Onboard Credit (OBC)

Onboard credit needs a little explanation for those who are new to cruising. Most people just call it OBC and it simply money that is placed into your shipboard account by you or your Travel Agent. This money or credit can be used on your cruise for almost anything that you purchase while sailing. Here are just a few:

• Beverages
• Shore Excursions
• Retail Purchases
• Gratuities
• Adult Dining
• Spa Services
• Internet Packages

So.. How do we get an OBC for our cruise? By receiving a booking incentive from a travel agent. Just a note of caution, not all travel agents provide a booking incentive and many vary. The second way is if you purchase or gift the credit to the stateroom as an amenity. So let’s say my brother is sailing next month and I want to gift him $100.00 on the cruise. I call Disney Cruise Line and ask for an amenity of $100.00 be applied to his stateroom. I pay Disney and they send me an amenity confirmation. Or say I am sailing and want to add some cash to my onboard account. The same process will be used. An important note to all. If you do not use the OBC, it goes back to the account used to purchase it. If it was applied by a travel agent, they will receive a refund. If you applied it with a gift card, it will be returned to the gift card.

You may ask how can a travel agent afford to give an onboard credit to their guests. Simply put, the agent is taking part of their commission Disney pays them and gives it to the guest as a booking incentive. OBC’s vary by agent since their commission is tiered based on sales volume, agency policy and agent willingness to give the incentive.

Here is an example of how an OBC would work for my guests for new bookings:

Onboard credit is calculated by Taking total guest voyage fare minus non commissionable fees (NCF’s).

Any add on such as transfers, hotels, ABD short escapes, gratuities are not part of the calculation.

MSK

Mark Kechula, Cruising Specialist
mark@hihovacations.com or mark.kechula@gmail.com
(757) 777-8245