cash account on board

I was hoping someone could tell me how using a cash account has worked out for them onboard for their SS cards? Do we just go to guest services and put any amount down? We do not use credit cards and I don't want to usw my debit card as I have read that is kind of a no-no as it could result in overdraft fees if carnival holds amounts as well as charges the final amount too. I don't want to have to wait for charges to drop.

I was hoping someone could tell me how using a cash account has worked out for them onboard for their SS cards? Do we just go to guest services and put any amount down? We do not use credit cards and I don't want to usw my debit card as I have read that is kind of a no-no as it could result in overdraft fees if carnival holds amounts as well as charges the final amount too. I don't want to have to wait for charges to drop.

--

Upon embarkation/checking in, there are vending machine types of structures where you can feed cash into which will then be put onto your S&S card. Consequently, you can always go to guest services to place cash onto your card. I prefer doing it at check-in but that is just me. :)

Cash accounts are so easy.

Just plunk down $150 or so at Guest Services and you're good to go.

Most difficult thing is timing that visit to Guest Services,

so you avoid a long line.

I've never had much difficulty with this process.

The lines aren't always long... ;)

.

I always use cash for my S&S card. It's simple...just go to Guest Services once you board and put cash down in your account. Carnival has a recommended amount, but you can put what you'd like. When your cash balance gets low, they will ask you to come down and put more into your account. Any amount remaining at the end of your cruise will be refunded to you. It's that easy!

:cool: Bill

I used cash for the first time on a cruise out of Port Canaveral last year, and when I told the lady checking me in that I was going to use cash, she took the money & placed it on my account right there at the check in counter. It was great because I didn't have to worry about it once on board.

I don't know if this is standard practice at Port Canaveral or if it was because I was there so early there was no line and she had the time??

I'm using cash again when I sail on the Dream in September, so I'm hoping I can take care of it at check in again. We'll see.

I used cash for the first time on a cruise out of Port Canaveral last year,

and when I told the lady checking me in that I was going to use cash,

she took the money & placed it on my account right there at the check in counter.

It was great because I didn't have to worry about it once on board.

 

I don't know if this is standard practice at Port Canaveral

or if it was because I was there so early there was no line and she had the time??

I'll be paying my cash in to Guest Services on board the ship, line or no line.

.

Last 2 ships I've been on (Glory and Paradise) had kiosks where you can add money yourself, review S&S, etc. You can still use guest services, but even on the Paradise there were multiple kiosks (one near guest services, another near the shops) you could use for this purpose.

We have always put the cash down right at the counter as we are checking in.

I used cash for the first time on a cruise out of Port Canaveral last year, and when I told the lady checking me in that I was going to use cash, she took the money & placed it on my account right there at the check in counter. It was great because I didn't have to worry about it once on board.

 

I don't know if this is standard practice at Port Canaveral or if it was because I was there so early there was no line and she had the time??

 

I'm using cash again when I sail on the Dream in September, so I'm hoping I can take care of it at check in again. We'll see.

We did the same thing for our Breeze cruise out of Miami this past May. As part of the check-in and setting up our S&S account, we gave the person checking us in the cash we wanted on our account, was a fair amount of cash. I counted it..she counted it twice, applied it to our S&S account AND gave me a receipt showing how much cash was received. No fuss no muss...

I've never had that happen, and frankly I'd be a bit wary of that! :cool:

 

I'll be paying my cash in to Guest Services on board the ship, line or no line.

 

.

As I mentioned above, we received a receipt for the cash placed on our S&S account while checking in at POM.

I always do it first thing when I get on the ship. Give them $800 to put on the card and go start having fun.

We have always put the cash down right at the counter as we are checking in.

I always just to a credit card but fwiw every cruise I've been on I've seen people doing it this way. Seems to me like it would be easier for both parties. You don't have to wait twice and carnival doesn't have to utilize another employee once on board. When you're checking in they already have all you info pulled up.

Maybe it just has to do with the crowd level during checkin, if they're backed up maybe they don't offer it to clear the line faster? Or (more cynically) just depends on if the employee is lazy? ;)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've never had that happen, and frankly I'd be a bit wary of that! :cool:

 

I'll be paying my cash in to Guest Services on board the ship, line or no line.

 

.

Whaaaa?

You're implying the employee at check-in is a crook?:confused:

They count it, you count it, they give you a receipt. Nothing sinister about it.

I always use cash, and every cruise it seems slightly different how they handle it. One cruise, at the check-in counter in the terminal, they asked for the debit card with which I paid for the cruise. They did NOT say they were setting up my sail and sign account, so I had to pipe up and volunteer that I was going to use cash (and I did not hand over my card). So just be on your toes.

Cash has worked fine for me. I just keep up with spending so they don't have to send the leg-breakers after me before I get off the ship.:D

If you run short of cash there are ATMs on board, the fees are a little high but not terribly so.

Whaaaa?

You're implying the employee at check-in is a crook?:confused:

They count it, you count it, they give you a receipt. Nothing sinister about it.

As long as I get a receipt, I'm OK.

Maybe I'll get lucky in Manhattan on Sept. 14th!

.

I've never had that happen, and frankly I'd be a bit wary of that! :cool:

 

I'll be paying my cash in to Guest Services on board the ship, line or no line.

 

.

??? We too have been able to put cash down at check-in at the Port of Miami. You could do that right away at check in, use a kiosk or go to guest services. Check-in happened to be the easiest for us. One less line to deal with.

Maybe it depends on the port.

I've never had that happen, and frankly I'd be a bit wary of that! :cool:

 

I'll be paying my cash in to Guest Services on board the ship, line or no line.

 

.

I've done it this way before with no problem, I was also given a receipt.

My husband and I just sailed on the Splendor in June and we used cash. I didn't want the hold placed on our debit card. It worked out great. I walked down to guest services around 8 AM NO LINE put the money on the account got a receipt, was on my way in less than ten minutes.

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

I only use cash because Carnival put so much money in hold if I didn't call the corporate office to releases mortgage would have been rejected for no funds just remember to keep some cash for the ports I forgot one time and couldn't buy souvenirs lol

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

--

Upon embarkation/checking in, there are vending machine types of structures where you can feed cash into which will then be put onto your S&S card. Consequently, you can always go to guest services to place cash onto your card. I prefer doing it at check-in but that is just me. :)

they will not accept your cash at check in is this something new?

If you have OBC on your account, are you still required to put down cash for a cash sail and sign account?

they will not accept your cash at check in is this something new?

I'm not sure if this is "new", but the first time I gave cash at check in was when I sailed the Glory in January 2012 out of POM. We were able to put cash on our S&S at the check-in desks right before they handed us the cards.

They also had the kiosks in the terminal and of course you could wait until you actually got on the ship and head to guest services.

Check in desk made it very convenient, because we didn't have to make any extra stops.

We were able to do it again since then in Miami. Someone else on this thread also said they didn't know it was possible. Maybe it's port specific? I don't know.

Host Randy and I were on a cruise one time with a guy who earned the nickname Wild Man -shall we say he started with a bang and went out in a wimper. Ran up such a huge Bar tab in first two days that he had already reached his limit by Day 3. Didn't see much of the Wild Man after that-and its a shame really. As Host Randy and I say-"He added value to our cruise experience"

We have always put the cash down right at the counter as we are checking in.

We did this too at the Charleston, SC port on our December cruise. When we came through security one of the folks directing cruisers where to check in asked us if we were securing our S&S card with cash or credit. We said cash and she pointed us to a separate line. We walked right up to the check in counter and she asked us how much we wanted to put on our accounts. We put down $200.00 and were on our way. They didn't ask us this on our March cruise from the same year.

Pretty nifty!

If you have OBC on your account, are you still required to put down cash for a cash sail and sign account?

We had OBC on our account also. I just put the OBC on my folio and the cash on boyfriend's folio.

We always use cash for our S&S card. Just go to guest services and load up money as you need it. We don't pre-pay the tips before the cruise(we let them add it the second day or so? I believe) so the tip money gets taken out of our S&S card and any other purchases.