Prepaying "Hotel Service Charge"

[Lessa123]

I initially was going to ask if anyone who had prepaid the service charge had ever had a problem with it being charged to their onboard account and needed to have it removed. We prepaid ours for the first time and I was checking to make sure I packed the invoice from our TA ... just in case. I would still like to know if anyone has had a problem.

 

I have been reading these boards extensively and I don't recall seeing anything saying that the service charge HAS ALREADY increased. I was just doing the numbers based on the $11 per person per day and it wasn't adding up. We were charged $11.50 per day. That is FINE with us, I was just confused as to the amount.

 

HAL's website says this:

 

The daily Hotel Service Charge for suites is USD$12.00*

per guest per day, and USD$11.50* per guest per day for

other staterooms. (*The charges are subject to change without notice.)

 

Of course, it may indeed have been posted, possibly even several times and I missed it. Just thought a head's up for anyone like me, who might have missed it would be in order. Or is this brand new info?

 

Thanks,

 

Debbie

[kazu]

I initially was going to ask if anyone who had prepaid the service charge had ever had a problem with it being charged to their onboard account and needed to have it removed. We prepaid ours for the first time and I was checking to make sure I packed the invoice from our TA ... just in case. I would still like to know if anyone has had a problem.

 

I have been reading these boards extensively and I don't recall seeing anything saying that the service charge HAS ALREADY increased. I was just doing the numbers based on the $11 per person per day and it wasn't adding up. We were charged $11.50 per day. That is FINE with us, I was just confused as to the amount.

 

HAL's website says this:

 

The daily Hotel Service Charge for suites is USD$12.00*

per guest per day, and USD$11.50* per guest per day for

other staterooms. (*The charges are subject to change without notice.)

 

Of course, it may indeed have been posted, possibly even several times and I missed it. Just thought a head's up for anyone like me, who might have missed it would be in order. Or is this brand new info?

 

Thanks,

 

Debbie

 

Nope Debbie - not new info - came in place last year - I forget when exactly but it's been in place for quite a long time:)

[sail7seas]

The hotel service charge increased to $11.50 and $12.00 for suites months ago.

Perhaps your TA was not current in her information.

 

This is not new and definitely has been mentioned in a number of threads. I don't recall if there is one specific thread titled to be identified as 'about increase in hotel service charge' but you might find it in threads dealing with 'credit card hold' in the subject. That seems to be where it is often mentioned.

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

We don't bother prepaying our Hotel Service Charge.

We just let it be added to our shipboard account and let the shipboard credit we get pay for it.

At the end of the cruise if we wish to give anyone extra in cash, we do so.

[jtl513]

I don't recall exactly when the HSC increased, but we paid $11.50/p/d in Mar 2012.

[sail7seas]

We don't bother prepaying our Hotel Service Charge.

 

We just let it be added to our shipboard account and let the shipboard credit we get pay for it.

 

At the end of the cruise if we wish to give anyone extra in cash, we do so.

 

 

We do the same.

[Lessa123]

Blinders on is all I can say, lol. I don't recall the TA saying how much it was but we haven't used her before and we went in as past cruisers with HAL so she might have assumed we knew.

 

Thanks for the replies! But has anyone run into issues with prepaying it?

[kazu]

Blinders on is all I can say, lol. I don't recall the TA saying how much it was but we haven't used her before and we went in as past cruisers with HAL so she might have assumed we knew.

 

Thanks for the replies! But has anyone run into issues with prepaying it?

 

No issues - easiest thing to do is just buy obc on line - it will be charged to the credit:D

[sail7seas]

When you 'prepay' as you say, just buy yourself OBC in advance in the amount you wish. If all you want to cover in advance is hotel service charge, buy that amount and the daily charged will be applied against it leaving you a zero balance due on your end of cruise bill.......EXCEPT, of course, for any other spending and charging to your account you may do.

 

[jtl513]

Just a note about buying OBC (which HAL prefers to call Shipboard Credit): you can only buy them in fixed amounts - $5, $25, $50, or $100. If you want $300 you have to buy 3 @ $100. The receipt that is emailed will say $100, quantity 3, but when you look at your reservation on-line it will only say $100. Don't panic - the $300 will be there when you get there! :)

[sail7seas]

Just a note about buying OBC (which HAL prefers to call Shipboard Credit): you can only buy them in fixed amounts - $5, $25, $50, or $100. If you want $300 you have to buy 3 @ $100. The receipt that is emailed will say $100, quantity 3, but when you look at your reservation on-line it will only say $100. Don't panic - the $300 will be there when you get there! :)

 

 

Good tip, John.

If you have purchased Shipboard (OBC) Credit, early in your cruise go to front office and ask for a print out of your account. That is the best way to verify your pre-purchase credits are showing on your account. Easier to have it corrected when there is more time than at the end of the cruise when time is limited.

 

Bring your printed receipt from when you made the purchase to show as 'evidence'.

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Blinders on is all I can say, lol. I don't recall the TA saying how much it was but we haven't used her before and we went in as past cruisers with HAL so she might have assumed we knew.

 

Thanks for the replies! But has anyone run into issues with prepaying it?

 

 

Have your TA send you a copy of how much you will be getting in shipboard credit.

Our TA always sends us a copy at final payment and make copies of her copy to take along with me.

[kazu]

Just a note about buying OBC (which HAL prefers to call Shipboard Credit): you can only buy them in fixed amounts - $5, $25, $50, or $100. If you want $300 you have to buy 3 @ $100. The receipt that is emailed will say $100, quantity 3, but when you look at your reservation on-line it will only say $100. Don't panic - the $300 will be there when you get there! :)

 

very good point - also applies to beverage cards and in fact anything that that you order more than one of;) We always bring the emails (or email them to your phone/IPAD) so that we have proof of the amounts just in case:D

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Just to clarify for the OP and any others, While it has been mentioned in order to pre pay Hotel Service Charge/Gratuities with Holland America one must purchase On Board Credit. Holland America DOES NOT have the ability to Pre Pay gratuities specifically but they do allow to pre purchase on board credit which in turn can be used toward your Hotel Service Charge.

As for the increase it definitely has been over a year I want to say it went into effect in later 2011 I am pretty sure that our Hawaii cruise in Oct 2011 our Suite was charged the $12 PP per day.

[Lessa123]

Our invoice shows we prepaid our gratuities with our credit card at $11.50 per person per day, now I am confused. :confused: Guess I'll be calling my TA tomorrow as today is a holiday here.

[Randyk47]

Our invoice shows we prepaid our gratuities with our credit card at $11.50 per person per day, now I am confused. :confused: Guess I'll be calling my TA tomorrow as today is a holiday here.

 

So you're saying you arranged, through your TA, to prepay your gratuities? The TA actually offered a line item option to do that? The reason I ask is that on a cruise a couple of years ago the TA I used offered an incentive that was prepaid gratuities. I wondered at the time how that would work and their invoice to me showed the prepaid gratuities as a separate no-charge line item. How HAL actually handled it was that our on-board ship account actually showed a credit balance for an amount equal to the gratuities but it wasn't specifically called out as being for that purpose. Bottom line was that at the end of the cruise HAL had simply credited the OBC against whatever we'd charged during the cruise and the accrued Hotel Service Charge. In the end it all works out the same way and I'll admit we really liked it when HAL when to the on-line system where we could book tours, indulgences, etc., and prepay those before the cruise. Kind of took some of the sting out of that last night's bill.

[Lessa123]

We were charged $322 to our credit card for "gratuities" and she specifically asked us if we wanted to prepay them. Our invoice shows the final payment for the cruise and a separate entry for prepaid gratuities.

 

I'm just confused because if everyone is saying that you can't "prepay" them unless you buy OBC and you can only buy OBC in even numbers, where did that money go?

 

I have been looking through all my cruise paperwork and I can't figure out where it shows how much OBC you have. I thought I saw it somewhere in the past and it was $150 but now I've lost it.

 

Off to email the TA.

[Randyk47]

We were charged $322 to our credit card for "gratuities" and she specifically asked us if we wanted to prepay them. Our invoice shows the final payment for the cruise and a separate entry for prepaid gratuities.

 

I'm just confused because if everyone is saying that you can't "prepay" them unless you buy OBC and you can only buy OBC in even numbers, where did that money go?

 

I have been looking through all my cruise paperwork and I can't figure out where it shows how much OBC you have. I thought I saw it somewhere in the past and it was $150 but now I've lost it.

 

Off to email the TA.

 

Maybe TA's can add OBC's in uneven amounts as I think our TA's incentive credit was something like $240. As I recall I couldn't see my TA's OBC on my HAL account on line prior to the cruise. I was curious so on the first full day on the ship I asked the Neptune Lounge concierge to check our account and he said there was a credit amount from our TA.

[Lessa123]

OK, here is what my TA had to say on it. I think next time I'll just buy the OBC myself and skip all the confusion.

 

You are not completely wrong....it is applied as an "on board credit" but is noted as a services charge. So technically you could use it for something else if you really wanted to but it is noted that it will be applied for gratuities.

Now unfortunately it does not show up anywhere you would see it but it is on the file I have spoke to 3 different people and they all say it is noted on the file.

Thanks for all the help, everyone. Now I am just going to relax. Well and iron and finish packing so not much relaxing but 5 more days til paradise!

[Krazy Kruizers]

Have a Great Cruise!!