Xcitdcruiser

I'm looking into cruises for my parents for 30 August. At the moment it is the most reasonable priced cruise during Aug /Sep.

I've done a lot of research on the X board but I was wondering whether the same principle applies - do prices tend to drop after final payment date? Is that 90 days prior?

How cheap can NCL Europe cruises get?

Ok all done- I ended up calling X (1st time the phone got disconnected after 10 mins on hold, tried again, 20 mins later). & they processed the payment over the phone.

Within seconds I received an email confirmation. I also asked the following if anyone is interested :

Although based in Aus the bank that it gets processed at is a US one so watch out for those fees- I used my 28 degree card to avoid any

Rate was confirmed as 1 for 1. (Yepee! Saved $100!)

The purchased obc is refundable

& the consultant said that there is no way to do it over the website (?)

One step closer to our cruise !

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Because X have not updated their exchange rates - a glitch or oversight of some sort .

$1AUD is buying $1USD of OBC online whereas the Aussie dollar is currently only worth $0.88 - we would be saving $100 doing it this way

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I'm trying to purchase obc for ourselves . Maybe I'm going through the wrong link-

I'm in 'already booked' then 'Gifts by celebrity'

Is there another way to purchase obc ?

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I'm online now & trying to purchase OBC.

It's only giving me the option to gifting it to our own room - we've entered our reservation number (& are logged in).

Id there a way to simply purchase it? Or is gifting it the only way?

And does it make a difference?

I can not say for sure as we have always used it all but before I purchased it the first time I rang up and asked what would happen to unused OBC and I was told we would lose it but when I checked the account on board the OBC was listed as refundable so I think I may have been given the wrong information.

You purchase it online. It is very easy to do but I do not know which cruise lines apart from Celebrity do it. Below is the link for Celebrity cruises.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/bonvoyage/category/viewCollection.do?cat=ONBDCR&coll=ONBDCR

Buying OBC on X is charged in AUD but will there be foreign exchange fees? Trying to figure out if I can use my points credit card - but not wanting any fees.

Otherwise I could use by 28 degrees card.

Anyone know?

Yes.

OBC from or provided by X is non-refundable so it needs to be used onboard to get its full value. Any OBC purchased by yourself, your TA or gifted from friends/family should be refundable and typically is applied to your onboard after any non-refundable OBC is used up.

Thank you!

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Is purchased OBC refundable?

The AUD is now $0.877, dropping quicker then the mercury.:eek:

This is not good.

This menu is a little out of date now as there's a new section of items you can pay for such as steak and eggs :) also they have scrambled eggs and not fried (as of Nov 2013) although we requested fried and got them

Sounds interesting!

Has there been a copy posted on CC for Aqua class?

My wife and I will be spending a day in Antigua next week as part of our Jewel of the Seas cruise and aren't sue how we want to spend a beach day. We'd like to relax and have a few drinks on a nice beach. I saw the Coconut Beach all inclusive pass, which sounds nice and is a fair price for $50, but if we only spend 3 or 4 hours there and don't drink that much I'm not sure it's the option. Are there other fairly quiet beach areas that we could go to and buy drinks for $5-$8 apiece or would we be paying more doin it that way? Ideal I'd like to see something close to some sightseeing and maybe even with an SUP rental on the beach. Any ideas?

I'm commenting to follow - also looking for laid back ideas..

And the question is_____________?

Apologies - accidently hit post before completing the actual thread!

Now edited & complete :)

I've been able to find a menu online thanks to CC member Lsimon.

The original link:

I just read a review where the cruiser filled this 'incorrectly' - as a first time cruiser, what is the 'correct' way to fill it in? The sides, is it per portion?

What the recommended items worth ordering? I'm talking about being mouth watering...

And lastly, for those with dietary requirements, if you specify will they be able to cater for you? Ie. Gluten free muesli w soy milk (I believe they serve this in Blu)

I am a HAL cruiser doing my first Celebrity in October, then another in February. Are you sure they wont refund pre-purchased OBC if you don't use it all, HAL does. This is just another thing I am finding really strange about Celebrity, their customer relations 'suck'.

 

After all if you pre-purchase OBC, it is your money, not something Celebrity has given you, nor is it given by your TA, you paid for it. I'm glad you have mentioned this because I love to stock up on pre-purchased OBC so that I get a negative balance at the end of my cruise.

I am not 'sure' the prepaid obc is non refundable - that is what the consultant in the Sydney office said. It's well known that information changes depending on who you speak with so it may be worth a call to the us office to see whAt they say...

If I do have any of it left over I will be checking on board re my options. We sail next month so I can report back.

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It doesn't sound to me like you will need too much on board spending as you already have your beverage requirements sorted but as an Aussie cruiser and with our low $ I would love to know how you buy US$ on board credit at A$ rates.

I got the tip off another thread- On their website you can buy obc in increments of $25aud but it doesn't state how much USD you are actually purchasing - I called X (Sydney office) & they confirmed it was 1 for 1 . Not noted as they don't like to 'advertise' it.

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Thanks to my fellow aussie cruisers I've just found out that OBC can be pre-purchased at rate of $1AUD = $1USD so I'm planning to stock up!

Question is - how much? I called X & they said that pre-purchased OBC is non refundable.

We are sailing for 7 nights departing from San Juan.

Free classic package has been upgraded.

We aren't doing any excursions via X

Planning on eating at Bistro 5 on embarkation day

Unsure about the speciality restaurants or spa treatments

Has anyone been in a similar position? With all the necessities pre paid, how much is your account at the end of your cruise?

Cheers, for me it is not a question of the unspent refundable OBC as that goes back onto your card (for the account).

It is more of how can I get cash out of my account so that all the OBC is used without buying anything on board.

So, purchased OBC is refundable?

Also, I'm looking at the link to purchase the OBC, the item code is: C171 $25AUD - but it doesn't actually tell you what that buys you (hoping for $25USD) I've gotten to the cart & it's all in AUD.

Edit: I've called X & they have confirmed that it is 1 for 1 but they do not advertise it.

I did ask whether the OBC is refundable & their answer was NO. May start a diff thread - how much OBC does one realistically use?

On Celebrity you can buy OBC before you leave. They are currently selling it at AUS$25.00 buys you USD$25.00 OBC. I am not sure if you can do that on Royal Caribbean but as they are the same company it may be worth checking out.

This sounds good- will check it out in the morning. If one buys too much obc & it's not all spent can you get a refund?

And is the obc purchased online or do I have to go through the ta?

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It will be included in our checked luggage - so technically only the cost of the gear & the space in the suitcase to take it over..

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Is this recommended or a silly idea?

Doing a 7 day cruise around the islands & I envision ourselves having a lot of beach time -

We are also spending a couple of weeks in Puerto Rico (& Culebra) - just trying to figure out the logistics of whether it would be worth buying & taking our own gear or hiring them at each location.

Thoughts?

Do they have any other freshly squeezed juices (other than orange)? And are they available any other time of day? I've in recent months began incorporating juicing into my daily diet. Thank you!

I'd also like to know this - apple / watermelon / ginger? Anywhere on the ship I could get something of the sort?

If in aqua class are gluten free canapés available daily?

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You lot are bad for the bank account :D

Ofcause I read this thread, thought, stuff it, let's see if RCI can wow me across, & sure enough balcony cabs out of Sydney for Easter 2015 at a ripper price!!! *shakes head* :rolleyes: you lot are going to get me banned from here :D:p

Out of interest how much were these cabins?

(departing Syd 6 April 2015?)

Thank you for sharing!

I obviously missed the announcement - I do hope cm stays open at some point during the day. That, or make the craft beers available cruise wide.

MC was one of the big reasons we decided to cruise the summit on our upcoming cruise

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