Money On The Ship....

[Aussie84]

Hey,

 

Just got a question about how to pay my cruise card. I have cruised before, last time we left from Brisbane on Pacific Star and since I am from Brisbane I just used cash and payed for everything that way. But this time we are flying to sydney to go on pacific sun. We are staying the night before the cruise in sydney. We leave in a little over 2 weeks. I just dont know how i should pay for my cruise card this time. I dont realy want to carry that much money on me. Anything could happen and thats the last thing you would want to happen right before the cruise. But if i use my credit card I could see me over spending... So basically my question is from other peoples expierences what would you reccomend we use to pay for out cruise card?.... Oh and one last thing if we payed by credit could my girlfriend and myself still pay using one credit card since we have different last names?

 

Sorry for writing so much :D

[aussiedisneyfan]

I think someone had posted that the Sun now uses the same system as the Star so yes you would just run up a bill. But if it is still the old system then you used your credit card and say you want to put say $200 on there and it will just work like a debit and your receipt will show you how much is left. Then you can go and put more on or not drink for the rest of the cruise. :)

 

Whatever the system, you can pay for someone elses cruise card if you wish. I used my cc to pay for my friends as she didn't have a cc.

[Tinalou]

Does it have to be a credit card?

Can you use a bankcard/EFTPOS from a savings account? I dont really want to use the credit card, because I know we will return married....and BANKRUPT! :rolleyes: Lol....

[karmac]

Does it have to be a credit card?

Can you use a bankcard/EFTPOS from a savings account? I dont really want to use the credit card, because I know we will return married....and BANKRUPT! :rolleyes: Lol....

 

I don't have a credit card as such but I have a debit card for our savings account. However, it is a visa card & can be used like a credit card but you only use your savings.

 

Karen

[aussiedisneyfan]

There is no eftpos facilities. So no savings unless it is linked to a credit card.

[Tinalou]

Thanks!

[maf101]

You have to be careful if you pay with cash. Your cruise card will still work even after you have spent all your credit. They don't tell you when your in the minus's and they'll continue debiting your card. You then finalise your account at the end of your cruise. Some people on our cruise had a nasty shock. They were $1900 in debt and didn't know.

 

When you board you fill out a form saying if you're paying by cash or credit card. You can list other people in your cabin to be on your credit card.

 

The Sun changed their system when it was in dry dock. I believe it is the same system as the Star.

[kezza]

I've always put cash on my cruise card. I've just found it easier to know exactly how much I'm spending so if I need to top up I know what I've spent.

[suey]

You have to be careful if you pay with cash. Your cruise card will still work even after you have spent all your credit. They don't tell you when your in the minus's and they'll continue debiting your card. You then finalise your account at the end of your cruise. Some people on our cruise had a nasty shock. They were $1900 in debt and didn't know.

.

 

Personally I think you would have to be very stupid to be $1900 in debt and not realise you were spending more than you originally put on the card. Even my Year 8 maths students would realise that when you spend money it decreases your balance until there is nothing left (and believe me they are not that bright). I always go to the pursers desk sometime every two days or so and get a balance and statement, there are lots of times when they are not busy and it only takes a couple of minutes. I think those people were just hoping that a mistake had been made and they had a never-decreasing balance.:o

[aussiedisneyfan]

Suey, glad I am not the only one with similar thoughts. I was shaking my head thinking surely you would have noticed that your money seemed to be going a long way.

[linniee]

Soooooooo, I know you use your card for on board expences but what do others do when they get off at an island if they want to buy things? do you take a certain amount of cash with you? use your credit cards? or use your cruise card for that as well? I hope this isn't a silly question :p

[karmac]

Soooooooo, I know you use your card for on board expences but what do others do when they get off at an island if they want to buy things? do you take a certain amount of cash with you? use your credit cards? or use your cruise card for that as well? I hope this isn't a silly question :p

 

No such thing as a silly question around here linniee. Ask whatever you want, someone will help you. Take some cash with you for the islands (small cash) and in Vila (and probably Noumea & Suva) you'll be able to use your credit card in most shops.

 

Karen

[linniee]

By small cash do you mean small demonations or small amount? I think I have budgeted way to much for this cruise *L* I have stashed away thousands thinking I will need it but by the looks of it it's not so expensive. :cool::p

[aussiedisneyfan]

You need small denominations at the tender islands. You can buy expensive carvings and some expensive jewellry but most stuff is not more than $20-30 I think. Sarong wraps range from $10 to $25 depending on island and quality. Lots of bead/shell type necklaces for probably $1 up.

 

The pursers desk can change some money and also the casino is great for gold coins. I am not sure about using your cruise card to get cash. I think you can at the casino. Someone else is bound to know.

 

If you have overbudgeted then enjoy a visit to the spa or get your hair done for formal night.

[Skyrules]

As long as you are both in the same cabin, you can nominate one credit card and have both cruise cards charged to it.

 

With your tickets you will get a form that you have to complete prior to boarding, nominating the card you want to charge your account to. There is space on this card to put addtional passengers & their signatures, and of course the person who's credit card you are using has to sign it too.

 

If you want to use cash you have to put a minimum of $300 (I think, it could be more) onto the card when you board.

 

You can get a cash advance off your cruise card from the Purser's Desk, but make sure you take Photo Id with you to do it.

 

 

Kym

[aussiedisneyfan]

As long as you are both in the same cabin, you can nominate one credit card and have both cruise cards charged to it.

 

The friend who I added onto my card was actually in a different cabin. We did make sure we checked in together.

[Skyrules]

The friend who I added onto my card was actually in a different cabin. We did make sure we checked in together.

 

Oh really?? I got the impression that you had to be in the same cabin..

 

It didn't matter for us - we each nominated our own credit cards - one a traditional credit card and one a Visa Debit Card (used like a credit card, but accessing your own savings account). That way we put most things on the card liked to our savings and only used the card linked to the credit card for more expensive things (apart from the daily tipping and shore tours which were automatically charged to that card of course) and towards then end of the cruise when we knew we were running out in the savings account. It worked well - meant we didn't come back to a huge credit card bill.

[karmac]

I still think that the system they HAD on the Sun was far better. Why they would change it to a worse system is beyond me. I can't see what difference it would make to them. Except that passengers might spend more than planned and of course they make more money. As if they're not making enough:eek:

 

Karen

[Skyrules]

I still think that the system they HAD on the Sun was far better. Why they would change it to a worse system is beyond me. I can't see what difference it would make to them. Except that passengers might spend more than planned and of course they make more money. As if they're not making enough:eek:

 

Karen

 

I guess is probably an accounting and workload thing. By linking the account to a credit card once at the start of the cruise - they are cutting down the amount of "traffic" at the purser's desk, particularly at the start and end of the cruise - and the need to do the advancing of money at the start etc.

 

I had concerns about the system before we went on Star, having used the "old" system previously on Sky and Sun. But once on board I found that it didn't change our spending patterns in any way. I knew what money I had available in my account - and made sure I didn't spend more than that - much the same as knowing how much I had left on my cruise card on Sun or Sky. Every couple of days I got a printout from the purser's desk just to make sure I wasn't overspending. And in fact at the end of the cruise I found I'd we'd actually spent less than we had budgeted for.

 

I did notice on Star that because they weren't dealing with people cashing up cards etc, there was hardly ever queues at the Pursers desk, especailly as Star also had 2 machines that took Australian Dollars (notes) and converted them to Central Pacific Francs (and vice versa) so you didn't have to queue up for that either.

 

Kym

[Star-Man]

If you want to use cash you have to put a minimum of $300 (I think, it could be more) onto the card when you board.

 

that amount is correct. i double checked with my TA this afternoon :D

[mystte]

I just got off today! We used 2 different credit cards that way it was easier to keep check on what we spent. WE had an upfront $75 credit each which was eaten up very quickly. My partners bill came up to just over $300 and mine was $900 but I bought a couple of nice watches and perfumes and gifts more my girls - no holds barred but didn't do any shore tours, it was a inexpensive holiday. WE just got a summary a few days before the end, checked it and it was fine and we were surprised how well it was going, so i went "shopping":D

Sorry re mistakes just got off - long day got up 4.30am:D

[kaseyoz]

Sorry re mistakes just got off - long day got up 4.30am:D

 

And you are still here at 10.30pm you must still be on a high or very busy with all that washing:D :D