Preauthorized holds??

[TennGirl615]

I got back from my cruise on Saturday and I just checked my bank account and I have 4 different charges from Carnival. One being the amount we owed on board and then 3 random amounts. I called Carnival and was told the other 3 were preauthorized charges and they would be released at midnight tomorrow. Was there some small print I missed? This is my 6th cruise. 2nd and last with Carnival and I have never had this happen.

 

I was debating doing a review but decided not to. For many reasons I will be going back to cruising with RCI. The service, food and activities on board were not what I remembered them being. Could be all lines now though since it has been 4 years since I have cruised. I enjoyed my cruise but the food was awful. They had the same thing every single day. The one night we went to the dining room the steak was so dry I couldn't even eat it. And not to mention the anytime dining is chaos. I had no clue who our server even was.

[dchi72]

Don't know if you missed anything in the fine print, but preauthorized holds are pretty standard in today's economy.

 

Hotels do it

Car Rental companies do it

Cruise lines do it

Gas stations do it

 

The difficult part is how long your credit card company keeps the authorizations in place.

[lovebelle]

I got back from my cruise on Saturday and I just checked my bank account and I have 4 different charges from Carnival. One being the amount we owed on board and then 3 random amounts. I called Carnival and was told the other 3 were preauthorized charges and they would be released at midnight tomorrow. Was there some small print I missed? This is my 6th cruise. 2nd and last with Carnival and I have never had this happen.

 

I was debating doing a review but decided not to. For many reasons I will be going back to cruising with RCI. The service, food and activities on board were not what I remembered them being. Could be all lines now though since it has been 4 years since I have cruised. I enjoyed my cruise but the food was awful. They had the same thing every single day. The one night we went to the dining room the steak was so dry I couldn't even eat it. And not to mention the anytime dining is chaos. I had no clue who our server even was.

 

No small print that I knw of, but Holds are pretty standard nowadays in various settings (hotels, car rental, stores). I know even some gas stations can hold upwards of $75 on your account. Sorry if you were not prepared for it, but the holds will drop from your account shortly.

 

Otherwise sorry your cruise did not live up to your exectations. Quite a bit has changed across the board on all lines in the last few years, but hopefully your next cruising experience will be better.

[cruise_girl2002]

when I went to do my onboard account for my cruise next week, it day something about holds for cards. there is print there, not small either. as far as "they had the same thing every single day"...yeah right :rolleyes: I know better than that! they have their everyday items and their just for today items.

[isaiahsnana]

I agree with cruise girl, there is a different menu every day and a menu that remains the same so there are always new choices. The steak can be ordered any night cooked to order, I like medium rare and never had a problem, now maybe if you like well done (a crime against meat, in my opinion) then I am sure it seriously toughens up. The same is true at the buffet, there are different items every day and you could eat from a different section of the buffet every day and never repeat any item on your plate. I choose to do late seating so I know who my servers are and seem to get better personalized service that way.

[TennGirl615]

I understand the holds but I already paid the amount I should have so why should there be 3 seperate charges for the same exact thing. And yes they did have one half of the buffet open at night with different stuff but in my opinion it wasn't good. Several people made the comment. Other than that everything was the same. The grill had the exact same thing. Breakfast was the exact same every morning and the salad bar had the exact same stuff. Last time I cruised they changed it up every day. If you don't like fish or odd stuff they fixed then you were left to eat hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken fingers. I asked them to make my son a grilled cheese since he's only 16 months and doesn't eat steak or what ever else and they said they couldn't do it. I mean a grilled cheese. Not that hard. This is all just my opinion. Everyone has one.

[SwellBee]

Don't know if you missed anything in the fine print, but preauthorized holds are pretty standard in today's economy.

 

...

The difficult part is how long your credit card company keeps the authorizations in place.

 

 

I cannot stress enough how important this statement is. I work at a midscale hotel. We process payment on the morning of our guests' departure and preauthorization is released at the same time. The time it takes to clear is up to the card's issuing bank.

[WiCruiseDreamer]

I got back from my cruise on Saturday and I just checked my bank account and I have 4 different charges from Carnival. One being the amount we owed on board and then 3 random amounts. I called Carnival and was told the other 3 were preauthorized charges and they would be released at midnight tomorrow. Was there some small print I missed? This is my 6th cruise. 2nd and last with Carnival and I have never had this happen.

 

I was debating doing a review but decided not to. For many reasons I will be going back to cruising with RCI. The service, food and activities on board were not what I remembered them being. Could be all lines now though since it has been 4 years since I have cruised. I enjoyed my cruise but the food was awful. They had the same thing every single day. The one night we went to the dining room the steak was so dry I couldn't even eat it. And not to mention the anytime dining is chaos. I had no clue who our server even was.

 

Do you think that you will get different answers here then you did on the other site you posted at.

As for anytime dining, simply ask for the wait staff you want. Indeed there is an everyday menu, besides the individual menus for each night. Of course, since you speak of a line, am assuming then that you are speaking of the buffet. I did not see the same thing every day here, other then the basics, salads, breads, fruits.

[KenMo]

I cannot stress enough how important this statement is. I work at a midscale hotel. We process payment on the morning of our guests' departure and preauthorization is released at the same time. The time it takes to clear is up to the card's issuing bank.

 

Yes, a very good point.

 

For the OP:

 

Carnival looks as your daily spending and will place holds throughout the cruise. These are the "random holds".

 

At the end of the cruise, they will charge the total amount of your S&S to your card.

 

It is completely up to the bank/card company as to when those holds are released.

[WiCruiseDreamer]

I cannot stress enough how important this statement is. I work at a midscale hotel. We process payment on the morning of our guests' departure and preauthorization is released at the same time. The time it takes to clear is up to the card's issuing bank.

 

I work at a very large resort, pre-auths are not released until 7 days after departure. It is held as a security incase of damage.

[Cruisin'Doc]

I understand the holds but I already paid the amount I should have so why should there be 3 seperate charges for the same exact thing.

 

As the cruise is progressing, Carnival will put 'holds' or 'pending charges' in place to ensure that you have enough funds to cover the charges you are making.

 

At the end of your cruise, they will make one final charge, which is an actual charge, that will be the total of all of your purchases, charges, etc. At the same time, they 'release' all of the preauthorizations previously made.

 

Within 5-7 days business days after the end of your cruise, the smaller holds/pending charges should 'drop off.' That is NOT a CCL issue, that is up to your bank/credit card. They are the ones holding the charge in place. When it clears from your account is completely up to them. There have been numerous threads on these forums devoted just to this issue, and why people are cautioned about using debit/credit cards.

 

Personally, I know they do this (the first time it happened to me, I had a long talk with CCL and my bank to understand the process), so I don't panic about it. I know that many other institutions follow the same process - as was mentioned earlier - hotels, car rental companies, gas stations, airlines, etc.

[TennGirl615]

As the cruise is progressing' date=' Carnival will put 'holds' or 'pending charges' in place to ensure that you have enough funds to cover the charges you are making.

 

At the end of your cruise, they will make one final charge, which is an actual charge, that will be the total of all of your purchases, charges, etc. At the same time, they 'release' all of the preauthorizations previously made.

 

Within 5-7 days business days after the end of your cruise, the smaller holds/pending charges should 'drop off.' That is NOT a CCL issue, that is up to your bank/credit card. They are the ones holding the charge in place. When it clears from your account is completely up to them. There have been numerous threads on these forums devoted just to this issue, and why people are cautioned about using debit/credit cards.

 

Personally, I know they do this (the first time it happened to me, I had a long talk with CCL and my bank to understand the process), so I don't panic about it. I know that many other institutions follow the same process - as was mentioned earlier - hotels, car rental companies, gas stations, airlines, etc.[/quote']

 

Thank you for being polite with your answer. Like I said I have never had this happen in the other 5 cruises I had been on. I talked to Carnival and he said it would be released tomorrow at midnight. I just find it frustrating because they have their money. Now they're holding money I need.

[TennGirl615]

Do you think that you will get different answers here then you did on the other site you posted at.

As for anytime dining, simply ask for the wait staff you want. Indeed there is an everyday menu, besides the individual menus for each night. Of course, since you speak of a line, am assuming then that you are speaking of the buffet. I did not see the same thing every day here, other then the basics, salads, breads, fruits.

 

Not sure what 'other site' you are referring to since this is the only one I get on and I rarely even post on here. I'm sure I'm not the only one that has ever had this question but thanks negative nancy;)

[EZ4]

I must be missing the negativity. :rolleyes:

[kingoftheicedragons]

You probably just don't notice the holds the other times. I have been on seven Carnival cruises, and I have not noticed the debit card hold on any of them. They probably should be more upfront about the hold--I know car rental companies are when you hand over the debit card to pay. So I know that holds are put in place for cruises and car rental companies (and gas stations), and I can't say I blame them--they want to make sure you can actually pay for what you are buying. The only hold I have ever noticed was from a gas station--right after the gas station, I attempted to buy something at Best Buy. My card company thought it unusual that I was trying to buy electronics apparently and refused the card and the fraud department had a call on my answering machine about it. When I called to check to make sure the purchases were mine, I noticed the hold price from the gas station and talked to a representative about it. That's the only time I have ever noticed a hold.

[cruizinisthebest]

This is the problem I have with questions like the OPs - the original post always winds up going into stuff that had nothing to do with the title of the thread. As a new member on CC, I already see the pattern.

 

I don't know why anyone would be suprised or bothered about holds on an account. Everybody does this it seems. You know it will be released - maybe not exactly when yoou want - but it will eventually fall off. I would give it literally a week -10 days to be resolved before I started getting concerned.

 

As far the food choices, as I remember it, there is always hamburgers, hot dogs, salads, fruit, the frozen yogurt machine, etc. available everyday in at least one part of the buffet. The other part will have something different everyday. And of course pizza is available 24/7. The MDR has different entrees everyday with some things you can just ask for that's available everyday. The statement that the ship served the same food every single day is only true in part. One area of the buffet yes. The entire ship and every dining option - absolutely not.

 

And as far as breakfast goes, not sure how much that can be switched up at the buffet. There's plenty of options. Plus, again, you can dine for breakfast in the MDR and perhaps get something more unique in there.

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy your cruise. The holds WILL fall off. Give it time.

[CrusinCyndi]

Interesting...I've never noticed holds on my CC account...been on 21 cruises so far...perhaps it's because I have a real high credit limit and always pay off my card each month? I also notify my CC company that I am going on a cruise and give them some details so maybe that's it.

[dms_cruisers04]

I just find it frustrating because they have their money. Now they're holding money I need.

Are you now using a different debit/credit card or bank than you did 4 years ago on your prior cruise?

That may be the reason you didn't notice the holds before but do now, the new bank is not releasing the holds as soon.

But you need to understand, Carnival is not holding your money. It is your debit/credit card issuer. Talk with them if you need the holds released sooner.

[awhcruiser]

Just wondering why its Carnivals responsibility for your lack of planning? I would make sure I had plenty of money available for holds in my account.

 

I just find it frustrating because they have their money. Now they're holding money I need.

[jmcathome]

I had the same thing on mine and the origianl charge and two others. After three days the smaller one s disappeared from temporary and one cahrge appeared

[TennGirl615]

This is why I never post on here. What's with all the rude people?! I asked a simple question and got a simple answer. No need to be repetitive.

[Seago2]

Holds are the bane of my existence! I'm glad not to be in credit card debt up to my eyeballs (I have enough in other areas) but debit card "merchant holds" are enough to make you crazy. They put a hold for a certain amount depending on the length of the cruise. When you near the limit they put a new hold on. On and on it goes. Yes, there may be several holds and several charges. The S&S may be a hold, whereas a FCD may be a purchase. I'm sure you get this by now so I won't belabor the point. Certain banks, M&T being one of them, Key bank being another, are not "on line". Again, I won't go into a huge explanation, but basically they make money off the float, okay? Bank of America is much faster. So the merchant has to release the hold and submit the correct amount and the bank has to do their part as well. So you can look at your balance and see that a gas station put a $1 hold on. Then three days later it's gone. Then the day after that the $60 worth of gas you bought is debited. So...

 

Might as well go ahead and put your review up. Many of us are disappointed with the way the whole industry, at least the mass market lines, have gone. The lido buffet at dinner time is quite a shock. I'm kind of dreading the first half of my B2B coming up because my 14 year old is not going to want to sit alone with me in the MDR every night. The lido is a shell of its former self at night. However, the MDR still has a lot of selections; I think that's why people are arguing with you.

 

Holla back.

[agabbymama]

OP,

 

Are you looking at Debit Card on your checking account? Or a Credit Card?

 

They can be handled totally different. That's why most folks will tell you to NEVER USE YOUR DEBIT CARD for car rental, hotel, cruise, etc.

 

Someone posted that gas stations will hold $1.00 then the $60 in gas you bought. Totally wrong when you use a debit card, they can/do place a hold for $100, then charge you the $60 for gas. So in fact $160 is held from your account until they release the $100 hold which can/and does sometimes take 7-10 days.

 

I was renting a car for a week, handed my debit card to the agent. He was nice enough to tell me they would place a $250 HOLD, then the actual fee when I returned the car would go through as a charge, but that would tie up close to $500 of my money. I quickly changed to a credit card for the deposit. I did use my debit card when I returned the car, with no problems.

 

And it's not just Carnival that does this, I think all the main stream cruiselines do it. I've traveled NCL, HAL, Princess, RCI and Celebrity. I usually use a credit card though, not a debit card.

 

Good Luck!

[CheckersMidwest]

I understand how holds work....our gas station does them and the Atlantis does it too. We use our debit card (visa) for those however.

 

So.....we didn't use credit cards. I got a new one to use just when we travel. If it has a $1000 limit......and your total S&S bill is $800-999......when they charge at the end of the cruise, will it be covered? Or will the holds lower your available amount?

[somesong12]

I did one cruise using my debit and they "held" a small amount of money, and I was told it was to make sure funds were there because of it being DEBIT, attached to a checking account, not credit.

 

WHen we have used our credit card there has never been a hold.

 

Maybe that is why.

 

However, like the OP said, its usually standard the there are holds on stays, trips, etc. I would expect it. I don't think it has to do with credit, becasue we pay our Amex off monthly never carrying over a balance. It's sad that some people have ruined it for those that have been good behaved guests... anywhere for that matter..and there has to be a hold, but really if you need your money so bad then cruising(or any vacation) probably shouldn't have been on the itinerary. I wouldn't think it was wise for anyone to travel if they only had limited funds and were not able to do things after their cruise or any vacation because of fund holds.