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sapphire_407

By sapphire_407,
in Carnival Cruise Lines

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sapphire_407

sapphire_407

Posted
Posted

I've researched this forum for answers but they seem to be all over the place.  So here it is.

 

I'm sailing April 9th and have $600.00 in OBC.  I want to go to many restaurants.  Can I use my credit to book the restaurants before I leave or do I have to wait till I'm onboard?

 

Can I use the credit for drink packages?

 

Can I use the credit to buy liquor in the shops?

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cellfree

cellfree

Posted
Posted (edited)

We had OBC also, went to Cherry On Top early in the cruise (just off the Pride) and purchased 5 - $100 Carnival Gift Certificates, we cruise in October 2022 and will use those Cretificates to pay off a portion of that cruise.

Edited by cellfree
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nwcruiselover

nwcruiselover

Posted
Posted (edited)
24 minutes ago, cellfree said:

We had OBC also, went to Cherry On Top early in the cruise (just off the Pride) and purchased 5 - $100 Carnival Gift Certificates, we cruise in October 2022 and will use those Cretificates to pay off a portion of that cruise.

That’s good to hear.  I had heard they were not allowing those Cherry On Top gift card purchases using promotional OBC,

Edited by nwcruiselover
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cellfree

cellfree

Posted
Posted
1 minute ago, nwcruiselover said:

That’s good to hear.  I had heard they were not allowing those Cherry On Top gift card purchases using promotional OBC,

Interesting. The gal working there even told me she suggested it to cruisers who didn’t know about it. I asked her if she would run out before the end of the cruise, one of the reasons I went early just in case, and she said she would not, oh yes, minimum is $100.

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ciera123

ciera123

Posted
Posted
On 12/6/2021 at 4:42 PM, cellfree said:

We had OBC also, went to Cherry On Top early in the cruise (just off the Pride) and purchased 5 - $100 Carnival Gift Certificates, we cruise in October 2022 and will use those Cretificates to pay off a portion of that cruise.

This makes me so happy to hear, thank you! We are on a B2B in January with an $800 OBC. I was hoping I could do something like this to have some for the second cruise. We don’t drink a lot or go to the specialty restaurants, so this is great! 

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groundloop

groundloop

Posted
Posted

I'd been reading that Carnival was clamping down on using OBC to purchase gift cards, but can confirm that it can be done (at least on Pride - or until Carnival reads this and puts an end to it).  We were on Pride for Thanksgiving and had more OBC than we could use and thankfully I was able to purchase a gift card from Cherry On Top.

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cellfree

cellfree

Posted
Posted
9 hours ago, groundloop said:

I'd been reading that Carnival was clamping down on using OBC to purchase gift cards, but can confirm that it can be done (at least on Pride - or until Carnival reads this and puts an end to it).  We were on Pride for Thanksgiving and had more OBC than we could use and thankfully I was able to purchase a gift card from Cherry On Top.

I often wonder what Carnival learns (ha) by reading theses Boards. We were glad to be able to get gift cards on the Pride. And to Carnival’s benefit, the money remains ‘in the Carnival family.’ 

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groundloop

groundloop

Posted
Posted
38 minutes ago, cellfree said:

I often wonder what Carnival learns (ha) by reading theses Boards......

 

From some of John Heald's facebook writings it sounds like he follows what is discussed here, so it wouldn't be surprising to hear at some point that they've clamped down on gift card purchases on Pride.

 

John - if you're reading this - why are they getting so skimpy with sides in the Main Dining Room.  When broccoli is listed as a side item and you only get a single solitary piece, well, that's just not enough!!!!!!!!

 

 

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Denverdonkeys

Denverdonkeys

Posted
Posted
32 minutes ago, thepla said:

Can OBC be used to Daily Gratuities? OBC is form a cancelled cruise.

Yes- OBC is posted to your sign and sail account. any charges (including gratuities if they are not pre-paid before the cruise) hit your account. The OBC (or other credits) are then just offset against those cumulative charges. there is a precise order that the credits are used to pay off charges, I believe non-refundable OBC is first.

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Computer Nerd

Computer Nerd

Posted
Posted
On 12/6/2021 at 3:01 PM, nwcruiselover said:

No, you can’t use it to book prior to the cruise.  Once onboard you can use it for drink packages, restaurants, liquor in the gift shops, tips, and other purchases.

And it's a shame. On Royal, you can book anything you want prior to the cruise and use your OBC to help pay for it prior to sailing. I wish Carnival would allow the same thing.

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Computer Nerd

Computer Nerd

Posted
Posted
On 12/6/2021 at 5:42 PM, cellfree said:

We had OBC also, went to Cherry On Top early in the cruise (just off the Pride) and purchased 5 - $100 Carnival Gift Certificates, we cruise in October 2022 and will use those Cretificates to pay off a portion of that cruise.

Smooth move. Didn't even know they have them there.

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Computer Nerd

Computer Nerd

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, audcc77 said:

If you cannot purchase things in advance of your cruise with OBC, then why do they have this on my “balance” page?   
image.thumb.jpeg.610a351ca6912c6e7b96078993c4cf37.jpeg

If I wasn’t able to spend any of it prior to sailing, I would think it would just say &500 OBC.  

I have never seen that page before.

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crazy4themouse

crazy4themouse

Posted
Posted
1 hour ago, audcc77 said:

If you cannot purchase things in advance of your cruise with OBC, then why do they have this on my “balance” page?   
image.thumb.jpeg.610a351ca6912c6e7b96078993c4cf37.jpeg

 

If I wasn’t able to spend any of it prior to sailing, I would think it would just say &500 OBC.  

 

When is your cruise? I know they have been testing being able to actually use OBC pre-cruise, but only for a couple of cruises this month. I've been waiting to order some stuff, hoping they extend this test or make it a permanent thing for our February cruise!

 

 

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csm5986142

csm5986142

Posted
Posted

I have been on 4 cruises since cruising resumed this past summer.  I had been granted shareholder OBC on all of them.  Just this morning, I was denied it for my next 2 upcoming cruises. 

One was as very low rate casino offer (so I was not surprised on that one) but the other was not.  We paid top dollar for a Havana Cabana room we'd been watching for like a year, and decided to splurge when it came open due to a cancellation.  But apparently Carnival still considers it a VIFP special rate (or something similar).  Not complaining, I know they are doing everything they can to lower their expenses, but I do agree with those who say Carnival is denying OBC consistently now.  

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