OBC refundable vs. not, hmmmmm

[DrivesLikeMario]

Sounds like a good way to use your nonrefundable OBC PLUS you might get one of those sweet casino offers "$99 or less + port fees" for a balcony. I've seen them posted here. On my next cruise there are 3 people on our Roll Call that are going with a cheap casino offer and they all claim that they don't spend much in the casino.

 

Thanks for the help everyone. Sorry to seem so thick-headed; I just wanted to make sure I got it right.

 

JF Retired - My DH did get the casino VIP offer for our upcoming cruise. We had a good laugh over that. Neither one of us spend more than $70 in the casino in 7 days. He plays roulette which is not easily trackable and wins more than loses. I play slots which is easily trackable and lose everything. You'd think I'd get the special! :cool:

[JF - retired RRT]

Thanks for the help everyone. Sorry to seem so thick-headed; I just wanted to make sure I got it right.

 

JF Retired - My DH did get the casino VIP offer for our upcoming cruise. We had a good laugh over that. Neither one of us spend more than $70 in the casino in 7 days. He plays roulette which is not easily trackable and wins more than loses. I play slots which is easily trackable and lose everything. You'd think I'd get the special! :cool:

I got nuthin' :confused:

We have never spent more time in the casino than it takes to walk through (while holding our breath). Keep telling DH we need to go in and put 5 or 10 dollars in a slot machine so we can get one of those great offers. Maybe we will someday:D

[AE_Collector]

Have three long B2B's coming up. I have pre purchased lots of OBC and hope to be able to use my account as an ATM for a bit of on shore spending money as well as for extra gratuities on board. I have cashed out at the Passenger Services desk a couple of times between cruises on B2B's having them transfer the rest to my account for the next cruise segment. When I asked if I could have some of the surplus they said "its your money" (which it was as I had purchased it).

 

At the end If I have $ left I have had cash refunds, credit card refunds and now apparently there is a check in the mail from my last cruise. They said credit card refund then but it never materialized so I called and they said they had to mail it. I just called again today as we have been home for just over a month and still no check. Was mailed almost a week ago apparently so hoping it arrives before we head off next week on our next cruise!

 

Terry

[caribill]

I do it at the beginning, as I figure a bird in the hand and all that. What if I was stricken with norovirus and couldn't go to the casino the last day?

 

Then you can apply that OBC to the onboard Doctor's bill.

[Wehwalt]

Then you can apply that OBC to the onboard Doctor's bill.

 

Wish I could have done that when I broke my arm in Tahiti last year ... I'm still fighting the insurance company.

[socialworker]

Since neither of us is ex-military we don't get that OBC. Using OBC from FCC plus Shareholder OBC we will have $500 on our Panama Canal cruise. For a 17 day cruise I don't foresee any leftover OBC at all. The daily gratuities alone amount to $374.

 

I know some people end up with amazing amounts of OBC and have trouble spending it but I don't think my wife and I would ever end up with "extra" non-refundable OBC. If we did actually have extra non-refundable OBC we could always use it for extra gratuities if nothing else.

 

Back in October, we had "leftover" OBC while cruising. We used it to treat the CD and his wife to dinner in the Crown. Passenger Service Agent simply transferred the appropriate amount from our account to his and we were able to write a short note to accompany gift.

 

Earlier this month we had the same situation, more OBC than we could spend. Went to Passenger Service to do a similar "gift" for two staff members but agent said we couldn't do it. We were told we could take cash (refundable OBC) for a portion of it but the rest we'd need to use it or loose it. So we bought two photos (we didn't really want) the morning of disembarkation rather than leave that $ on the table, so to speak.

 

I am not a proponent of taking cash instead of using the OBC. I appreciate the purpose of OBC and believe it is truly a benefit Princess provides as a "gift" to their customers. We've cruised many lines and we keep coming back to Princess because of their loyalty to their customers. I don't want to dishonor their generosity. But, I also would prefer to "gift" our extra to some deserving staff or crew member, rather than buy something we really don't need.

 

Maybe the next Passenger Service Agent will let us share our good fortune.

[shepp]

Princess knows. They are not stupid. They're not going to change policies based on web talk. And if they do, I'll spend it. It's found money.

 

What you did, most likely, was load it on to your slots account and then "cash out" from the machine without ever gambling. That blocks your account automatically and does require intervention from the casino cashier.

 

That's probably what happened; I don't recall the details.

 

In fact, I've been told by a staffer at a meet and greet that Princess employees do in fact monitor the CC board. Whether the talk among hard-core Princess cruisers alters their policies even a little I know not: the suits in Santa Clarita remain a mystery to me. There was talk that the boasts here about booze smuggling contributed to a significant policy tightening and crack-down. It would certainly take just a few keystrokes to prevent non-refundable OBCs from being used in the casino.

 

But just in case somebody at Princess is reading this: NO SHORTS AND BALLCAPS AT MDR DINNERS, OK?

[Wehwalt]

That's probably what happened; I don't recall the details.

 

In fact, I've been told by a staffer at a meet and greet that Princess employees do in fact monitor the CC board. Whether the talk among hard-core Princess cruisers alters their policies even a little I know not: the suits in Santa Clarita remain a mystery to me. There was talk that the boasts here about booze smuggling contributed to a significant policy tightening and crack-down. It would certainly take just a few keystrokes to prevent non-refundable OBCs from being used in the casino.

 

But just in case somebody at Princess is reading this: NO SHORTS AND BALLCAPS AT MDR DINNERS, OK?

 

I act on the assumption that every word I say is read by Princess, and that they know who I am. There are certain things I would not talk about, and certain things where I might speak carefully because, as kids write, POS (in this case Princess Over Shoulder)

 

I think it would take them, like FCDs, taking casino advances straight from the credit card. That would not encourage people to use the casino. It would be a policy change and possibly require changes in their casino contracts. If they are going to do it, they are going to do it. But it won't be because of anything I say. And if it is, well, as I say, I like some of the clothes. I'll find a use. (I also have ideas on how to get around it I won't mention right now.)

 

Most people have nonrefundable OBC, and many play the casino. Princess doesn't want to mess with that.

Edited January 22, 2015 by Wehwalt

[cruisequeen4ever]

Some non-refundable OBC now includes fine print that it can NOT be used in the casino! I'm sure they created this rule because of people using the casino to cash out OBC.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[JF - retired RRT]

Some non-refundable OBC now includes fine print that it can NOT be used in the casino! I'm sure they created this rule because of people using the casino to cash out OBC.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

Yeah, it SAYS can't be used in casino, but all the OBC is lumped into one pot. When they start subtracting from the pot for grats, etc. the first $$$ they take out is the nonrefundable, so if you are careful, you could be left with refundable and do what you want with it.