Settling end of cruise bill in cash?

[suella17]

Hi everyone, how does celebrity run their cash account. We were thinking of setting up a cash account as we have read using our debit card is a bit of a pain?. Do celebrity only accept Dollars at the end or will they take Euros? (We're Irish ) do you have to give a lump sum when we board? We have prepaid gratuities, already have drinks package, may choose to upgrade to premium if we feel the need, all our excursions will be prebooked also so we won't be spending too much (hopefully) thanks for your time !

[Essiesmom]

I'm sure they will accept euros, but they will probably change them into dollars first, and at a very poor exchange rate. You might consider buying yourself some onboard credit ahead of time. You can get more advice on the Celebrity board here at CC. EM

[cb at sea]

All funds for services are in US Dollars....if you have cash, they will convert...no worries!

[trish1c]

Don't carry that much cash. Leave the money in your bank account where it's safe. When you get home write a check in the amount of your on board bill to your credit card company. You accomplish the same thing -- paying for your vacation with incurring debt or interest -- but without the risk that your large amounts of cash will get lost or stolen.

[Cuizer2]

Hi everyone, how does celebrity run their cash account. We were thinking of setting up a cash account as we have read using our debit card is a bit of a pain?. Do celebrity only accept Dollars at the end or will they take Euros? (We're Irish ) do you have to give a lump sum when we board? We have prepaid gratuities, already have drinks package, may choose to upgrade to premium if we feel the need, all our excursions will be prebooked also so we won't be spending too much (hopefully) thanks for your time !

 

If you are Irish, Celebrity will be expecting payments in shamrocks and four leaf clovers. You, have to bring a leprechaun and a pot of gold for your deposit.

 

Where the cruise is boarding might determine what Celebrity will accept. Boarding in Europe, Euros will likely be accepted. Boarding in the US, Celebrity might be expecting dollars.

 

Even though you have prepaid gratuities and will be getting free drinks, you still have to either use a credit card (you are correct, using a debit card is not a good idea) or cash to establish an account. This is no different than a pre-paid hotel room. I don't know the amount. To get an answer to that question, you would be better off posting your question on the Celebrity forum.

[kerryincork]

I'm from Ireland too. What I do is I check in using a credit card and on the second to last day I pay it off in cash. Then only a small amount goes on my card.

 

If you only have a Visa Debit card you have to make sure you have an awful lot of cash in your account, as what happens is the cruise lines put holds on your account of may be $200 a day. By the end of the week this will be $1400. This means the bank will freeze this amount of money meaning you can't use it. So if you had 1600 in your account you could only withdraw 200 from it. The issue is that even if you pay it off on the ship and have a 0 balance it may take bank/cruise line several days to remove the hold thus allowing you to access your money.

 

As I said if you have more than a couple of thousand in your account you probably won't even notice it. But if you are on budget it may mess you up.

 

This really only applies to debit cards. If you have a visa credit card, they still put holds on the cards but you can keep using the card until your limit is reached.

 

In regards to currency, you need to pay it in whatever ever currency is used on board. Anything in the Caribbean will be $ and Mediterranean will be € unless cruising with British cruise line. When you check in they will always ask you want currency do you want to use. Always chose the ship currency, your debit/credit card will give you a much better exchange rate the cruise line will rip you off if they convert for you.

 

I recommend asking your TA what currency is used or checking out the FAQ.

 

I have never had an issue with paying my cruise account and if you have prepaid tips and drinks you won't have that much to pay.

 

I've cruised all over so I could answer any of your questions from an Irish prospective.

 

Have fun on your holiday

 

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[navybankerteacher]

This has been said before, but the only really sensible way to handle on board spending is with a credit card. The delay often experienced in having holds released is sufficient reason to not use debit cards. The risk and hassle of carrying large amounts of cash argue against that matter. Anyone able to pay in cash has to be able to pay the credit card bill when it comes days, or weeks, later. Finally, just being able to rent cars or handle unexpected expenses makes having a credit card a simple expression of common sense.

[suella17]

Thanks to everyone for their advice