Daniel A

Bon Voyage!

You're sailing out of Panama?

I'm just curious - Has anybody bought any AARP gift cards while onboard through their wi-fi and applied that as OBC? One could then take their device down to the passenger services desk and apply the cards to their current account. Would that work?

I think the point is that if you use the gift cards to pay off the cruise and worry about OBC later on, you are probably saving more by getting 8% off the cruise fare. I know I'm spending that money, but I'm not sure what I'll end up spending onboard. I just used $8600.00 in AARP cards to pay off my upcoming cruise fare which included my drink pkg, wifi and crew appreciation. I saved $708 off the cruise fare and the discount AARP gift cards covered the bulk of what I might have spent while onboard. ( Plus, I am getting $950.00 combination nonrefundable and refundable OBC from Princess, Travel Agent, Shareholder, and Casino) I don't think this is a 'one size fits all' type of situation.

As I understand it, Non-refundable OBC gets used before refundable OBC. Thus, in your example, you spent $950 onboard during your cruise. Princess will use up the $800 non-refundable OBC then start to dig into your refundable OBC. In this case they would only be taking $150 of your refundable OBC leaving your account with a $350 surplus. Generally, refundable OBC gets returned to the original form of payment which in this case would be your Gift card(s). That being said, I have seen some people write that they were mailed a check for their refundable OBC. But, given the discounted price of the cards, I don't see Princess refunding OBC that had the discount by giving cash or a check.

That's why I suggested doing it onboard. If they are 'must haves.' then they should wait until they are onboard, but then they'll need to use a CC to confirm before boarding. I ran into a similar problem with HAL earlier this year. ☹️

Another alternative is to book your wife's excursions now with a credit card, and once onboard you might be able to cancel the excursion and immediately rebook it using the OBC. If the excursion is a 'must have,' make sure it isn't waitlisted first. I recommend doing this as soon as you can once aboard so that the excursions don't fill up by people using their OBC to book popular excursions.

Here is a link from Princess which explains how to use on board credits to pay for excursions in advance of boarding: Princess® Cruise Credits - What are Cruise Credits? - Princess Cruises

I'm just curious, does your wife share your name and are you showing a different source of payment for your wife's purchases? I have had no issues applying our $8600 AARP gift cards to both of our bookings, but we do share the same last name and we have our stateroom account set up where anything my wife were to charge will be applied against my credit card. Just a thought.

Maybe there will still be some still available when your TA returns

Yeah, but a balcony is better. Have you looked to see how many balconies are available?

That last sentence is pretty clear.

If the new price for a balcony is less than what they paid for the inside, why make it " a healthy upgrade" I would try a minimal bid first or call Princess (or the TA that has the booking) and see if they'll do an even swap while also keeping the OBC. It's worth a try.

I get decent OBC from my TA. It's refundable OBC so, the same as cash if I behave myself onboard. 🙄

Thanks, it's more complicated now. Both the bank (MetaBank now called Pathward) and NCL stated they no longer have a relationship and Pathward referred my concerns to NCL. NCL reiterated that they no longer do business with MetaBank, but because of my past experience as an NCL customer, they have agreed to honor the card this time as OBC. The NCL rep I spoke with says they will no longer offer gift cards of any type.

Are you Norwegian??????????? 😆

Well... I cannot believe how much I messed up regarding my last cruise in September. As you may have noticed, I left my laptop on board Breakaway, jumped through a couple of hoops and got it back. When I was putting our passports away, I noticed an envelope from NCL on which I had written "$500 Gift Card." I didn't remember ever buying a gift card, but then I recalled buying one before the pandemic shutdown. I bought it to use toward the Eastern Med cruise that I was finally able to book after the restart and take last month. I wish I remembered that card when I was paying for that cruise, but I remember it now! 😒 I don't foresee another NCL cruise in the next 18 months and the card is losing $3.00 a month so now it's only good for $450. I just put it on e B a y at a discount as it will be close to nothing by the time I get to use it. Oh well, hopefully, somebody should end up benefitting from it. Between paying shipping charges for the return of my laptop and losing the use of the $500 card, this cruise is still costing me money. 💸 🤷‍♂️ I think I need another cruise.

I bought a $500 NCL Gift Card from NCL and couldn't use it during the shutdown and MetaBank has been charging me $3/monthly so the card is now down to $455. I am considering selling it on eBay, but I don't know how to transfer ownership of the card to the purchaser. How were you able to establish ownership of the NCL cards you bought on eBay? MetaBank does not have live customer service and their FAQ's does not address this. Thanks.

I just found a $500 NCL Gift Card I forgot I had. I have already lost $45.00 in dormancy fees making the card worth $455 as of today and likely $452 next week. I called the 800 number that came with the documentation to enquire what I would need to do to transfer the card to another person. On the recording on the web site, it says I can use the card at any location that accepts Visa cards, but the documentation that came with the card it says I can only use it at NCL. I plan to either apply it to my next cruise if it can be accepted by my TA for a Princess cruise or if not, I'll see if I can apply it to my upcoming Oceania cruise as "O" is owned by NCL Holdings. Barring that, I may try to sell it on eBay. Has anybody else dealt with this issue? As of now, I don't see any NCL sailings in my future.

Since this is your first Haven experience, Hubby will have his first clues in the Haven (VIP) Lounge in the terminal prior to boarding. At my recent boarding in September the concierge met us in the Haven Lounge in the terminal and took our reservations for shows and dining. She also issued our key cards there. So, if you're hoping to get a photo of his expression, have your camera/phone ready when you enter the terminal. 📸 📱

SSSHHHsssh!!! Nobody knows about that....🙈🙉🙊

I am also looking forward to reading the comparisons as we are booked on our first O cruise next September. I hope they will read just like the rest of this thread with hints and secrets. I especially want to learn the secret handshake and password.

I just came off the Breakaway staying in the Haven. One good thing about the Breakaway Haven's hot tubs is that the one on the port side has a sign which says that hot tub is for adults only. The starboard side hot tub is not posted. So, there shouldn't be an issue for any adult to find a hot tub to use. There were some children on our cruise, and they did use the starboard side hot tub and pool at times, but not continuously. One never really noticed the children on that sailing as the parents were always with them and weren't relying on the other passengers and the hot tubs to be their babysitters. You shouldn't have any problem at all. You should have a great time with your children, don't worry about how you'll be perceived - it will be just fine. I also think there are enough fun activities near the main Lido pool, that your children may prefer to spend a lot of their time there.

@Sthrngary - I have to take some issue with your last post. Those people should have access to the Haven and its various upgraded perks. I think it's a crying shame that NCL won't let them book and pay for a cabin in the Haven so they too can enjoy the 'suite life.' I wonder why NCL won't let them pay the fare to enjoy the Haven. Thank goodness they take my money and let me in the Haven. Maybe it's because I know the secret Haven handshake and password...😆 People like the ones you mention are generally losers mostly because they won't work within accepted societal processes. Instead, they want to cry and complain that they're not being treated the same as those of us who worked long and hard to get what we have. When they were younger, they would throw themselves on the floor and kick their legs and hold their breath until they got what they wanted. What a shock it must be to discover that these tactics don't work for them any longer. 😭