Cruise Planner Questions

[teacherman]

We are booked on Koningsdam for February, our first HAL cruise in a long time.  I am looking at the Cruise Planner on-line (Mange your Cruise).  If I book some dining reservations or buy a wine package, does it include gratuity for the dining, as I see it does for the wine?  Can I use my on board credit to pay for these items, or is it automatically charged to my credit card NOW?  If it is charged now, what if we change our mind once on-board?  Is there any advantage to doing it now?   

 

Also, we were going to buy wine, carry it on, and then pay the corkage fee.  But it  now seems a lot of trouble just to save $40 or $50.  Some of the wines in the packages are acceptable to us, but do they always have those wines shown as "examples"?   Any information or advice is welcome.  Thank you.

 

We did pass the Koningsdam when we left Port Everglades on our RCCL cruise, and it looks like a beautiful ship.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The 15% gratuity will automatically be added onto any wine package you buy either before the cruise or once on the ship.

 

If you buy the wine package now and pre book any specialty restaurants now -- they are automatically charged to your credit card.  Once on the ship, if you change your mind and want to cancel a specialty dinner, it will be refunded to you in the form of shipboard credit.  The advantage of pre booking now, you get the date and time you want.  If you wait until you get on the ship, you may not have as many choices.

 

As to the wines, the majority of the HAL ships do have the wines you see advertised.  If I were you, I would wait until you are on the ship to buy a package.  That way you can talk to a wine steward and see exactly what wines are available.

[CruiserBruce]

Not aware that the dining package includes tips. 

[iflyrc5]

1 hour ago, Krazy Kruizers said:

The 15% gratuity will automatically be added onto any wine package you buy either before the cruise or once on the ship.

 

 

Just wondering who the gratuity goes to when you purchase the wine package before the cruise.  I am guessing that it would go into a " tip pool" for all the wine stewards on the ship - just wondering.  Then again we have crew leaving and coming on the ship at various ports - wonder how they keep track.  Will have to ask some questions during out next cruise in January.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The 15% gratuity on the wine package as well as all drinks is divided among all the bar staff.

 

The price you pay for the specialty restaurants do not include any tips.  Those servers are part of the crew and do get a few pennies from the Hotel Service Charge that is automatically charged to your account.  We do keep the Hotel Service Charge in place and we do tip the those who serve us in the specialty restaurants.  By leaving the Hotel Service Charge in place, we know that anyone we give an extra tip to can keep it for themselves.

[Crew News]

Just off the Konigsdam and the Beverage Manager told me that HAL is in the process of changing their beverage menus, to include wines over the next few months.  Waiting to purchase on board will make sure you get what you want.

[Vict0riann]

We were told that the attendant who opens the bottle of wine for you gets the gratuity.  
 

Also, I don't think a gratuity is included in the specialty restaurant price.  You may tip or not, it's your choice.  As we eat in the specialty restaurants often, we usually wait until the end of the cruise, and DH stops by with an envelope which he gives the restaurant manager, to be divided  among the staff.  I think the kitchen staff would be included in that?

[DaveOKC]

I have asked the wine stewards on several different ships if they get a "credit" for selling the wine package and they indicated that they did (did not tell me the details). plus they all said that they appreciated me waiting to buy the wine package from them.