Can I set up shipboard account before cruise?

[constructiondude]

In my cruise docs in the gift brochere I noticed I could order a shipboard credit and have it waiting for me for my cruise. If I order the whole amount of $60 per day does that mean I wouldn't have to do it at embarkation?

[RevNeal]

Yes, I have done this before.
If you have made a deposit to your account before going for the cruise, just tell the shore check-in staff (the red coats :) ) that you are making cash arrangements with the Front Desk. Then, when you board, I suggest going straight to the front desk and making sure that your account shows a positive balance in the mount you pre-deposited. The front desk won't both you for more money until/unless you run close to using that amount up.

I have done this twice before. Once, my congregation made a $500 deposit to my shipboard account, and I just added a few hundred more to get it up to the deposit amount. It's a nice way of handling the onboard account without credit cards.

At the end of the cruise any funds left in your account will be paid to you in the form of cash.

[airlink diva]

RevNeal, I'm thinking about placing a cash deposit for an upcoming 10 day cruise. How much do HAL require for the 10 day trip? I was thinking about $500 (I doubt if I spend that much on board, primary for my tips and about one drink a day). Is this correct? Also, do HAL give you the money back in cash or check?

[airlink diva]

Sorry! Second posting

[nabby]

RevNeal, I'm thinking about placing a cash deposit for an upcoming 10 day cruise. How much do HAL require for the 10 day trip? I was thinking about $500 (I doubt if I spend that much on board, primary for my tips and about one drink a day). Is this correct? Also, do HAL give you the money back in cash or check?

HAL reserves $60 per day, so your deposit for a 10-day cruise would be $600. That includes the $10 per day "tip charge".

[SarahQ]

Interestingly enough, when I tried to do this on our recent Westerdam cruise, the staff looked at me like I had three heads...they just couldn't understand that I wanted to secure my account with traveller's cheques up-front vs providing my credit card.

They kept telling me that I could just come and pay off my account with traveller's cheques at the end of the cruise (which I understood), but I couldn't make them understand that I did not want to have them pre-authorizing charges on my credit card and taking up part of my credit I may have had to use for other things.

In the end, I just gave up trying to explain it to them and gave them my credit card - I'm not sure if they truly didn't get it, or if they want to discourage passengers from doing so.

[ekerr19]

Interestingly enough, when I tried to do this on our recent Westerdam cruise, the staff looked at me like I had three heads...they just couldn't understand that I wanted to secure my account with traveller's cheques up-front vs providing my credit card.


Sarah -

I'm very surprised by this - I know people who do it today and we've done it in the past. Instead of registering a card, they simply say they will put down a cash deposit. We sailed on a 14-day holiday voyage (five people in our family) and since DH & I saved the money to pay cash - we deposited the requisite amount at the Front Desk and added to it during the middle of the cruise.

I sincerely hope HAL is not changing this policy - it is nice for those who choose to pay cash rather than charge; for example Canadian passengers who prefer not to have the sum of expenses charged to their Canadian bank cards in USD's... :confused:

[CathieM88]

I'm a newbie with HAL and am trying to budget very carefully. I thought the $60 a day hold and the $10 a day tip charge were seperate. From what I read above this isn't the case? Thanks in advance for the clarification!

[SarahQ]

Sarah -

I'm very surprised by this - I know people who do it today and we've done it in the past. Instead of registering a card, they simply say they will put down a cash deposit. We sailed on a 14-day holiday voyage (five people in our family) and since DH & I saved the money to pay cash - we deposited the requisite amount at the Front Desk and added to it during the middle of the cruise.

I sincerely hope HAL is not changing this policy - it is nice for those who choose to pay cash rather than charge; for example Canadian passengers who prefer not to have the sum of expenses charged to their Canadian bank cards in USD's... :confused:

Laura, I was pretty surprised too! I had read lots of others say the same, and we thought it would be a great idea since we had saved the money ahead of time in our US $ account and we just had it converted to Traveller's Cheques.

I forgot to mention that it actually started when we checked in and they asked for our credit card and I let them know I wanted to take care of it in cash and she said "oh, you can do that at the end of the cruise". I mentioned that I wanted to pre-pay the deposit, rather than use my credit card and she insisted that I still needed to provide my credit card and I could then go to the front desk to sort it out.

I actually have a sneaking suspicion that it was more due to miscommunication or lack of knowledge than a policy change by HAL...unfortunately, the front desk staff on the Westerdam, while very nice and friendly, seemed to be overwhelmed by even very simple requests (our own and those of other passengers around us). There was one woman who seemed to know her stuff, but the other staff seemed to either have a difficult time understanding the passenger requests (maybe it was the language barrier?) or knowing what to do in response to them.

In the final analysis, it was just a hiccup and its not like it really affected our cruise in any way - we still had a fantastic time!

[RevNeal]

RevNeal, I'm thinking about placing a cash deposit for an upcoming 10 day cruise. How much do HAL require for the 10 day trip? I was thinking about $500 (I doubt if I spend that much on board, primary for my tips and about one drink a day). Is this correct? Also, do HAL give you the money back in cash or check?

The Know Before You Go Booklet (also found on the HAL website here (http://www.hollandamerica.com/guests/category.do?category=observices&topic=shipboardAccount)) actually answers your question. Under the heading: "Shipboard Account" it states the following:

On embarkation day, you will need to register your credit or debit card (Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express®, Discover®) in order to use your onboard account for shipboard purchases. Your card will be pre-authorized for USD$60 per person for each day of your cruise. At the end of your cruise, you will receive a final statement, and your card will be charged only for the actual amount of your purchases. Please inform your credit or debit card issuer in advance that your card will be used on a Holland America ship. This will help prevent delays in obtaining pre-authorization on board. Some banks may keep the pre-authorization in place for up to 30 days. If you do not want to use a credit or debit card, the ship will collect a cash deposit from you at time of boarding in the same pre-authorization amount. Any excess deposit will be refunded to you at the end of the cruise. Traveler’s checks may be cashed at the front office to make your deposit. Personal checks are not accepted on board. (bold added by RN)

So, $600 is the amount you really should deposit. However, if you really don't think you'll be spending that much, you can ask the front desk if you can just deposit $500. If you get with $100 of using that amount they may send you a letter informing you that you are about to use up the last of your pre-deposit and asking you to come down and deposit more. This happened to me once (when I pre-deposited less than the suggested amount). Don't forget that they will also tack on $10 pp/pd for gratuity. On a 10 day cruise, that's $100.

[jhannah]

Don't forget that they will also tack on $10 pp/pd for gratuity. On a 10 day cruise, that's $70. Really? ;)

[RevNeal]

Interestingly enough, when I tried to do this on our recent Westerdam cruise, the staff looked at me like I had three heads...they just couldn't understand that I wanted to secure my account with traveller's cheques up-front vs providing my credit card.

They kept telling me that I could just come and pay off my account with traveller's cheques at the end of the cruise (which I understood), but I couldn't make them understand that I did not want to have them pre-authorizing charges on my credit card and taking up part of my credit I may have had to use for other things.

In the end, I just gave up trying to explain it to them and gave them my credit card - I'm not sure if they truly didn't get it, or if they want to discourage passengers from doing so.

Sarah, in such an event I would pull out the Know Before You Go booklet and show them the portion I have quoted in bold in the above post. This clearly states that one may pay the onboard account through a cash deposit with he Front Desk. And, I would hold my ground until a clueless redcoat either got it through their dim skull or until a supervisor was summoned who did understand what is allowed. Yes, one may settle in cash at the end if one wishes ... but one may also pre-deposit cash and go that route if one prefers. The Redcoat simply didn't know. And, might I add, the number of people who do this is rather small ... probably no more than a dozen or more per cruise. Hence, there is a real chance that this Redcoat simply hadn't ever encountered someone wanting to do this.

[RevNeal]

Really? ;)

LOL ... well ... no. :) It's $100. Long habit of thinking about this issue with regard to 7-day cruises. :D.
Let's see if I can still change it by an edit.

There ... fixed. :D

[Tinknock50]

I am glad I have enough credit to use a card. This cash thing sounds like a little more trouble and I like to keep it simple. Saves the extra trip to the the front office on sail day. Nice to take care of it all at check-in.

[RevNeal]

I am glad I have enough credit to use a card. This cash thing sounds like a little more trouble and I like to keep it simple. Saves the extra trip to the the front office on sail day. Nice to take care of it all at check-in.

Sean,

Oh, I agree that putting it on a credit card is a very convenient feature. And, I have enjoyed that convenience myself at times. However, having had a history of financial mismanagement, and having long-ago learned how to not get myself into such a state again, I avoid depending upon credit cards except for those circumstances where I have no other recourse. I try to pay my balances in full the month I get them, and that can be difficult if a huge bill comes through in one month. I would rather pay in cash up-front.

Another thing that making a cash deposit (either by phone before cruise or in person at the front desk) enables is it reduces the amount one has to put on one's credit card if one wants to go that route. I have done that, too.

[seniormiss]

Do they also put a hold of $60 for a 3 year old child. My daughter and son in law are traveling with thier 3 year old daughter and of course they realize there is the $10 tip per day for her, but I am wondering about the $60 per day for a child.