Credit card holds, another question.

[billroddy]

If I book a cruise for Aug 7/09 and the fare is $6974. the deposit is $1700 and the balance due on May 24, 09 is $5274. Does HAL put a hold on that amount?
Bill
Ancient Mariner

[GmaPajama]

Not at all, Bill. You are free to back out on that commitment at any point along the way. No holds for balances due.

[CPMichael]

No, they don't place a hold on balances due. The only hold they place is on the card you are using for your shipboard account, and only after you have provided it to them when you complete the online forms.

Hope this is helpful!

[sk8teacher]

No, they don't place a hold on balances due. The only hold they place is on the card you are using for your shipboard account, and only after you have provided it to them when you complete the online forms.

Hope this is helpful!

Actually the hold does not go on until you actually check in onboard.

"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 US$60 per person for each day of your cruise."

Cheers,

[Krazy Kruizers]

Not to worry -- no hold on the amount you owe. In fact even after final payment -- there still won't put on that amount.

Once you actually check in at the pier -- then the hold begins.

[CPMichael]

Actually the hold does not go on until you actually check in onboard.


Exactly what I meant to say -- I worded it totally wrong :( - My intetion was to clarify what instance they would place a hold on your card.

[jtl513]

Actually the hold does not go on until you actually check in onboard.I've often wondered what would happen if someone maxed-out their only credit card between the time they registered it in the OnLine CheckIn forms and embarkation day. Would HAL deny boarding, or just deny on-board charging privileges, and take their chances on getting the $11/p/d? Or insist they come up with at least that amount in cash before allowing boarding?

[sail7seas]

No. They would have no authority to do so. You can cancel with no penalty prior to final payment so they have no right to anything as regards future payments until it comes to final payment time. At that point, there would be no cause for a hold as you would be paying the exact amount due at that time.

[sail7seas]

I've often wondered what would happen if someone maxed-out their only credit card between the time they registered it in the OnLine CheckIn forms and embarkation day. Would HAL deny boarding, or just deny on-board charging privileges, and take their chances on getting the $11/p/d? Or insist they come up with at least that amount in cash before allowing boarding?

If dealing with a 'maxed out' credit card, I believe they would deny charging privileges absent cash deposit in advance.

They can't force people to pay the service charge....... yet. I wish they could and hope they institute that soon.

I don't believe they have a basis for denying boarding. The cruise has been paid for and people can go through a whole cruise without charging anything. Wouldn't be big time fun but some folks actually leave the ship with a bill of $25 or less. Whew....... Hard for me to imagine but each to their own. I suppose it is 'fun' for some folks to see how low they can go. :D

[atxlady]

On a Masdaam cuise in 2002, I was in line to pay my balance on the last night. I was behind a couple who maxed out 2 credit cards and still had a balance. The looks on their faces were priceless. At that point they were having a bill mailed to their house w/ what they still owed. I was amazed. It was a 7 day cruise. I believe my bill was like $600-650.
Wow, back away from the bar next time.

[hammybee]

If dealing with a 'maxed out' credit card, I believe they would deny charging privileges absent cash deposit in advance.


I suspect you are right. If someone does not have a credit card and no cash they are not going to put them off the ship.

That cruise line employee, known to many on this board, says that an increasing number of people are opting out of the auto tip, claiming poverty.

If this becomes an increasing trend, the Hotel Charge will become mandatory, to protect the crew. It's consumer behaviors that caused auto tips and it's consumer behaviors that will cause them to become mandatory.

[sail7seas]

I believe it was failure by so many to leave even minimal tips when tipping was optional on HAL that forced then to institute the service charge we see today. It's fine by us. We saw way too many people bolting out of the dining room on the last night when their steward was out of sight. Their goal, of course, was to stiff the crew. They didn't have the good grace to at least say a verbal thank you and goodbye. Simply ran out of the room OR chose to not come to the dining room at all on the last night. Groan.......

Certainly there are people today who have their tips removed and have full intention of doing so before they even board. They never intended to leave tips and the removal has nothing to do with the quality of the service. :(

[CowPrincess]

I believe it was failure by so many to leave even minimal tips when tipping was optional on HAL

In fairness, HAL used to make a BIG deal out of "Tipping not required". It was in all their brochures, and every TA mentioned it. HAL used it as a competitive advantage and as a "feature" statement. Truly I think that some cruisers really believed that tips were not expected.

Today, though, when someone stiffs the staff, they KNOW they are stiffing the staff. :(

[Taxguy77]

In fairness, HAL used to make a BIG deal out of "Tipping not required". It was in all their brochures, and every TA mentioned it. HAL used it as a competitive advantage and as a "feature" statement. Truly I think that some cruisers really believed that tips were not expected.
. :(
I certainly would, it's only 3 fairly common words in English! I would give some extra for outstanding service only.

[Thrifty]

I seem to remember that another cruise line kept track of the number of "free riders" a few years ago and it came out at about 5% then. There are people almost everywhere who take advantage of everything they can and I have convinced myself that I feel sorry for them. I expect that at least another 5% of cruise passengers tips far more than most of us (I have a brother-in-law whose tipping dazzles me), so maybe it averages out for the staff. Auto-tipping was a great improvement for the unsophisticated passenger like me, but paying a mandatory service charge is as much fun as paying a tax, which is hardly part of a gracious cruise experience.

[tamsno]

Having a good relationship with a major credit card that requres full payment of charges monthly and has a no actual pre-set limit is great peace of mind both for onboard charges and any emergency in the US or internationally. Remember to notify the card company of your intended use including onboard charges before you leave.