Onboard Credit and Prepurchases

[michelle-nh]

We have a lot of onboard credit on our next cruise thanks to a special our TA was running, and they also pre-paid our gratuities. We never seem to spend much on the ship, and we definitely won’t this time as it’s a Mediterranean and we’ll be in port pretty much every day. But I have booked and paid for a couple of excursions through NCL. I didn’t want to wait as I was afraid they’d sell out and that was a good call as they seem to be.
 

My question: When we board, is it possible to have my credit card refunded and then pay for these using the onboard credit? Otherwise we’ll just be spending to spend it rather than lose it, and I hate to do that. I’m guessing they won’t let us use it to buy Cruise Next certificates which is the only thing I plan to buy onboard. 

Edited May 11 by michelle-nh

[shof515]

on all of my cruises, when a shore excursion is refunded onboard the ship it always goes to the onboard account as refundable onboard credit. the credit is never credited to the credit card i used to purchase

[michelle-nh]

1 hour ago, shof515 said:

on all of my cruises, when a shore excursion is refunded onboard the ship it always goes to the onboard account as refundable onboard credit. the credit is never credited to the credit card i used to purchase

I guess that amounts to the same thing? If it’s refundable it COULD go toward the CN certificates couldn’t it? Or, I’d just get it back in cash (?) at the end of the trip? Is that right?

[peg013]

15 minutes ago, michelle-nh said:

I guess that amounts to the same thing? If it’s refundable it COULD go toward the CN certificates couldn’t it? Or, I’d just get it back in cash (?) at the end of the trip? Is that right?

That is correct. They may or may not cancel and reprice for you on the ship but it's worth a try.

 

[BirdTravels]

14 hours ago, michelle-nh said:

We have a lot of onboard credit on our next cruise thanks to a special our TA was running, and they also pre-paid our gratuities. We never seem to spend much on the ship, and we definitely won’t this time as it’s a Mediterranean and we’ll be in port pretty much every day. But I have booked and paid for a couple of excursions through NCL. I didn’t want to wait as I was afraid they’d sell out and that was a good call as they seem to be.
 

My question: When we board, is it possible to have my credit card refunded and then pay for these using the onboard credit? Otherwise we’ll just be spending to spend it rather than lose it, and I hate to do that. I’m guessing they won’t let us use it to buy Cruise Next certificates which is the only thing I plan to buy onboard. 

Bot tricky. If the excursion is sold out, you may lose it to a standby passenger during your cancel and rebook. 
 

The cancelled excursion will be a refundable OBC (does not go to your credit card) so you can cash it out on the last night of your cruise. 

[dbrown84]

Are you sure the OBC from your ta is not already refundable?

[dbrown84]

Look for any available excursions that cost $50 or less, and book them once onboard.  No need to actually go on the excursion.  At the end of the night, you'll receive the excursion credit ($50 max), and it will be refundable.  This is a way of "washing) your OBC.  It works great for me, but I'm only converting the $100 shareholder credit, so  I only have to find two or three excursions.

[pghflyer]

100% of my TA OBCs from many different agencies has always been refundable and can be taken as cash towards the end of the cruise. 

 

You have to get creative now that some NCL issued OBC can't be used for CN certificates or gratuities and cannot be used for pre-booking excursions....and you have already obtained your drinks, specialty dining, and WIFI in your package. I mean, if you aren't a ship shopper or spa or gambling person, not sure where you would use that OBC. Normally, I am left with the excursion workaround others have mentioned and I have cancelled and rebooked pre-booked excursions with no problem (just make sure it is still open and accepting bookings).

[DorothyB]

Sometimes when I have OBC available, I buy cruse next while on board.

[KeithJenner]

3 hours ago, DorothyB said:

Sometimes when I have OBC available, I buy cruse next while on board.

You can only use refundable OBC to buy cruise next.

[victory2020]

I have booked excursion, canceled, then rebooked. It gets confusing with the %0 shore excursion credit. I think I lost some on one cruise, then on the next & got $100 refunded to my credit card weeks after the cruise.

[DorothyB]

5 hours ago, DorothyB said:

Sometimes when I have OBC available, I buy cruse next while on board.

 

1 hour ago, KeithJenner said:

You can only use refundable OBC to buy cruise next.

I didn't remember mine being refundable, but good to know.  Thanks!

 

The OP already has pre-paid gratuities, but can they be paid with non-refundable OBC??

[MoCruiseFan]

22 hours ago, michelle-nh said:

We have a lot of onboard credit on our next cruise thanks to a special our TA was running, and they also pre-paid our gratuities. We never seem to spend much on the ship, and we definitely won’t this time as it’s a Mediterranean and we’ll be in port pretty much every day. But I have booked and paid for a couple of excursions through NCL. I didn’t want to wait as I was afraid they’d sell out and that was a good call as they seem to be.
 

My question: When we board, is it possible to have my credit card refunded and then pay for these using the onboard credit? Otherwise we’ll just be spending to spend it rather than lose it, and I hate to do that. I’m guessing they won’t let us use it to buy Cruise Next certificates which is the only thing I plan to buy onboard. 

 

 

First off there are no gratuities to pre-pay.  I think you are referring o the DSC,  To address your question, you can always go to the shore excursion desk and cancel the shore excursions then rebook them...  I should refund to original form of payment then charge the rebook to your acct.  Worth a shot.

Edited May 12 by MoCruiseFan

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

If the excursion is sold out, you may lose it to a standby passenger during your cancel and rebook. 

I've done this several times and never had an issue.  Have you ever seen a report here that somebody lost their place in line doing this?  I can't believe that it ever happened until we see an actual report.

1 hour ago, MoCruiseFan said:

you can always go to the shore excursion desk and cancel the shore excursions then rebook them...  I should refund to original form of payment then charge the rebook to your acct. 

It never refunds to the original form of payment if cancelled on the ship.  Unlike the OP, I generally do NOT have prepaid gratuities so any refunds are eaten up by the DSCs.

[BirdTravels]

18 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I've done this several times and never had an issue.  Have you ever seen a report here that somebody lost their place in line doing this?  I can't believe that it ever happened until we see an actual report.

 

Under what circumstances would you do this? 

[ChiefMateJRK]

11 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Under what circumstances would you do this? 

I book a Shorex before the cruise in case it sells out.  I get on the ship, go to the Shorex desk, and have them cancel/rebook to consume my shareholder non-refundable OBC and return my original funds to apply to DSCs.  That's what most are talking about here.

 

Some of us don't believe that NCL's craptastic IT tools are capable of ninja giving my spot to some fictitious "waiting list."

 

disclaimer: I've never asked to be placed on a Shorex waiting list (but I've never seen reports of people doing this either).  Does such a thing really exist?

[The P]

23 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

Look for any available excursions that cost $50 or less, and book them once onboard.  No need to actually go on the excursion.  At the end of the night, you'll receive the excursion credit ($50 max), and it will be refundable.  This is a way of "washing) your OBC.  It works great for me, but I'm only converting the $100 shareholder credit, so  I only have to find two or three excursions.

Do you have to wait to do that onboard? Can I book before and avoid the lines?

[dbrown84]

4 hours ago, The P said:

Do you have to wait to do that onboard? Can I book before and avoid the lines?

you have to do it onboard.  if you book before the cruise, the credit is removed from the price up front, so there is nothin to refund to your account

[michelle-nh]

On 5/11/2024 at 2:27 PM, dbrown84 said:

Are you sure the OBC from your ta is not already refundable?

Come to think of it, I’m not sure. I was making an assumption that may not be true.

[pghflyer]

I will say that when you do the "cancel" and "rebook" as discussed here....make doubly sure they remember to re-apply your Latitudes Discount on the rebook as they forgot this for myself and another travel family on two different ships.  

 

I have never experienced the loss of an excursion myself on NCL....BUT I was behind in line of someone who WAS told they would not be able to rebook a cancel because of the waitlist on Holland America, so seems in the realm of possiblity.