On board credit

Hi follow princess passengers can you give me some advice

We are doing an 11 day cruise and have managed to get $700 OBC

What is the best most effective way to spend the OBC don't want to waste it

Thanks in advance - we are not big drinkers :)

Hi

It does not matter what you use it for it comes of whatever you send at the end of the cruise. Just ensure you spend that much or more. Drinks, excursions, massages. Speciality Restaurants are all included, i think it will even cover spending in casino.

Have a great cruise

Hi follow princess passengers can you give me some advice

We are doing an 11 day cruise and have managed to get $700 OBC

What is the best most effective way to spend the OBC don't want to waste it

Thanks in advance - we are not big drinkers :)

I understand your predicament we are usually in that position thankfully

spend what you want to spend but during the cruise go to the casino and open an account on a slot machine. Follow the prompts and put something from your on board account on to your casino account say $40 Make a small bet and then cash out.

Take your card later to the casino desk and ask to cash out whatever amount you like. This way if you have unused obc you can have it in cash

Usually no cashier takes any notice Only once has the lady said "you have been lucky" to which I replied yes but not often!!!

Enjoy your cruise and your spare cash when you get home:D

If you book shore excursions before the cruise have them put on your room account, do not pay with a credit card in advance. Also, once on board, order flowers for your room.

Hi follow princess passengers can you give me some advice

We are doing an 11 day cruise and have managed to get $700 OBC

What is the best most effective way to spend the OBC don't want to waste it

Thanks in advance - we are not big drinkers :)

The first thing is the gratuities (or hotel charges). Do not prepay them. They are $13.95 per person per day in mini-suties and suites or $12.95 per person per day in other cabins. If you are two people not in a mini-suite or suite, you will be paying $284.90 in guituities. That leaves $415.10.

You said you are not big drinkers. Does that mean you would like an occasional bottle of wine with dinner? If so, that will use some of the remaining OBC.

You may also want to eat in a specialty restaurant one night. That will use some. If you want the best dining experience on the ship, you may want to try the Chef's Table.

If you take any Princess excursions, that will probably use up the rest of the OBC. Just don't pay for them in advance.

I agree don't pre purchase anything that you can get onboard.

Everything thats charged to your account will offset the OBC

Wish I had the problem!:D

My husband and I can easily go through a coffee card on a two week cruise. So usually end up buying two.

On all the Princess cruises I've been on, during a sea day, they have had a $10 everything sale in one of the dining rooms. Go shopping there plus be sure to check out items for sale in the regular boutiques. Never know what you might find.

At a sale table out on the corridor by the atrium, a couple of years ago, I got a Princess zipper sweat shirt for $10 and still wear it. Another time I got a travel tote bag that still comes with me. We also got a Princess folding back pack and it has been invaluable on a bunch of trips.

If any of your OBC is military or from a travel agent, it is refundable. Only Princess OBC is non-refundable. I don't know if shareholder OBC is refindable or not. We generally get a check from refundable OBC.

If any of your OBC is military or from a travel agent, it is refundable. Only Princess OBC is non-refundable. I don't know if shareholder OBC is refindable or not. We generally get a check from refundable OBC.

On my Cruise Personalizer, both the travel agent OBC and the shareholder OBC are marked as non-refundable. The only refundable OBC is the military credit.

I have no idea why the difference, but my travel agent on borad credit is refundable. Guess it varies by travel agent.

I understand your predicament we are usually in that position thankfully

 

spend what you want to spend but during the cruise go to the casino and open an account on a slot machine. Follow the prompts and put something from your on board account on to your casino account say $40 Make a small bet and then cash out.

 

Take your card later to the casino desk and ask to cash out whatever amount you like. This way if you have unused obc you can have it in cash

Usually no cashier takes any notice Only once has the lady said "you have been lucky" to which I replied yes but not often!!!

 

Enjoy your cruise and your spare cash when you get home:D

We have always used our onboard credit in the casino, as you suggest. But Princess has a new policy and emphatically states in writing that onboard credit may not be used in the casino. this even appears in the shareholder credit information and the military credit information. It also appears in the conditions of every cruise booked now.

I have no idea why the difference, but my travel agent on board credit is refundable. Guess it varies by travel agent.

Maybe your TA buys your OBC rather than using the credits the agency gets from Princess.

The accounts department has no idea which of the obc packages is in use whatever you buy It is just a credit total which diminishes

I have no idea why the difference, but my travel agent on board credit is refundable. Guess it varies by travel agent.

Some OBC listed as from a TA is really an amenity given to you by Princess that the TA can offer. This is not refundable.

Some OBC from a TA is actually from the TA, possible as a rebate of part of his/her commission. Since it does not come to you rom Princess, it is refundable.

I would suggest trying out the specialty restaurants, or go for the Chef's Table or Ultimate Ship Tour!

Wish I had the problem!:D

There are three things you can do to get that problem:

• Purchase a Future Cruise Deposit when you are onboard. Actually you need to purchase several so you won't run out.
  
• Purchase 100 shares of Carnival Corporation stock.
  
• Enlist in the armed forces (if you're not already a veteran). OK, I admit this may be a little extreme if the only reason you are enlisting is to get the OBC on Princess.;)
  

I wonder if no obc can be used in casino now.Anyone try it recently?Is it just shareholders obc or fcc and Princess promotions also?

I wonder if no obc can be used in casino now.Anyone try it recently?Is it just shareholders obc or fcc and Princess promotions also?

the language about not being allowed to use onboard credit for casino appears in all Princess promotions now also.

There are three things you can do to get that problem:

• Purchase a Future Cruise Deposit when you are onboard. Actually you need to purchase several so you won't run out.
  
• Purchase 100 shares of Carnival Corporation stock.
  
• Enlist in the armed forces (if you're not already a veteran). OK, I admit this may be a little extreme if the only reason you are enlisting is to get the OBC on Princess.;)
  

Also, cruise a lot on Princess to get you to the point where you receive the Loyalty OBC.

I understand your predicament we are usually in that position thankfully

 

spend what you want to spend but during the cruise go to the casino and open an account on a slot machine. Follow the prompts and put something from your on board account on to your casino account say $40 Make a small bet and then cash out.

 

Take your card later to the casino desk and ask to cash out whatever amount you like. This way if you have unused obc you can have it in cash

Usually no cashier takes any notice Only once has the lady said "you have been lucky" to which I replied yes but not often!!!

 

Enjoy your cruise and your spare cash when you get home:D

The accounts department has no idea which of the obc packages is in use whatever you buy It is just a credit total which diminishes

If you want to steal from Princess, TRY the above which is now inaccurate, as noted by others in this thread.

Princess has gone to the expense (which means it eventually gets baked in the prices that we pay to cruise) to enhance their guest accounting software to close this loophole so that OBC's can be distinguished. That's why they've added the disclosures about OBC, so you cannot say "no one told me."

The CASINO WAS NEVER INTENDED TO BE A FREE ATM MACHINE. Charging casino credit to a guest room account is a PRIVILEGE that Princess allows to encourage casino play. It's a policy change from the days when there was a 3% fee to do so.

OBC promotions are intended to ENHANCE the cruise experience by allowing you to SPLURGE and do something that you otherwise might not pay for out of pocket, such as:

-Dinner in a specialty restaurant,

-Ultimate Balcony Dining,

-Wine with dinner,

-Coffee cards,

-Unlimited Drink or soda package,

-Shore Excursions,

-Purchases in the Boutique or other outlets on board,

-Cocktails, buckets of beer, soft drinks...etc.

-Room service special requests for liquor by the bottle, for in-room consumption,

-Duty Free Purchases that can be taken home.

And yes, even the daily gratuities can be settled with OBC.

(I don't think FCD's can consume OBC, since FCD's are NOT charged to the stateroom account. Instead, according to the form, they are charged directly to the credit card used to secure the stateroom account.)

But Princess NEVER intended the OBC's stated as non-refundable to be used as FARE REBATES by giving cash back directly at the Purser's Desk or indirectly through the casino.

In my opinion, posts that explain how to circumvent the system and essentially steal from Princess or promote conduct contrary to Princess policy --including using the Casino as a free ATM, smuggling alcohol on board contrary to Princess Policy, and condoning dress contrary to the Princess written policy for Formal Nights-- diminish the Cruise Critic Princess Forum to a Black Market/Underground Community.