OBC...What have you used it for that weren't excursions,wifi, drinks, spa, casino, or food?

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

I have $190 of OBC ($100 is from the share holder credit and the other $90 was given by my TA and don't want to use it towards any of the above things. I kind of regret buying FAS because I don't really drink all that much and the $100 would have paid for that for me (I didn't expect to get the share holder credit as I booked a week before the sailing and because I'm a party of 1 who didn't pay a single supplement...not in a studio cabin). 

 

I figure to use it for shopping on board. When shopping, have you found you paid around the same what you would have paid for on land and what did you purchase?

[insidecabin]

Last trip we burned a bit on food.

 

Rest went on the duty free will gift on or sell.

 

Can either be used to cove r daily service?

 

None of ours could.

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

Cannot use for gratuities/daily service. That's what I would have used it on if allowed myself. 

 

Good call about duty free. I don't really give gifts to people but maybe sell. Anything that much cheaper on board than off board? 

[herbanrenewal]

When you eliminate the options that you have eliminated I think it only leaves shopping or donating to crew for extra tips. I once had almost 100 left, and rather than buy more stuff i dont need, I gave it in tip to room attendant. While I had doubts it would get to her, I got a lovely thank you note from her, so if you arrange to tip specific people with your OBC it can be done.

[nycteacher]

I've used OBC to pay for laundry, bingo and Deal or No Deal.  

[UKstages]

4 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

When shopping, have you found you paid around the same what you would have paid for on land and what did you purchase?

 

1 hour ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

Anything that much cheaper on board than off board? 

 

no, not really. I bought a bottle of liqueur that was $24 on board, but $19 at the duty free shop in the airport. you should expect to pay about $70 for a quality sweatshirt or hoodie with an NCL logo, about $45 - $50 for a tee shirt. I bought a camera onboard that was being offered at a “discount.” with the lower price, it was almost exactly the same price as shopping online at amazon, including tax.
 

you want to get the most bang for your bogus buck (OBC) to be sure, but when you consider this is monopoly money, a few bucks here and there shouldn’t make a difference… the merchandise is - essentially -  “free.”

[graphicguy]

Not on NCL, but Celebrity.  I had a ton of OBC right after the restart, and they were doing their darndest to get people to book, which I did.

 

I ended up buying the (then) GF a really nice piece of jewelry with it at the jewelry store, making it “free”.  Truth of the matter, the jewelry cost about as much as the entire cruise.  Truth of the matter, with the OBC, the cost of the cruise was just hundreds, not thousands, of dollars.  Now, I understand the large markup jewelry has, that’s true at land based jewelry stores, but I was playing with their money, so to speak.

 

Not normal circumstances for sure.

 

But, you can use the OBC in the jewelry stores on board, too.

 

Resorts that sell their branded wearables is pretty pricey, too.  Expect the same on the ship.  If you’re a Latitudes member, I think you get discounts in the stores.  So, that might bring the prices down.  Then, there are the ubiquitous T-Shirt, costume jewelry and the ever present Invicta watches that they offer at HUGE DISCOUNTS!

 

I’m not a fan of those, but it seems guests flock to those for bargains!

 

If you’re looking to get 

Edited July 23, 2023 by graphicguy

[Peachypooh]

I buy Christmas ornaments. Either the crystal  ones or the boat replica ones depending what goes on sale at the end of the cruise.

[brer111]

last cruise we used it to purchase a nice watch for my husband and a cute little ring for me.

[phillygwm]

Alcohol in the Duty Free.  Also, I got a couple wine tastings/lunches in the Diner which ate into it.

[BirdTravels]

It's just the shops. $190 doesn't go very far on a ship. 

 

Buy yourself a polo shirt. Or insulated not-Yeti-like cup. Got a few dollars left,,, an overpriced bag of M&Ms or a rum cake to eat after your cruise. 

 

We normally have a lot more OBC than that, and end up getting a handbag and maybe some small bobbles at the jewelry store. 

[Pitzel]

You can cancel some or all of the FAS before sailing as long as you do it more than 3 days in advance. If you don't drink much or don't want the specialty dining, just call your TA and have it removed. You said you booked a week before the sailing -- do you still have at least 3 days left or are you already within that window?

If you can't cancel FAS or if you still have OBC to spend, you could:

• Pay for on-board activities, like an escape room, Canvas by U painting class, or the go cart track (availability depends on the ship).
• Pay for a fitness class or personal trainer session.
• See if you can apply it towards a CruiseNext certificate.
• Buy something from one of the onboard shops. While many things are overpriced onboard, they often have a 2 for $25 T-shirt sale or similar.
• Pay for your daily service charges (only if your OBC from your TA is "refundable" OBC).
• Add a an extra tip for anyone who goes above and beyond. It is easy to add a tip to the check at the end of a specialty dining meal. You have to go to guest services, though, if you want to arrange for a tip for a specific individual onboard, like your room steward or a favorite bar tender.
  
  If the OBC from your TA is refundable, you can also ask at guest services to take it back in cash. As long as you do so before the last night of your sailing, you can get all refundable OBC returned to you. On my past 2 sailings, I have gotten $400-600 back in cash because I pre-paid my daily service charges and had very few purchases onboard.

 

[insidecabin]

4 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

Cannot use for gratuities/daily service. That's what I would have used it on if allowed myself. 

 

Good call about duty free. I don't really give gifts to people but maybe sell. Anything that much cheaper on board than off board? 

Depends where you live and price tax situation.

 

UK the cigarette were a lot cheaper(<50%) .(no rolling tabaco that sells better).

200B&H $52(£40) UK shop £150.

 

Some of the booze was close to UK shop prices ended up with grey goose. $46(£36) UK shop £55

 

Both more than we were paying on other lines or real duty free in Europe.

 

 

[amygutman]

Arcade unlimited passes for kiddo (and husband). They usually play thrice what we pay for the passes so worth every penny. 

 

We sometimes order an bottle of wine at supper if we have ~25$ left and ask the maître d' to bring it anonymously to someone who is celebrating that night. Having the drinks package means we don't need to purchase any bottles of wine, but it usually makes someone really happy. Random acts of kindness!

Warmest, Amy

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

I just checked my NCL account. I have $100 OBC that is nonrefundable which is the shareholder OBC. I figure I will just buy M&Ms like Bird said. 

 

I see the one from my TA does not say Non refundable. Pitzel, to check that I am understanding you I can exchange this for cash? I can just do this on the first day of the cruise? 

[bluesea777]

8 hours ago, nycteacher said:

I've used OBC to pay for laundry, bingo and Deal or No Deal.  

^^^^ this !!!

 

 

[Pitzel]

5 hours ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

I see the one from my TA does not say Non refundable. Pitzel, to check that I am understanding you I can exchange this for cash? I can just do this on the first day of the cruise? 

Yes -- if you have refundable credit, you can request it back in cash at any point prior to the last night of the cruise. You should be able to do this at Guest Services or at the Onboard Credit desk, if there is one on your ship. 

Edited July 23, 2023 by Pitzel

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

11 hours ago, Pitzel said:

Yes -- if you have refundable credit, you can request it back in cash at any point prior to the last night of the cruise. You should be able to do this at Guest Services or at the Onboard Credit desk, if there is one on your ship. 

Is there a way I can use the $90 refundable credit towards gratuity? I looked on the app to prepay the gratuity and the only option I have is credit card. 

[ggTexasGal]

Just now, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

Is there a way I can use the $90 refundable credit towards gratuity? I looked on the app to prepay the gratuity and the only option I have is credit card. 

If indeed "Refundable", then YES!

[UnbridledEnthusiasm]

4 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

If indeed "Refundable", then YES!

How do you do this? Has to be done in person? LIke I Mentioned the app appears to only accept credit card. 

[ggTexasGal]

1 minute ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

How do you do this? Has to be done in person? LIke I Mentioned the app appears to only accept credit card. 

I believe it is automatically applied once onboard.  But, you can ask at guest services if it doe not show up accordingly on your account after a few days.

[dbrown84]

11 hours ago, Pitzel said:

Yes -- if you have refundable credit, you can request it back in cash at any point prior to the last night of the cruise. You should be able to do this at Guest Services or at the Onboard Credit desk, if there is one on your ship. 

It doesn't have to be prior to the last night.  I always wait until the last night to cash out.  Really, it's the morning of debarkation since it's usually 3 or 4 in the morning.  I honestly didn't think they did it before the last night, but since I've never tried earlier I can't really say 

[insidecabin]

Last cruise they were really pushing sort your account out by last evening,.

The message was we want as few as possible trying to sort it out in morning.

 

Long line at the cash desk and customer services quite a bit of the day.

 

I think part of the issue is the layout of the account on the app is not easy to understand especially if you have multiple OBC as they don't show what's been used.

 

[Pitzel]

1 hour ago, UnbridledEnthusiasm said:

How do you do this? Has to be done in person? LIke I Mentioned the app appears to only accept credit card. 

 Onboard credit has to be spent onboard and cannot be applied before sailing. The daily service charges will appear on your onboard account daily. If you have $90 in REFUNDABLE onboard credit, that credit will automatically be applied towards any charges in your account.

Non-refundable OBC, like your shareholder credit, cannot be used for the DSC.