crew appreciation increasing Feb 01,2024

[KeyLimeKayak]

We can't even get our reservation to appear on our Mariner account to pre-pay for our March sailing. It appears if we look up our booking number, but the HAL website shows no history of our 3 past cruises. Anyone else having website issues?

[VMax1700]

I have just looked at our next cruise on which HIA gratuities are included.

When I go to Travel Planning > Pre Pay Hotel Service Charge, it still quotes the $16 per night for a verandah room, but shows the price as €223.66 (euro is currency of booking).  So either they have increased the daily rate or change (for the worse) the USD/Euro exchange rate or a bit of both.  I will need to check back on credit card statements to check exactly how much I paid for the last time, but I am certain it was less than €223.66 for 14 days.

[cbr663]

On our November cruise on the Koningsdam we also pre-paid the gratuities online prior to boarding as HAL offers a little savings on the CDN exchange rate.  The very first item on our onboard statement was a credit for the pre-paid gratuities and then every day our account was debited the daily crew appreciation.

 

It will be interesting to see what happens if you pre-pay now prior to increase and sail after the increase has come into effect.

[dobiemom]

12 hours ago, Cruise Suzy said:

It is more than that. Crew Appreciation is currently $16.00 (non-suite) or $17.50 (suite) pppd - going to $17.00 or $19.00 pppd. So on a 7-day cruise the increase will be $7.00 or $10.50 increase per person.

My mistake, I thought it was $16.50. 
 

5 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

My recent experience on prepaid grats is different. On the NS Rome roundtrip Oct 26 - Nov 10 2023, grats never showed on our statement. I asked if it was an error or would we be seeing a daily charge then credit as @Blackduck59 and @aussiedisneyfan reported and was told "neither - not an error and no charge coming since it's prepaid you just never see them."

That’s weird. I was on the NS last month and prepaid my gratuities (not part of a package). This is my statement on the cabin TV:

[VMax1700]

6 minutes ago, dobiemom said:

That’s weird. I was on the NS last month and prepaid my gratuities (not part of a package). This is my statement on the cabin TV:

I agree with yours as that is what has happened when we pre paid grat (not part of  a package).  We have the added challenge of currency exchange rates!

Edited January 6 by VMax1700

[VMax1700]

13 minutes ago, VMax1700 said:

I have just looked at our next cruise on which HIA gratuities are included.

When I go to Travel Planning > Pre Pay Hotel Service Charge, it still quotes the $16 per night for a verandah room, but shows the price as €223.66 (euro is currency of booking).  So either they have increased the daily rate or change (for the worse) the USD/Euro exchange rate or a bit of both.  I will need to check back on credit card statements to check exactly how much I paid for the last time, but I am certain it was less than €223.66 for 14 days.

I have just found the credit card transaction and the Confirmation from HAL of the pre payment of grats.  As I thought it was only €185.92 per person for 14 days verandah, to pay for USD 224 grats. $16 x 14 =  $224.  It was a great exchange rate.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

That's good, they work very hard.

[Himself]

I remember the good old days when we just tipped as we felt we should.

[Real NHDOC]

Not doubting this could be true but note the source of this information is a travel agency email and I can’t find any information on the HAL website that supports this. Everything on HAL website refers only to the February 2023 increase but does mention it is subject to change without notice. 
 

Also noted that I am currently on Celebrity and their rate is $18 a day and the service isn’t quite as good as HAL. 

Edited January 6 by Real NHDOC

[kazu]

47 minutes ago, Real NHDOC said:

Not doubting this could be true but note the source of this information is a travel agency email and I can’t find any information on the HAL website that supports this. Everything on HAL website refers only to the February 2023 increase but does mention it is subject to change without notice. 
 

Also noted that I am currently on Celebrity and their rate is $18 a day and the service isn’t quite as good as HAL. 

 

A roll call member posted the rates had gone up last night.  their info came from their travel agency as well.  I think we need to wait to see what HAL’s terms and conditions are.  In the past, it only affected cruises booked after a specific date.  I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

[BermudaBound2014]

8 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

A roll call member posted the rates had gone up last night.  their info came from their travel agency as well.  I think we need to wait to see what HAL’s terms and conditions are.  In the past, it only affected cruises booked after a specific date.  I guess we’ll find out soon enough.

 

I agree, we have to wait for HAL. It's unfortunate that they inform their travel agents and not the people who booked directly with them. 

 

@kazuquick question for clarification if you don't mind. In the past, with HAL, did the price go into effect with 'cruises booked after' date? In other words, everyone who booked up until the announcement was billed under the old rate regardless of sailing date? So, if you booked a cruise for 2025 you were billed the lower rate?

 

Or did they give a date (like Feb 1st) and send out an email giving everyone the option to pre-pay at the lower rate? This is the scenario used by both RCL and NCL.

[kazu]

6 minutes ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

I agree, we have to wait for HAL. It's unfortunate that they inform their travel agents and not the people who booked directly with them. 

 

@kazuquick question for clarification if you don't mind. In the past, with HAL, did the price go into effect with 'cruises booked after' date? In other words, everyone who booked up until the announcement was billed under the old rate regardless of sailing date? So, if you booked a cruise for 2025 you were billed the lower rate?

 

Or did they give a date (like Feb 1st) and send out an email giving everyone the option to pre-pay at the lower rate? This is the scenario used by both RCL and NCL.

 

The last time, as I recall, they stated that the price went into effect for any cruises booked after  x date.  there was a bit of lead time to book and get the old rate.  I don’t believe we  had the option to pre-purchase the crew appreciation at the time but my memory can be  short

 

 

[MikeD4134]

Here is HAL's official as of today.

 

Crew Appreciation is a daily (adjustable) amount added to your onboard account and pooled in order to recognize the many team members throughout our fleet who contribute to the guest experience. 

The daily Crew Appreciation charge is $16.00 per guest per day for non-suite stateroom guests and $17.50 per guest per day for suite guests. The charges are subject to change without notice.

The Crew Appreciation charge is paid to Holland America Line team members and represents an important part of their compensation. An 18% service charge is automatically applied to all beverage purchases, bar retail items, specialty restaurant cover charges, all for-purchase a la carte menu items, and all Spa & Salon services. Local sales taxes are applied where required.

[Florisa1228]

If they keep increasing prices and now gratuity they will loose customers. There are way too many ships out there ready to steal their customers.

[kazu]

9 minutes ago, Florisa1228 said:

If they keep increasing prices and now gratuity they will loose customers. There are way too many ships out there ready to steal their customers.

 

Best check the pricing of the other lines.  HAL is not out of whack by any means - unless of course you wish to book a pricier line where the gratuities are included.

 

There is a comparison here from October, 2023.  https://www.cruzely.com/full-guide-to-cruise-ship-gratuities-for-2019-amounts-etiquette-and-more/

 

HAL is not the only one raising them this year.

[cbr663]

40 minutes ago, Florisa1228 said:

If they keep increasing prices and now gratuity they will loose customers. There are way too many ships out there ready to steal their customers.

 

With all the major cruise companies reporting increased bookings, capacity at greater than 100%, increased fares and increased spending onboard it doesn't seem like the cruise line has reached the point of any passenger push back due to $$ yet.

 

But, this may be foreshadowing an increase in the HIA+ package is on the near horizon as it typically includes crew gratuities.

[WVU_Neal]

On 1/6/2024 at 8:40 AM, Cuttersmom said:

So our cruise is 1/26-2/4. Will they start charging the new rate on 2/1? Or will it stay the same since the cruise commenced before 2/1?

I was wondering the same thing. You must be on the Rotterdam.

 

Neal

[BermudaBound2014]

3 hours ago, Florisa1228 said:

If they keep increasing prices and now gratuity they will loose customers. There are way too many ships out there ready to steal their customers.

Except I believe that even with this increase, HAL gratuities are some of the cheapest, if not THE cheapest in the industry. 
 

Edited January 7 by BermudaBound2014

[ArizonaStorm]

I think I appreciate the crew as much as I possibly can already.

[Haljo1935]

On 1/6/2024 at 4:43 AM, VMax1700 said:

Were your 'Prepaid Grats' actually prepaid by yourself or prepaid as part of a HAL/HIA package?

I believe it makes a major difference.  My multiple experiences of purchasing 'PrePay Grats' on the website (not part of a deal) is that the amount paid is initially credited to the onboard account and then Daily Gratuities are charged to the account.  If grats rise, then you will owe money to cover the balance.

However, if the 'Prepaid Grats' are part of a HAL deal, then you do not see either the charge or the credit on the onboard account.

Pre-paid grats for the Oct-Nov NS cruise I mentioned were not part of HIA or other package - I did not have HIA.

Edited January 8 by Haljo1935
Typo

[Haljo1935]

On 1/6/2024 at 5:26 AM, Tigerlily75 said:

The crew appreciation is not a surprise, obviously, since I’ve prepaid them in full, I have a receipt that says I’ve prepaid them. The surprise would be if I board and then they say they’re not prepaid after all and I need to pay more. 

This would be a slight inconvenience, but just to be sure you don't have any surprise charges resulting in a case to plead, you can request a crew appreciation change form. On the line where you enter the dollar figure you want the daily amount adjusted to, write in the previous rate that was in effect at the time you prepaid the grats. You'll write in the actual daily dollar amount not the words "previous Daily rate..." I'm sure you know that; just wanted to be super clear. 😃 😉 😏 

That way, if they do post Daily charges and a credit, you'll at least see an adjustment to the rate you were expecting and your payment covers the charges in full. If they don't post, as was my experience, nothing changes. 

Edited January 8 by Haljo1935
Typo

[Haljo1935]

On 1/6/2024 at 8:34 AM, dobiemom said:

My mistake, I thought it was $16.50. 
 

That’s weird. I was on the NS last month and prepaid my gratuities (not part of a package). This is my statement on the cabin TV:

I don't think I took a picture because I didn't have any billing issues, but I'll check. I know the pdf is posted, so I can pull it. I'll circle back.

Edited January 8 by Haljo1935
Typo - darn auto correct 😑 😒 🙄

[Haljo1935]

On 1/6/2024 at 8:34 AM, dobiemom said:

My mistake, I thought it was $16.50. 
 

That’s weird. I was on the NS last month and prepaid my gratuities (not part of a package). This is my statement on the cabin TV:

No TV statement, but here are portions of the final statement w/my name, OBC and cash deposits redacted. As you can see, there are no entries for grats.

 

[Tigerlily75]

44 minutes ago, Haljo1935 said:

This would be a slight inconvenience, but just to be sure you don't have any surprise charges resulting in a case to plead, you can request a crew appreciation change form. On the line where you enter the dollar figure you want the daily amount adjusted to, write in the previous rate that was in effect at the time you prepaid the grats. You'll write in the actual daily dollar amount not the words "previous Daily rate..." I'm sure you know that; just wanted to be super clear. 😃 😉 😏 

That way, if they do post Daily charges and a credit, you'll at least see an adjustment to the rate you were expecting and your payment covers the charges in full. If they don't post, as was my experience, nothing changes. 

 

Thank you!! 

[cbr663]

As usual, HAL is consistently inconsistent.  Here's a snapshot of my final statement from our November cruise on the Koningsdam where it shows the pre-paid crew appreciation and the daily charge to the account.