late bookers.  The concierge usually handles that and it is based on who they can get at the time you book, they do not keep reserves.  Have you got a 1.30 boarding slot?  Depends on the port you are in but most do not start until a little later

 

This is what the guy at AZ told me. He could be mistaken or even lying to keep me at bay but I don't think so, he sounded pretty assured and confident. I join at Buenos Aires and said I should turn up early, around 1.30, as suite guests will get onboard first if they wish to. I'm 95% sure that he said they hold back a small number of private driver excursions for those who wish to book face to face. He said this was because some guests, I guess the older ones, prefer to do these things face to face. I even recall him putting a number on this of 4, for the private cars (the vans are different). This from a total of around 15-20 available. With no guarantees, he reckoned I'd be unlucky not to get one for my excursion. Note this only seemed to apply to the private driver type excursions. I don't think it does to general excursions. I guess if the latter get filled, they might try and put another one on (or cancel if they don't have numbers for the original one).

 

Of course I'll soon find out if I got this wrong when I board!

[Grandma Cruising]

You can buy the Indulgence package before the cruise. We bought it six months before the cruise we are currently on. The $700 Excursions OBC showed up straight away in our Voyage Planner and we were able to use it to book all our excursions for the cruise.

[Marylebone37]

Thanks all for this information and sharing your experiences.

[federalexpress]

10 hours ago, Grandma Cruising said:

You can buy the Indulgence package before the cruise. We bought it six months before the cruise we are currently on. The $700 Excursions OBC showed up straight away in our Voyage Planner and we were able to use it to book all our excursions for the cruise.

 

My problem is I wanted to use my $1000 of OBC to buy the package (or at least part fund it). This they don't allow. You have to pay for it with cash before you go but that would have left me with all that OBC without any reasonable need for it. So I have to buy it onboard. To be honest, this strikes me as a daft arrangement, you are simply using OBC to convert into a package of OBC's, but it's the way it is.

[Mackdogmolly]

1 hour ago, federalexpress said:

 

My problem is I wanted to use my $1000 of OBC to buy the package (or at least part fund it). This they don't allow. You have to pay for it with cash before you go but that would have left me with all that OBC without any reasonable need for it. So I have to buy it onboard. To be honest, this strikes me as a daft arrangement, you are simply using OBC to convert into a package of OBC's, but it's the way it is.

I am in the same predicament. I have to wait til I’m onboard to convert some of my OBC to the Indulgence package. In the end, I think it will be worth it, but wish I could do it prior!

[macmax]

On 11/7/2022 at 12:40 PM, pennyroyal00 said:

Maybe a stupid question:  does locking the exchange rate matter only if you intend to book excursions online later on and the rate at that time is worse (i.e. price of excursions goes down but your locked in buying power is higher because of locked in more favorable exchange rate)?  But if one does not want to spend OBC on excursions, would locking in the rate be kind of useless since you cannot get anything other than excursions online and, once you get on board to book everything else, the locked in rate won't matter (i.e. the onboard OBC use is in USD)?

 

Thanks!

I agree. With the Canuck Buck doing as poorly against the USD as it is, there certainly is no financial advantage in locking in the current exchange rate.😳

Like many others, we will have to join the line onboard to book our specialty dining and/wifi pkg using our OBC.🙁