Celebrity final account question?

[cruisine21]

We recently finished a Celebrity Solstice cruise on the 22nd Sept. Our final onboard account was US$435.75. The amount charged to my credit card was Aus$749.41. I don't know the US amount charged yet as the 28 Degrees statement has not been issued. We did not purchase anything after I received the account statement. If I call Celebrity will they be able to check the account?

[Aussieflyer]

That seems a rather high amount - an exchange rate of less than .60. Does it include any pre-authorised amounts which will drop off?

I am assuming from your post that you elected for onboard costs to be billed in the currency of the ship ($US) and not have Celebrity make the currency exchange and then charge in $AU.

Worth checking I would think.

Do you have the receipts from the ship or remember what account showed on the tv on board?

[The_Big_M]

I don't believe they will have access to the information directly.

 

However, they may be able to put an enquiry through to you.

 

I'd suggest waiting til you see your 28 degrees statement though - that way you can confirm what the exact amount charged was, and whether it was one or separate charges. That may help prompt the memory - or make things easier to work out.

[GUT2407]

We recently finished a Celebrity Solstice cruise on the 22nd Sept. Our final onboard account was US$435.75. The amount charged to my credit card was Aus$749.41. I don't know the US amount charged yet as the 28 Degrees statement has not been issued. We did not purchase anything after I received the account statement. If I call Celebrity will they be able to check the account?

 

:eek: $0.59

[cruisine21]

That seems a rather high amount - an exchange rate of less than .60. Does it include any pre-authorised amounts which will drop off?

I am assuming from your post that you elected for onboard costs to be billed in the currency of the ship ($US) and not have Celebrity make the currency exchange and then charge in $AU.

Worth checking I would think.

Do you have the receipts from the ship or remember what account showed on the tv on board?

 

I elected to have MasterCard do the conversion from US dollars. I'm am fairly sure my account on the TV was the same as the statement. When the statement was issued the account was no longer available on the TV.

[aussiedisneyfan]

I am sure you will find there is an authorisation pending on there as well and not just the one final bill transaction. Whilst 28 degrees is a fantastic card it can be quite slow to display the transactions and also doesn't show a list of pending ones.

[Aussieflyer]

I elected to have MasterCard do the conversion from US dollars. I'm am fairly sure my account on the TV was the same as the statement. When the statement was issued the account was no longer available on the TV.

As aussiedisneyfan says it sounds as if a pre-authorisation is still sitting there, as cruise lines pre-authorise an amount each night then bill for the whole lot at the end. Hopefully that's all that has happened.

It's not so bad with credit cards, but I have heard of people using debit cards and finding there is not enough to cover both the pre-auth and final amount (and the 'ding' as they swipe off the ship).

Edited October 18, 2015 by Aussieflyer

[goodycruising]

Sorry to hear of the strange charge. I hope it can be sorted soon. That would be a nasty surprise. Please do let us know how it works out.

 

The more I read, the more I like the idea of running a cash account. We take some US$ cash with, and we have a multi-currency card that we hold some US$ on as well. It costs US$6 on the ship to use the ATM, and US$2 from the card issuer. We have easily taken out US$800 in one go from the ATM. That way we lock in the exchange rate, and once we have left the ship we know where we stand with our spending.

 

Besides that they allow you $500 spending before you need to add some cash, you can put cash on the account at the start, and if you don't spend it they will refund it as cash when you ask for it back. You don't have to wait for the last day to see the service desk. They do have some quiet times along the way, and are open long hours. We have in the past paid up the account a day or two before the end, and let the last bit of spending go on the credit card, but I am even wondering if that is a good idea. I just don't want to come back and have to chase this sort of thing up.

[cruisine21]

Just an update. I called Celebrity and upon checking I realised the statement we received on the final night of the cruise was dated two days prior so there were a couple of purchases missing. Silly me assumed that the final account was up to date. They emailed me a copy of the final account. I will double check when I receive my 28 Degrees statement but it appears to be accurate.

[goodycruising]

That account they print out a couple of days before the end is supposed to be delivered to your room so you can check it and see them in plenty of time before the end of the cruise. Sounds like yours was held up a bit. Glad it looks like it worked out ok in the end. :)

[MicCanberra]

Glad it is sorted for you but as mentioned, I have found 28 degrees to be rather slow (weeks) in displaying the full details of any transaction, especially for overseas transactions and often just have a shaded amount with no detail. That said, their currency conversion is rather better than many other cards or bank rates. :D

[Aussieflyer]

Glad to hear you have the issue sorted out. Strange that the amount on the TV was not up to date - or did you check it a couple of days earlier and not after perhaps.

[cruisine21]

Glad to hear you have the issue sorted out. Strange that the amount on the TV was not up to date - or did you check it a couple of days earlier and not after perhaps.

When I received the statement I checked the TV but the TV statement was no longer available.

[MicCanberra]

When I received the statement I checked the TV but the TV statement was no longer available.

 

That happens at the end when finalising the accounts but at least some ships have the statements on the TV for most of the cruise.:D

[Neil R.]

Hi all - when I travel on a USD ship, I still put down my credit card when I check in, but take US Dollars on board, and use that to pay the bill normally on the last day of the cruise. Anything else that is spends on the last night goes onto the card. I have just found that running a cash account on board can be a little painful. The cash account always runs out at the most inconvenient time - such as buying a drink just before a show! I would never allow Celebrity / RCI to exchange the bill into AUD, I have heard horror stories at the exchange rate they have used.

[Kiwi Kruzer]

Hi all - when I travel on a USD ship, I still put down my credit card when I check in, but take US Dollars on board, and use that to pay the bill normally on the last day of the cruise. Anything else that is spends on the last night goes onto the card. I have just found that running a cash account on board can be a little painful. The cash account always runs out at the most inconvenient time - such as buying a drink just before a show! I would never allow Celebrity / RCI to exchange the bill into AUD, I have heard horror stories at the exchange rate they have used.

 

Thats exactly what we do. The card makes everything so easy. I get a print out 2 days ,or thereabouts , before the end of the cruise and then pay cash. I usually watch the line at the front desk and go when there is not a crowd. If you leave it until the last night you can wait a long time in the queue while passengers challenge some of their charges.

[Aussieflyer]

When I received the statement I checked the TV but the TV statement was no longer available.

 

A bit poor to not have the account available for viewing online on the last day.

Edited October 23, 2015 by Aussieflyer

[MicCanberra]

A bit poor to not have the account available for viewing online on the last day.

 

They tend to stop the TV account on the afternoon of the last sea day and then put a final bill under the door in the early morning.:D

[Aussieflyer]

They tend to stop the TV account on the afternoon of the last sea day and then put a final bill under the door in the early morning.:D

I don't remember that at all. Somehow I thought that it was there until the end. Obviously not paying enough attention. :o

[MicCanberra]

I don't remember that at all. Somehow I thought that it was there until the end. Obviously not paying enough attention. :o

 

Perhaps differing lines do it slightly different to each other. Princess Caribbean doesn't even have the interactive tvs, you need to visit the guest services desk and speak to a staff member or go to a kiosk for your account copy.