Paying for things on board???

[Dj2008]

Ok, I've been reading a lot about cruises on the forums here since I will be going on my first (and unexpected) cruise in about a month. I see a lot of people referring to their "tabs" at the end of the cruise. Is everything you purchase on board put on a tab and then you pay for it at the end? Can you pay for things with cash on board, say a specialty restaurant? If everything is on a tab system, can you prepay? I'm a server and have been saving my tips for the cruise, so I'm just trying to figure out what I need to do with that money before I cruise (prepay a credit card, put it in my bank account, prepay a ship credit, etc.) I'm cruising NCL Pride of America from Nov. 2 - Nov. 10. Also, my friend is the one who booked and paid for the cruise, I just paid her back. Does this affect how anything works?

[ritakmae]

I just returned from my first cruise. Holland America required us to give them a credit card that they pre-authorized on the first day of the cruise for about $800. Giving them the credit card number was part of the process of printing our boarding documents and checking in.

 

Everything we did on board was then charged to our cabin and on the last day of the cruise we were given an accounting with the option of paying cash or letting it go against the credit card on file. They have a different policy if you want to have cash on your shipboard account. You would go to the "front desk" on the first day of the cruise. Read the fine print.

 

You can tip in cash thru-out the cruise, but that will not alleviate the "tip service charge" on your shipboard account. There is no paying in cash for your shore excursions or bar tab during the cruise.

[kitty9]

Ships are cashless except for the casino. When you check in for your cruise, you will receive your room key which doubles as your "credit card" on the ship. Whenever you purchase anything on the ship, be it drinks, purchases in the ship's stores or for the specialty restaurants, you just give them your room card and all those purchases will be put on a tab. Also when you first check in, you must open an on board charge account using either cash (usually $250 to $300 per person) or a credit card that will cover your expenses. Cruise lines don't accept pre-paid anything in terms of cards. Only cards with your name embossed on it are accepted.

 

You open separate accounts for the ship. It makes no difference who paid for the cruise, you just open your own ship board account.

 

I must disagree with ritakmae on her tipping comment. You DO NOT tip in cash throughout the cruise. That's not how it's done on a cruise ship. On NCL, tips are pre-paid for the room steward, waiter, assistant waiter and others. A 15% gratuity is automatically added to every bar bill. The only time you have a cash tip is if you order room service, and then you tip the person who delivers the food a couple of dollars.

[cb at sea]

Depending on cruiseline, you can certainly give them money/payment in advance...it will show as an "onboard credit", so anything you buy (a debit) will be offset by that credit.

 

There's really no difference in paying cash as you go, as opposed to paying for all of it at the end...the amount will still be the same! Just keep track of your expenditures, so you won't be shocked!

 

You can take your cash and apply it to your account when you check in, or keep it in your safe (using a credit card to LINK your shipboard account), and use the cash to pay your tab before they close out your credit card....nothing is actually CHARGED to your card until the cruise is over, so you may pay cash anytime you like.

[spookwife]

Ok, I've been reading a lot about cruises on the forums here since I will be going on my first (and unexpected) cruise in about a month. I see a lot of people referring to their "tabs" at the end of the cruise. Is everything you purchase on board put on a tab and then you pay for it at the end? Can you pay for things with cash on board, say a specialty restaurant? If everything is on a tab system, can you prepay? I'm a server and have been saving my tips for the cruise, so I'm just trying to figure out what I need to do with that money before I cruise (prepay a credit card, put it in my bank account, prepay a ship credit, etc.) I'm cruising NCL Pride of America from Nov. 2 - Nov. 10. Also, my friend is the one who booked and paid for the cruise, I just paid her back. Does this affect how anything works?

 

it is a cashless system on board with the exception of room service deliveries. for those, you should tip a dollar or two in cash to the person who delivers it.

 

 

you may place cash on the account attached to your name if you like. the deposit may be quite steep, though. or you can use a Credit card and pay it off in cash on the last night if you prefer.

[Keith1010]

There are a few items that people use cash for.

 

This would include the casino, some tips, and say a room service tip.

 

Keith

[LynnTTT]

Don't carry cash on board, except for whatever you need before and after the cruise. Everything on board gets charged to whatever card you use as your deposit. Just put your money in your bank, charge everything on a good credit card and then pay the bill when you get it. At which time you'll be shocked to discover how many fancy drinks you had.

[paul929207]

I think all cruise lines will accept major credit cards. Most will also accept cash, but will require a deposit to cover anticipated spending. I think they ask for about $300 or $400 per person per week. Anything not used is refunded at the end of the cruise.

[Hlitner]

NCL and the other major cruise lines will ask for a major credit card or cash deposit at the time you check-in for your cruise (in the terminal). If you do have a major credit card it makes sense to use that to set-up your account. If you later decide you want to settle your account in cash you simply go to the pursers/guest relations) the last evening of the cruise and pay-off your account. However, most cruise lines (not sure about NCL) will put some kind of credit-hold on your credit card (for example, Holland America puts a $60 per person/day hold). This is only a problem if you decide you want to use that same card for a purchase on shore and the credit hold ties-up your entire credit limit.

 

Hank

[Joy2Day]

I've often cruised with friends who had either no credit card or a very low credit limit on their card.

 

We would each have a different account even though we shared a cabin. I would put down a credit card for my account, and she would put down cash. After we checked in and boarded the ship, she would go down to the front desk to give them her deposit.

[gymbomb]

Ok, I've been reading a lot about cruises on the forums here since I will be going on my first (and unexpected) cruise in about a month. I see a lot of people referring to their "tabs" at the end of the cruise. Is everything you purchase on board put on a tab and then you pay for it at the end? Can you pay for things with cash on board, say a specialty restaurant? If everything is on a tab system, can you prepay? I'm a server and have been saving my tips for the cruise, so I'm just trying to figure out what I need to do with that money before I cruise (prepay a credit card, put it in my bank account, prepay a ship credit, etc.) I'm cruising NCL Pride of America from Nov. 2 - Nov. 10. Also, my friend is the one who booked and paid for the cruise, I just paid her back. Does this affect how anything works?

 

 

You mentioned pre-paying a credit card, and I'm not sure if you mean sending money to your credit card company ahead of time to raise your credit limit, or if you're talking about purchasing a pre-paid Visa (or similar). Many cruise lines will not accept pre-paid credit cards as payment, so if that's what you were referring to it would be better to bring cash or travelers checks. If you meant sending the money to your credit card company ahead of time, that would be just fine :)

[notentirelynormal]

You mentioned pre-paying a credit card, and I'm not sure if you mean sending money to your credit card company ahead of time to raise your credit limit, or if you're talking about purchasing a pre-paid Visa (or similar). Many cruise lines will not accept pre-paid credit cards as payment, so if that's what you were referring to it would be better to bring cash or travelers checks. If you meant sending the money to your credit card company ahead of time, that would be just fine :)

 

This isn't necessarily true. A very long story that I won't go into but years ago I sent additional money to Amex so that I could charge something $5000 over my limit. I paid the extra $5000 so say my $10000 should have been equal to $15000 in spending. They told me my limit was 10K not 15K and refused the charge. I explained I had a 5K credit and they explained to me like I was a moron that I just didn't understand how credit cards worked. It took me almost a year to get the many issues it caused corrected. It was a nightmare. Never ever pay extra to the card expecting that they will give you more credit. They told me I could use the $5K up then charge more, but I could ONLY charge up to the $10K limit.