Genia Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 No judgement on these questions, but as a first time cruiser I want to be prepared... We sail April 15th on Radiance of The Seas 1. Gratuities.....if I pre-pay them at the time of booking, how does that work? Will I still get charged extra or only what I prepaid? 2. I keep reading about on board account....please explain that....and what is the difference if you secure it with a credit card vs a debit card? 3. I heard there is sometimes discounted drink and food packages offered....is there a certain time or day of the week this is done? Thank you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AshleyDillo Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 34 minutes ago, Genia said: 1. Gratuities.....if I pre-pay them at the time of booking, how does that work? Will I still get charged extra or only what I prepaid? If you prepaid at the time of booking, you will not be charged the daily gratuities. 35 minutes ago, Genia said: 2. I keep reading about on board account....please explain that....and what is the difference if you secure it with a credit card vs a debit card? The ship is a "cashless" economy meaning anything you purchase onboard that isn't included in the cruisefare will be charged to your onboard account through your SeaPass (room key). You will put a card down when you check in and at the end of the cruise the balance of your onboard account is charged to the card on file. This card will be charged a pre-authorization amount to ensure you have enough room on the card. It's a pending charge but still puts a hold on those funds until the charge is released. If you use a debit card then it locks up those funds in your bank account and makes them unavailable until the pending charge clears or drops off. When you use a credit card, it just reduces the available spending limit on the card. If you use a debit card tied to a bank account that is having bills auto-drafted, you run the risk of the held funds from the pending charges cause it to appear as though there are insufficient funds to pay your bills. These holds on funds do not fall off until after the Cruise is over. 42 minutes ago, Genia said: 3. I heard there is sometimes discounted drink and food packages offered....is there a certain time or day of the week this is done? No schedule on the "sales" but the bottom line dollar amount is what you should pay attention to over the percentage discount. Royal uses dynamic pricing and it changes a lot, so if you see a price you should buy the package. You can cancel and repurchase if the price drops later. BrianAlt and Psycho and Barb 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PPPJJ-GCVAB Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 The cruise planner sale has been extended through today. Check the pricing on the beverage packages, etc. before the end of today. Otherwise next sale will most likely be end of month or perhaps early February. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
StayFrosty Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 Don't pay attention to the % off for the sales. Just look at the listed price. Royal will increase the % off but also increase the base price to that is more expensive than it was before. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matt Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 Welcome to the message boards! stevendom57 and jbrinkm 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pattycruise Posted January 3, 2023 Report Share Posted January 3, 2023 5 hours ago, Genia said: No judgement on these questions, but as a first time cruiser I want to be prepared... We sail April 15th on Radiance of The Seas 1. Gratuities.....if I pre-pay them at the time of booking, how does that work? Will I still get charged extra or only what I prepaid? 2. I keep reading about on board account....please explain that....and what is the difference if you secure it with a credit card vs a debit card? 3. I heard there is sometimes discounted drink and food packages offered....is there a certain time or day of the week this is done? Thank you! 1. Gratuities are charged for each passenger, you can opt to pay them prior to your cruise or you can opt to pay them while on your cruise-your onboard account -as you stated=secured with a credit or debit card, will reflect the charge for gratuities if you do not prepay. If you purchase beverages,spa or dining while onboard those will have their own gratuities added. 2. There will be a hold or pending charges on your credit/debit card. Can you "afford" the hold on a debit card? The pending charges can take up to a week to come off. I imagine the "hold" would be the same. Please know you can also bring cash to pay off your onboard account if you desire. You can do this at guest services. You can do that daily or do it at the end of the cruise or anytime in between. 3. The discounted drink and food packages onboard are not typically better priced than what you can purchase in the cruise planner. If you are talking about buying discounted food/drink packages prior to your cruise you can do that in the cruise planner. If you make a purchase and see a better price later you can cancel and rebuy. I frequently check the cruise planner to see if any better pricing pops up. Black Friday week had some great pricing. FireFishII 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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