?

[triciaminkc]

How much per day per person is held on your credit card with on a cruise? I ask because we don't have a credit card and I assume we can use our visa debit card as long as we transfer that much money into the account. Any insight? Also what about the per day per person fee for tipping? Is that just added on at the end? How much is that? Thanks for your help! We leave on July 9th on Ryndam to Alaska!

[jtl513]

The $60/person/day hold includes the $10/p/d auto service charge. The debit card is the same as cash, which is also accepted. The $10 s.c. is added daily to your account, but you don't settle the account until the end.

 

Have a great cruise! :)

[Big Al B.]

Just one thing to be aware of. They put the hold on the 60 dollars a day until you come close to that amount, then they add another hold to ensure there is enough money in the account to cover. This often results in a hold of more than you actually spend. I have heard that sometimes it takes a period of time for that excess to be removed after the cruise.

[O2B@C]

IIRC, it's $60 per person per day, which includes the "hotel service charge" (aka autotip), and the entire reserve will be placed on your card as soon as you check in for your cruise (i.e., no, the autotip charge is NOT delayed until the end). I don't know whether using a debit card will work for this purpose - I suggest you check both with HAL and with your bank to make sure, well before you depart. I do recall from a prior thread on this subject that you have the option to make the deposit in cash (or traveler's checks) if you prefer. If you do that, then if your onboard charges look like they may exceed your deposit, the front desk will contact you and request more.

 

That said, traveling without a credit card can be difficult. Car rental companies often will not accept debit cards, for example. Plus, if you encounter unexpected expenses, and there is not enough in your account to cover them, you have no backup. Permit me to suggest that if it is possible for you to obtain a credit card before your trip, that might be a good idea. You can always pay it off and then cancel it after you return.

 

Permit me also to make one other suggestion, which is that a more informative thread title is likely to draw more responses than just a "?".

[sail7seas]

You can deposit cash with the front office to cover your $60 pp per day and leave your debit card funds for other uses. You can also send money to HAL Seattle before you ever board the ship that can cover what you expect to spend on board.

 

Buy yourself a shipboard credit in advance and you will board the ship already having a credit balance to work off of.

 

[innlady1]

I'm with O2B@C on this one. I think it's risky to travel w/o a credit card these days. If unexpected expenses arise while you're away, you might need access to a credit card.

 

Also, you may want to give you're thread a title so that more people will respond. There is an emoticon for a question, too.

[triciaminkc]

Thank you for the help. We will take cash or travelers checks to take care of that. Getting a credit card is not an option because we don't believe in every using credit. We will make sure there is plenty of money in our debit account to cover things. Thanks again!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Definitely take Travelers checks!!!

[vbmom87]

When we did the online check-in, we were given the option of putting the hold on our credit card, or we could wait until check-in and do it with cash. If you don't believe in credit cards, then I would get travellers checks to make that hold. I wouldn't want to be carrying that much cash.

[innlady1]

Thank you for the help. We will take cash or travelers checks to take care of that. Getting a credit card is not an option because we don't believe in every using credit. We will make sure there is plenty of money in our debit account to cover things. Thanks again!

 

If you don't want to use a credit card, I would use the debit card and traveler's checks. Not wise to walk around foreign ports with a pocketful of cash.

[sail7seas]

In this day and age where anything can happen, I wouldn't dream of leaving home without a credit card. Doesn't mean you have to use it.... but a traveler really should have one. It is very difficult to check into a hotel without one, can't rent a car etc If all goes as planned, you probably wouldn't need one. But imagine an emergency requiring major change of plans that no one can predict and you could be VERY happy you have a credit card.

 

You don't have to use it if you don't need it.

[triciaminkc]

Our debit card is a visa.... we can use it to buy things online and reserve hotels. We have never had a problem. Thanks for all of the information!