Settling onboard account with cash

[netekay]

Good evening!

 

I will be cruising in December for 12 days on Anthem and I want to use cash to settle the onboard account. I have always used a credit card in the past but because of a slew of erroneous charges from last June's cruise (and the amount of time it took Royal to remove them), I want to try something different this time around.

 

I would like to hear from anyone who has done this recently. The one question I have is can I pay the account in full daily so I don't have to wait in long lines at the end of the cruise to settle up?

 

Thanks gang!!

Lynette

[whenthecatsaway]

You definitely can ! I indicated on my Set Sail Documents I wished to have a cash account and it's viewable each day on your Tv or at Guest Services . I returned from a Western Med on Freedom 4 weeks ago.

 

 

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[netekay]

Did you have to put down a deposit? Royal's page says you do but there are threads around that say you don't. :o

[cb at sea]

Nope...RCI allows you to charge up to $500 before they ask for cash. You can put some on your account, but you don't have to.

[Ourusualbeach]

Did you have to put down a deposit? Royal's page says you do but there are threads around that say you don't. :o

I've done several cruises using a cash account and never had to put down a deposit. Cruises 6 days or less you can charge up to $300 and cruises 7 days or longer you can charge $500 before being asked to pay down the balance.

[mr walker]

The one question I have is can I pay the account in full daily so I don't have to wait in long lines at the end of the cruise to settle up?

 

Using a cash account, you will still have to settle up at the end your final balance, irrespective of how many times you pay off your running account during the cruise. So unless you pay off completely ahead of the cruise-end, & then don't buy anything else, you will still need to visit GS to settle at the end.

[Norwich Cruiser]

From my experience cash accounts have to be settled in full by 11.00pm on the last night of your cruise.

[UKWLDCruise]

I usually let them swipe my card but pay in cash on the last afternoon so I can sort out most if not all of the potential problems.

[frank808]

I have not used a credit card since our first two cruises. The past 18+ cruises have been all cash accounts. I usually settle up 2 nights before the end of the cruise as the line at guse services is a lot shorter than the last night. Just remember to pay for an extra nights of gratuities because the total they give you will not include the next night. That way you do not have to stand in line at guest services again as the lines are usually very long on the last day before debarkation. With a cash account i don't have to worry about those funky charges at the end.

 

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[Esmerelda]

We always use cash for our account. Others are correct, you do not have to put anything down and they will let you go up to $500. We always put down $300-400 our first day on. Then when dwe we are down to 2 days post disembarking, we add our debit card to the account to save from having to get back in that long line. We have done this our last 4 cruises. We have had no issues with our card, no holds, nothing. Just the amount due was what was charged. Have a super time on your trip. :)

[Clarea]

I usually let them swipe my card but pay in cash on the last afternoon so I can sort out most if not all of the potential problems.

Letting them swipe a credit card at check-in gives you a credit card account, which is not what the OP wants in order to avoid erroneous charges.

[uksimonusa]

If you have an idea of what you will be spending buy that amount of OBC for the cruise, when checking in set the account up as cash, then during the last day, before the lines get long, either close out the account and pay any balance, or receive any credit balance back in cash.

[Thorben-Hendrik]

We always do a cash account and settle it in the morning before the last day no lines at 7am .....:cool:

[netekay]

This information really helps! Thanks so much everyone! I feel better about cruising with cash this time around!!

[Cinders411]

We have always used cash for our account. We decide on a budget and stick to it. We put money down the first night after the lines have gone from Guest Services. With the drink package we really don't purchase much on the ship. We just keep our daily receipts and watch our total. Very easy and we don't over spend this way. We usually spend less than we put on the account. We do go back to Guest Services on the last night and close out.

[dreadpirate3]

If you have an idea of what you will be spending buy that amount of OBC for the cruise, when checking in set the account up as cash, then during the last day, before the lines get long, either close out the account and pay any balance, or receive any credit balance back in cash.

 

This is what we did our last cruise and it worked perfectly!

[dwayneb236]

We do cash only. Use OBC and I'll put money on the books before we cruise. Don't even put a credit card on file for it. No worries about phantom charges after the cruise.

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Yep! Like others I've done cash account on all my cruises - DCL, RCCL, fathom, and HAL. The only one that said anything about putting down a deposit was HAL when I checked in - and I'd been prepared for that. Though when I went to guest services to put it down, the girl was like "You don't have to if you don't want to." I did anyway - and I usually WILL go ahead and put something down so that it's there (and I don't accidentally spend it elsewhere).