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OBC...how did you get yours?


kandj05
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So many people talk about their OBC. Some even talk about $500 or more. We usually have the $100 from booking our cruise while on board a current cruise. This time we will also have more OBC because we now use the RCI credit card...BUT... I am curious how else people get OBC?

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So many people talk about their OBC. Some even talk about $500 or more. We usually have the $100 from booking our cruise while on board a current cruise. This time we will also have more OBC because we now use the RCI credit card...BUT... I am curious how else people get OBC?

 

We got a nice chunk of OBC from booking a Grand Suite on our upcoming Grandeur cruise and previous Explorer cruise last February.

 

Jonathan

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So many people talk about their OBC. Some even talk about $500 or more. We usually have the $100 from booking our cruise while on board a current cruise. This time we will also have more OBC because we now use the RCI credit card...BUT... I am curious how else people get OBC?

 

 

If you use a TA who is a top producer for the particular line you want and you pick an itinerary where the TA receives one or more of a variety of incentives from the line (e.g., you may get an e-mail about a joint cruise line/TA unadvertised "special" deal), part of that deal may be extra OBC and/or free gratuities, etc. for you. That same TA may also share part of their commission as OBC. It all adds up. And that doesn't include price drop refunds (even after full payment, if you have that top producing TA).

 

A good place to start your search is Conde Nast Traveler, which regularly publishes its list of top TAs and groups them by destinations and/or specialty (e.g., cruises) occasionally including which lines they are best known for.

We found an Oceania top producer that way and the net cost for our Alaska cruise this past summer was less than non-premium lines like HAL and Celebrity.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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We get OBC from Princess for purchasing and using a Future Cruise Credit each.

We get OBC from Carnival Corp (owner of Princess and others) for owning 100 shares of stock.

We get a Loyalty OBC from Princess.

We sometimes get extra OBC from Princess as part of a promotion.

We get OBC from our TA.

 

We are not eligible, but Princess also gives OBC to Military (active and honorably discharged).

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We got $400 OBC from booking during a promotion. I think Royal was running a promo for their European cruises offering up to $200 pp depending on room type. I'm looking forward to having some extra spending money on board- I've never had an OBC before.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Edited by kebhouse
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With Princess, we receive an OBC from the future cruise credit purchased during a prior cruise. Our TA gave us a credit due to the agency's promo for the cruise we wanted, plus we are Carnival stock holders. DH also receives his military credit. After we had booked our cruise, our TA contacted us about a "special" for new bookings, but was able to pull a few strings and got us a lower rate and another OBC. All of those credits help to mitigate the bar bill.

 

Darcy

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Our OBC's have come from different sources. Examples from our cruises in the last few years include:

 

1) Price Reductions (ie CCL Freedom)

2) Travel Agent (ie NCL Jewel)

3) Cruise line booking promotion (ie NCL Jewel)

4) Future Cruise Credit purchased on a previous cruise (ie CCL Glory)

5) OBC on current cruise for purchasing a FCC on that cruise (ie NCL Epic and NCL Jewel)

Edited by Warm Breezes
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You get an OBC on Princess if you are a veteran. Register once, and you'll get the OBC anytime you sail with them. The amount varies by the length of the cruise.

 

We have 59 years military service between us and it pays to register as a military veteran.

Edited by MSN-Travelers
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On Princess we get Future Cruise Credit

Stockholders credit

Veterans credit

Travel Agent Credit

Elite Loyallty Credit (With lots of other perks)

Promotional Credit

Credit Card Points Credit

 

All of these are combinable and most refundable if not used onboard. They can easily add up to more than $1000 on longer trips.

 

We have never done nearly as well on any other cruise lines. Other lines have other rewards.

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Paul, I guess I should look into that. Unfortunately at $40+/share, it would take quite a while to accru 100 shares for it to be worthwhile. It appears that Princess is going to be my cruise line of choice for future vacations.

Edited by Treven
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Guest maddycat
Does anyone know if Royal Caribbean gives OBC to military veterans?

 

Not OBC, but discounted cruise fare. They also have discounts for seniors (55+), police/EMT/fireman, and resident. All discounts are available for US and Canadian citizens. However, the discounts are not for all sailings and they do come and go. For instance, a senior discount might show up today and last for a few hours or a day or two.

 

I go daily to RCI's website and check for price drops on my booked cruises. I look at all areas that we might be eligible for (senior, military, resident). If it is before final payment I contact RCI to get the price drop.

Edited by maddycat
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The biggest OBCs normally come with the longer more expensive cruises. But it is pretty normal to get amenities (including OBCs) totalling 7-10% of the cruise price if you simply shop around among reputable Cruise Agencies. These deals do not generally happen if you book directly with a cruise line...unless you later transfer the booking to a cruise agency. So here is an example. Last year we booked a Celebrity cruise while we were on another Celebrity cruise. By booking onboard we timed it so we got the Classic Drink Package, an upgraded hump cabin (we are Elite Plus), and an OBC for booking onboard. We then had the Future Booking Office (onboard) immediately transfer the booking to a well known Cruise Agency who had already agreed (we contacted them via e-mail while onboard) to add pre-paid gratuities about $350 (it is a 14 day cruise). The best OBC deals will often happen on CCL products (as opposed to RCI products) because CCL brands are more liberal about allowing the "stacking" of OBCs. For example, on a recent Princess Cruise (25 days) we were able to get over $1800 in OBCs by combining several different promotions. This is generally not possible on RCI and Celebrity.

 

Hank

Edited by Hlitner
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Paul, I guess I should look into that. Unfortunately at $40+/share, it would take quite a while to accru 100 shares for it to be worthwhile. It appears that Princess is going to be my cruise line of choice for future vacations.

I don't know where you live, but Princess allows the shares to be held in any account. If you have an IRA or 401K in the US or similar in another country, you may be able to purchase the shares in one of those accounts.

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I don't know where you live, but Princess allows the shares to be held in any account. If you have an IRA or 401K in the US or similar in another country, you may be able to purchase the shares in one of those accounts.

I live in CA. While employed I did have a small 401(k), but I cashed that in when I retired. Assuming the price doesn't change, the $4k needed to buy 100 shares of stock would pay for two moderately priced cruises.

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