Cruises - Sign and Sail - Carnival

Hello Everyone!

My friends and I are planning a trip Feb 5th, Carnival Splendor, 7 night Mexican Rivera cruise. It's my first cruise, everyone else has done it 1 other time.

I think it's a decent deal, $389pp.

I have a question on the S&S card.

Once you book the cruise, can you add funds periodically to your S&S account?

I don't want to use my credit card, and would rather take like $40 per paycheck, to where I wouldn't really notice anything coming out, versus paying a $500 credit card bill after the cruise is over. I know I can just give them the cash once on the ship, but anyway to do it in advance?

Thanks!

Yes, you can purchase on board credit for yourself via Carnival's Gifts and Services department.

Hello Everyone!

My friends and I are planning a trip Feb 5th, Carnival Splendor, 7 night Mexican Rivera cruise. It's my first cruise, everyone else has done it 1 other time.

I think it's a decent deal, $389pp.

I have a question on the S&S card.

Once you book the cruise, can you add funds periodically to your S&S account?

I don't want to use my credit card, and would rather take like $40 per paycheck, to where I wouldn't really notice anything coming out, versus paying a $500 credit card bill after the cruise is over. I know I can just give them the cash once on the ship, but anyway to do it in advance?

Thanks!

Well you will have to give it prior to boarding the ship. Actually $500 is not enough. I'm not sure how they calculate it, but it is a base price per day before they will issue you the Sail and Sign card. They get money up front either through a credit card authorization, or cash deposit.

If by advance you are referring to paying monthly online prior to the cruise, that isn't possible. Hope this helps.

Carnival allows you to purchase "fun ship" dollars in $25, 50, 100 and 500 increments to use on your cruise. You can just keep buying them as often as you want online or by phone and they will be waiting for you when you get there

You can order them online here - http://www.carnival.com/BonVoyage/AddToCart.aspx?cat=giftcertificates&pid=FSD

This forum on the carnival site explains how to add them to an onboard account so you don't have a pile of certificates waiting for you when you board (though it's not a big deal one way or the other)

http://www.carnival.com/Funville/forums/p/173072/902396.aspx

Only the first couple of posts apply, like every other discussion about ship dollars, it turns into a fight over tipping.

You could also get a refillable prepaid credit card and keep adding to it and use that to pay off part of your ship charges.

Well you will have to give it prior to boarding the ship. Actually $500 is not enough. I'm not sure how they calculate it, but it is a base price per day before they will issue you the Sail and Sign card. They get money up front either through a credit card authorization, or cash deposit.

If by advance you are referring to paying monthly online prior to the cruise, that isn't possible. Hope this helps.

Recommend the OP disregard the quoted post. You can buy the credits in advance. Worse case is that the cruise line asks you for a credit card in addition to the "cash" in your account (I don't know anyone that ever had to do this).

As has been mentioned, you can purchase "Fun Ship Dollars" to apply to your account before you sail. I might suggest just taking the cash with you and depositing it when you board. I'd leave a credit card, if you have one, to act as a buffer in case you run out of cash mid-cruise so you don't have to deal with standing in line at the purser's desk, which can get kind of busy.

My best advice would be to take the $40 per week you want to save, and just put it in a savings account. Use your credit card for the sail and sign account, then pay it when you get home. You get reward points and still don't pay any interest, and in fact earn a bit of interest in the interim.