OBC for different stateroom?

[bgyoshi]

Hi all. We booked 3 staterooms via TA, each had OBC. One room is my mother/father-in-law who aren't into excursions. There's about $500 worth of OBC in their room. If they don't use it up, can the other 2 rooms use it or is it only for that room? Thanks!

[Pam in CA]

No. The OBC is per-passenger. Only the passenger with the OBC can use it. It doesn’t matter who booked or paid for the cabin.

[bgyoshi]

No. The OBC is per-passenger. Only the passenger with the OBC can use it. It doesn’t matter who booked or paid for the cabin.

 

Ah...I see. Thanks!

[cr8tiv1]

Yes, your parents can gift you the OBC by charging things to their room. As long as THEY charge it with their card, it will be deducted from their OBC on board account.

[moki'smommy]

On the other hand, they can use it to purchase things for others on board. For example, they could buy you a coffee card. They buy the card and it is charged to their room....they hand it to you. Same for alcohol, etc. First thing, they can use it to pay their gratuities. Then they can deal with what is left.

[wheezedr]

If you do a specialty restaurant the cruiser who expects to have OBC left can charge the entire meal to his or her room as well. There are thus multiple means of moving the credit around with ways you buy things on board.

[fishywood]

Just as can be done for two cabinmates, I seem to recall previous reports that passengers in other cabins but under the same booking number can have all their folios consolidated into one, with all the OBC pooled, if the same credit card is registered for everyone. Just ask at the purser's desk after you board.

[Lucky TGO]

You should check some of the OBC may by refundable.

Tony

[geoherb]

Also check to see how much of their OBC is refundable versus nonrefundable. They may enjoy getting a check a few weeks after the cruise for any refundable OBC they don't use.

[skynight]

No. The OBC is per-passenger. Only the passenger with the OBC can use it. It doesn’t matter who booked or paid for the cabin.

It is correct that OBC is per passenger, but when passengers in the same cabin have their accounts linked together using the same credit card then their on board accounts are combined to one netted total.

[Essiesmom]

They can also go to guest services and transfer some of the OBC to another cabin/account Although I don't recall doing it on Princess, when I have had OBC I have had half transferred to my sister's account. EM

[NavyVeteran]

I don't know if they can transfer OBC, but they can transfer charges. They can pay for your shore excursions if they want. Ask at Passenger Services.

[bgyoshi]

Thanks everyone!

[milesstandish]

Just watch out for that refundable on board credit. Once, just once, we had refundable OBC left over. I waited and waited knowing it could be weeks before it arrived. I finally called and was told it was sent back to the original form of payment ... which happened to have been from my travel agent. Wasn't returned to me. So since then we purposely don't have any OBC left over. If need be, we hit the casino after dinner the final night to use it up.

[bgyoshi]

on related note, since we have to pay to reserve excursions... do i get refund after we get on ship and use the OBCs instead?

 

 

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[JF - retired RRT]

Just watch out for that refundable on board credit. Once, just once, we had refundable OBC left over. I waited and waited knowing it could be weeks before it arrived. I finally called and was told it was sent back to the original form of payment ... which happened to have been from my travel agent. Wasn't returned to me. So since then we purposely don't have any OBC left over. If need be, we hit the casino after dinner the final night to use it up.

That shouldn't have happened!! Someone screwed up. Our refundable (& we always have some) is always sent to us (and YES we use a TA).

[JF - retired RRT]

on related note, since we have to pay to reserve excursions... do i get refund after we get on ship and use the OBCs instead?

You'd have to cancel once onboard and hope there isn't a waiting list. If no waiting list...no problem.

[caribill]

You'd have to cancel once onboard and hope there isn't a waiting list. If no waiting list...no problem.

 

Also, the price on the ship may be higher that what was paid before the cruise.

[caribill]

on related note, since we have to pay to reserve excursions... do i get refund after we get on ship and use the OBCs instead?

 

You can now use OBC that is listed in the personalizer to pay for shore excursions that you book pre-cruise.

[NavyVeteran]

on related note, since we have to pay to reserve excursions... do i get refund after we get on ship and use the OBCs instead?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

There is one way that worked for us (without trying).

 

I prereserved my excursions using OBC. When I was onboard, the excursion charges were listed along with the OBC. So the excursions came out of nonrefundable OBC first - even if that nonrefundable OBC had not been available when I made the reservations.

 

I was traveling with my brother in the same cabin with the same credit card (so OBC was combined on board). Since my brother did not have much OBC, he paid for his excursions in advance by credit card. When we went onboard, his folio did not show any charge for the excursions or any credit for the payment. Therefore the excursions were not charged to available OBC.

 

He cancelled one prebooked excursion and booked another one onboard. When he cancelled, the charges for all the other prebooked excursions showed up on his folio along with credit (refundable) for the total prepayment - not just for the prepayment for the one cancelled excursion. Since the excursions were now on his folio, they were charged against our OBC (nonrefundable first) and the payment became refundable OBC.

 

I don't know if this will continue to work. However, it appears the trick is to prebook and prepay for at least one excursion (pick a low-cost one) that you don't want and to cancel it as soon as you are onboard. This change will make all of your prepaid excursions charge against your OBC (nonrefundable first), so you may get some of your prepayment back. This procedure would only be necessary if you have more nonrefundable OBC than you will otherwise be using.

[NavyVeteran]

That shouldn't have happened!! Someone screwed up. Our refundable (& we always have some) is always sent to us (and YES we use a TA).

Agree. And it is sent by check even if you paid for everything by credit card.

[LeeW]

Remember that the first $225 or so of OBC is going to pay off their gratuities. If the OBC is from a travel agent or Princess you somehow need to use up the rest onboard, since this type doesn't get refunded. Any onboard expense will do: specialty restaurants, drinks, photos, drink/coffee cards, shops. You can also do a room charge on a slot machine in the casino. Play a while and then "take out." On Princess you put slot winnings into a player bank on your room card and have to cash it out by the end of the cruise. This comes back to you as cash.

 

They could also buy excursions for you onboard, but they would need to do this at the shore excursion desk. Same with any other purchase - they could buy the wine at dinner for you.

 

Within the same cabin (booking number) our OBC has always been combined because we use one credit card for the room. Not sure if that would work across booking numbers. But it is very easy for them to go down to guest services and have part of your bill transferred to their account. Then they become responsible for that purchase and if OBC happens to pay for it nobody cares.

[NavyVeteran]

If the OBC is from a travel agent or Princess you somehow need to use up the rest onboard, since this type doesn't get refunded.

This is not necessarily true. OBC from a travel agent may be refundable. If the travel agent gets the OBC from Princess as part of a promotion, then it's generally not. However, the the travel agent refunds part of its commission to you as OBC, then it is refundable.

 

I use a travel agent that does not discount prices but refunds a significant amount as OBC. This OBC is definitely refundable.