Onboard Cedit (refundable vs non-refundable)

[cruiser01]

Recently booked an NCL cruise on the breakaway. And received the following OBC

$300 NCL suite promo

$150 NCL regular promo

$1075 travel agent

 

I assume this is all non-refundable. Am I correct in that assumption?

Also I may have trouble spending it all. Is there any creative ideas that people have for using such high OBC amounts?

[punkincc]

You are probably correct. I would check with your TA to see if any of theirs is refundable. But, oh to have this problem! You could buy the UBP if you are drinkers. Buy excursions at three ports and eat specialty dining every night. Buy the spa passes and a few massages. For two people, that should pretty much use it up. If not, there is always jewelry.:)

[cruiser01]

Good point. I forgot it can be used for any in store purchase. I read somewhere that you can use it as a cash advance at casino for a 3% fee. Is this true?

[rvsullivan]

Yes, 3% cash advance. We never have a problem spending at least $2K per couple so this is a no brainer!!!

[WatchHill]

I had a similar issue with OBC's and eventually managed to spend down the credits. First we requested the concierge obtain transportation passes for us in Bermuda; we also footed the cost for our friends who later gave us the cash. We only booked one tour, but it helped. We're platinum, so we both received complimentary dining coupons, but managed to book a few more restaurants - and drink beverages other than the wine. As a suite guest, you'll be billed $6.04 for every bottle of water beyond the first one.

 

If you purchase pictures, that will count [we never purchase any]. How about entertainment costs? Then there's the shops - not much of interest in the NCL boutique - IMO you would have to pay me to wear their logo items. DH was tempted to buy a Nautica jacket, but realize he had the same one at home, bought for the half the price. How about a nice piece of jewelry as a special memory of the cruise? Maybe a bottle or two of liquor - as a Haven guest it's delivered to your room so you don't have to stand in line to pick it up at the end of the cruise. Don't forget the gelato, Carlo's bake shop, spa or salon, or fee based class in the gym.

 

You cannot use the credits to off set the DSC's as you can with other cruise lines. However, I went to the OBC desk and requested a gratuity voucher for the butler, concierge and extra for our PH stewardess. If you frequent a particular lounge or bar, received great service from a particular person, then include this, too. The OBC desk needs the exact spelling of employee names, so I ran back to the room [wow, 10 flights of stairs - dislike elevators], then back down. The first woman I spoke to was on the phone, so I attempted to handle it with the other person. She said I could not do that. Ugh, and told her she was wrong. We had a few words and I left very annoyed. By the time I returned to the room, the first gal was on the phone saying I was correct. Back, down and it was taken care of. I had them make a copy of each gratuity voucher - one for me and one for each person I wanted to give the added money. Our travel friends attempted to do the same thing through the Guest Service Desk. That was a disaster - the person who claimed to know how to post the gratuity voucher did not know how to do it. So be sure to check your room TV to verify it was posted to your account. I think this may happen more often that we realize. I really think NCL needs to come up with a specific voucher system coupon/card; I prefer to keep the original copy for my records.

 

By the end of the cruise, we managed to spend all of our OBC's and left the ship with a bill for slightly over $200 - mostly DSC's.

 

Darcy