Fun Ship Dollars

[Molly BPOE]

I have read here that people buy Fun Ship Dollars and apply them as OBC. When I went to the CCL website it says they send a certificate. I have 2 questions.

1. Can I have them applied directly to our cabin instead of getting a certificate?
   
2. If we do not use all the OBC do we still get a refund check as if we had put down cash?
   

Thanks in advance for your responses:)

[kujobie]

I have read here that people buy Fun Ship Dollars and apply them as OBC. When I went to the CCL website it says they send a certificate. I have 2 questions.

1. Can I have them applied directly to our cabin instead of getting a certificate?
   
2. If we do not use all the OBC do we still get a refund check as if we had put down cash?
   

Thanks in advance for your responses:)

 

yes and yes.

[shof515]

from what i read on other posts, to get it apply as a onboard credit, just put onboard credit in the address field and your booking number as address 2

[kujobie]

Or you can just call and tell them you want it applied to your account.

[travelgarn]

I purchase the Fun Ship Dollars & put my Booking # in Address 1. Then I type "APPLY AS ONBOARD CREDIT" in Address 2.

 

I've done this for all but my 1st cruise on Carnival. You can up to 1-2 wks out I believe.

 

Have Fun!

 

DJ

[serene56]

Since I buy many funship dollars over the course of waiting-- i take them with me and go to the pursers desk within 24 hours of boarding and have them placed on my account.

 

I have done this for 8 carnival cruises--never once mailing the certificates in.

 

I get a check back on the last morning for money not spent which i can cash at the pursers desk for free.

 

(I buy either a 25.00 or a 50.00 certificate every other week- to date I have over 400.00 saved for my cruise in February)

[klfrodo]

Since I buy many funship dollars over the course of waiting-- i take them with me and go to the pursers desk within 24 hours of boarding and have them placed on my account.

 

I have done this for 8 carnival cruises--never once mailing the certificates in.

 

I get a check back on the last morning for money not spent which i can cash at the pursers desk for free.

 

(I buy either a 25.00 or a 50.00 certificate every other week- to date I have over 400.00 saved for my cruise in February)

 

Disclaimer

Just so everyone doesn't get the wrong impression, what Serene is writing is her own personal experience.

 

It's great that she has never had a problem cashing them in at the desk. However, as other threads have mentioned in the past, others have been denied the benefit of Funship Dollars because they did not mail them in as instructed.

 

Don't take the post as Gospel that you can just take them with you and redeem at Guest Services when you board. If you do choose to take them with you and they are accepted,,, all is well. If you are denied, no coming back to cruisecritic and crying. There's no crying on cruisecritic. :D

[patrice1]

Disclaimer

Just so everyone doesn't get the wrong impression, what Serene is writing is her own personal experience.

 

It's great that she has never had a problem cashing them in at the desk. However, as other threads have mentioned in the past, others have been denied the benefit of Funship Dollars because they did not mail them in as instructed.

 

Don't take the post as Gospel that you can just take them with you and redeem at Guest Services when you board. If you do choose to take them with you and they are accepted,,, all is well. If you are denied, no coming back to cruisecritic and crying. There's no crying on cruisecritic. :D

 

I've had the same experiance as Serena for 5 cruises and have not heard of anyone having the problem you state. I also have tried applying them to our OBC this next cruise and have been happy with that process, too. That being said, I do as Serena does and buy one every other week, so, if I don't have a booked cruise, I have to take them by mail and turn them in to the purser's after boarding with no problem.:D

[klfrodo]

I've had the same experiance as Serena for 5 cruises and have not heard of anyone having the problem you state. I also have tried applying them to our OBC this next cruise and have been happy with that process, too. That being said, I do as Serena does and buy one every other week, so, if I don't have a booked cruise, I have to take them by mail and turn them in to the purser's after boarding with no problem.:D

 

I understand and appreciate what you are saying.

Myself? I buy and have them applied as OBC from Bon Voyage.

 

My only concern is that I have heard of people being denied their Funship Dollars when trying to reddem them on the ship at Guest Services.

 

If you and Serene want to cash them in at Guest Services, be my guests. You guys are aware of the policies and procedures and if at some time in the future you are denied, you made your decision knowingly and won't be disappointed.

 

What I don't want to see happen is a newby read this thread and assume that it is the policy of Carnival that the Funship Dollars be exchanged at the Guest Services desk just because it worked for Serene and you.

I want them aware that YOUR personal experience has been XYZ but the policy is ABC.

Just want the disclaimer thrown in there.

[serene56]

Don't take the post as Gospel that you can just take them with you and redeem at Guest Services when you board. If you do choose to take them with you and they are accepted,,, all is well. If you are denied, no coming back to cruisecritic and crying. There's no crying on cruisecritic. :D

 

 

for as long as I have been a member here I never once read that someone had a problem cashing them in at the pursers desk. But to be fair--not many people purchase these.

In all my cruises and using them-- you would be surprised at the amount of pursers that never seen them--never heard of them. So if a person is having a problem all they have to do is ask for a supervisor.

Many people receive them as gifts right before a sailing and would not have time to send them in.

[Molly BPOE]

Thank you for your responses, I would like to use them as a means of saving our on board spending money without fear that I will over charge my CC.

[Rallytime1975]

I put money onto my Sail and Sign account piror to sailing...Don't waste your time getting the fun ship dollars..Just post money to your account...

 

We always do this, and we have great fun with it..We knwo what our budget is and we alwas have enough money to have a nice enjoyable week.

 

I always put extra money in ther for my wifes begging moment of somethign she wants from the jewlery store on the ship...

 

No regrets, since our account is paid in full before we get on :)

[kujobie]

for as long as I have been a member here I never once read that someone had a problem cashing them in at the pursers desk. But to be fair--not many people purchase these.

In all my cruises and using them-- you would be surprised at the amount of pursers that never seen them--never heard of them. So if a person is having a problem all they have to do is ask for a supervisor.

Many people receive them as gifts right before a sailing and would not have time to send them in.

 

I think the greater question is, why wouldn't you just have them applied to your account? What is the benefit of having them mailed to you and risk having them lost in the mail, or losing them after, or forgetting to bring them, and then having to make a trip to the pursers desk, wait in line, etc. etc.? This just makes no sense whatsoever.

[serene56]

I think the greater question is, why wouldn't you just have them applied to your account? What is the benefit of having them mailed to you and risk having them lost in the mail, or losing them after, or forgetting to bring them, and then having to make a trip to the pursers desk, wait in line, etc. etc.? This just makes no sense whatsoever.

 

I book my cruise at least 18 months in advance-- (been booked on the Valor for Feb, 2012 for a few months now)

 

I buy a 25.00 or 50.00 every pay- I get paid every other week. So by the time I sail I have received almost 26 certificates. (too much paperwork to have it applied weekly. If I dont receive it within a week I will call since I have the confirmation number- never had one lost.

They are put with my passport and cruise information-

 

If I put it in the bank--more then likely something will need replacing and I would use that money to replace it.

 

Buying funship dollars gives me money that can not be touched.

 

When I buy my funship dollar this week-- it is received next week. so it makes for a fun countdown clock.

 

I get a check the last morning for anything that is left over-- and use that to make a payment for my next cruise.

 

Funship dollars is one of those things that are different strokes for different folks-- this is the way it works for me.

I do not have a credit card. I hear too many stories on the debit card problems

[Solo1959]

I put money onto my Sail and Sign account piror to sailing...Don't waste your time getting the fun ship dollars..Just post money to your account...

 

We always do this, and we have great fun with it..We knwo what our budget is and we alwas have enough money to have a nice enjoyable week.

 

I always put extra money in ther for my wifes begging moment of somethign she wants from the jewlery store on the ship...

 

No regrets, since our account is paid in full before we get on :)

This is exactly correct. I always considered the Funship Dollars thing to be more of a gift item than something I needed to buy for myself. It is so easy to just call up and add to your account. Nothing to get lost, no problems cashing them in, and the credit is displayed on your account page on Carnival within a day or two.

[DGP1111]

Disclaimer

Just so everyone doesn't get the wrong impression, what Serene is writing is her own personal experience.

 

It's great that she has never had a problem cashing them in at the desk. However, as other threads have mentioned in the past, others have been denied the benefit of Funship Dollars because they did not mail them in as instructed.

 

Don't take the post as Gospel that you can just take them with you and redeem at Guest Services when you board. If you do choose to take them with you and they are accepted,,, all is well. If you are denied, no coming back to cruisecritic and crying. There's no crying on cruisecritic. :D

 

I understand and appreciate what you are saying.

Myself? I buy and have them applied as OBC from Bon Voyage.

 

My only concern is that I have heard of people being denied their Funship Dollars when trying to reddem them on the ship at Guest Services.

 

If you and Serene want to cash them in at Guest Services, be my guests. You guys are aware of the policies and procedures and if at some time in the future you are denied, you made your decision knowingly and won't be disappointed.

 

What I don't want to see happen is a newby read this thread and assume that it is the policy of Carnival that the Funship Dollars be exchanged at the Guest Services desk just because it worked for Serene and you.

I want them aware that YOUR personal experience has been XYZ but the policy is ABC.

Just want the disclaimer thrown in there.

 

For a while, Carnival was adding an addendum to the letter enclosed with those Fun Ship Dollars that were being mailed out. It clearly instructed that the certificates could be taken onboard and redeemed onboard.

 

That FSD issue would be repeatedly debated here on CruiseCritic with some frequency, although usually by now someone (often the same two persons) would chime in about how foolish the purchse of these it, since the money used would somehow be gaining some wonderful interest that was apparently greatly than the dismal national average.

 

I wrote to Carnival, and asked the issuing department for a definitive answer about the redemption options for FSD, and I posted that reply (as well as the text from the addendum note included with FSDs I'd ordered) quite some time ago. For a while it seemed to calm the strong difference of opinion.

Like anything I see in writing from CCL, I don't consider my received written information as "Gospel", but it's what their management at the time wanted me to believe.

 

Like some others have posted earlier, I've never personally seen any challenges with those being accepted onboard, and I have to say I've never read about those challenges here online either. That certainly doesn't mean it hasn't happened -- It most likely has. . I'd personally bet it was completely because of unfamiliarity by the Guest Services crew about those certificates . . . perhaps even mistaking them for the ones that can only be used for future cruise bookings, and not for OBC. They look quite similar at first sight.

[bills blasters]

We have bought them for our last 5 cruises, and have never had trouble cashing them in on the ship. I have also given them for Birthday and Christmas gifts and the people that I gave them to have not had any trouble using them on the ship.

I used to call and order them at first. I was told then by the person at Carnival to disregard the part saying that I had to mail them in. She said I could use them directly on the ship.

I am like Serene. I buy them about once a month. It is nice to know that when I get on the ship I should have more than enough to cover my sign and sail account.

I know I could do the same thing and put money away each month to use for the same purpose. But, guess what, I more than likely would not do that, and if I did I would be tempted to use the money for something else.

This way I know for sure that the money will be there to use when I am ready to cruise.

Claudia

[VickiD59]

It always amazes me how a simple question from an OP can turn into a argument. The question seldom gets answered and instead turns into a sparring match on how someone else chooses to save and apply his or her own money.... geeeez people, maybe it's time to step away from the computer :rolleyes:

[VickiD59]

pt :o

[bobthehammer]

i always bring mine with me and go to the pursers desk and have not had any problems ... i am planning on doing that on my next cruise