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Question about 125% OBC


Jill

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So I took the credit for my cruise planner purchases for my cancelled Symphony. It has not yet shown up in my cruise planner and I’m not expecting it anytime soon. 
 

So I’d like to start buying stuff in the planner now while some prices are reasonable. I’m afraid if I wait until the OBC shows up, the prices will be higher. 
 

Question: if I go ahead and buy now with a credit card, when my OBC shows up can I get my card refunded and apply the OBC? I would think with a price drop I could cancel and rebook using the OBC but if a price goes up, I obviously can’t cancel and rebook with OBC because I’d now have a higher price. 

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I was booked Oasis 5/30 just was cancelled very frustrating trying to rebook

with travel agent she kinda wanted to blow me off wanted me to give another deposit I’m like hell if I’m giving RCCL anymore of my money they have 4000.00 of my money already I just want to pick another date for my cruise. I would’ve been ok to deposit to hold my new cabin while RCCL issues the FCC but she said oh no you won’t get that refunded you would get another credit to use at a later time. Am I crazy I was like I’m not investing more money at this time for a credit. End result I forced her hand she had to call RCCL and see the options which were we could hold a new reservation now and when they send the FCC I will call with the information needed off the certificate to complete the booking. Upside to this we were able to upgrade from grand suite to 1bdrm owners suite. 

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18 hours ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

Sounds like you need a new Agent.

I agree 100%.  We got an email from our TA that laid out our options very clearly, to include a link to apply for refund of cruise fare instead of taking the FCC (we did do this).  There was no pressure from him to rebook right away, nor should there be.  Any good TA will not push you towards a choice you don't want to make and also will be willing to do the work to contact Royal if required.

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So I opted for the OBC but received an email today saying the purchases were being refunded to my credit card.  I don't want that since we rescheduled the cruise and will need to purchase the excursions et al all over again especially  after I made a point to buy them at the lowest price at the time.  Any one else have this happen

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9 minutes ago, Cub said:

So I opted for the OBC but received an email today saying the purchases were being refunded to my credit card.  I don't want that since we rescheduled the cruise and will need to purchase the excursions et al all over again especially  after I made a point to buy them at the lowest price at the time.  Any one else have this happen

Cub, I received the same email even though I requested the %125 cruise planner option. 

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14 minutes ago, Cub said:

So I opted for the OBC but received an email today saying the purchases were being refunded to my credit card.  I don't want that since we rescheduled the cruise and will need to purchase the excursions et al all over again especially  after I made a point to buy them at the lowest price at the time.  Any one else have this happen

 

4 minutes ago, Okgladgal said:

Cub, I received the same email even though I requested the %125 cruise planner option. 

Check out the tail end of this thread, seems pertinent to your situation.

 

 

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On 4/18/2020 at 2:45 PM, WAAAYTOOO said:

Sounds like you need a new Agent.

Glad you were able to get it squared away.  The OS is awesome.  You will really enjoy it.

 

We will be sailing with you on the Oasis 12-06-2020. See you in the Suite Lounge. Hopefully we will be able to cruise in the near future.

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I received the same email. 

I called royal and my agent and sent royal a.message on their Facebook page. They said my account definitely said I'd be getting a refund for cruise planner credits at 125%. Said it comes the same.day as the FCC in April 30th for me (canceled cruise was may11)

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8 minutes ago, coneyraven said:

For those that think they're getting 125% OBC --- it is NOT --- it is a 125% Future Cruise Credit .... Big Difference in what you can use the money for.

My email says:

If you purchased Cruise Planner Items… 

  • You can opt-in to receive an Onboard Credit in the value of 125% of the total Cruise Planner purchases on your reservation.
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2 hours ago, coneyraven said:

For those that think they're getting 125% OBC --- it is NOT --- it is a 125% Future Cruise Credit .... Big Difference in what you can use the money for.

The second and third rounds of cancellations had the option to opt-in for a 125% OBC for cruise planner purchases over a refund.  

I do see folks are mixing up the terms and using them interchangeably all over the place.

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32 minutes ago, WAAAYTOOO said:

So....for this latest round of cancellations, will the 125% be generic OBC or applicable for CP purchases only ??

Great question! I'm hoping generic OBC... nothing in the CP or opt-in survey stated only for CP purchases... just states what you purchased in the CP will be returned as 125% OBC if you opt-in for OBC. 

I guess we'll see!

I know it's use it or lose it once you choose which sailing to apply it to unlike the 125% FCC from the cruise fare!

 

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1 hour ago, JohnK6404 said:

Great question! I'm hoping generic OBC... nothing in the CP or opt-in survey stated only for CP purchases... just states what you purchased in the CP will be returned as 125% OBC if you opt-in for OBC. 

I guess we'll see!

I know it's use it or lose it once you choose which sailing to apply it to unlike the 125% FCC from the cruise fare!

Hey @JohnK6404, following along, but I'm wondering if you've heard any word as to whether or not the OBC will be added to your CP prior to your sail date, or if it will end up being actual, old-school ON BOARD credit?  There doesn't seem to be a lot out there on this point.  If you don't mind, could you keep us updated as to how and when this gets applied for you?

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I am a round 2 cancellation.  (May 6th on Ench). I took the 125% OBC and 125% FCC.  I received this email a few days ago about our cruise planner purchases.  I called and she said the 125% “Available Spend” won’t be available for future cruise planner spending until the actual FCC is also applied.  She estimated 4/30, but I’m not holding my breath.  I am especially not happy that I will be missing out on this big cruise planner sale going on right now.  
 

Here is the fine print from the email:

Terms and Conditions

These terms and conditions relate only to the use of promotional on-board credit that you may have received as a benefit under a promotion ("Promotional OBC"). Promotional OBC is issued in US$.

Guests that have been awarded Promotional OBC will be able to log in to Cruise Planner prior to the sail date of their booked cruise and see their available Promotional OBC in US$ where the booking was priced in US$. For all other currency bookings, Promotional OBC will be converted from US$ into the same currency as the cruise booking that gave rise to the award of Promotional OBC ("Available Spend").

Available Spend may be redeemed via Cruise Planner for individual bookings and for group bookings where Promotional OBC was allocated at an individual level.

Available Spend may be used to purchase shore excursions, dining, beverage packages, internet packages, spa & fitness services, entertainment activities and any future ancillary products / services available for purchase in advance of your cruise via Cruise Planner for your benefit or that of any other booking subject to such bookings relating to the same cruise sailing as your booking and such bookings being in the same currency.

Not all OBC is eligible for purchases through Cruise Planner. Promotional OBC excludes OBC you may have received as a gift, from your travel agent, Customer Service, or any OBC awarded through a group booking.

Making a Purchase via the Pre Cruise Planner

Subject to availability, guests may make purchases via Cruise Planner utilizing their Available Spend.

Where the value of Available Spend is less than the cost of any purchase(s), you may apply the Available Spend to the purchase(s) and pay any shortfall utilizing a credit or debit card.

Where the value of Available Spend exceeds the cost of any purchase(s) to be made, any balance will remain available to use on purchase(s) via Cruise Planner until the cut - off date for making purchases utilizing Cruise Planner (usually 48 hours prior to the sail date) after which any unused residual balance will be converted back to US$ on the sailing date and added to the guest's on-board account for spend onboard.

Please note that the value of Available Spend in your Cruise Planner account is subject to exchange rate fluctuation between the US$ and your cruise booking currency so your Available Spend will vary between visits to Cruise Planner. When however a purchase is made via Cruise Planner utilizing Available Spend, at the time of that purchase the exchange rate will become fixed for the purchase and will also be applied to the balance of any residual Available Spend (where applicable). As such, any residual balance of Available Spend will no longer be subject to exchange rate fluctuations. 

Change(s) to Cruise Booking

Should you make a purchase in Cruise Planner that utilizes Available Spend and then subsequently change your cruise booking in any way so that it is no longer eligible for any portion of the Promotional OBC, then the amount of Available Spend will be adjusted accordingly in Cruise Planner.

Please note that in the event that you have made purchases utilizing Available Spend that you are no longer entitled due to such a change of booking, then to retain those purchases you will need to pay those elements of your purchases no longer covered by such Available Spend. In such circumstances, we will promptly advise you by email of the amount payable by you and the deadline to make such payment. 

Cancellation of Cruise Booking

In the event that your cruise booking is cancelled for any reason, any purchases made using Available Spend will be automatically cancelled and forfeited. Where any cash payment was made in full or in part for any purchase made via Cruise Planner using a credit card, debit card, or other form of cash equivalent payments the amount of such cash payment will be refunded back in the original form of payment within 30 days. 

Cancellation of Purchases

In the event that you wish to cancel any purchase(s) made via Cruise Planner prior to the sail date of your cruise, you may do so via Cruise Planner up to the cut off date.

Where you do cancel any purchase made via Cruise Planner, any relevant amount of Promotional OBC released by such cancellation will be credited back to your Cruise Planner account to be used as Available Spend. In the event the purchase was in part funded by cash (via a credit card, debit card, or other form of cash equivalent payments then the applicable amount will be credited back to the original form of payment within 30 days.

Balance Due Notification & Cancellation of Cruise Planner Purchase

PLEASE NOTE, SHOULD YOU FAIL TO PAY THE FULL AMOUNT OF ANY SUM DUE BY THE STATED DEADLINE THE RELEVANT PURCHASE(S) MADE VIA CRUISE PLANNER WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY CANCELLED WITHOUT ANY LIABILITY ON OUR PART TO YOU OR ANY OTHER BENEFICIARY OF SUCH PURCHASES.

In the above circumstance, where any payment was made via Cruise Planner using a credit card, debit card, or other form of cash equivalent the amount of such payment will be refunded back to the original form of payment within 30 days.

Transfer of Available Spend for use onboard the Ship

Should you have any residual Available Spend at the cut-off date for making purchases utilizing Cruise Planner, such Available Spend will be automatically converted back to US$ for spend onboard your booked cruise.

The rate of exchange applied will be the same rate that applied to your original purchase utilizing Onboard Spend. Where however no purchase has been made utilizing your Available Spend, the original amount of Promotional OBC awarded to you in US$ shall be transferred to your onboard account to spend onboard.

Please note that Promotional OBC is non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and will expire if not used by 10:00 PM on the final night of your cruise.

Last Minute Changes to Cruise Booking

Be advised that last minute changes to a cruise booking within 3 days of sailing and after final notification of Cruise Planner Credit Balance Summary has been sent to you where you are no longer eligible to receive Promotional OBC will have an impact on your final Cruise Planner Credit Summary and available onboard credit spend.

Additionally, this will make it impossible to organize the collection and processing of payments via Cruise Planner and thus owe us money to pay for any existing purchases made via Cruise Planner prior to any change utilizing Cruise Planner credit. We must reserve the right to simply cancel any purchases made via Cruise Planner where Promotional OBC was applied.

In these circumstances we will advise you by email that your purchase(s) are cancelled and credit any cash payments (as applicable) back to the original form of payment within 30 days. We recommend that where your change of booking is within 3 days of your sailing date, that at the time of changing your booking you ask your travel agent or our call center if any change is likely to affect any Promotional OBC. 

 

All monies will be credited or reimbursed based on your original form of payment. Please print this page for your records. 

We thank you for your understanding.

Royal Caribbean International

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2 hours ago, USCG Teacher said:

Hey @JohnK6404, following along, but I'm wondering if you've heard any word as to whether or not the OBC will be added to your CP prior to your sail date, or if it will end up being actual, old-school ON BOARD credit?  There doesn't seem to be a lot out there on this point.  If you don't mind, could you keep us updated as to how and when this gets applied for you?

Hi @USCG Teacher!  Take a peek at @Crazycruiser50 's post above... the fine print from the e-mail received from Royal is posted.

My understanding is that we'll receive an e-mail at some point notifying us that the "promotional" 125% OBC is available.... then we need to let Royal know which specific sailing you want to apply this OBC to... 

Looks like it goes into the Cruise Planner (referred to as "Available Spend") of the sailing you choose prior to your sailing so you can make pre-cruise purchases. Any balance left over in the CP will automatically convert to OBC that may be used on your sailing.

"Guests that have been awarded Promotional OBC will be able to log in to Cruise Planner prior to the sail date of their booked cruise and see their available Promotional OBC in US$ where the booking was priced in US$.

...Available Spend may be used to purchase shore excursions, dining, beverage packages, internet packages, spa & fitness services, entertainment activities and any future ancillary products / services available for purchase in advance of your cruise via Cruise Planner.

...Should you have any residual Available Spend at the cut-off date for making purchases utilizing Cruise Planner, such Available Spend will be automatically converted back to US$ for spend onboard your booked cruise."

Any "promotional" OBC that you do not use will be lost/forfeited if not used while on your sailing.

"Please note that Promotional OBC is non-transferable, not redeemable for cash, and will expire if not used by 10:00 PM on the final night of your cruise."

I believe that's how it works from everything I've heard and read to date. I guess we'll all learn as this continues to develop!

 

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Here’s where it gets even more confusing... I want to apply the 125% FCC to our Nov cruise since it’s a per person credit.  Family of 4 in 2 adjacent rooms.  (Same set up on our cancelled cruise).  
 

Since our October cruise is in a Junior suite with a kids sail free promo I won’t be able to use the kid’s portion of FCC on that cruise.  I would however like to use the “available spend” on the October cruise for our DX drink/WiFi and Dining Plan.  (Since it was more expensive than the Nov cruise was).  Especially since I have to use all $1137 of “available spend” on one cruise.  
 

I am praying they can do that.  My guess is FCC and “available spend” will need to be applied to the same sailing date.  Hopefully I will find out on 4/30.  I will report back with anything I find out...

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Just now, WAAAYTOOO said:

The only part of this that has me confused is “promotional” OBC. I don’t think this (meaning, OBC resulting from the cancellation of Cruise Planner purchases) is considered promotional OBC. Isn’t Promotional OBC the same as booking incentive OBC ?

I think the promotional part is the 125%.  At least the 3 diff agents (who all were clueless on the whole thing) thought.  It wasn’t until I spoke with a manger in the resolutions department that explained all of the above to me.  She said she’s never had to deal with a 125% credit before of this magnitude and none of them have had any training on it yet.  Makes me think you need to keep calling back until you get someone who knows how to apply it.  

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The people answering the phones are in over their heads.  The average wait time on hold is anywhere between 15-30 mins right now.  Which means their phones are constantly ringing.  I honestly feel bad for them as most are reading from a script or are putting you on hold to ask a supervisor.  They are doing the best they can with the little amount of information they are being given.
 

 Clearly they will all need to have some sort of training on this (as per the manager).  So it seems like the 30-45 days for refunds is to buy RCCL time to get everyone up to speed (while also hanging on to our cash as long as possible).  Supposedly when your cancelled  reservation has been processed it’s all supposed to be automated online for future cruises.  That being said, they aren’t even sure if that’s going to happen.  
 

I know I will need to speak to a representative to find out if I can split the 2 diff 125% credits.  1. To apply to the balance of a Nov cruise.  1. To apply our cancelled cruise planner 125% amount on our Oct cruise.  I can only imagine how frustrating that call is going to be for the poor person who gets my call.  
 

I know most of us (me included) are frustrated about this whole thing and want to get back out to Sea as soon as possible, but just try to have a little patience with the phone reps as they are doing the best they can with the information they have.  

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On 4/23/2020 at 2:49 PM, Crazycruiser50 said:

I am a round 2 cancellation.  (May 6th on Ench). I took the 125% OBC and 125% FCC.  I received this email a few days ago about our cruise planner purchases.  I called and she said the 125% “Available Spend” won’t be available for future cruise planner spending until the actual FCC is also applied.  She estimated 4/30, but I’m not holding my breath.  I am especially not happy that I will be missing out on this big cruise planner sale going on right now.  

See this would lead you to believe that the OBC is going to be tied to a FCC.   I opted for the 125% OBC for my cancelled sailing but also took the refund option for the cruisefare.  Will be interesting to see how it all plays out.

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My TA at MEI told me that if you have leftover FCC, it can be applied to another cruise as long as it is before December 2021. The OBC has to be used on one sailing only. If there is a balance after you make all your cruise planner purchases, the balance will stay as OBC to be used on board. 

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