Cash Account

Hi All,

 

We'll be going cruising on the Royal in a couple weeks and we're going strictly cash account this time. Do I put the cash down when I get my card in the terminal or do I wait until I'm on board?

 

thanks in advance

I have not done cash only, but I imagine when you check in you give them your cash to start with.

They won't let you disembark without your account paid in full.

 

Keep some cash on you as well for casino or spending in ports.

 

I usually use a credit card to check in but pay cash before the cruise is over. I don't like using my debit card because of the holds. Credit cards put a hold as well but I feel like I have less flexibility if I use my debit

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The check-in staff cannot accept cash. You'll need to have a credit or debit card on file. Once onboard, go to the Passenger Services Desk to put cash on the account. You can also "gift" yourself OBC before the cruise.

We are going on two Princess cruises this northern summer and intend to use their shorex. We are not going to pay in advance but will give a credit card at check-in and then put cash on the folio on boarding.

The check-in staff cannot accept cash. You'll need to have a credit or debit card on file. Once onboard, go to the Passenger Services Desk to put cash on the account. You can also "gift" yourself OBC before the cruise.

 

 

 

Oh wow! Thanks for that!

Since I know you can change your card on file when you check in I just assumed you could give them cash!

 

So what does someone do if they don't have a credit card?

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

{Snipped}

 

So what does someone do if they don't have a credit card?

 

1) Use a Debit Card (NO!! they put holds on it)

2) Go to the Passenger Services Desk and give them cash, your card cannot be used for any purchases till you have done that.

I stopped using credit cards back in 2007 and pay cash always. On our most recent Princess cruise, I explained that when checking in (I had not given and would not give my debit card either) and they told me just to pay money on deposit to guest services once onboard. so I topped up both our accounts and everything worked fine. We left the ship with some $97 by way of surplus handed back to us as i recall. We always paid cash in the casino.

1) Use a Debit Card (NO!! they put holds on it)

2) Go to the Passenger Services Desk and give them cash, your card cannot be used for any purchases till you have done that.

 

So the idea that you need to have a cc on file really isn't true then and it makes me wonder. Do they just say that knowing that most people will give them the card and many will over-spend? If one has a cash account then you always know what your budget is and you watch it. With a cc there's a tendency to ignore it by many.

So the idea that you need to have a cc on file really isn't true then and it makes me wonder. Do they just say that knowing that most people will give them the card and many will over-spend? If one has a cash account then you always know what your budget is and you watch it. With a cc there's a tendency to ignore it by many.

All hotels also request a credit card. This is not exclusive to cruise lines. Some lines are far stricter than Princess and will put a hold on your credit/debit card of $50-60/pp/day before you even board.

 

This is for their, and your, protection. While most people are responsible, some aren't. At the end of the cruise as you're waiting to disembark, you'll hear, "Will so-and-so please go to the Passenger Services Desk?" Most likely, there's a problem paying their final bill.

All hotels also request a credit card. This is not exclusive to cruise lines. Some lines are far stricter than Princess and will put a hold on your credit/debit card of $50-60/pp/day before you even board.

 

This is for their, and your, protection. While most people are responsible, some aren't. At the end of the cruise as you're waiting to disembark, you'll hear, "Will so-and-so please go to the Passenger Services Desk?" Most likely, there's a problem paying their final bill.

And let me tell you how embarrassing that is. I was on a cruise with my teenage daughters and friends and had settled our account the last night of the cruise. As we were disembarking a red light and siren went off when they scanned my card and a security officer was on me in seconds and said I had a balance due. After much arguing that my account had been settled already it turns out that unbeknownst to me my daughter bought a sweatshirt and didn't mention it to me. Talk about embarrassing, and fortunately we had a later flight, otherwise we would have missed our flight due to the delay.

The check-in staff cannot accept cash. You'll need to have a credit or debit card on file. Once onboard, go to the Passenger Services Desk to put cash on the account. You can also "gift" yourself OBC before the cruise.

 

While it is true that the check-in staff do not accept cash for Princess (I do know, however, that at Seattle, they can and do accept cash for Carnival), it is not the case that you have to have a card on file, at least that's the case at the Seattle port. The person who wants to use cash is told that when they get on board, they will have to go to Passenger Services and make a $300 cash deposit there. It may not work that way at other ports, however.

 

Tom

The person who wants to use cash is told that when they get on board, they will have to go to Passenger Services and make a cash deposit there.

 

If you board and do not go make your cash deposit, you will be called and/or paged that afternoon or evening.

 

And if your deposit is used up and additional deposit is needed, the front desk will contact you during the cruise.

You do NOT have to give them a credit card at check in...once you board, you can go to guest services and establish your cash account. Some cruise lines let you charge up to a certain amount before they ask for cash...not sure if Princess does that or not....but you absolutely do not need to provide a credit card upon check in.

 

Do not put ALL of your cash onto your account...keep back the cash you will need for going ashore, cash tips,or gambling!

Some cruise lines let you charge up to a certain amount before they ask for cash...not sure if Princess does that or not

 

No, they do not.

 

Tom

And let me tell you how embarrassing that is. I was on a cruise with my teenage daughters and friends and had settled our account the last night of the cruise. As we were disembarking a red light and siren went off when they scanned my card and a security officer was on me in seconds and said I had a balance due. After much arguing that my account had been settled already it turns out that unbeknownst to me my daughter bought a sweatshirt and didn't mention it to me. Talk about embarrassing, and fortunately we had a later flight, otherwise we would have missed our flight due to the delay.

 

 

My 13 year old son at the time purchased an $800 ring and wore it to dinner. :rolleyes:

We marched right back to Facets and returned it.

My 13 year old son at the time purchased an $800 ring and wore it to dinner. :rolleyes:

We marched right back to Facets and returned it.

 

Oh my! I think you can turn off purchasing ability on cards held by minors that are in your cabin or travel group. I haven't done so myself, but may have to one of these days.

 

To the OP. I'd suggest a couple of things to travel "cash" on a cruise. First, I'd prepay the on-board gratuity through the cruise personalizer prior to sailing. This can be done with a card payment method (you can use your debit card so you really are paying cash, or you can use PayPal connected to a checking account and that will also be like paying cash, or if you have a stored value card of some sort, that should also work assuming that sufficient funds are on deposit with that card to cover the purchase). So, now you can check that expense off.

 

Any plans for a Soda and More card? AIBP? Coffee card? You can purchase those through the cruise personalizer, again using a debit card, stored value card of some sort, PayPal.

 

Shore excursions? I'm not sure, but I think you can also pre-pay those through the cruise personalizer.

 

You'll have to provide a payment card of some sort to get your boarding passes and luggage tags from the cruise personalizer online. If you have prepaid your gratuities, and any other items through the Princess web site, and you have no intention of buying anything on board, then you aren't really at risk of charging anything to the card you provide them.

 

I'm managing a cruise booking for my in-laws right now and because I have not provided a card number for them, I cannot get boarding passes or luggage tags through Princess' web site. The web site is telling me that if I don't provide a card number for folio charges, then this issue will be dealt with at check in. Instead of boarding passes and luggage tags, they would bring with them their cruise summary to check in with and the folio would be handled at check-in. I can only presume that luggage tags would have to be handled at check in also.

 

But to truly avoid having charges end up on your folio, a combination of pre-paying certain items, combined with putting cash down at passenger services, once on board, is the only way to try to avoid having anything charged to your plastic.

 

Others have suggested that you can "gift" yourself OBC, again through the cruise personalizer as a way of cruising on a cash basis. Be sure to understand the terms of refund if, for some reason, you have to cancel the cruise.

Oh my! I think you can turn off purchasing ability on cards held by minors that are in your cabin or travel group. I haven't done so myself, but may have to one of these days.

 

We did after the fact. We laugh now. :rolleyes:

Shore excursions? I'm not sure, but I think you can also pre-pay those through the cruise personalizer.

 

Yes, you can.

 

Tom

 

You'll have to provide a payment card of some sort to get your boarding passes and luggage tags from the cruise personalizer online. If you have prepaid your gratuities, and any other items through the Princess web site, and you have no intention of buying anything on board, then you aren't really at risk of charging anything to the card you provide them.

 

 

You can put in your credit card number on the personalizer, then print out your luggage tags and boarding passes, and then go back to the credit card information and remove the number you entered (or replace it with zeros).

Oh my! I think you can turn off purchasing ability on cards held by minors that are in your cabin or travel group. I haven't done so myself, but may have to one of these days.

 

Yes you can. I do this each cruise. I tell my kids that if they need to buy something, come find one of us and we will go with them. If we didn't do this, I'm sure I would have a total charge of $100+ in gelato on our upcoming cruise.

 

1) Use a Debit Card (NO!! they put holds on it)

2) Go to the Passenger Services Desk and give them cash, your card cannot be used for any purchases till you have done that.

 

I use my debit card as the card on my account, but I also gift myself OBC in the amount that I think I will need. I tend to underestimate it a bit, so I am not waiting on a check to be sent with my overage returned. They only put a hold on the account if you are running a "balance due". If you have credit remaining, no activity is shown on your card.