Weight off of my shoulders

[beaming90]

I have no idea where I saw this at, I now wonder if I dreamed it, but I had in my head that I saw on here that it was $60 per day for gratuities and I needed 420 for it.  Wait, I know now, I read it on a board on here where they were talking about the credit card hold. But that is probably not what it really said... Anyway, I have been trying to get that money saved up for my cruise in August and fount out today I don't need anywhere near that.  I must have been seeing someone with a family of four or something.  Whew!  Yahoo!  I was wrong!!

[beaming90]

Oh my goodness!  It was just my mind playing tricks on me all this time, that is the amount I need to put down if I don't have enough On board Credit and that is the amount they hold on your credit card.  I feel like a ding dong right now.  Oh well!  Still so happy!

[Paulinda]

HAL will charge a daily housekeeping fee of about $15 per day per person that will show on your credit card.  You don't need OBC to pay this fee.  If it's not a suite I believe it may be a $1 or $2 less per day.  Enjoy your cruise. 

[richwmn]

29 minutes ago, beaming90 said:

Oh my goodness!  It was just my mind playing tricks on me all this time, that is the amount I need to put down if I don't have enough On board Credit and that is the amount they hold on your credit card.  I feel like a ding dong right now.  Oh well!  Still so happy!

 

20 minutes ago, Paulinda said:

HAL will charge a daily housekeeping fee of about $15 per day per person that will show on your credit card.  You don't need OBC to pay this fee.  If it's not a suite I believe it may be a $1 or $2 less per day.  Enjoy your cruise. 

 

The housekeeping charge will go on your onboard account daily, not your credit card. It is currently $14.50 for those not in a suite.

When you board the ship, HAL will authorize $60/person/day to the credit card you register. At this point it is not a charge, just a hold for that amount which would be $420 per person for a 7 day cruise.

If you choose not to register a credit card, HAL will want a cash deposit, which would include any credits you have from stock, ta or otherwise, to total that same amount. From experience I know that they will allow a bit less.

If you do a cash deposit, any excess will be returned to you (in cash if you wish) at the end of the cruise.

 

[beaming90]

And I know all of this, I am horrible at not saving money so I am buying onboard credit as a way to have it...But I had just gotten in my head that the gratuities were 420 on top of everything else.  And now that I realized how crazy that was I feel so much better!!!

[*Miss G*]

Have a great cruise @beaming90!  You will have a lovely time. 

[puppycanducruise]

Buying onboard credit is a great way to 'pre-pay' the daily service charge.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise.

[beaming90]

😁Only 94 days to obsess and worry and plan and anticipate!!!

 

 

[3rdGenCunarder]

43 minutes ago, beaming90 said:

😁Only 94 days to obsess and worry and plan and anticipate!!!

 

 

 

Try not to obsess and worry and, instead,  enjoy the anticipation. 

 

Don't feel like a ding dong. A lot of people have been caught by surprise by the credit card hold if their credit cards had a lot of charges on them, or they don't have a credit card and didn't bring that much extra cash. So now you're planning for the $420 hold, which is a good thing. And if you spend it on board, well, you put the money aside for it. And if you don't spend it all, you get a "cash-back bonus" at the end of the cruise. 

 

[crystalspin]

Like 3rdGen said, you are only a dingdong if you figure the opposite way and do not allocate enough! Our HSC is $29 combined for two in a non-suite room. 

[Mud_Shark]

I think I see the answer to this question already, but maybe a confirmation that I am reading it right will help convince me.

 

On the HAL website, it mentions several things that OBC can be used for on board, but paying off the daily service charge is not listed as one of them.  Can OBC, even OBC granted by 3rd party vendors, be used to pay the DSC?  I would hate to save our OBC - assuming it is going towards the DSC, only to discover it dissolves at the end of the cruise because it went unused.

 

Thanks

Don

[TAD2005]

6 hours ago, Mud_Shark said:

I think I see the answer to this question already, but maybe a confirmation that I am reading it right will help convince me.

 

On the HAL website, it mentions several things that OBC can be used for on board, but paying off the daily service charge is not listed as one of them.  Can OBC, even OBC granted by 3rd party vendors, be used to pay the DSC?  I would hate to save our OBC - assuming it is going towards the DSC, only to discover it dissolves at the end of the cruise because it went unused.

 

Thanks

Don

The only thing you can't do with your HAL issued OBC (the free stuff) is withdraw it as cash, or load up a slot machine, do a few pulls, then cash it out.  That scam used to work before HAL got their act together and restricted the HAL provided OBC to onboard spending.  Yes, it can be used to pay your HSC, or shore excursions, gift shop purchases, drinks, drink packages, (a $5 penalty if you use your OBC to buy the regular beverage package), specialty dinner charges.   Any OBC purchased by you or your TA can be used for anything, even cash advances and casino.