Can We Use On Board Credit to Pay For Pre-Booked Excursions?

[Whitemarsh]

We simply cant afford to pay for them beforehand and theres nothing onboard we will want to use the OBC for so Cunards grasping and inconsiderate policy hits hard.

 

Really? There's nothing at all on board that use could use your OBC for?

 

What about:

• Drinks
  
• Spa treatments, or just using the spa area
  
• Behind the scenes tour
  
• Champagne afternoon tea
  
• An aftershave or perfume from the fragrance shop
  
• Some Cunard memorabilia
  

[Underwatr]

Just wait to book excursions until you're onboard.

[Salacia]

I believe OBC can be applied to the daily hotel & dining charge - or has that changed too? -S.

[2irisheyes]

I wondered how long it would be till the "benefits" of the Vantage price promise became apparent. The fact that the cruiseline decides what form the benefit will take does not appeal to me. Giving obc/upgrade is not the same as receiving an actual cash refund. I like to decide what I spend my money on. Not everyone wants spa treatments etc just for the sake of it. I like a drink but do not wish to be paralytic for the duration of a cruise. I am pretty sure gratuities can be paid with obc - at least that is one use. I would just like to have a little more obc but hey ho ......

[Whitemarsh]

I wondered how long it would be till the "benefits" of the Vantage price promise became apparent. The fact that the cruiseline decides what form the benefit will take does not appeal to me. Giving obc/upgrade is not the same as receiving an actual cash refund. I like to decide what I spend my money on. Not everyone wants spa treatments etc just for the sake of it. I like a drink but do not wish to be paralytic for the duration of a cruise. I am pretty sure gratuities can be paid with obc - at least that is one use. I would just like to have a little more obc but hey ho ......

 

What for? If the general consensus is that there's nothing worthwhile to spend it on (whilst on board) it seems pointless to have more OBC.

[phillipahain]

Yes OBCs can be used to pay Gratuities

 

However we do not drink or gamble

sadly do not find or need anything to buy onboard

and as for the spa .......spare me the hype

 

Even after paying gratuities we have enough OBCs to pay for 3 tours but i know that by the time we get onboard the only ones we want will be totally sold out

 

Hence i am left with a major problem solely of Cunards creation and their unmitigated greed trying to extract more and more money from already cash strapped cruisers who booked 18 months ago and who because they live in the UK cannot cancel the cruise without penalty and of course even in the USA where you can cancel penalty free up to 90 days before ..............this new policy was not announced till after that deadline

 

plus of course theres the loss of return air travel

[Austcruiser84]

Surely this is the Age of Entitlement.

 

Whatever happened to booking a great holiday and paying for it? Freebies should be looked on as a bonus, not a right.

 

I'm gleefully awaiting my Dec/Jan holiday aboard QM2. I paid for it with hard earned money and I didn't get any perks like OBC. Nor do I feel I should.

 

Vanitas Vanitatum.

[Whitemarsh]

Surely this is the Age of Entitlement.

 

No, it's the age of innocence. I had no idea that people routinely got on a cruise ship and bought nothing, drank nothing, ate nothing & did nothing that cost extra. Not because they're tight, mind you, but rather that there is nothing on board to buy, drink, eat or do (with an added cost) that takes their fancy.

 

In one respect I'm slightly jealous, to have an on board spend of zero dollars after a cruise is something to be admired.

[Austcruiser84]

No, it's the age of innocence. I had no idea that people routinely got on a cruise ship and bought nothing, drank nothing, ate nothing & did nothing that cost extra. Not because they're tight, mind you, but rather that there is nothing on board to buy, drink, eat or do (with an added cost) that takes their fancy.

 

In one respect I'm slightly jealous, to have an on board spend of zero dollars after a cruise is something to be admired.

 

Indeed. I plan on making use of the spa, I drink and I will also likely buy some memorabilia / bookstore items.

 

I'll also be paying gratuities.

 

Perhaps I should open up an online account for disgruntled passengers to donate their OBC to me ;)

[Whitemarsh]

Indeed. I plan on making use of the spa, I drink and I will also likely buy some memorabilia / bookstore items.

 

I'll also be paying gratuities.

 

Perhaps I should open up an online account for disgruntled passengers to donate their OBC to me ;)

 

Well, it will only go to waste otherwise. I like that it would be an online account, no nasty forms to fill out. I imagine there would be a lot of grumbling if people had to fill out forms and whatnot.

[balf]

What for? If the general consensus is that there's nothing worthwhile to spend it on (whilst on board) it seems pointless to have more OBC.[/

 

One poster does not make a general consensus, the vast majority of passengers have no problem spending OBC however large.

 

It's interesting hearing about people getting large amounts of OBC, but have any Vantage fares been reduced on any cruise as opposed to cheaper Getaway fares?

 

David.

[Whitemarsh]

 

One poster does not make a general consensus, the vast majority of passengers have no problem spending OBC however large.

 

It's interesting hearing about people getting large amounts of OBC, but have any Vantage fares been reduced on any cruise as opposed to cheaper Getaway fares?

 

David.

 

Exactly. I'd love to have the problem of being issued with a large on-board credit by Cunard.

[2irisheyes]

"What for? If the general consensus is that there's nothing worthwhile to spend it on (whilst on board) it seems pointless to have more OBC."

 

Whitemarsh - to answer your question - it could be used to settle our bar bill and pay gratuities. $60 pp soon disappears. As to the "general consensus" I must have missed the poll.

 

Making observations about policy does not make someone "disgruntled".

[bazzaw]

There will be/are ports where it would be foolish to wait to book tours onboard. Some ports such as Phu My ( Ho Chi Minh City) and Mumbai ( as an example only) are places that if you don't do a ships tour then you probably won't leave the ship. I have always been VERY pleased that we have pre-booked tours in the past , when observing the bun fight that seems to go on in the vicinity of ship's tour office :rolleyes: - and , although I don't like this new "policy", I think I will just have to grin and bear it.

 

Barry

[phillipahain]

I am only too happy to spend the obc on 3 tours but simply cannot afford to book them and pay for them in advance

I would love to be able to drink alcohol etc but sadly i cant

And i have more than enough clothes and perfume and want to de clutter my house not add a lot of stuff

I love cruising and travelling and seeing new places and have not previously had trouble spending obcs because they only just covered gratuities

 

The surplus that Cunard included instead of a price reduction i had intended using for tours

 

Sadly i am darn sure the tours i want in places where i cannot just do my own thing will be well oversold

 

The whole point is Cunard has decided to deny passengers sensible advance use of obcs simply becsuse it thinks that way they can get more money

Sorry but these are financially straightened times for many people and they cant spend what they do not have

[Whitemarsh]

There will be/are ports where it would be foolish to wait to book tours onboard. Some ports such as Phu My ( Ho Chi Minh City) and Mumbai ( as an example only) are places that if you don't do a ships tour then you probably won't leave the ship.

 

Barry

 

What's so special about Phu My that you probably wouldn't leave the ship if you hadn't booked a ship's tour?

[balf]

[quote=phillipahain;

 

The surplus that Cunard included instead of a price reduction i had intended using for tours

 

 

We are in some confusion about the different rules UK v US. Which side of the pond did you book in, because I have not heard of any OBC being handed out in UK bookings for reductions on Vantage fares.

[bazzaw]

What's so special about Phu My that you probably wouldn't leave the ship if you hadn't booked a ship's tour?

 

There's NOTHING there !! :D It's basically in the middle of nowhere. Nothing within walking distance - at least there was nothing when we were there 18 months ago, can't imagine there is much now

 

Barry

[Whitemarsh]

There's NOTHING there !! :D It's basically in the middle of nowhere. Nothing within walking distance - at least there was nothing when we were there 18 months ago, can't imagine there is much now

 

Barry

 

Oh I see, so it's just the port stop for Saigon.

[Whitemarsh]

For those that have any concerns about the new online booking method for shore tours, I made a cancellation and booked another shore tour in lieu and everything was very easy.

 

I went to the Purchased Shore Excursions page in the Voyage Personaliser and selected the shore tour to cancel.

 

Following on from that I received an email confirming the cancellation and that I would receive a full refund.

 

When I booked the replacement shore tour I took a screen shot of the cancellation terms and conditions.

 

[bazzaw]

Oh I see, so it's just the port stop for Saigon.

 

Yes - it is quite a way to Saigon (Ho Chi Minh City) - took us about 1.5 hours by coach on the way in and 3 hours back ( traffic)

 

Barry

[phillipahain]

We are in some confusion about the different rules UK v US. Which side of the pond did you book in, because I have not heard of any OBC being handed out in UK bookings for reductions on Vantage fares.

 

AFAIK ...........Vantage prices are for cruises from April 2013

 

When i booked my Jan cruise many many months ago instead of a lower price it included a large OBC which at the time could be used to book tours in advance

 

Cunard have changed a policy and dumped those like us in the s**t

 

If we had been able to book in the USA we could have cancelled the whole cruise penalty free in the UK you cant

 

Its all very well posters saying they would have no trouble spending a large OBC ........everyones situation is different and financial conditions in many countries have made things very difficult for certain sections of populations in recent months hence they do not have the money and cannot afford to pay for tours in advance

 

Its Cunard who have changed a policy that totally discriminates against those who have OBCs both from Cunard and from future cruise credits and from stockholder credits

 

Normally the latter 2 would only equal gratuties so would not cause a problem

but in this instance the Cunard OBC is problematical because we are denied using it on the tours we had long planned to take .

[2irisheyes]

Phillipahain - I fully understand the point you are making and think cruiselines are being very crafty. Maybe it is their only way of survival with bookings dropping off. I can only assume this from the very cheap prices that have been advertised for some recent cruises.

[phillipahain]

Precisely why this policy will come back to bite them

 

The cruise industry has expanded far too fast and with bigger and bigger ships and they are failing to recognise that quite a majority of their psssengers are in the over 50s category who are being stung hard by low interesf rates etc and can no longer spend with impunity

 

The nickel and diming all lines have intoduced is already coming back to bite them

[Salacia]

Phillipahain - I fully understand the point you are making and think cruiselines are being very crafty. Maybe it is their only way of survival with bookings dropping off. I can only assume this from the very cheap prices that have been advertised for some recent cruises.

 

Hi 2irisheyes. The Board of Directors declared a special dividend to distribute surplus profits (as discussed on a previous thread). So, no I don't think changing policy regarding applying on board credits to pre-booked tours is their only way of survival. Regards, -S.