No longer able to get cash in the casino for non-refundable OBC?

Does Celebrity charge the 5% to get cash at the casino if you have a cash account? Royal doesn't and I was wondering if Celebrity had the same policy.

Thanks.

Does anyone know the answer to my question? Thanks.

Does anyone know the answer to my question? Thanks.

Hi Brenda,:) I sailed SUMMIT last week and had credit left on my account.

I went to the casino and yes, they charged a 5% fee but it was worth

it to me because I wasn't going to buy anything with the obc I had left.

I got the cash instead:)

Tipping for nearly everything is an American phenomenon that is creeping around the world. US based ships still have gratuities as an extra because that's what Americans are used to. Cruise ships based downunder in NZ and Australia have tips included in the price because tipping in our part of the world is not necessary and is discouraged in the main. That said US based ships cruising down under still add gratuities to the fare to appease their American customers who if it was included in the fare would tip extra anyway. We pay the gratuities up front and consider it part of the overall cruise costs. It isn't worth the hassle of taking off and then supposedly being looked sideways by staff. I have read comments here that staff are advised of passengers who have removed the gratuities. I would like to see some evidence of this because I don't believe it. If it were true and service was below acceptable levels then it would over time be reflected in the end of cruise report which a favourable report is more important than a few extra dollars. Bad end of cruise reports can affect future employment

I saw the paper the room stewards received and yes there it was in black and white! Who opted out of their tips. They do know. As a former bartender I can tell you it is not a good thing. Those who don't tip would be the first to complain their dinner cost $40 instead of $20. No server would work for less....

I sailed on the Summit and had a cash account originally set up. When I went to get my OBC, I had to go down to Customer Relations to add a credit card to my account before they would give me the funds.

I'll try on Summit next week. Since it's moving from ship to ship (like a noxious plague), and Lois reports Summit was still good, I'll ask.

We have $600 from Celebrity and classic drinks, tips, etc., and MC freebies, so I may just be bringing home lots of some over-priced (but free to me) something.

I've spent a year expecting to be spending that $600 in San Juan. But as long we sail and have fun, it's a win.

I'll try on Summit next week. Since it's moving from ship to ship (like a noxious plague), and Lois reports Summit was still good, I'll ask.

 

We have $600 from Celebrity and classic drinks, tips, etc., and MC freebies, so I may just be bringing home lots of some over-priced (but free to me) something.

 

I've spent a year expecting to be spending that $600 in San Juan. But as long we sail and have fun, it's a win.

Please post results if you can. On Summit in January and have lots of OBC as well. Have a great cruise!

Just off the Millennium, had no problem getting cash out of the casino using OBC, had to pay the 5% of course, but used up the balance of my OBC :)

Hi Brenda,:) I sailed SUMMIT last week and had credit left on my account.

I went to the casino and yes, they charged a 5% fee but it was worth

it to me because I wasn't going to buy anything with the obc I had left.

I got the cash instead:)

Thanks, I find it interesting that Royal doesn't charge the 5% if you have a cash account.

Thanks, I find it interesting that Royal doesn't charge the 5% if you have a cash account.

Oh..maybe I misunderstood your question then.....I had a credit card

on account, not cash. I had on board credit left that I did not use. I

went to the casino to get cash back since I wasn't going to buy anything

with my obc.

Forgive me if this sounds a bit 'blonde' but how do you know if your OBC is refundable or not, please?

Can you find out before you cruise or is it only when you are actually on the ship?

:confused:

Forgive me if this sounds a bit 'blonde' but how do you know if your OBC is refundable or not, please?

 

Can you find out before you cruise or is it only when you are actually on the ship?

 

:confused:

When I called to ask, the Captain's Club agent told me she does not see that distinction on her record, but that I could check once I got on the ship. Maybe she was telling the truth, maybe she was just being elusive.

I believe others here have said you can check your account on your stateroom TV; it will show as either OBN vs OBR.

Hi,

We are on Constellation right now and are also Blue Chip members. I had drinks last night with a Celebrity shoreside Blue Chip manager about the changes. Constellation casino is the first to institute the changes and it will be the same fleetwide.

100.

What is a blue chip member?

What is a blue chip member?

Blue Chippers are gamblers...they are in the casino alot.

I have not sailed yet under the new rules on Cekebrity for OBC and promotional gambling $$ but do have experience in other casinos. One piece of misinformation i believe I saw in this thread is how casinos generally deal with promotional chips / slot funds. Once you bet a promotional chip, you do not need to bet that chip again. The remove the chip, even if you one, and replace it with a standard chip. For examples in BJ:

Bet $5 and win, the remove the $5 promo chip and pay you $10.

I am guessing the same is true of the slot machines. For example, if you get $200 in OBC on your card and put $50 in the machine and bet $10 on a spin, and lose, you lose, of course as expected. If you bet $10 and spin, and win, you can of course cash out your $10 in winnings AND the $10 original bet. No need to win it all back, just bet it / risk loosing it has always generally been enough to cash it out. kk or others who have seen the new program implemented can of chorus confirm as it appears that Constellation is the only ship to implement so far.

One more piece of information since someone else on Connie said they could withdraw, straight cash, I wonder if KKs experience is connected to their Blue Chip booking and maybe the fact the OBC came from that and hence their desire to have it gambled if not spent elsewhere. It also could have been someone on staff in th casino who didn't know they new procedure, not that inconsistencies like that ever happen on Celebrity.

Regardless of the new policy, I have been surprised since our first cruise on Celebrity in the way OBC works in the casino and they would allow you go to the cage and get straight cash back, even at 5% fee and not force you to get promotional chips at the table. In practice this doesn't impact us much, as we spend plenty onboard even when everything is paid for in advance ("free" grats, included premium beverage package, unlimited internet, mini bar, etc). We have no problem spending our significant OBC (combined between Celebrity and Travel agents often more than $100/day) on "enhancements" at the spa, bottles of win at dinner, caviar, and gambling in the casino as one of my chosen forms of entertainment, some shopping onboard and I am sure there are other ways we've spent OBC.

Happy sailing,

Jenna

If you want to use OBC at the casino do you need to tell them that at the casino or just take the cash and use it

I was given $250 obc when I booked a future cruise last month, it was OBN (non-refundable). The Future Cruise Consultant told me if I wanted the money in cash, just go to the Casino.

I just got off the Summit on Saturday.

I had a Concierge room booked with 123 go promo so I had drinks package, tips paid and $300 OBC from Celebrity.

I booked this cruise while on another cruise so got another $200 OBC from Celebrity.

I also had $250 From my Travel Agent.

Soooo, I had drinks and tips paid and $750 OBC that I planned to cash out and use on the Islands for my booked excursions and taxi, beach lounger money.

I went to the Casino the first day at Sea before any of the OBC was ever even posted to our account and asked for $650 cash, got it no problem minus the 5% of course.

I specifically went the very first day so this money would just go on my sea pass and then when the OBC went on it, it just paid for the cash I took. No issues.

I might have more of a problem in February on the Constellation where I have $600 OBC, of which $300 in from Celebrity. I'll try the same thing but if it doesn't work, I'll just buy something like perfume for upcoming gifts, and mostly likely will do an upscale dinner too. :D

I'm just off Connie.

I was in a Celebrity Suite, another friend Sky Suite and another in a standard veranda.

Anyone withe a silver Suite card got all OBC out with no fee, I had both OBN and OBR as did my friend in the Sky Suite. But our friend in Veranda had to pay 5% to take OBC out in Casino, he had only X issued OBN, none from his TA.

But reading this thread it seems things are changing ship by ship starting with Infinity, so don't expect this to last long, though I wonder if Suites will still get the perk.

I originally posted from the btb on Constellation over Thanksgiving. We were all in suites, and two of our group are members of the blue chip program.

Casino corporate was on the 2nd sailing and the new rules were being enforced.

We are back on for a short cruise before Christmas on the Constellation, and I'll see if they are actually continuing to use the written memo about taking out the cash .

The new rule is, if you have obc you can only take it out in the casino in promotional chips for the blackjack or roulette tables, or as downloadable credits to be played in any slot machine.

So I can bet $100 of the promo chips(which say promo chips on them) and if I have a winning hand, the chips are converted to regular chips which I can cash out or keep playing with. You can use your promo chips at any time throughout the cruise that the casino is open.

For the slots(again from first hand experience) say I download $100 in credits to the machine, play $40 in promo credits and win $100, I can hit the cash out slip and have a $100 slip that I can cash in at the cage. The machine still has $60 left for me to play. It did not give me a cash out ticket for the $160.

The casino is also issuing 1099's for wins on the slot machines over $1199 dollars. On the tables, if someone actually wagered enough to win $1199 in one hand, I never saw it, and no one of our gang witnessed any table players getting a 1099. We saw some large cumulative winning by some table players, just not enough on one hand to trigger the 1099 form.

If you have refundable obc, you can either have it go back to your credit card at the end of your cruise or go to guest relations, and they will cash it out for you. For nonrefundable obc, you can spend it anywhere on the ship, but it is a use it or lose proposition by the end of the cruise.

Clearly they are not being consistent yet, but when shoreside casino management is onboard, it was enforced.

The casino employees and managers are implementing it ship by ship, so if you are able to take it out as cash, good for you.

If you want to use OBC at the casino do you need to tell them that at the casino or just take the cash and use it

No mention whatsoever of OBC is required! Just tell the casino teller that you would like to withdraw X amount of $. If it's $200 - your account will be charged $210. That's all there is to it. They don't care if it's OBC or not so absolutely no reason to even mention it.

No mention whatsoever of OBC is required! Just tell the casino teller that you would like to withdraw X amount of $. If it's $200 - your account will be charged $210. That's all there is to it. They don't care if it's OBC or not so absolutely no reason to even mention it.

Yeah, given X's inability to have OBC accurately reported until 48 hours into the sailing, I don't think they'll ever be able to really enforce this "promo chip" thing.

If I make a beeline for the casino the second I walk onboard and ask for an amount of cash, I'm not going to be satisfied getting it in Celebrity Fun Bucks, and they won't know how much of it is OBC and how much of it I'd ultimately end up paying for until we're well underway.

Sure, I think if you say "Hi, can I break the rules and cash out OBC?" that they will happily say "Yes, but in Fun Bucks only", but I can't imagine them saying that all casino charges will only be paid out in these pretend coins no matter what.

What I want to know is are they going to carry more items in the shops if you have to spend it on board. Just got off the infinity and the shops had very few options to choose from. Don't even carry sundries anymore.

Preface: I have not read the entire thread, I stopped reading after I have had no problem getting cash currently on Infinity.

The are giving straight cash onboard, charging the 5% when needed.

There is a SEPARATE program for table games where you can buy promotional chips, no fee and get about $20 per $100 is additional promotional bets (paper). There is another program whee you buy promo "chips", no fee, for slots. These programs were only available for the first two days of the cruise. Maybe the original poster used their OBC for this program as there is quite a bit of confusion onboard how it works. They also could be testing a different program on this ship. So far on Infinity it seems like a new program but not a change.

I'm sure it will all shake out as we get more reports and Celebrity finalizes the program.

Happy sailing,

Jenna

Sent from my iPad using fat fingers and Tapatalk

Yeah, given X's inability to have OBC accurately reported until 48 hours into the sailing, I don't think they'll ever be able to really enforce this "promo chip" thing.

I think it would be incredibly easy for them to not allow any casino purchases to be paid using OBC. But there are a lot of things they do and don't do that dumbfound me, so I'll live with their inability to perform basic coding in the meantime.

Justback from a partly chartered Conni Gay Cruise :(

No problems cashing out $ at the casino several times.....