I was wondering I was explaining the sign and sail cards to my friend, and he asked a good question, what if someone did not have a credit card? Would they have to deposit a certain amount of cash to use on their sign and sail card? What if they didn't bring much cash or travelers checks on a cruise? Just wondering how the lines would handle this.
they take cash or travelers checks. on the docks you get just leave it blank when they ask for a credit card number for the sail and sign. tell them you are going to use cash when you board. no problem for me when doing this. have a great time.
Without a valid credit card, a passenger has to leave a cash deposit (believe the minimum is $250).
If a passenger didn't have the money or a credit card they would most likely not be denied boarding, but very tough to figure out how one could be onboard a ship with no money.... and no ablility to purchase ANYTHING.
I always bring cash, travelers checks and credit cards, most people come prepared but there is always an exception to the rule. I was wondering what the cruise line does to prevent this.
I'm doing a 5 day 4 night on the Imagination and would prefer NOT using my credit cards. Any idea how much I will need to put on the sign and sail account when I board the ship? I'm doing two excursions and I know how much the daily tips are but how much more would you suggest?
Yes, the minimum is $250 American dollars. You can board without putting down the cash but you will not be able to purchase anything on the ship. Since the tips are automatically deducted from your sail and sign account I don't know how they will accomodate this charge. Please be aware, if you put down $250 cash for your deposit your tip charge ($10/person/per day) is automatically deducted from your account. So if you and your spouse put down the $250 minimum cash deposit on your account it immediately only has $110 ($250-$70-$70) available for you to spend unless you go to the purser's desk and have the automatic gratuity charge removed.
Regards,
Thomas
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Book me on your next cruise and enjoy your personal punching bag.
i just read in my carnival brochure that a 2 to 4 day cruise is
$100 deposit and 5 to 8 days is $200. less than we thought . have a great trip
ARE YOU SURE THE 100. AND 200. DEPOSITS ARE NOT FOR THE DEPOSIT TO BOOK A CABN?? I HAVE BEEN ON MANY CRUISES, IN FACT I RUN GROUP CRUISE TRIPS. MANY OF TIMES THE CRUISERS DO NOT HAVE A CREDIT CARD. THE DOLLAR AMOUNT REQUESTED AT CHECK IN WAS ALWAYS A MIN. OF $250.00 NO MATTER HOW MANY DAYS THE CRUISE WAS FOR. ALSO ONCE YOU DEPLETE YOUR MONEY IN YOUR ACCOUNT, YOU CANNOT PURCHASE ANYTHING BEFORE REPLEMISHING MORE INTO YOUR ACCOUNT. FOR EXAMPLE, I HAD A GROUP OG PARTYING BOYS, AND ON THE LAST NIGHT OF THE CRUISE THEY SPENT MORE AT THE BAR THAN WHAT WAS IN THEIR ACCOUNT. THE NEXT MORNING WHEN WE DISEMBARKED, LOW AND BEHOLD...THEY WERE NOT ALLOWED TO DISEMBARK UNTIL THEY SCRAPED UP ENOUGH CASH FROM THEIR FRIENDS TO PAY OFF THEIR DEBT. ALSO IF YOU DO HAVE A CREDIT CARD AND DONT WANT YOUR CARD TO END UP WITH YOUR TOTAL AMOUNT OF CHARGES, YOU DO HAVE THE OPTION TO PAY OFF YOUR TOTAL BILL BEFORE DISEMBARKMENT! GOOD LUCK.
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CRUISING CROWN PRINCESS JULY2-11,2006
Liberty 6/2-6/9/07
Liberty6/9-6/16/07
Crown Princess 8/10-8/19/07
Crown Princess 8/19-8/28/07
Freedom 10/7-10/14/07
Explorer 6/5-14/08
Mariner 8/17-24/08
Liberty 10/11-18/08
This was grrreat information and is a great guide. Thank you all! Fortunately, I'm not a big drinker and from friends that cruise a lot I'm well aware of the bar tags! I'm going on a four night, five day cruise. I know what the costs of excursions are and I know about the daily tipping so I think I'm in good shape now. I'm glad I did some preliminary research! I will say that by depositing money when you board the ship keeps you within your budget and you're still able to have a good time without coming home to a god-awful credit card bill. Happy cruising to all!!
The last two cruises my husband and I put a total of $300 in our account. Still got a check back from money left at end of cruise. But we pay our tips ahead of time. With our cruise. So that is not coming off of there. Happy cruising......
I no longer use credit cards although I do have one. With that said I use the card to get the Sign and Sail card form RCI. Then I pay it off with the travelers cheques I brought with me. I keep track of what I spend in a tiny composition style notebook and reconcile it with the statement on the TV.
I used to do it all cash,but they made such a fuss! I had to put some minimum amount-not sure what it was and to add insult to injury they put some type of marking ( I can not remember what it was-maybe a big C ) on the card. Can you tell that was a traumatic experience?
Unfortunately the world is not kind to folks who are paying as they go!
I no longer use credit cards although I do have one. With that said I use the card to get the Sign and Sail card form RCI. Then I pay it off with the travelers cheques I brought with me. I keep track of what I spend in a tiny composition style notebook and reconcile it with the statement on the TV.
I used to do it all cash,but they made such a fuss! I had to put some minimum amount-not sure what it was and to add insult to injury they put some type of marking ( I can not remember what it was-maybe a big C ) on the card. Can you tell that was a traumatic experience?
Unfortunately the world is not kind to folks who are paying as they go!
I used to do it all cash,but they made such a fuss! I had to put some minimum amount-not sure what it was and to add insult to injury they put some type of marking ( I can not remember what it was-maybe a big C ) on the card. Can you tell that was a traumatic experience?
Unfortunately the world is not kind to folks who are paying as they go!
CruiseHappy does state a fact. In the cruise world and in many facets of the rest of the world it is very hard to get by without a credit card. Renting a car, checking in to a hotel and going on a cruise are some things that are very hard to do without a credit card.
The best thing to do is to have a credit card and pay it off as soon as you get home. There are ways around it but life is easier if you use a credit card and use it responsibly.
It is true that world has become an electronic economy and is not kind to people who are paying as they go.
__________________ Cruisemates Community Leader/Moderator
"There is a great difference between being well traveled and just having been to many places." ~Me
I always use a debit card. This way the money is taken straight from my checking account and I am not tempted to pay for cruise photos for the next six months on a credit card.
I would be afraid to travel overseas, even to the Caribbean, without a credit card. What happens if you are ashore and miss the ship? It is hard to purchase a plane ticket and hotel without either carrying a large amount of cash or a credit card. On one cruise, my mother in law fell while on a shore excursion. The hospital bill was $744; it would have been hard to pay without a credit card.
If at all possible, get a credit card.
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Marc
"The test of a first rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time and still retain the ability to function."
F Scott Fitzgerald
Seven Seas Navigator (12nts) - San Francisco - Vancouver - May13
Silversea Silver Explorer (23nts) - Kangerlussuaq, Greenland - Nome, Alaska - Aug 14
I totally agree...there is nothing wrong with responsible use of credit, but if you prefer a checking debit card, that is fine also. After all, lets' think about this...I am a Level One Cardiac Pateint, I am doing fine now, BUT, what if I needed to be OFF LOADED in port, or *Gasp* Medi Vacced out from Port or the Ship? I can not imagine going more than 50 miles without at least once Debit or Credit card with some serious money behind it in my pocket. Hopefully, we will all be fine, but, I would rather have that "extra" insurance in my pocket, or at least "registered" in our Cruise Ship Portfolio. After all...yes, so long as you have the proper documentation, you WILL be reimbursed by your Health Care Insurance (Assurance company for the Europeans' amongst us...) Company, BUT, most Cruise ships are a chash less, and yet, "pay as you go" place, so you have to pay your bill, and then get your insurer to pay you, just like many hospitals in Europe if you are not an EU Citizen, there for...dont' be scared, but, if it takes to or three cards to do the trick( you can always lock the "reserve cards" in your cabin safe), make sure you have $20,000 US available to you at all times.
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What if someone doesn't have a credit card?
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