Author Topic: How to maximize your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)  (Read 81949 times)

Offline RichC

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #15 on: May 14, 2014, 11:49:38 AM »
Princess now seems to be carrying over your unused Internet minutes from the first leg of a B2B to the second leg.  :D
Yes and no. It depends. We opened an account for both myself and my wife and didn't use any of her minutes the first week, only mine. Her account remained at 250 minutes and mine was around 30 minutes after the first cruise. The second leg I had an additional 30 minutes added to my 250 but hers didn't carry over and she only had the allotment of 250. The internet manager said it was because she didn't use any of her minutes to begin with. ???
I guess if we had used some of her minutes they might have carried over. Next B2B I'll be sure to use some from each account.

Offline ccrain

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #16 on: May 15, 2014, 12:16:20 PM »
We actually had minutes carry over on a B2B2B on the Grand a couple of months ago, and on the Ruby B2B2B2B late last year.

they were all booked as separate cruises - love those OBCs!

Offline Host Mike

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Coffee Cards - The gift that keeps on giving.
« Reply #17 on: May 16, 2014, 05:27:47 PM »
Never toss your Princess coffee cards after the cruise, especially if they have unused punches.  All Princess bars with coffee machines will honor those unused punches on old cards on later cruises and some, but not all, bar tenders will serve you free brewed coffee if you show your old coffee card.  Often the small bar next to Horizon Court, near the pool, has a brewed coffee machine in the small room right directly behind the bar.

« Last Edit: August 02, 2016, 03:18:15 PM by Host Mike »

Offline ccrain

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #18 on: May 17, 2014, 06:16:45 AM »
Also, the mini-bar exchange for two coffee cards is a great deal as the cards are typically unmarked. (Most actually are if you get them from a server you have made friends with during the cruise.)

In fact, I've only had one card marked in the past several cruises...

Offline RichC

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #19 on: May 17, 2014, 06:34:54 AM »
It's surprising just what they can do once you make a friend.  ;)

Offline CrusinEd

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #20 on: May 20, 2014, 06:29:18 AM »
Don't forget the Princess Credit Card. We will be leaving on the 4th of June for Alaska and have just cashed in points for $1000.00 dollars of cabin credits. We pay the card off each month, so this is free credits.

Offline RichC

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #21 on: May 20, 2014, 07:30:32 AM »
Don't forget the Princess Credit Card. We will be leaving on the 4th of June for Alaska and have just cashed in points for $1000.00 dollars of cabin credits. We pay the card off each month, so this is free credits.

Wow. You're a big spender to get back that much.  :o We have a hard time accumulating points for $150 per cruise. 

Offline ccrain

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #22 on: June 08, 2014, 09:52:18 AM »
Don't forget the Princess Credit Card. We will be leaving on the 4th of June for Alaska and have just cashed in points for $1000.00 dollars of cabin credits. We pay the card off each month, so this is free credits.

I actually did a careful spreadsheet analysis of travel credit cards and determined that airline MILES, not points, are the way to go to maximize bang per buck. Supersaver fares on United, for economy, average about 3.5 cents per mile flying domestically to and from cruises. International business super saver classes can get you 11 or 12 cents a mile back, and international economy can get upwards of 6 cents per mile.

So a return of 1 or 2% in MILES, can then net 3 to 12 cents per mile in ticket price equivalency. 

So cards that give me 1% or 2% return in MILES, rather than 1 or 2 CENTS back, are the way to go for us...

Offline RichC

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #23 on: June 08, 2014, 01:07:46 PM »
There you go- we don't have to fly anywhere lately.

Offline Host Mike

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How to get CIF
« Reply #24 on: December 19, 2015, 12:06:22 PM »
While not generating OBCs there are two ways to get some CIF - Cash in Fist.

  • Watch Princess EZ Air prices very closely.  Sometimes there are unpublished EZ Air prices so ask.
  • Buddy up with your travel agent.  Sometimes they can lower the cruise fare AFTER final payment

« Last Edit: August 07, 2019, 07:12:45 PM by Host Mike »

Offline ccrain

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Re: How to get CIF
« Reply #25 on: December 20, 2015, 08:55:56 AM »
While not generating OBCs there are two ways to get some CIF - Cash in Fist.

  • Watch Princess EZ Air prices very closely.  Sometimes there are unpublished EZ Air prices so ask.
  • Buddy up with your travel agent.  Sometimes they can lower the fare AFTER final payment



Agreed. On the Australian Cruise From Southampton to Sydney next year, after booking, our TA got us the sip and sail package at no additional cost, then just last week, the fare went down $3k with a $600 OBC. We had to give up the sip and sail, which was no problem since we don't drink that much anyway...

Offline Host Mike

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Re: How to maximize your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #26 on: December 24, 2015, 11:24:39 AM »
On Southamption to Singapore Emerald Princess I gave up Sip and Sail, kept the same cabin and saved over four thousand dollars U.S.  With the money saved I can optionally buy the full beverage package on board and still come out far ahead.

Offline RichC

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #27 on: January 20, 2016, 08:54:08 AM »
Princess now seems to be carrying over your unused Internet minutes from the first leg of a B2B to the second leg.  :D

Yes but the catch is if you're doing a B2B2B cruise or longer the minutes don't keep rolling over continuously. If you don't use all the internet minutes from the first leg they will carry over to the next leg but if you try to roll over those minutes to the next leg you will lose the minutes from the second leg because you haven't started using them. You must use up those carried over minutes & start using some of the new minutes before the end of that trip. If you begin the next leg of a B2B2B without starting to use some of the previous legs minutes you will lose the minutes of the middle leg.

They don't explain that until you complain to the internet manager about the loss and at that point it's to late to do much about it. (or so they say) 

Offline RichC

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #28 on: January 23, 2016, 07:47:10 AM »
Princess now seems to be carrying over your unused Internet minutes from the first leg of a B2B to the second leg.  :D
Yes but if it's a B2B2B you had better use up the minutes carried over from the first leg & start using at least some of the minutes of the second leg minutes before the start of the third leg or you lose the second legs minutes. After the first carry over you'd still be using the first legs minutes. If you don't start the second legs minutes before the end of the second leg is over they will automatically be cancelled & not eligible for any carry over. I suppose the carried over from the first leg might be carried over to the third leg but I didn't try that.
A continued carry over is something they didn't take into consideration when they wrote the program.

Offline Host Mike

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Re: How to maximize all of your On Board Cabin Credits (OBC's)
« Reply #29 on: August 02, 2016, 03:21:13 PM »
Also, the mini-bar exchange for two coffee cards is a great deal as the cards are typically unmarked. (Most actually are if you get them from a server you have made friends with during the cruise.)

In fact, I've only had one card marked in the past several cruises...

I agree.  Try also to get an unmarked card when you buy a coffee card at a bar and you might also get an unmarked card by ordering one on the dine line.  That unmarked card may turn out to be the brewed coffee and hot chocolate gift card that keeps on giving on your future Princess cruises.
« Last Edit: February 28, 2017, 11:37:58 AM by Host Mike »