Spending on board

[alexm1987]

Hi,

I am going on my first princess cruise and I have a few questions,

Firstly with spending money on board, is there anyway we can keep track of our on board account other then keeping all receipts and adding them up? Also if we want to pay our account in cash and not credit card how do I print our boarding passes? It will only let me if I've filled out the credit card form.

Are the photos they take on the ship expensive?

What do I need to budget for apart from shore tours, alcohol, photos and any spa treatments?

Are the soda packages expensive?

We are from aus and sailing from NZ in december.

 

What do you think a reasonable budget is for 2 adults who both like to drink but aren't heavy drinkers?

 

Thanks :)

[#1Nanna]

There is a kiosk that you can insert your shipboard card into and it will give you a printout of your current expenses.

The pictures are $24.95 for an 8x10.

There are pkgs available.

The coffee card was $31.00 and was good for 15 punches for specialty coffees & unlimited fresh brewed coffee. It also included hot chocolate & specialty hot teas. We also got the soda and more pkg which included unlimited soda, smoothies, milkshakes & mocktails. It was well worth it.

I felt that their spa prices were a bit high, such as a pedicure $70.00.

Hope this helps a bit.

[lovevacadays]

Hi,

I am going on my first princess cruise and I have a few questions,

Firstly with spending money on board, is there anyway we can keep track of our on board account other then keeping all receipts and adding them up? Also if we want to pay our account in cash and not credit card how do I print our boarding passes? It will only let me if I've filled out the credit card form.

Are the photos they take on the ship expensive?

What do I need to budget for apart from shore tours, alcohol, photos and any spa treatments?

Are the soda packages expensive?

We are from aus and sailing from NZ in december.

 

What do you think a reasonable budget is for 2 adults who both like to drink but aren't heavy drinkers?

 

Thanks :)

 

Congrats on booking your first Princess cruise. I hope it is as amazing as my cruises on Princess have been.

 

Yes, you can pay your account with cash. I travel with a niece that does that. You will typically have to leave a cash deposit when you check in. If I recall my niece initially put down $300.00. As you get closer to the amount you initially put down you will get a notification from the Purser's desk that you need to come by and put more cash down. If you have a printer at home you should be able to log into your Cruise Personalizer on Princess' website and find your boarding passes and then just hit the print option. Go ahead and put in credit card information if you have a credit card. This doesn't mean that you have to use that credit card once you embark the ship. When you check in the agent will ask you for a credit card or a cash deposit. Just let the agent know you will be paying cash and she/he will make a note and then you will have to go to the Purser's Desk to put your cash deposit down. They will not charge your credit card.

 

In addition to the things you mentioned as extra cost if you are a tipper (and I understand some countries don't have the same custom as we do) you will need to allocate for tips. Also, there are specialty restaurants on the ship that cost extra. I always recommend everyone go to one at least once. If you like specialty coffees such as lattes they are extra as well.

 

Goodness, I wish I could recommend a budget but it really depends on you and what you like to do.

[TERESAh]

Drinks include a 15% tip and run about $7-9 each. There is also a tip of $11.50 per person per day billed to your account. You can request this not be billed and pay your own tips if you want.

[rkmw]

Drinks include a 15% tip and run about $7-9 each. There is also a tip of $11.50 per person per day billed to your account. You can request this not be billed and pay your own tips if you want.

 

the OP stated they were aussies and if they are sailing on the Sun/Dawn & Sea Princess they dont have to pay any tips as its included in the fare

 

i think the coffee card is $35 on the aussie ships

 

some people say they budget for $100 per day that is just a guidline

[TracieABD]

I have heard of people entering their CC # on the Personalizer so they can print their boarding pass. Then they delete the number. The pay a cash deposit when they embark.

 

This is one area I really like about Princess. The do no place a big hold on your card. HAL places a $60 per day per person hold. It is not really an issue for us, but I do know of others who might struggle with this. Of course, at the end of he cruise, they reconcile for the correct amount.

[alexm1987]

Thanks for all the replies :)

We are going on the diamond princess, I don't mind paying tips, if they take tips out automatically do we still tip individuals? Tipping isn't done much in Australia so I don't know much about it.

[rdsqrl]

Thanks for all the replies :)

We are going on the diamond princess, I don't mind paying tips, if they take tips out automatically do we still tip individuals? Tipping isn't done much in Australia so I don't know much about it.

No, if your account is charged the auto-tips (and assuming you leave them in place), then no, you don't have to tip anyone individually. Now, if you feel your cabin steward or waiter or a particular bartender/bar server went above and beyond, you might want to tip them a few extra dollars -- generally done on the last full day/evening of the voyage. But that's entirely optional.

 

And if someone does go above and beyond, definitely write a commendation for them, either on one of the "You made a difference" cards available onboard or in your post-cruise survey. Those help them get perks/promotions.

[alexm1987]

Ok my next silly question, does anyone know what the pre authorization amount is on a 12 day cruise, if we use card it will be a debit card rather then credit card and we will want to make sure we have enough for the purchases and pre authorization, it won't be a problem if the pre authorization is only a few hundred dollars but if it is $50 per person per day I will have to make sure I put extra money into the account before we leave as my understanding is we don't get the pre authorization amount back from our bank for awhile anywhere from 1 week - 3 weeks.

[skynight]

Ok my next silly question, does anyone know what the pre authorization amount is on a 12 day cruise, if we use card it will be a debit card rather then credit card and we will want to make sure we have enough for the purchases and pre authorization, it won't be a problem if the pre authorization is only a few hundred dollars but if it is $50 per person per day I will have to make sure I put extra money into the account before we leave as my understanding is we don't get the pre authorization amount back from our bank for awhile anywhere from 1 week - 3 weeks.

 

Would recommend use of a credit card, not a debit card. Enter your credit card no. into the cruise personalizer to print your boarding passes. Don't delete it. You can handle payment of your onboard account in a couple of ways. a) check your folio each day to assure you are staying within your budget. On the last day pay off the balance due in cash, or transfer it to the debit card. b) Leave the Credit Card on your account, but anticipate what you are going to spend during the cruise. Then, call Princess and gift yourself an onboard credit for that amount using your debit card. The gift amount will appear as a credit on your folio. If you deposit too much it will be refunded to you after you return home. If you are short you can leave it on your credit card, pay the balance off in cash, or transfer it to the debit card.

 

On Princess operated cruises each evening around 2AM the amount of your onboard positive balance at the end of the day is placed as a hold on your credit card. There is no general hold for the cruise. I'm not sure if cruises operated by P&O Australia do their accounting in the same manner.

[Wehwalt]

Would recommend use of a credit card, not a debit card. Enter your credit card no. into the cruise personalizer to print your boarding passes. Don't delete it. You can handle payment of your onboard account in a couple of ways. a) check your folio each day to assure you are staying within your budget. On the last day pay off the balance due in cash, or transfer it to the debit card. b) Leave the Credit Card on your account, but anticipate what you are going to spend during the cruise. Then, call Princess and gift yourself an onboard credit for that amount using your debit card. The gift amount will appear as a credit on your folio. If you deposit too much it will be refunded to you after you return home. If you are short you can leave it on your credit card, pay the balance off in cash, or transfer it to the debit card.

 

On Princess operated cruises each evening around 2AM the amount of your onboard positive balance at the end of the day is placed as a hold on your credit card. There is no general hold for the cruise. I'm not sure if cruises operated by P&O Australia do their accounting in the same manner.

 

If you plan on paying cash, suggest bringing it with you (obviously taking care) and paying it to the purser's desk, get a receipt and an hour or two later check the kiosk for an interim bill to be sure it is reflected.

 

It is wise to check your bill regularly in any event. Twice, I've seen bar charges which were not me, I had them pull the paper backup, they agreed it was human error (the staff, when you order a drink, memorizes the four-digit code on your card, and of course, when you have only 10,000 possible combinations and several thousand people on board, it is going to happen). The issues were promptly resolved both times. But you don't want to have to do this the last night.