Canadians Booking -Take note!

Lollipop's Mom · Sep 21, 2015

I was booking Oasis of the seas and got an amazing deal of $2372 Cdn for a balcony ocean view. When I called to change my Allure booking (was $3800 cdn) to the Oasis, they brought up a quote of $2973 -but once I had him put in I am from Canada, it dropped the price back down to $2372!!! They have a great Canadian discount going on most sailings- if looking online, don't skip the part where it asks you to put your province in!

ronandannette · Sep 22, 2015

Another absolutely FABULOUS piece if information is that if you have booked your cruise in CAD, you can purchase on-board credit at an exchange rate of 10%. Yes, ten percent! Once you've purchased it you can use it for your on-board expenses and/or withdraw cash from the casino to spend in port. We did this on our recent Alaska trip and $1,000 US, acquired this way saved us almost $300 over bank exchange rates. It felt like winning the lottery! pixiedust:

Lollipop's Mom · Sep 22, 2015

WOW i had no idea!!!!! Thanks for the heads up!

ronandannette · Sep 23, 2015

Lollipop's Mom said:
WOW i had no idea!!!!! Thanks for the heads up!

If you want to try it you have to phone in to the Gifts & Gear sales department. Make sure you ask them how much CAD will be charged to your card to verify you're getting the 10% rate. :wave2:

jtdl · Sep 27, 2015

Yes, I have been adding OBC to our sailing for the past three months at 10% exchange rate and just added more today. I have never been able to find a direct number for Gifts and Gear so I just call the 1-800 number, chose option for "cruise that is already booked" and that person has always been able to do it for me. They tell you there is a max of $499 without having to fax in your credit card and photo id but you can call back and add more. We have close to $1000 OBC each. If you set your account up as a "cash account" (no credit card) you can withdraw cash from the casino at no additional charge. If you have your on board account set up with a credit card, they will charge you 5% to withdraw at the casino. If there is any remaining OBC at the end of the cruise you will need to go to guest services on the last day of the cruise to withdraw it in cash or if your account has a credit card associated, they will credit the remainder to the credit card.

Iamaplanner · Oct 2, 2015

Awesome!

MrsDanielle · Oct 11, 2015

jtdl said:
Yes, I have been adding OBC to our sailing for the past three months at 10% exchange rate and just added more today. I have never been able to find a direct number for Gifts and Gear so I just call the 1-800 number, chose option for "cruise that is already booked" and that person has always been able to do it for me. They tell you there is a max of $499 without having to fax in your credit card and photo id but you can call back and add more. We have close to $1000 OBC each. If you set your account up as a "cash account" (no credit card) you can withdraw cash from the casino at no additional charge. If you have your on board account set up with a credit card, they will charge you 5% to withdraw at the casino. If there is any remaining OBC at the end of the cruise you will need to go to guest services on the last day of the cruise to withdraw it in cash or if your account has a credit card associated, they will credit the remainder to the credit card.

I'll be going on Oasis for my first cruise ever at the end of the month, so pls pardon my newbie question.

I am very interested in benefiting from this offer (aren't we all?), but I'm confused on how to obtain this offer.

I'd like to set up a cash account prior to boarding, but how receive the 10% exchange rate? Can I use a credit card, am I do sent them travelers' cheques in Canadian $s? thanks!

LemonNeko · Oct 12, 2015

To get the 10% exchange rate you have to purchase the OCB prior to getting on the ship. I called the gifts and gear number. I think it can only be paid by credit card. I was set up as a credit card account and I was still allowed to take money out of the casino too. I had a $15 credit left and I was told it will be put back to my credit card.

jtdl · Oct 13, 2015

MrsDanielle said:
I'll be going on Oasis for my first cruise ever at the end of the month, so pls pardon my newbie question.

I am very interested in benefiting from this offer (aren't we all?), but I'm confused on how to obtain this offer.

I'd like to set up a cash account prior to boarding, but how receive the 10% exchange rate? Can I use a credit card, am I do sent them travelers' cheques in Canadian $s? thanks!

The only restriction for this rate is that you must have booked your cruise in Canadian currency. As I mentioned in my post, I have not been able to locate a direct number to Gifts and Gear so I call the main 1-800-762-0585. Then you get the automated options - choose "cruise that is already booked" and they can do it for you. The rest is as LemonNeko said - just tell the operator you would like to buy OBC in Canadian funds, you will need to provide your reservation number. At the end they will tell you how much it will be total - if you purchase $400 OBC it will cost $440. They are no longer letting people purchase more than $499 at once so if you want more than that, you will have to call back another time. You will then set up your account as a cash account when you do the online check-in prior to your cruise.

ronandannette · Oct 20, 2015

MrsDanielle said:
I'll be going on Oasis for my first cruise ever at the end of the month, so pls pardon my newbie question.

I am very interested in benefiting from this offer (aren't we all?), but I'm confused on how to obtain this offer.

I'd like to set up a cash account prior to boarding, but how receive the 10% exchange rate? Can I use a credit card, am I do sent them travelers' cheques in Canadian $s? thanks!

The only way you can pay for it is by credit card and the OBC needs to be purchased ahead of time. When you board (presuming you have some OBC accumulated) you just tell them you want to have a "cash" account and you won't need to provide a credit card number. This point may be moot though, depending on how much OBC you have. It will all be used before anything is charged to your card, even if you do provide one.

MrsDanielle · Oct 29, 2015

Done! OBC have been added. So excited, we set sail on Halloween!

Thank you both for your help!

roxysmum123 · Dec 26, 2015

ronandannette said:
Another absolutely FABULOUS piece if information is that if you have booked your cruise in CAD, you can purchase on-board credit at an exchange rate of 10%. Yes, ten percent! Once you've purchased it you can use it for your on-board expenses and/or withdraw cash from the casino to spend in port. We did this on our recent Alaska trip and $1,000 US, acquired this way saved us almost $300 over bank exchange rates. It felt like winning the lottery!

Is this still a thing?!?! I REALLY hope so, it'll make such a difference to us!

ronandannette · Dec 26, 2015

roxysmum123 said:
Is this still a thing?!?! I REALLY hope so, it'll make such a difference to us!

The 10% exchange is still a thing, but I read last week on CC that some ships were NOT allowing cash withdrawals from the casino although I'm not sure how reliable the information was. It's definitely worth doing even without the cash if you plan to book shore excursions or do much on-board purchasing though. I'd maybe call RCCL (Gifts and Gear Dept.) to see exactly what's going on. Have a great trip. :wave2:

jtdl · Dec 27, 2015

ronandannette said:
The 10% exchange is still a thing, but I read last week on CC that some ships were NOT allowing cash withdrawals from the casino although I'm not sure how reliable the information was. It's definitely worth doing even without the cash if you plan to book shore excursions or do much on-board purchasing though. I'd maybe call RCCL (Gifts and Gear Dept.) to see exactly what's going on. Have a great trip.

Yes, some ships are apparently not allowing "cash" withdrawals but you can get a slot slip, stick it in a machine and then cash out and take the slip to the cashier for cash. There is no problem if you are just purchasing the OBC to spend onboard, if you have any left then you go to guest services the last full day of the cruise and cash out.

keaster · Dec 28, 2015

I just purchased $600 OBC for our January 11th Dubai cruise for only $660 Canadian. I'm so glad I saw this before we sailed!

Canadian Disney Mom · Jan 7, 2016

Just a heads up that there are reports that this 10% "deal" is now over. People are reporting being charged 40% to buy OBC today

Frozen2014 · Jan 8, 2016

Canadian Disney Mom said:
Just a heads up that there are reports that this 10% "deal" is now over. People are reporting being charged 40% to buy OBC today

Yeah, I heard that too. Too bad as it was good while it lasted.

Canadian Disney Mom · Jan 8, 2016

Frozen2014 said:
Yeah, I heard that too. Too bad as it was good while it lasted.

It was awesome - we used it on 3 cruises in 2015. Sad to see it go, but not surprised.

Canadians Booking -Take note!

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