Cruise Onboard Accounts

Above, the lobster dinner at Crossings Restaurant on the Norwegian Sky was
paid for with my Onboard Account. The cost was $20. Photo by Armand Vaquer.

When I took the cruise to the Bahamas last summer with Norwegian Cruise Line, I deposited money with my credit card to my Onboard Account to pay for purchases on the ship. It is tied to the stateroom key card.

Generally, the onboard account is used for souvenirs, drinks and ship restaurants (for meals not covered under the cruise package). I paid extra for the lobster dinner one night. Meals not covered are stated on the menus, so there's no surprises.

Above, the bar bill was paid with the room card that was tied to my Onboard Account.

According to Norwegian's website on Onboard Accounts:

How do I pay for onboard expenses?

For your convenience, all shipboard expenses are charged to your Onboard account. Sign up when you check in, establishing your method of payment with Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB Card, Diner's Club. You may also use your debit card however please be advised that we obtain pre-authorization, as we do for all Credit Cards, and some banks hold these funds for up to 30 days. The maximum initial pre-authorization amount for all credit and debit cards is $300. Cash can also be used as a method of payment to settle your account with an initial deposit paid in advance.

At the end of the cruise, when checking out, I was given an itemized receipt for all Onboard Account purchases and the amount of unused or credited amounts. The cruise line refunds any unused money to the credit card. I received a $147 refund to my credit card.

To read more, go here.