Paying for purchases on board.

One of the main questions that a lot of first time cruisers ask us is
"How do I pay for things on board?"

Most cruise liners have a "cashless system" established for all on board purchases and services. Upon checking in at the wharf every single passenger will be issued with a cruise card.

When paying for something on board all you will need to do is hand over your cruise card to the cruise staff, your card will be debited/charged and you will be issued with a paper receipt for each purchase.
Make sure to keep all your paper receipts so that when your final bill is given to you, you can double check your bill against your receipts and make sure that you have not been overcharged.

If travelling with Princess or P&O Cruises as per their terms and conditions your on board account can be set up by providing them with a credit card (Visa, MasterCard or AMEX) or debit card (Visa or MasterCard), your final bill will be charged to your nominated card at the end of your cruise.

If you do not have a credit or debit card, you can activate your on board account by paying a minimum deposit of AUD300 per person (cash or traveller’s cheques are accepted) when checking in at the wharf. Pre-paid credit cards and Travelex Visa cash passports are not accepted on board.

With Royal Caribbean cruises you can also set up your on board account with a credit card (American Express, Optima, MasterCard, Visa, Discover and Diner's Club or traveller's cheques, debit cards or cash.

A running tab of all your purchases will be kept under separate folio numbers for each guest, and an itemised statement left in your stateroom the night before disembarkation. If you provided them with a credit card, and there are no discrepancies, the amount will be charged to your account on the morning of disembarkation.

They require you to place a minimum cash deposit if you decide to set up your on board account with cash. They have a daily limit on cash accounts of US$500.00 for 7+ night sailings and US$300.00 for 2-5 night sailings.
If you have used traveller's cheques or cash to activate the account, you will need to settle the account at the Guest Relations desk (either to receive a reimbursement of the unused amount you originally left or to pay the balance of what you have charged in excess of the amount that you originally left).


As per the Holland America Cruises' terms and conditions you can set up your on board account with them with a credit or debit card (Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express, and Discover) Upon embarkation, they will seek an initial authorization on your card for USD $60 per person for each day of your cruise. For cruises longer than 25 days, the hold is USD$30.00 per person, per day.

The other option is to set up your cruise account with them via a cash deposit at time of boarding of (USD $60/person/day). ***Note - With the cash option, you MUST bring enough cash to cover the $60/person/day account deposit. Failure to do so may forfeit your right to board. Any excess deposit will be refunded to you at the end of the cruise. Traveler's checks may be cashed at the front office to make your deposit. Personal checks are not accepted on board.

Just remember that when you board the ship, your account will have be activated and you may make purchases immediately by showing your cruise card and signing a paper receipt.