Carnival Cruise Cash Maximum $500 per cabin?

[cruiserNC]

TIA

 

It appears that the maximum amount of cruise cash I can add to our cabin is $500.00. Are there any other ways to add gift cards to a sailing without adding them once on the ship at guest services?

 

 

[mz-s]

You can buy gift cards at Kroger, Amazon, AARP, etc.

 

You can use them to pay for your cruise or to prepay for things before your cruise like excursions, specialty dining, etc.

 

You can apply them to your S&S account once onboard at guest services or at the S&S kiosks.

[ngrund]

You can also buy restricted cruise cash (i.e. Bar, Photo), Keep in mind that cruise cash is non-refundable, so I would just apply gift cards as needed onboard.

 

Although some folks have mentioned having issues, I have never had a problem adding cards at the kiosks.

[tytanbri]

3 hours ago, cruiserNC said:

TIA

 

It appears that the maximum amount of cruise cash I can add to our cabin is $500.00. Are there any other ways to add gift cards to a sailing without adding them once on the ship at guest services?

 

 

The unfortunate answer is no. There is the $500 max for any cruise cash or combination of. The only way to add any additional gift cards is on board. 

[sparks1093]

1 hour ago, ngrund said:

You can also buy restricted cruise cash (i.e. Bar, Photo), Keep in mind that cruise cash is non-refundable, so I would just apply gift cards as needed onboard.

 

Although some folks have mentioned having issues, I have never had a problem adding cards at the kiosks.

Strictly speaking the gift cards aren't refundable either in that you cannot receive cash for any unused portion, you only receive another gift card in return. And while they do say that the Cruise Cash is not refundable I have read of at least one account where it was refunded. 

[MRVEGAS711]

What are the advantages of "Cruise Cash"?

[tytanbri]

6 minutes ago, MRVEGAS711 said:

What are the advantages of "Cruise Cash"?

For me, it is having my account loaded before I get on the ship and prepaid. It makes it easier for me to budget. I know what I typically spend so it makes sense for me. For others, maybe not. 

[mz-s]

24 minutes ago, MRVEGAS711 said:

What are the advantages of "Cruise Cash"?

 

Buying it for your own cruise - It's a way to give Carnival a $500 interest-free loan that you cannot get back if you don't spend it all. It makes no sense to me.

 

The main intent is let's say you're going on your honeymoon cruise, folks can buy cruise cash for you as a gift.

Edited May 30 by mz-s

[mz-s]

17 minutes ago, tytanbri said:

For me, it is having my account loaded before I get on the ship and prepaid. It makes it easier for me to budget. I know what I typically spend so it makes sense for me. For others, maybe not. 

 

Can't you just put that $500 under your mattress and take it out when you leave for the cruise? The advantage of doing it this way is if you don't spend it all for whatever reason, you haven't given it to Carnival yet so you don't have to worry about not getting it back.

[sparks1093]

2 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Buying it for your own cruise - It's a way to give Carnival a $500 interest-free loan that you cannot get back if you don't spend it all. It makes no sense to me.

 

The main intent is let's say you're going on your honeymoon cruise, folks can buy cruise cash for you as a gift.

I know for me it helps with budgeting and I only purchase this when we are within 30 days of the cruise, so it's not much of a loan. I also make sure that we don't buy more than we will use (and my wife doesn't understand the concept of "unused Cruise Cash" anyway).

[sparks1093]

1 minute ago, mz-s said:

 

Can't you just put that $500 under your mattress and take it out when you leave for the cruise? The advantage of doing it this way is if you don't spend it all for whatever reason, you haven't given it to Carnival yet so you don't have to worry about not getting it back.

Under the mattress can be spent on other things. This is a good system for those who have good will power or who don't have unexpected things crop up. At least with the Cruise Cash you know that it will be there when you board your cruise. 

[mz-s]

Just now, sparks1093 said:

I know for me it helps with budgeting and I only purchase this when we are within 30 days of the cruise, so it's not much of a loan. I also make sure that we don't buy more than we will use (and my wife doesn't understand the concept of "unused Cruise Cash" anyway).

 

Whatever works for you, it's a good option for you it sounds like. But to me I'd just rather set cash aside and use that.

[tytanbri]

30 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Can't you just put that $500 under your mattress and take it out when you leave for the cruise? The advantage of doing it this way is if you don't spend it all for whatever reason, you haven't given it to Carnival yet so you don't have to worry about not getting it back.

I probably could but I never worry about spending it. I always go over🤣. If I ever had any left I would use it in the casino or the Seafood Shack. We travel as a family of seven so most of it gets spent on the kids anyway. 

[sparks1093]

35 minutes ago, mz-s said:

 

Whatever works for you, it's a good option for you it sounds like. But to me I'd just rather set cash aside and use that.

Exactly, what works for one doesn't necessarily work for another.

[Riles34]

For everyone saying that it is non refundable, yes, that is what it says from Carnival.com and the purchase agreement. All you have to do is go to a slot machine, put in the remaining value and then cash out of the machine. Now you have the value in cash and you aren't out a thing.

 

I will buy $100 cruise cash "card" over the course of 5 months. I just like to put $100 a month on the credit card instead of $500 at once, just easier to pay off. I don't care for gift cards that you have to bring with you only because I forgot $400 worth of cards at home. Cruise cash will just be on the account once on board and no hassle. 

 

Great for some people and not so great for others, just know that there is a way to get the money back! 

[Elaine5715]

3 hours ago, Riles34 said:

For everyone saying that it is non refundable, yes, that is what it says from Carnival.com and the purchase agreement. All you have to do is go to a slot machine, put in the remaining value and then cash out of the machine. Now you have the value in cash and you aren't out a thing.

 

I will buy $100 cruise cash "card" over the course of 5 months. I just like to put $100 a month on the credit card instead of $500 at once, just easier to pay off. I don't care for gift cards that you have to bring with you only because I forgot $400 worth of cards at home. Cruise cash will just be on the account once on board and no hassle. 

 

Great for some people and not so great for others, just know that there is a way to get the money back! 

Which is why they are restricting use of gift cards onboard for some.  

[jimbo5544]

On 5/29/2024 at 3:11 PM, sparks1093 said:

Strictly speaking the gift cards aren't refundable either in that you cannot receive cash for any unused portion, you only receive another gift card in return. And while they do say that the Cruise Cash is not refundable I have read of at least one account where it was refunded. 

And you would be correct. 

[Purvis1231]

23 hours ago, mz-s said:

 

Buying it for your own cruise - It's a way to give Carnival a $500 interest-free loan that you cannot get back if you don't spend it all. It makes no sense to me.

 

The main intent is let's say you're going on your honeymoon cruise, folks can buy cruise cash for you as a gift.

Right, cruise cash is a way of gifting other people on their cruise. I know some people want to prepare for their onboard expenses but it takes only a few minutes to load cash to your onboard account once on the ship. But for me, funding your account with a credit card makes the most sense. I would rather travel with someone else money and settle up once at home. 

[cruiserNC]

On 5/30/2024 at 8:08 AM, MRVEGAS711 said:

What are the advantages of "Cruise Cash"?

 

We purchased a $500.00 gift card from AARP for $450.00 and added $500.00 in cruise cash. This eliminates the step of adding the gift card to my account on the ship.  No biggie just was hoping to eliminate that step. 

[cruiserNC]

On 5/30/2024 at 8:32 AM, mz-s said:

 

Buying it for your own cruise - It's a way to give Carnival a $500 interest-free loan that you cannot get back if you don't spend it all. It makes no sense to me.

 

The main intent is let's say you're going on your honeymoon cruise, folks can buy cruise cash for you as a gift.

The math works better for me to purchase a $500 gift card from AARP a few weeks before my cruise at a price of $450. I don't normally earn $50 in interest from my banking institution in two weeks. I've been cruising a long time and really understand my spending habits so generally $500 is enough for us for a week long cruise. By purchasing cruise cash I skip the step of going to guest services and adding the gift card to my account. For this particular cruise, I wanted to add an additional $500 because I have a specific item that I would be purchasing and wasn't aware of the cruise cash limitation of $500. Thanks!

 

[Warm Breezes]

On 5/29/2024 at 3:11 PM, sparks1093 said:

Strictly speaking the gift cards aren't refundable either in that you cannot receive cash for any unused portion, you only receive another gift card in return. And while they do say that the Cruise Cash is not refundable I have read of at least one account where it was refunded. 

While unused balances on gift cards are sent back via a gift card, you can still cash out.  When I have balances left I go to the casino and load what I have left on my account into my players bank.  I then go to the cashier and cash out to receive the cash for my unused portion.

 

[Warm Breezes]

On 6/4/2024 at 11:39 AM, cruiserNC said:

The math works better for me to purchase a $500 gift card from AARP a few weeks before my cruise at a price of $450. I don't normally earn $50 in interest from my banking institution in two weeks. I've been cruising a long time and really understand my spending habits so generally $500 is enough for us for a week long cruise. By purchasing cruise cash I skip the step of going to guest services and adding the gift card to my account. For this particular cruise, I wanted to add an additional $500 because I have a specific item that I would be purchasing and wasn't aware of the cruise cash limitation of $500. Thanks!

 

This.  Plus I purchase my AARP gift cards with my cash back credit card to get an additional 2% back.  If you are disciplined enough to pay your credit cards in full every month it is a win win situation.

 

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, Warm Breezes said:

While unused balances on gift cards are sent back via a gift card, you can still cash out.  When I have balances left I go to the casino and load what I have left on my account into my players bank.  I then go to the cashier and cash out to receive the cash for my unused portion.

 

Of course, and the same method can be used with any unused Cruise Cash. 🙂 

 

(Oh, one thing I should mention- if you use Cruise Cash, Gift Cards, or OBC then it is possible that your credit card on file for your account might time out some time during the cruise which would require to you to to guest services to "refresh" it. I missed out on Groove for St Jude because our S&S cards were turned off because of this.)

Edited June 6 by sparks1093

[Drazil65]

While unused balances on gift cards are sent back via a gift card, you can still cash out.  When I have balances left I go to the casino and load what I have left on my account into my players bank.  I then go to the cashier and cash out to receive the cash for my unused portion.

 

Exactly!