Well, being a poor grad student, this might not be a option for you, but you can "prepay" your card what you expect to charge on the cruise. That way you will have a larger limit. Or, you can call the card and ask for a limit increase, but in this envirnoment, that might not get you very far. Also, some of the cruises will set up a cash account for you, but I think it has to be paid off by the last day of the cruise. Don't know, never went that way.
"Prepaying" (or overpaying) your card so that you have a "larger limit" most likely does not work -- I work in a bank and if someone has a $1,000 limit and makes a payment so that that they have a credit balance, their limit is NOT increased -- they still only have $1,000 available for card authorizations. Don't do this without first checking with your credit card issuer. If you don't think you have enough credit available, you can do the "cash" option on your onboard account and pre-pay THAT not your credit card.
"I wish I knew before..."
in First Time Cruisers
Posted
"Prepaying" (or overpaying) your card so that you have a "larger limit" most likely does not work -- I work in a bank and if someone has a $1,000 limit and makes a payment so that that they have a credit balance, their limit is NOT increased -- they still only have $1,000 available for card authorizations. Don't do this without first checking with your credit card issuer. If you don't think you have enough credit available, you can do the "cash" option on your onboard account and pre-pay THAT not your credit card.