Canadian cruisers!!

[willing292]

Also, RCI has been increasing the Canadian cost of excursions about once a month, as ones that I have put in my cart, but not paid for yet, have had more than one price update.

[trev71]

Also, RCI has been increasing the Canadian cost of excursions about once a month, as ones that I have put in my cart, but not paid for yet, have had more than one price update.

 

 

I noticed that alot of their excurisons are way more expensive then before, I know the dollar dropped but wow. I think i might do more beach days and one snorkeling excursion.

[robtulipe]

Also, RCI has been increasing the Canadian cost of excursions about once a month, as ones that I have put in my cart, but not paid for yet, have had more than one price update.

 

Yes, I've noticed that for the ship's excursions for our up coming Oz later this month. As an example a $199US excursion currently cost $246 CAD online so is close to current exchange difference.

Last month we got a $39US Cozumel ship's tour online just before our first Navigator cruise for $43CAD or only about 10% higher in $CAD.

The way around this is to pre-purchase OBC at 10% differences if your booking is in $CAD and use these to buy the excursions in $US once onboard.

That's what we have done to pay for our onboard expenses on our next cruise on Radiance. DW and I have each bought $500US OBC for $550CAD. :D

Edited February 10, 2015 by robtulipe

[Natmom]

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the information regarding prepaying gratuities. I just called and prepaid for 7 days $82.79 per person CAN if I had waited till onboard it would have been $84 per person USD

[robtulipe]

We pre-paid $189CAD each instead of $192US onboard for our upcoming 16 night Radiance cruise. :D

Edited February 10, 2015 by robtulipe

[Ourusualbeach]

We pre-paid $189CAD each instead of $192US onboard for our upcoming 16 night Radiance cruise. :D

 

Michael Bayley said today on the live chat that there would be website upgrades coming in March. Hopefully this part of the site stays broken.:D

[Cruise Junky]

Yes, I've noticed that for the ship's excursions for our up coming Oz later this month. As an example a $199US excursion currently cost $246 CAD online so is close to current exchange difference.

Last month we got a $39US Cozumel ship's tour online just before our first Navigator cruise for $43CAD or only about 10% higher in $CAD.

The way around this is to pre-purchase OBC at 10% differences if your booking is in $CAD and use these to buy the excursions in $US once onboard.

That's what we have done to pay for our onboard expenses on our next cruise on Radiance. DW and I have each bought $500US OBC for $550CAD. :D

 

It's the excursion prices that are making me rethink our Aussie cruise. Time limits in ports are almost forcing ships excursions which are already crazy priced. Add an extra 25% on to that and it's a killer. May do a land trip instead.

[robtulipe]

It's the excursion prices that are making me rethink our Aussie cruise. Time limits in ports are almost forcing ships excursions which are already crazy priced. Add an extra 25% on to that and it's a killer. May do a land trip instead.

 

Yes, the excursion price for our later this month Radiance top end Oz cruise are extremely high in comparison to other non-Oz cruises we've done but so are most cost, especially tourism ones, down under. That's the main reason we're not staying in Sydney prior to our cruise and are arriving early on embarkation day. We will have almost a half day to catch up if any of our flights are delayed and our first port is Brisbane which isn't that far away and hard to get to if we don't embark in Sydney. Also our first day onboard is at sea which will allow us time to get over the long flights we're taken.

We stayed four days in Sydney prior to our Voyager NZ/bottom end Oz cruise two years ago. First ports were in NZ after two sea days so arriving a day or more earlier was more of a concern.

There have been private less costly port tours organized on our roll call which is a option to check out on any cruises. We had extremely good results with doing these private roll call group tours on our many past cruises. ;)

Edited February 11, 2015 by robtulipe

[vacation_junkie]

Beware...you can NOT withdrawn any money from your folio without the 5% surcharge in the casino. Even if it's the cash you have put on your account. You can only withdraw the unused funds from guest services at the END of your cruise without penalty.

We loaded ours up ahead of time but won't use Half of it. Thought we'd take some out to shop in port. Only if you pay 5% you can!

 

 

 

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[Ourusualbeach]

Beware...you can NOT withdrawn any money from your folio without the 5% surcharge in the casino. Even if it's the cash you have put on your account. You can only withdraw the unused funds from guest services at the END of your cruise without penalty.

We loaded ours up ahead of time but won't use Half of it. Thought we'd take some out to shop in port. Only if you pay 5% you can!

 

 

 

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Thanks for posting. I saw from your other post that you are on the Allure right now so this is the most up to date info there is. Enjoy the resort of your cruise.

[vacation_junkie]

You can take your own cash any time you want. Sometimes I close my account a few days before the end of the sailing because I know that there is nothing that I want to purchase. Of course I get the old 'you realize you can't charge anything to your seapass' speech. I know that. Sometimes if I want to purchase something that costs more than I have on account, I simply go to GS and add more cash to my account. It's almost like going to the bank....LOL

They don't know where you're spending the cash. You could be wanting to go to the Casino and spending it there. Your own cash is refundable. Sometimes OBCs given by the cruise line are non-refundable. That's where you have to draw it out of the Casino for a small charge.

 

Hope that helps.

Joyce :D

 

 

5% to take my own cash out at the casino... 0% if we wait til end of cruise at guest services! This is our experience on the Allure right now

 

 

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[vacation_junkie]

Thanks for posting. I saw from your other post that you are on the Allure right now so this is the most up to date info there is. Enjoy the resort of your cruise.

 

 

We are indeed on right now! I'm relaxing on the balcony enjoying the view

 

 

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[hancogran]

Thanks for posting this info. Enjoy your cruise. :)

 

Just a quick question.. if you go to guest services at the end of the cruise, will they give you the amount left in U.S. dollars?? or will it just be credited back to your credit card?

Edited February 12, 2015 by hancogran

[Toddcan]

Beware...you can NOT withdrawn any money from your folio without the 5% surcharge in the casino. Even if it's the cash you have put on your account. You can only withdraw the unused funds from guest services at the END of your cruise without penalty.

We loaded ours up ahead of time but won't use Half of it. Thought we'd take some out to shop in port. Only if you pay 5% you can!

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Well, that's no fun! We've had people in this thread say that you CAN withdraw money mid cruise - but now we have an actual report from someone who tried. Bummer.

 

But.. it's still worth taking out the cash at the 5% penalty -still much cheaper than going to the bank and buying $US cash at ~28-30%

[leyla]

Well, that's no fun! We've had people in this thread say that you CAN withdraw money mid cruise - but now we have an actual report from someone who tried. Bummer.

 

But.. it's still worth taking out the cash at the 5% penalty -still much cheaper than going to the bank and buying $US cash at ~28-30%

 

It is unclear to me that the OP set up a cash account instead of credit card account before embarkation. Maybe we can still withdraw cash out at Guest Services for free if we set up a cash account like you said. It will be our "Cash". I can understand however that the non-refundable OBC would have a 5% penalty. So I wouldn't do it until I had used up the non-refundable amount.

[ladysail2]

5% to take my own cash out at the casino... 0% if we wait til end of cruise at guest services! This is our experience on the Allure right now

 

 

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You don't have to wait to the end of the cruise to withdraw your own money at Guest Services. Why would you go to the Casino to withdraw your own money??

I've withdrawn my money at Guest Services before the end of a cruise.

 

Not sure what you're saying. Is Guest Services telling you that you cannot close your account before the end of the cruise? Or are you under the impression that you have to pay the 5% at the Casino to take out your own money during the cruise?

Please clarify if you can. Thank you. :D

[ladysail2]

Thanks for posting this info. Enjoy your cruise. :)

 

Just a quick question.. if you go to guest services at the end of the cruise, will they give you the amount left in U.S. dollars?? or will it just be credited back to your credit card?

 

It depends on what type of 'account' you have set up. If you put a credit card on your account, then where is any money to put back on it? All expenses are charged to your credit card.

 

If you gave them cash to set up a spending account, then yes, they will give you back the unused cash in US funds. That is the currency that you gave them in the first place and the ship only deals in US currency for on-board accounts.

If you prepaid your on-board account through Royal Caribbean before the cruise started, that's as good as setting up a cash account. The ship will have no record of your cc number, unless you've actually given it to them while on the cruise.

The prepayment of on-board credits has always existed. It's an Amenity under the Amenity listings, like flowers, wine, logo gear, etc. It's been there for the advantage of friends or family who want to give a 'gift' of money to the people who are cruising. It's just recently that cruisers have been giving the 'gift' to themselves...:p...because of the exceptional exchange rate.

So think of it as your Uncle giving you a gift of money using his credit card from home. The ship will have no idea of his cc number...all they know is that the money is sitting in your on-board account for you to use. It is totally refundable back to you if you don't use any or all of it.

[ladysail2]

Well, that's no fun! We've had people in this thread say that you CAN withdraw money mid cruise - but now we have an actual report from someone who tried. Bummer.

 

But.. it's still worth taking out the cash at the 5% penalty -still much cheaper than going to the bank and buying $US cash at ~28-30%

 

All I can add is that I have. I always set up a cash account (due to poor exchange rates with Canadian credit cards), and I've withdrawn money prior to the end of the cruise, and I've added money back into the account prior to the end of the cruise.

Unless the rules have changed, this has been my experience. Perhaps there are new rules....I'll find out in a few weeks.

I simply can't see Guest Services not allowing a guest access to their own refundable on-board account. To me, that's like restricting access to your own cabin. It doesn't make sense.

I will find out and tell you what happens. :D

[Toddcan]

All I can add is that I have. I always set up a cash account (due to poor exchange rates with Canadian credit cards), and I've withdrawn money prior to the end of the cruise, and I've added money back into the account prior to the end of the cruise.

Unless the rules have changed, this has been my experience. Perhaps there are new rules....I'll find out in a few weeks.

I simply can't see Guest Services not allowing a guest access to their own refundable on-board account. To me, that's like restricting access to your own cabin. It doesn't make sense.

I will find out and tell you what happens. :D

 

 

When are you sailing? We sail out on March 14th.

 

I've set up my account as "None" - not cash, and not credit card. One of the Royal Caribbean reps suggested that when I said I wanted to withdraw cash mid-cruise. I'll ask at the counter at port when we check in to see what is the best option.

[Paddy41]

I just wanted to thank everyone for all the information regarding prepaying gratuities. I just called and prepaid for 7 days $82.79 per person CAN if I had waited till onboard it would have been $84 per person USD

 

We pre-paid $189CAD each instead of $192US onboard for our upcoming 16 night Radiance cruise. :D

 

 

Not sure I understand how you could pay less in CAD that it would be in US$. My TA is checking right now but the quote he gave me in CAD is 10% more than the US$ amount would be and I thought that was a bargain. Now two people have said they paid less in CAD than they would have paid in US$ or am I not 'getting' it?

[Haber]

Not sure I understand how you could pay less in CAD that it would be in US$. My TA is checking right now but the quote he gave me in CAD is 10% more than the US$ amount would be and I thought that was a bargain. Now two people have said they paid less in CAD than they would have paid in US$ or am I not 'getting' it?

 

The Canadian price for gratuities seems to be locked in at the rate of exchange RCCL was using when you first booked your cruise. For many of us who booked a long time ago, the Canadian dollar was higher than American. The OBC is a different department and different interest rate.

 

When did you book your cruise?

[ladysail2]

When are you sailing? We sail out on March 14th.

 

I've set up my account as "None" - not cash, and not credit card. One of the Royal Caribbean reps suggested that when I said I wanted to withdraw cash mid-cruise. I'll ask at the counter at port when we check in to see what is the best option.

 

 

I'm leaving on Liberty Feb 28. I'll be back on March 9. I'll make a note to respond when I come back. Perhaps this is a case of each ship making its own rules.

 

:D

[ladysail2]

The Canadian price for gratuities seems to be locked in at the rate of exchange RCCL was using when you first booked your cruise. For many of us who booked a long time ago, the Canadian dollar was higher than American. The OBC is a different department and different interest rate.

 

When did you book your cruise?

 

The last time the Canadian dollar was at par or higher than the US dollar was in Nov 2007. By the end of that month it was back down to the 98 cent mark. I don't think current cruises could be booked that far back. :p

 

I think the exchange rate has been set by Royal, and they haven't reset it to reflect current exchange rates, which is nice for us. I'm surprised their accountants haven't caught the discrepancy yet!!

[copter]

I also pre-paid my gratuities in CAD for less than the price was quoted in USD (I think it was $11.83 CAD/day vs $12 USD/day).

[ladysail2]

I also pre-paid my gratuities in CAD for less than the price was quoted in USD (I think it was $11.83 CAD/day vs $12 USD/day).

 

 

I think the cost of the gratuities has increased. If you pre-paid them at the time of booking, and the booking date was a while ago, then yes, there would be a difference. I don't have access to my invoices at the moment, but you've given me something to look into. :D