Canadian cruisers!!

[ladysail2]

I still can't fathom why Royal wouldn't take my money to put in an OBC? Just because we booked in US??

 

It's because the booking is in US$$ They have to keep it all the same. They don't mix US money and Canadian money. I suppose it's an accounting thing.

It's maddening I know. I've mistakenly not noticed when a booking has been made in US....and too bad... I either cancel the booking and re-book, or pay the price.

[ladysail2]

I think that since the OBC is your own money, it is fully refundable. For those cruising next week here's a deal: Buy US$1,000,000 for CDN$ 1,100,000. Cash out the US$ 1,000,000 at Guest Relations. Large sums have low exchange fees, so with the CDN$ currently at US$ 0.804, take the US$1 Million to the bank and get CDN$ 1,240,000. You have made a quick CDN $124,000.:D Think RCI will allow this?:rolleyes:

 

I'd do it if I could. Of course, I'd have to have the million $$ to start with...and shucks, I'm just a few thousand short...hahaha :p

[ladysail2]

That's not an agency that they have set up in Vancouver it is just a banking centre for processing CDN$ transactions.

 

Canadians booking directly through Royal are dealing with the same reps in either Oregon or Kansas that the Americans are.

I knew that. I didn't mean it was a brick and mortar agency, but some sort of centre set up to handle the Canadian currency transactions. I wish all the cruise lines would do this....wonder if Royal has the same sort of centre set up in other countries?

[ladysail2]

The customer service rep on the phone said that whatever amount that we don't spend will be automatically refunded on our Credit Card 7 to 10 days after the cruise. So I don't even have to do anything.

 

dp

 

Personally, I would cash out your account while on the ship. There are too many stories of people not being able to settle their account from home. Usually it's a case of finding out they've been overcharged for the mini-bar or a towel...and it's nearly impossible to reach anyone to get it corrected and refunded.

Just go to Guest Services the last day and take out the money. You'll have US dollars, but put it away towards your next cruise if you don't think you'll spend it otherwise. Just a helpful hint. :D

[tomko2]

How the heck did you buy that much OBC?? They were giving me a hassle for wanting to buy $1000's worth a few weeks ago. I had to buy two $495 OBCs for the same cruise. He wouldn't even let me buy $500's worth!!

 

I bought more this past Saturday, $500 for $550...whoohoo. I had booked directly with Royal C in Canadian funds. These were for 2016 sailings. No hassle this time for the $500. I guess each agent has their own judgement on these things.

 

I'm very happy about this deal :D

 

 

Sorry, I should have been more specific. We have 10 reservations covering now until April 2016 which we booked during the (ever-lasting) WOW sale in order to take advantage of the lower deposit and the $200 OBCs. :) All the bookings are for D1/D2 cabins, 4 and 5 night sailings from Lauderdale on the Indy (other than this April on LOS). Am impatiently waiting for the Winter 2016 - 2017 schedule to come out, at which time I will start moving bookings around.

Now I have to be very careful to ensure the movement of the bookings includes the original OBC and the purchased OBCs. :) Have printed off all the receipts which show the Reservation Numbers.

 

Kathy

Edited February 17, 2015 by tomko2

[beaver]

With this exchange rate for OBC being so lucrative, what is RCL charging to convert the US funds into Canadian funds to charge a Canadian credit card.

 

When finalizing my bill on the cruise ship I usually check the box to have my bank do a conversion on US to Canadian would it be better to have RCL do the conversion/

[ladysail2]

Sorry, I should have been more specific. We have 10 reservations covering now until April 2016 which we booked during the (ever-lasting) WOW sale in order to take advantage of the lower deposit and the $200 OBCs. :) All the bookings are for D1/D2 cabins, 4 and 5 night sailings from Lauderdale on the Indy (other than this April on LOS). Am impatiently waiting for the Winter 2016 - 2017 schedule to come out, at which time I will start moving bookings around.

Now I have to be very careful to ensure the movement of the bookings includes the original OBC and the purchased OBCs. :) Have printed off all the receipts which show the Reservation Numbers.

 

Kathy

 

That makes sense considering what I was told. Good for you, 10 bookings...lots to look forward to....and good idea to keep printed receipts....have fun on all your cruises :D

[Ourusualbeach]

With this exchange rate for OBC being so lucrative, what is RCL charging to convert the US funds into Canadian funds to charge a Canadian credit card.

 

When finalizing my bill on the cruise ship I usually check the box to have my bank do a conversion on US to Canadian would it be better to have RCL do the conversion/

 

They are charging the going rates. This is the one area of their system that fluctuates daily with exchange rates.

 

Definitely have your credit card do the conversion.

Edited February 18, 2015 by Ourusualbeach

[Ourusualbeach]

I knew that. I didn't mean it was a brick and mortar agency, but some sort of centre set up to handle the Canadian currency transactions. I wish all the cruise lines would do this....wonder if Royal has the same sort of centre set up in other countries?

 

I would imagine that they have a similar set up in each country whose currency they price in.

 

This ability to be able to book in lots of different currencies actually caused them a large loss last quarter as the US$ gained quite a bit of ground in the world markets which by default devalues all the other countries currencies. This loss actually wiped out all the savings that they gained on the low oil prices.

[goodml]

I almost always book on the RC website and I always check the price of the cruise in both currencies before booking. It's a real bonus to be able to book in either currency.

[goodml]

Did you call as well?

 

I called, and I wrote an email, asking to put $$$ into my OBC, and was told I had to put it in US funds... I asked about getting this deal, and was told, no I couldn't.

I said, ok, I will keep my money in my pocket then... they still didn't bite, lol.

 

 

I have told my dh we will not spend one cent on board now... not that they care, but just for my own sake, in my own private protest.

 

Silly on their part... why not take our money?????? LOL

 

It's actually not silly at all. It's just a tough break for you this time but next time you'll know. It's always going to be a gamble when we book far in advance. Your purchases prior to boarding are always in the currency of your booking. Their system doesn't have the capability for you to switch back and forth. You can choose not to spend on board if you want but that actually seems a little silly unless you were never going to spend anything anyway. No offense.

[Koshlong]

I've sort of sold out and handle the problem by having a separate US$ account and a US$ MasterCard. When our dollar isn't in the s bend I put money in the account and use it at times like these. I'm getting the bank's exchange rate, which is better than the cc' and probably better than the cruise line's.

 

I find it gives me a little flexibility.

[mapleleafvoyage]

It's actually not silly at all. It's just a tough break for you this time but next time you'll know. It's always going to be a gamble when we book far in advance. Your purchases prior to boarding are always in the currency of your booking. Their system doesn't have the capability for you to switch back and forth. You can choose not to spend on board if you want but that actually seems a little silly unless you were never going to spend anything anyway. No offense.

 

 

Actually I spend and planned on spending my usual- drinks and excursions and ship souvenirs. I paid for an excursion already, it was $196 and I just got my bill it cost almost $265 with my exchange. ..

now, I'll just get my souvenirs from the islands and not the ship. With the price of my exchange it's a bit to expensive now.

So, certainly won't be drinking much or spending much on board with those rates..

[goodml]

Actually I spend and planned on spending my usual- drinks and excursions and ship souvenirs. I paid for an excursion already, it was $196 and I just got my bill it cost almost $265 with my exchange. ..

now, I'll just get my souvenirs from the islands and not the ship. With the price of my exchange it's a bit to expensive now.

So, certainly won't be drinking much or spending much on board with those rates..

 

Yeah it definitely puts a damper on things like travelling and cross border shopping but I rationalize it by telling myself it helps the economy so much more as our exports become much more favourable with a lower dollar. Keeps my hubby who's in the manufacturing sector working! :)

[retird]

Well today I finally broke down... I wasn't going to get any OBC since we Prepaid Grats, Pre-purchased Bev Packages and specialty restaurants. But with the exchange rate that they are offering, I got $200 (that cost $220) just to cover incidentals like Internet, a few pictures, and maybe a few glasses of wine or scotch that might be over the $12 limit. The customer service rep on the phone said that whatever amount that we don't spend will be automatically refunded on our Credit Card 7 to 10 days after the cruise. So I don't even have to do anything.

 

dp

 

What number or department are you calling at Royal Caribbean.. I have a cruise booked for march 2015 which I booked direct through a rep at RCCL and paid for in Cdn funds. and I just called the main number and spoke to the rep to purchase an obc. She said that I had to call Gifts and Gear at 800-722-5443 to purchase obc and that she had spoken to them and the conversion rate would be whatever the going rate at the banks is today.

[goodml]

She's right about calling Gifts and Gear but totally wrong about the rate. You can also call Crown and Anchor if a member. Don't ask too many questions as you'll find they mostly have no clue. Just tell them you want to buy X amount onboard credit and ask how much they'll be charging you in CDN $. They'll enter the amount and tell you how much. One time I called the girl actually googled the exchange rate. I said oh thanks for doing that but you can just enter it in your system and tell me what my charge will be. :)

Edited February 18, 2015 by goodml

[Ourusualbeach]

What number or department are you calling at Royal Caribbean.. I have a cruise booked for march 2015 which I booked direct through a rep at RCCL and paid for in Cdn funds. and I just called the main number and spoke to the rep to purchase an obc. She said that I had to call Gifts and Gear at 800-722-5443 to purchase obc and that she had spoken to them and the conversion rate would be whatever the going rate at the banks is today.

 

Some of the reps will tell you it's at the current exchange rate but once yu give them your reservation number and they process it then it will come up at he 110% rate.

[dpostman]

What number or department are you calling at Royal Caribbean.. I have a cruise booked for march 2015 which I booked direct through a rep at RCCL and paid for in Cdn funds. and I just called the main number and spoke to the rep to purchase an obc. She said that I had to call Gifts and Gear at 800-722-5443 to purchase obc and that she had spoken to them and the conversion rate would be whatever the going rate at the banks is today.

 

I called 1-800-722-5443. The rep knew right away that the rate was going to be 110%

 

dp

[Canadian Tyler]

I bought a bit of onboard credit and was quoted the 10% rate.

When I received the confirmation email it only listed the Canadian conversion amount, not the amount of USD OBC I received for that amount. Is this normal? Just want to make sure I got the correct amount.

[jtdlmc]

I bought a bit of onboard credit and was quoted the 10% rate.

When I received the confirmation email it only listed the Canadian conversion amount, not the amount of USD OBC I received for that amount. Is this normal? Just want to make sure I got the correct amount.

 

Yes, that's what they send out.

[luweege]

Thanks to OP and everyone that gave their input on this thread.

 

Purchased $200 USD for $220 CAD through the C&A number a few minutes ago without any issues.

[dvcdisney]

Did you call as well?

 

I called, and I wrote an email, asking to put $$$ into my OBC, and was told I had to put it in US funds... I asked about getting this deal, and was told, no I couldn't.

I said, ok, I will keep my money in my pocket then... they still didn't bite, lol.

 

 

I have told my dh we will not spend one cent on board now... not that they care, but just for my own sake, in my own private protest.

 

Silly on their part... why not take our money?????? LOL

 

I actually asked about that issue that last time I spoke to them. I know it's frustrating, but when they go into your reservation to add the OBC, the only option is to pay in US$. They're incapable of bypassing the system to get you the OBC Canadian rate for your reservation. If for some reason, they were able to do it, I would be nervous since it would be process by the IT department. And according to several posts on the board, many don't trust them. I would be very nervous about them going into my reservation....

[retird]

Thanks to everyone on this thread. I am sailing on a 16 day cruise and just purchased a $1000. u.s. OBC for $1100 CDN.

[dvcdisney]

I ended up cancelling my dining reservations and drink packages. It was cheaper to buy the OBC and then purchase those on board.

 

I think I would have done the same if this wasn't my first RCCL cruise. If it was DCL, it would be different story. Alas...DCL does not offer payment in Cdn $ unless you go with a Cdn TA.

[mapleleafvoyage]

I actually asked about that issue that last time I spoke to them. I know it's frustrating, but when they go into your reservation to add the OBC, the only option is to pay in US$. They're incapable of bypassing the system to get you the OBC Canadian rate for your reservation. If for some reason, they were able to do it, I would be nervous since it would be process by the IT department. And according to several posts on the board, many don't trust them. I would be very nervous about them going into my reservation....

 

 

I find it very hard to believe that we can send people to the moon, but we can't deal with 2 currencies--- especially the rare US and Canadian dollars, lol

It's all good.... I sent an email for my reservations :)