question about signing for purchases

[caggfamily]

We've been on many different cruise lines, but we are about to sail on Holland America for the first time (we'll be on the Eurodam). I've been reading up for a while on the similarities and differences between HAL and other cruise lines, but I'm confused about a recent post I saw about accidental charges appearing on someone's bill. It sounded to me like the poster was saying that HAL does not require guests to sign for purchases, such as drinks - that they simply bring you the receipt.

1. Is this true?

2. If it is true, how do you add an additional tip without carrying around singles? When my husband and I find a good bartender, we like to tip more and are used to being able to add an additional gratuity to our sail and sign account.

3. If you aren't required to sign for drinks, wouldn't that make it much easier for accidental charges to be made to my account and make it that much harder to dispute them? I don't relish the idea of having to wait in guest services lines to remedy an error that I did not make?

[shrimp56]

Lots of questions here. Normally on HAL you don't sign for drinks, unless your card's magnetic strip has gone kerflooey. (Which, with phones, credit cards and Ipads is hard to avoid.) Then you just give your cabin number and sign. 15% is automatically added to each drink bill for service charge. We handle the extra tip thing at the end, giving a tip to those servers we have had most frequently. Yes things can go awry and normally are fixed when questioned. Part of what makes this work is that on HAL's smaller ships, you get to know servers real fast.

[kazu]

A swipe of the card and you are off. A tip is automatically added but.....there is no place to add any additional tip so you are best to have some singles handy if you wish to do more.

 

The surprising charges I have noted are usually at the end of the cruise when there can be mini bar charges that some didn't use and some forgot about.

 

My experience - I emailed HAL and they sent me a complete accounting.

[bshow]

I'm one of the 0.00001% of CC members who doesn't tip above the auto amounts [emoji4]. I like the way HAL does it. With no signatures and auto gratuities, it's a pleasure. I have never had a problem with my statement, but what do I know?

 

You do sign for shop purchases, wine packages, photos, etc.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[LocoLoco1]

Caggfamily. I agree with other postings here. Myself, I find a great bartender, waitress and give em' a $20 early on. Boy is the service great after that becuz HAL's vessels are small, with a personal touch. Swipe cards eliminate so-ooo much monkey-business nowadays. Locomotiveman Tom

[Krazy Kruizers]

There was a time when we used to get the same bar tender each evening. Last few cruises that has not been the case even if we go to the same bar. We used to tip extra at the end of a cruise to the bar tender who served us each evening.

We do not believe in tipping at the beginning of the cruise.

A few times we have gotten home and when I checked our American Express bill on line, discovered that we were charged for items from the no-host mini bar which meant a call to HAL to have removed as we do not use any of those items.

[chrispb]

Caggfamily. I agree with other postings here. Myself, I find a great bartender, waitress and give em' a $20 early on. Boy is the service great after that becuz HAL's vessels are small, with a personal touch. Swipe cards eliminate so-ooo much monkey-business nowadays. Locomotiveman Tom

 

Bribing barstaff upfront can mean that you are being served before someone who should be ahead of you.:cool:

[jtl513]

Bribing barstaff upfront can mean that you are being served before someone who should be ahead of you.:cool:

Sure, and that's the point of those who bribe up front: special treatment ... generous pours by bartenders, a special table in a restaurant, being seated first, etc. They are not interested in what's fair. :(

.

Edited December 23, 2014 by jtl513

[SilvertoGold]

Concerning signing for any purchase: I really, really wish HAL would bring this back.

 

We've had double billing and billing for someone else on our account once in a while.

We used to have absolutely no hassle when we've asked for charges taken off our bill: they just checked the signature.

Now with no signature, it is always a long hassle. "Maybe you just don't remember", "Maybe your husband charged this", "Maybe you drank an huge Pina Colada and a Martini within 1 minute", etc. Ugh.