What is the advantage to purchasing Cruise Next certificates

[KeithJenner]

Once again. Ignore the fact that anyone calls the discount off of the CN vouchers OBC.

 

It is a discount of the cost of the CN voucher. It really is as simple as that.

 

The actual issue that is in PaperSniper4’s example is that you can no longer use non refundable OBC to pay for the part of the CN that is due after taking that discount off. It used to be that people could walk off the ship with CN vouchers without paying anything out at all if they had non refundable OBC, but these days you do need either refundable OBC or cash to pay for that bit.

 

But the discount is still a discount, whatever they call it.

[graphicguy]

24 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

@PaperSniper4  I hope this information helps clear up some of your concerns/questions...

 

If you have Non-refundable On Board credits, they cannot be applied to the daily service charges!

Only refundable OBC can be used for gratuities.

 

Also, regarding Cruise First certificates, they are purchased pre-cruise and only one certificate can be applied prior to Final Payment.

All true.  Sometimes, they run a “special” and allow you to use more than one CN as a deposit.  I think it’s always true if booking the Haven!  

[dcipjr]

The whole CruiseNext marketing onboard is a bit of a ploy to get you to spend more money right away.

 

As others have mentioned, really, it's a "Spend $250, get $500 in deposits" promo, but they throw all this talk about onboard credit in there ("Buy $1000 of deposits and get $500 to spend onboard right this very minute!") to try to get you to ring up a big bill onboard. 

 

It's a good deal, but you do have to do your homework and know what you're getting into—and the CruiseNext desk is oftentimes not all that helpful in explaining how the process really works.

Edited May 22, 2023 by dcipjr

[cruiseny4life]

On 5/19/2023 at 7:26 PM, PATRLR said:

Exactly.  Excellent advice. 

And, I still stick by it. Always will, based on my experience on two of four cruises.

On 5/19/2023 at 8:06 PM, ChiefMateJRK said:

I will add that the "excellent advice" is to educate yourself here on the forum BEFORE getting on the ship.  That's what I did. 😎

Yes, I agree! Know what you're purchasing before you buy it. Unfortunately, many people aren't aware of Cruise Critic. Before my first NCL cruise, I was aware (and had posted) of Cruise Critic, but didn't look into anything about Cruise Next as I didn't even know it existed. My husband and I heard the announcements and saw the "free money" in the Freestyle Daily. We went to figure out what it was by going to the source as we generally find that is the best way to understand an offer. We were prepared to purchase $1,000 worth, each, of Cruise Next. Here's why:

 

- The Cruise Next ads, and sales people, told us it could be used for our next cruise. First, we thought it was like a gift card so we could purchase a total of $2,000, receiving the "free" Cruise Next, so total = $4,000 to be applied to our next cruise. Well...yea, we all know that's not how it worked. BUT, we left the Cruise Next desk thinking that is how it worked the first time. Thankfully we did not purchase those certificates then as it just didn't seem to add up. We all know that's not how it works, but in April, 2022 we did not. 

- We went to our cabin. Discussed. Read through the material. Then went online to do some more research. Thankfully we had unlimited WiFi. 

- Then we decided we would purchase just four. That would work for us on our next cruise as we could ALWAYS double up, with no limits since we cruise in the Haven. It's true. You can use two Cruise Next certificates for the Haven.

- The Cruise Next person then tried to tell us all about the onboard credit. We know how that works. It offsets the cost of Cruise Next. 

 

By the end of the cruise, we had purchased just two Cruise Next certificates (total of four) thinking we would just buy more on each subsequent cruise since we didn't think we'd ever have two cruises booked at once. 

 

We booked our August cruise (turned into September) in late May or June, attempting to use two Cruise Next's since we booked the Haven....oh, the detail we weren't told. Since it was less than 120 days to the cruise we could only use one. Great. Cruise Next guy never told us that and yes, he insinuated we could always use two since we book Haven. Always. It was probably the current promotion. So yes, he did lie to us and we were not educated enough to figure that one out.

 

Shortly after, we booked a cruise for May (turned into our March cruise). Guess what? We could only use one Cruise Next. Because, we also used a 10% coupon we received. Never a mention you can only use up to two "coupons." So again...that "always two for the Haven" turned into another lie. 

 

Anyway, we used the third for our New Year's cruise as it was booked well within the 120 day final payment period. 

So...we have one more left. We haven't purchased more, even though we've talked to Cruise Next every single cruise. We know the details now. We know how we book. They're simply not worth it to us. And, whenever we book our next cruise to use the Cruise Next (and our FCC) might (don't say never) be our last cruise with NCL. Not because of Cruise Next, but our experience certainly plays into our decision. 

  

21 hours ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

You mean listen to what is being said and do not ASSUME things that you are not being told.

ABSOLUTELY!!!! But, ask the same question three or four times. So the Cruise Next person has to answer the same question. In my experience, on two of four cruises, the Cruise Next person either a) adds more detail, b) has to admit they didn't tell us exactly the truth the first time. 

 

On 5/21/2023 at 8:19 AM, hallux said:

On my last cruise I intentionally sat in on part of the CN presentation, curious how it would be presented.  The CN Manager explained it just as it should have been - he was very clear that the 'OBC' you get just offsets part of what you pay for the certificates.

That is wonderful! I'm so glad they explained it correctly. Regardless of doing it once or five hundred times per cruise, they need to present it accurately and truthfully every time.

 

On 5/20/2023 at 10:12 AM, graphicguy said:

 

Funny, just chatting, she said in addition to the presentations she does on every cruise in the Atrium, she does the same presentation at the CN desk probably a couple hundred times each and every cruise.  So, I think they tend to rush through it because they do it so much.

There are plenty of rote parts of my job. If I just rushed through them, I'd be disciplined in some way. 

[RocketMan275]

On 5/20/2023 at 9:12 AM, graphicguy said:

Funny, just chatting, she said in addition to the presentations she does on every cruise in the Atrium, she does the same presentation at the CN desk probably a couple hundred times each and every cruise.  So, I think they tend to rush through it because they do it so much.

Or, they could be rushing through because they want to minimize the time  you have to think about it.

[graphicguy]

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

Or, they could be rushing through because they want to minimize the time  you have to think about it.

I dunno about that. Personally, I write down what I understand the promo to be.  I ask them to correct any misunderstandings (if any) I may have on the notes I've taken.  Never felt pressured or misled.  But, I've been cruising for a while.  All the cruise lines have similar promotions for buying certs on board.  

 

Yeah, they get some money upfront, but they also match whatever it is you spend.  So, as has been mentioned, ordinarily you spend $250 for a CN cert, but you actually get two $250 certs equaling $500 for your $250 cash outlay.

 

Sometimes they offer an OBC of the cruise you're on.  But, I don't spend enough on board for that to really be a draw for me.

 

Just need to ask about what you don't understand.

 

I've always found the CN folks to be forthcoming when I needed an explanation about the Ts and Cs.  I never felt that they were trying to hide anything.  I've spent half an hour at the CN desk before.  I have them look up any future cruises I might be interested in, I do not leave the desk until I thoroughly understand their promos.  No one ever "shoo-ed" me away.

 

Matter of fact, I've been known to go to the CN desk several days in a row when I couldn't make up my mind.  They were always cordial and willing to help.

[RocketMan275]

3 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I dunno about that. Personally, I write down what I understand the promo to be.  I ask them to correct any misunderstandings (if any) I may have on the notes I've taken.  Never felt pressured or misled.  But, I've been cruising for a while.  All the cruise lines have similar promotions for buying certs on board.  

The fast talking sales blather isn't pitched to people like you. 

But that doesn't mean it isn't effective to thos lacking your experience.

[ChiefMateJRK]

4 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

So, you'd be charged $250 to your ship account for a CN, but given $125 OBC, so you'll only be charged $125 to your CC. 

I believe that if you only buy one CN, you will only receive $100 OBC (so $150 would be charged to the on board account).

[dbrown84]

23 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I believe that if you only buy one CN, you will only receive $100 OBC (so $150 would be charged to the on board account).

You are correct.  

[podgeandrodge]

The "lie", in the sense of the meaning we understand, is still alive and well, in the current wording provided by NCL. There's simply no way that it is not designed to confuse the uninitiated into further expenditure onboard than they would otherwise have planned, rather than explain it for what it is, a 50% discount on a future deposit. 

 

I was also bamboozled by CruiseNext staff in the past, drawing and scribbling explanations of how I could spend my free credit, until I figured out how simple it actually is.  

 

Wording used by NCL:

 

Dreaming of your next cruise while on board? We get it, which is why we offer CruiseNext – an exclusive onboard-only opportunity that rewards guests who plan their next cruise, while they cruise. Get up to $500 FREE Onboard Credit to spend on your current vacation when you purchase deposits for your next one through the CruiseNext team on board. The best part? The deposits are valid for four years, so you have plenty of time to plan when and where you'll cruise next.

 

I sort of admire the trickery in one way though, it must increase onboard spend by many purchasers!

Edited May 22, 2023 by podgeandrodge

[KeithJenner]

3 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Sometimes they offer an OBC of the cruise you're on.  But, I don't spend enough on board for that to really be a draw for me.

Do they, or is it just another way of describing the same thing?

 

I have never seen any CN offer that requires OBC to actually be spent on things, so I expect that this was just the same offer described differently.

[KeithJenner]

1 hour ago, podgeandrodge said:

I sort of admire the trickery in one way though, it must increase onboard spend by many purchasers!

I actually have no problem at all with NCL marketing it as they do. They are still giving a discount on the vouchers, but encouraging people to spend that money with them. It is surprising that, with all the cost cutting going on, that they haven't yet moved over to not allowing the OBC to be offset against the vouchers. I suspect it will probably happen soon.

 

Offering a discount by way of additional services rather than a price reduction is a good way of giving the discount at a reduced cost. The real problem is that so much stuff is now included or has to be reserved and paid for upfront that spending $250 onboard is a challenge for lots of people. Our bill is usually the cost of the CN and a few dollars in the shop. I would probably still go with CN and buy some junk in the gift shop even if they did insist on it being spent. You aren't actually losing anything (other than the commitment to book with NCL which is not necessarily what we want at the moment).

[hallux]

2 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

It is surprising that, with all the cost cutting going on, that they haven't yet moved over to not allowing the OBC to be offset against the vouchers.

Don't give them any ideas...

[PaperSniper4]

9 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

You $175 OBC can not be used for gratuities because it's non refundable OBC.  so your CC will be charged the full $280.  You don't have to worry about using the OBC from the CN because it's used to offset the cost of the certificate.  So, you'd be charged $250 to your ship account for a CN, but given $125 OBC, so you'll only be charged $125 to your CC.  So, you just need to find something to spend the $175 OBC on, like excursions, spa treatments, or specialty dining, etc.

Huh, my OBC cannot be used for gratuities? Seems like I have done that before, but then we've not sailed on HAL for about 10 years. That will be a real disappointment. OBC then does us very little since we don't use the shops much....assuming OBC can still be used there! Where else can it be used? On one recent Princess cruise we had a lot of non-refundable credit....we went nuts trying to figure out how to get its balance down! We bought some booze and perfume, both of which we overpriced. I even got a really tacky $14 Hawaiian shirt to bring the balance to zero! I still haven't worn that shirt....goes to Good Will on my next trip there.😎

[PaperSniper4]

9 hours ago, dcipjr said:

The whole CruiseNext marketing onboard is a bit of a ploy to get you to spend more money right away.

 

As others have mentioned, really, it's a "Spend $250, get $500 in deposits" promo, but they throw all this talk about onboard credit in there ("Buy $1000 of deposits and get $500 to spend onboard right this very minute!") to try to get you to ring up a big bill onboard. 

 

It's a good deal, but you do have to do your homework and know what you're getting into—and the CruiseNext desk is oftentimes not all that helpful in explaining how the process really works.

Thanks for the replies on my question. I'll have to study them and whatever other info I can find on CN/CF.

 

 Doug

[MoCruiseFan]

4 hours ago, podgeandrodge said:

The "lie", in the sense of the meaning we understand, is still alive and well, in the current wording provided by NCL. There's simply no way that it is not designed to confuse the uninitiated into further expenditure onboard than they would otherwise have planned, rather than explain it for what it is, a 50% discount on a future deposit. 

 

I was also bamboozled by CruiseNext staff in the past, drawing and scribbling explanations of how I could spend my free credit, until I figured out how simple it actually is.  

 

Wording used by NCL:

 

Dreaming of your next cruise while on board? We get it, which is why we offer CruiseNext – an exclusive onboard-only opportunity that rewards guests who plan their next cruise, while they cruise. Get up to $500 FREE Onboard Credit to spend on your current vacation when you purchase deposits for your next one through the CruiseNext team on board. The best part? The deposits are valid for four years, so you have plenty of time to plan when and where you'll cruise next.

 

I sort of admire the trickery in one way though, it must increase onboard spend by many purchasers!

 

I see no trickery.  You absolutely CAN 'spend' the up to 500 on the current cruise.  Of course one of teh tings you can 'spend' it on is the certificate that you just bought.  I very much prefer that it is this way rather than having to 'spend' it on something else.  You buy $1000 of CN and yo get $500 to spend.  You can spend it in the gift shop, on booze, on the so called 'art', or spend it as an offset to the $100 you just used to buy the certificates. I actually never give any thought to is as adding up all my OBC, the total is used to offset the total of what I spend.  There really is no direct assignment of what OBC is sued to offset any given specific charge other than non-refundable OBC not being used to offset cah or like-cash transactions.  IT is all a big to-do about nothing.

[MoCruiseFan]

8 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

In my experience, on two of four cruises, the Cruise Next person either a) adds more detail, b) has to admit they didn't tell us exactly the truth the first time. 

 

 

And what is it you have been told that is not the truth?  I always been told the truth every time I go to the CN desk.  I just do not listen and hear what I want as opposed to what was said.  Also i do not assume things that were not said.

[dbrown84]

4 hours ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Huh, my OBC cannot be used for gratuities? Seems like I have done that before, but then we've not sailed on HAL for about 10 years. That will be a real disappointment. OBC then does us very little since we don't use the shops much....assuming OBC can still be used there! Where else can it be used? On one recent Princess cruise we had a lot of non-refundable credit....we went nuts trying to figure out how to get its balance down! We bought some booze and perfume, both of which we overpriced. I even got a really tacky $14 Hawaiian shirt to bring the balance to zero! I still haven't worn that shirt....goes to Good Will on my next trip there.😎

You can use it for drink package upgrade, as long as you do the upgrade onboard.  You can also use it for specialty dining, excursions, spa treatments, cigars in the cigar lounge, and drinks you pay for individually.  This is not an exhaustive list, just examples I can think of right now 

[PaperSniper4]

23 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Once again. Ignore the fact that anyone calls the discount off of the CN vouchers OBC.

 

It is a discount of the cost of the CN voucher. It really is as simple as that.

 

The actual issue that is in PaperSniper4’s example is that you can no longer use non refundable OBC to pay for the part of the CN that is due after taking that discount off. It used to be that people could walk off the ship with CN vouchers without paying anything out at all if they had non refundable OBC, but these days you do need either refundable OBC or cash to pay for that bit.

 

But the discount is still a discount, whatever they call it.

So in my case, I could not use any nonrefundable OBC to pay for a/those CNs. That is clear. But I'm unclear on the rest. Let's say I buy two CNs on the last day of the cruise, a day on which I have no OBC in my account of any type. How much would me credit card/ shipboard account be charged? The cost of one CN, or the cost of two CNs?

 

Next question; how long would I have to book another cruise? And how is my existing CN<s> applied toward that booking? Can it be used as ONLY nonrefundable OBC on that future cruise, making it nearly worthless in my case. Or would it apply to the total cost of my cruise? Or would it go towards the deposit for my cruise? Or would it be refundable OBC, that if not used by the end of that future cruise, could be refunded to my credit card.....or maybe kept "in the bank" for another future cruise?

 

Thanks to all who are trying to explain how all this works. It is confusing to those as ignorant as I am!🤔

 

 Doug

[KeithJenner]

1 minute ago, PaperSniper4 said:

So in my case, I could not use any nonrefundable OBC to pay for a/those CNs. That is clear. But I'm unclear on the rest. Let's say I buy two CNs on the last day of the cruise, a day on which I have no OBC in my account of any type. How much would me credit card/ shipboard account be charged? The cost of one CN, or the cost of two CNs?

 

Next question; how long would I have to book another cruise? And how is my existing CN<s> applied toward that booking? Can it be used as ONLY nonrefundable OBC on that future cruise, making it nearly worthless in my case. Or would it apply to the total cost of my cruise? Or would it go towards the deposit for my cruise? Or would it be refundable OBC, that if not used by the end of that future cruise, could be refunded to my credit card.....or maybe kept "in the bank" for another future cruise?

 

Thanks to all who are trying to explain how all this works. It is confusing to those as ignorant as I am!🤔

 

 Doug

If you have no OBC in your account and you buy two $250 CN vouchers then you will have a balance of $250 to pay at the end of the cruise. Again, ignore any reference to OBC, it is just a discount, 2 vouchers for the cost of 1.

 

You then have 4 years to use the vouchers (that is the cruise you use it on must sail within 4 years). The vouchers are supposed to be used as deposits, but as long as you haven’t already applied any vouchers you can have them applied afterwards to the cost of the cruise.

 

They can only be used against the cruise cost, not against add ons (excursions etc) and certainly not for onboard spend. They do not provide OBC on future cruises.

 

 

[PaperSniper4]

9 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

You can use it for drink package upgrade, as long as you do the upgrade onboard.  You can also use it for specialty dining, excursions, spa treatments, cigars in the cigar lounge, and drinks you pay for individually.  This is not an exhaustive list, just examples I can think of right now 

Thanks. Unfortunately, in our case that nonrefundable OBC is nearly worthless to us. We have $175 (my memory sometimes is wrong), and we rarely spend more than $50 or so on the ship. Oh, we can force ourselves to spend it all, but that means buying things, usually at a high price, that we don't really need....or might not be able to fit into our suitcases!😉

 

Doug

 

 

 

[PaperSniper4]

9 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

You can use it for drink package upgrade, as long as you do the upgrade onboard.  You can also use it for specialty dining, excursions, spa treatments, cigars in the cigar lounge, and drinks you pay for individually.  This is not an exhaustive list, just examples I can think of right now 

Thanks. That's for any nonrefundable OBC ....has nothing to do with a CN/CF just to be clear.

Like others have said here, we often find it difficult to spend our nonrefundable OBC since we buy very little on board. I had counted on using the $175 nonrefundable OBC we have on our next NCL cruise's gratuities charge, but now I discover I cannot do that. I won't leave that nonrefundable in my account when I settle my bill; we will force  ourselves to spend it somehow on the ship! My wife will like that idea; me, not so much.😉

Another idea I just had.....since I cannot use the nonrefundable OBC to pay the "required" gratuities, can I use it to pay additional gratuities to certain individuals? For instance, we usually give cash to our favorite staff such as the steward, waiter, etc. I'd rather do that with the nonrefundable OBC if possible....better than blowing it on overpriced items in the ship's stores. That would save me money since the cash to the favorite staff comes out of my pocket during the cruise.

 

 Doug

[cruiseny4life]

13 hours ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

And what is it you have been told that is not the truth?  I always been told the truth every time I go to the CN desk.  I just do not listen and hear what I want as opposed to what was said.  Also i do not assume things that were not said.

Part of my novel in Post #79 describes the obfuscation by the Cruise Next personnel. Read through it and you'll see where we were told one thing, but found our experience different than that described by Cruise Next. 

[cruiseny4life]

15 minutes ago, PaperSniper4 said:

Thanks. That's for any nonrefundable OBC ....has nothing to do with a CN/CF just to be clear.

Like others have said here, we often find it difficult to spend our nonrefundable OBC since we buy very little on board. I had counted on using the $175 nonrefundable OBC we have on our next NCL cruise's gratuities charge, but now I discover I cannot do that. I won't leave that nonrefundable in my account when I settle my bill; we will force  ourselves to spend it somehow on the ship! My wife will like that idea; me, not so much.😉

$175 would be almost enough for your wife to purchase a treatment in the spa. 

 

Or, donate the OBC to me...there should be a way to do this (I wish). 🙂 I'd happily spend it for you. 

[PaperSniper4]

11 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

$175 would be almost enough for your wife to purchase a treatment in the spa. 

 

Or, donate the OBC to me...there should be a way to do this (I wish). 🙂 I'd happily spend it for you. 

Ha, everyone is a comedian!😎

 

My wife did a spa treatment once on a Princess ship, and was very, very disappointed! She said never again, and I encouraged that feeling!

 

 Doug