Pre Paying

[Dulin79]

If you purchased Funship Dollars and have money leftover after your cruise do you get a check for cash back or money to use on a future cruise and if so when does it expire:D

[DebJ14]

I'm sorry folks but I just don't get this fixation with parting with your money way in advance. We pay everything by credit card and pay the bill in full each month. We have never incurred any interest charges. The credit card pays cash back on every purchase and often has special cash back deals that give 5% back on travel etc. What we get from the credit card company is more than we would get on interest on the money in the bank. And, why should Carnival have free use of our money before we incur charges??

When we get on the ship we give them the credit card and depending on the closing date we get a bill a month or so later and then have another 25 days to pay it. Money earns a little interest while it sits in the bank waiting to be sent to pay bills and we get anywhere from 1-5% on what we charged. Our accountant switched us years ago from writing checks to pay for things to using credit to our advantage. We even once bought a car on a credit card with zero percent interest credit card check (no transaction fees). We had a year to pay it at no interest. Just kept the $$$ in the bank and paid the credit card bill before any interest was charged and got 1% cash back.

[serene56]

I'm sorry folks but I just don't get this fixation with parting with your money way in advance. We pay everything by credit card and pay the bill in full each month. .

 

Not everyone has a credit card.

What works for you does not work for me. Paying for a vacation 2 months after the fact will not sit well with me as I have the next vacation already being prepaid

I also have a tight budget for vacations - another reason I prepay as much as possible,

[serene56]

If you purchased Funship Dollars and have money leftover after your cruise do you get a check for cash back or money to use on a future cruise and if so when does it expire:D

 

you get a check the last night- you can cash that check at the pursers desk (for free)

 

If anything is left over I cash that check and roll it over to the next vacation.

 

You can not use funship money for a future cruise certificate onboard.

[pe4all]

Paying for a vacation 2 months after the fact will not sit well with me as I have the next vacation already being prepaid

DH doesn't want the "pressure" of coming back to major bills after a vacation. Like serene56, we also are at "work" paying off the next vacation as soon as one is paid in full. It almost makes it feel like we are vacationing for free. DH is also a CPA - for the pennies of interest we would make keeping the money in the bank, he says he would rather pay off a chunk each month. We charge it, and still get the "rewards" that go with the perks of the credit card. (we use our pts for free hotel rooms pre-cruise) And the less dh feels pressure about bills, the more we can vacation!:D

[suzinva]

Not everyone has a credit card.

What works for you does not work for me. Paying for a vacation 2 months after the fact will not sit well with me as I have the next vacation already being prepaid

I also have a tight budget for vacations - another reason I prepay as much as possible,

 

Agreed. I don't use my credit cards except for emergencies. Vacation is not (usually :p) an emergency. I pre-pay as much as possible. For our upcoming cruise I paid the tips, soda cards, an excursion and a sizable onboard credit. We don't drink much and our other excursions are through private tour companies so I don't anticipate having much of a final bill. Been there done that on the souvenirs, photos, spa, etc. Aside from a few misc expenses onboard, I'm done paying for the cruise and we don't leave for 2 weeks :)

[Poohbeck]

On my break at work yesterday I called Bon Voyage and ordered my kids the soda cards, 2 drink book coupons for my husband and I, and a bottle for the room.

 

I then called the Promotions department and ordered Fun Ship dollars and had them applied to my booking.

 

When I got home from work I transferred my saved money to the credit card to pay it - so, I believe I have a lot pre-paid. :)

 

Why do I want to prepay so much? We are now in the habit of paying our credit cards as soon as a charge is applied, unless there is an emergency. This is just how we operatea and I love that so much is already paid. :p

[Name Of The Game]

I'm sorry folks but I just don't get this fixation with parting with your money way in advance. Same here! We pay everything by credit card and pay the bill in full each month. We have never incurred any interest charges. The credit card pays cash back on every purchase and often has special cash back deals that give 5% back on travel etc. What we get from the credit card company is more than we would get on interest on the money in the bank. And, why should Carnival have free use of our money before we incur charges?? Right!

When we get on the ship we give them the credit card and depending on the closing date we get a bill a month or so later and then have another 25 days to pay it. Good strategy. Money earns a little interest while it sits in the bank waiting to be sent to pay bills and we get anywhere from 1-5% on what we charged. Our accountant switched us years ago from writing checks to pay for things to using credit to our advantage. We even once bought a car on a credit card with zero percent interest credit card check (no transaction fees). We had a year to pay it at no interest. Just kept the $$$ in the bank and paid the credit card bill before any interest was charged and got 1% cash back.

 

I don't understand the eagerness with sending money to the cruise line before necessary either.

[girlscruise2011]

I have come to a conclusion, especially in regard to prepaying grats, that is was the smartest thing I did on my last cruise! I did not want any surprises at the end of my cruise, and i was surprised! I think the entire staff knows who prepaid, and who did not! I have never had any complaints with service of the staff, However I fear this last cruise raised the bar... It seemed that they went above and beyond what was needed. I really had no problem giving extra cash tips to the wait staff, and to the room stewards.... I had also purchased drink coupons, and that saved roughly a dollar a drink! :) also purchased a bon voyage bucket of beer that came with a mug and cooler!

 

How did you like the mug & cooler? I was thinking of buying this too. I can drink the beers and bring the mug, cooler and hat home to my hubby as his gifts...its the least I can do since I'm going on a girls weekend without him! :)

[girlscruise2011]

Normally if you are going to set up a "cash" account, I know that you need to go Guest Services to put the deposit on your sign & sail as soon as you board the ship.

 

If you have already purchased OBC, does that count as your deposit-so you don't have to go to Guest Services when you first board? Trying to say time on the first day.

 

If so - BONUS!!

 

Yes! I did it in November when I sailed over Thanksgiving. This way your account is opened and you can go at your leisure to add more $ when needed. Works great. You don't have to wait at the cash line when you check in.

[Perfect Stranger]

If someone doesn't have a credit card they probably have bad credit. Without a credit card they need a nest egg in the bank to have in case of emergency, unexpected large repairs, etc. In the case of no credit card, it really makes more sense to KEEP that emergency money in the bank rather than dishing out hundreds & hundreds to the cruise line to hold. :rolleyes:

[KellyJ]

Thanks for the reply girlscruise2011. I thought that was one benefit.

 

We try to prepay as much as possible. I can't relax on vacation is I know that there is a big bill waiting for me and we don't cruise unless we can pay for it.

 

I try to keep my credit cards to a zero balance, so if I need them in an emergency(particularly a medical emergency) I can use them then. It would be terrible to be stuck somewhere and not have a card to use.

[deena26]

I haven't used my many credit cards in years, only for emergencies, then pay them off! I HATE using credit cards. Ughhh. I prepay because it's like I'm 'shopping' for the cruise, it makes me feel SO good to have no stresses by the time we board. I also have this irrational fear that my bank account will accidentally get frozen before I leave, or I'll have a REAL emergency and need the money, or my bank will think someone hijacked my ATM and cut me off while I'm on the ship. Soooo, if the money is on the books (with carnival) I have no choice but to leave it there and feels GOOD. Everyone thinks differently ans some dont mind the stress of unforseen expenses or bills like I do...So that is why I prepay:)

[starryeyedcruzer]

Am I missing something? Why would you give the cruise line an interest-free loan for months before your cruise? Makes more sense to leave your money in a savings account and purchase OBC closer to departure. Prepay is definitely the way to go, but not so early. Thoughts?

[kf657]

We also try to pre-pay as much as we can..Even to using the points we have with our debit card to purchase hotel gift cards- for the trip to the port, as well as gas cards.

We have tips pre-paid, our TA takes care of that. I have several hundred in OBC before we board also.

Each child has always had a budget, they save for anything they want in addition to what we allow them.

Soda cards for those who want will be ordered next. Only 2 in our group buy them. I bring my own water flavoring-Crystal light- type. Also bring my own French Vanilla coffee flavoring- I get them in individual powder sticks..Works great to flavor the otherwise so-so coffee...

I collect sample sizes of various items all year and stash in the "Cruise Bin"...We sail in 80+ days, but almost ready to go!

[Hanna1313]

I leave on the Miracle on the 28th and I also prepaid for the soda card,' Its called "Bottomless Bubbles."

It was ordered on the phone with Bon Voyage, and paid with a credit card..

[Nanaimobound]

I feel like I have won the battle if we prepay the gratuities.

Love having that taken care of.

[Cavners5]

Going to pre-pay our gratuities tomorrow....350 for all of us.....excursions paid, ordered drink coupons, and have OBC also! Thanks to all the advice I have gotten here on these boards!!!!

[blizzrd]

I don't get why people have a problem with other people pre-paying. It's not like they're prepaying for a cruise 10 years from now and they're gonna miss out on all the interest. We're talking months here and the interest would be TINY. I don't see it as giving Carnival a loan, because I'm not getting it back. It's PAYING for something that I am going to use, it's peace of mind...and to me, that's worth more than a few pennies in interest.

[blizzrd]

If someone doesn't have a credit card they probably have bad credit. Without a credit card they need a nest egg in the bank to have in case of emergency, unexpected large repairs, etc. In the case of no credit card, it really makes more sense to KEEP that emergency money in the bank rather than dishing out hundreds & hundreds to the cruise line to hold. :rolleyes:

 

That's ridiculous. I didn't see anyone state or advocate that they were emptying their savings to pre-pay for items on the cruise. They're just getting a leg up on something they KNOW they are going to use/spend so that they don't have to worry about it later in one lump sum.

[ADB_BWG]

If I prepaid everything - the cruise, the airline tickets, the gratuities, the shore excursions, the drinks - now, which is six months before my cruise, I will miss out on approximately $5.80 in interest from my savings account.

 

I'd rather "waste" one drink and get on the ship knowing everything is covered. And, yes, I pay with a rewards credit card, so I still get the rewards regardless of when I actually pay.

 

I've taken the opposite approach of saving money, placing it in an account, going on vacation (typically land trips in Europe), and coming home to the bills. Even though the money is in my account, pulling that much out at once can ... hurt.

 

Here's another "interest-wasting" way to save money: I put aside every $5 bill I get. When I have ten, I exchange them for a $50, and I put that $50 in a box on my bookshelf. This is my indulgence money, and it has gone for everything from a last-minute invite to a fancy dinner to being able to pay for something special on vacation. Yup, I'm missing the interest I'd get, but I have that secret stash for special things.

[near the beach]

On our first cruise we pre-paid everything. It was great. ;) At the end of the cruise we had a bill for over $800. :eek: It was our first cruise. We thought we pre-paid. Well we did pay. We would rather pay $100 now and not hold it for a few months. The $100 may not survive the wait. Every time we save $150 we purchase travelers checks. They will be used as spending money on the cruise. We pre pay tips, excursions when possible, drink coupons, photo coupons and soda coupons. We have extra money put aside for room service and extra tips. Everything was paid with a credit card so we get our points. Ending a cruise with an $800 balance does not feel as good as a $23 balance. :cool:

[debster11]

Not everyone has a credit card.

What works for you does not work for me. Paying for a vacation 2 months after the fact will not sit well with me as I have the next vacation already being prepaid

I also have a tight budget for vacations - another reason I prepay as much as possible,

 

I agree. We don't have a credit card either. Got into trouble once and decided that if I can't afford to pay cash for it I shouldn't have it (well not like a car or something like that) so the prepay thing works for me. I love knowing that everything is paid for in advance and I can really enjoy my cruise.

[debster11]

If I prepaid everything - the cruise, the airline tickets, the gratuities, the shore excursions, the drinks - now, which is six months before my cruise, I will miss out on approximately $5.80 in interest from my savings account.

 

I'd rather "waste" one drink and get on the ship knowing everything is covered. And, yes, I pay with a rewards credit card, so I still get the rewards regardless of when I actually pay.

 

I've taken the opposite approach of saving money, placing it in an account, going on vacation (typically land trips in Europe), and coming home to the bills. Even though the money is in my account, pulling that much out at once can ... hurt.

 

Here's another "interest-wasting" way to save money: I put aside every $5 bill I get. When I have ten, I exchange them for a $50, and I put that $50 in a box on my bookshelf. This is my indulgence money, and it has gone for everything from a last-minute invite to a fancy dinner to being able to pay for something special on vacation. Yup, I'm missing the interest I'd get, but I have that secret stash for special things.

 

What an awesome way to save some money. I am going to have to do that.....without telling the hubby though! He is the spender, I am the saver LOL.

[LiveLAUGHLove21]

We each put $40 a side every week and put it into my "Cruise Account". By the time our trip rolls around, which is generally at least 8 months down the road, we have everything WELL paid for and can indulge in whatever we'd like!