Debit Card Payment

[sodafountain]

From reading the T&C's, they swipe your card when boarding, so they can charge your onboard account.

 

Going on Destiny 20th December.

 

Do they actually charge anything to your card, or is it just to confirm you have a card?

 

Get paid 23rd December, plus i keep extra money in deposit account (try to keep current account low) so will have plenty to pay at end for anything (going AI, so shouldn't be much), just wanted to make sure i had enough on at start if needed.

 

Also, any beaches near where the ship docks in any of the locations (Martinique, Barbados, Dominica, St Kitts & Tortolla)?

 

Cheers

[davecttr]

On a 13 nighter this summer on Spirit my credit card was charged twice, once at the end of the first week and the balance at the end. This may be true for Destiny as well but not all Thomson ships follow the same policy and some will reject certain debit cards that others accept, especially for voyages to exotic locations.

 

There was along debate about his some time ago and it seemed then that the Barclays? card causes most problems.

 

If you have the AI your on board spend will be anything you buy in the shops, excursions and the casino if you use your onboard account rather than cash.

[Beckyfaye-2008]

Don't know how Thomson do it, as my pending cruise will be the first with them. On P&O they swipe your card on boarding, everything you spend on board is charged to your on board account, at the end of the cruise, they use your card details to settle the bill. Nothing charged to your card at the start of your cruise.

However from time to time on P&O, they do a pre authorisation check on your card, to make sure you have sufficient funds to settle the bill, don't know if this happens with Thomson.;)

[kruzseeka]

They do sometimes take money out of your credit card on two or three separate occasions - the last one obviously after the end of your cruise.

 

If you aren't using a debit card and paying in cash - they do require £200 lodging with Reception at he start of your cruise (don't know if that's per person or per cabin though - check the small print in the brochure).

 

I would think it's reasonable for them to check there is at least £200 worth of funds available on your card before they permit you to start running up a bill on board to keep things on a par with those paying in cash. To be on the safe side, I'd try to make sure you have a minimum of £200 available on your card when you register it. I understand you will have plenty of funds available by the time they start to take money, but you wouldn't want the embarassment of them declining your card.

 

Fabulous beaches in Tortola and Barbados but I think perhaps they're all a taxi ride away. Here is a link to people's experiences of the destinations (Martinique has replaced Guadeloupe so I don't think many of us will be able to help with that). St Kitts - not sure about beaches here. We did the train trip - excellent although not cheap.

 

Yours seem to be a mix of the two itineraries so you'll have to search through for those you're interested in.

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com...d.php?t=929750

 

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com...caribbean+gems

 

Enjoy your trip - I'm sure you will.

[capasamari]

Dominica is not known for its beaches. The river tubing excursion was great fun, the Indian River rowboat excursion was interesting, and the Champagne Snorkel is supposed to be really good (you swim over a volcanic reef and bubbles of warm air come up through the rocks).

 

Carol x