S&S card question frm a newbie cruiser

[Stacyblue]

I have read many threads to find the answers to my questions, while finding some I still have a few. In August my friend and I are heading to the Western Caribbean on our first cruise ever on the Carnival Dream. When I booked us the Carnival agent on the phone told me that we would get the Sign and Sail cards attached to my account and at the end of the cruise we could settle the charges at a kiosk with our own debit cards.

 

Reading these forums I have realized that a debit card on your S&S is not a very good idea due to holds. I have a low limit credit card and my friend does not have one. So adding the credit card is not something we can do. We planned on taking some cash on board for extra tips (we have prepaid gratuities) and port food/ drinks and souvenirs. I was hoping some more experienced cruisers could help me out with a few of my questions. So here it goes. Thank you so much to anyone who is kind enough to share some pearls of wisdom with me:)

 

The cabin we are sharing is booked under my name. Will the S&S cards also be linked to each other or can we sign up our own charge accounts?

 

Now that I have read all the horror stories about setting up S&S accounts with a debit card I think we will be paying cash up front and adding as we go if needed. While I hate the idea of carrying that much cash I see no other way.

 

I have read we can prepay our account with gift cards and such. What is the difference between the cruise cash you can buy on the Carnival website and the Carnival gift cards you can buy at the store ? Is the gift card option better than plain cash?

 

Can I set up a cash account and add my low limit credit card to it as a backup or would I have to just set my account up as credit card to start with?

 

Thank you again :)

[Princess_K]

Not sure about the cruise cash, but you can purchase gift cards before your cruise and apply them to your account instead of carrying large amounts of cash there. The debit/cc can be added to be used after the gift cards. I have heard, but never gotten any, carnival gift cards through aarp at a discounted rate.

[SadieN]

Carnival gift cards are available in stores. Our local Vons (Safeway) carries them, next to the Southwest Airlines gift cards.

 

How much to bring is always an issue. Photos cost $12-$20, drinks around $10, sodas $2.50.

[RWolver672]

When you do your check in online, you can each set up your own accounts.

[mcgratru]

Prepay whatever you can online....excursions, soda package etc. You can even "gift" yourself online so that you start your cruise with a "credit" on your account. When you checkin at the terminal, register your credit card but then, the last day, go down and pay off anything you owe with your debit card....they won't charge to your credit card unless you have a balance owing when you leave the ship.

 

Have a great cruise!

Edited February 27, 2016 by mcgratru

[E&B]

I'm a new to Carnival cruiser, so not an expert. But from what I've read if you use gift cards, any credit balance at the end of the cruise is returned on another gift card. There is a way to withdraw it would in the casino, but I find that risky. Seems to me Carnival could catch on and close that loophole. Cruise Cash is not refundable if you don't spend it all. Both of those methods are not very attractive to me at all. I only cruise once every few years and am not loyal to any particular cruise line so not interested in having a gift card I may not use or lose what I prepay in cruise cash. I would prepay cash and back it up with the low balance credit card.

 

 

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[lizardhowson]

You have from now until August to save up some cash and take it with you. Set up a cash account at check in. Keep the extra in the safe. Use the kiosk to pay down your daily charges.

 

Very simple.

[Frank12]

Yes you and your guest can set up seperate S&S accounts.

 

Cruise cash works great but it is non-refundable. Use it or lose it. Because of this I recommend you get gift cards or use cash.

 

If you don't want to carry a lot of cash just carry on gift cards. Set up your S&S with a small aount of cash then load your gift cards onto your account once onboard using the kiosk or at guest services.

[Stacyblue]

A huge thank you to you all! My number 1 concern was if we could have separate charge accounts and I am very relived to hear we can. As for gift cards vs. cash I think I will take the advice of bringing on some gift cards to limit the amount of cash I have to carry on. Walking to a terminal in NOLA with a huge amount of cash is not my idea of a good time for sure lol. Your tips are very much appreciated. I have already set aside a good chunk of what I plan on spending in cash so at this point I am just waiting for the count down clock to start relaxation mode. :D

Edited February 27, 2016 by Stacyblue

[cb at sea]

Bring LARGE bills...and break them down on the ship. Large bills are much easier to carry than wads of $20's!

[Jenhem31]

If you get gift cards you can apply them at check in. Every time I've tried to do it at the kiosk it's told me there was a zero balance. One of those times it was a $500 gc. My heart dropped and I had to visit guest services for them to apply it.

[SadieN]

A huge thank you to you all! My number 1 concern was if we could have separate charge accounts and I am very relived to hear we can. As for gift cards vs. cash I think I will take the advice of bringing on some gift cards to limit the amount of cash I have to carry on. Walking to a terminal in NOLA with a huge amount of cash is not my idea of a good time for sure lol. Your tips are very much appreciated. I have already set aside a good chunk of what I plan on spending in cash so at this point I am just waiting for the count down clock to start relaxation mode. :D

 

 

Use a money belt, neck pouch or bra stash for your money.

[jmcancruise]

Though not a common thing anymore, we take travellers cheques. We turn them in to cash at guest services. Never have used a debit or credit card in 10 cruises. We do take a credit card for emergency money, but have never had to use it.

[jaluvma]

we use our debit card and have never had a problem. It all depends on your bank. As soon as the real charge comes thru they release all holds plus we always have enough money in the bank so never a problem. I would say talk to your bank ask their policy on holds.

[reerun25]

we use our debit card and have never had a problem. It all depends on your bank. As soon as the real charge comes thru they release all holds plus we always have enough money in the bank so never a problem. I would say talk to your bank ask their policy on holds.

 

Same here. I usually buy some cruise cash in advance and apply gift cards once on-board, but the remainder of the bill is applied to my debit card, and I have never had an issue. I always contact my bank prior to the sailing, and let them know I will be traveling to whatever port we are sailing from, going on a cruise, and the ports of call. I have used my debit card in ports of call and never had an issue.

[jaluvma]

we do take cash with us for casino, excursions to buy souviners etc I always have to let our banks know we are going out of state so they can remove the restrictions on out of state purchases etc my wife and I love to do the casino she hit the jackpot last time we cruised she won $2400 I was lucky she gave me $300 if I had won I would have been required to give her half so this time when I win she only gets $300 :D

[Schoifmom]

See below ...

 

The cabin we are sharing is booked under my name. Will the S&S cards also be linked to each other or can we sign up our own charge accounts? You can each set up your own accounts when you do the online check in.

 

Now that I have read all the horror stories about setting up S&S accounts with a debit card I think we will be paying cash up front and adding as we go if needed. While I hate the idea of carrying that much cash I see no other way.

 

I have read we can prepay our account with gift cards and such. What is the difference between the cruise cash you can buy on the Carnival website and the Carnival gift cards you can buy at the store ? Is the gift card option better than plain cash? Cruise Cash that you purchase from Carnival is a use-it-or-lose-it proposition. You don't receive any refund for what you don't use. With gift cards you can cash out at the end of the cruise using the casino trick, or they will refund the balance to you on a new Carnival gift card sent to your home. I don't know that I would say that gift cards are safer, but I definitely prefer them to carrying that much cash.

 

Can I set up a cash account and add my low limit credit card to it as a backup or would I have to just set my account up as credit card to start with? Short answer is yes. You actually would set up your account with the credit card and add cash to your account either at the port or on board by using the kiosk or going to Guest Services. They will use up any cash, Cruise Cash, or gift cards on your account before making charges to your card.