Sign & Save

[jcruise67]

I know, you're probably thinking it should read "Sail & Sign" in the subject line. However, it doesn't! I just want to pass along to all you cruisers out there a little information that I found extremely critical. This is also a good tip for all you first time cruisers as well.

 

MAKE SURE YOU SAVE EVERY RECEIPT YOU SIGN FOR THROUGH YOUR ON BOARD SAIL & SIGN ACCOUNT!

 

Its not uncomon to go into shock when you see your bill the last night of the cruise. It is also not uncommon for cruise lines to overcharge your sail & sign account too. In order to justify all your expenses, save your receipts when you make any on board purchase, (excursions, drinks, phots, etc). In 1998 while sailing on the Carnival Inspiration, I was overcharged $600.00 on my Sail & Sign account. It appears that a cruise pax got hold of my name, room number and five digit code on my card without my knowledge. Not any mistake of mine, but you need to be very careful with your card; not to mention that it doubles as your room key. If I had not save all my receipts, I would not have been able to refute the charges on my bill. Needless to say many of the recipts that the cruise line was in possession of did not either have my signature on them or, they were forged. I use a unique signature on my receipts so I was able to prove that the excess charges were not mine. Don't be alarmed though. Just make sure you keep track of your spending. What I do is add up all my receipts at the end of each day while in my cabin before turning in for the night. This way I'm not caught up all day adding all my receipts. Also, pay attention to what you purchase, especially around the pool during sea days. Sometimes, the waiters and waitresses on the pool deck can make a mistake. Do not let them walk away from you with your card when you place an order. There is a 5 digit code number on your sail & sign card that it used by the cruise line to track your purchases. It is imperative that you stay vigilant with your purchases. This is just something to be aware of and not to get so caught up in that it spoils your fun. Its just something to highten your awareness so you can cruise smarter. Thanks for letting me share my story with you.

 

jcruise

[Sangela]

Good tip! We saved ALL our reciepts and when we got our final invoice, we went over each and every one and made sure they matched up. Happy to say that everything came in to the penny, (though we spent WAY too much, hahahah!).

[Sangela]

Good tip! We saved ALL our reciepts and when we got our final invoice, we went over each and every one and made sure they matched up. Happy to say that everything came in to the penny, (though we spent WAY too much, :eek: ).

[LHT28]

I ask for a copy of my bill part way through the cruise just to confirm my receipts

[cruiserbryce]

another good idea is to monitor your account...we usually check every couple days just to get an update

[cruisingtrish]

How can someone use your sail and sign card even if they have your 5 digit number? If you have no sail&sign card shouldn't they refuse any sale?

I have never heard of someone let's say going to buy a drink any if you don't have the card you mean they will still serve you?:confused: :confused:

[jcruise67]

How can someone use your sail and sign card even if they have your 5 digit number? If you have no sail&sign card shouldn't they refuse any sale?

I have never heard of someone let's say going to buy a drink any if you don't have the card you mean they will still serve you?:confused: :confused:

 

Not really Trish...A pax would have to get a hold of your card without your knowledge that it had been lost or stolen. Or, waiters, waitresses & bartenders have been known to get comfortable with passengers at some of the bars and not continue to ask for it. On my last cruise after a few days, I was ordering my drinks with my five digit security number on the card. I'm not saing this can occur on a regular. I'm just saying it has been done or attempted in the past. Believe it or not, there are some pax's that when provided to the opportunity, will attempt to commit pax fraud. The moral of the story is what other posters have said here on this thread. Just be aware and monitor your spending.

 

jcruise

[lady_cruiser]

Here's another idea:

Bring plain white business envelopes with you. Each envelope has a day of the week written on it. At the end of each day, add up all up receipts, place all your receipts in the proper envelope and then write the total on the outside of the envelope. That way on the last day you just have to add up all the sub-totals to see if they match your sea and sail account. And you know where all your receipts are.

[jcruise67]

Here's another idea:

Bring plain white business envelopes with you. Each envelope has a day of the week written on it. At the end of each day, add up all up receipts, place all your receipts in the proper envelope and then write the total on the outside of the envelope. That way on the last day you just have to add up all the sub-totals to see if they match your sea and sail account. And you know where all your receipts are.

 

Very good idea!!

 

jcruise

[KC_fn]

I check my account every single day, not only to verify accuracy, but also to remind myself that that darn S&S card represents REAL money.

[jcruise67]

I check my account every single day, not only to verify accuracy, but also to remind myself that that darn S&S card represents REAL money.

 

I can certainly identify with that. God knows, you don't want to go into shock when the bill is slipped under your cabin door the last night of the cruise. (LOL)

 

jcruise

[Morgsmom]

I have seen couples/families having HUGE fights on the last morning of a cruise going through multiple page sign & sail bills! Seriously I can just imagine what their trip back home was like when they realized that all of those drinks and photos and excursions were costing them.

 

I monitor the bill daily on the tv and take care of any discrepancies the same day -- trying to do it the last night is nearly impossible. You will encounter terrible lines, everyone is testy and sunburnt and doesn't want to go back to pack. Keep up with it regularly and you are less likely to have a hallway fight when leaving ... :eek:

[kimcruiser]

I am going to grab those envelopes right now. We do the same as a previous poster we count them up throughout the week but I love the idea of the envelopes! Thank you