Extra charges on your credit cards?

[DeltaOne]

Ummm....think I'm not understanding this post. On Princess, you do not get your final bill until the last evening of your cruise, and are not able to check out your on-board billing via the in-cabin TV. Why on earth would I go to the Purser's Desk 2-3 days prior to disembarking when I don't get my final bill until the last night? I "may" have to stand in line?? Darlin', I did have to stand in line for a very long time!!

We just cruised Saturday to Saturday on the Sapphire Princess. On Thursday afternoon I stopped by the purser's desk and got a copy of our bill up to that point. No line...getting the copy took less than two minutes.

 

I checked everything over...no errors.

 

When we awoke Saturday morning I simply needed to check the few entries from Thursday afternoon to Friday night. Quick 'n easy.

 

There were no errors...the bill was 100% correct. Checking near the end of your cruise makes the process much easier. True, if there had been an error on Saturday morning I would've been in that long line at the purser's desk. But since there's so few hours between Thursday afternoon and Friday night...there's much less chance of an error creeping in.

[Johanna7]

We have found that even if you tell them to charge your credit card in US funds and not Canadian, they will still charge it in Canadian funds and add an additional 3%. By the time you realize that, you are home and it is several weeks later.

 

They do not listen to anything you tell them at the pursers desk on Princess. We have not found these charges with either HAL or Celebrity or Royal Caribbean. Only Princess. I knew about them, told them several times to charge it in US but do they listen? NO. They say it is for your convenience. Some convenience.

 

Yes, I know the Credit Card companies charge a small conversion fee but Princess has a double charge. Convert plus, then add 3%.

[Marmarjudy]

Okay, am I getting this right???? You all actually keep all your receipts and check them off, and reconcile the final bill???

 

I am still finding cruise receipts in pockets, etc., and our last cruise was in September. I eyeball the final bill and see if any charges are out of line, such as the same amount 5 minutes apart, more than one bottle of wine per day at dinner, etc., but do I check off each charge?? No way--this is vacation.

 

Do you all actually stand in line for 30 minutes if you think you have been overcharged $5??? Not me--my time is worth much more than that in the real world, and especially on vacation. I feel that there is an equal chance that they will miss a drink charge as overcharge me for one.

 

20 plus cruises here and I have never questioned a charge or felt that I got ripped off.

Judy

[Beach4me]

If you are cruising the Caribbean, you might want to consider getting a Carnival credit card. While the cruise rewards program is the worst I've come across, they waive the foreign transaction fee for purchases on almost all the islands that Carnival visits. They will gladly check specific ports for you.

 

I have had to call them after getting a bill with a foreign transaction fee one time. But, they immediately credited the fee without any argument. I don't care what line I'm on, I always pull out my Carnival card while in port.

 

btw - they have very low interest rates as well. Just don't look for a cruise discount using their "points". And know that if you do want to try to cash in the points, you have to do it through the Seamiles travel agency...can't use your own.

[donna5]

Looks like we are going to have to really cut back on on-board charges just to minimize all the "last night" reconcilliations. For all you Princess regulars, if you do not want to stand in the long line at the Purser's on the last night to sort out charges, will Princess allow you to just phone them at your convenience when you get home, to sort out any issues?

 

If you do as I do, there is no problem, if everynight or so you write down the total (takes a minute or two), when you get your final billl, on the morning of debarkation, you will know right away what your charges are. Then you know if you have a problem or not.

 

If there is a mistake and you go home after not contesting any charges you may be out of luck. And if you do get it resolved after getting home, it will probably entail lots of phone calls and mail.

[parfect]

If you do as I do, there is no problem, if everynight or so you write down the total (takes a minute or two), when you get your final billl, on the morning of debarkation, you will know right away what your charges are. Then you know if you have a problem or not.

 

If there is a mistake and you go home after not contesting any charges you may be out of luck. And if you do get it resolved after getting home, it will probably entail lots of phone calls and mail.

 

Donna:

 

It is not a problem for us to keep a running tab of our charges, but rather waiting to the last day to find out what the ship's system has entered for us. The last morning is not a good time to discover there is a problem. Not a good way to end an enjoyable week.

[LHT28]

We have found that even if you tell them to charge your credit card in US funds and not Canadian, they will still charge it in Canadian funds and add an additional 3%. By the time you realize that, you are home and it is several weeks later.

.

We did not have a problem with them charging in U.S. funds

I think in your cruise documents there is a box you should NOT check if you do not want them to convert your ship board account to CDN $$.

 

I can't recall if you should check it or not check it but it is on the same form with the credit card number you give them.

[donna5]

I thought you meant, why people were bothering to keep track of expenses. I too get a print out before the last one so I can see if everything looks good.

[cruiseman111111]

I think my Premier Acccount Manager at B or A would take care of any bad charges after the fact, or at least investigate them. I sounds like the currency conversion thing could be a scam,

 

Jim

[chasetf]

Why not go to the purser's desk 2-3 days prior to disembarking then you just have to check the last 3 days to see if any extra charges occured. Then you may have to stand in line.

Some people seem to not realize you can do that. I do it all the time... I usually go down 1/3 the way through and usually the next to last or last evening. Two purposes are served....find out if the bill is right (looking for wrong charges and internet fees removed) and also see if I am on "budget". Nice to not have surprises and trying to correct them getting off the ship....:D

[parfect]

Some people seem to not realize you can do that. I do it all the time... I usually go down 1/3 the way through and usually the next to last or last evening. Two purposes are served....find out if the bill is right (looking for wrong charges and internet fees removed) and also see if I am on "budget". Nice to not have surprises and trying to correct them getting off the ship....:D

 

It is surprising that the Grand class Princess ships have not adopted technology that other ships have had for quite sometime. What a pleasure it is to monitor your expenses and charges from the comfort of your cabin, at your leisure. You know if there is a problem once it occurs, without having to get printouts from the Purser along the way.

[cruiseman111111]

I hate surprises.

 

Jim

 

 

 

Some people seem to not realize you can do that. I do it all the time... I usually go down 1/3 the way through and usually the next to last or last evening. Two purposes are served....find out if the bill is right (looking for wrong charges and internet fees removed) and also see if I am on "budget". Nice to not have surprises and trying to correct them getting off the ship....:D