Canadian cruisers!!

[davidsmum]

So I just rebooked my Nov cruise from USD to CAD, due to a great price drop! On top pf that, I was then able to purchase OBC and take advantage of the 10% exchange rate.

 

 

 

So, cpl questions. I did not receive anything from Royal about the OBC purchase. Should I or is this normal?

 

 

 

Secondly, will my account now be considered a "cash" account because of the OBC sitting on there?

 

 

If you want to be able to withdraw $US at the casino, and avoid a 5% charge when withdrawing cash, you should set up as a cash account when you do your online check in.

 

It will not automatically be a cash account, you have to make the choice when checking in.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[JessyCruises]

So I just rebooked my Nov cruise from USD to CAD, due to a great price drop! On top pf that, I was then able to purchase OBC and take advantage of the 10% exchange rate.

 

 

 

 

 

What sailing?

[nbsjcruiser]

We are on a back to back cruise. I have put down $2200 obc on the first cruise as it was booked in Canadian the second was booked in US funds. My question is when I close out the account for the first cruise on the last night can I just put the money on the account for the second cruise that night or do I have to wait until the next day? This is our first back to back and not really sure how this works.

[Ourusualbeach]

We are on a back to back cruise. I have put down $2200 obc on the first cruise as it was booked in Canadian the second was booked in US funds. My question is when I close out the account for the first cruise on the last night can I just put the money on the account for the second cruise that night or do I have to wait until the next day? This is our first back to back and not really sure how this works.

 

You cannot transfer money from one cruise to another.

 

Take the money out either at guest services the last night or at the casino during the cruise and then put that down in cash at guest services on the second cruise.

[nbsjcruiser]

You cannot transfer money from one cruise to another.

 

Take the money out either at guest services the last night or at the casino during the cruise and then put that down in cash at guest services on the second cruise.

 

Thank you. We have never done a back to back and was not sure. We were lucky to get the same room for both sailings.

[TOCruisers]

I picked the Amazon.ca card b/c I didn't know there was any other card that did not charge the 2.5 % foreign transaction fee. Chase Bank administers it. I wondered if they would make up the transaction loss by using an exchange rate worse than it should be, but I compared their exchange rate on my statement on the same day with the regular bank rate, and the bank employee rate, and the USA/CAN cross border exchange place, and the Visa rate was very good, a small fraction of a percent above the bank employee rate.

 

Thank you. I am leaning toward the Amazon right now.

 

I have a TD US$ credit card. No transaction fees on that. I also have a TD US$ bank account that I transfer money into every month and use to pay any balance on the cc.

 

I have both as well but we are doing TA from Europe. TD USD CC does have FX transaction fee if I purchase items in Euro. The Visa/MC FX conversion rate will be the best for major currencies, such as Euro, USD. So I am considering a credit card with no FX transaction fee. If TD USD CC has no FX transaction fee, then I would use it in Europe but it does.

[nseit1974]

I have a TD US$ credit card. No transaction fees on that. I also have a TD US$ bank account that I transfer money into every month and use to pay any balance on the cc.

 

 

I also have these accounts and have been using them for years.

[sunscreen]

OK i have been reading thru the 60 or more posts on this board and if somebody could clarify this for me it would be appreciated. We travelling on AOS next Dec. Booked thru US travel agency, deposit left on US credit card so no extra fees. Of course when we changed money to our US acct its at 34 cents on dollar. When people saying they are putting money down on their OBC acct with good exchange rate, why would you put more than what you need? ie we have prepaid gratuities, good on board spending acct credit etc Do not really charge too much on board. If Im reading this correctly, do you mean that you phone and charge on your canadian card and put money on your on board acct and then just take the cash out thru the casino? ie potentially leaving ship with extra US cash (that has been exchanged at 10%) that I could use elsewhere??? LIke say I could bring home and use for another cruise?? Please clarify for this Canadian. Tks

[Ourusualbeach]

OK i have been reading thru the 60 or more posts on this board and if somebody could clarify this for me it would be appreciated. We travelling on AOS next Dec. Booked thru US travel agency, deposit left on US credit card so no extra fees. Of course when we changed money to our US acct its at 34 cents on dollar. When people saying they are putting money down on their OBC acct with good exchange rate, why would you put more than what you need? ie we have prepaid gratuities, good on board spending acct credit etc Do not really charge too much on board. If Im reading this correctly, do you mean that you phone and charge on your canadian card and put money on your on board acct and then just take the cash out thru the casino? ie potentially leaving ship with extra US cash (that has been exchanged at 10%) that I could use elsewhere??? LIke say I could bring home and use for another cruise?? Please clarify for this Canadian. Tks

 

Unfortunately since you booked your cruise in US$ you cannot purchase the OBC from Royal at the 110% rate.

 

If you buy OBC ahead of time you will be charged in US$ Direct to your US$ credit card.

 

Depending on the current price of your cruise it may be advantageous to cancel your existing reservation with the US TA (take into account the new price, cancellation fees and loss of perks that the Use agent gave you). You could the book through a Canadian TA and take advantage of the ability to get the OBC plus have your rate locked in at CDN$ and not have to worry about it dropping further.

Edited September 7, 2015 by Ourusualbeach

[Bob7]

With Celeb Cruises under the same umbrella corp as RCI I wondered if they also have the OBC at 110 % deal for us Canucks?

[Ourusualbeach]

With Celeb Cruises under the same umbrella corp as RCI I wondered if they also have the OBC at 110 % deal for us Canucks?

 

Not quite as good but 25$ US will cost you $30.60 CDN. On Celebrity you can order direct on their website. No need to call.

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/bonvoyage/cruise-onboard-credit/onbdcr/item-code-c171

Edited September 8, 2015 by Ourusualbeach

[barnoner]

How does casino work on RCL? Do you put your card in machine and transfer money from OBC onto card to gamble and then put it back up if/when you win?

On Carnival that is how it is done. Then if you transfer your winnings or if you have credit left from what you transferred down you can go to the casino cage and get the cash.

ie: transfer $100 from account to card in machine you can go over to cage and get $100.00 cash, no fee.

That is how we were hoping to use the OBC we bought.

 

If this is not the case I guess I will have to go back in and edit my check in and remove the credit card we are going to use?????

 

Thanks

 

Magicat: we are flying to Quebec on the 19th. I wanted to drive but Rick didn't, he won.

[barnoner]

We picked Sears because we do shop there and therefore use the points towards purchases. Honestly, I never thought about them closing but I guess if they do we will just have to go and use any points and reapply for a different card.

[Ourusualbeach]

How does casino work on RCL? Do you put your card in machine and transfer money from OBC onto card to gamble and then put it back up if/when you win?

On Carnival that is how it is done. Then if you transfer your winnings or if you have credit left from what you transferred down you can go to the casino cage and get the cash.

ie: transfer $100 from account to card in machine you can go over to cage and get $100.00 cash, no fee.

That is how we were hoping to use the OBC we bought.

 

If this is not the case I guess I will have to go back in and edit my check in and remove the credit card we are going to use?????

 

Thanks

 

 

Magicat: we are flying to Quebec on the 19th. I wanted to drive but Rick didn't, he won.

 

 

You have to go to the cashiers cage to get cash. No transfers using your Seapass

[monctonguy]

What sailing?

 

It's the Nov 9th on Majesty......CAD rate was only $16 more for the cruise than the USD amount.....crazy! And it was over $400 cheaper than what I had originally booked as well.

[traceytd]

So I just rebooked my Nov cruise from USD to CAD, due to a great price drop! On top pf that, I was then able to purchase OBC and take advantage of the 10% exchange rate.

 

 

 

So, cpl questions. I did not receive anything from Royal about the OBC purchase. Should I or is this normal?

 

 

 

Secondly, will my account now be considered a "cash" account because of the OBC sitting on there?

 

 

Small world monctonguy, we are from Shediac.

[TOCruisers]

We picked Sears because we do shop there and therefore use the points towards purchases. Honestly, I never thought about them closing but I guess if they do we will just have to go and use any points and reapply for a different card.

 

Thank you for the response. I was originally leaning toward Sears and I would have applied for both if it was before my retirement.

[monctonguy]

What sailing?

 

Small world monctonguy, we are from Shediac.

 

Small world indeed!! Have yet to meet anyone from around here yet during my cruising, but I am sure one day that will change.

 

For now I am just counting down to my next 3 booked cruises..kinda is making me rush fall/winter here...haha

[SensFan11]

We picked Sears because we do shop there and therefore use the points towards purchases. Honestly, I never thought about them closing but I guess if they do we will just have to go and use any points and reapply for a different card.

 

I believe all the Canadian credit cards issued by Chase Bank have the feature of 'no additional currency exchange fee'. The Sears and amazon.ca cards are both good choices. I use the Marriott Rewards visa (also issued by Chase) as I then also get Marriott Rewards points and upgraded status at their hotels...and the Marriott Rewards Visa is currently free for the first year...here's a review of the card: http://www.rewardscanada.ca/marriott-premier-review.html

 

Similar to jtdlmc, I used to use the combination of a TD USD visa and a TD USD bank account...but I no longer do. I find the exchange rate charged on my Marriott Visa is more or less the same as TD does to exchange money and deposit into my USD account. However, as noted above, this 0% currency exchange fee applies to all currencies, not just USD.

 

As well, a couple cruises ago, Royal Caribbean processed my on board account in Canadian dollars...despite me making it very clear at check in (including circling and using a highlighter on the correct option on the check in form) that I wanted them to process it in USD. As a result, I paid RCCL's 3% to have a charged in Canadian dollars, then my TD USD visa charged another 2.5% to convert it back to US dollars!

 

Never again! With the Marriott visa, I just don't have to worry if they screw up and process it in Canadian dollars!

 

Noel

[TOCruisers]

........As well, a couple cruises ago, Royal Caribbean processed my on board account in Canadian dollars...despite me making it very clear at check in (including circling and using a highlighter on the correct option on the check in form) that I wanted them to process it in USD. As a result, I paid RCCL's 3% to have a charged in Canadian dollars, then my TD USD visa charged another 2.5% to convert it back to US dollars!......

 

Noel

 

This happened to us so many times, it was not funny. Inconsistent RCCL did this consistently. Only way to prevent this to happen (there was a thread here for this) was to close the account by lining up on last day, rather than auto refund to CC on file. Thank you Sensan11 for reminding me.

 

Re Chase CC. Do they have a no fee US CC for Canadians with no FX transaction fees?

[phabric]

Just booked a Dec 2016 cruise in CDN$.

 

On Princess, I booked a cruise in CDN$ and if I purchased OBC online it is $120 CDN for $100 US.

 

How can I tell what the rate will be?

[Ourusualbeach]

Just booked a Dec 2016 cruise in CDN$.

 

On Princess, I booked a cruise in CDN$ and if I purchased OBC online it is $120 CDN for $100 US.

 

How can I tell what the rate will be?

 

Call C&A or gifts and gear and the rate will be $110 CDN for $100 US. With Royal you cannot purchase this online.

Edited September 9, 2015 by Ourusualbeach

[JessyCruises]

Small world indeed!! Have yet to meet anyone from around here yet during my cruising, but I am sure one day that will change.

 

For now I am just counting down to my next 3 booked cruises..kinda is making me rush fall/winter here...haha

 

I am from Quispamsis, not too far :) We have Nov 28 booked on the Oasis but no price drops yet. I don't imagine we will get one as we got a pretty good deal on a Cdn resident rate when we booked. We are booked in an interior now - it would be nice if a balcony dropped.

[Ourusualbeach]

I am from Quispamsis, not too far :) We have Nov 28 booked on the Oasis but no price drops yet. I don't imagine we will get one as we got a pretty good deal on a Cdn resident rate when we booked. We are booked in an interior now - it would be nice if a balcony dropped.

 

You have to love some of those resident rates that we get. We also just picked up a great resident rate on Oasis for this years Christmas sailing. Like you we are hoping for balconies to drop as we have insides but I doubt it. Our rate in CDN in less than the price in US with the discount.:)

[JessyCruises]

You have to love some of those resident rates that we get. We also just picked up a great resident rate on Oasis for this years Christmas sailing. Like you we are hoping for balconies to drop as we have insides but I doubt it. Our rate in CDN in less than the price in US with the discount.:)

 

Yup, and we also booked with a MyVegas $300OBC reward. Even if the rates drop, we still can only switch to another resident rate or we will lose the OBC. I don't think we will ever be able to beat $1,877 incl taxes & gratuity with $300 OBC, but you never know!