Onboard Credit for Thermal Suite?

[Jo-D]

Hello!  I'll be on the Oosterdam in January, and am planning on purchasing access to the Thermal Suite. I'm traveling with my father who is five star, and he wants to to use the on-board credit for the thermal suite, but I know you can't use that until you are actually on-board the ship. 

 

I would rather book it ahead of time on the off chance the price is increased.  Because he is five star, a LOT of the "extras" are covered, and we've already purchased the have-it-all package so wi-fi and drinks are covered. We are also getting plenty of meals at Pinnacle/Canaletto, so I don't see using the credit that way.  Basically, he is probably right to want to do it, but my paranoia over not getting access to the thermal suite (something I really want for the 22 day cruise) is telling me to purchase now.

 

Neither of us have ever purchased access to the Thermal Suite before.  This cruise has 17 at-sea/cruising only days, so I can honestly see myself using it almost every day. For those of you who have experience with it, which payment option makes the most sense?  Pay early and risk not using the entirety of the onboard credit, or wait to purchase and risk "paying" more or in the worst-case-scenario, not having access at all because the full cruise passes sold out?  

Edited August 4, 2023 by Jo-D
Added question mark in subject line

[3rdGenCunarder]

I think you're safe to wait. Go to the spa right away when you board and buy your pass. During the post-covid start-up they were limiting passes, but they aren't doing that now. Even when they were limiting the passes, I bought mine on the first day of my first post-covid cruise. 

 

I wouldn't roll the dice on shore excursions you really want to do, especially with so few sea days (have you used your HIA shorex credits yet?). Desirable excursions are more likely to see out than spa passes are.

 

[Jo-D]

2 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I wouldn't roll the dice on shore excursions you really want to do, especially with so few sea days (have you used your HIA shorex credits yet?). Desirable excursions are more likely to see out than spa passes are.

 

Thank you for the input on the spa! 

 

We booked our excursions in April.  Dad wanted to wait but I hassled him to pick, and one we wanted was already sold out!  We got on the waiting list and hopeful that a couple spots might open up.  Everything else is purchased!

[friendswithdave]

I think I disagree with the other poster. If you are sure you want the Thermal Suite, I would recommend buying it. I'm almost sure they limit the number of purchasers and with 17 at sea days out of 22, I bet MANY people will want to purchase this. Not an easy decision though knowing you have so much credit that may be lost. Maybe bingo for your credit?

[FlaMariner]

4 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

I think you're safe to wait. Go to the spa right away when you board and buy your pass.

 

Agree.  

 

Lately, the pass has been the same price onboard as pre-board....(that was not the case pre the unpleasantness).  Using OBC makes sense. 

 

I've never not been able to buy the pass on embarkation day (including lots of sea day TA's). 

 

Also, sign up for the raffle why you are there, Her Majesty has won spa $$$ several times. 

 

Enjoy the journey......and use that spa pool every day!

[kazu]

hmm - I see your quandary.  I always waited to book it on board - went there first thing and got a spot.  My DS had OBC and booked it on board.

 

that being said, there are no guarantees.  For your shore excursions - you could go to the Shore excursion desk (not the front desk) and tell them it was prepaid and request they use your OBC instead.  that way you would end up with REFUNDABLE OBC .  I haven’t done it myself but enough people have reported that I will be trying it for my specialty dining reservations.

 

I’m not sure if you could do the same thing at the Spa or not, though?  I haven’t heard anyone reporting experiences doing that.

[Haljo1935]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

hmm - I see your quandary.  I always waited to book it on board - went there first thing and got a spot.  My DS had OBC and booked it on board.

 

that being said, there are no guarantees.  For your shore excursions - you could go to the Shore excursion desk (not the front desk) and tell them it was prepaid and request they use your OBC instead.  that way you would end up with REFUNDABLE OBC .  I haven’t done it myself but enough people have reported that I will be trying it for my specialty dining reservations.

 

I’m not sure if you could do the same thing at the Spa or not, though?  I haven’t heard anyone reporting experiences doing that.

I am one who has reported having excessive charges changed from CC to OBC (only once onboard by Exc Desk) as I've done it many times, but have not tried it w/specialty dining or spa, but am going to try it on my next cruise. That is not until Oct 29, so if anyone tries it before then, please report back. 🙂

[kazu]

10 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

I am one who has reported having excessive charges changed from CC to OBC (only once onboard by Exc Desk) as I've done it many times, but have not tried it w/specialty dining or spa, but am going to try it on my next cruise. That is not until Oct 29, so if anyone tries it before then, please report back. 🙂

 

I’m on October 7th.  I’ll be reporting on my Live thread.

 

From what I have understood from the people who have done it reading the boards, you need to go to the specific location (ie - for specialty dining to the specialty dining podium).  I hope I can do it.  I have DD DH’s OBC back and booked to treat people who I knew he would like to enjoy a meal.  I have told them it is his treat.  

 

But I have not heard anyone report on the spa.  

 

Did you use a specific wording to get it switched if you don’t mind me asking?

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 hours ago, kazu said:

hmm - I see your quandary.  I always waited to book it on board - went there first thing and got a spot.  My DS had OBC and booked it on board.

 

that being said, there are no guarantees.  For your shore excursions - you could go to the Shore excursion desk (not the front desk) and tell them it was prepaid and request they use your OBC instead.  that way you would end up with REFUNDABLE OBC .  I haven’t done it myself but enough people have reported that I will be trying it for my specialty dining reservations.

 

I’m not sure if you could do the same thing at the Spa or not, though?  I haven’t heard anyone reporting experiences doing that.

 

I don't think it would work for the spa because that's run by an outside company, and they may not be willing make the change. When I complained to HAL about the fact that solos paid more per person for the thermal suite spa than couples did, HAL said they didn't set spa prices and gave me contact info for the spa company. I was told that singles weren't paying more. The couples price was twice the solo price, but there was a discount available. How that didn't have me paying more was a mystery, but that was the explanation.

[Haljo1935]

5 hours ago, kazu said:

...

Did you use a specific wording to get it switched if you don’t mind me asking?

Are you asking about the excursions I got moved from CC to OBC? Stupid auto correct changed my post from "excursions" to "excessive" and I didn't notice until I read your post - sorry for any confusion.

[kazu]

4 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Are you asking about the excursions I got moved from CC to OBC? Stupid auto correct changed my post from "excursions" to "excessive" and I didn't notice until I read your post - sorry for any confusion.

 

Yes, I was please.  Any special wording or just say you prepaid and would like your OBC to pay for it instead?  Thank you.

[kazu]

8 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I don't think it would work for the spa because that's run by an outside company, and they may not be willing make the change. When I complained to HAL about the fact that solos paid more per person for the thermal suite spa than couples did, HAL said they didn't set spa prices and gave me contact info for the spa company. I was told that singles weren't paying more. The couples price was twice the solo price, but there was a discount available. How that didn't have me paying more was a mystery, but that was the explanation.

 

I think you are right, sadly.

[ExArkie]

11 hours ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I don't think it would work for the spa because that's run by an outside company, and they may not be willing make the change. When I complained to HAL about the fact that solos paid more per person for the thermal suite spa than couples did, HAL said they didn't set spa prices and gave me contact info for the spa company. I was told that singles weren't paying more. The couples price was twice the solo price, but there was a discount available. How that didn't have me paying more was a mystery, but that was the explanation.

Question on pricing: I was looking at our booking for an April 2025 transpacific and saw the spa pass priced at $299 for 14 days, so that would exclude embarkation and debarkation days. There was no indication as to single versus couple prices, so am I to assume this would be the price per person, with a couples booking booking being twice that? 

Edited August 5, 2023 by ExArkie

[kazu]

1 minute ago, ExArkie said:

Question on pricing: I was looking at our booking for an April 2025 transpacific and saw the spa pass priced at $299 for the trip. There was no indication as to single versus couple prices, so am I to assume this would be the price per person, with a couples booking booking being twice that? 

 

Yes.  Pricing has changed to a per person price.  There is no longer a deal for couples.

[Haljo1935]

3 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Yes, I was please.  Any special wording or just say you prepaid and would like your OBC to pay for it instead?  Thank you.

Yes, you just go to Shore Ex desk (GS can't do this) and tell them you want to move your excursions to OBC. They will cancel the existing excursions and rebook them using OBC. Even if a tour is showing sold out, they can (and will) do it. You will then see an excursion charge and credit on your statement. If you had any nonrefundable OBC, you'll see it go down as the charges come from it first.

This needs to be as soon as you get onboard as they won't do it once you've already been on the excursions.

You probably already know, any unused OBC at the end of the cruise will be credited back to your CC.

We didn't know to do this and have spent a couple years griping to each other about how we were "spending" OBC on things we wouldn't actually buy if we were using our own cash then learned to have it moved over. No more cruise themed gifts for our friends! Until HAL allows us to use OBC before boarding, this is the next best thing. 

[kazu]

35 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

Yes, you just go to Shore Ex desk (GS can't do this) and tell them you want to move your excursions to OBC. They will cancel the existing excursions and rebook them using OBC. Even if a tour is showing sold out, they can (and will) do it. You will then see an excursion charge and credit on your statement. If you had any nonrefundable OBC, you'll see it go down as the charges come from it first.

This needs to be as soon as you get onboard as they won't do it once you've already been on the excursions.

You probably already know, any unused OBC at the end of the cruise will be credited back to your CC.

We didn't know to do this and have spent a couple years griping to each other about how we were "spending" OBC on things we wouldn't actually buy if we were using our own cash then learned to have it moved over. No more cruise themed gifts for our friends! Until HAL allows us to use OBC before boarding, this is the next best thing. 

 

Thanks.  🙂  I need to use it for specialty dining.  I’ll get to the podium on embarkation day first thing.  Really appreciate the explanation 👍 

[FlaMariner]

1 hour ago, ExArkie said:

Question on pricing: I was looking at our booking for an April 2025 transpacific and saw the spa pass priced at $299 for 14 days

 

The price has gone up since dropping the couples pass.

 

I just looked at our 10/2021 Rotterdam TA folio (14 day cruise) and we paid $429 for couple.  So that's $214.50 each person.  At $299 per person today, that's a 39% price hike. Looked at another way, that's $21 a day. 

 

We've loved the thermal suite and it's been our big splurge but the new higher price has us second guessing and we did forgo the thermal suite on our last couple of cruises....."Lots of sea day" cruises help justify the purchase for us. 

[ExArkie]

11 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

The price has gone up since dropping the couples pass.

 

I just looked at our 10/2021 Rotterdam TA folio (14 day cruise) and we paid $429 for couple.  So that's $214.50 each person.  At $299 per person today, that's a 39% price hike. Looked at another way, that's $21 a day. 

 

We've loved the thermal suite and it's been our big splurge but the new higher price has us second guessing and we did forgo the thermal suite on our last couple of cruises....."Lots of sea day" cruises help justify the purchase for us. 

Generally, we book the thermal suite on ocean crossings provided we have adequate OBC to cover it and have no other plans for said OBC. This is on the high end of the price ranges, but having the Early Booking package and a limited number of port days (i.e., fewer excursions) means there is little else we would require the OBC to pay for. Between the Mariner credit, our travel agency credit, and (eventually) the CCL shareholder credit, we should have enough OBC to cover the cost with a bit left over.

 

If we could just get that AARP credit added, it would definitely be adequate for any extras...

Edited August 5, 2023 by ExArkie
Left out a verb...oops

[ExArkie]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

 

Yes.  Pricing has changed to a per person price.  There is no longer a deal for couples.

Thank you. I had assumed that to be the case from reading these boards, but appreciate the verification.

 

You know, HAL could do a bit better job explaining things themselves.

[Jo-D]

1 hour ago, FlaMariner said:

 

The price has gone up since dropping the couples pass.

 

I just looked at our 10/2021 Rotterdam TA folio (14 day cruise) and we paid $429 for couple.  So that's $214.50 each person.  At $299 per person today, that's a 39% price hike. Looked at another way, that's $21 a day. 

 

We've loved the thermal suite and it's been our big splurge but the new higher price has us second guessing and we did forgo the thermal suite on our last couple of cruises....."Lots of sea day" cruises help justify the purchase for us. 

My 22 day cruise has it priced at $329 per person, so the fear of the price going up is real. 

[FlaMariner]

2 hours ago, Jo-D said:

My 22 day cruise has it priced at $329 per person, so the fear of the price going up is real. 

 

That's 15 bucks a day.....per person......You will have to go early and frequently to get your money's worth.....One can only drink so much cucumber water and sit but so long on those nice hot chairs....lol.

[Haljo1935]

4 hours ago, FlaMariner said:

 

The price has gone up since dropping the couples pass.

 

I just looked at our 10/2021 Rotterdam TA folio (14 day cruise) and we paid $429 for couple.  So that's $214.50 each person.  At $299 per person today, that's a 39% price hike. Looked at another way, that's $21 a day. ...

While it may have gone up vs couples pass, it is the same price as it has been for singles. $149/7 day cruise, so $299/14 days is right in line. And is a huge discount over the daily charge of $50/day. You can get a further discount if you buy other services.

Not everyone needs a couples pass.

[FlaMariner]

5 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

You can get a further discount if you buy other services.

 

Any intel on this?  Since Her Majesty frequents the other spa services, there might be a price break for the spa pass?  Enlighten me as I do not recall that deal.

[3rdGenCunarder]

17 minutes ago, FlaMariner said:

 

Any intel on this?  Since Her Majesty frequents the other spa services, there might be a price break for the spa pass?  Enlighten me as I do not recall that deal.

 

I haven't heard of this. But some spa services come with access to the thermal suite for the day of the service.

[FlaMariner]

26 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

I haven't heard of this. But some spa services come with access to the thermal suite for the day of the service.

 

Yea, I was familiar with that feature........was not aware of a discount for the thermal suite if you buy other spa services......