Lenbro1944 Posted July 25 #1 Share Posted July 25 We wanted to sign up for a couple of shore excursions”experiences” prior to our upcoming sailing date. We were told we couldn’t use our obc to cover the cost. So we have decided to wait until we are on board and then sign up. I assume they will then let us use our obc. Has anybody had trouble getting the excursions they wanted when they tried to sign up after they boarded the ship? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Dr. Cocktail Posted July 26 #2 Share Posted July 26 (edited) 15 hours ago, Lenbro1944 said: We wanted to sign up for a couple of shore excursions”experiences” prior to our upcoming sailing date. We were told we couldn’t use our obc to cover the cost. So we have decided to wait until we are on board and then sign up. I assume they will then let us use our obc. Has anybody had trouble getting the excursions they wanted when they tried to sign up after they boarded the ship? Unfortunately, it was an issue. We were the absolute first persons to board the ship in Barbados and made a beeline to the Destinations Experiences desk. While we were able to get one excursion, the other two we wanted were already sold out. People on the back-to-back had been able to book them on the previous sailing. We were able to get on the second on a waitlist but didn't make it onto the third. And that was with us being #1 on the waitlist. They actually asked us to come to the staging area as they had one slot available and were waiting for a possible no-show but the final people showed up moments before departure. I would recommend arriving early at your departure port to have the best chance. Edited July 26 by Dr. Cocktail 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
longboard55 Posted July 26 #3 Share Posted July 26 So if drinks are included and I do not want a 7 course meal, what do I use my OBC for. Do they have a gift shop? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lorene1 Posted July 26 #4 Share Posted July 26 I would assume OBC can be used in the spa. We are slated for our first Explora trip in Feb. 2025 and looking forward to seeing the excursion list at some point. We usually do our own things but it looks like they actually develop some interesting options. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare uktog Posted July 26 #5 Share Posted July 26 We have a large amount of obc for the transatlantic due to Explora messing up on an itinerary change. Our hotel booked through them was to be b and b but they claimed unable to get a rate other than room only so gave us obc to cover the extras. This was in addition to the obc (price reduction not given) when they reduced the cruise by two nights. My agent tried very hard to argue a refund but no. It was ridiculous and Explora just said obc for 4 nights breakfast and 2 nights less or nothing I accepted the position because I’d identified three excursions that whilst pretty expensive would use the credit. I will be very unhappy if we do not get these now we have to wait until we board to book them. I expected Explora to be like Azamara as they use the same software and to be able to use obc to book excursions precruise. Having been onboard before I know there is absolutely nothing else I would want to spend this obc on. I will be very very unhappy if I can’t get the excursions I want or close alternatives 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare uktog Posted July 26 #6 Share Posted July 26 1 hour ago, longboard55 said: So if drinks are included and I do not want a 7 course meal, what do I use my OBC for. Do they have a gift shop? They only have very expensive specialist shops 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Hlitner Posted July 27 #7 Share Posted July 27 3 hours ago, longboard55 said: So if drinks are included and I do not want a 7 course meal, what do I use my OBC for. Do they have a gift shop? Sure, in fact they have two excellent watch shops where you can spend $30,000+ on a watch. There is one shop with a few clothing items, but it did seem like the company is obsessed with pushing very high-end (expensive) products. You can spend money on more expensive wines (they do have a wine list). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted July 27 #8 Share Posted July 27 (edited) You can use them for the Spa, decent wines, decent champagne, transfers to the airport, and most shops (except for the watches). If your OBC is Travel Agent provided -- so called refundable, then you can cash this out on the last day of the cruise. Edited July 27 by PaulMCO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Waltershipman Posted July 27 #9 Share Posted July 27 1 hour ago, PaulMCO said: You can use them for the Spa, decent wines, decent champagne, transfers to the airport, and most shops (except for the watches). If your OBC is Travel Agent provided -- so called refundable, then you can cash this out on the last day of the cruise. Thanks Paul Has anyone been able to use OBC as soon as they are available for excursions prior to boarding either on line or through the Ambassador Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johng75370 Posted July 27 #10 Share Posted July 27 (edited) 5 hours ago, longboard55 said: So if drinks are included and I do not want a 7 course meal, what do I use my OBC for. Do they have a gift shop? In fairness to the onboard shopping (apart from the watch stores), it’s very nicely “curated” and has many goods that are both good value and quite expensive. There are not a lot of items below 100 euros but there are some that we used OBC for. One was a Portofino Gin from Italy for 56 euros in May, and the other was an Amaro of some form for 40 euros in December. If you’re needing to use up a few hundred euros the inventory greatly expands (perfumes, sunglasses, etc). I also suspect that they have a hidden section of low-cost items like toothpaste, razors, aspirin, and so forth but not sure. Edited July 27 by johng75370 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare PaulMCO Posted July 27 #11 Share Posted July 27 10 hours ago, johng75370 said: In fairness to the onboard shopping (apart from the watch stores), it’s very nicely “curated” and has many goods that are both good value and quite expensive. There are not a lot of items below 100 euros but there are some that we used OBC for. One was a Portofino Gin from Italy for 56 euros in May, and the other was an Amaro of some form for 40 euros in December. If you’re needing to use up a few hundred euros the inventory greatly expands (perfumes, sunglasses, etc). I also suspect that they have a hidden section of low-cost items like toothpaste, razors, aspirin, and so forth but not sure. fairness.... The perfume shop has only custom made perfumes. Nice but if you like a scent you better buy a gallon because you will never see that scent again.. The sundries are in a closet. @Waltershipman we had 1100 Euro in OBC from Explora. We were not able to access it ahead of time -- that was in Jan (so do not know if they have changed) 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Waltershipman Posted July 27 #12 Share Posted July 27 6 minutes ago, PaulMCO said: fairness.... The perfume shop has only custom made perfumes. Nice but if you like a scent you better buy a gallon because you will never see that scent again.. The sundries are in a closet. @Waltershipman we had 1100 Euro in OBC from Explora. We were not able to access it ahead of time -- that was in Jan (so do not know if they have changed) Thanks Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johng75370 Posted July 27 #13 Share Posted July 27 (edited) 4 hours ago, PaulMCO said: fairness.... The perfume shop has only custom made perfumes. Nice but if you like a scent you better buy a gallon because you will never see that scent again.. Clearly things were different from when you sailed and when we did in December and May. The two perfume lines in particular we really liked were the Fueguia 1833 (we got the “Dunas de un Cuerpo” which is also available online) and the Floraiku complete range that they had. Other perfumes were also standard but did not take note of them, so in fairness perhaps things have changed. (And Explora makes frequent changes). Edited July 27 by johng75370 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare CruiserFromMaine Posted August 19 #14 Share Posted August 19 I just tried to use OBC for excursions for a November 2024 cruise. No luck, I had to pay in advance. I'll wait for the moment; it's a Caribbean cruise and we've been to the ports before so perhaps we'll just stay in or venture into port on our own. I realize it's literally "on board credit" but many lines let you use it for excursions before booking. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nashna Posted August 19 #15 Share Posted August 19 Are you able to use OBC for extra tips? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johng75370 Posted August 19 #16 Share Posted August 19 10 minutes ago, Nashna said: Are you able to use OBC for extra tips? We've donated twice to the "Host Lifestyle Fund" (what other cruise lines refer to as the Crew Welfare Fund), and it was charged separately and was not able to have OBC used for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nashna Posted August 19 #17 Share Posted August 19 That is a shame. I will find a way to spend that money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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