Using Non Refundable OBC in the Casino

[jtl513]

You can also save the 3% fee ... A few nights before the cruise ends, sit at a poker table and order chips equivalent to the amount of unspent OBC on your account with your cruise card. Simply cash those chips in the next night.

Basically the same thing as using a slot machine the same way. I think the slots only let you charge $300 at a time, but you can do it on multiple nights.

 

Can you get a cash advance at any time or have to wait until the end of the cruise? I assume the cash advance automatically comes from all of your OBC whether or not it's from HAL or TA. I would hate to have a cash advance hit my credit card and not taken from my OBC.

I once took a cash advance early in a cruise. If you take one early and don't spend it all you can use the cash left to pay down your bill. It's whatever balance is left after all payments that hits your credit card, whether those payments came from OBC or cash.

[kazu]

Basically the same thing as using a slot machine the same way. I think the slots only let you charge $300 at a time, but you can do it on multiple nights.

 

I once took a cash advance early in a cruise. If you take one early and don't spend it all you can use the cash left to pay down your bill. It's whatever balance is left after all payments that hits your credit card, whether those payments came from OBC or cash.

You can charge more than $300 a day. You might need an attendant to override,but there was a fellow on our Westerdam cruise charging over $1000 per day!

 

And, he won! He might have lost a bit at the end,but it certainly wasn't much.

 

He had lots of free drinks :). On the Westerdam once you had X number of spins, you won a free drink ;)

 

He looked upon it as entertainment but he was having fun winning not just spending (seems he always won on my machine after I left it - LOL :) )

Edited June 22, 2016 by kazu

[blizzardboy]

To stray from the topic, I graduated from Shortridge HS and attended Butler in Indy. Lived at the Teepee!!!

 

The Teepee was still there when I moved to Broadripple in 1980. It and SHS closed shortly after. Go Bulldogs! I'm an IU grad, but still root for the Dogs.

[CaveDiving]

... While it doesn't show specifically on your account as 2 types of OBC, HALs system knows the source and does the math. Think of it like "first in, first out" accounting practices with HAL OBC as first in.

 

I cannot agree with this posting.My experience is that the accounting system on HAL ships, is woefully lacking. Any time I have asked where the OBC in my account has come from, I have been told, “We have no idea”. They would offer to contact Seattle to determine the source, but lacking that, the ship had absolutely no idea where the OBC came from.

 

Scott & Karen

[blizzardboy]

I cannot agree with this posting.My experience is that the accounting system on HAL ships, is woefully lacking. Any time I have asked where the OBC in my account has come from, I have been told, “We have no idea”. They would offer to contact Seattle to determine the source, but lacking that, the ship had absolutely no idea where the OBC came from.

 

Scott & Karen

Your OBC originated in Seattle, and shipboard accounting interfaces with Home Office accounting. Believe me, they know when you've used their portion of OBC versus TA or Guest prepaid OBC. You may not see the drinks paid for by a Beverage Pkg on your final statement, but in Seattle they can see every drink you've ordered. What level of clearance is required to "see" this back office stuff, I don't know. I was working with a manager from Seattle when it was explained to me.

[DaveOKC]

Well. it appears that we have experiences on both sides of this issue, of whether or not HAL can track OBC and hold you to the official line.

 

In my case, I do try to abide by the restrictions, but sometimes I do have left over OBC and I use it up in the casino by charging to my cabin. I would normally gamble the same amount anyway, so its not a big deal if I do not get anything back from HAL. Its just not worth worrying about it either way.

[qsuzi]

OBC included Explor4, FCD, CCL, PG Mariner discounts, price drop after final payment, and booking within 60 days of last cruise.

 

Roger, are you referring to the "Welcome Home" letter in your bolded (by me) text?

[richwmn]

Your OBC originated in Seattle, and shipboard accounting interfaces with Home Office accounting. Believe me, they know when you've used their portion of OBC versus TA or Guest prepaid OBC. You may not see the drinks paid for by a Beverage Pkg on your final statement, but in Seattle they can see every drink you've ordered. What level of clearance is required to "see" this back office stuff, I don't know. I was working with a manager from Seattle when it was explained to me.

My experience on this --

On the Maasdam last April I didn't know I had the explore 4 package. Over the first couple of days my drinks were inconsistently placed on my cabin bill. When I checked on it the Beverage Manager told me that they were just getting the accounting set up for it and that the drinks were supposed to go in a different folio. Once that got set up, no more drinks appeared.

The second thing that happened was on the Oosterdam. when I went to check out the first person looked at the screen, then call a supervisor who approved the amount. I can only guess that they were checking my spending against the Non Refundable Credit.

[Crew News]

Roger, are you referring to the "Welcome Home" letter in your bolded (by me) text?

 

That is the case. I just rebooked our Zuiderdam Panama Canal cruise to take advantage of a price drop and got additional OBC because it was within the 60 days of our returning from Alaska. I did have to remind our PCC though.

[KAKcruiser]

On my last cruise on the Zuiderdam in April 2016 the front desk would not give me a cash advance against my shipboard credit.

[catl331]

On my last cruise on the Zuiderdam in April 2016 the front desk would not give me a cash advance against my shipboard credit.

Did they give a reason why?

[KAKcruiser]

The front desk said that they could give me a cash advance against my credit card but not against the nonrefundable shipboard credit given by HAL. I even went back the next day and asked a different person and was given the same answer.

[blizzardboy]

The front desk said that they could give me a cash advance against my credit card but not against the nonrefundable shipboard credit given by HAL. I even went back the next day and asked a different person and was given the same answer.

HAL 's ship board credit is for purchases, gratuities, etc. I wouldn't expect them to let me have it in cash. Read the promo rules that generated the HAL SBC. SBC or OBC from a TA is "prepaid" and will be refunded to you if not all used.