Help me spend my non-refundable Shareholder OBC

[laudergayle]

1 hour ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

I may be mistaken but can you use OBC for bingo? I thought that was considered gambling? I don’t think you can use it for that?

We have used SH OBC for Bingo and Deal or No Deal.  It was listed as Cruise Staff Gaming on our invoice.  Don’t know if it is always this way.  We discovered it in November on the Bliss.  After playing look at your account on TV in stateroom…they breakout the charges and shows how your OBC is being used.

[Ken the cruiser]

Thanks for opening this thread as we were just debating our options for an upcoming 22-day cruise where we will have $250 in Shareholder OBC (SOBC). Here's our plan.

 

We will call NCL well in advance of the cruise to make our MDR and advanced (FAS, FAS Plus and Platinum) SD reservations along with 5 additional ones associated with the 5-Dinner Special Dining Package (for $238.80) we will purchase the first day onboard to use up most of our SOBC.

 

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE A SPECIALTY DINING PACKAGE? (According to the NCL website FAQs)

 

Online in our "Dining" section at ncl.com/myncl or through Norwegian Reservations at 1-866-234-7350. Once onboard you may also purchase it on the first two days of your cruise by calling or visiting any Restaurant Reservations Desk. For three and four-day cruises, this package may only be purchased on the first day of your cruise.

 

We will ask to book the "fixed cost" reservations first using the FAS and FAS Plus SD perks, with the remaining SD reservations being for the "a la carte" restaurants, where we don't have to pay until we actually dine there. This is where we plan to use our Platinum and 5-dinner Dining Package allotments to pay for them.

 

Is this a valid plan?

 

Edited April 2 by Ken the cruiser

[9tee2Sea]

I used my left over OBC to purchase some cologne ( actually an Eau de Tollet).  I didn't pack any.  I also purchased a Jagermeister gift set ( a big bottle, plus 4 shot glasses).  That's my new cough medicine.

[Candy Apple 12]

3 hours ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

I may be mistaken but can you use OBC for bingo? I thought that was considered gambling? I don’t think you can use it for that?

 

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

We have used SH OBC for Bingo and Deal or No Deal.  It was listed as Cruise Staff Gaming on our invoice.  Don’t know if it is always this way.  We discovered it in November on the Bliss.  After playing look at your account on TV in stateroom…they breakout the charges and shows how your OBC is being used.

 

On the Escape this past February I was told by the cashier’s desk officer that all gambling is excluded from being paid for by non-refundable OBC (shareholder OBC is non-refundable). He said this included bingo, Deal or No Deal, Wheel of Fortune, and the casino, of course. I found this out after blowing $50 on Wheel of Fortune because it was towards the end of the cruise and hadn’t spent any of my SH OBC yet. My account showed that I still had my $100 non refundable credit and that I owed $50. I was able to transfer my OBC to my mom’s and sister’s accounts because they both had made some purchases.  

[Distinctive-Destinations]

20 minutes ago, Candy Apple 12 said:

 

 

On the Escape this past February I was told by the cashier’s desk officer that all gambling is excluded from being paid for by non-refundable OBC (shareholder OBC is non-refundable). He said this included bingo, Deal or No Deal, Wheel of Fortune, and the casino, of course. I found this out after blowing $50 on Wheel of Fortune because it was towards the end of the cruise and hadn’t spent any of my SH OBC yet. My account showed that I still had my $100 non refundable credit and that I owed $50. I was able to transfer my OBC to my mom’s and sister’s accounts because they both had made some purchases.  

I’m 99% sure that was the case on the Sun in 2022 (last time I played bingo). I can’t recall exactly, but I don’t think the OBC was applied.

[KeithJenner]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Thanks for opening this thread as we were just debating our options for an upcoming 22-day cruise where we will have $250 in Shareholder OBC (SOBC). Here's our plan.

 

We will call NCL well in advance of the cruise to make our MDR and advanced (FAS, FAS Plus and Platinum) SD reservations along with 5 additional ones associated with the 5-Dinner Special Dining Package (for $238.80) we will purchase the first day onboard to use up most of our SOBC.

 

WHERE CAN I PURCHASE A SPECIALTY DINING PACKAGE? (According to the NCL website FAQs)

 

Online in our "Dining" section at ncl.com/myncl or through Norwegian Reservations at 1-866-234-7350. Once onboard you may also purchase it on the first two days of your cruise by calling or visiting any Restaurant Reservations Desk. For three and four-day cruises, this package may only be purchased on the first day of your cruise.

 

We will ask to book the "fixed cost" reservations first using the FAS and FAS Plus SD perks, with the remaining SD reservations being for the "a la carte" restaurants, where we don't have to pay until we actually dine there. This is where we plan to use our Platinum and 5-dinner Dining Package allotments to pay for them.

 

Is this a valid plan?

 

It is basically a valid plan, but phoning to make the reservations could present some issues.

 

We have done this before, waiting until onboard to purchase some or all of the additional dining packages. It is certainly a way of using up the OBC.

 

We do all of our reservations online, so don't have this problem, but there have been reports on here of people being told that they can't reserve latitudes meals in advance. I don't know whether there would be problems with reserving meals for dining packages that haven't been purchased yet either.

 

My suggestion, if you are going to phone, would be not to mention how you plan to pay for any of the meals, and certainly don't mention latitudes. Hopefully they should just book them.

 

Also get them to actually book the fixed price ones first, rather than explain why. Get them booked and then move on to the free ones. Don't give them chance to give you incorrect information.

 

I'm not sure how many fixed price places you will be able to book without charge. Certainly two, but I haven't seen confirmation yet that the system also picks up free at sea plus. It may be that you have to wait until onboard to book all of those, but that shouldn't be a major problem on a 22 day cruise.

[schmoopie17]

"Help me spend my non-refundable Shareholder OBC"

 

If I were on the cruise with you, I'd be more than happy to help you spend it. 🤪

 

[Ken the cruiser]

45 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

It is basically a valid plan, but phoning to make the reservations could present some issues.

 

We have done this before, waiting until onboard to purchase some or all of the additional dining packages. It is certainly a way of using up the OBC.

 

We do all of our reservations online, so don't have this problem, but there have been reports on here of people being told that they can't reserve latitudes meals in advance. I don't know whether there would be problems with reserving meals for dining packages that haven't been purchased yet either.

 

My suggestion, if you are going to phone, would be not to mention how you plan to pay for any of the meals, and certainly don't mention latitudes. Hopefully they should just book them.

 

Also get them to actually book the fixed price ones first, rather than explain why. Get them booked and then move on to the free ones. Don't give them chance to give you incorrect information.

 

I'm not sure how many fixed price places you will be able to book without charge. Certainly two, but I haven't seen confirmation yet that the system also picks up free at sea plus. It may be that you have to wait until onboard to book all of those, but that shouldn't be a major problem on a 22 day cruise.

Thanks Keith! We appreciate your insights and will definitely not mention how we are going to pay for our "a la carte" ones. 😃

[Ellis1138]

On the NCL Escape, I took a risk and waited to buy an excursion I wanted. I had the $100 shareholder OBC and the excursion was $69. It was sold out the first day, but 2 slots had opened on the second day, so I grabbed one. The $69 was deducted from my non-refundable OBC. I went on the excursion and came back to having $50 refundable OBC from the $50 shorex free at sea thing. So if you can do that, NCL will launder your money. 😉

 

For my upcoming one, since I don't want to chance not getting the excursions, I'm going to wait until I'm on board and use the $100 for upgrading to full internet. 

 

On the Pride of America, I didn't need excursions or internet, so wound up doing an upcharge Cagney steak in the MDR and getting some souvenirs for family and friends in the on board shop.

 

You could also use it for a day pass or 2 to the thermal suite.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, Ellis1138 said:

For my upcoming one, since I don't want to chance not getting the excursions, I'm going to wait until I'm on board and use the $100 for upgrading to full internet. 

I've booked/paid in advance and then cancelled/rebooked on the ship.  People claim that there is a risk of losing your slot to somebody on an alleged "wait list" but most/all haven't had this problem.  Certainly, if the Shorex is not sold out when you do this, there is zero risk.

[Candy Apple 12]

14 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I've booked/paid in advance and then cancelled/rebooked on the ship.  People claim that there is a risk of losing your slot to somebody on an alleged "wait list" but most/all haven't had this problem.  Certainly, if the Shorex is not sold out when you do this, there is zero risk.

Do you do this in the app? Has anyone tried going to the Shorex desk to do this so as to avoid the risk of losing your slot on a sold out excursion?

[CCJack]

They would not let us use non-refundable OBC for Starbucks gift cards or Starbucks merchandise (mugs, etc.)    You could use it for food or drinks from Starbucks  (we were on the Joy in Sept 2023).

 

I had similar non-refundable OBC that I had to spend.  I ended up purchasing phone charger cables in the ship's store.   Reasonably priced and you can never have too many charger cords!

 

 

 

 

[dbrown84]

3 hours ago, Ellis1138 said:

On the NCL Escape, I took a risk and waited to buy an excursion I wanted. I had the $100 shareholder OBC and the excursion was $69. It was sold out the first day, but 2 slots had opened on the second day, so I grabbed one. The $69 was deducted from my non-refundable OBC. I went on the excursion and came back to having $50 refundable OBC from the $50 shorex free at sea thing. So if you can do that, NCL will launder your money. 😉

 

For my upcoming one, since I don't want to chance not getting the excursions, I'm going to wait until I'm on board and use the $100 for upgrading to full internet. 

 

On the Pride of America, I didn't need excursions or internet, so wound up doing an upcharge Cagney steak in the MDR and getting some souvenirs for family and friends in the on board shop.

 

You could also use it for a day pass or 2 to the thermal suite.

on my last few cruises, I've done this to "launder :)" my OBC and cashed out the $100 at the end of the cruise.  I've been lucky to have enough excursions $50 and below for this to work

[RocketMan275]

21 hours ago, KarenRB said:

Currently cruising on Prima and had pre-paid for specialty dining, excursions and internet before deciding to buy shares in early March. Was hoping to use the shareholder OBC on a Vibe pass but none were available on embarkation day.  Bought some Cruise Next certificates but guess it doesn't get applied to those.  Filled up a bag with laundry and sucked down some Frappuccinos but still have over $50 left.  Other than Food Republic or the stuff in the shops, what can I spend it on?  I'm doing a B2B but it's a separate reservation so I'm assuming it's only good for the first leg, correct?

I don't  understand your dilemma.  Once, I mentioned we needed to decide on how to spend some OBC. She told me not to worry about it, she would ensure it was spent.

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, Candy Apple 12 said:

Do you do this in the app? Has anyone tried going to the Shorex desk to do this so as to avoid the risk of losing your slot on a sold out excursion?

I've only done it at the Shorex desk.  I barely trust NCL's app for viewing the dailies.  You would need to go there anyways to turn in your vouchers for the original reservation you are cancelling. Can you even do that on the app?

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, dbrown84 said:

on my last few cruises, I've done this to "launder :)" my OBC and cashed out the $100 at the end of the cruise.  I've been lucky to have enough excursions $50 and below for this to work

Don't you wind up in the same place with more expensive excursions?

[dbrown84]

1 minute ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Don't you wind up in the same place with more expensive excursions?

what do you mean?  No, I end up with $100 refundable OBC rather than $100 non-refundable.  I actually don't go on any of the excursions

[GALSews]

Have some photos taken while at dinner.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

24 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

what do you mean?  No, I end up with $100 refundable OBC rather than $100 non-refundable.  I actually don't go on any of the excursions

That makes sense.  I was describing a scenario where a person was intending to go on an excursion.  They get the same $50 laundering per excursion benefit by cancelling/rebooking on board.  Each time I've done this, I've been purchasing CNs on the ship, so essentially the laundered shareholder OBC goes toward payment of the CNs.

[Candy Apple 12]

38 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I've only done it at the Shorex desk.  I barely trust NCL's app for viewing the dailies.  You would need to go there anyways to turn in your vouchers for the original reservation you are cancelling. Can you even do that on the app?

I have no idea if you can do that on the app. I asked because you had mentioned risking losing your reservation to someone on the waitlist. What exactly happens when you cancel and rebook at the Shorex desk as far as refunding and payment? Do they refund to your initial form of payment and then charge your onboard account for the new booking? Do they actually take your vouchers and print new ones? If I were a Shorex desk worker, I’d wonder why you are wasting my time to cancel and rebook the same excursion. Have you gotten any pushback trying to do this?

[ChiefMateJRK]

57 minutes ago, Candy Apple 12 said:

If I were a Shorex desk worker, I’d wonder why you are wasting my time to cancel and rebook the same excursion. Have you gotten any pushback trying to do this?

Never.  They fully understand the OBC thing.  Unless you're dealing with the new guy.

[Sailing12Away]

On 4/2/2024 at 9:07 AM, Distinctive-Destinations said:

I may be mistaken but can you use OBC for bingo? I thought that was considered gambling? I don’t think you can use it for that?

On Epic last month we could not use it for Wheel of Fortune. So I thought I was using up $50 of my non-refundable OBC, but it was still there plus a new charge for $50 that I owed them. So don't count on any 'gambling' things to count.

 

On 4/2/2024 at 9:11 AM, KarenRB said:

Don't want to schlep liquor home.  I like the Starbucks gift cards idea.  Now that I know I can roll over to the next leg, another trip to Onda is in my future.

 

Again, don't count on that. Confirm first with guest services as results have varied with other folks.

 

As to what to spend, $50 is easy for us as we enjoy wine and fancy spirits. So a nice bottle of wine or fancy champagne will set us back $200+ easily for one meal. Wine tastings are about $22/pp, I've seen mojito flights or whiskey flights... splurge for a half ounce of the Louie....

 

Outside of drinking it onboard, my mom loves a specific perfume. So we grabbed a bottle of that to bring home to her one trip. It's much easier to pack up in laundry and bring home than a full bottle of booze. 

 

Can also splurge on those fancy crazy milkshake things in Cocos if there's one on board. Take the upcharge at dinner for a fancier meal. Treat some kids to a skee ball contest in the arcade. Get your nails done. Buy some candy to bring back to the house sitter. There are literally countless ways to burn through $50 without sneezing.

 

Our Prima trip I had 2K to burn through... that was a lot tougher and we tapped out at just under 1K.