Confusion about the $60 per day credit card hold

[SEAEDP]

I'm cruising to Alaska on May 3 and I'm told by HAL that there will be a $60 per day hold on my credit card for any and all charges that I may incur while on the cruise. I'm also told that I will be charged $11.50 per day for tips. This equates to almost $600 on my card even before we sail.

What is the $60 per day for? And, what is the point of me purchasing a Beverage Package (or anything else for that matter) if everything I do that has a charge will be deducted from this charge?

I'm not a big drinker so I know there is no way I will drink $60 per day...and anything I purchase in the shops, etc. will be on my credit card.

Am I missing something?

[jimmy2x]

It is just a "hold" to ensure that you have enough credit available to pay at least $60/day in on-board charges. It is NOT a fee - don't worry about it.

[cbr663]

You cannot use a credit card for any purchases while on the ship. When you check it, HAL will create an on board cabin account for you. All purchases are charged to your cabin account and you settle your account at the end of the cruise. HAL has a cashless environment while on the ship. HAL places a hold of $60 a day to ensure that the funds are available at the end of the cruise. The hold is not a charge, but a freeze placed on a portion of your available limit.

 

The $11.50 Hotel Service Charge is charged to your cabin account every day and you will not have to actually pay it until the end of your cruise.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I'm cruising to Alaska on May 3 and I'm told by HAL that there will be a $60 per day hold on my credit card for any and all charges that I may incur while on the cruise. I'm also told that I will be charged $11.50 per day for tips. This equates to almost $600 on my card even before we sail.

What is the $60 per day for? And, what is the point of me purchasing a Beverage Package (or anything else for that matter) if everything I do that has a charge will be deducted from this charge?

I'm not a big drinker so I know there is no way I will drink $60 per day...and anything I purchase in the shops, etc. will be on my credit card. Am I missing something?

 

 

Sorry if this doesn't look good -- I am having troubles with CC and notified the administrators last -- no resolutions yet.

 

Anything you buy on the ship -- shops, drinks, excursions, specialty restaurants -- goes on your shipboard account right away. You can not use your credit card in the shops.

 

Once you are on the ship -- it is a cashless society.

[SEAEDP]

AHHH.....I didn't know this..thanks so much for the information! Makes perfect sense now. So, there really is no reason to buy a Beverage Package, correct? (unless drinks are discounted by getting the package) If everything I buy will go on my 'cabin account' and settled at the end of the cruise, there's no reason to buy anything 'pre-packaged'?

[boulders]

AHHH.....I didn't know this..thanks so much for the information! Makes perfect sense now. So, there really is no reason to buy a Beverage Package, correct? (unless drinks are discounted by getting the package) If everything I buy will go on my 'cabin account' and settled at the end of the cruise, there's no reason to buy anything 'pre-packaged'?

 

Correct, don't buy a package unless you think you'll spend more on the drinks without the package.

[sail7seas]

The hold against your credit card is $60 per person per day.

We never buy a drink package. We buy whatever cocktails we want when we want them.

[jtl513]

If everything I buy will go on my 'cabin account' and settled at the end of the cruise, there's no reason to buy anything 'pre-packaged'?

Many people like to pre-purchase items to lower their final on-board bill, or to guarantee a place on an excursion, or to be sure of a particular day/time in a specialty restaurant, etc.

 

Think of the hold as a temporary lowering of your credit limit for off-ship purchases, because HAL has reserved part for their possible use.

Edited April 16, 2014 by jtl513

[CGYCruisingFamily]

You also have an opportunity to do a cash option however you must have that amount of cash available and ready to give to them. So if it is 2 adults at $600 for the cruise - you will potentially have to give them $1200 in cash when you check in at the port prior to boarding.

 

I asked about this on our last cruise because with 2 adults and 2 kids it was going to be a total hold of something like $2600 (which I didnt want against my card). I know that they kids were never going to spend $60 a day and that we likely wouldnt either. I was advices to do ours as cc and the kids as cash. We were never asked to produce the money for them as I guess they realize that young children were unlikely to charge anything.

 

You realistically dont have to have anything go against your card at all if you choose to settle your bill in cash. (BTW - for our 14 night cruise our total on board bill including excursions, a meal in the Pinnacle and a couple of soft drink packages plus tips and other odds and ends totaled about $1150 - which almost $650 of it was for the manditory tips - for the four of us. I paid $850 in cash and ultimately came home with only $300 on my cc). They really dont care as long as you can cover your charges.

 

Call HAL and talk to them about your options. There are a couple for sure.

[CGYCruisingFamily]

Oh and one tip - if you think you will be drinking on board - it is sometimes worth it to purchase the beverage packages or soda packages. The amounts are listed on their website. Sit down and do a little math. Remember that any drinks other than water, milk and iced tea (in the Lido) - and juice in the mornings - will cost you extra. If you are sensible about it, it is manageable. For a family of 4, we went through 2 drink cars which gave us about 4 soft drinks a day. Otherwise we drank water.

[CanuckonaBoat]

I'm cruising to Alaska on May 3 and I'm told by HAL that there will be a $60 per day hold on my credit card for any and all charges that I may incur while on the cruise. I'm also told that I will be charged $11.50 per day for tips. This equates to almost $600 on my card even before we sail.

What is the $60 per day for? And, what is the point of me purchasing a Beverage Package (or anything else for that matter) if everything I do that has a charge will be deducted from this charge?

I'm not a big drinker so I know there is no way I will drink $60 per day...and anything I purchase in the shops, etc. will be on my credit card.

Am I missing something?

 

What is this about? $11.50 for some hotel charge? Why isn't my fare already covering this?

[Randyk47]

What is this about? $11.50 for some hotel charge? Why isn't my fare already covering this?

 

The Hotel Service Charge is basically a daily charge for gratuities for the service staff. Some call it "auto-tipping" but some don't like that notion. While HAL charges it on a daily basis some lines, mostly the luxury ones, do indeed wrap it up in the basis fare. Some like it the way it is, some would prefer the lines just include it in the fare and get it over with. There are all sorts of pros and cons on this subject, more than I want to even try to cover in a single post. :)

Edited April 16, 2014 by Randyk47

[CanuckonaBoat]

The Hotel Service Charge is basically a daily charge for gratuities for the service staff. Some call it "auto-tipping" but some don't like that notion. While HAL charges it on a daily basis some lines, mostly the luxury ones, do indeed wrap it up in the basis fare. Some like it the way it is, some would prefer the lines just include it in the fare and get it over with. There are all sorts of pros and cons on this subject, more than I want to even try to cover in a single post. :)

 

Thanks for the explanation. And I assume that I'm supposed to tip on top of that. A tip should be for good service.. not demanded or added on as an expected extra. Goodness.

[Randyk47]

Thanks for the explanation. And I assume that I'm supposed to tip on top of that. A tip should be for good service.. not demanded or added on as an expected extra. Goodness.

 

You're not required or expected to tip on top of that. Some of us do, some don't. We do most of the time but it's to a limited number of people and the amount varies. When I say limited it may be one or two and sometimes as many as five or six. I can't say we have strict criteria but we try to single out those individuals who, in our minds, gave us exceptional service and made our cruise experience that much more enjoyable.

[Roz]

Also, a 15% gratuity will be added to any beverages purchased onboard. It's customary, but not required, to tip for room service.

 

Roz

[SEAEDP]

You're not required or expected to tip on top of that. Some of us do, some don't. We do most of the time but it's to a limited number of people and the amount varies. When I say limited it may be one or two and sometimes as many as five or six. I can't say we have strict criteria but we try to single out those individuals who, in our minds, gave us exceptional service and made our cruise experience that much more enjoyable.

 

Thanks for the ino! So...if I decide to tip certain staff members extra, is that in cash, in person? Or is that also added to the bill at the end of the cruise?

[noblepa]

Thanks for the explanation. And I assume that I'm supposed to tip on top of that. A tip should be for good service.. not demanded or added on as an expected extra. Goodness.

 

As others have pointed out, you are not required or expected to tip beyond the $11.50 per day.

 

In reality, you are not REQUIRED to pay even the $11.50. You can reduce or remove the charge completely, although most people consider it rude to do so. That $11.50 is entirely distributed to the cabin stewards, the wait staff and some other, behind-the-scenes crew members who are directly involved with the passengers' experience. The cruise line does not keep any of it.

 

Removing the tip has ramifications that are not readily apparent.

 

Discussing this can cause a bit of a religious war, so I won't go into it any further, except to say that we always leave the auto-tip in place and give a little extra to those that go above and beyond.

[noblepa]

Thanks for the ino! So...if I decide to tip certain staff members extra, is that in cash, in person? Or is that also added to the bill at the end of the cruise?

 

Normally, this would be done in cash, in person, or left in an envelope in your cabin or on your dining room table.

 

You CAN increase the auto-tip amount, but, in that case, you can't direct it to a particular crew member who was especially helpful. That's why its better to tip in cash to the favored crew member.

 

The cruise lines will never verify this, but the conventional wisdom is that, if the auto-tips are left in place, the crew member gets to keep any additional cash. If auto-tips are reduced or removed, the crew member has to turn any cash in to the pool, as well as explain to his/her manager why the passenger was so dissatisfied that they removed the tips.

[jtl513]

You can reduce or remove the charge completely, although most people consider it rude to do so.

It is far more than rude, it is cheating the stewards of their pay for services rendered. The only legitimate reason HAL gives for allowing removing/reducing the HSC is that you did not receive adequate service.

[Randyk47]

Thanks for the ino! So...if I decide to tip certain staff members extra, is that in cash, in person? Or is that also added to the bill at the end of the cruise?

 

Cash out of hand is the typical and best way since you want to give it to a specific person. One thing to know and remember is if you decide to remove or reduce the Hotel Service Charge any cash you give out of hand will have to be turned in by the person receiving it. The front office keeps track of the passengers who remove or reduce the service charge and provides the wait staff, servers, and cabin stewards/attendants with a list of passengers who do this with instructions to surrender the money for redistribution.

[TiogaCruiser]

Not to take this too far OT but just wondering how HAL handles the daily credit card hold on long voyages ( such as the World Cruise). Are accounts settled at each leg or more frequently and the hold released and then reapplied?

 

Or is it handled in a different manner ( escrow account like?)

[Roz]

I've wondered that myself. Interested in seeing if we get any response.

 

Roz