OBC for Excursions

[SUESEABE]

I usually book independent excursions or pre-book HAL excursions but I have substantial OBC on upcoming May cruise and want to try to utilize it all. Do you know that if I wait to book excursions on board I can use my OBC for cost of excursion (never booked onboard)? 

[Alberta Quilter]

Yes, you can.  The only problem could be that your preferred excursion could be sold out prior to boarding.  If there is an excursion you really want to do, book it and pay for it advance.  You could also book your excursions three days prior to boarding, by calling in.  Then the charges will appear on your shipboard account and will use your OBC. I was able to do this on a cruise just before the pause.

Edited February 3, 2022 by Alberta Quilter

[SUESEABE]

@Alberta Quilter Is there a specific phone number to call to book excursions?

[1ANGELCAT]

Shore ex 8884259376

[terrydtx]

6 minutes ago, SUESEABE said:

@Alberta Quilter Is there a specific phone number to call to book excursions?

You can go into your HAL online account and pre book your shore excursions using your OBC and many of them offer pre cruise discounts. We have already booked all of our Oosterdam excursions for our August cruise.

[kazu]

16 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

You can go into your HAL online account and pre book your shore excursions using your OBC and many of them offer pre cruise discounts. We have already booked all of our Oosterdam excursions for our August cruise.

 

You can use your shore excursion credit (part of the Have it All currently) to purchase excursions, but regular OBC has not been able to be used prior to being on board in my experience.

[SUESEABE]

@terrydtx How do you pre-book? Thursday night I went into HAL account and chose excursions, put them into my cart. I did not purchase. But if I just leave them sit in cart it won't secure my spot in excursions. Received email this morning to complete my order.  I don't think I can pre-book. I do not have HIA. I think that I will just have to wait and try to call in within the 3 days prior to sail and hope that my selected excursions are not sold out. Going to Rome 3 days early before cruise so will need to call from out of country. I'm thankful for Orange SIM card so I will wait and try then. We will be flexible. 

[DaveOKC]

If I REALLY want an excursion, I go ahead and book it using credit card as I do not want to chance it being sold out (this also applies to wanting a certain time for some excursions).

 

Most cruises I have enough onboard charges (including the Crew Incentive) to wipe out the OBC anyway, but even if not it is worth it to lock in a must do excursion.

[terrydtx]

45 minutes ago, SUESEABE said:

@terrydtx How do you pre-book? Thursday night I went into HAL account and chose excursions, put them into my cart. I did not purchase. But if I just leave them sit in cart it won't secure my spot in excursions. Received email this morning to complete my order.  I don't think I can pre-book. I do not have HIA. I think that I will just have to wait and try to call in within the 3 days prior to sail and hope that my selected excursions are not sold out. Going to Rome 3 days early before cruise so will need to call from out of country. I'm thankful for Orange SIM card so I will wait and try then. We will be flexible. 

Once they are in your cart you have to pay for them and I believe when you check out it gives you the option to pay with OBC or with a CC. If you do not check out and pay, the excursions will not remain in your cart and you lose them. 

Edited February 5, 2022 by terrydtx

[kazu]

38 minutes ago, terrydtx said:

Once they are in your cart you have to pay for them and I believe when you check out it gives you the option to pay with OBC or with a CC. If you do not check out and pay, the excursions will not remain in your cart and you lose them. 

 

I just did mine - and, as I said earlier, there was no option to use OBC.  It appears to be the same as it was B.C. (Before Covid)

 

The two options were credit card or gift card - nothing about OBC.

[Daniel A]

Can you book with a CC and once onboard change the form of payment to OBC?

[terrydtx]

1 minute ago, Daniel A said:

Can you book with a CC and once onboard change the form of payment to OBC?

I asked that on another social media site, and the answer is no, you would have to cancel the booking and then rebook. You would lose any pre booking discounts and risk not being able to rebook if the excursion or specialty restaurant is sold out.. We have $300 in OBC from a HAL promo that we may have to spend in the over priced onboard shops.

 

I thought back in February we could use the OBC for shore excursions pre cruise but the only thing we could so was use the up to $200 shore excursion credit we got with the Have It all promo booking. We also got to use the 2 specialty Restaurants Have It All credit pre cruise.

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, terrydtx said:

I asked that on another social media site, and the answer is no, you would have to cancel the booking and then rebook. You would lose any pre booking discounts and risk not being able to rebook if the excursion or specialty restaurant is sold out.. We have $300 in OBC from a HAL promo that we may have to spend in the over priced onboard shops.

 

I thought back in February we could use the OBC for shore excursions pre cruise but the only thing we could so was use the up to $200 shore excursion credit we got with the Have It all promo booking. We also got to use the 2 specialty Restaurants Have It All credit pre cruise.

Can you use OBC in the Casino?

[rodndonna]

2 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Can you use OBC in the Casino?

yes

[Daniel A]

5 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

yes

Great, that should soften the blow of needing to pay cash for my excursions...  I'd probaly be losing cash one way or the other anyway.  🤷‍♂️

[terrydtx]

9 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Can you use OBC in the Casino?

Not sure, we have never spent any money in any ships casino.

[VMax1700]

12 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Can you use OBC in the Casino?

Some OBC cannot be used for cash or casino (read the small print!). They are classed as 'Promo Credits'.  

[terrydtx]

11 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

Great, that should soften the blow of needing to pay cash for my excursions...  I'd probaly be losing cash one way or the other anyway.  🤷‍♂️

My wife wanted to use our OBC to book and pay for a mani-pedi on embarkation day in Trieste, so had to use the CC as no way she would get a time in the spa after we boarded.

[Mary229]

I even tried the three day prebook  and was denied.  They told me OBC was for onboard exclusively.  One thing I have noticed is increases in price I assume are due to fuel surcharges raising the prices of the excursions.  It is a juggling act.

[DaveOKC]

17 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Can you use OBC in the Casino?

Typically for HAL, my experience has been "it depends".  Most times charges from the casino are taken off your onboard bill, but sometimes they are not.  And my OBC is generally from the same sources each cruise.  Best to check with the front desk early in your cruise to see what their policy is, as it seems to vary by ship.

[Alberta Quilter]

16 hours ago, Mary229 said:

I even tried the three day prebook  and was denied.  They told me OBC was for onboard exclusively.  One thing I have noticed is increases in price I assume are due to fuel surcharges raising the prices of the excursions.  It is a juggling act.

I'm surprised at that.  When I did it (before Covid), the charges showed up on my onboard account and were, as a result, paid by the OBC that was on that account.  I didn't request that the shorex be paid by the OBC; it just happened.  So, if you were denied, did you have to pay for the shorex via credit card at the time of booking?

Edited June 20, 2022 by Alberta Quilter

[Mary229]

20 minutes ago, Alberta Quilter said:

I'm surprised at that.  When I did it (before Covid), the charges showed up on my onboard account and were, as a result, paid by the OBC that was on that account.  I didn't request that the shorex be paid by the OBC; it just happened.  So, if you were denied, did you have to pay for the shorex via credit card at the time of booking?

I just waited and bought it immediately upon boarding 

[kazu]

18 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Can you use OBC in the Casino?

 

18 hours ago, rodndonna said:

yes

 

Slight clarification.  If the OBC is refundable (OBC you bought or from most TA’s) then yes, you can.

 

If it’s from HAL - no you can’t.  At least not on the ships I’ve been on and others who have reported here on CC.   You USED to be able to but it seems the computer system has caught up.

The machine will accept the card, OBC will be charged and then you will see a reversal a day later.  When you look at your statement the OBC that can’t be used in the casino says “not for use in the casino”

 

In the old days it didn’t matter - now it appears to.  Definitely check first.  YMMV

[DaveOKC]

19 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

 

Slight clarification.  If the OBC is refundable (OBC you bought or from most TA’s) then yes, you can.

 

If it’s from HAL - no you can’t.  At least not on the ships I’ve been on and others who have reported here on CC.   You USED to be able to but it seems the computer system has caught up.

The machine will accept the card, OBC will be charged and then you will see a reversal a day later.  When you look at your statement the OBC that can’t be used in the casino says “not for use in the casino”

 

In the old days it didn’t matter - now it appears to.  Definitely check first.  YMMV

What you say is correct, but I need to point out that it is not always followed onboard.  As recently as April, we had some OBC that we did not use and HAL credited it towards our casino charges.  I would not rely on this happening all the time of course, and we tend to spend it on other things anyway, but it is interesting to note.

[kazu]

5 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

What you say is correct, but I need to point out that it is not always followed onboard.  As recently as April, we had some OBC that we did not use and HAL credited it towards our casino charges.  I would not rely on this happening all the time of course, and we tend to spend it on other things anyway, but it is interesting to note.

 

Interesting indeed.  What ship was that Dave out of curiosity?  I’m trying to figure out how it will work on my upcoming cruise.  I have both refundable and non refundable and hoping as long as I don’t exceed the refundable I will be able to use it for the casino?  

 

Not sure how i’m going to be able to find out.