Onboard Account: Cash vs. Credit Card?

[MaryPoppins983]

I have a quick question about how cash vs. credit card works on our onboard account.

I read that the credit card on file will get charged at $500 intervals. With our excursions, tips, Palo, and drink tasting, we will be over $500 the first day of the cruise. Will our card get charged before I can get the chance to add my Disney Visa rewards cash? I may also use some cash and then have the credit card cover the rest.

Any recommendations on what I should do? Should I just put money on Disney gift cards and use that? Should I change to a cash account vs credit card? Thank you!

 

[chrisnb]

I have a quick question about how cash vs. credit card works on our onboard account.

I read that the credit card on file will get charged at $500 intervals. With our excursions, tips, Palo, and drink tasting, we will be over $500 the first day of the cruise. Will our card get charged before I can get the chance to add my Disney Visa rewards cash? I may also use some cash and then have the credit card cover the rest.

Any recommendations on what I should do? Should I just put money on Disney gift cards and use that? Should I change to a cash account vs credit card? Thank you!

You can go to guest services first day and they will apply to your account and after that is used up, it will go to credit card or cash.
I just use my rewards to make payment on future cruises
chris

 

[MaryPoppins983]

So my credit card won't be immediately charged? I will have time to add any gift cards the first day before being charged?

 

[Maggie'sMom]

So my credit card won't be immediately charged? I will have time to add any gift cards the first day before being charged?

Yes. As I remember it, the excursions get added to your onboard account the day of the excursion so they aren't all there at the beginning. Likewise, Palo, tastings, and gratuities are not front-loaded onto your account. You will accrue those over the course of the cruise.

If you'd like to take care of adding the gift cards ahead of time, you can call DCL and tell them you want to purchase onboard credit and use the gift cards as payment for the onboard credit. That way you can avoid going to guest services on day 1.

 

[chrisnb]

So my credit card won't be immediately charged? I will have time to add any gift cards the first day before being charged?

They most likely are just authorizing your card not putting a charge on it.

 

[YawningDodo]

Yes. As I remember it, the excursions get added to your onboard account the day of the excursion so they aren't all there at the beginning. Likewise, Palo, tastings, and gratuities are not front-loaded onto your account. You will accrue those over the course of the cruise.

If you'd like to take care of adding the gift cards ahead of time, you can call DCL and tell them you want to purchase onboard credit and use the gift cards as payment for the onboard credit. That way you can avoid going to guest services on day 1.

My excursion, which was scheduled mid-cruise, was marked as having been charged to my onboard account on embarkation day (when it was cancelled it showed up as a credit to my account; if it had been charged day-of it simply would never have shown up). I'm not positive about the mixology class I took, and never did any Palo dining.

I'd say that if you're concerned about it and you know how much you expect to spend on those big items, it probably is best to call and purchase OBC ahead of time using the rewards cash. I wouldn't buy enough OBC to cover everything I expected to pay for onboard, because if I remember correctly they have to revert any refunds back to the specific card used to purchase the OBC and it might get complicated if you have gift cards, reward cards, etc.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

My excursion, which was scheduled mid-cruise, was marked as having been charged to my onboard account on embarkation day (when it was cancelled it showed up as a credit to my account; if it had been charged day-of it simply would never have shown up). I'm not positive about the mixology class I took, and never did any Palo dining.

Thanks. I am just remembering wrong. We normally don't book DCL excursions so it's been 3 years since I last dealt with this. That time we booked parasailing at CC and I didn't remember the charges showing up until the night before but they must have been there before that.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

Thanks. I am just remembering wrong. We normally don't book DCL excursions so it's been 3 years since I last dealt with this. That time we booked parasailing at CC and I didn't remember the charges showing up until the night before but they must have been there before that.

Time was excursions/activities were charged to the onboard account on the day of. Now they are all charged to the onboard account (usually) the first day.

 

[Maggie'sMom]

Time was excursions/activities were charged to the onboard account on the day of. Now they are all charged to the onboard account (usually) the first day.

I'm glad to know I haven't completely lost my mind.

 

[Laundress]

I try to call ahead of time and add money to my account before we arrive. (gift cards,rewards, or my debit card)
Anticipating the coat of our excursions, Palo, Tips. Then I am only concerned with what we might buy at the gift shops.

 

[Pens Fan]

I have always called prior to the cruise and purchased OBC using our Disney Visa rewards card and any Disney gift cards we have purchased to earn Giant Eagle fuel perks. Why waste time on your vacation standing in line at guest services? Anything over the OBC amount just ends up on the credit card. So easy - and no trip to guest services required .

 

[ShelleyTaylor]

I was pretty sure....and I just verified on my Disney Visa statement...my card was not charged until after we got off the ship. We sailed 3/31-4/7 2018...4/7 was a Saturday and the charge registered on my Disney Visa 4/8/18.

We had excursions day 4 & 5.

This was the Fantasy.

And I went down day 3 or 4 (of 7) and added some gift-cards. This covered charges until that point, so maybe that is why I wasn’t charged? We technically never hit $500, after on board credit and GCs, I was charged under $300.

 

[Dug720]

I was pretty sure....and I just verified on my Disney Visa statement...my card was not charged until after we got off the ship. We sailed 3/31-4/7 2018...4/7 was a Saturday and the charge registered on my Disney Visa 4/8/18.

We had excursions day 4 & 5.

This was the Fantasy.

And I went down day 3 or 4 (of 7) and added some gift-cards. This covered charges until that point, so maybe that is why I wasn’t charged? We technically never hit $500, after on board credit and GCs, I was charged under $300.

That is when the charge went through. An authorization request was almost 100% sent well before that.

 

[MaryPoppins983]

Thanks for all the responses! I think I will call and add my Visa rewards and some extra to cover the excursions and other things. That way I know everything will already be paid for except for extra drink purchases and merchandise!