Did you get your refund from a recent cruise?

[Junelovestocruise]

Thanks to comments that I had read recently on this topic of refunds, I withdrew most of my refundable OBC a few days before the end of my cruise. I got off the Volendam yesterday and just looked in Navigator to see my final statement. I am so glad that I asked for the cash because look what they now show at the bottom of the statement: 

 

If there are more than $10.00 of unused funds from your cash deposit, we will mail a check to your address on file. Unused funds of less than $10.00 from your cash deposit will be donated to The Holland America Line Foundation

[bigbeergut]

11 minutes ago, Junelovestocruise said:

Thanks to comments that I had read recently on this topic of refunds, I withdrew most of my refundable OBC a few days before the end of my cruise. I got off the Volendam yesterday and just looked in Navigator to see my final statement. I am so glad that I asked for the cash because look what they now show at the bottom of the statement: 

 

If there are more than $10.00 of unused funds from your cash deposit, we will mail a check to your address on file. Unused funds of less than $10.00 from your cash deposit will be donated to The Holland America Line Foundation

Glad this thread helped you.

[Sea42]

27 minutes ago, Junelovestocruise said:

Thanks to comments that I had read recently on this topic of refunds, I withdrew most of my refundable OBC a few days before the end of my cruise. I got off the Volendam yesterday and just looked in Navigator to see my final statement. I am so glad that I asked for the cash because look what they now show at the bottom of the statement: 

 

If there are more than $10.00 of unused funds from your cash deposit, we will mail a check to your address on file. Unused funds of less than $10.00 from your cash deposit will be donated to The Holland America Line Foundation

That's a horrible way to handle this situation!

[Windsailer]

3 hours ago, Junelovestocruise said:

Thanks to comments that I had read recently on this topic of refunds, I withdrew most of my refundable OBC a few days before the end of my cruise. I got off the Volendam yesterday and just looked in Navigator to see my final statement. I am so glad that I asked for the cash because look what they now show at the bottom of the statement: 

 

If there are more than $10.00 of unused funds from your cash deposit, we will mail a check to your address on file. Unused funds of less than $10.00 from your cash deposit will be donated to The Holland America Line Foundation

That seems like HAL is essentially stealing your money unless there was some notice about this new policy before you got off the ship. My heavens!

[3rdGenCunarder]

From what I can find online (and there isn't much) the Holland America Line Foundation is their charitable arm that collects and passes on the "On Deck for a Cause" donations. So the money you don't get refunded will go to a worthy cause.

 

At least, I hope so. 

[msjb22]

On 10/20/2024 at 8:44 PM, Junelovestocruise said:

Thanks to comments that I had read recently on this topic of refunds, I withdrew most of my refundable OBC a few days before the end of my cruise. I got off the Volendam yesterday and just looked in Navigator to see my final statement. I am so glad that I asked for the cash because look what they now show at the bottom of the statement: 

 

If there are more than $10.00 of unused funds from your cash deposit, we will mail a check to your address on file. Unused funds of less than $10.00 from your cash deposit will be donated to The Holland America Line Foundation

I had this on my statement too, but I never made a cash deposit (I had refundable OBC left due to cancelled excursion at ports we missed due to weather), so I assumed it didn't apply to me.

 

I'm going to be extremely cross if they do send me a check, as I'm in Europe, paid everything by credit card, and the fees on cashing in a dollar check here are substantial.

[Alberta Quilter]

5 hours ago, msjb22 said:

I had this on my statement too, but I never made a cash deposit (I had refundable OBC left due to cancelled excursion at ports we missed due to weather), so I assumed it didn't apply to me.

 

I'm going to be extremely cross if they do send me a check, as I'm in Europe, paid everything by credit card, and the fees on cashing in a dollar check here are substantial.

You might get it another way.  If you look at the thread linked to in post #9, the OP eventually received their credit electronically in GBP, IIRC.

[msjb22]

1 hour ago, Alberta Quilter said:

You might get it another way.  If you look at the thread linked to in post #9, the OP eventually received their credit electronically in GBP, IIRC.

Fingers crossed... it's been 6 weeks since my cruise and 4 since I emailed Guest Relations with no acknowledgement beyond the auto-response, so if so, it will be a long wait I fear.

[bigbeergut]

10 hours ago, msjb22 said:

I had this on my statement too, but I never made a cash deposit (I had refundable OBC left due to cancelled excursion at ports we missed due to weather), so I assumed it didn't apply to me.

 

I'm going to be extremely cross if they do send me a check, as I'm in Europe, paid everything by credit card, and the fees on cashing in a dollar check here are substantial.

Go to Guest Services and get your cash before you leave.

[Wehwalt]

1 hour ago, bigbeergut said:

Go to Guest Services and get your cash before you leave.

That's what we do. We never leave the ship with a refundable balance. I realize some may have to weigh the inconvenience of having to hold cash dollars when that's not their home currency, and it would be nicer to get an electronic transfer to an account, but apparently this is hit and miss enough that it may be best to take the position that dollar bills don't get withdrawn (not true of every currency) and it may be better, before you leave the ship, to take the money and run.

[VMax1700]

26 minutes ago, Wehwalt said:

I realize some may have to weigh the inconvenience of having to hold cash dollars when that's not their home currency,

Never saw this as a problem as we can always use it on our next trip stateside or onboard (cash lodgement to onboard account or additional tips).

[msjb22]

12 hours ago, bigbeergut said:

Go to Guest Services and get your cash before you leave.

This was my first cruise and it's a bit too late now... never even knew this was an option.

 

10 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Never saw this as a problem as we can always use it on our next trip stateside or onboard (cash lodgement to onboard account or additional tips).

Depends on where you are in the world, for Europeans on a European cruise, why should we take out dollars at the end?

[bigbeergut]

1 minute ago, msjb22 said:

This was my first cruise and it's a bit too late now... never even knew this was an option.

 

It's too late for me too.  It was never a problem on previous cruises, but I'll never make this mistake again.

[VMax1700]

4 hours ago, msjb22 said:

This was my first cruise and it's a bit too late now... never even knew this was an option.

 

Depends on where you are in the world, for Europeans on a European cruise, why should we take out dollars at the end?

1. because we will use them again.

2. because dollars is the ship's currency.

3. because of the rubbish exchange rate offered onboard.

4. but if these considerations do not apply to you then I suppose you can hope that they have enough euros onboard to  pay you.

 

[Haljo1935]

8 hours ago, msjb22 said:

This was my first cruise and it's a bit too late now... never even knew this was an option.

 

Depends on where you are in the world, for Europeans on a European cruise, why should we take out dollars at the end?

European cruise you should be able to cash out in Euros if you prefer.

[Wehwalt]

8 hours ago, msjb22 said:

This was my first cruise and it's a bit too late now... never even knew this was an option.

 

Depends on where you are in the world, for Europeans on a European cruise, why should we take out dollars at the end?

Because you are told that HAL uses dollars as the onboard currency, and what you are really doing is taking dollars and buying euros at HAL's uncompetitive rate of exchange. And you'll probably do better taking the dollars home and exchanging them locally than you will accepting HAL's rate of exchange, which has been pointed out is pretty bad. Besides, as has been pointed out, there is "next time" for most of us.