Non-refundable OBC for butler and concierge tips

[Candy Apple 12]

Can you use the non-refundable OBC to pay for butler and concierge tips?

[MizDemeanor]

Sorry to say, no. :(

[emcelh]

Can you use the non-refundable OBC to pay for butler and concierge tips?

Yes. Go to guest services and give the names of the crew members you want to tip. They arrange for the tip amount to be billed to your onboard account and give you copy of a voucher you can give to the butler and concierge. We usually write a small thank you card and enclose the voucher.

[emcelh]

Sorry to say, no. :(

You can't use it for DSC but you can for additional tips.

[Two Wheels Only]

Yes for butler, concierge, etc.

No for DSC.

[MizDemeanor]

You can't use it for DSC but you can for additional tips.

 

I stand corrected then. Thank you, this is excellent news!!!

[peg013]

Yes, we have done it many times.

[chloemonkey]

Yes, we have done it many times.

 

This truly "may" be great news as we always leave a LOT of $ on the "table" as we cannot use up all of our OBC. But can anyone help me out by confirming whether or not the butlers, concierge, cabin stewards, etc. do actually RECEIVE the money that you add to your Onboard account? As I did this for 2-3 years...but then had a person a guest services tell me that the $ that I ADDED to our onboard credit charges in the form of additional tips was split among everyone in the DSC pool. At that point I STOPPED adding gratuities on our onboard account and just continued with the thank you notes along with CASH for each of our service people.

 

STILL confused as to IF the people that we specify at the Guest Services Desk to receive additional $ or $....actually receive the amount that we pay.....and would LOVE for anyone to clarify this!

[peg013]

This truly "may" be great news as we always leave a LOT of $ on the "table" as we cannot use up all of our OBC. But can anyone help me out by confirming whether or not the butlers, concierge, cabin stewards, etc. do actually RECEIVE the money that you add to your Onboard account? As I did this for 2-3 years...but then had a person a guest services tell me that the $ that I ADDED to our onboard credit charges in the form of additional tips was split among everyone in the DSC pool. At that point I STOPPED adding gratuities on our onboard account and just continued with the thank you notes along with CASH for each of our service people.

 

STILL confused as to IF the people that we specify at the Guest Services Desk to receive additional $ or $....actually receive the amount that we pay.....and would LOVE for anyone to clarify this!

Guest Services should give you a duplicate copy of the voucher you signed which you can include in a Thank You card so your butler and concierge knows how much to expect in their pay. The only way I see any OBC you gift to your room steward going into the DSC pool is if you removed your DSC. The butlers and concierge are not even included in the DSC. I have been assured by our butlers that they do receive the tips we leave them on our account in their next pay.

 

Never leave $$ on the table. If nothing else use it to purchase "Cruise Next" certificates. Even if you don't plan to cruise in the next 4 years you can sell/transfer/gift it to someone else.

Edited April 7, 2018 by peg013
Add info about Cruise Next Certificates.

[pdcsgirl]

This is an excellent use of the OBC, but how do we know if we have a refundable one or not? If NCL offered a credit but I used a TA is my OBC refundable or not?

 

Thanks.

[peg013]

This is an excellent use of the OBC, but how do we know if we have a refundable one or not? If NCL offered a credit but I used a TA is my OBC refundable or not?

 

Thanks.

Ask your TA or wait until onboard and it will state on your bill whether OBC is refundable or not. Check on your TV, phone (iConcierge) or get a copy of your bill anytime from Guest Services. OBC from a TA can be OBC that is actually from NCL or OBC that the TA actually purchases for you. If it is purchased - it is refundable. Both refundable and non-refundable OBC can be used to tip your butler, concierge, room steward or any other person on the ship you wish to tip. The exception being non-refundable cannot be used for your DSC - but refundable OBC can be used to pay your DSC.

[CPT Trips]

IIRC, NCL charges items against refundable OBC first. It pays to monitor your account so as not to leave non-refundable OBC on the table and still owe on your account.

[peg013]

IIRC, NCL charges items against refundable OBC first. It pays to monitor your account so as not to leave non-refundable OBC on the table and still owe on your account.

This was not true on my 27 NCL cruises. NCL uses the Refundable OBC for the DSC only until the Non-Refundable has run out. They use the Non-Refundable for everything else.

 

There was a problem back in 2012 when they sometimes used the refundable first but I haven't heard anyone say it happened to them since then and even then they did mine correctly on the Dawn.

 

It always pays to monitor your account.

[Dr. Cocktail]

This truly "may" be great news as we always leave a LOT of $ on the "table" as we cannot use up all of our OBC. But can anyone help me out by confirming whether or not the butlers, concierge, cabin stewards, etc. do actually RECEIVE the money that you add to your Onboard account? As I did this for 2-3 years...but then had a person a guest services tell me that the $ that I ADDED to our onboard credit charges in the form of additional tips was split among everyone in the DSC pool. At that point I STOPPED adding gratuities on our onboard account and just continued with the thank you notes along with CASH for each of our service people.

 

STILL confused as to IF the people that we specify at the Guest Services Desk to receive additional $ or $....actually receive the amount that we pay.....and would LOVE for anyone to clarify this!

 

Yes ... they need the exact spelling of the crew member's name and we actually saw the photo images of the various people that we tipped on the Guest Service's agent's monitor.

 

You would then give them the voucher to the people that you tipped but on our last few cruises, that wasn't required. The Butler specifically thanked me for the gratuity the last time that we did this.

[chloemonkey]

Guest Services should give you a duplicate copy of the voucher you signed which you can include in a Thank You card so your butler and concierge knows how much to expect in their pay. The only way I see any OBC you gift to your room steward going into the DSC pool is if you removed your DSC. The butlers and concierge are not even included in the DSC. I have been assured by our butlers that they do receive the tips we leave them on our account in their next pay.

 

Never leave $$ on the table. If nothing else use it to purchase "Cruise Next" certificates. Even if you don't plan to cruise in the next 4 years you can sell/transfer/gift it to someone else.

 

I have always done just as you have suggested....including the copy of the voucher into a personalized Thank You card that I brought from home. But this does NOT actually answer the question of whether or not these particular people do indeed receive this amount. As again, I was told by someone at Guest Services that it does NOT. And although the recipients of our additional gratuities may indeed thank us.....that also does not mean that they actually received the full amount that we intended them to receive.

 

I truly wish that we did not have to be so secretive and suspicious.....but after having left $300-$4000 as extra gratuities over a couple of cruises....and then to be told that this money was NOT going to the persons that we specified.....I have chosen to do the "cash" thing in person for the last 3-5 cruises. But it IS a problem trying to spend all OBC.....so I will take all the posts into consideration on our upcoming trip.....and maybe flat out ask the butler and/or concierge. But again....I sometimes think that they are AFRAID of answering honestly!

 

All of your insights and experiences have been appreciated.....but it is still a "maybe" for me as I am still not certain as to whether or not doing these additional gratuities on our onboard accounts actually achieve what we intended them to. AT least that's where I am for now...

[fourofakind]

I have done this but only as additional tipping for the kids club staff. I had a bunch of NRC to use and asked if I could leave it as a tip and was told yes. I went to the kids club and they ran my ship card and I left it all as a tip. It did show as a charge on my statement and deducted from my OBC.

 

Sorry I couldn't be more helpful about butler etc but it did work for kid staff.

[CruisinHarvey]

Until now, I didn't think it could be used for your butler or concierge. I guess it's good news. It just confirms that they don't see a dime of it though. It's fake money. Never existed. I'm sure the cruise line doesn't come with it for them. Just like the DSC.

[graphicguy]

That’s a good idea about bringing “Thank You” cards.

 

I have quite a bit of OBC, too. A note/voucher with the tips using the OBC in the Thank You notes is a welcome tip.

 

Just have to remember that exact crew members’ name!

[fourofakind]

Until now, I didn't think it could be used for your butler or concierge. I guess it's good news. It just confirms that they don't see a dime of it though. It's fake money. Never existed. I'm sure the cruise line doesn't come with it for them. Just like the DSC.

 

 

Not sure about the butler etc but as far as the tips from OBC to kids club they do get it 100%.

 

I spoke to the kids club staff about it. I was told when they charge your card for late night (they charge $6.00 per hour for late night babysitting from 10pm-1 am) they get half the fee and NCL gets half. There is a spot for additional tipping and whatever you put in that spot they get 100 % with no cut to NCL. I now always put a large tip from my OBC on that slip for them and they are all very happy when I do. So it definitely works for kids club but that is done directly with kids club, not sure how it works for butler etc when it is done through NCL...