Holland America Service Charge?

[exxige]

Hi all,

 

Planning our first cruise Alaska 7 day round trip on Holland america. I have been reading about the daily service charge of 13.50 per person. I assume this is charged daily and collected at the end of the cruise?

 

 

Also the package we are looking at comes with the explore 4 option does this have any impact on the daily 13.50 charge? it appears it covers any extra charges on the drinks (gratuity).

 

Lastly if the explore 4 does not cover it will the on board credit we are getting cover it? it appears our ocean view room will come with 140$ on board credit.

 

Just trying to understand all of the charges and would rather not have any surprises at the end of the trip!

 

Thanks,

[mllewis48]

Hi all,

 

 

 

Planning our first cruise Alaska 7 day round trip on Holland america. I have been reading about the daily service charge of 13.50 per person. I assume this is charged daily and collected at the end of the cruise?

 

 

 

 

 

Also the package we are looking at comes with the explore 4 option does this have any impact on the daily 13.50 charge? it appears it covers any extra charges on the drinks (gratuity).

 

 

 

Lastly if the explore 4 does not cover it will the on board credit we are getting cover it? it appears our ocean view room will come with 140$ on board credit.

 

 

 

Just trying to understand all of the charges and would rather not have any surprises at the end of the trip!

 

 

 

Thanks,

 

 

 

The daily service charge is applied to your account daily and paid at the end of your cruise along with any other charges incurred onboard. The Explore 4 covers all drinks less than 15 per day pp and less than $9 per drink not including gratuity which is factored into the package. You pay nothing for drinks less than what I indicated. So your $140 onboard credit will apply toward the daily service charge and all above, any credits will be paid by you either via cash or credit card in file.

 

 

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[rafinmd]

Just a heads up that if you're in a suite the DSC is $15 per day.

 

Roy

[exxige]

Thanks for the heads up we will be in an ocean view so 13.50$

 

Everything seems worded very poorly or maybe just cause I'm new! The explore 4 sounds like we will owe gratuity with each drunk when we read it

[mllewis48]

Thanks for the heads up we will be in an ocean view so 13.50$

 

Everything seems worded very poorly or maybe just cause I'm new! The explore 4 sounds like we will owe gratuity with each drunk when we read it

 

 

 

You're cool gratuity is part of the package, enjoy the cruise and your drinks!

 

 

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[Krazy Kruizers]

Remember that the Hotel Service Charge will be $13.50 PER PERSON per day. That would make it $27 a day X 7 days = $189 you will need for the Hotel Service Charge.

[Alberta Quilter]

If you have Explore4, the Signature Beverage Package will also cover the 15% gratuity on beverages. If you were to purchase the SBP, you would pay for the gratuity on top of the cost of the package. Either way, you will not be charged the gratuity at the time you order your beverage.

[crystalspin]

The current Explore4 is SBP, dinner in Pinnacle Grill, reduced fare for 3rd and 4th passenger in same cabin (they do not get the first two benefits), and reduced deposit. OBC is a #5, only for suite tenants which is why Roy mentioned the HSC for suites. Perhaps you're dealing with a travel agent or agency that is gifting you OBC?

 

Also trying to avoid surprises for you. I booked (or to be specific, re-fared with the E4) five oceanview cabins on a 14-day Alaska cruise and there was no OBC as part of it.

[Tampa Girl]

If you have Explore4, the Signature Beverage Package will also cover the 15% gratuity on beverages. If you were to purchase the SBP, you would pay for the gratuity on top of the cost of the package. Either way, you will not be charged the gratuity at the time you order your beverage.

 

We have never purchased the SBP but just asssumed that the gratuities were built into the daily amount. So what is the daily cost of a purchased SBP, including the gratuities?

[Alberta Quilter]

We have never purchased the SBP but just asssumed that the gratuities were built into the daily amount. So what is the daily cost of a purchased SBP, including the gratuities?

 

It's $51.69/day including gratuities for the SBP; $63.19/day for the Elite SBP. Some recent reports indicate that it is less expensive to purchase in advance than onboard. The above figures are calculated from the online pricing for my 2018 cruise.

[crystalspin]

SBP is $44.95/day (every day of journey must be bought) if bought before cruise, $49.95 if bought on board. 15% is added to that at purchase for effective prices of $51.69 and $57.44 (per person per day; all persons over 21 in a cabin must buy). Calculating the same percentage difference, the EBP would be $69.94pp/pd if bought on board (with tip added).

[crystalspin]

@exxige

I should have mentioned -- do NOT state the name of your TA or the agency. Against the rules! Sponsorship of online agencies keeps CC free for all of us.

 

I did read your answer about the big-box store, but I see it was removed -- so this is an explanation why. That's a nice perk BTW! But, any changes or questions for HAL will have to go through them... I'll stick with my PCC.

[exxige]

@exxige

I should have mentioned -- do NOT state the name of your TA or the agency. Against the rules! Sponsorship of online agencies keeps CC free for all of us.

 

I did read your answer about the big-box store, but I see it was removed -- so this is an explanation why. That's a nice perk BTW! But, any changes or questions for HAL will have to go through them... I'll stick with my PCC.

 

 

Wow thanks for the heads up nooby mistake!

[TAD2005]

SBP is $44.95/day (every day of journey must be bought) if bought before cruise, $49.95 if bought on board. 15% is added to that at purchase for effective prices of $51.69 and $57.44 (per person per day; all persons over 21 in a cabin must buy). Calculating the same percentage difference, the EBP would be $69.94pp/pd if bought on board (with tip added).

 

On the HAL website, they only penalize guests who have the absolute gall to wait until they board to purchase the SBP. If you buy it online, at least 4 days ahead of your cruise, it's $44.95 per day. Purchased onboard, and it's $5 more per day, both prices plussed up by 15% for the service charge. HAL doesn't want you to use your OBC to purchase the SBP because the markup on beverages is relatively low, compared to Spa treatments, shore excursions, etc. BUT, HAL does not (yet) penalize guests who purchase the Elite package (EBP) onboard. It is the same price, $54.95 per day, no matter if you buy it online or onboard. You can check this by the HAL website and look for beverage packages. You can't extrapolate the SBP onboard purchase rate to the EBP. They have not done that, so far.

[crystalspin]

TAD -- I did not realize that! Had not done much research on BPs cuz never intended to buy one -- but this Explore4 is too fun to pass up.

 

So if you DON'T pre-buy it, the difference between SBP and EBP drops to less than $6 (incl grats). Huh, the better wine would be worth that!

 

I couldn't research the prices pre/post because the HAL site is insisting on taking me straight to my booking then showing me only the full price (for two weeks) bought now, pre-cruise. Like you said, they don't want you to even think about waiting!

 

ETA: thanks for catching my error!

Edited August 10, 2017 by crystalspin