Using OBC For Excursions

[stoddaj1]

 

I understand we cannot use OBC for excursions booked prior to being on the ship.  Is there a way to book now and switch to OBC once onboard?  Thanks in advance.

[Haljo1935]

Yes, once onboard, go to the Shore Excursions Desk - it's usually open shortly after boarding times start - and ask them to move from your CC to OBC. It's important you don't cancel the excursions or try to move them after you've completed them; it needs to be done before you've taken the tours.

Also note Guest Services cannot make the adjustment - it has to be done by Shore Exc. 

You will see a credit to your account for the canceled tours then see a new entry deducting from OBC. 

[FOPMan]

Yes, however you would need to be cognizant of any cancellation policy (need to cancel several days prior to event to avoid penalty) and any wait list impacts (e.g., you cancelled to change payment types and someone was on the wait list).

[FLCruiser97]

So I just called HAL today asking this very same question. They said I would have to use my CC for booking the shore excursion and I asked if I could get reimbursed once onboard with OBC. The answer was NO. Not unless I cancelled the excursion. So, when does OBC show up on my booking so maybe I can book closer to the departure?

[julia]

And once again, totally conflicting answers... 😲!  

 

OP, to ensure a spot on any particular excursion, it needs to be booked in advance on a credit card.  IF (big IF) your OBC is refundable (vs non-refundable) and is not used up onboard (say, for gratuities, etc) then it WILL be automatically returned to your credit card on file after your cruise, and therefore essentially paying for the excursion.  However, I do believe that @Haljo1935 is correct, but knowing how inconsistent HAL is, I wouldn't always count on it.

[FLCruiser97]

I agree. Totally conflicting answers. I think to be on the safe side, I will book the excursion now to get a spot and take my chances on getting refunded with the OBC.

[Gallivanter'sGal]

We took 5 HAL cruises this year on 3 different ships and we booked our tours in advance.  We knew we had HIA shore excursion credits and other non-refundable OBC so we booked our tours and then went to the Shore Excursion desk once we arrived on board and they credited our on board account what we charged before boarding and then charged the tours to our non-refundable OBC.  It was no problem, but it sometimes took a couple of days.  Please note that if you have back to back cruises booked, they cannot see the tours for the 2nd or subsequent sailings until the day before each sailing.

[Windsailer]

On my three HAL cruises in 2023 I booked the excursions I wanted in advance, paid for them in advance and once on board I immediately went to the Shore Excursion desk to switch the payment from my credit card to OBC. It was very easy. Except one tour was more expensive on the ship so I had to pay the current price, not the price it was when I originally booked and paid for it. All the money came back to me as refundable OBC and it was returned to my credit card if not spent by the end of the cruise. 

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, FOPMan said:

Yes, however you would need to be cognizant of any cancellation policy (need to cancel several days prior to event to avoid penalty) and any wait list impacts (e.g., you cancelled to change payment types and someone was on the wait list).

I do this every cruise, including as recently as Dec 2023 on NS. As I mentioned, it's important you don't cancel to rebook - Shore Exc will do that for you. If you cancel, yes you're potentially subject to fees and possibly loss of the excursion to someone on a waitlist. You will need to have Shore Exc handle the transactions and it needs to be very early in your cruise, such as Embarkation Day. Shore Exc, Spa & Specialty Dining are always my 1sr 3 stops after dropping off my bags. 😏

I hope not, but it's possible the process or policy has changed in last 2 weeks.

[Haljo1935]

2 hours ago, FLCruiser97 said:

So I just called HAL today asking this very same question. They said I would have to use my CC for booking the shore excursion and I asked if I could get reimbursed once onboard with OBC. The answer was NO. Not unless I cancelled the excursion. So, when does OBC show up on my booking so maybe I can book closer to the departure?

Yes, I book the excursions w/CC - HAL does not allow for use of OBC before boarding.

Technically, you are canceling the excursions, but YOU aren't doing it yourself - Shore Exc is doing it for you and they'redoing it at the same time as they rebook the OBC purchase. The credit for the canceled excursions shows immediately as OBC in your statement, as does the charge for the new one. I stay at the Shore Exc Desk until I see them both in my Navigator. You can see this for the 6 excursions in this statement from a recent cruise (circled).

As for the CC refund, when the excursions are canceled, a credit is NOT issued back to the CC you used to pay for them. It is credited as OBC, which is yours to do with as you please. You can use it for purchaes, spa treatments, dining...you can cash it out or you can leave it on your account and have it credited to a CC upon disembarkation. If credited to a CC, it may or may not be the same one you originally used to purchase the excursions - only you will know that as the credit will be given to the CC you have on file for the cruise.

Reminder - we're talking OBC, not HIA excursion credits - those are entirely different. 

Edited January 9 by Haljo1935
Typo

[FLCruiser97]

21 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Yes, I book the excursions w/CC - HAL does not allow for use of OBC before boarding.

Technically, you are canceling the excursions, but YOU aren't doing it yourself - Shore Exc is doing it for you and they'redoing it at the same time as they rebook the OBC purchase. The credit for the canceled excursions shows immediately as OBC in your statement, as does the charge for the new one. I stay at the Shore Exc Desk until I see them both in my Navigator. You can see this for the 6 excursions in this statement from a recent cruise (circled).

As for the CC refund, when the excursions are canceled, a credit is NOT issued back to the CC you used to pay for them. It is credited as OBC, which is yours to do with as you please. You can use it for purchaes, spa treatments, dining...you can cash it out or you can leave it on your account and have it credited to a CC upon disembarkation. If credited to a CC, it may or may not be the same one you originally used to purchase the excursions - only you will know that as the credit will be given to the CC you have on file for the cruise.

Reminder - we're talking OBC, not HIA excursion credits - those are entirely different. 

Thank you. I will definitely give this a try.

[iflyrc5]

30 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Yes, I book the excursions w/CC - HAL does not allow for use of OBC before boarding.

Technically, you are canceling the excursions, but YOU aren't doing it yourself - Shore Exc is doing it for you and they'redoing it at the same time as they rebook the OBC purchase. The credit for the canceled excursions shows immediately as OBC in your statement, as does the charge for the new one. I stay at the Shore Exc Desk until I see them both in my Navigator. You can see this for the 6 excursions in this statement from a recent cruise (circled).

As for the CC refund, when the excursions are canceled, a credit is NOT issued back to the CC you used to pay for them. It is credited as OBC, which is yours to do with as you please. You can use it for purchaes, spa treatments, dining...you can cash it out or you can leave it on your account and have it credited to a CC upon disembarkation. If credited to a CC, it may or may not be the same one you originally used to purchase the excursions - only you will know that as the credit will be given to the CC you have on file for the cruise.

Reminder - we're talking OBC, not HIA excursion credits - those are entirely different. 

We did this same thing in October on the Eurodam.  It took just a couple minutes at the Excursions desk.