Pocket money?

[PGV]

We will be using our credit card onboard for tips and drinks etc but was wondering is it worthwhile letting our children bring their pocket money in dollars to use on board if they want to buy themselves treats? Would be keen to let them budget their own money and dont want them putting items on our cards! I have never used cash onboard and not sure how this would work.... Thanks! :confused:

[Essiesmom]

Your credit card will be backing up your cruise account, but you will not be presenting it for drinks, souvenirs, etc. That is all done with your cruise card. You children will not find anywhere onboard to spend cash. However, if they wish to have spending money onboard, apply it to their onboard account at the Front Office after you board. Then they can use their cruise card as their credit card until the cash is gone. EM

[Randyk47]

We will be using our credit card onboard for tips and drinks etc but was wondering is it worthwhile letting our children bring their pocket money in dollars to use on board if they want to buy themselves treats? Would be keen to let them budget their own money and dont want them putting items on our cards! I have never used cash onboard and not sure how this would work.... Thanks! :confused:

HAL doesn't do any cash transactions. In fact, I can't think of any major cruise line that has cash transactions. Tips, the casino, and potentially settling your final bill would be the only times on a ship where cash would be used.

[Skye23]

If they're only going to buy themselves sodas or non-alcoholic beverages you could buy them either a Soda card which costs $25 and gives you $50 worth of soda (22 cans roughly) or a Non-Alcoholic Beverage card which costs $45 and gives you $50 worth of soda, fancy coffees and teas and I think cocoa at the Explorations Cafe, and non-alcoholic drinks like virgin coladas etc. Tips are automatically put on the card so they wouldn't have to worry about that either. That would take care of most things they'd need to buy. You could then go with them to purchase trinkets and gifts.

Otherwise you can see if they can have their own onboard account that you put money into in advance.

And failing that you can use the method my friends did at Disney world with their 2 children and the room card which worked the same way as they do on HAL. Before the cruise you take all of their spending money and you put it in a mason jar or some sort of container and add it all up. Each kid is given a small notebook with their total written in it. They are allowed to use the room card to buy things but MUST present the signed receipt for each item to you at the end of the day and subtract the money from their total. At the end if they haven't spent all their money the remainder is given to them from the jar in cash. If they have spent all their money but not gone over, well my friends gave their kids an extra $5 or $10 as a bonus for being careful (bonus also given if not all the money was spent). If they've gone over their total, they have to pay it off out of their allowances and don't get any allowances until its taken care of. Of course this assumes dependable kids who are old enough to handle money.

[PGV]

Thanks everyone! :)
The problem is that I already have used our credit card to pre authorize their accounts... If I go to the front desk can I add dollars to this for the children can this be used first before the credit card is 'tapped into'??? Maybe I wont bother! :confused:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Don't bother to add anything more to any account.

Just remember that $11 per person per day -- including children will be automatically added to your shipboard account for the Hotel Service Charge.

Anything your children buy will go on the account.

Also if they buy sodas -- 15% service charge is automatically added on.

If you do start to charge excursions to your accounts once on the ship and exceed the $60 per day per person hold -- the front office will notify you if there is a credit card problem. Then you can do whatever you need to.

Snacks for the children can only be bought in the ship's boutiques - which are closed when the ship is in port. Times will be listed in the Explorer Daily program.

There is lots of food in the Lido buffet -- all free!! Lots of food at the Terrace Grill -- all free!! Pizza, hamburgers, ice cream, desserts, etc.

[PGV]

Don't bother to add anything more to any account.

Just remember that $11 per person per day -- including children will be automatically added to your shipboard account for the Hotel Service Charge.

Anything your children buy will go on the account.

Also if they buy sodas -- 15% service charge is automatically added on.

If you do start to charge excursions to your accounts once on the ship and exceed the $60 per day per person hold -- the front office will notify you if there is a credit card problem. Then you can do whatever you need to.

Snacks for the children can only be bought in the ship's boutiques - which are closed when the ship is in port. Times will be listed in the Explorer Daily program.

There is lots of food in the Lido buffet -- all free!! Lots of food at the Terrace Grill -- all free!! Pizza, hamburgers, ice cream, desserts, etc.

Thanks KK!

Can I ask you one more thing? Can use OBC, that I can purchase pre cruise on a different credit card, to pay for gratuities and so keep my onboard expenses down? I would love to pay the $11/day now so I dont have such a large bill at the end of the cruise...:confused: Maybe that is'nt possible though.

Thank you for your help - its our first time with HAL!

[Randyk47]

Can I ask you one more thing? Can use OBC, that I can purchase pre cruise on a different credit card, to pay for gratuities and so keep my onboard expenses down? I would love to pay the $11/day now so I dont have such a large bill at the end of the cruise...:confused: Maybe that is'nt possible though.

Yes, you can build up OBC's by purchasing them on-line before your cruise. We got our cabana and a couple of excursions on-line before our last cruise and it made the sticker shock of the final bill a little less shocking. :)

[PGV]

Yes, you can build up OBC's by purchasing them on-line before your cruise. We got our cabana and a couple of excursions on-line before our last cruise and it made the sticker shock of the final bill a little less shocking. :)

...and can you use the OBC for paying gratuities????

[Krazy Kruizers]

Yes!!

[PGV]

GREAT! Thanks! :D

[Randyk47]

...and can you use the OBC for paying gratuities????

As KK posted the answer is "yes". I'd add that it's not like you designate what the OBC's go for. You're simply building up a credit in your account so, for example, if you add $500 worth of OBC's to your account before you cruise and your on board account at the end of the cruise is $1,500, including gratuities, then they'd charge your credit card $1,000 for the remaining/outstanding balance.

[carolmacey]

There was a story posted several years ago about a young girl, maybe 8-10, who discovered she could buy things onboard. She bought presents for her family and just "Charged it." When the family saw what had happened they went to the purser's desk and returned everything.