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Using OBC in the Casino?

baggal

By baggal,
in Holland America Line

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted
We will have some OBC that we would like to use in the casino. Can I just get cash against the OBC from the casino cashier or is there another method?

 

Thanks!

 

You can go to the slots and simply charge to your cabin (your onboard account). (Remember to register at the slot and set up a pin first). Quite easy - in fact too easy ;). If you want to play other games, just cash out at the cashier to get the chips.

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take us away

take us away

Posted
Posted (edited)

It is easiest to use your room key to charge money in a slot machine. The OBC does not discriminate where the charge comes from so you can use your OBC for this. If you want to play the tables, just 'cash out' to the card then cash out at the cage.

 

Sorry - sent at the same time as Jacqui

Edited by take us away
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DaveOKC

DaveOKC

Posted
Posted
We will have some OBC that we would like to use in the casino. Can I just get cash against the OBC from the casino cashier or is there another method?

 

Be advised that some OBC issued by HAL via a promotion carries a restriction that it cannot be used in the casino. You might want to check your promotion for details.

 

Having said this, it has been my experience that HAL does not enforce this (likely since it is not worth the time or effort to do so for them).

 

What I (and many others on this board) do is to charge our gambling to our cabin on the slot machines (very easy to do, but you do have to set up a PIN number to take money out - again very easy and the casino employees are glad to assist you if need be). In the unlikely event that we actually WIN that evening, we cash in at the casino cage - again very easy to do and no questions asked.

 

For us gamblers, this works well and is not an issue. We generally load up small amounts daily (like $50 or less) to the slot machine (easy to transfer from one machine to another by the way). I may charge $50 to the cabin, play a bit and then cash out what is left from the $50 plus any potential winnings.

 

For non-gamblers, a few things I would do. First, play a bit on the machine. I recommend Video Poker as you can play quite awhile on a few dollars if you bet 25 cents a hand (lots of winning hands and its a bit back and forth gambling). Second, do not load up all of the OBC in one day and then immediately cash in - this could trigger some concern by the casino cage. For example, if you load up $200 into a machine, gamble only $1 and then immediately cash out, someone could question it. Likely no one will question anything, so maybe I am being a bit paranoid, but why risk it?

 

Hope this helps.

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PatsyAnne

PatsyAnne

Posted
Posted

On our last cruise, I asked at the front desk about leftover OBC, and when she looked at our account, she said it could be refunded in cash or returned to our card after the cruise. Our OBC came from three sources: HAL promotion, TA credit, and stock ownership. I don't know when this applies, but it was a nice surprise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

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DaveOKC

DaveOKC

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On our last cruise, I asked at the front desk about leftover OBC, and when she looked at our account, she said it could be refunded in cash or returned to our card after the cruise. Our OBC came from three sources: HAL promotion, TA credit, and stock ownership. I don't know when this applies, but it was a nice surprise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

From the stockholder's form:

 

This benefit is available to shareholders holding a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation or Carnival plc. This benefit is not transferable, cannot be exchanged for cash and, cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account.

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richwmn "Live from...." Rare

richwmn

Posted
Posted
On our last cruise, I asked at the front desk about leftover OBC, and when she looked at our account, she said it could be refunded in cash or returned to our card after the cruise. Our OBC came from three sources: HAL promotion, TA credit, and stock ownership. I don't know when this applies, but it was a nice surprise.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

TA credit is refundable, it is considered a gift. Stock and HAL promotion would generally be non refundable, but as mentioned earlier, this is not always strictly enforced.

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PatsyAnne

PatsyAnne

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TA credit is refundable, it is considered a gift. Stock and HAL promotion would generally be non refundable, but as mentioned earlier, this is not always strictly enforced.

 

 

Maybe because the amount from the TA was significantly higher than that from the stock and HAL, the office considered what remained refundable. Thanks for the info.

 

 

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DaveOKC

DaveOKC

Posted
Posted (edited)
Thanks everyone for your responses. I don't know how much OBC everyone else gets, but we NEVER have OBC left over at the end of a cruise!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

It happens more often lately (having OBC left over) given the various HAL promotions (current one covers drinks, tips, internet and up to $400 in OBC), plus we get $100-250 from being a stockholder and $200-400 from buying our Future Cruise Deposits onboard.

 

Further, some cruises do not offer much in the way of shore excursions that interest us (either been there/done that or beach ports).

 

I know - its a terrible problem to have!!!

Edited by DaveOKC
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mustgo

mustgo

Posted
Posted
From the stockholder's form:

 

This benefit is available to shareholders holding a minimum of 100 shares of Carnival Corporation or Carnival plc. This benefit is not transferable, cannot be exchanged for cash and, cannot be used for casino credits/charges and gratuities charged to your onboard account.

 

We have not cruised Hal very often. I was aware that most credits cannot be used in the casino or are refundable, but never heard they could not be used to offset gratuities. Is this true?

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

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We have not cruised Hal very often. I was aware that most credits cannot be used in the casino or are refundable, but never heard they could not be used to offset gratuities. Is this true?

 

Those are the "technical rules".

 

Our experience is on day one, all our OBC is listed (I check to make sure it is there).

 

From there on in, everything is just deducted. HAL OBC is the first to go (the non refundable stuff). Anything from a TA is a gift.

 

Every day, I just see the minuses and the remaining balance. Never a "not permitted" and not allowed.

 

I've never had the gratuity not offset, but in all honesty, I always run out of my OBC ;) I've also used my OBC in the casino very early in the cruise while I had lots of OBC ;)

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