You can choose to either link a Credit/Debit Card or Use Cash for your Sail and Sign Account. Onboard purchases are charged to your Sail and Sign Account. You use your Sail and Sign Card for all purchases, as your room key, and for Identification Purposes will getting on and off the ship in Ports. Personalized Sail & Sign cards are provided to all guests (including minors) and are valid for use immediately upon boarding the ship.
Guest Services can provide guests with a balance update at any time throughout the cruise. In addition, guests can view their balance update at a Sail & Sign kiosk and Carnival’s HUB app.
Carnivals accept the following forms of payment to open a Sail & Sign account: Credit Cards / Debit Cards – Cash / Traveler’s Checks.
Sail & Sign Account Opened with a Credit Card or Debit Card
Please Note: Carnival is not able to expedite the release of bank holds. The guest will need to contact their bank for assistance.
Guests may activate their Sail & Sign account on Carnival.com, My Cruise Manager, Online Check-in prior to their cruise or on the first day of the cruise at embarkation.
On embarkation day, an initial bank hold of up to $200 (depending on cruise length) is placed on all credit card and debit card accounts to verify that the card is valid:
2 – 6 day cruise: $100 USD for each stateroom charged using the same credit card or debit card
7 days or longer: $200 USD for each stateroom charged using the same credit card or debit card
If the guest replaces a credit card or debit card previously used, the hold will remain on the account during the cruise and will remain on the account for one or more days after the cruise depending on the issuing bank’s hold policy, limiting access to funds.
As money is spent throughout the cruise, additional holds on bank funds are obtained. This will result in multiple amounts being held.
If a credit card is presented, this will reduce the amount available on the credit card for other purchases.
If a debit/check-cashing card is presented, the hold will restrict the available cash in the checking account.
On the day the cruise returns, Carnival immediately settles the guest’s account with their bank for the total amount of their onboard expenses. Holds will remain on the account for one or more days depending on the issuing bank’s hold policy, limiting access to funds.
For Debit Card Holders, if using this form of payment, the bank will process the final total spent on the guest’s Sail & Sign account plus retain the bank holds processed, per the bank policy.
The bank is responsible for releasing any pending holds from the guest’s account. Please Note: Carnival is not able to expedite the release of bank holds. The guest will need to contact their bank for assistance.
Acceptable Cards
- Visa Card and Visa Gift Card
- MasterCard and MasterCard Gift Card
- An ATM/Debit Cashing Card may be used as long as it is a registered MasterCard or Visa Card.
- The Discover Card and Discover Gift Card
- American Express Card and the Carnival Corporation Reward Card from American Express
- Diner’s Club and Diner’s Club Gift Card
- JCB Card only
Note: Gift Cards may also be referred to as ‘secured’ or ‘pre-loaded’ credit cards or ‘Travel Funds Card’.
Unacceptable Cards
ATM/Debit Cashing Card other than those registered by MasterCard or Visa Card.
Gift Cards and Travel Funds Cards issued by: American Express and Optima
Keychain (mini) credit cards
The American Express ‘Persona Select’
Sail & Sign Account Opened with Cash or Traveler’s Checks
Guests may add additional cash to their account by visiting the Guest Services desk on board, or using one of the Kiosks located around the ship.
Guests may activate their Sail & Sign account on Carnival.com, My Cruise Manager, Online Check-in, or on the first day of the cruise at embarkation.
Guests must deposit cash (USD currency only) or Traveler’s Checks (USD currency only) at Guest Services on the first day of the cruise. The following minimum cash deposits are recommended:
2 – 4 day cruise: $100 USD per person
5 – 8 day cruise: $200 USD per person
9 days or longer: $350 USD per person
Please Note: If you need to change or confirm your initial payment option, go to Carnival.com and click on Manage My Booking. Log in and access Online Check-in, Onboard Expenses:
If changing from cash to credit card/debit card or vice versa, use DELETE feature and change your payment preference.
If changing credit card number or debit card number, use DELETE feature and add new credit card or debit card information.
Final Sail & Sign Statement
On the last morning of the cruise, a statement detailing all purchases made with the Sail & Sign card will be delivered to guest staterooms. In addition, guests can view their statement on Carnival’s HUB app, at a Sail & Sign Kiosk or at Guest Services. Any refund owed from your Sail and Sign account will be sent to the responsible party on the account as follows:
Cash Deposits: If guests use cash for their Sail & Sign deposit, any amount owed to you greater than $10 USD will be refunded via check mailed within 7 days after the cruise to the guest’s home address on file. Overages less than $10 USD will be donated to St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital® (excluding the Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Splendor® in Australia). This will be communicated on board during the Debarkation Talk and posted in the daily ‘Fun Times’. If a guest wishes to have the full overage in cash, they may retrieve it from one of the Sail & Sign Kiosks or the Guest Services Desk. Refund checks will be reconciled by our shore side Refund Accounting team and distributed via PNC Bank (JPM Chase Bank for Carnival Luminosa and Carnival Splendor Australia guests).
Credit Card: If guests use a credit card for their Sail & Sign deposit, any amount owed to you will be refunded via check mailed within 7 days after the cruise to the guest’s home address on file.
Debit Card: If guests use a bank debit card for their Sail & Sign deposit, any amount owed to you will be refunded via check mailed within 7 days after the cruise to the guest’s home address on file.
Carnival Gift Card: If guests use a Carnival Gift Card for their Sail & Sign deposit, any amount owed to you will be refunded in the form of a new Carnival Gift Card to the email address provided at the time of booking. If no email address is provided a new gift card will be sent to the address on file.
General Information
Any inquiries regarding your Sail & Sign account after your cruise, please contact Guest Care at [email protected] with a detailed email and include pertinent cruise information (guest name, ship, cruise departure date, booking number, stateroom number). If you are requesting an itemized statement, please fill out our form located on the footer of Carnival.com (under Customer Service), Post-Cruise Inquiries.
The cardholding guest must be an authorized signer by the card-issuing bank.
Each onboard expense account must have a designated account owner.
The account owner may choose to authorize additional guests on his or her account. The maximum number of guests per account is 15.
A guest may only be activated on one account.
Every guest must be a member of an account in order to obtain a complete Online Check-in status.
Account owners must be at least 18 years of age at the time of sailing and will be automatically assigned charging privileges to the account.
Minors must have an account. The account owner has the option to set spending limits or not allow charging privileges to their account. This can be set-up during Online Check-in or on board at the Guest Services Desk.
Cruise service gratuities will be charged to the account unless they are prepaid.
The amount charged to the account for service gratuities will be deemed undisputed unless a request to modify is received prior to disembarking the ship.
If the credit/debit card method of payment is selected, charges incurred by those authorized will be billed to the credit/debit account entered.
Actual credit/debit cards must be present at the time of embarkation.
You can use your Sail and Sign® Card or Folio in lieu of cash or a credit card for your transactions with various participating Vendors. The term Vendor may include, but is not limited to, shops, stores, concessionaires, excursion providers, stands, markets, restaurants, and other third parties engaged in providing goods, services, food, beverages and entertainment to Carnival’s Guests while ashore at certain ports of call owned, operated or managed by Carnival or its Affiliates. Affiliate means any Carnival Corporation affiliated legal entity purchasing goods or services from a Vendor if other than Carnival.
When you use your Sail and Sign® Card or Folio, you are agreeing to buy the good or services indicated in the transaction from Carnival or its Affiliates and that you will pay the amounts indicated on your Sail and Sign® Folio in accordance with the discussion below regarding payment of your final statement.
Your Sail and Sign® Folio serves as your receipt for the goods and services you have purchased from Carnival or its Affiliates.
In the event that your purchase is from an Affiliate of Carnival, you understand that Carnival is acting as such Affiliate’s agent only in collecting payment from you and that your payment to Carnival satisfies your obligation to such Affiliate.
The cardholder is responsible for amended charges discovered after the authorized guest(s) disembark the vessel.
Carnival will not be held responsible for any bank imposed overage or insufficient funds charges on debit/check cashing cards or credit cards.