Norwegian Cruise Lines onboard spending

[Nola26]

None of the promos included the DSC. The change is that current promos give you the package (UDP or UBP) for free, but require the guest to pay the service charge.

 

Actually one of the recent promotions did offer DSCs as an option. It may have been the May promotion.

[ppstateofmind]

You can use a debit card but it is highly discouraged due to the holds placed through the account and the time it takes to have them drop off. An actual credit card is the preferred form as the holds and charges typically settle before the statement issue date.

 

If you absolutely cannot obtain a traditional credit card, an option could be to get one of those "prepaid" ones in sufficient amount to cover the expected holds and charges. However, this would require you to front the cash for it and would really net out to be the same as putting down a sufficient cash deposit at the time of check-in.

 

 

Thanks!

 

I've contacted NCL and they told me I'll have a new card for this onboard credit thing. I thought it would be the same card as my "sail pass" (that's what they do on RCCL). So it seems i'll have 2 cards: 1 sail pass and 1 "credit on board card".

 

I guess you all are familiar with this?

[bruadhin]

Thanks!

 

I've contacted NCL and they told me I'll have a new card for this onboard credit thing. I thought it would be the same card as my "sail pass" (that's what they do on RCCL). So it seems i'll have 2 cards: 1 sail pass and 1 "credit on board card".

 

I guess you all are familiar with this?

 

I would double check that. It would be a deparature from basically every other line, and from what others have posted here. I believe your room key does double duty on NCL just like the other lines. A room key and your card for onboard spending.

[MCAT48]

Thanks!

 

 

 

I've contacted NCL and they told me I'll have a new card for this onboard credit thing. I thought it would be the same card as my "sail pass" (that's what they do on RCCL). So it seems i'll have 2 cards: 1 sail pass and 1 "credit on board card".

 

 

 

I guess you all are familiar with this?

 

 

You get one card. All your obc that you would have is linked to that one card. It's used to purchase things on the ship and to open your cabin door. If you are using cash you would have to put money on the card at guest services before you can spend anything on it. If you are using a credit card debit card you give that to them when you first check in at the port before they give you your card.

[ppstateofmind]

Thanks for your feedback, that was what i thought! Ncl's customer service needs an update on things...

 

I was told the deposit is 300us dollars. We are two sailing. That means both of us need to hold 600 dollars?

[bruadhin]

Thanks for your feedback, that was what i thought! Ncl's customer service needs an update on things...

 

I was told the deposit is 300us dollars. We are two sailing. That means both of us need to hold 600 dollars?

 

My guess is yes, but that is just a guess.

 

I would call and ask. I would also be painfully clear in asking the questions. When they say it is 300, I would then ask if that is per person or per cabin.

[ppstateofmind]

Well i did ask to customer service on the phone and re clearly didnt know what it is about, considering he was telling me id have an extra card...

[Crusin33]

I believe the 300 is per cabin.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[ppstateofmind]

Well, according to the 'Welcome Aboard' guide from NCL:

 

"If you prefer to pay by cash or traveller’s cheques, you’ll need to lodge a deposit of U.S. $ 300 per person (7 night cruise), U.S. $ 150 per person (cruise up to 6 nights) or U.S. $ 450 per person (cruise of 8 nights and more) at ckeck-in (subject to change).

[bruadhin]

That seems logical. The DSC alone for one on a seven day cruise is just over 90. The DSC alone would eat up the deposit for 3 in a cabin for 7 days if it were merely $300 per cabin.

 

You may not spend anywhere near that on a per person basis, but I can understand NCL wanting that as the deposit. That way they know there is sufficient deposit for the DSC and likely spending. After all, the last thing they want you to do is to hit that cap and then not make a purchase.

[ppstateofmind]

Got this e-mail from NCL, hope it helps people who have questions about it

 

(I didn't understand exactly if they hold anything in advance for the credit card though. I've asked them and I'm hoping for an answer. Will try not to forget to post it in here):

 

"On-board account

 

The currency aboard our ships is the US $. However, you will not need to carry around large amounts of cash on board because we’ve made paying for on-board expenses very easy. When you check in for your cruise, you open a shipboard account all purchases made on the ship are charged to.

 

Make sure to sign up on the day of embarkation by establishing a method of payment: with credit cards like Visa®, MasterCard® or American Express or alternatively with traveller’s cheques in U.S. $ or cash. Please note that we cannot accept Eurocheque cards.

 

When your credit card is entered to activate your on-board account, an initial approval is obtained from the bank. Please be advised that throughout the voyage, incremental holds will be obtained by your lending institution based on your on-board expenditures. Some banks may hold these for 30 days, even though your expenditures are already debited. This will reduce the amount of available credit on the credit card. Authorization-hold releases are solely within the discretion of your lending institution.

 

If you prefer to pay by cash or traveller’s cheques, you’ll need to lodge a deposit of US $ 300 per person (7 night cruise), US $ 150 per person (cruise up to 6 nights) or US $ 450 per person (cruise of 8 nights and more at check-in (subject to change)”. More money can be deposited depending on what the guests plan to spend. Once guest has exceeded the deposited amount, the account will be closed to further charges. Deposits can be made throughout the cruise. However, refunds cannot be made until the day of disembarkation for any excess. Cash (US Dollars) can be used to pay off the account at the end of the cruise. US Traveler’s Checks can be cashed onboard and are the same as cash. There are no fees to use Traveler's Checks onboard. Personal checks will not be accepted, nor can they be cashed onboard. If the limit is exceeded, a notice will be sent to the stateroom requesting an additional deposit. Personal cheques or currencies other than the US Dollar cannot be accepted on board. The only exception being our European cruises where deposits in Euros are accepted. The deposit will be the Euro equivalent. An exchange in Euro is possbible for a fee. Any excess deposit will be refunded at the end of the cruise in US $.

 

Please note that, should you wish to change this excess deposit to Euros, a foreign exchange fee will apply. Those guests who opted for a cash deposit will have to come to the reception area on the morning of disembarkation for the final settlement of their bill.

 

When making an on-board purchase, guests need to show their stateroom key card and sign their name and stateroom number. Guests will receive a copy of each cheque they sign, as well as an itemized final bill at the end of the cruise. Please note that casino play cannot be charged to your on-board account.

 

The night before disembarkation your account statement will be delivered to your stateroom. Questions regarding any discrepancies should be settled at the reception prior to leaving the ship. We recommend you to do so at your earliest convenience, in order to avoid delays on the day of disembarkation. If you have registered a credit card and your statement is correct, on the day of disembarkation you can simply leave the ship with your key card. Please note that any purchases made after your final statement was issued will not be charged automatically to your credit card and you will have to pay these extras at the reception desk on the day of disembarkation. An exception to this are items from the minibar consumed on the last evening of the cruise which will be charged to your credit card.

 

Please also keep in mind that it’s always worth having a small amount of local currency for immediate expenses on arrival at your destination and for any purchases you make at your ports of call. Traveller’s cheques and most major credit cards are accepted in the ports we visit."

Edited June 26, 2015 by ppstateofmind

[ppstateofmind]

Ok guys, as mentioned before I didn't understand how much they would hold for credit card, as they mentioned US$300 per person if deposit was made in cash, so I asked NCL Customer Service again about it.

 

In summary, deposits ammount depends on the payment method you wanna use for it:

 

Credit card: US$300 per stateroom

 

Cash: US$300 per person

 

Hope this is of some use for some of you, as I didn't know it as well and have been seeing some confusion whether deposits are per stateroom or per person.

Edited June 26, 2015 by ppstateofmind

[snagio]

Hi again all, just thought should comment on my post having been on our cruise in case would help anyone else:

 

The onboard credit wasn't a problem I registered a credit card at check in and went to guest services the following day to add the USD I had over from previous holiday, with everything being included 'almost everything', we upgraded a couple of meals bought a couple of things and ended off getting some dollars back at end of cruise so didn't even use the registered card on the ship - I did make sure we or should say I got good value from the premium drinks package that was included in our booking ;)