Crew appreciation - when to pay

[Hobar]

Is there a difference or benefit to paying pre-cruise or at the end of the cruise?  

(On a separate note - I was told by two different HAL reps on the phone that the HIA I paid for included the crew appreciation, but the Booking Confirmation does not show it,  When I called HAL, I was told that the reps “made a mistake.” No amount of my disputing this over the phone rectified the situation, although after speaking with a “specialist,” I was told I would receive a call this week from the “supervisor.”  Needless to say, I am not very happy.)

[Cruise Suzy]

15 minutes ago, Hobar said:

Is there a difference or benefit to paying pre-cruise or at the end of the cruise?

 

It really makes no monetary difference. However, some people like spread out their payments by purchasing pre-cruise.

 

If Crew Appreciation is not included in your HIA, you can pre-purchase it. If neither is true, then each day the daily Crew Appreciation will be charged to your on-board account. If you have OBC, it will be used to cover the expense. If not, at the end of the cruise the balance will be charged to your credit card on file.

[VMax1700]

Did you book it or not?  Was it included in your HIA or not?  Some promotions include the Grats and some don't - depends on what was on offer when you booked.

If it was not included when you booked, why would you be unhappy or even try to dispute it?

[Hobar]

14 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

Did you book it or not?  Was it included in your HIA or not?  Some promotions include the Grats and some don't - depends on what was on offer when you booked.

If it was not included when you booked, why would you be unhappy or even try to dispute it?

I was told it was, by two different reps.  The reason I spoke with two different reps was after speaking with one to book (silly me didn’t us my TA), I did not receive the Booking Confirmation, so I called three days later, and the rep I then spoke with said that yes, the HIA showed that it included the crew appreciation.  So, to answer your question, I was told that the HIA included it when I booked.  When I then received the Booking Confirmation, the crew appreciation was not listed.  When a business tells you one thing, and then does something else, that is why I would be unhappy.

[VMax1700]

When did you make the booking?

Can you cancel and rebook?

[Hobar]

9 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

When did you make the booking?

Can you cancel and rebook?

Two weeks ago.  I suppose that is an option, so thank you, but then again, I did get the suite I want.  And don’t get me wrong - it’s not the cost, but rather how this was handled.  I was told by HAL that it was their “mistake,” and then I was given the mantra, “I do apologize,” but HAL refused to rectify its own mistake.  Not the way to treat a customer.  

[Toofarfromthesea]

1 hour ago, Hobar said:

Is there a difference or benefit to paying pre-cruise or at the end of the cruise?  

(On a separate note - I was told by two different HAL reps on the phone that the HIA I paid for included the crew appreciation, but the Booking Confirmation does not show it,  When I called HAL, I was told that the reps “made a mistake.” No amount of my disputing this over the phone rectified the situation, although after speaking with a “specialist,” I was told I would receive a call this week from the “supervisor.”  Needless to say, I am not very happy.)

 

When did you book and when is the cruise?  I ask because generally the crew appreciation is NOT included in the HIA package unless it was some special promotion OR you booked far enough in advance to get the Advance Booking HIA, which generally means more than a year in advance.  For example, I just booked a Jan 2024 cruise and my HIA does not include crew appreciation.  I'm also looking at an October 2024 cruise, and if I book it before Sept 30th my HIA will not only include crew appreciation but also upgrade the drink package to elite and upgrade the wifi to Stream.  This is all published, and therefore knowable by you, even if you didn't actually know it.  But HAL agents can't change published packages.

 

And while you say it's not about the cost, it seems like the only solution that would satisfy you would be for HAL to assume the cost.  Or am I misreading it?  What do you want them to do besides apologize?

Edited September 2, 2023 by Toofarfromthesea

[Mary229]

1 hour ago, Hobar said:

Two weeks ago.  I suppose that is an option, so thank you, but then again, I did get the suite I want.  And don’t get me wrong - it’s not the cost, but rather how this was handled.  I was told by HAL that it was their “mistake,” and then I was given the mantra, “I do apologize,” but HAL refused to rectify its own mistake.  Not the way to treat a customer.  

Call them and tell them you want to rebook unless they set it right.  My TA is great and I let her do it.  We have had the same situation and they gladly set it right. With the current state of affairs - newly minted personnel - I strongly recommend getting a TA or PCP

Edited September 2, 2023 by Mary229

[Haljo1935]

Recently re comped grats that I could see on an invoice from HAL, once the booking was transferred to my TA, they weren't listed. When I called the TA, he said he could see them in the booking so I should trust they were there. Respectfully,  no - only those things which are documented and visible to all parties exist, so I'll take an updated invoice, please and thank you.

I eventually got a copy of the invoice the TA gets from HAL - it's the TA agency version, not meant for the passenger - and the grats were on there, but never showed on my copy. I still have the original from HAL that shows them before the booking was transferred. I will take that with me when I sail, JIC.

I really don't think HAL is trying to screw over passengers, I think their systems are so "wonky" so unstable (like their website) that different people, with different levels of access see different things depending on where they're looking. It doesn't make any of it right or acceptable, it means we all (HAL & TAs included) need to patient and diligent.

Edited September 2, 2023 by Haljo1935
Typo

[Hobar]

Thank you to all who replied.  Asked what I want HAL to do “besides apologize,” I want HAL to do what I was told - include the cost in the HIA.  As a business owner myself, I would assume a cost if an employee made a “mistake” and misquoted a fee.  Just tell me upfront, but don’t surprise me after the fact with what seems like a bait & switch.  

[Roz]

I don't think it was a deliberate bait and switch.  It was the phone personnel not being knowledgeable about the product they're selling. 

 

I know you're not happy but don't let this ruin your cruise. 

[horseymike]

Hope it all gets resolved to your satisfaction.

All the Best for a great cruise 🚢.

[Toofarfromthesea]

10 hours ago, Hobar said:

Thank you to all who replied.  Asked what I want HAL to do “besides apologize,” I want HAL to do what I was told - include the cost in the HIA.  As a business owner myself, I would assume a cost if an employee made a “mistake” and misquoted a fee.  Just tell me upfront, but don’t surprise me after the fact with what seems like a bait & switch.  

 

So, in the end it IS about the cost.

[doone]

Unfortunately everyone could say that they were told their crew appreciation was included and how does HAL know who really was and who wasn't.  People make mistakes, just cancel and rebook and problem solved.....

[Will_Dieterich]

I don't prepay it, the price is already know and will not change so no benefit in paying early. 

Then if you have things happen that result in getting some OBC you have a place where those funds are spent instead of having to wait on the rebate

[ExpatBride]

I would't pre-pay it because it opens the door for things to go wrong.

On NS last month, they kept adding the charges to my onboard account every day even though I showed them my booking confirmation, which stated that I had prepaid gratuities as part of a promo. I wasted a lot of time trying to sort it out with "Guest Services," who were supposedly trying to sort it out with the head office.

 

Long story short, it wasn't resolved before I disembarked. So I ended up using my OBC to cover it and reduced the total amount by $10-20 (can't remember), which OBC wouldn't cover. That's a big black mark against HAL because it stressed me out, wasted my time, gave me less than I paid for, and affected my holiday. I had and provided documentation of the promo. It's not my problem that there was a disconnect somewhere in their process. 

[Horizon chaser 1957]

5 minutes ago, ExpatBride said:

I would't pre-pay it because it opens the door for things to go wrong.

On NS last month, they kept adding the charges to my onboard account every day even though I showed them my booking confirmation, which stated that I had prepaid gratuities as part of a promo. I wasted a lot of time trying to sort it out with "Guest Services," who were supposedly trying to sort it out with the head office.

 

Long story short, it wasn't resolved before I disembarked. So I ended up using my OBC to cover it and reduced the total amount by $10-20 (can't remember), which OBC wouldn't cover. That's a big black mark against HAL because it stressed me out, wasted my time, gave me less than I paid for, and affected my holiday. I had and provided documentation of the promo. It's not my problem that there was a disconnect somewhere in their process. 

Any time we’ve prepared the gratuities, the amount we’ve paid shows up as refundable OBC on our statement at the beginning of the cruise. Then the daily grats show up as a charge on the statement each day. That way, your prepaid grats get included as onboard spending and count towards building Mariner points.

[Sea42]

19 hours ago, Hobar said:

The reason I spoke with two different reps was after speaking with one to book (silly me didn’t us my TA), I did not receive the Booking Confirmation, so I called three days later, and the rep I then spoke with said that yes, the HIA showed that it included the crew appreciation.

If you only booked two weeks ago, it is not too late to transfer your booking to your TA.

Have you tried logging in on the HAL website to check if you do have the crew appreciation? If you try to prepay them under your booking it will not allow the purchase.

[ExpatBride]

3 minutes ago, Horizon chaser 1957 said:

Any time we’ve prepared the gratuities, the amount we’ve paid shows up as refundable OBC on our statement at the beginning of the cruise. Then the daily grats show up as a charge on the statement each day. That way, your prepaid grats get included as onboard spending and count towards building Mariner points.

 

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for me.

[Hlitner]

I think that HAL created some of their own problem when they decided to market the "HIA" package with tips (I refuse to use that ridiculous "crew appreciation" term) and also without tips.  The truth is that if HIA does not include tips it probably should be called "HIA Lite" or something similar.   And HAL is not along with this kind of confusion.  Celebrity and RCI sell so many different "packages" that you would need a spreadsheet to keep it all straight (one of my favorite cruise agents told me she has created her own spreadsheet covering all cruise lines/packages).

 

When you call HAL (or other lines) and talk to a reservations clerk (a PCC is simply a reservations clerk) their knowledge varies from excellent to appalling.  They live their life looking at a monitor with "scripts" where they read much of what is regurgitated to you on the phone.  Just knowing which script requires some smarts and not all seem to have this skill.  One reason (out of many) that we use a few very knowledgeable cruise agents is because they have lots of continuing ed/training and work across all the brands of cruise lines.  While you would expect an employee of a cruise line to have lots of knowledge about their own products, the reality seems to be a different story.

 

Hank

[Horizon chaser 1957]

12 minutes ago, ExpatBride said:

 

Unfortunately, that wasn't the case for me.

Ooohhhh…. That IS unfortunate! There is a terrible disconnect between Seattle and the ships. Trying to sort out a Seattle goof once onboard takes forever, and is not how you want to spend your cruise time!

[Mary229]

@Hobar  it may not be too late to transfer to your TA and have that person handle all of this.  If you have a good relationship go ahead and do so.  I always book my own then transfer and my TA often surprises me with more benefits than I had gotten. 

[terrydtx]

We try to book our HAL cruises with the early booking promo HIA which included the Crew Appreciation. I always check my invoices from HAL to make sure everything is there. I use a TA to book all my cruises because too many cruise line booking agents are inexperienced and IMO can't be trusted to tell you what is true on a booking.

 

Your invoice from HAL should look like this from our Volendam booking next year and it shows all of the early booking HIA amenities we are getting. If it is not here you are not getting it.

Edited September 3, 2023 by terrydtx

[Tennessee Titan]

If  you have a lot of OBC, wait and let the OBC pay it....

[luv2cruisenz]

On 9/2/2023 at 12:22 PM, Haljo1935 said:

Recently re comped grats that I could see on an invoice from HAL, once the booking was transferred to my TA, they weren't listed. When I called the TA, he said he could see them in the booking so I should trust they were there. Respectfully,  no - only those things which are documented and visible to all parties exist, so I'll take an updated invoice, please and thank you.

I eventually got a copy of the invoice the TA gets from HAL - it's the TA agency version, not meant for the passenger - and the grats were on there, but never showed on my copy. I still have the original from HAL that shows them before the booking was transferred. I will take that with me when I sail, JIC.

I really don't think HAL is trying to screw over passengers, I think their systems are so "wonky" so unstable (like their website) that different people, with different levels of access see different things depending on where they're looking. It doesn't make any of it right or acceptable, it means we all (HAL & TAs included) need to patient and diligent.

We have the same situation - we booked our upcoming cruise in the Black Friday sale while on board last year. That included tips, but it’s not on our invoice. I now have a copy of what HAL has in their system that shows it does, so will see what happens when we embark on Wednesday!
 

In my experience their systems don’t seem to be integrated well at all, and that creates bad processes and potential misinformation. Front line staff need access to all relevant information to provide the service we customers need. As I don’t want to waste time lining up at guest services to correct something that should just work. And I agree, we need to be diligent and patient.

 

I say that as we are waiting all day at Vancouver airport because our flight to Copenhagen this morning was cancelled, and we have been re-routed via London tonight, with bad seats. Luckily we had planned to have 2 days there before the cruise, so even though it’s now only 1 day, we still have the cruise 🙂