Royal Caribbean guests setting up a SeaPass onboard expense account can use a debit card, credit card or cash, but the cruise line’s temporary authorization holds may be more noticeable for travelers paying directly from a checking account.
Royal Caribbean ships operate as cashless environments for onboard purchases such as specialty dining, shore excursions and alcoholic drinks. Those charges are made through a guest’s SeaPass account and billed to the payment method connected to it.
According to Royal Caribbean, the cruise line places an initial $99.75 authorization hold on the card used to secure the account. The hold is not an additional charge, but it reduces the cardholder’s available balance or credit. Additional holds may appear as onboard spending rises.
For a debit card, that can mean less available money in the linked checking account while holds are pending. Credit-card users also have their available credit reduced, rather than having cash in a bank account tied up.
Royal Caribbean says most holds are released by the end of a cruise once final charges are settled, though its website says some can take up to 30 days to disappear. The timing is determined by the guest’s bank or financial institution, not the cruise line.
Guests may instead establish a cash account, which avoids card authorization holds. But spending privileges are suspended once the account reaches its limit unless the guest makes a cash deposit or provides a credit card. As of September 2026, Royal Caribbean’s cash-account limit is $500 for sailings of seven nights or longer and $300 for cruises of six nights or fewer.
For travelers leaving from Florida ports or elsewhere, the practical distinction is that a debit card can temporarily restrict funds needed for other purchases after a sailing, while a credit card hold affects available credit until it is released.
