How to get on board credit

We are extremely fortunate in that we have enjoyed 14 cruises, not all Cunard :( and we have just booked a four weeks cruise on the Queen Elizabeth next January. However, we have never ever been given on board credit on any ship and if we've asked we've been denied.

So what are we doing wrong?

If you booked the Cunard Fare for your cruise (not Early Saver), you should have been given some OBC with that.

Another way of getting OBC is through a Future Cruise Credit paid for whilst on board. In the UK you have to book the future cruise within one year.

Either buy a Future Cruise Deposit next time you are on board or book when OBC is being offered. It's normally available with Cunard fares if you don't take the car park or coach transfer options.

We are extremely fortunate in that we have enjoyed 14 cruises, not all Cunard :( and we have just booked a four weeks cruise on the Queen Elizabeth next January. However, we have never ever been given on board credit on any ship and if we've asked we've been denied.

 

So what are we doing wrong?

You are doing nothing wrong, except perhaps not searching for the best deal when booking cruises.

On board credit is offered as an incentive by either the Cruise Company or the Travel agent to make you make a booking. It has to be part of the deal or offer made at the time of booking.

It rarely is free, but is incorporated into the price of the cruise.

You can not just ask for it, if you have booked were a deal was not included at the time.

Cunard are presently offering

Book your 2017 or 2018 voyage by 2 May 2017 and receive complimentary on board spending money in addition to your Cunard Fare benefits of on board spending money, car parking or coach transfers. As a Cunard Fare guest, you can also choose your stateroom or suite number and enjoy higher selection preference on dining time and table size. Applicable on selected cruises departing in 2017 and 2018.

You can also get obc If you are a shareholder for certain shipping companies and book their line .

Or book a future Cruise deposit with the shipping line whilst travelling.

Future Cruise Deposits cannot be redeemed against Net Rate, Flat Rate, Late Saver or any other promotional fare

see

https://ask.cunard.com/help/before-you-sail/FCD

I am doing the same cruise from Southampton to San Francisco with a night in SF at the end. The tour operator said they couldn't give OBC as they had special rates from Cunard. I even had paid a future cruise deposit for OBC and they said they couldn't honour that either. I know we are not allowed to name the TA but they are very well known and do lots if packages with Cunard...

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I am doing the same cruise from Southampton to San Francisco with a night in SF at the end. The tour operator said they couldn't give OBC as they had special rates from Cunard. I even had paid a future cruise deposit for OBC and they said they couldn't honour that either. I know we are not allowed to name the TA but they are very well known and do lots if packages with Cunard...

 

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Hopefully the deal you bought was better that the obc offers etc.

As Cunard states

Future Cruise Deposits cannot be redeemed against Net Rate, Flat Rate, Late Saver or any other promotional fare

It pays to shop around, so hopefully all well and good with your TA

The OP is from the UK. We don't have Net Rate and Flat Rate in the UK. We have Cunard Fare, Early Saver and Late Saver. You can't use Future Cruise Deposit OBC against a Late Saver fare but as the cruise mentioned above isn't until next January, it won't be on Late Saver yet.

I believe Babs135 has just booked a package with hotel add on after cruise. Some of these agents in UK offering such deals, which are very favourable compared with Cunard prices, never seem to offer OBC with such a holiday. But there again, if you have saved £££'s on the trip compared with a direct booking, the chances are the OBC is still not such an incentive as compared to other excellent prices on the web.

You can also buy 100 (minimum) shares of CCL stock and receive an OBC that varies with the length of your voyage.

The OP is from the UK. We don't have Net Rate and Flat Rate in the UK. We have Cunard Fare, Early Saver and Late Saver. You can't use Future Cruise Deposit OBC against a Late Saver fare but as the cruise mentioned above isn't until next January, it won't be on Late Saver yet.

Ray66

Just stating what Cunard say on the website. If we dont have it then its obvious it will not apply

https://ask.cunard.com/help/before-you-sail/FCD

You can also buy 100 (minimum) shares of CCL stock and receive an OBC that varies with the length of your voyage.

Would cost around $5,700 today, a good deal for frequent Carnival brand cruisers. If they have that amount kicking around.

DAVID.

Last summer onboard QV we purchased a FCD and used it on return to book an autumn cruise on QE to the Canaries. However, when we were on QE in November we enquirer about purchasing another FCD and were advised that you can no longer purchase the FCD it is only available if you are booking a future cruise onboard. We double checked that we understood him correctly and he confirmed it again that unless we were booking a cruise we couldn't just pay for the FCD as we had previously.

When we got home we thought he must have given the wrong information as it was still showing on Ask Cunard. I never got around to check but perhaps I should.

We came back from a P and O cruise yesterday and asked the same question onboard and again told we could not purchase unless we booked the cruise on board.

Has this happened with anyone else? It appears to be a fairly recent change. Thanks

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I believe Babs135 has just booked a package with hotel add on after cruise. Some of these agents in UK offering such deals, which are very favourable compared with Cunard prices, never seem to offer OBC with such a holiday. But there again, if you have saved £££'s on the trip compared with a direct booking, the chances are the OBC is still not such an incentive as compared to other excellent prices on the web.

The travel firm was offering 3 nights in San Francisco after disembarkation. Taking into consideration that we have paid a supplement to fly back to Manchester we felt the price was more than reasonable. We are happy and that's all that really counts. I was just curious about how obc was applied.

I purchased a future cruise deposit last September on QE and having read Tangoqueen's post have just checked the Cunard website, which still carries all the information about how to buy FCDs on board and how to apply them to a booking. Withdrawing this option would surely be a significant enough decision that Cunard would ensure their FAQs were updated to explain that FCDs were no longer being sold? (I know the website has a poor reputation though....)

I would imagine that such a decision would be extremely unpopular and the subject of comment/note on this forum before now. Is this news many of us have missed until this thread? It would be extremely disappointing not to be able to buy a FCD when I'm next on in July - it doesn't really work for my partner and I to book the next trip whilst we are still on board so we appreciate the flexibility of the FCD.

Can anyone else who's been on more recently than Tangoqueen and me enlighten forum members about their experiences of trying to buy an FCD? If you were denied, what explanation were you given for Cunard withdrawing this option?

Thanks in advance for your responses!

I bought them on QV last November if that helps.

I bought them on QV last November if that helps.

And I bought them on QE at Christmas. No hint of any change to the arrangements from one of the regular Cruise Sales girls who we know of old.

OP has never received an OBC for 14 cruises on several cruise lines ?

Hard to believe . Not something that you "ask for".

Sooooo many Sale promos that include OBC from the cruiseline .

Add to that OBC's from your TA , Shareholder , Military , Onboard booking , etc..

Cunard allows most OBC's to be combined .

But if OP is always booking unique packages set up by travel agencies , they won't be eligible .

I can't remember the last cruise that we didn't have some OBC ?

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OP has never received an OBC for 14 cruises on several cruise lines ?

Hard to believe . Not something that you "ask for".

Sooooo many Sale promos that include OBC from the cruiseline .

Add to that OBC's from your TA , Shareholder , Military , Onboard booking , etc..

Cunard allows most OBC's to be combined .

But if OP is always booking unique packages set up by travel agencies , they won't be eligible .

I can't remember the last cruise that we didn't have some OBC ?

 

 

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Your reply made me look more closely at my cruising history. Cunard: We've never paid the Cunard fare. Of the rest: Some were very much last minute bookings, ie within a couple of months and with the exception of perhaps a couple, the rest were what you described as unique packages.

On the plus side, we have been upgraded 3 times, twice on Cunard and once on NCL so it's not all doom and gloom :D

Last summer onboard QV we purchased a FCD and used it on return to book an autumn cruise on QE to the Canaries. However, when we were on QE in November we enquirer about purchasing another FCD and were advised that you can no longer purchase the FCD it is only available if you are booking a future cruise onboard. We double checked that we understood him correctly and he confirmed it again that unless we were booking a cruise we couldn't just pay for the FCD as we had previously.

 

When we got home we thought he must have given the wrong information as it was still showing on Ask Cunard. I never got around to check but perhaps I should.

 

We came back from a P and O cruise yesterday and asked the same question onboard and again told we could not purchase unless we booked the cruise on board.

 

Has this happened with anyone else? It appears to be a fairly recent change. Thanks

 

 

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Something confusing here Tangoqueen, :confused: not too sure what to make of the information you'd been given. I've just manage to speak/email with an onboard voyage sales manager ( Cunard) who assures, me the procedure/system hasn't changed.

Hi Babs

We're on the same cruise as you (from Southampton) and when we booked we were able to add on 3 nights in Las Vegas after SF. We also paid a little extra for premium economy flights home via Montreal. Like you, we got no 'extras' but thought the price we paid was very fair.

We've only ever cruised with Princess before and are a little apprehensive! Sorry if this s the wrong place to ask, but being a newbie I couldn't find a roll call for this cruise - am I looking in the wrong places or has it not been started yet?

Hi Babs

 

We're on the same cruise as you (from Southampton) and when we booked we were able to add on 3 nights in Las Vegas after SF. We also paid a little extra for premium economy flights home via Montreal. Like you, we got no 'extras' but thought the price we paid was very fair.

 

We've only ever cruised with Princess before and are a little apprehensive! Sorry if this s the wrong place to ask, but being a newbie I couldn't find a roll call for this cruise - am I looking in the wrong places or has it not been started yet?

Hi....I am on the same cruise and there is no roll call for the Southampton to San Francisco segment yet....methinks we need to start one 😊

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Hi Babs

 

We're on the same cruise as you (from Southampton) and when we booked we were able to add on 3 nights in Las Vegas after SF. We also paid a little extra for premium economy flights home via Montreal. Like you, we got no 'extras' but thought the price we paid was very fair.

 

We've only ever cruised with Princess before and are a little apprehensive! Sorry if this s the wrong place to ask, but being a newbie I couldn't find a roll call for this cruise - am I looking in the wrong places or has it not been started yet?

The original trip we looked at (and wanted) is what you are doing, ie 3 nights in Las Vegas after disembarkation; it sounds fab and would have ticked 2 items off our bucket list, the 1st one being the Panama Canal. However, circumstances changed and we decided to simply go with the 3 nights in SF. The price difference covers getting to Southampton (from Manchester), gratuities and the flight supplement. It's quite extraordinary to see the difference in price based simply on where we have chosen to spend 3 extra nights.

Las Vegas is still on the list but will have to wait a bit longer!!

Regarding roll calls. They are very much hit and miss. Whether it is worth starting one I don't know but in the meantime we can always ask any questions here. Lots of people with a wealth of information prepared to share on this forum.

The original trip we looked at (and wanted) is what you are doing, ie 3 nights in Las Vegas after disembarkation; it sounds fab and would have ticked 2 items off our bucket list, the 1st one being the Panama Canal. However, circumstances changed and we decided to simply go with the 3 nights in SF. The price difference covers getting to Southampton (from Manchester), gratuities and the flight supplement. It's quite extraordinary to see the difference in price based simply on where we have chosen to spend 3 extra nights.

 

Las Vegas is still on the list but will have to wait a bit longer!!

 

Regarding roll calls. They are very much hit and miss. Whether it is worth starting one I don't know but in the meantime we can always ask any questions here. Lots of people with a wealth of information prepared to share on this forum.

Thanks for starting off the roll call. I think it's better to discuss a particular cruise there than on a general forum. I also have to get to Southampton from Manchester but have yet to arrange that. ...

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In addition to the OBC for Future Cruise purchases ( which I have done many time) you can also get it for being a shareholder (100 shares minimum in CCL) I did that years ago buying at $32/ share and have made money on the dividend as well as unearned appreciation. In the US there is also a OBC for having been in the Military (need your DD214 for that one), and I am sure there are other 'deals' with various fare specials. By the way, in the US the on-board future cruise credit also serves as your initial deposit with the final due about 90 days prior to sailing.