OBC (on board credit question)

[WeLuv2Cruz13]

I have looked and can't find a thread that specifically addresses what you can use OBC for (or maybe what you can't use it for). Leaving in a couple weeks and wondering.

[villauk]

Check this out, there are pages of ideas on what to spend your OBC on - post#16 onwards provides lists ;).

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/showthread.php?p=45781454&highlight=spending+obc#

[cruisestitch]

Photos

Shore Excursions

Gratuities

Casino

Internet

Bingo

Gift Shop

Shuttles

Airport transfer

Luggage Valet

Wine tastings/liquor tastings

Beverages and Beverage Packages and Package Upgrades

Room service Beverages & up charges (basic rooms service is free)

Spa services

Specialty dining

Hair/manicure/salon services

Flowers

Laundry/dry cleaning

Persian Gardens passes

Wine (by the bottle, and packages)

Phone calls using ship's system

Acupuncture

Behind the Scenes Ships Tour

Teeth Whitening

Medical services

Art Auctions

Edited May 28, 2015 by cruisestitch

[WeLuv2Cruz13]

Thanks for the quick response. We have the alcohol package and the grat's are paid but I wasn't sure if I could use in the duty free which would be great option for us. Since we are driving I can easily take home a few extra bottles of liquor. I also didn't know I could use on the bingo. That is always a fun thing to do!

[gimletgal]

I have looked and can't find a thread that specifically addresses what you can use OBC for (or maybe what you can't use it for). Leaving in a couple weeks and wondering.

 

Celebrity uses a "cashless" system. Everything you charge to your SeaPass card goes on your ship board account. Any OBC you have will offset these charges. Once you run out of OBC, charges will go to your credit card on file.

 

Bottom line is that you can use OBC for anything you purchase on board.....until it runs out. That includes getting cash in the casino. If you have any OBCN, that will get used up first. OBCR will be refunded at the end of the cruise if you have any available.

[sdbmd]

Is the only way to pay for shore excursions to wait till you're on board to book them? Meaning, can I reserve them thru the Celebrity website and then pay for them once I'm on board, using OBC? I've never booked shore excursions thru the site so I seriously have no clue how it works....

[cruisestitch]

You can reserve on line and pay ahead of time

 

Or

 

You can wait until you are on board and pay with OBC

[ailetoile]

Is the only way to pay for shore excursions to wait till you're on board to book them? Meaning, can I reserve them thru the Celebrity website and then pay for them once I'm on board, using OBC? I've never booked shore excursions thru the site so I seriously have no clue how it works....

 

You can reserve on line and pay ahead of time

 

Or

 

You can wait until you are on board and pay with OBC

 

Just to explicitly clarify the very good answer provided by cruisestitch, if you book a shore excursion ahead of time then you MUST pay with a credit card ahead of time. If you want to book with OBC, then you MUST wait until you are on board the ship.

[wallie5446]

I have looked and can't find a thread that specifically addresses what you can use OBC for (or maybe what you can't use it for). Leaving in a couple weeks and wondering.

 

The OBC will cover anything you charge to your cabin.

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

Is the only way to pay for shore excursions to wait till you're on board to book them? Meaning, can I reserve them thru the Celebrity website and then pay for them once I'm on board, using OBC? I've never booked shore excursions thru the site so I seriously have no clue how it works....

 

OBC = on board credit. You don't get it until you're on board. Thus, if you book shore excursions prior to boarding, you must pay for them at the time of booking.

 

[WeLuv2Cruz13]

I booked an excursion through Celebrity and they told me I had to pay up front. Since we are going to Bermuda they said if the excursion I want is still open that I could cancel my reservation and get a refund and then rebook using my OBC. They came straight from the Celebrity person I booked with.

[kenevenpar]

The OBC will cover anything you charge to your cabin.

 

From what others have posted, you can not use OBC for a future cruise, which you may be able to charge to your account. Is that still true?

 

Ken

[cruisestitch]

You cannot charge a Future Cruise deposit to your cabin, you must give them a credit card to put down a deposit on a future cruise, and thus OBC does not come into play on Future Cruise deposits.

[rjp50]

I have seen repeated claims on CC that you can use OBC in the casino - including getting cash minus a 5% service fee. However, this is what is on Celebrity's web site:

Onboard credit received from Celebrity Cruises can be used almost anywhere on board to enhance your vacation—specialty dining reservations, beverage packages, shore excursions, spa services – practically anywhere except the casino.

http://www.celebritycruises.com/frequently-asked-questions#internationalSailings

 

Is everyone on CC wrong, or is there a loophole to what Celebrity states?

[gdpups]

I booked an excursion through Celebrity and they told me I had to pay up front. Since we are going to Bermuda they said if the excursion I want is still open that I could cancel my reservation and get a refund and then rebook using my OBC. They came straight from the Celebrity person I booked with.

 

We did this last week on our cruise to Bermuda and it worked like a charm! We went directly to the shore excursion desk once onboard and the excursions were still available, BUT the excursions were slightly more expensive onboard, the once we had booked were $5-10 more expensive each. We had tons of OBC, so not a problem.

[wallie5446]

I have seen repeated claims on CC that you can use OBC in the casino - including getting cash minus a 5% service fee. However, this is what is on Celebrity's web site:

 

http://www.celebritycruises.com/frequently-asked-questions#internationalSailings

 

Is everyone on CC wrong, or is there a loophole to what Celebrity states?

 

On the Reflection in 2013 and the Equinox in Nov 2014 I went to the casino cashier and got cash charged against our cabin account a number of times. The balance of our OBC went down each time I did this.