Zuiderdam Shipboard Credit

[Sunviking]

I'll probably get jumped on but I have to say that HAL giving those who still choose to sail on this week's Z cruise tomorrow increasing onboard credits but not a reduction in fare does not seem like good loyalty -building policy to me. We canceled as soon as the change was announced on Thursday so I have nothing to lose or gain. But when my TA told me of the offer I asked specifically if you could carry forward any unused credit or somehow cash it out and was told we could not. If you didn't use it you lost it. We had booked an S category so with the current offer we would have gotten $850 in shipboard credits. There is no way we could drink, be massaged and pummeled or buy enough t-shirts on board to get that large a shipboard balance, especially not in five days. Some have said you could leave a bigger tip for the crew. Well, we have always left more than the recommended amount and will probably always do so, but several hundred dollars more for 5 days does seem like a lot. Princess is giving their Caribbean Princess cruisers a 50% reduction in their cruise fare and a $100 credit. Somehow that just makes more sense to me, IMHO.

[bostonredsoxfan]

Agreed. Paying full fare for what is in essence a 4 day cruise is not an appealing option. We actually considered accepting HAL's offer on the Sunday departure, but the offer for Monday's departure is disappointing and less than what other cruise lines seem to be offering. We chose to cancel and get a refund.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Sunviking, please do not take this wrong but Both DH and I agree we would have No Problem spending the $850.00 Both on the Zuirderdam and the Oosterdam our bill at the end was over $1400.00 We drink at least one bottle of champagne every night if we had extra credit I know we would get at least 2 each night. I usually buy a piece of Swarovski cyrstal, maybe some jewlery, plus we usually get a few pictures for our Holland American photo album. Then I might splurge and get a massage and facial. I guarantee with just 5 days and the auto tip we would still owe them a few hundred dollars.

[Starr Mtn]

Another option would be to use some of the shipboard
credit as a deposit on a future cruise!

[kryos]

Another option would be to use some of the shipboard
credit as a deposit on a future cruise!
I haven't gotten my statement yet, but I can only imagine my shipboard credits have gone pretty high. Between the compensation they offered me for what should have been the 9-4 cruise, and all the credits for missed shore excursions on the 8-28 sailing (they cancelled, not me), I'd better get a fix on exactly what I have so that I can make sure I use it.

I wonder if you apply any credit remaining to an already-booked future cruise?

I don't want to lose anything, but I sure don't want to have to waste it buying unnecessary goods and services either.

Blue skies ...

--rita

[elmorejj]

If you prepaid for your shore excursions you will receive that back as a credit on your credit card. If you just charged them to your S&S card then they will just disapear. Its only the credits directly from HAL that is not convertable, nor cashable....jean :cool:

[sail7seas]

Sunviking.....I agree with you.

For the folks on this BB who know me and DH in person, they know we have cocktails every evening before dinner in a lounge and we enjoy a nice bottle of wine with dinner. This is more liquor than we egularly drink at home. We always have an after dinner drink. I simply cannot drink any more than that and I do not wish to.

I NEVER go to Steiner's anymore and never will again. I am a person who says....Never say Never----in this case, it's about as close to never as it gets!!! I have an exceedingly low opinion of them....ALL of them.

We never do shore excursions in the Caribbean. We have been there and done that dozens and dozens of times.

A t-shirt or a sweatshirt of two and that is all there is in the shops as far as I am concerned. (See the other thread I started here the other day.)

We almost always get a $300 shipboard credit from AmEx.
So.... it is impossible we could begin to spend all that HAL credit. I think
HAL is counting on the fact that many people will not use it up.

IMO......they should be giving people the choice of applying it to a future cruise; having some as a shipboard credit and saving the rest to apply to a future cruise.

I think it generous they are giving it.....but much of it will be wasted.

[NJsharon]

What is the world coming to when a cruise company tries to give you a big shipboard credit?

Geez, next thing you know people will be paying your toll when you travel over a toll bridge! :rolleyes:

Come on people, haven't we got better things to complain about then 'oh my gosh what could I spend this on?'

~Sharon~

[newcruiser99]

why couldn't you go to the casino and get $850 in chips, then cash them in ( or whatever you didn't spend on the ship)???

[sail7seas]

Never having it done it.....I don't know if you can charge casino gambling to your shipboard account. If it is not allowed, how would you get the credit money out of your shipboard account?

[Sunviking]

What is the world coming to when a cruise company tries to give you a big shipboard credit?

Geez, next thing you know people will be paying your toll when you travel over a toll bridge! :rolleyes:

Come on people, haven't we got better things to complain about then 'oh my gosh what could I spend this on?'

~Sharon~


I don't know how things are where you are but I do know how they are where I'm from in VA. I don't expect to get something for nothing but if I paid for something I do expect to get what I paid for. If I paid for a 7 day cruise and I get something less, then I expect to get a reduction accordingly and that doesn't mean that I should have to buy things or pay for services I would not otherwise purchase or order. I didn't say anything about getting something for nothing.

[Cruiseoften]

Sunviking - Love your avatar!

Having read your earlier posts re Frances, Zuiderdam, etc. in all likelihood we'd have cancelled as you did……..7 day cruises are not our favorites - the cutback to 5/6 days would have clinched the decision.

No question, it would be easy to fritter away a credit on 'aimless pursuits' - not something we'd personally choose to do - but for others, what about a watch or piece of jewelry previously out of reach? You'd have the vacation (shortened of course), and on leaving the ship you'd have a long-lasting memento of it.

As for the Princess offer, is that for the shortened cruise or a future sailing? A $100 credit does not a lot of goodies buy!.....

You made you decision early and,hopefully, received a full refund.:)

I don't believe you can apply on board credits to casino gambling - perhaps you can charge bingo games tho. Don't know for sure but also doubt that on board credits can be applied against a future cruise. The whole purpose is for you to spend money - hopefully a bit more than the actual credit. I believe we've used such credits for shore excursions but on a Caribbean 4 dayer, think I'd rather have a watch or the like. :p

[imsulin]

Man, I could drop that $850.00 on some good Tanzanite in a minute! But then, I'd have to pay for my own drinks....!

[Jewelfine]

I just got off the Zuiderdam - they were offering the pax to stay on board for the next cruise (shortened one) at a "discounted rate" - for a SS it was $800 or so per person - we didnt' pay much more than that for a 7 turned 9 day cruise.
the only credits we got were that they didn't put the "auto tip" on for the crew for the extra 2 days - most people still tipped the crew as they really did work hard on the extra days.

You can charge casino withdrawals to your account - with a 3% charge - so if it applied to the shipboard credit they could do it.

Some people were really upset - others were happy to have an extra couple of days.
I enjoyed the relaxation of it all - but my wallet didn't - too much time in the casino on sea days! especially 4 of them