HAL credit card hold

[richwmn]

5 minutes ago, WorldTraveler24 said:

Good to know. You guys have been beyond helpful.

Could I ask another question that may seem silly too?
I was told we wouldn't get our room number until we check in at the pier. While I couldn't complete the docs, it allowed us to print the luggage tags. What do I do for that? Should I leave stateroom # blank, or will we have all our luggage with us at that point?

We have previously sailed out of Tampa, Cape Canaveral and Port Liberty .

You didn't mention your sail date or that you have a guarantee cabin. With a guarantee cabin you will likely get your cabin assignment 7 - 10 days before you cruise. If you don't the porters will have a list with cabin numbers when you get to the port.

 

[freestyling]

6 minutes ago, WorldTraveler24 said:

I was told we wouldn't get our room number until we check in at the pier.

Your stateroom number which apparently is a guarantee could show up where you printed your luggage tags. Sometimes 10 days out sometimes not. If not the porters will have a list of all stateroom occupants and can either attach a luggage tag to each bag or write the stateroom number on the tag you have attached to the bags.  

[WorldTraveler24]

I thought it's stated above, but we leave Wed Jan 16th. We fly down to FL Monday to give us enough time in the case of snow/ice disturbances. 

It does say guaranteed cabin. I will look again to see if any more info on the stateroom has come in. 

[ChinaShrek]

2 minutes ago, richwmn said:

I just went to an upcoming 14 day cruise and this was the message under the "Charges" section - Your card will be pre-authorized for $840 on the day of departure. That is $60/day/person (1 person). I don't understand why your hold was so much.

 

I really don't try to understand it.  I have gone on four 7-night cruises with HAL and the amount authorized to my card at check-in has varied immensely.  On two cruises, HAL authorized my card a little bit each day.  On two cruises,  it was one charge at check-in.  At check-in, you are at the whim of the agent as to what they wish to authorize on your card.  The OP should be aware of this reality.

[Bretty]

A note to the OP, whilst this a hold in your card as explained, and not an actual charge, the $1300+ hold is going to reduce the available credit on that card if you plan to use it during your cruise for other purchases such as anything in port. The money is ringfenced and therefore temporarily eats into your credit.

 

it shouldn’t pose much of a problem as long as you know this in advance. And it does, of course, depend on your spending and credit card habits. We’re all different and some folks are more cash oriented whilst others happily use plastic. It usually takes 48-72 hours after you disembark for the hold to be released after the actual charge has processed. 

Edited January 7, 2019 by Bretty

[kazu]

1 hour ago, WorldTraveler24 said:

Good to know. You guys have been beyond helpful.

Could I ask another question that may seem silly too?
I was told we wouldn't get our room number until we check in at the pier. While I couldn't complete the docs, it allowed us to print the luggage tags. What do I do for that? Should I leave stateroom # blank, or will we have all our luggage with us at that point?

We have previously sailed out of Tampa, Cape Canaveral and Port Liberty .

 

Your room number might well appear before you leave but even if it doesn’t no worries.  There should be someone there that can give your room number so you can add it to your luggage tags.

 

You’ll check your luggage in where the stevedores are before you enter the terminal.  No worries - there’s extra tags available and as well, a listing.  You’ll be able to designate your bags to your room.  But...

 

check the HAL website where your luggage tags are before you go.  You might well find your room number on them before you leave.

 

Have a great cruise!

[zqvol]

One thing that I did not see mentioned as I reviewed the posts above. Do NOT use a debit card for on board expenses. The hold can take you to 30 days to come off the card. With a CC that is not usually an issue, but with a debit card your funds are held until the hold is lifted (the bank decides when the hold is lifted, HAL has nothing to do with it) , They holds have in the past caused a lot of people to have payments bounce because the funds are tied up.

[regnig]

2 hours ago, WorldTraveler24 said:

I thought it's stated above, but we leave Wed Jan 16th. We fly down to FL Monday to give us enough time in the case of snow/ice disturbances. 

It does say guaranteed cabin. I will look again to see if any more info on the stateroom has come in. 

Since you are not sailing until Jan 16th it is very possible your stateroom will be assigned in the next few days.  You can print your luggage tags at any time up until, I believe, 24-48 hours prior to departure so if it comes through prior to Monday you will be good to go.  You can print or reprint them as often as necessary.  If your stateroom hasn't been assigned prior to Monday you can just get the tags from the stevedores at the dock with no problem.

 

Time to relax, breath deep and plan on having a wonderful cruise!

[cbr663]

As the OP appears to have lower credit available on their cards for the cruise, does anyone know whether they can approach HAL at check in and ask that they limit their purchase ability on their accounts while on board?  In other words, lower their on line credit limit.

 

I remember reading some time ago that a poster was successful doing this for the children sailing with them.  Perhaps adults can do this also.  After all you can't spend money onboard if your card is locked.

[WorldTraveler24]

I was able to complete check in with the credit card and print the boarding passes, now that everything is complete. On the boarding pass it told us the stateroom, so both big worries are put to rest :) 

[Alberta Quilter]

Awesome news!  I hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[kazu]

Your room is assigned!  Wonderful!

 

Have a great cruise 😄 

[ScottC4746]

21 hours ago, WorldTraveler24 said:

Hi, I'm new to HAL, but have cruised other lines. As I was completing the online check it, it stated we need to BOTH provide a credit card and accept a hold of roughly $700 each. Maybe it was my fault, but this totally knocked me off guard. I have never heard of such a thing and was never told about this. We have never encountered this on any other line, despite what everyone says. I would know . Maybe it was the length of the cruise.  
We are a married couple, but I kept my maiden name . Would a married couple still need 2 separate cards to be charged? There is no other way to do it on my end right now. None of this is making sense to me. We rarely spend much money on board and can't even dream of coming close to this hold amount. We are basically expected to hold 2 mortgage payments, which is not doable. As it stands right now, we may not even be allowed to do this even though the cruise was paid for in full awhile ago. We certainly will not be spending a dime on any day of cruising as a result. 

We are due to set said in a week. 
We also have 2 onboard credits . How can that be factored in ? A cash option is completely impossible. What was supposed to be a dream cruise has turned out to be the biggest nightmare imaginable. Already we know we will never sail HAL again and we haven't even boarded. This has been nothing but problem after problem. 
Any positive help would be appreciated. Thanks.

Just to clarify,  We used one credit card for the booking but the deposit is $350 pp.  I don't know if it is because it is a 7 night or just standard $350, but my TA did say HAL is one of the few cruise lines that do double deposits.  Other cruise lines, RCCL, is one deposit per cabin not per person.  Now what I did read on HAL's website, and let me post it verbatim here, 

"

All onboard purchases and services are charged to your account by using your stateroom keycard. Cash is not accepted for individual transactions, e.g. bars, the shops, spa, shore excursions. Cash is accepted in our casinos.

Registering a credit or debit card(s) (Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express®, and Discover®) as part of your pre-cruise check-in process activates your keycard. The day you board, Holland America Line places an initial hold on your credit or debit card for $60 per person per cruise day ($30.00 per person per day for cruises longer than 25 days). Once you’ve spent the initial hold amount, we will authorize your card for the total of your onboard purchases to date plus an additional $60 per person per day for the remainder of your cruise. Please note that there may be multiple authorizations throughout your cruise, and that some banks may keep the hold in place for up to 30 days.

If you do not want to use a credit or debit card, on the day of boarding, you will need to visit Guest Services and deposit $60 cash per person per cruise day (applies to all guests 18 years of age and over). Any excess deposit will be refunded to you at the end of the cruise. Traveler's checks may be cashed at Guest Services. Personal checks are not accepted on board.

You may bring a pre-paid Gift/Rewards Card to pay for your onboard charges. Please bring the prepaid Gift card (with the Visa/Mastercard/American Express and Discover logo) to Guest Services for processing and do not register it online. The card can only be settled for the amount of the pre-paid Gift Card. We cannot process refunds on these cards.

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. Refunds for purchases of onboard products and services will be credited to your onboard account whether purchased prior to or during your cruise. The final amount billed may take up to 24-hours following disembarkation. For questions about how long the hold remains in effect or how your available credit is affected, please contact your card issuer."

This means during your cruise you will have multiple authorizations practically every night so make sure you have a card that is not close to your credit limit.  This is standard in the industry.

  

[zqvol]

If you prepay your gratuities and have a drink package most lines will allow you to make a much smaller deposit. You can always make a cash deposit and if you get close to using it up, go down and pay it off with a CC, then you have the entore ampunt of the deposit to spend and no holds on the CC.

[richwmn]

1 hour ago, zqvol said:

If you prepay your gratuities and have a drink package most lines will allow you to make a much smaller deposit. You can always make a cash deposit and if you get close to using it up, go down and pay it off with a CC, then you have the entore ampunt of the deposit to spend and no holds on the CC.

I don't know about other lines, but HAL's stated policy in the FAQ above is:

On 1/8/2019 at 11:16 AM, ScottC4746 said:

If you do not want to use a credit or debit card, on the day of boarding, you will need to visit Guest Services and deposit $60 cash per person per cruise day (applies to all guests 18 years of age and over).

From personal experience I know that if you have OBC they will allow a slightly smaller deposit, I'm just not sure about a much smaller deposit. If you have adequate OBC you don't have to register a credit card.

Edited January 9, 2019 by richwmn

[puppycanducruise]

Have a great cruise.

Please come back and tell us all about it when you return.

[Hlitner]

While the holds do seem high, they are based historical spending habits by the average passenger.   For those who have credit cards with small limits, you might want to consider calling your credit card company (just use the number on the back of the card) prior to your trip and requesting a temporary increase in your maximum credit limit so you can easily handle the credit-hold.  Most credit cards will quickly (on the phone) approve such a request...unless you have awful credit.

 

Hank

[beaming90]

On 1/7/2019 at 7:34 PM, zqvol said:

One thing that I did not see mentioned as I reviewed the posts above. Do NOT use a debit card for on board expenses. The hold can take you to 30 days to come off the card. With a CC that is not usually an issue, but with a debit card your funds are held until the hold is lifted (the bank decides when the hold is lifted, HAL has nothing to do with it) , They holds have in the past caused a lot of people to have payments bounce because the funds are tied up.

I have been trying to reply to this all morning so if it appears 20 times, I am sorry!  Thank you for this heads up, I do not have any credit cards and was going to use my debit card.  I will just use cash.  Good to know, I had forgotten about the hold till I saw all this today.  Thank you again for the heads up!

[catl331]

On 1/8/2019 at 10:12 AM, WorldTraveler24 said:

I was able to complete check in with the credit card and print the boarding passes, now that everything is complete. On the boarding pass it told us the stateroom, so both big worries are put to rest 🙂

For future HAL sailings I suggest you apply for a HAL-Barclay Visa card to be used for the hold, as well as any pre-purchase items. You will get 2 points per dollar of HAL charges that can be redeemed for many items. There is no annual fee and no foreign transaction fees. You get 5,000 points to open the account, enough for a beverage card.

https://www.barclaycardus.com/apply/Landing.action?campaignId=2269&cellNumber=1

Edited January 9, 2019 by catl331

[WorldTraveler24]

Thanks everyone, I haven't been thrilled with all the roadblocks with HAL, but if we do decide to go back to HAL, that is an excellent idea on the HAL Barclay visa. 

 

Right now I am panicking because we are supposed to be hit with 1 to 2 feet of snow when we will be heading to the airport. This is not good. It could not have picked a worse time! lol but it is still early, so things change. We are flying early Monday and we don't cruise until Wed, but still this could really mess things up. 
This is exactly why I always give myself a few days cushion.

[kaiiak]

Another question re holds. We are taking our 2 sons: 23 and 10 years old. Does each passenger have the $60/day hold or is it just the two primary guests? Just went to plan ahead. 

[catl331]

4 minutes ago, kaiiak said:

Does each passenger have the $60/day hold or is it just the two primary guests?

Everyone

[kaiiak]

Ok thank you. So $240/day. 

[TAD2005]

Any person on the ship, even 3rd and 4th guests in a room over 18,  that has the ability to charge spa treatments, beverages, shore excursions, casino chips, art works, specialty dinners and the usual hotel service charge, must demonstrate that they have the ability to pay it back at the end of the cruise.   

[WorldTraveler24]

I just thought I would post an update. We really enjoyed our first HAL cruise on the Zuiderdam out of Port Everglades. We did the 11 night Panama Canal 

I instantly understood the credit card hold once onboard lol thankfully we didn't spend much at all and our onboard credits covered what we spent. 
The staff members were so friendly and attentive. Overall the other passengers were very nice and friendly. I met so many people who turned out to be basically my neighbors :) I enjoyed the ports of call for the most part, although some seemed to be right in the ghetto and it didn't always feel all that safe especially for us as we explored and walked all over on our own. I see why people buy the excursions although they seemed so expensive. I really wish I would have done so in Columbia. It was not safe to walk into the city and the hassling was out of control. In Costa Rica we did find a local tour that was short but packed with fun and cost pennies.

I think we enjoyed it enough to consider sailing with HAL again. I will say it was an upscale experience that really made us feel pampered. More so than any other line we have been on. 
The only down side was coming back home to the polar vortex (a 110 degree temperature change lol) 
Thank you again for all your help , guidance, and information.