Carnival S&S card HELP!

[Laje]

:eek: Inspiration line 5/28/05

 

I heard that when boarding that Carnival aks for a depoist of $250 to $300 in order to get your sail and sign on card. Is this per person or for the family of four aboard in the same cabin? From what i understand ...In using a bank debit card with the Visa or Mastercard logo... Carnival freezes your bank account from deducting any money (like forbidding to use your debit card to pay for excursions, souveniours, ect...) untill your sail and sign in card is paid in full at the end of the cruise! I saw this on Carnival's website under the Sign and sail card section and being a first time cruiser..this is what i understood it to be....Please help me to verify this ASAP! Thank you!:)

[GoinCruisin]

If you are using cash, the deposit is up to $350 depending on the length of the cruise, this is per person. There is also a "hold" against your credit card per person, but last report it was $50 pp, per day (and if you don't reach that amount, they won't hold it)... Just make sure whatever you use, you have enough of a limit to cover the hold plus the actual charges... just to save yourself a big inconvenience.

[wisefamily4]

Just came back from 7 day Pride cruise. Family of four. Used debit card to secure S&S.

 

A $50.00 hold was placed on our card the 1st day (when we activated our S&S) - not per person, just a single $50. Every night during our cruise, an additional hold was placed on our debit card for the days S&S purchases. Two days after we returned, a charge was placed on our debit card for the total amount of our S&S. The daily holds were not reversed by carnival- they simply expire according to your banks policy (10 days for us).

[Laje]

Im' sorry I'm not quite following you....this is what i understand....Carnival charged you $50 for a family of four (i suppose 2 adults and 2 children in one cabin) when boarding the ship for your S&S cards each. THEN, Carnival charged your account each additional day. Then Carnival charged your debit card two days later after you got home?

[GoinCruisin]

There is a difference between the HOLD and the actual charge... the hold will just secure the funds, then the charge will be placed through at the end, your hold should be released within 2-10 days after your cruise.

[serene56]

If using a debit card make sure that card does NOT have a daily limit as that could cause problems with your account. My card has a limit of 200. daily. If I used that card on a ship I would surely be in trouble. But I could lift that amount about a month before I go on my cruise to Alleviate any problems.

[serene56]

Im' sorry I'm not quite following you....this is what i understand....Carnival charged you $50 for a family of four (i suppose 2 adults and 2 children in one cabin) when boarding the ship for your S&S cards each. THEN, Carnival charged your account each additional day. Then Carnival charged your debit card two days later after you got home?

 

 

THe very first thing Carnival will charge you is for tips-- on a 7 day cruise you will be charged 70.oo per person for those tips. I closed my kids cards so I didnt have to worry about holds on those cards. Their tips were put on our credit card the first day.

[jmcancruise]

My husband and I are going on a 7 day cruise and want to use cash for our S &S. How much will they expect up front. We really only expect to use it for tips, the supper club and perhaps soda cards. Will they be looking for extra money from us during the cruise if we don't reach what we have prepaid?

[GoinCruisin]

My husband and I are going on a 7 day cruise and want to use cash for our S &S. How much will they expect up front. We really only expect to use it for tips, the supper club and perhaps soda cards. Will they be looking for extra money from us during the cruise if we don't reach what we have prepaid?

 

For cash, on a 7 day cruise it is $200 per person I believe. Since you use your S&S card for all purchases onboard, it can add up (drinks, sodas, photos, gifts, supper club, tips, excursions, etc)... You can use cash for the casino and bingo though...

[Laje]

Really i'm not trying to be a pest but this really has got me buggin' out....See, being a single mom and saving for about 3 years to take this vacation...our first family vacation - WOW! Hard to beleive it's almost a reality...beleieve me there are happy tears of joy! i booked the cruise after looking on the carnival website...On carnival website it staes that they charge $250 to $300 deposit. I assumed (Yes, this is they key word...ok...everybody now...ass-u-me) that this was for everyone in one cabin and not per person. Someone just posted earlier to me that carnival would charge me $1,000. My heart sank...this is about all i have left in savings for our vacation. Do you now see the bigger picture i am asking...If they charge me this big sum as a deposit for S&S cards then there is no room to purchase soda cards, excursion tours, ect ect.... Can someone please give me accurate info on this!

[GoinCruisin]

Okay, the information above is all accurate, and nothing is terribly consistent. If you only have the amount available on your card, that you are prepared to spend... I would suggest you take it all out and pay cash for your S&S card... problem solved. Also, you can just pay the $70 each for your children, and have them shut the card off, and you won't need to deposit the $200 deposit for them, just the $70 each.

[serene56]

Please dont stress. You put down what you can on the card. If you go over--thats is when you stress since then they wont allow NO ONE off the ship untily our card is paid in full.

 

If your kids are under 12 they get free soda in the dining room with dinner. Free iced tea.lemonade and fruit punch are available.

 

Whatever amount you have on your sign and sail card is what you use for purchasing on the ship- The amount is not put there for show but you can spend it during the week. Keep an eye on the tv to see when it gets low--stop spending. I will also shut down mykids cards off- there isnt really much for them to buy onboard anyway.

 

As a single mom who took my 3 kids on our first cruise in 2000 onboard the Sensation- I understand how you feel.

[Laje]

:D WHEW! Thank you for letting me exhale! I can breathe again! LOL!

I really appreciate your information and I agree on closing the kids S&S cards and only paying on the tipping dues for them. It is a five day cruise and therefore it is recommended $10.00 per person per day being a total of $50 total per person.

[mom of four]

This will be my fifth cruise. First time on Carnival We have 33 different people in different rooms and the families members are not all together. in all of the rooms. I assume when four different, or even two different, individuals NOT related to each other are in the same room, they have their own INDIVIDUAL accounts. Am I correct???????????

[GoinCruisin]

This will be my fifth cruise. First time on Carnival We have 33 different people in different rooms and the families members are not all together. in all of the rooms. I assume when four different, or even two different, individuals NOT related to each other are in the same room, they have their own INDIVIDUAL accounts. Am I correct???????????

 

Everyone has their own folio, related or not. Now, folios can be linked to the same credit card/cash account, etc. But everyone has a folio/account. Your S&S card is also your identification and way on/off the ship... and on larger ships, your room key.

[serene56]

This will be my fifth cruise. First time on Carnival We have 33 different people in different rooms and the families members are not all together. in all of the rooms. I assume when four different, or even two different, individuals NOT related to each other are in the same room, they have their own INDIVIDUAL accounts. Am I correct???????????

 

 

If the people in the same cabin are all using different credit card/cash options- I suggest making copies of the sign and sail page and each person fill them out before you go. (it can be done at the pier but save time and do it before you go)

[jster]

Hello!! I just read in the Carnival book that there should be a sign and sail application with your documents. I didn't get anything like that!! Should I already have this?? If so, where can I get one?? The book also says that if paying by cash the deposit is $200 for 5-8 day cruises. Is this $200 per person/ cabin or what???? It did not mention anything about any holds. This is getting confusing. Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

 

Thanks,

~Stacey~

[serene56]

Its on one of the pages--- it has the info for your credit card.

[ronrythm]

Hello!! I just read in the Carnival book that there should be a sign and sail application with your documents. I didn't get anything like that!! Should I already have this?? If so, where can I get one?? The book also says that if paying by cash the deposit is $200 for 5-8 day cruises. Is this $200 per person/ cabin or what???? It did not mention anything about any holds. This is getting confusing. Any help would be greatly appreciated :)

 

Thanks,

~Stacey~

The Sail & Sign application is in the book with your actual cruise ticket. If you haven't got that (it's normally sent close to your cruise) you won't have it yet. Holds are done on credit card accounts or debit cards acting as credit cards. If you are using cash holds don't come in to play. Also for those of you worried about carrying large amounts of cash, several people I've cruised with have used Traveler's checks for their "cash" deposit.

 

http://www.carnival.com/CMS/Static_Templates/EMB_sail_and_sign_boardingcard.aspx

 

LaJe: Sorry if I scared you with the post on the other board. Part of the confusion seems to be that Carnival is not very consistent (all the frequent cruisers are laughing at that). Sometimes they put one amount on hold, other times a totally different amount. Several people have said they had the hold for the entire amount put on their account, while a wisefamily 4 says they only put a hold of $50 total. If you're concerned about budgeting, "cash" would seem to be the best bet. Also several poster have put up that they have let their children have an account, but set a daily limit of $10 or $5 on it. This lets the kids get tokens for the vido arcade without having to bug mom. Also please note that soda cards and excursions that you buy from Carnival will be put on your Sail & Sign account. Basically you will not need cash on board except for a few items like tips for room service or pictures on debarkation morning.

[Flamingo19040]

Ok - so say - we are going to use a credit card for your Sail and Sign Card. We accumulate $500 worth of "charges" - can we pay that off in Traveler's Checks or with cash at the end of our cruise or do they automatically charge our credit card for the amount?

 

Thanks from a first time cruiser - cruising in 11 days.

[ronrythm]

Ok - so say - we are going to use a credit card for your Sail and Sign Card. We accumulate $500 worth of "charges" - can we pay that off in Traveler's Checks or with cash at the end of our cruise or do they automatically charge our credit card for the amount?

 

Thanks from a first time cruiser - cruising in 11 days.

You can pay on your balance at anytime during the cruise. They will only bill the remainder, if any to your CC. Try to avoid paying on the debarkation morning as there is quite a line.

[Susky]

We have 4 people (all family) in our group. I was assuming that we could use a different credit card (I have a number of lower-limit cards), then just settle up all the accounts at the end with either my debit card ($1000 daily limit) or with my higher-limit credit card.

 

Does that sound like a reasonable way to go?

[jster]

Okay I just double checked and sure enough with our boarding passes there is the "sign and sail account and guest ticket contract acknowledgment" Phew!!!

 

Thanks for your help.. This is our first cruise, I totally overlooked that.

 

~Stacey~

[SomewhereBeyondTheSea]

If you call Carnival they will tell you that the hold is for $50.00 per person, not per person, per day. On this board I am hearing that the hold is for $50.00 per person - per day on a 7 day cruise. Also, I don't believe the tips are charged to your card right away. From my expierence nothing is actually charged until the end of your cruise. Tips can be adjusted so I don't think they would charge that the first day. They may be added to your balance on your s & s but not acutually charged.

[blackwing]

We have 4 people (all family) in our group. I was assuming that we could use a different credit card (I have a number of lower-limit cards), then just settle up all the accounts at the end with either my debit card ($1000 daily limit) or with my higher-limit credit card.

 

Does that sound like a reasonable way to go?

Nothing gets charged until the last night. I suppose you can put one card down, and then end up switching, but why bother? You'd have to get in line at the purser, and the line on the last day will be loooonnnngggg. If you intend to put everything on the higher limit card anyways, just give them that card.