Downfall to booking cruise & excursions early

[cruz chic]

Thanks for posting that! We prefer an honest to goodness cash price savings over any OBC. While OBC is nice, we know that our TA - and I assume it's pretty universal - doesn't pay $1 for a dollar's worth of shipboard credit. Cash in pocket is worth more than a future OBC to us. If we were in a country with a falling exchange rate, it would be even more important.

 

We might be in the minority, but I'd rather pay $4,500 per person for a $5,000 pp cruise than pay $5,000 and get a $600 OBC. (I realize that there are plenty of instances where people have gotten both a discount and OBC, but I'm trying to keep it simple.)

 

I'm the same way. I gave up a $400 obc to get a $250 price reduction. Sorry some don't get it.

Edited September 18, 2015 by cruz chic

[RocketMan275]

Thanks for posting that! We prefer an honest to goodness cash price savings over any OBC. While OBC is nice, we know that our TA - and I assume it's pretty universal - doesn't pay $1 for a dollar's worth of shipboard credit. Cash in pocket is worth more than a future OBC to us. If we were in a country with a falling exchange rate, it would be even more important.

 

We might be in the minority, but I'd rather pay $4,500 per person for a $5,000 pp cruise than pay $5,000 and get a $600 OBC. (I realize that there are plenty of instances where people have gotten both a discount and OBC, but I'm trying to keep it simple.)

 

You might want to rethink that.

 

The OBC provided by your TA is completely reimbursable. If the exchange rate is moving against your currency, then the OBC, when it is refunded at the end of the cruise, will be worth more than what you 'paid' for it in terms of your home currency.

 

You might also want to consider this. If your TA can purchase OBC at a discount, say 90 cents on the dollar, then that is also in your favor. Which would you prefer? That she reduces your fare by $90 or gives you $100 OBC which you can have credited back to your account at the end of the cruise? Of course, the $100 OBC could also buy more of your home currency if the exchange rate is moving against your home currency.

 

That said, the TA's I work with typically give either a big discount and a small amount of OBC on those lines that allow discounting or they give no discount and a large OBC on those lines that don't allow discounting. Typically, the total discount rate (discount plus OBC divided by the cruise fare shown on the cruise lines website) are pretty much the same. Of course, individual TA can often provide greater discounts than others due to a variety of factors.

[avian777]

Those are two different bottom lines. ... $600 in OBC might be more than you would need.

 

No problem, as unused OBC is credited to your credit card at the end of the cruise.

[cruz chic]

No problem, as unused OBC is credited to your credit card at the end of the cruise.

 

Wrong. It depends were it comes from. You can't make a blanket statement.

[3rdGenCunarder]

No problem, as unused OBC is credited to your credit card at the end of the cruise.

 

If you bought it, yes. But if it's a HAL promotion, they don't do that. I "donated" some unused OBC on my last cruise.

[cruz chic]

If you bought it, yes. But if it's a HAL promotion, they don't do that. I "donated" some unused OBC on my last cruise.

 

Exactly.

 

It sure would be nice if posters resisted the urge to give financial lessons. I think we are all grown ups here and may have different reasons for doing things.

[jtl513]

No problem, as unused OBC is credited to your credit card at the end of the cruise.

Only what was purchased by friends/family/TA/yourself. All from HAL or Carnival is use-it-or-lose-it.

[avian777]

If you bought it, yes. But if it's a HAL promotion, they don't do that. I "donated" some unused OBC on my last cruise.

 

As POA1 framed his hypothetical in his Post above, and as commented on by RocketMan275, I was referring to OBC provided by a TA which is fully "refundable" if not used.

[avian777]

Only what was purchased by friends/family/TA/yourself. All from HAL or Carnival is use-it-or-lose-it.

 

See my Post immediately above.

[Lizzie68]

Thanks for posting that! We prefer an honest to goodness cash price savings over any OBC. While OBC is nice, we know that our TA - and I assume it's pretty universal - doesn't pay $1 for a dollar's worth of shipboard credit. Cash in pocket is worth more than a future OBC to us. If we were in a country with a falling exchange rate, it would be even more important.

 

We might be in the minority, but I'd rather pay $4,500 per person for a $5,000 pp cruise than pay $5,000 and get a $600 OBC. (I realize that there are plenty of instances where people have gotten both a discount and OBC, but I'm trying to keep it simple.)

 

I guess I'm with you in the minority because so would I. If there was a discount plus OBC that would be different. But an OBC that I have to spend onboard therefore giving back to HAL is nowhere near as attractive as a lesser cruise price.

[jtl513]

See my Post immediately above.

Sorry, I have no way of knowing what you are thinking about, only what you say. What you said was wrong.

[avian777]

... It sure would be nice if posters resisted the urge to give financial lessons. I think we are all grown ups here and may have different reasons for doing things.

 

For the record:

 

1. I was not giving financial lessons to anyone - was merely exercising my CC membership right to comment on another Post in a polite, non-confrontational, non-personal and non-threatening manner, much the same as dakrewser and RocketMan275 did above.
   
2. I was not questioning anyone's reasons for doing things that IMO do not make good economic sense.
   

Edited September 18, 2015 by avian777

[cruz chic]

For the record:

 

1. I was not giving financial lessons to anyone - was merely exercising my CC membership right to comment on another Post in a polite, non-confrontational, non-personal and non-threatening manner, much the same as dakrewser and RocketMan275 did above.
   
2. I was not questioning anyone's reasons for doing things that IMO do not make good economic sense.
   

 

Did I say it was you:confused:? I posted in a polite, non-confrontational, non personal and non-threatening manner.

[RocketMan275]

As POA1 framed his hypothetical in his Post above, and as commented on by RocketMan275, I was referring to OBC provided by a TA which is fully "refundable" if not used.

 

It was very clear that POA1 was referring to TA provided OBC otherwise his hypothetical did not make sense.

[avian777]

It was very clear that POA1 was referring to TA provided OBC otherwise his hypothetical did not make sense.

 

Thanks - that is my point exactly!

Edited September 18, 2015 by avian777

[iancal]

Why on earth would you give up more OBC to get a lesser amount of fare reduction????

 

Unused OBC is usually credited back to your card. On our last cruise RCI threw in $400 of OBC plus prepaid gratuities. OBC had to be used on board. So we simply went to the casino and withdrew cash. We did have p pay a 5 percent service charge but that was better than walking away from.

[iancal]

On both Med cruises we were comparing a verandah gty on Noordam, a VE or a VF I think, to a higher category balcony on Celebrity and to a balcony gty on Princess (cannot remember class but it was a balcony not a mini suite). keep in mind this is at the time of booking...about 45-60 days out in both cases.

 

Our Feb Oz pricing comparison was for a verandah/balcony. Did not do much research because the price delta, paid gratuities, and $400USD made the RCI ship a no brainer. We met some Auaaies who made the same decision for the same reason. It could have been Volendam but I cannot remember as we did not seriously consider it. We shopped and bought in a two hour period.

 

We selected Celebrity for the two Mee cruises based on the 30 percent plus price delta. The extended balcony was a plus. One was Solstice class ship, the other a Millenium class. bother were fine.

Edited September 18, 2015 by iancal

[Viesczy]

I still prefer to book as soon as I can to get the cabin I want.

 

Quoted for truth.

 

When you look into the actual #s for every promo, every cruise line gets nearly the same amount of $ per room per passenger regardless of the promo.

 

Promo X gives you $300 off a 12 day cruise, but you need to pay gratuities and some meager OBC of $100.

 

Promo Y gives is you free gratuities, is $275 more and gives only $75 OBC.

 

Run the #s, for all intents and purposes, the #s are a wash unless the deal was from a TA.

 

Me, I want the room I want when I want it, so $100 +/- isn't going to sway me.

[POA1]

As POA1 framed his hypothetical in his Post above, and as commented on by RocketMan275, I was referring to OBC provided by a TA which is fully "refundable" if not used.

Sure... Blame it on me. ;)

[cruz chic]

Why on earth would you give up more OBC to get a lesser amount of fare reduction????

 

Unused OBC is usually credited back to your card. On our last cruise RCI threw in $400 of OBC plus prepaid gratuities. OBC had to be used on board. So we simply went to the casino and withdrew cash. We did have p pay a 5 percent service charge but that was better than walking away from.

 

Why on earth is it your decision what anyone does? It one thing to have an opinion but to put others down for not sharing it is quite another.

Edited September 18, 2015 by cruz chic

[Lizzie68]

Why on earth would you give up more OBC to get a lesser amount of fare reduction????

 

Unused OBC is usually credited back to your card. On our last cruise RCI threw in $400 of OBC plus prepaid gratuities. OBC had to be used on board. So we simply went to the casino and withdrew cash. We did have p pay a 5 percent service charge but that was better than walking away from.

 

HAL does not refund unused OBC that you have been given as part of a promo. They will, however, do that for OBC that is given as compensation for flooded cabins or not hot water, or some other mechanical failure.

[RocketMan275]

Why on earth is it your decision what anyone does? It one thing to have an opinion but to put others down for not sharing it is quite another.

 

No one is trying to make decisions for others. It should be very clear that many on this thread are not aware that OBC can be converted to credit card credits or cash. Some do not spend much on board and consider OBC to be 'wasted money' and prefer a fare reduction. They may be pleasantly surprised to learn that they can pocket the unused OBC as a end of cruise credit to their credit card. Some have shared some methods on how to convert this OBC to cash or credit regardless of the source of the OBC. Sharing information like this is one reason why CC exists.

 

Personally, I think this is pretty much a hypothetical discussion. Kind of like those medieval arguments about angels dancing on pinheads. To me and mine, we are about as likely to see unused OBC as we are to find a purple unicorn in our cabin at check in. I have a cruise on X in 2016 with $575 OBC from TA and $300 from X. My wife assures me that I do not need to worry about how to spend it.

[Seafoam Green]

We booked our first HAL cruise at just under a year out, selecting a cabin that we really wanted which often isn't available at six months out. The promotions available at the time gave us Free Prepaid Gratuities, OBC from HAL and our TA, and 2 Free Dinners for 2 in specialty restaurants. With exactly the accommodations we want and great 'perks', booking early proved wise for us. To be honest, I was surprised that so many great offers were available and I commented to our TA that this first cruise almost feels like we have 'past guest' status.

 

Now, at just under 6 months out, our focus is on excursions, as all other details are complete. Looking forward to sailing on the Oosterdam.

[avian777]

No one is trying to make decisions for others. It should be very clear that many on this thread are not aware that OBC can be converted to credit card credits or cash. Some do not spend much on board and consider OBC to be 'wasted money' and prefer a fare reduction. They may be pleasantly surprised to learn that they can pocket the unused OBC as a end of cruise credit to their credit card. Some have shared some methods on how to convert this OBC to cash or credit regardless of the source of the OBC. Sharing information like this is one reason why CC exists.

 

Personally, I think this is pretty much a hypothetical discussion. Kind of like those medieval arguments about angels dancing on pinheads. To me and mine, we are about as likely to see unused OBC as we are to find a purple unicorn in our cabin at check in. I have a cruise on X in 2016 with $575 OBC from TA and $300 from X. My wife assures me that I do not need to worry about how to spend it.

 

Thanks for another good (and rational) post. FWIW I have it on "good authority" that if you want an answer to the angels-dancing-on-pinheads question, someone here on CC probably has it and would be willing to share it - care to give it a try?

Edited September 18, 2015 by avian777

[cruz chic]

No one is trying to make decisions for others. It should be very clear that many on this thread are not aware that OBC can be converted to credit card credits or cash. Some do not spend much on board and consider OBC to be 'wasted money' and prefer a fare reduction. They may be pleasantly surprised to learn that they can pocket the unused OBC as a end of cruise credit to their credit card. Some have shared some methods on how to convert this OBC to cash or credit regardless of the source of the OBC. Sharing information like this is one reason why CC exists.

 

Personally, I think this is pretty much a hypothetical discussion. Kind of like those medieval arguments about angels dancing on pinheads. To me and mine, we are about as likely to see unused OBC as we are to find a purple unicorn in our cabin at check in. I have a cruise on X in 2016 with $575 OBC from TA and $300 from X. My wife assures me that I do not need to worry about how to spend it.

 

Just a reminder the poster said why on earth would anyone take a lesser reduction instead of an obc? That is insinuating what others should do and it's tiresome. I think most of us "get it" and we likely don't need guidance on what to do.