Update: Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald shared an update on Dec. 18 as to the ongoing problems the cruise line has been having with its website:
"My sincere apologies again for the delay in the ability for you to use the OBC for pre-cruise purchases. I don’t have any news yet but I promise the Beards are working very hard to get this repaired on our website," he shared.
The glitch does not allow passengers to use onboard credit to book pre-cruise items. Carnival, however, has promised to honor the pre-cruise prices onboard for impacted passengers.
"Many of you who have written to me have vented your frustration as this has been like this for a week or more. I am glad to be here for you to vent to rather than shout at someone on the end of the 1-800 carnival phone number. They are there to help you as am I, and can I remind those sailing today or over the next few days that if you have been unable to use your OBC for the Cheers pre-cruise price, or indeed your gift card then you can use this once on board the ship and purchase it at the pre-cruise price as well," he shared.
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Sometimes, especially during the busy holiday season, cruise line websites can glitch because so many people are using them. That can be frustrating for customers because you don't know if there's a wide-scale problem or one that just impacts you,
That makes it helpful when a cruise line comes out and admits that something has gone wrong.
Related: 29 mistakes to avoid on a Carnival Cruise Line cruise
Carnival Brand Ambassador John Heald recently shared on his popular Facebook page that his cruise line is having a problem that has impacted thousands, maybe even tens of thousands, of its upcoming passengers.
"Some of you have written to me today, telling me that there is a glitch with you being able to use your onboard credit (OBC) pre-cruise. And you’re right, there is a glitch, and yes, you can 100% use your own board credit pre-cruise. I’ve reported it to The Beards, and they will take care of it as quickly as possible," Heald wrote.
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Image source: Carnival Corp.
Carnival offers a workaround
Not being able to use OBC before a cruise can be expensive because it's cheaper to book packages like the Cheers beverage package and WiFi service. The same is generally true of most shore excursions.
Carnival (CCL) , however, has offered a workaround for passengers who can't book packages, excursions, and other things before their cruise.
Heald shared the potential solution on Dec. 14 on his Facebook page in response to a question from Paul Starich:
"Good morning, kind sir. Is there an estimated time of when they will fix the issue with the website? I have heard a couple of times this week try again tomorrow. I've had no luck being able to use my OBC towards my Cheers package. I have complete faith in Carnival techs and know they will succeed in fixing this. Just wondering if any E.T.A." he wrote.
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Heald shared some positive news:
"My colleagues are working on this as we speak, and if, if it’s unable to be fixed, then they will honor the Cheers package at the pre-cruise price when you buy it on board. That has been confirmed. And hopefully, by the time you cruise, it will be done, and I will be here if you need anything else," he posted.
How do you use your OBC?
Heald asked his followers how they use their OBC.
"If you have onboard credit for a cruise, do you usually apply it before the cruise or during the cruise?" he asked.
Over 500 people commented to answer him.
"We use it to help pay for shore excursions, drink packages, spa, and specialty dining... Anything left over goes into the slot machine," Sammy Sheldon shared.
Most posters made it clear that they used all, or at least most, of their OBC before boarding.
"Most of our OBC goes to internet packages and sometimes excursions before we ever board," posted Kimberley Jackson Elder.
Linda Guenther Hurley had a similar response.
"We’ve already used ours for specialty dining, wifi, bottled water, etc. We always have it used up before the cruise," she added.
Becky Elkins Rhodes had a more realistic take for many passengers.
"I've never had more than $50 for the cabin, which means we get $25 each or less, depending on who is in the cabin. So we use it onboard for a drink, and it's pretty much spent," she wrote.
ALSO READ: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise
Some take a very strategic approach.
"We use OBC before our cruises for all sorts of things — excursions including shuttle busses back to the airport post-cruise, specialty dining, drink packages, etc. Generally speaking, it's spent for items on the cruise well before we cruise. That makes it easier to determine what is left for our budget," he shared.
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