Cruisin_Fun_Lovin!

Fun Lovin' --- I just got my Plat AMEX - but mine is Delta Skymiles - is that different?

Yes, there is a difference. The Delta Platinum Amex does not have these cruise benefits at all nor the lounge and Uber benefits I mentioned. Amex does make it confusing when they call other cards "Platinum." I also have the Delta Amex Platinum as I really like the companion pass, double miles, free checked bags, faster levels to upgrade, automatic priority boarding, etc.

Hello Everyone,

Just wanted to share something I learned last week regarding getting my American Express Platinum benefits added to two of my upcoming cruises. After debating the merit of the annual $550 fee, I decided to get the card earlier this month to take advantage of the airline benefits and now monthly Uber credit. After trying to find out whether or not my regular travel agent could add the benefits since Amex only advertises they work by booking through Amex Travel, I just asked my travel agent to try and see what happened. I had previously booked a cruise on a Memorial Day sale for Oasis of the Seas sailing next February so my travel agent was able to refund my $500 deposit from my previous CC and then charge it to my Amex Platinum without changing my previous booking rate. I had no idea you could retroactively change the deposit like that! My travel agent then also used the benefit to apply to a cruise I was booking then for a Navigator of the Seas sailing in November 2018.

Couple things I learned:

1. OBC in the amount of $100 - $300 Shipboard Credit per stateroom for sailings 5 nights or longer (depending on category booked): $100 for inside/oceanview, $200 for balcony, $300 for suites plus a complimentary bottle of wine or champagne no matter which cabin category.
   
2. Your travel agent should have the ability to log into an Amex system to get a tracking number to apply the obc to your cruise, and can even be done retroactively to a cruise deposit previously booked provided you are not past final payment date.
   
3. Amex benefit is not combinable with many promotions. For my Oasis sailing I lost a $50 obc from Royal Caribbean (but kept the other stuff from my travel agency), but I got the $200 obc for the balcony cabin (boardwalk category) instead for a net $150 gain.
   
4. Amex benefit is not combinable with C&A balcony discount so I lost my $100 balcony discount on the Navigator sailing, but again gained $200 obc for a net $100 gain.
   
5. I was able to see the Amex $200 obc immediately in my cruise planner for my Oasis February sailing.
   
6. Do the math to see whether the benefits lost are less than the Amex obc.
   

Hope this helps shed some light on how the American Express Platinum benefits might be able to work for you since there's really not a huge amount of information out there.