Automatic Gratuities

[NancyL2]

First time on HAL.

I'm sure this has been discussed many times...but can't seem to find it doing a search.

Would like to pay for the room gratuities before the cruise but can't seem to find where/how when logged into the HAL site.

Can this be done before the cruise? Or will it just be charged to my OBA?

 

Thanks for any help.

[jtl513]

The only way to pre-pay your Hotel Service Charge would be to go to the HAL account and buy yourself some OBC to offset the charge which will be posted daily to your OBA.

Edited January 25, 2016 by jtl513

[Krazy Kruizers]

Did you get any shipboard credit from anyone?

If so, that shipboard credit can be used to pay your gratuities.

If you did get some shipboard credit and it isn't enough to pay all your Hotel Service Charge (HAL's name for gratuities), you can always go to HAL's site and under your reservation, you can buy shipboard credits also known as On Board Credit.

[KirkNC]

The only way to pre-pay your Hotel Service Charge would be to go to the HAL account and buy yourself some OBC to offset the charge which will be posted daily to your OBA.

 

Yes this is the only way I am aware of as well.

[GoneJohnson]

I booked my next HAL cruise I asked for a price that included everything HBC, taxes, fees, port charges, transfers anything/cost. That's how I got mine paidall up ... a little late for you now.

[SJSULIBRARIAN]

Unlike some cruise lines, NCL and Princess (I think are the ones I remember) , HAL does not have a place on their web page where you can prepay gratuities.

[NancyL2]

Thank you all for the great help. I will just pay my credit card when I arrive home.

Thanks again! :)

[RMLincoln]

Unlike some cruise lines, NCL and Princess (I think are the ones I remember) , HAL does not have a place on their web page where you can prepay gratuities.

 

And our experience on Celebrity was that if you requested Open Dining you are charged the HSC up front with your booking... not a choice but a requirement. m--

[K&RCurt]

And our experience on Celebrity was that if you requested Open Dining you are charged the HSC up front with your booking... not a choice but a requirement. m--

 

They recently changed that requirement. A big factor i believe was the number of people with significant non-refundable OBC from packages that would prefer to use the OBC for tips rather than have to pay ahead and then lose the OBC.

[SeaBands]

like a hotel charging a daily resort or amenities fee and not a gratuity. We tip for service in the dining rooms and cabin and don't consider the daily charge as tips.the only required tips are for wine and bar service and when drinks are included like with X4, I tip the server.

[K&RCurt]

like a hotel charging a daily resort or amenities fee and not a gratuity. We tip for service in the dining rooms and cabin and don't consider the daily charge as tips.the only required tips are for wine and bar service and when drinks are included like with X4, I tip the server.

 

I agree. But, IMO anyway, the cruise lines should make them mandatory. If you know you can go to the front desk and make them go away it is a tip in the mind of those that don't want to pay it. Land based hotels do not take off the Hotel Service Charge or Resort Fee just because you say you are going to tip the person who cleans your room, or the bartender, so that is accepted as part of the cost of the room.

Edited January 26, 2016 by K&RCurt

[Tripper10]

like a hotel charging a daily resort or amenities fee and not a gratuity. We tip for service in the dining rooms and cabin and don't consider the daily charge as tips.the only required tips are for wine and bar service and when drinks are included like with X4, I tip the server.

 

Yeah, no....it's the gratuity. You are in the minority thinking this.

[POA1]

Yeah, no....it's the gratuity. You are in the minority thinking this.

It's actually called a "Hotel Service Charge." That's three completely separate words. You can't even rearrange the letters to spell "Gratuity. '

 

In my anything but humble opinion, if you remove it, they should cease providing the services and move you to a strictly fee based model. Want your room cleaned? $6. Room service? $2.50. And so on.

 

FWIW, the letters in Hotel Service Charge can be rearranged to spell "He's a hectic groveler." Also, "A leeches cover, right?" And, "A cleverer ethics hog," "Ergo, a chiseller vetch," and finally "A leech hectors giver."

 

Cargo. Lecher. Thieves.

[lahlah57]

I wish they would just price out the cabins with the "hotel Service charge" or "gratuity" or "leech bonus" included in said cruise!

What would be the down side?

[K&RCurt]

I wish they would just price out the cabins with the "hotel Service charge" or "gratuity" or "leech bonus" included in said cruise!

What would be the down side?

 

The downside is advertising. EVERY cruise line would have to do it or the ones that include it in the price would always be more expensive for a cabin...Because everyone WILL see the ~$100.00 higher price per pax and NO ONE will see the *Hotel Service charge $13 / day extra" in 2 point type on the bottom of the add for the "Lower" priced fares from lines that do not include it in the price.

Edited January 26, 2016 by K&RCurt

[sppunk]

I wish they would just price out the cabins with the "hotel Service charge" or "gratuity" or "leech bonus" included in said cruise!

What would be the down side?

 

Taxes.

[travelinjones]

I wish they would just price out the cabins with the "hotel Service charge" or "gratuity" or "leech bonus" included in said cruise!

What would be the down side?

 

This is available. It's called sailing on Seabourn. :)

[RuthC]

What would be the down side?

There are more items in the "down side" than I can list out before supper.

There's an entire thread devoted to a discussion of the Hotel Service Charge, and all of them are discussed there at one point or another.

[ChinaShrek]

 

In my anything but humble opinion, if you remove it, they should cease providing the services and move you to a strictly fee based model. Want your room cleaned? $6. Room service? $2.50. And so on.

 

FWIW, the letters in Hotel Service Charge can be rearranged to spell "He's a hectic groveler." Also, "A leeches cover, right?" And, "A cleverer ethics hog," "Ergo, a chiseller vetch," and finally "A leech hectors giver."

 

Cargo. Lecher. Thieves.

 

Frankly, I hate the American tradition of tipping and see it more as extortion and a way for management to pay their workers less (because they know that I am going to leave a tip out of guilt or shame). When a hotel advertises a room or a cruise ship advertises a cruise, what exactly am I paying for? I expect a clean room, a clean toilet, and friendly helpful staff. This should be part of the price that I am charged by the hotel or cruise line.

[bshow]

The downside is advertising. EVERY cruise line would have to do it or the ones that include it in the price would always be more expensive for a cabin...Because everyone WILL see the ~$100.00 higher price per pax and NO ONE will see the *Hotel Service charge $13 / day extra" in 2 point type on the bottom of the add for the "Lower" priced fares from lines that do not include it in the price.

 

 

This. Same reason gasoline prices still end in 9/10 cents. First to change is at a big disadvantage.

[RMLincoln]

And our experience on Celebrity was that if you requested Open Dining you are charged the HSC up front with your booking... not a choice but a requirement. m--

 

They recently changed that requirement. A big factor i believe was the number of people with significant non-refundable OBC from packages that would prefer to use the OBC for tips rather than have to pay ahead and then lose the OBC.

 

Thanks for the update! m--

[Cruising-along]

They recently changed that requirement. A big factor i believe was the number of people with significant non-refundable OBC from packages that would prefer to use the OBC for tips rather than have to pay ahead and then lose the OBC.

 

This is great news for those of us who prefer Open Dining. On our next Celebrity cruise we have a ridiculous amount of OBC and the cruise is only 7 days! This will help a lot, letting us use OBC for tips.