Flora to Galapagos - OBC From TA

[LEtue]

It seems that everything is included in the fare except gratuities.  If true, a lot of OBC isn't of much value.  Am I missing something?  What would I do with $1600 OBC?

 

Just started planning and trying to decide on which cruise line so thanks for any insight!

[mahdnc]

Laundry and sundries are things that you have to pay extra for. So there's not much you can do with a whopping $1600 OBC. 

 

I believe that gratuities are technically covered in the cruise fare although you may give more. 

[ECCruise]

If the OBC is coming from your TA it should be refundable. And therefore go back to your CC. 

[jelayne]

Put it back in your pocket!

[Ken the cruiser]

We normally get OBC from our TA when booking a Celebrity cruise through them. However, when it comes to a Galapagos cruise, I would suggest asking your TA for a rebate check.

[Ken the cruiser]

53 minutes ago, ECCruise said:

If the OBC is coming from your TA it should be refundable. And therefore go back to your CC. 

Every TA we’ve ever booked a Celebrity cruise with has only offered nonrefundable OBC, which would be of minimal use on the Flora or Xpedition.

[ECCruise]

20 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Every TA we’ve ever booked a Celebrity cruise with has only offered nonrefundable OBC, which would be of minimal use on the Flora or Xpedition.

That's strange. Every one of our 30+ sailings has had refundable OBC from our TA. 

[Ken the cruiser]

1 minute ago, ECCruise said:

That's strange. Every one of our 30+ sailings has had refundable OBC from our TA. 

Cool! I guess it just comes down to the contract a TA has negotiated with each cruise line. For example, with Princess we always get the 8% taken off the price of the cruise, but with NCL as with Celebrity we have always just gotten nonrefundable OBC. Hopefully, the TA the OP might book their Galapagos cruise through will be offering either refundable OBC or a rebate check.

[kathynorth]

We received a refund of our OBC to our credit card.

 

[LEtue]

Thanks for all the responses!  A credit back to my CC or a rebate would be great so I will ask about that.

 

I am wondering if the Galapagos sailings work differently than other Celebrity sailings since I have never received anything back - but I manage it spend it on board  

 

Transfers, air to Baltra, gratuities and 2 excursions per day are included in the fare so unless I get the OBC back it isn't going to be of much use even though all the agents are offering various amounts.....  

[wrk2cruise]

I would ask the TA to either credit it towards final payment or offer it as a rebate after the sailing.

[Ken the cruiser]

2 hours ago, LEtue said:

Thanks for all the responses!  A credit back to my CC or a rebate would be great so I will ask about that.

 

I am wondering if the Galapagos sailings work differently than other Celebrity sailings since I have never received anything back - but I manage it spend it on board  

 

Transfers, air to Baltra, gratuities and 2 excursions per day are included in the fare so unless I get the OBC back it isn't going to be of much use even though all the agents are offering various amounts.....  

If I might suggest, check out the 10-day Cruise and Land Fare Option for the Galapagos cruise(s) you're looking at. From what I've read on CC, getting flights to/from Baltra can be a little stressful. The Galapagos Cruise and Land Fare options are much more stress-free flying in and out of Quito with the transfers, hotel and RT flights to/from Quito and Baltra included in the cruise fare.

 

And yes, the itineraries are handled by the Galapagos desk, even if you book your cruise using a Celebrity Vacation Planner.

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by Ken the cruiser

[LEtue]

Thank you Ken.  I had been weighing the options and the 10 day itinerary does save a lot of hassle!'

 

I think we are going to go for it 😄

[Ken the cruiser]

25 minutes ago, LEtue said:

Thank you Ken.  I had been weighing the options and the 10 day itinerary does save a lot of hassle!'

 

I think we are going to go for it 😄

You're going to have a great time!! We're booked on the Flora in early December where I will also be posting to a Live from thread like I usually do, just in case you want a sneak peek! 😊

[mahasamatman]

9 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

If I might suggest, check out the 10-day Cruise and Land Fare Option for the Galapagos cruise(s) you're looking at.

 

The OP said everything was included, so that means already they did that.

 

12 hours ago, LEtue said:

Transfers, air to Baltra, gratuities and 2 excursions per day are included in the fare

 

 

 

Edited June 20, 2023 by mahasamatman

[Shiba_Lover]

On 6/19/2023 at 5:38 PM, mahdnc said:

Laundry and sundries are things that you have to pay extra for. So there's not much you can do with a whopping $1600 OBC. 

 

I believe that gratuities are technically covered in the cruise fare although you may give more. 

laundry is included on the Flora. Technically, they say 2 times with a 20 item limit, but from what I've heard, they are not very strict on that.  I'm going in a few months, and have been on a specific Flora group.  There's a spa where they charge for a massage and a small gift shop - and that's about it.

[Ken the cruiser]

33 minutes ago, mahasamatman said:

The OP said everything was included, so that means already they did that.

Except the OP didn’t mention if they were looking at the 7 day cruise or 10/11 day land/cruise option. I was just making sure they knew about the Land and Cruise Fare option, which is not intuitively obvious when you initially search for Galapagos cruises.

[mahasamatman]

26 minutes ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Except the OP didn’t mention if they were looking at the 7 day cruise or 10/11 day land/cruise option.

 

I thought transfers and flights were only included on the land/cruise option.

[mahdnc]

45 minutes ago, Shiba_Lover said:

laundry is included on the Flora. Technically, they say 2 times with a 20 item limit, but from what I've heard, they are not very strict on that.  I'm going in a few months, and have been on a specific Flora group.  There's a spa where they charge for a massage and a small gift shop - and that's about it.

 

Ah, yes, the spa.  You could make a big dent in the $1600 OBC with that.  

 

I didn't know about the laundry on Flora.  Thanks for pointing that out.

[mahdnc]

10 minutes ago, mahasamatman said:

 

I thought transfers and flights were only included on the land/cruise option.

 

They are.  You cannot buy the flights if you only booked the 7 night sailing (as you were thinking).

[LEtue]

3 hours ago, Ken the cruiser said:

You're going to have a great time!! We're booked on the Flora in early December where I will also be posting to a Live from thread like I usually do, just in case you want a sneak peek! 😊

 

My niece and I are booked on the 10 night March 15, 2024 sailing so thank you for your help!  It is very exciting and I can't wait for your live from thread 😀

Edited June 21, 2023 by LEtue

[Shiba_Lover]

13 hours ago, mahdnc said:

 

Ah, yes, the spa.  You could make a big dent in the $1600 OBC with that.  

 

I didn't know about the laundry on Flora.  Thanks for pointing that out.

Absolutely!   I have no idea when someone would have time for a massage, and I think someone said it was around $90 and the only service offered was a massage😁.    I guess like most people are saying if the OBC is refundable, that's awesome!

[NoeCruz]

We were on Flora in March 2023 and it is almost entirely all inclusive.  In addition to a very small spa with a limited selection of massage services, and a small onboard shop, there is only one additional option to spend extra money and that is the “Glamping Under The Stars” onboard experience.  We didn’t take advantage of it (too hot in March) but I think the price was around $900 for two people.  Includes expanded private sunset dinner and breakfast as well as canopied outdoor bed on the top deck.  Also despite the fact that gratuity was included, many passengers included additional cash gratuities to recognize outstanding service from individual crew members and onboard naturalists.  Tipping is a personal choice and I’m not suggesting this as a must do, just reporting what I observed.