Using OBC to Pay for Pre-Booked Excursions

Just got some additional OBC and was wondering if we could do something we do on another cruise line. We would pay for the excursion in advance to make sure the excursions are not sold out an then once on board we go to the excursion desk and if there are still openings on the excursion, we cancel and rebook paying with our OBC. We then either get a credit on our credit card or cash back at the end of the cruise.

We realize if the excursion is full and waitlisted, we would go to the bottom of the wait list and therefore find someplace else to spend the OBC. Works well for everyone and protects missing excursions that might sell out.

Thanks,

If the OBC is from your travel agent it is most likely a refundable credit. It would be credited back to your credit card at the end of the cruise anyway. On your shipboard account you will see a NR or an R listed before the credit. This tells you whether it's refundable. AZ uses non-refundable OBC's first.

If the OBC is from your travel agent it is most likely a refundable credit. It would be credited back to your credit card at the end of the cruise anyway. On your shipboard account you will see a NR or an R listed before the credit. This tells you whether it's refundable. AZ uses non-refundable OBC's first.

Thanks for the response crzit. Am completely aware of the difference betwen Az OBC and TA OBC and this additional OBC is definitely non refundable as it comes from Az.

Thus why I need to spend it and with most everything included, excursions are the best place to spend this so the purchase/cancel and refund then use OBC is the best approach if it works on Az so still looking for that answer.

Thanks all,

I would also like to hear about anyone having success with this. I also am not seeing a place to spend 500 bucks on board, but an wondering if I wait to book excursions till we board if they would be filled? Anyone have experience with using no. Refundable credit to book excursions (or rebook them one on board ?)

Has anyone cancelled and rebooked an excursion on board? Is the cost for the cancelled excursion credited back to the credit card originally used, or is it credited to your on board account?

No direct experience with Azamara but, to the best of my knowledge, they handle such situations as Celebrity does or [at least in my past experience and assuming it hasn't changed] did...

Best I know--you may want to confirm with Azamara--the practice is...

If you pre-purchase things--like excursions, specialty dining, and/or beverage packages--and cancel several days prior to sailing [don't remember the limit for doing so but it did correspond to the deadline for making those purchases online pre-cruise], refunds are immediately [in my experience] made to the credit card used for those purchases...

If you cancel items pre-purchased online once aboard, the refund [if cancelled prior to the time deadline for doing so and, on a pro-rata basis, for beverage packages], is applied to your SeaPass account as Refundable Onboard Credit... If totally or partiallly unspent at cruise conclusion, unspent Refundable Onboard Credit [but not Non-Refundable Onboard Credit; use it or lose it] is credited to the Credit Card--takes a bit of time--associated with your SeaPass account as established at check-in...

Best to you and Shel!

Thanks Mike. Best to you and Happy Holidays.

No direct experience with Azamara but, to the best of my knowledge, they handle such situations as Celebrity does or [at least in my past experience and assuming it hasn't changed] did...

 

Best I know--you may want to confirm with Azamara--the practice is...

 

If you pre-purchase things--like excursions, specialty dining, and/or beverage packages--and cancel several days prior to sailing [don't remember the limit for doing so but it did correspond to the deadline for making those purchases online pre-cruise], refunds are immediately [in my experience] made to the credit card used for those purchases...

 

If you cancel items pre-purchased online once aboard, the refund [if cancelled prior to the time deadline for doing so and, on a pro-rata basis, for beverage packages], is applied to your SeaPass account as Refundable Onboard Credit... If totally or partiallly unspent at cruise conclusion, unspent Refundable Onboard Credit [but not Non-Refundable Onboard Credit; use it or lose it] is credited to the Credit Card--takes a bit of time--associated with your SeaPass account as established at check-in...

 

Best to you and Shel!

'Thanks Xport, sounds like the plan will work as long as the excursion is not full and that is taking a chance depending on the excursion Just have to get to the tour desk as soon as we board to make the switch. Just need to see what the on-board cancellation policy is and cancel before that time.

Not confident at all calling the customer service people as like on most other lines 6 phone calls result in 5 different answers. Really too bad and was hoping Bonnie would pop in with the answer as trust her a lot more than any phone person.