Can OBC be used for crew appreciation gratuities?

[deltadoug13]

Can anybody clarify if OBC ( on board credits) can be used for crew appreciation gratuities?

our cruise consultant says technically the answer is no, but they are commonly applied.

 

Does anybody have experience either having it applied or denied?  
Thanks in advance for any clarification .

 

[richwmn]

Currently aboard Zuiderdam. Your OBC on Navigator will show two balances, refundable and non-refundable. My Gratuities are being deducted from non-refundable balance.

Non-Refundable OBC comes from either HAL or CCL (Stock holder, Military, etc)

Refundable is OBC purchased by you or on your behalf by a Travel Agent or Friend.

[NukeTim]

We had non-refundable OBC from HAL as well as our gratuities pre-paid through an HAL promotion.  We could not use the non-refundable OBC for extra / additional gratuities to our cabin stewards.

[JCrewz]

We had $200.00 each in non-refundable on board credit on the Westerdam in September.  We could review our account via the TV menu.  Each night the gratuity was deducted from the on board credit.  So, at least on the Westerdam, I would say yes you can.

[kazu]

I have never had a problem having my gratuities deducted from HAL’s OBC.

 

They already used up what I had doing it 😉 

[RuthC]

14 hours ago, deltadoug13 said:

Can anybody clarify if OBC ( on board credits) can be used for crew appreciation gratuities?

our cruise consultant says technically the answer is no, but they are commonly applied.

I agree with your cruise consultant. The rule is that the non-refundable OBC cannot be applied to crew appreciation. However, the practice is that the gratuities are deducted from the non-refundable OBC first, and the refundable last. 
I have had that happen many times over the years. 

It is always possible to use refundable OBC for gratuities. 

[RuthC]

13 hours ago, NukeTim said:

We had non-refundable OBC from HAL as well as our gratuities pre-paid through an HAL promotion.  We could not use the non-refundable OBC for extra / additional gratuities to our cabin stewards.

Your situation is different from the OP's question. 

However, did you try using it to be added to the overall crew gratuity pool, instead of specific people, though? My understanding is that it can be used that way, but I could be confused with refundable OBC. 
 

[ScottishMaid]

On the Koningsdam last week I had CCL OBC and the gratuities were deducted from it.

[SonomaMist]

Question on non refundable OBC - can you use it to buy future cruise deposits or HAL gift certificates?

Thank you for all responses.

[Crew News]

20 minutes ago, SonomaMist said:

Question on non refundable OBC - can you use it to buy future cruise deposits or HAL gift certificates?

Thank you for all responses.

I cannot speak to gift certificates but future cruise deposits can only be charged to a credit card, usually the one on file with your account.  I purchased four future cruise deposits just two weeks ago aboard the Rotterdam.

[NCTribeFan]

I asked to use "extra" NR OBC as extra gratuities (on Eurodam 11/2021) and was told I could not.  I spent it elsewhere.

[Red Haired Lady]

OBC from owning CCL stock is "non-refundable."  I always use this to pay the gratuities.  

[iflyrc5]

7 hours ago, SonomaMist said:

Question on non refundable OBC - can you use it to buy future cruise deposits or HAL gift certificates?

Thank you for all responses.

No - those will be charged to your credit card on file for the cruise.