Do Fun Ship Dollars Expire?

[suziehmkr]

Hello!

 

Search engine isn't working right now... I was wondering if Fun Ship Dollars expire? I would like to purchase them over the next few months to accumulate for our upcoming cruise.... but don't want them to expire before we board.

 

Thanks for any information!

Tina

[jaxn]

Hi

IMO funship dollars are not good. Why would anyone buy them?

[serene56]

I use funship dollars all the time for each cruise and yes they do expire. Just got another one yesterday and they expire July 2007.

I too buy 1- $50.00 one each month and try to get 2. Its a nice way to save and have your cruise already paid for by the time you sail.

[suziehmkr]

Serene56 - Thank you - exactly what I needed to know. I am planning on doing the same as you... to help keep my onboard account down?

 

jaxn - no good? Why would anyone buy them? I think it is a great way to put funds away for onboard accounts. Granted, Carnival is using our money during those months, but for some - it is easier to stash away $50 at a time and purchase one each month, rather than have to worry about larger onboard accounts at sailing time.

 

We have birthdays coming up before we sail and think they would be good to put on our lists.

[serene56]

Suz-- I call the number instead of buying them online. I like to have a confirmation # and give it 10 days to receive them. On the back it will say you have to send them to carnival 2 weeks before sailing. I have not ever did that but take them with me and head to the pursers desk the next day after sailing to place them on my account.

[grampasgrumpy]

...I'm thinking...which is better???...advice from a poster with 3 posts...or advice from a poster with 15,851 posts...I'm still thinking...:rolleyes:

[suziehmkr]

Thanks Serene - thanks for the tip! I just need to figure out a way to hint to friends & family for birthdays! But in the meantime, I will start my "dollars" collection.

 

Thanks bunches!

Tina

[suziehmkr]

...I'm thinking...which is better???...advice from a poster with 3 posts...or advice from a poster with 15,851 posts...I'm still thinking...:rolleyes:

I thought about that before replying.... ;) probably should have just ignored it.

[jaxn]

I guess I don't know exactly what a fun ship dollar is. We have been on two cruises on carnival. (Legend and Valor) Both cruises they offered to sell us fun ship dollars. They said they were for us to use on the ship, same as cash. The only cash we would spend on the ship would be in the gift shop or maybe the bakery. The rest was charged to our credit card via the sail and sign card. What is the advantage of buying the fun ship dolar?

[armywifefisher]

Me personaly American Express cheques are better. they don't expire plus if something happens and can't go on a cruise that yr you can use them for something else. With the Fun ship doller if you can't use them before they expire than guess what your out that money as you can't trun them in for cash. You can always go by a $50 doller cheques each week or what ever. Maybe it is because my DH is military and we never know from one yr to the next if he will be in the Deployed or not.

[grampasgrumpy]

I guess I don't know exactly what a fun ship dollar is. We have been on two cruises on carnival. (Legend and Valor) Both cruises they offered to sell us fun ship dollars. They said they were for us to use on the ship, same as cash. The only cash we would spend on the ship would be in the gift shop or maybe the bakery. The rest was charged to our credit card via the sail and sign card. What is the advantage of buying the fun ship dolar?

 

Jaxn, just think of them as gift certificates that can only be used on a cruise. Family and friends can give them as gifts and cruisers can then apply them to their sign and sail card, meaning they have $$ on their card when they board so their first purchases will be paid from that and not charged to their card. The cruise lines like them because you are for sure going to spend that $$. Some cruisers buy them for them self to "pre-pay" some of their on board purchases so they don't have as large a balance charged to their credit card. Since they apparently do have an expiration, it can be risky. Life is full of risks...and the actual risk varies with each person's own circumstances.:)

[suziehmkr]

That is a good idea also - about the American Express checks... thanks for that tip too!

 

jaxn - not sure why they would sell them to you ON the ship - we are using them to store up ahead of time. The only reason I can think of would be to give to children to use on the ship instead of letting them charge freely on their card?????

[serene56]

Do you have to pay for american express travelers checks? Do you have to go to the bank to buy them?

Do not get the prepaid gift cards..carnival wont take them.

 

You can not buy funship dollars on the ship. Yo can not use them to buy something in the stores. They must be turned into the pursers office and applied to your account.

Funship dollars is a way of prepaying your shipboard account. (Another way is calling and telling them just to apply the cash so its already there when you board.) BUt I like to have them in hand just so I can see. If you have money left on the last night--you get a check for the remaining amount that can be cashed at the pursers desk

 

Funship $$ can only be bought in increments of $25.00

you cant buy 42.00 worth.

 

Gramps-- some posters have a lot of cruises under their belts- they just have a better life outside of cruise critic then I have. :D

[serene56]

Suz- a little off topic here. I see you are cruising on Dec 1, 2006.

 

Hope your agent told you that you will need a passport for that cruise.

[armywifefisher]

You can buy the cecks at the bank or on-line. They also do accept the American express pre-paid card. Now you can not use the card as a hold since it is a pre-paid card but you can either use another card to start the S&S and at the end pay it with the american express card or when you start the S&S go ahead and do an advance payment. check on the balance ever few days. When you advance payment is running low then add more to it.

[bluecruisin]

How about drink coupons? Do they expire?

[momofzeke]

I want to be sure I understand this right. I want to buy funship dollars and apply them directly to my account so that my account is all set up as soon as I board the ship. If I have money left on my account the last night of the cruise, they will refund the money even though it was funship dollars, correct?

[tgo's]

I have a savings account that is set up just for my vacation fund. I have an auto transfer from checking to this account each month so that it is always growing. As well, any of my bonus checks from work go directly to this savings account. I have also made sure that I can not access this account with my ATM card - cuts down the temptation to "borrow" from the vacation fund.

My savings account never expires and anything I don't use just rolls right into the next vacation. Get a last min. invite - I'm ready to go.

 

This last Birthday (I'm a December baby) and Christmas my family helped me pay a large chunk of my Mississippi Queen cruise. They have all know this cruise was a dream of mine since 4th grade - the first time I read Huck Finn. When anyone asked what I wanted for Christmas I just said "Help paying for the cruise I just booked." Once I had told a couple people the word spread quickly enough. Some of them got my TA's info and made a payment to my account - others gave me cash and told me to put it in the fund. From Dad - the cash was tucked into a very nice ilistrated edition of "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn". You can bet this will be traveling with me as reading material for the cruise - Dad will be getting a picture of me reading it on deck in a rocker.

 

My sister and I have booked a Carnival Cruise for Jan ' 07. Her Christmas gift from me this year will be at least one of our excursions.

 

Let a couple of people know and I'm sure your family will be happy to add to your cruise fund.

[serene56]

How about drink coupons? Do they expire?

 

the drink coupons I got last week have no expiration date. If you buy the drinkcoupons you dont get them in the mail- they are given to you at dinner the first night

[serene56]

I want to be sure I understand this right. I want to buy funship dollars and apply them directly to my account so that my account is all set up as soon as I board the ship. If I have money left on my account the last night of the cruise, they will refund the money even though it was funship dollars, correct?

 

 

there are two ways to buy funship dollars= one is to have them mailed and the other is to have them applied directly to your account. You wont see nothing til you are onboard with the second option.

 

Yes, they will refund your left over cash in the form of a check which you can cash at the pursers desk before you get off the ship. Last cruise we had 400.00 of funship $$. Last night we got a check for 139.00 which we cashed there.

[suziehmkr]

Suz- a little off topic here. I see you are cruising on Dec 1, 2006.

 

Hope your agent told you that you will need a passport for that cruise.

 

We actually leave on Dec 31 - I am so excited! We got passports before the Hawaii cruise - hoping it would speed up disembarkation. I am glad we have those done and I can cruise last minute if we want to! Woo Hoo!

 

Thanks for the heads up!

[suziehmkr]

Let a couple of people know and I'm sure your family will be happy to add to your cruise fund.

 

Definitely good advice, which I will be giving to friends and family all year long!! Thanks!!