What happened to casino credits??

[CHK]

We used to be able to buy casino credits in advance and then turn them in for cash at the casino service desk. Way better than carrying cash while traveling.

I see that we can buy "onboard" credits but it only mentions using them for excursions, purchases in shops and spa. Does anyone know if we could charge

our onboard account for using funds in the casino?

This is what the website says--mention of the casino is missing: 

Please Choose The Credit Amount And Quantity  Onboard Credits $25.00

Guests can use onboard credit for a variety of experiences, such as booking shore excursions for each destination, time in our award-winning Lotus Spa® or finding the perfect gift in The Shops of Princess.

 

[JF - retired RRT]

AFAIK...on board credits are on board credits used for anything that you can buy on board (except for Future Cruise Deposits).

[Rick&Jeannie]

OBC can be used for *any* purchase as @JF - retired RRT states...except for an FCD. (Toobad they don't allow that...no reasonable explanation has ever been offered.)

[voljeep]

28 minutes ago, CHK said:

We used to be able to buy casino credits in advance and then turn them in for cash at the casino service desk.

as did we - which was not the same as buying general OBC.  Looks like it is no longer available on the Princess website - at least not under onboard experiences.

[skynight]

You can charge casino play to your on board account. If your account has a credit balance from OBCs then the casino play will net against that balance. You can not use the casino as an ATM.

[voljeep]

6 minutes ago, skynight said:

You can charge casino play to your on board account. If your account has a credit balance from OBCs then the casino play will net against that balance. You can not use the casino as an ATM.

before - the casino could be used as a reverse atm - you put the money into the casino pre-cruise - then got cash from the casino, no gambling involved.

[CHK]

So as long as we go to the casino and charge a certain amount to our onboard account (say $500), we could still cash out any balance on our casino account at the casino cashier--regardless of whether we had $10 left or had won another $500, right?

[startedwithamouse]

Yes

[jagoffee]

3 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

OBC can be used for *any* purchase as @JF - retired RRT states...except for an FCD. (Toobad they don't allow that...no reasonable explanation has ever been offered.)

Prevents you from trying to us non refundable OBC for a FCD.  Seems very reasonable to me.  

[JF - retired RRT]

1 hour ago, CHK said:

So as long as we go to the casino and charge a certain amount to our onboard account (say $500), we could still cash out any balance on our casino account at the casino cashier--regardless of whether we had $10 left or had won another $500, right?

Just make sure you play at least some amount of time. As others have stated...the casino is not an ATM. If you try to use it like that, your casino account could be locked.

[Greg Nelson]

Can I use $400 On board credit at casino Royal Caribbean table games and request 400 dollars in chips? Play one hand and take rest chips to cashier and get cash back? Is that allowed ?

[skynight]

5 minutes ago, Greg Nelson said:

Can I use $400 On board credit at casino Royal Caribbean table games and request 400 dollars in chips? Play one hand and take rest chips to cashier and get cash back? Is that allowed ?

At table games you can ask the dealer to charge $400 to your on board account. Unlike some cruise lines there is no percentage charge for buying chips or charging play to your account. That charge will net against any credit (OBC) balance. You will then receive chips. The basic rule is that no matter if you play the tables or the slots you really have to play some. One hand is not some the way I look at it. You risk being locked out at the cashier if you don't play. 

[skynight]

4 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

OBC can be used for *any* purchase as @JF - retired RRT states...except for an FCD. (Toobad they don't allow that...no reasonable explanation has ever been offered.)

Reasonable explanations: FCDs are refundable. You are turning non refundable into refundable. FCDs when used are considered cash and are then subject to the passage contract refund policy. Again you are turning non refundable into refundable. The purchase of an FCD is physically done on board a ship, but the transaction is really between you and the home office. The transaction is separate from the ship's accounting income/expense system. OBC is really just that for on board expenses.

A better question is why can't you pre-book specialty dining using OBC? This is indeed an on board expense.