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7 Ways To Use Onboard Credit

How to use cruise credits?

By Adam H. Graham | Published on March 7, 2024

You may have seen deals that include onboard credit and wondered what that entails. Onboard credit — otherwise known as OBC or "cruise cash" — is a promotion that offers cruisers a dollar amount to use toward onboard spending. It is loaded automatically onto your SeaPass® card, the personal onboard expense account you'll use for all your onboard expenditures, and credits are automatically applied to all purchases made on board. Think of it as a gift card from Royal Caribbean.

Though the timing of promotions varies, the credit is issued before you cruise and can be spent on the My Royal Cruise portal even before you board. And here's the really fun part: it can be applied toward a wide array of goods and services, including massages and celebratory bottles of bubbly. But there's a motto for how to treat your cruise credit: Use it or lose it! Credits are nonrefundable and nontransferable, so read on for our list of seven of the best ways to use your onboard cruise credit.

1. Wine, Spirits And Other Beverages

Splurging on a bottle of your favorite bubbly or top-shelf tequila is an excellent way to use your credit. If simply nursing a dark 'n' stormy or a pineapple guava sangria at sunset is more your jam, then treating yourself — and perhaps your significant other or friends — to a round of cocktails at one of the ship's bars is a generous act that won't be forgotten. Daiquiris, caipirinhas and margaritas made with agave syrup are only a few of the creations you can sample.

Drinks Packages are a smart way to use up cruise credit, too. Guests can opt for unlimited fountain soda and Coca-Cola® products by purchasing a Classic Soda Package. Add on a Refreshment Package and you'll also get mocktails, premium coffees and teas, milkshakes, Evian bottled water and fresh-squeezed juices with the next level. Or upgrade to the Deluxe Beverage Package for unlimited beer, wine, premium cocktails and 40% discounts on select bottles of wine and Champagne.

2. Specialty Dining

Dining packages are a fantastic way to spend cruise credit. You can purchase the Three Restaurants package to dine at three different venues or the Unlimited Dining Package, which allows you to visit multiple specialty restaurants every night of your sailing.

Onboard credit can be used for individual meals, too. Hankering for some seafood while sailing in the Caribbean? Use your credit for yellowtail sashimi sushi, shrimp tempura or the famed champagne lobster rolls at Izumi Japanese Cuisine. If you're a meat lover, consider ordering a bone-in rib-eye steak at Chops Grille℠. If you want to really go gourmet, book a seat at Chef's Table and sample, for example, the smoked tomato soup and scallop carpaccio with yuzu vinaigrette. Those with a sweet tooth have no shortage of places to satisfy their sugar desires. Trade in your credit for some petits fours and violet cassis macarons at La Patisserie or surprise your family with cupcakes, pastry, donuts or cookies from various venues on board.

3. Shore Excursions

Booking shore excursions is another great way to spend your onboard credit — not to mention deepen your travel experience. Excursions you can spend your credit on include everything from snorkeling, scuba diving, birdwatching and rainforest ziplining to touring archeological sights and embarking on standard city tours at most ports of call.

If you start to experience crowd fatigue mid-cruise, consider using your onboard credit to book Private Journeys — a customized tour just for you and your crew — so that you can get more personalized experiences onshore. Sample Private Journeys include a Basque cooking class with a chef in Bilbao, Spain; an Alaskan glacier tour by Hummer; a seaplane excursion to a private Puerto Rican island with a catamaran ride; or a simple yet romantic boat tour of Capri, Italy's Blue Grotto.

4. Wi-Fi

Let's face it, we all need Wi-Fi when we travel. Spend your cruise credit on a Wi-Fi package, which not only connects you to friends, family or the office while sailing but allows you to post your photos and videos in real time on social media so that those who couldn't be there with you can follow along during your journey. Royal Caribbean's VOOM ^® W i-Fi package — available on every Royal Caribbean ship — is the fastest internet at sea, with onboard Wi-Fi speeds approximately six times faster than what you'll find on other cruise ships.

5. Spa Treatments

Pampering yourself on board is arguably the best way to spend cruise cash. And the Vitality℠ Spa, found on every ship, is not only ready to take your cruise credit, but an excellent way to luxuriate on your day at sea. Massages like the 100-minute seaweed massage, or couples hot stone massage, allow you to really indulge, while touching up roots and getting highlights, haircuts and bikini waxes are ideal for guests who want to hit the shore looking their best. But the extensive spa is not limited to body treatments. It offers everything from collagen facials, microdermabrasion and Botox to teeth whitening and acupuncture. There's even a separate menu for men who want a quick shave and trim and one for teens seeking manicures and pedicures. So if you don't feel like treating yourself, let a loved one enjoy the credit love.

6. Shopping

Shopping on board is a smart way to use up any leftover onboard credit. Today's fleet of ships offers an array of shops on par with malls onshore. You can find everything from Cartier® and Bvlgari® jewelry and Swiss watches to designer apparel like Michael Kors®. But you needn't spend big. Small purchases can be made at candy shops, video game arcades, cosmetics stores (where you can stock up on La Mer and Kiehl's products or Korean face masks) and even Starbucks®, where you can exchange credit for a mocha latte.

7. Casino Games

If you're a big spender keen to roll the dice and poker-face your way through a hand of Texas Hold 'em, spend your cruise credit at the Casino Royale℠, found on every ship. Your credit can be used for everything from slot machines and craps tables to roulette, baccarat and blackjack tournaments. There are also nightly cash prizes and special one-off events that the resident pit boss can tell you about. It's possible to turn that credit into cash, allowing you to spend even more when hitting the shore.

Ready to book a cruise for your next vacation? Check out these fabulous cruises.