Princess Converting without authorization

[scotslizzy]

Hi

 

Going on Emerald Princess in jan and wondered if it is better to set up a cash account for the vast majority of our on board charges to avoid all this double charging on currency conversion. What do you experiences cruisers think . Exchange rate is good at the moment .

[Sunbeam56]

Loved this thread.

I am going in November on the Crown Princess.

I never had this problem "yet", but I also put a note on my boarding pass (US currency please) and will be checking at the end of the cruise.

I will let you know what happened.

[drakes2]

We just got off the Crown Princess on Saturday. I indicated on our boarding passes that our CC was in US dollars and was not to be converted (very clearly indicated and highlighted). When we received our statement in our cabin the day we disembarked they had converted my US Visa card to Canadian currency. I immediately went to the Purser's desk where the agent pulled my paperwork from a drawer and credited the charges to my Visa although she was not able to credit the conversion charges. I then settled the account in cash and within 2 minutes an announcement was made on their PA system asking me to return to the Purser's desk to pay my account. I again went back to the Purser's desk and was told everything is ok; an hour and 45 minutes later, when we tried to disembark, the buzzer went off and I was asked to step aside while they cleared the account. It appears the people working at the Purser's desk are not trained to handle even the most simple transacations and I'm now told by Princess that they are considering adding them to the tipping pool. Perhaps they think that will give us cruisers better service. Fortunately, I've been able to get the matter settled with my bank, as Princess is quite useless in resolving these types of situations. Thank goodness I deal with a knowledgeable and efficient bank.

[hockeymum]

I will never give princess an active credit card number again because they always screw it up. I pay a cash deposit on boarding and then add cash if needed or they pay me back depending on the balance. Princess has become rich off of us Canadians and other nationalities.

[cabana]

Say 20 bucks a person times 450,000 cruisers. Adds up to a tidy sum for some fat cats to get a bonus.

[caribill]

I am a US citizen with a US passport and with a US credit card.

 

When I checked in for the Tahitian Princess last month, they insisted I check that box if I wanted the charge to be in US $.

 

No idea what currency they would have converted it to if I did not check that box.

[newport dave]

I'm from the UK, but my Mastercard is issued by The Bank Of Ireland. So is my final account going to be converted from US$ into Euro's and then into £'s when it it's my CC account.....................

[saltiregirl]

Don't know if this will solve the problem or not but I have got a Lloyds TSB $ VISA travelcard. I have been loading it with dollars on a regular basis. I intend to pay my onboard account with it. As it is a US $ dollar cc I thought that would solve the problem. We'll see.....

By the way thanks for asking the question Jasper19 I wondered where this box to tick was also.

[drakes2]

Never again will I use a US or any other type of credit card to pay my onboard charges as I have lost complete faith in the people working behind the Purser's desk. I'd rather not even print out my boarding pass at home even if it means a longer wait at embarkation since you need a cc to do so. The conversion charges only add up to a few extra dollars but it's the principle of the matter that bothers me as I was held back upon debarkation and not allowed to leave the ship until my account cleared their system. I do have a very knowledgeable person at Princess's corporate office (one of very few I'm sure) that is assisting me with the entire situation.

Don't know if this will solve the problem or not but I have got a Lloyds TSB $ VISA travelcard. I have been loading it with dollars on a regular basis. I intend to pay my onboard account with it. As it is a US $ dollar cc I thought that would solve the problem. We'll see.....

By the way thanks for asking the question Jasper19 I wondered where this box to tick was also.

[phillipahain]

Terrier John

 

The ONLY Credit Card I have ever used on a Princess Cruise is a USA dollar one

 

Several Pursers have confirmed its the currency of your passport that decides how Princess automatically charges your onboard account irrespective of what ticking boxes or writing Charge in US Dollars you do on the card

 

Hence after 15 cruises my advice to any non USA guest remains ...........

 

Go to Pursers Desk the evening before disembarkation and insist they MANUALLY charge your Credit Card in Dollars

 

Thats the only foolproof way

[drakes2]

I was told by the Purser's desk that their computer system cannot detect the currency of your card. To make an extremely long story short - my bank has credited me the difference to my USD account but I still have the issue with Princess regarding the treatment I received while trying to disembark the ship. My TA is sorting it out with Princess and I will post the final outcome. I don't think that making the agents that work at the Purser's desk part of the tipping pool will resolve the situation.

Terrier John

 

The ONLY Credit Card I have ever used on a Princess Cruise is a USA dollar one

 

Several Pursers have confirmed its the currency of your passport that decides how Princess automatically charges your onboard account irrespective of what ticking boxes or writing Charge in US Dollars you do on the card

 

Hence after 15 cruises my advice to any non USA guest remains ...........

 

Go to Pursers Desk the evening before disembarkation and insist they MANUALLY charge your Credit Card in Dollars

 

Thats the only foolproof way

[Cruise Junky]

Several Pursers have confirmed its the currency of your passport that decides how Princess automatically charges your onboard account irrespective of what ticking boxes or writing Charge in US Dollars you do on the card

 

 

That is absolutely not true. I'm a UK Citizen, but a Canadian Resident. I travel on a UK Passport. Everytime they try and charge me for something it's in Canadian. It's based on your residency, not your passport.