Onboard "Stealth" Charges?

[TheAccidentalCruiser]

Under-informed first timer here, tried to search for this but not even sure of the right terms:

 

Will I always know when I am incurring an onboard charge? I mean, do I have to swipe my room card before they hand me the thing, or am I liable to discover weeks later that the complimentary (whatevers) I was enjoying in such quantity were actually $=WayTooMany apiece?

 

I have this dread fear that I will walk into the "Free-For-All Cafe" at 3:58 pm, but by the time I get whatever it is that I came for, it will be 4:02 and the place will have secretly transformed itself into the "Empty-Your-Wallet Lounge."

 

It seems like unless are charges are made clear as (or preferably before) they are incurred, I have to figure this out based on:

1. The item or service desired

2. My ship and cruise line

3. My sail date

4. My cabin class

5. Whether any extras, packages, freebies, or OBC apply

6. The shipboard venue

7. The time of day (and perhaps which day of the cruise it is)

 

I feel like I'm going to need a flowchart, or an app, or something.

 

(Sailing HAL Oosterdam to Alaska, RT from Seattle May 7, 2017)

[6rugrats]

On HAL, there are no secret charges. You would be well aware if a service or product had an additional charge.

Edited February 1, 2017 by 6rugrats

[Essiesmom]

If they ask for your cruise card and you have to sign for it, it costs extra. Otherwise, it is included (not free...you already paid for it in your fare). EM

[Cuizer2]

They cannot charge you unless you given them you room card. So, don't give them you room card if you don't want to pay for it.

[leaveitallbehind]

Under-informed first timer here, tried to search for this but not even sure of the right terms:

 

Will I always know when I am incurring an onboard charge? I mean, do I have to swipe my room card before they hand me the thing, or am I liable to discover weeks later that the complimentary (whatevers) I was enjoying in such quantity were actually $=WayTooMany apiece?

 

I have this dread fear that I will walk into the "Free-For-All Cafe" at 3:58 pm, but by the time I get whatever it is that I came for, it will be 4:02 and the place will have secretly transformed itself into the "Empty-Your-Wallet Lounge."

 

It seems like unless are charges are made clear as (or preferably before) they are incurred, I have to figure this out based on:

1. The item or service desired

2. My ship and cruise line

3. My sail date

4. My cabin class

5. Whether any extras, packages, freebies, or OBC apply

6. The shipboard venue

7. The time of day (and perhaps which day of the cruise it is)

 

I feel like I'm going to need a flowchart, or an app, or something.

 

(Sailing HAL Oosterdam to Alaska, RT from Seattle May 7, 2017)

 

No offense but you are way overthinking this. There is nothing to worry about. As others have said nothing can be charged to your room card without your signature and a receipt to you. And if something is accidentally or incorrectly charged, guest services can have it reversed on board.

 

Relax and stop worrying and most of all, enjoy your cruise!

Edited February 2, 2017 by leaveitallbehind

[cb at sea]

If you have to hand over your card, there is a charge....read up on your cruise line/ship. Nothing is secret!

[griffy116]

On most ships, you can also see/keep up with your daily charges on your TV. They have a menu that will show you daily what you have charged. I you have kids, put a limit on what they can charge daily on their SeaPass card or you can run up a big charge from the arcade that could surprise you.

[TheAccidentalCruiser]

No offense but you are way overthinking this. There is nothing to worry about. As others have said nothing can be charged to your room card without your signature and a receipt to you. And if something is accidentally or incorrectly charged, guest services can have it reversed on board.

 

Relax and stop worrying and most of all, enjoy your cruise!

So should I stop overthinking things before or after I've completed the spreadsheets showing when my ship will arrive and depart each port of call; when other cruise ships calling that day will arrive and depart; and the opening & closing hours, estimated expense of, distance from ship's berth, and projected transportation costs to and from, each place I might want to visit in town? ;) :rolleyes::cool:

 

Yeah, I know I'm probably overthinking things: it's What I Do. I'm excited and nervous and thrilled and in some ways downright terrified* about this cruise, and I'm channeling that energy into overthinking things. Which is a more or less harmless way to let off all that steam, unless I start bugging you guys with too many overthought/overwrought questions. :)

 

(*Areas in which I am terrified have nothing to do with the ship or the cruise as such. This is a family cruise with Mom and my adult siblings and in-laws, and so my true fears have more to do possible strain on any slightly less than robust relationships, and with my 87-yo Mom's greatly less than robust health.)

 

But, in my overthinker's defense, the first time I saw a hotel mini-bar someone had to tell me that its contents were not complimentary in the same way that the contents of the cute little basket of toiletries were.

[TheAccidentalCruiser]

On most ships, you can also see/keep up with your daily charges on your TV. They have a menu that will show you daily what you have charged. I you have kids, put a limit on what they can charge daily on their SeaPass card or you can run up a big charge from the arcade that could surprise you.

Thank you so much. Knowing that I can monitor the charges daily helps a lot. :)

[Cuizer2]

On most ships, you can also see/keep up with your daily charges on your TV. They have a menu that will show you daily what you have charged. I you have kids, put a limit on what they can charge daily on their SeaPass card or you can run up a big charge from the arcade that could surprise you.

 

Thank you so much. Knowing that I can monitor the charges daily helps a lot. :)

 

Griffy said MOST ships. Not all ships. However, you can always go to guest services and ask for a printout of your account. You may have to give them you room card, but don't worry, a printout of your account is free.

[TheAccidentalCruiser]

Griffy said MOST ships. Not all ships. However, you can always go to guest services and ask for a printout of your account. You may have to give them you room card, but don't worry, a printout of your account is free.

See this is the kind of thing I've been worried about having some hidden charge or something - I guess I really am planning too hard.

 

This is very helpful - thanks very much. :)

[John Bull]

So should I stop overthinking things before or after I've completed the spreadsheets showing when my ship will arrive and depart each port of call; when other cruise ships calling that day will arrive and depart; and the opening & closing hours, estimated expense of, distance from ship's berth, and projected transportation costs to and from, each place I might want to visit in town?

 

Yep :p

You plan too much.

I plan too little.

We both have our crosses to bear ;)

 

Can I presume that you are aware of the mandatory 15% (some lines 18%) service charge on drinks and possibly other non-essential services such as spa treatments?

 

Can I also presume that you're aware of the daily service charge (often erroneously called gratuities or tips)? On most lines it's around $13 per passenger per night.

 

Other than that (which comes as a bit of a shock to un-savvy Brits, Aussies & others) your fears about unwitting purchases on the ship are largely un-founded because your card and signature are required.

 

I did get caught out once.

Bar staff walking the decks with trays full of glasses of champagne (well, sparkling wine of some description) and orange joices, & handing them out for the sail-away.

I'd drunk half the glass of champagne before I was asked for my cruise card - it wasn't free. :eek:

I knocked back most of the rest of it (leaving a token amount in the glass :p), suggested that they should not give the false impression that it was complimentary, and walked away.

I wasn't chased.

 

JB :)

[leaveitallbehind]

Yep :p

You plan too much.

I plan too little.

We both have our crosses to bear ;)

 

Can I presume that you are aware of the mandatory 15% (some lines 18%) service charge on drinks and possibly other non-essential services such as spa treatments?

 

Can I also presume that you're aware of the daily service charge (often erroneously called gratuities or tips)? On most lines it's around $13 per passenger per night.

Other than that (which comes as a bit of a shock to un-savvy Brits, Aussies & others) your fears about unwitting purchases on the ship are largely un-founded because your card and signature are required.

 

I did get caught out once.

Bar staff walking the decks with trays full of glasses of champagne (well, sparkling wine of some description) and orange joices, & handing them out for the sail-away.

I'd drunk half the glass of champagne before I was asked for my cruise card - it wasn't free. :eek:

I knocked back most of the rest of it (leaving a token amount in the glass :p), suggested that they should not give the false impression that it was complimentary, and walked away.

I wasn't chased.

 

JB :)

 

But again, none of these charges are hidden - they are clearly indicated on each receipt. There is also a FAQ section on the cruise lines website that also describes "life on board" identifying these things.

 

Celebrity does offer a complimentary drink as you indicate upon boarding, but many do not and most often sail away drinks are for a charge. There may be certain events - Captains night, as example - when these types of drinks are complimentary. This information will be published in the daily cruise information sheet typically left in the stateroom each night for the next day.

 

But if you are uncertain, the easiest way to find out is to ask. But there are no "hidden" charges to be concerned of.

Edited February 2, 2017 by leaveitallbehind

[sparks1093]

So should I stop overthinking things before or after I've completed the spreadsheets showing when my ship will arrive and depart each port of call; when other cruise ships calling that day will arrive and depart; and the opening & closing hours, estimated expense of, distance from ship's berth, and projected transportation costs to and from, each place I might want to visit in town? ;) :rolleyes::cool:

 

Yeah, I know I'm probably overthinking things: it's What I Do. I'm excited and nervous and thrilled and in some ways downright terrified* about this cruise, and I'm channeling that energy into overthinking things. Which is a more or less harmless way to let off all that steam, unless I start bugging you guys with too many overthought/overwrought questions. :)

 

(*Areas in which I am terrified have nothing to do with the ship or the cruise as such. This is a family cruise with Mom and my adult siblings and in-laws, and so my true fears have more to do possible strain on any slightly less than robust relationships, and with my 87-yo Mom's greatly less than robust health.)

 

But, in my overthinker's defense, the first time I saw a hotel mini-bar someone had to tell me that its contents were not complimentary in the same way that the contents of the cute little basket of toiletries were.

 

The items in the cabin mini-fridge are like the items in the hotel mini-bar- if you use them you will pay for them.

[leaveitallbehind]

The items in the cabin mini-fridge are like the items in the hotel mini-bar- if you use them you will pay for them.

 

As a side note to this, RCI recently has stopped pre-stocking the mini fridge and will only do so now at customer request. And to be clear, this typically is with soda, water, and snacks. All "accidental" charges are eliminated through this.

[John Bull]

But again, none of these charges are hidden - they are clearly indicated on each receipt. There is also a FAQ section on the cruise lines website that also describes "life on board" identifying these things.

 

 

Hi, leaveitall,

 

The OP wants to know about costs before he incurs them, so "indicated on each receipt" is a little late to be told about them ;)

 

And bear in mind that you live in a tipping culture, but it's much less of a culture here in the UK, and Aus has broadly a no-tipping culture.

So it's kinda difficult for Americans to understand how so many newbie Brits and Aussies get caught out by this culture.

The camouflaging of this "service charge" or grammatically-incorrect "gratuity" or "tip" (HAL treat the three as having identical meaning) is something I tend to get on my hobby-horse about.

 

I checked HAL's website - bear in mind you may be seeing a slightly different version.

The home page has amongst a multitude of links - none of them remotely to do with service charges - five major drop-downs including the "onboard" that you mention.

That "onboard" page has sections called Joy of Cruising, Suites & Staterooms, Our Mid-size Ships, Exceptional Service, Enriching Activities, Dining Experiences and Entertainment & Nightlife. No mention anywhere there about service charges, even though Exceptional Service was an obvious opportunity.

 

I couldn't find a link on HAL's website to their FAQ, I had to use google to find it.:rolleyes:

 

FAQ is headed "For Booked Guests" :confused:

It's in six sections, one section is "shipboard life".

That section has seven links, one entitled Money Matters.

And that's where it is, "is there a hotel service charge (gratuity/tip)?" in between "when are my deposits / payments due?" and "will I need travel insurance?".

 

No, it's not hidden. Just carefully buried.

 

Though hopefully the OP, being American, will be expecting tips/service charges and won't have been caught out like so many Brit / Aussie newbies.

 

But I won't place all the blame on Americans. Many Brit TAs are just as reticent about mentioning the charges, for fear of putting off potential customers.

 

Rant over ;)

 

JB :)

[Cuizer2]

But again, none of these charges are hidden - they are clearly indicated on each receipt. There is also a FAQ section on the cruise lines website that also describes "life on board" identifying these things.

 

Celebrity does offer a complimentary drink as you indicate upon boarding, but many do not and most often sail away drinks are for a charge. There may be certain events - Captains night, as example - when these types of drinks are complimentary. This information will be published in the daily cruise information sheet typically left in the stateroom each night for the next day.

 

But if you are uncertain, the easiest way to find out is to ask. But there are no "hidden" charges to be concerned of.

 

You don't get a receipt for the daily service charges, and those charges are not as clearly made known to passengers as the cruise fare is.

 

I'm reminded of the two cleaning ladies who were talking about the offices that they clean. One mentioned that she asked the lawyer if she should clean the inner office, knowing that many lawyers don't want the inner office cleaned because many items of evidence look like trash. At any rate, the next day the cleaning lady received a bill from the attorney for $50. It was the lawyer's normal consulting fee.

[Cuizer2]

As a side note to this, RCI recently has stopped pre-stocking the mini fridge and will only do so now at customer request. And to be clear, this typically is with soda, water, and snacks.

Good!

 

All "accidental" charges are eliminated through this.

I doubt that.

[sparks1093]

Hi, leaveitall,

 

The OP wants to know about costs before he incurs them, so "indicated on each receipt" is a little late to be told about them ;)

 

And bear in mind that you live in a tipping culture, but it's much less of a culture here in the UK, and Aus has broadly a no-tipping culture.

So it's kinda difficult for Americans to understand how so many newbie Brits and Aussies get caught out by this culture.

The camouflaging of this "service charge" or grammatically-incorrect "gratuity" or "tip" (HAL treat the three as having identical meaning) is something I tend to get on my hobby-horse about.

 

I checked HAL's website - bear in mind you may be seeing a slightly different version.

The home page has amongst a multitude of links - none of them remotely to do with service charges - five major drop-downs including the "onboard" that you mention.

That "onboard" page has sections called Joy of Cruising, Suites & Staterooms, Our Mid-size Ships, Exceptional Service, Enriching Activities, Dining Experiences and Entertainment & Nightlife. No mention anywhere there about service charges, even though Exceptional Service was an obvious opportunity.

 

I couldn't find a link on HAL's website to their FAQ, I had to use google to find it.:rolleyes:

 

FAQ is headed "For Booked Guests" :confused:

It's in six sections, one section is "shipboard life".

That section has seven links, one entitled Money Matters.

And that's where it is, "is there a hotel service charge (gratuity/tip)?" in between "when are my deposits / payments due?" and "will I need travel insurance?".

 

No, it's not hidden. Just carefully buried.

 

Though hopefully the OP, being American, will be expecting tips/service charges and won't have been caught out like so many Brit / Aussie newbies.

 

But I won't place all the blame on Americans. Many Brit TAs are just as reticent about mentioning the charges, for fear of putting off potential customers.

 

Rant over ;)

 

JB :)

 

I can't say that I was expecting tips or service charges when we first cruised since I didn't know what to expect at all. I read NCL's FAQ and it said "tipping is not required", at which point I stopped reading. Of course if I had read the next question it discussed the service charges that are assessed and I wouldn't have been surprised. Fortunately we were on a 2 night CTN so the charges weren't too bad, but the surprise would have stung more. So, just because someone comes from a tipping culture doesn't mean that they still can't be caught out. (And NCL still has those questions in the same order on their FAQ, which probably trips a lot of people up.)

[leaveitallbehind]

Hi, leaveitall,

 

The OP wants to know about costs before he incurs them, so "indicated on each receipt" is a little late to be told about them ;)

 

I would define a hidden charge as one the is not revealed or explained before it is incurred. The gratuity on bar beverages is indicated in the FAQ's. The receipt verifies it. So it is not hidden.

And bear in mind that you live in a tipping culture, but it's much less of a culture here in the UK, and Aus has broadly a no-tipping culture.

So it's kinda difficult for Americans to understand how so many newbie Brits and Aussies get caught out by this culture.

 

Fine, except the OP indicates they are from WA - which is the US. I would think they would understand gratuities.

 

The camouflaging of this "service charge" or grammatically-incorrect "gratuity" or "tip" (HAL treat the three as having identical meaning) is something I tend to get on my hobby-horse about.

 

No camouflage at all - the application of gratuities for the stateroom attendants and dining servers is well published and identified.

I checked HAL's website - bear in mind you may be seeing a slightly different version.

The home page has amongst a multitude of links - none of them remotely to do with service charges - five major drop-downs including the "onboard" that you mention.

That "onboard" page has sections called Joy of Cruising, Suites & Staterooms, Our Mid-size Ships, Exceptional Service, Enriching Activities, Dining Experiences and Entertainment & Nightlife. No mention anywhere there about service charges, even though Exceptional Service was an obvious opportunity.

 

I couldn't find a link on HAL's website to their FAQ, I had to use google to find it.:rolleyes:

 

FAQ is headed "For Booked Guests" :confused:

 

I can only reference RCI, which is my experience, and on their webpage, while the FAQ's are listed under "Already Booked", anyone can access that at any time and read the policies.

 

It's in six sections, one section is "shipboard life".

That section has seven links, one entitled Money Matters.

And that's where it is, "is there a hotel service charge (gratuity/tip)?" in between "when are my deposits / payments due?" and "will I need travel insurance?".

 

No, it's not hidden. Just carefully buried.

 

Though hopefully the OP, being American, will be expecting tips/service charges and won't have been caught out like so many Brit / Aussie newbies.

 

But I won't place all the blame on Americans. Many Brit TAs are just as reticent about mentioning the charges, for fear of putting off potential customers.

 

Rant over ;)

 

Enjoy your cruises!

 

JB :)

 

See my responses in red.

[leaveitallbehind]

Good!

 

I doubt that.

 

I certainly think that is the intent. And if there is nothing in the mini-fridge, not sure why it would be charged. But clearly mistakes happen and in our experience Guest Services will make corrections on board. :)

[leaveitallbehind]

You don't get a receipt for the daily service charges, and those charges are not as clearly made known to passengers as the cruise fare is.

 

They do appear on your daily account which on many ships is visible on the stateroom TV or by asking Guest Services for a copy of your transactions. And IMO the cruise lines do not try to hide those charges. In our experience, the existence of daily service charges - which I interpret to be the stateroom and dining staff gratuities - were always made aware to us and understood by us prior to sailing. Not trying to argue and maybe that varies by cruise line, but that just has never been an issue with us.:)

[Cuizer2]

I certainly think that is the intent. And if there is nothing in the mini-fridge, not sure why it would be charged. But clearly mistakes happen and in our experience Guest Services will make corrections on board. :)

 

My job is dependent on something bad happening (no, I am not an EMT or an ER nurse). Murphy's law is the rule for my job. So, do I think a mistake will be made at sometime? Yes. Do I expect that guest services will take care of it? Usually yes, but sometimes all I can say is, I hope so.

 

I was in a hotel, a bit hungry and not really interested in leaving the room to get something to eat. So I picked up several items from the mini fridge and looked at them. Ultimately I put them all back. Apparently the mini fridge also had a scanner. Just picking up the item caused a charge. Guest services did reverse the charge.

 

On a ship the water bottles were in my way. I moved them. I got charged. I showed the room attendant where the bottles were now located. The charge got removed. The same thing happened with a pool towel.

 

One time I got charged for watching two movies at the same time via on demand. I disputed the charge. But sir, you have two TV boxes. Yes, but only one can play on demand movies. That was also resulted in a credit.

 

My fixed rate mortgage went way up one month. Called the bank. Yes sir, we know about the error. Just pay your usually amount.

 

One cruise I didn't get my on board bill the last morning. Went to guest services. My bill got charged to my friend. I got that taken care of. Went back to my cabin. Soon after my friend shows up. Why was my bill on his account. I don't know, but I've already taken care of it. Go to guest services and ask for a new printout.

 

A bank had two branches which it merged into one. They also merged my checking account with someone else, and that someone else was overdrawn. I had to threaten the bank to get that taken care of.

 

My favorite? Another bank paid one of my checks twice. This was back in the days of getting your checks back with the bank statement. I got a photocopy of the check. I asked why they accepted the photocopy. Because they didn't have the original. That is because you sent it to me with my bank statement three months ago. The bank credited my account.

 

None of the above has anything to do with my job. Nonetheless, the list goes on and on.

[Cuizer2]

They do appear on your daily account which on many ships is visible on the stateroom TV or by asking Guest Services for a copy of your transactions. And IMO the cruise lines do not try to hide those charges. In our experience, the existence of daily service charges - which I interpret to be the stateroom and dining staff gratuities - were always made aware to us and understood by us prior to sailing. Not trying to argue and maybe that varies by cruise line, but that just has never been an issue with us.:)

 

To an experienced cruiser yes. To a newbie, not so much. As I said, the daily service charge is not as clearly made known as the cost of the cruise is. Also, what is actually a daily service charge is sometimes referred to as gratuities. Gratuities are optional. Service charges are not. It can be confusing to a newbie who was overwhelmed even before getting on the ship. Look at how many "dumb" questions newbies ask ...

 

 

[John Bull]

Sorry, leaveitall, but I really don't think you've made a case for the charges being transparent to a newbie.

 

I would define a hidden charge as one the is not revealed or explained before it is incurred. The gratuity on bar beverages is indicated in the FAQ's. The receipt verifies it. So it is not hidden.

I agree with your interpretation. But verifying a purchase with a receipt comes AFTER incurring the charge. And I've already demonstrated how deeply this information is buried on HAL's website

 

Fine, except the OP indicates they are from WA - which is the US. I would think they would understand gratuities.

Yes, as I acknowledged in my post "hopefully the OP, being American, will be expecting tips/service charges and won't have been caught out like so many Brit / Aussie newbies"

But also see the post by Sparks from Vermont, recalling falling foul of those same charges on a first cruise.

 

No camouflage at all - the application of gratuities for the stateroom attendants and dining servers is well published and identified.

How can you say that? :confused: Please just read this part of my post and try finding it for yourself - and bear in mind that YOU know that its on that website somewhere............. .

"The home page has amongst a multitude of links - none of them remotely to do with service charges - five major drop-downs including the "onboard" that you mention.

That "onboard" page has sections called Joy of Cruising, Suites & Staterooms, Our Mid-size Ships, Exceptional Service, Enriching Activities, Dining Experiences and Entertainment & Nightlife. No mention anywhere there about service charges, even though Exceptional Service was an obvious opportunity.

I couldn't find a link on HAL's website to their FAQ, I had to use google to find it.

It's in six sections, one section is "shipboard life".

That section has seven links, one entitled Money Matters.

And that's where it is",

 

I can only reference RCI, which is my experience, and on their webpage, while the FAQ's are listed under "Already Booked", anyone can access that at any time and read the policies.

With literally hundreds of pages on their website for an intending cruiser to sift through, a heading of "for booked guests" is an obvious opportunity to skip those pages until a late date, after they've booked.

 

Bearing in mind that there are plenty of newbies of all nationalities & cultures, and that cruise lines are very aware of how many of them have complained about not knowing about the charges before they booked, do please look at it from the point of view of those newbies.

Can you then justify your confidence in the transparency of the charges on the website?

If you can, then no hard feelings but I guess we'll just have to agree to differ ;)

 

Kind Regards

 

JB :)