Using OBC and prebooking excursions

[symphony]

We will be getting on-board credits from Celebrity as well as from our travel agent.

If we don't want to buy things onboard, is it true that we can go to the Casino cashier and withdraw the OBC money with our Seapass card, minus a 5% charge? Can the withdrawal come from the Celebrity OBC as well as the agent's OBC?

 

If we prebook an excursion and/or a specialty restaurant we have to pay at that time with our credit card. When on board then, can you go to the Customer Service desk and cancel, getting a refund back to your credit card, and then rebook the same excursion or restaurant to use OBC?

Hope I've been clear. Thanks for any advice.

Symphony

[M&M Hayden]

We often go to the casino and take out the $ from our OBC (from X) and pay the surcharge.

 

If you book a shore excursion before you board and pay for it with a credit card and then cancel it when you get on board the cost of the excursion will be credited to your on board account. So it doesn't make sense to cancel and rebook. My understanding is that some slots for excursions are 'held back' and can't be pre-booked, but then you are taking a chance that someone will book it before you do on board.

 

Hope that made some sense.

[kyriecat]

You can cancel and rebook, but you might not get exactly what you want. If you book a popular tour, they might have a waitlist. If you cancel onboard, you cannot immediately rebook it if there is a waitlist. The first name on the waitlist will get your cancellation and your name will be placed on the waitlist. If there are enough people on the waitlist, they may add a second time or additional buses to accommodate everyone.

 

The same thing could happen with dinner reservations if there is a waitlist. If you cancel a 7 PM slot, someone on a waitlist may get that time. You might be able to get a new reservation, but it could be a 6 or 9 instead.

 

If there is a definite date/time that I want to eat in a specialty restaurant, then I book it and keep the booking. The same goes for a shore excursion. If there is one that I a really want to take, I book online. If there are two or three excursions for a particular port that look interesting, I might wait until I board to see what is available to use OBC.

[MicCanberra]

I may be wrong, someone please correct me if I am but I read a post in one of these threads that said.

The OBC from X is lost if it is not used, while the TA OBC is credited back to your credit card if it is not used.

Hope that helps.:D

[flames9]

I may be wrong, someone please correct me if I am but I read a post in one of these threads that said.

The OBC from X is lost if it is not used, while the TA OBC is credited back to your credit card if it is not used.

Hope that helps.:D

 

We have our booking thru a TA--and she said if we do not use all of our $500 OBC--it goes back to the Travel agency!!

[AlanAllyn]

We have our booking thru a TA--and she said if we do not use all of our $500 OBC--it goes back to the Travel agency!!

That has never happened with any TA I have used. It came back to my credit card or, one one cruise, they insisted I take it in cash.

[symphony]

I am still confused. Celebrity's 123 Promotion, and other previous promotions, say in small letters "not redeemable for cash." So how is it possible to withdraw money from the casino and be sure it's taken from your OBC from Celebrity?

I've seen many conflicting comments on this site, so I wish someone would have a definitive answer. Thanks.