Sail and sign Deposit

[Kudos2Fly]

We put cash on account when we board. We have cruised enough we kind of know what we spend money on. We do have a cc with us, just as a back up. But never had used it. We put enough on the account to cover tips, drink, excursions and misc stuff. Lasted time got a check in the mail pretty quickly.

[eileen2664]

Oh, this brings up an interesting point I hadn't considered.  What would everyone do in this situation: we're sailing with multiple 18 year olds in cabins with their friends (some of the parents will also be onboard, but 3 are cruising parent-free).  Each teen has $50 OBC from the travel agent we booked thru.  They'll likely be using debit cards without hefty bank accounts, gratuities excursions, etc will be prepaid.  I can't imagine they'll spend much more than the occasional milkshake, small souvenir, maybe slots if they get a wild hare but I'd say that's unlikely with this group. 

 

Would you recommend they purchase gift cards in advance and just use those for their S&S deposit? If so, how much?

[Purvis1231]

On 1/9/2020 at 1:38 PM, wolft927 said:

I am sure this has been answered, but do you know the hold or deposit on a debit or credit card for each cabin? 

If you think the hold will be a problem just buy some Cruise Cash before you sail.

[Organized Chaos]

30 minutes ago, eileen2664 said:

Oh, this brings up an interesting point I hadn't considered.  What would everyone do in this situation: we're sailing with multiple 18 year olds in cabins with their friends (some of the parents will also be onboard, but 3 are cruising parent-free).  Each teen has $50 OBC from the travel agent we booked thru.  They'll likely be using debit cards without hefty bank accounts, gratuities excursions, etc will be prepaid.  I can't imagine they'll spend much more than the occasional milkshake, small souvenir, maybe slots if they get a wild hare but I'd say that's unlikely with this group. 

 

Would you recommend they purchase gift cards in advance and just use those for their S&S deposit? If so, how much?

 

To start, a lot of people will tell you DO NOT use a debit card. I don't do credit cards, I use mostly cash in my daily life, but I've also been using my debit card for certain things for years. I'm just careful about it and haven't had any trouble as of yet. Knock on wood. The big reason debit cards aren't recommended to be used to fund your S&S account is because of the holds Carnival places on credit/debit cards. For 2-6 day cruises, they start with a $100 hold. For longer cruises, it's $200. Then they continue to place holds as those thresholds are exceeded. So with a debit card, it's a matter of how much money is in the person's bank account and is it enough to fund an S&S account w/ holds. Also, the bank doesn't always release the holds right away, so that money could be tied up in holds even after the cruise. Another issue is that debit cards aren't as well protected against fraud as most credit cards. I really don't think there's much threat of that just using it on a S&S account, though. With that said, if anyone thinks they can manage using a debit card on their S&S without problems, I say that's their prerogative.

 

Gift cards would certainly avoid any possible problems with their bank accounts. Those have to be added either at the terminal or when you get onboard. Lines at Guest Services are always a factor, but there are times when the lines are short, or none at all. Adding gift cards using one of the kiosks may or may not work...success varies.

 

Another option is Cruise Cash. That's bought before the cruise from the online FunShops and is on the person's S&S account as soon as they get onboard. It can be bought in different denominations, too (up to $500 max per cabin). Just keep in mind that Cruise Cash is non-refundable, use it or lose it. But there is a workaround for that. If you have any Cruise Cash left over, you can go to the casino, add those funds to your Player's Bank on a slot machine, spin once or twice, then just cash out.

 

It's hard to say how much they should start with. Everyone spends differently. I can go on a cruise with $100 in my S&S and not always spend it all. My son, who's now 18, usually starts with $100. He plays in the arcade a lot, which is also something we like to do with him, and he likes to buy an order or two of crab legs. Our next cruise is an 8-day on Horizon, and he's taking a friend, so he might spend a little more than he typically does. The teens in your party could always take some extra cash with them and add it later if needed.

Edited January 12, 2020 by Organized Chaos

[pacruise804]

 

On 1/10/2020 at 4:10 PM, VentureMan_2000 said:

 

Thanks.  So, my assumption then is that a person really does not pay your TA directly with your CC or DC... but she uses your card to book through Carnival's TA booking site.  Hence, they have this information.  Given my assumption, then Carnival has the same requirement of all other hotel accommodation -- a card must be on file.

So... then this leads back to my question regarding holds if you only use cash (and I'm assuming that a cash person is most likely to also only use a debit card).  If my given assumption is correct, I'm sure Carnival places a hold on your debit card prior to or at boarding.  While this may not show on your folio, I bet the hold is there and that you have less available cash than you think, since the hold would use up some of the available debit card balance. 

 

I can share what happened on one of our cruises, which shows you don't need any card on file, but would need some form of payment (cash, gift card, obc, etc.).  We had a card on file which had been compromised, and I forgot it was linked to Carnival so I hadn't updated with the new card number, the port they said we were fine to check in without the card and could visit guest services on board.  Guest services was having computer issues so we couldn't correct the card or add our gift card (at that time) but did have some OBC which let us get our first drinks.  Later in the day we applied the gift card ($500) and had the option to apply any amount, not just the full balance - no Visa card was required.

 

Other cruises we do have a Visa debit card on file, processed as credit with the Visa protections (I would not use a debit card as point of sale, that is when protections can be less).  We also maintain a high enough balance in our checking and low enough spending on board that $500 being tied up for a week won't affect us.

 

On 1/12/2020 at 10:56 AM, eileen2664 said:

Oh, this brings up an interesting point I hadn't considered.  What would everyone do in this situation: we're sailing with multiple 18 year olds in cabins with their friends (some of the parents will also be onboard, but 3 are cruising parent-free).  Each teen has $50 OBC from the travel agent we booked thru.  They'll likely be using debit cards without hefty bank accounts, gratuities excursions, etc will be prepaid.  I can't imagine they'll spend much more than the occasional milkshake, small souvenir, maybe slots if they get a wild hare but I'd say that's unlikely with this group. 

 

Would you recommend they purchase gift cards in advance and just use those for their S&S deposit? If so, how much?

Since you mention they don't have large balances, I would fund the account with gift cards (if you can find low enough denomination) or cruise cash.  I would not link a low balance account when holds are involved (and wouldn't use a low balance credit card either).  If most things are pre-paid, I would probably do only $25-50 cruise cash, especially since they already have some OBC. It would be wise to have some extra cash just in case (which they would want for ports regardless).

 

Please make sure everyone has good travel insurance.  Even though they are likely all healthy at that age, anything can happen and medical/evac insurance should be inexpensive but without insurance could be devastating. 

[DevilDogsWifey215]

On 1/12/2020 at 11:26 AM, Organized Chaos said:

 

To start, a lot of people will tell you DO NOT use a debit card. I don't do credit cards, I use mostly cash in my daily life, but I've also been using my debit card for certain things for years. I'm just careful about it and haven't had any trouble as of yet. Knock on wood. The big reason debit cards aren't recommended to be used to fund your S&S account is because of the holds Carnival places on credit/debit cards. For 2-6 day cruises, they start with a $100 hold. For longer cruises, it's $200. Then they continue to place holds as those thresholds are exceeded. So with a debit card, it's a matter of how much money is in the person's bank account and is it enough to fund an S&S account w/ holds. Also, the bank doesn't always release the holds right away, so that money could be tied up in holds even after the cruise. Another issue is that debit cards aren't as well protected against fraud as most credit cards. I really don't think there's much threat of that just using it on a S&S account, though. With that said, if anyone thinks they can manage using a debit card on their S&S without problems, I say that's their prerogative.

 

Gift cards would certainly avoid any possible problems with their bank accounts. Those have to be added either at the terminal or when you get onboard. Lines at Guest Services are always a factor, but there are times when the lines are short, or none at all. Adding gift cards using one of the kiosks may or may not work...success varies.

 

Another option is Cruise Cash. That's bought before the cruise from the online FunShops and is on the person's S&S account as soon as they get onboard. It can be bought in different denominations, too (up to $500 max per cabin). Just keep in mind that Cruise Cash is non-refundable, use it or lose it. But there is a workaround for that. If you have any Cruise Cash left over, you can go to the casino, add those funds to your Player's Bank on a slot machine, spin once or twice, then just cash out.

 

It's hard to say how much they should start with. Everyone spends differently. I can go on a cruise with $100 in my S&S and not always spend it all. My son, who's now 18, usually starts with $100. He plays in the arcade a lot, which is also something we like to do with him, and he likes to buy an order or two of crab legs. Our next cruise is an 8-day on Horizon, and he's taking a friend, so he might spend a little more than he typically does. The teens in your party could always take some extra cash with them and add it later if needed.

Where do you get crab legs?!?! 🤣

[AtSeaWithChris]

4 hours ago, DevilDogsWifey215 said:

Where do you get crab legs?!?! 🤣

Seafood shack