Cruising with cash

[Jlg928]

Hello! I am a first time cruiser and I will be cruising with my kids.  I am wanting to use only cash to set up my seapass.  Is this possible? I have a credit card, but with a small limit.  I would prefer to use cash or debit card as I am trying to stay debit free.  Thank you! 

[Piggy]

You can always use the credit card to have the holds placed on it, rather than tying up your bank account as a Debit card often does where the banks take forever to release the funds back to you, or just use cash. You can put the credit card to have the holds and then pay cash to settle the account before you debark the ship.

[sk8erguy1978]

Congratulations on being debt free! You can have a cash account but you'll have to settle before disembarking and that can be a pain. You can use the debit card as a credit card (assuming it is a debit Visa or MasterCard) but as mentioned by @Piggy it might put an unwanted hold. The credit card is the best option, but completely understand not wanting to use it.

[melmar02]

We're Dave Ramsey-ians and haven't had credit cards in a long time. We pre-pay for everything we can, including gratuities, and just put our debit card on file. We've never had a problem with a hold, but our bill is generally less than $100 at the end of the cruise and we make sure there is plenty in the account to cover any potential holds from the cruise, hotel, and gas stations before we leave. 

[KathyC]

With a cash account, you will spend time in line at Guest Services the last night of your cruise. That line can be really long, and cuts into the end of your vacation as the rest of your family is out enjoying the ship while you stand there.  

[sabarwolf]

We put our debit card on file when aboard, but went to Guest Services and just paid our bill pretty much right away. Made the bill at the end of the cruise so much lower. The only downside was the wait at Guest Services, but even that wasn't horrible if you go midday or at a non-peak time.