Shore Excursion Discount

[HleeCruiser]

I want to book some shore excursions before boarding for our cruise.   One of the benefits for the Elite Loyalty level is a 10% discount on excursions.   My question is when is the discount applied and how?  Sure would not want to receive the discount as a non-refundable On Board Credit. 

 

Thanks,

Henry

[Renophi]

We booked a Mediterranean cruise for April '22 and have pre-purchased $3,000 in excursions. It is my belief that the 10% discount will hit your folio when you board as OBC. I don't believe that it is refundable as it doesn't say so in the terms and conditions. Maybe someone with more experience can help, but I got my information from #12 on their benefit link:

 

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/cc/captains-circle-loyalty-benefits.pdf

 

I hope that helps! 

[Tak8]

I would hope the nonrefundable OBC would be used first.   I don't tend to book too many ship excursions, so I doubt I would get too much credit that I couldn't use  it.   

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, Tak8 said:

I would hope the nonrefundable OBC would be used first.   I don't tend to book too many ship excursions, so I doubt I would get too much credit that I couldn't use  it.   

Non-refundable OBC is used before refundable OBC.

[HleeCruiser]

3 hours ago, Renophi said:

We booked a Mediterranean cruise for April '22 and have pre-purchased $3,000 in excursions. It is my belief that the 10% discount will hit your folio when you board as OBC. I don't believe that it is refundable as it doesn't say so in the terms and conditions. Maybe someone with more experience can help, but I got my information from #12 on their benefit link:

 

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/cc/captains-circle-loyalty-benefits.pdf

 

I hope that helps! 

 

Thanks.  The link you shared clearly states the discount will be credited to the on board portfolio.

Appreciate your passing the info. along.

 

 

[majortom10]

So basically its a clever "con" because the 10% discount isnt in actual cash only OBC where you have to purchase overpticed items so in effect possibly only costing Princess 3-4%.

[trbarton]

I’m waiting till I’m on the ship to see what happens with the 10% since the excursions I booked exceed my OBC so I paid the extra already. 
 

Tom😀

[Ombud]

I received Refundable OBC for the 10% shore excursions in August 2021. If someone is cruising after that and it was non-refundable please post. FWIW I cashed out <$25 (wifi & excursion rebates) last night onboard. Only issue was I could only use the coffee card --- nothing else -- after closing my account

 

 

Edited October 22, 2021 by Ombud

[memoak]

We use OBC for specialty dining venues and bottles of wine

[geoherb]

When I prepaid for an excursion before all of my OBC was credited to my account, the excess was refundable OBC. They took out the nonrefundable first. The same thing happened with my prepurchase of internet in August. I received the 50% back as refundable OBC on board the ship. 

[Level six]

So, if your OBC is on your account, you can use that to pay for excursions before going on the ship?  Thanks

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, Level six said:

So, if your OBC is on your account, you can use that to pay for excursions before going on the ship?  Thanks

Yes, you can.

[Level six]

Awesome, thanks.  When I try to book it, it doesn't come off the OBC, it just wants payment.  How do you use OBC before getting on the ship?  thanks

[Steelers36]

On 10/22/2021 at 8:42 AM, HleeCruiser said:

I want to book some shore excursions before boarding for our cruise.   One of the benefits for the Elite Loyalty level is a 10% discount on excursions.   My question is when is the discount applied and how?  Sure would not want to receive the discount as a non-refundable On Board Credit. 

 

Thanks,

Henry

 

On 10/22/2021 at 9:27 AM, Renophi said:

We booked a Mediterranean cruise for April '22 and have pre-purchased $3,000 in excursions. It is my belief that the 10% discount will hit your folio when you board as OBC. I don't believe that it is refundable as it doesn't say so in the terms and conditions. Maybe someone with more experience can help, but I got my information from #12 on their benefit link:

 

https://www.princess.com/downloads/pdf/cc/captains-circle-loyalty-benefits.pdf

 

I hope that helps! 

As some posts above indicate, the 10% is Refundable OBC.  The loyalty benefits state refund credit. 

 

If you were to purchase a shore excursion on board, 90% of the cost would be billed to on-board account.  Paying ahead and receiving 10% back as Refundable OBC is equal treatment.  Of course, Princess hopes the 10% will be spent, but it is Refundable.  Same idea for Internet plans.

 

[Ombud]

2 hours ago, Level six said:

Awesome, thanks.  When I try to book it, it doesn't come off the OBC, it just wants payment.  How do you use OBC before getting on the ship?  thanks

When you go to payment on the personalizer it doesn't give you the option to use credit? 

[Level six]

1 minute ago, Ombud said:

When you go to payment on the personalizer it doesn't give you the option to use credit? 

I will try again today, thanks.  It didn't last night, but it was glitchy yesterday. 

[Renophi]

I guess the part that is making me question the refundable part is the last sentence:

 

"Discount is not transferrable and has no cash value."

 

That was why I was hoping that someone who actually received the credit back as cash would be able to clarify. No doubt we will be able to use the credit if necessary, I mean who doesn't need a new Princess hoodie? lol

 

As for using the credit to book excursions, I think the only way to do this is book one or more pre-cruise and then book another once on board using the 10% OBC credit. I cannot see or try to use the $300 credit on my account at this time and expect to see it when we board.

Edited October 25, 2021 by Renophi

[Ombud]

2 hours ago, Renophi said:

I was hoping that someone who actually received the credit back as cash would be able to clarify

Well. 2 of us can verify that it was received back as refundable OBC ( @geoherb post # 10 & me post #8) on our August cruises in Alaska at least. So no worries. I even took mine back as cash the final night onboard

 

 

Edited October 25, 2021 by Ombud

[Steelers36]

5 hours ago, Renophi said:

I guess the part that is making me question the refundable part is the last sentence:

 

"Discount is not transferrable and has no cash value."

 

That was why I was hoping that someone who actually received the credit back as cash would be able to clarify. No doubt we will be able to use the credit if necessary, I mean who doesn't need a new Princess hoodie? lol

 

As for using the credit to book excursions, I think the only way to do this is book one or more pre-cruise and then book another once on board using the 10% OBC credit. I cannot see or try to use the $300 credit on my account at this time and expect to see it when we board.

That phrase is there so someone cannot try and claim their 50% without purchasing internet, or expect some cash compensation if not booking an excursion.  Nor can you request a fellow cruiser who is not eligible for the discounts to take your place so to speak and get the discount.

[NavyVeteran]

On 10/25/2021 at 9:49 AM, Renophi said:

As for using the credit to book excursions, I think the only way to do this is book one or more pre-cruise and then book another once on board using the 10% OBC credit. I cannot see or try to use the $300 credit on my account at this time and expect to see it when we board.

If you have OBC credit pre-cruise and use it to book shore excursions, Princess does not actually charge the excursions pre-cruise. When I did this, my onboard folio listed the all of my excursion purchases as charges and all of my OBC as credit.

 

Example (before 10% shore excursion discount and before elimination of loyalty OBC):

• I had $600 OBC pre-cruise: $250 refundable (military) and $350 non-refundable (shareholder and FCD).
• I "purchased" $600 worth of shore excursions pre-cruise using the OBC. My Cruise Personalizer sowed $600 OBC used and none remaining.
• When I boarded, my onboard folio showed the $600 in shore excursion purchases and $675 OBC (the $250 refundable and $350 non-refundable showing pre-cruise plus an additional $75 non-refundable loyalty not available pre-cruise).
• After charging the $600 shore excursions and crediting the $675 OBC, I had $75 remaining OBC.
• Since it used the non-refundable OBC first, I still had $75 refundable OBC to be refunded.

 

Note that Princess did not actually charge the excursions against the OBC using the pre-cruise OBC available at the time I booked the excursions. They charged it against my total onboard OBC, including the additional OBC not available pre-cruise. Since they use non-refundable OBC first, I got back some of my military OBC - even though I had used it all for pre-cruise excursion purchases.

 

When I paid money on my credit card to purchase excursions pre-cruise, those payments showed as refundable.

 

It does not make sense for the 10% discount to be refundable. If you paid for your excursions with refundable OBC or with a credit card, then that amount would be refundable instead.

 

Some more example:

• Suppose you have $250 non-refundable shareholder OBC pre-cruise and you spend it all on a pre-cruise excursion purchase. You get a $25 refund onboard. Why should that $25 be refundable since the only thing you spent was non-refundable OBC.
• Suppose you pay $250 pre-cruise from refundable military OBC or by credit card. You get the $25 refund onboard. Then since the @250 military OBC or the $250 credit card payment is refundable, you would receive a $25 refund that would be refundable.