HAL Mariner status cruise day credits for pre-departure official HAL purchases

[MeandtheSea]

Hello,  fellow cruisers. I’m an avid cruiser and have gone on many Holland America cruises.   I feel like I should know the answer to this question as 3-Star Mariner,  but I do not.   Do passengers receive cruise day credits towards Mariner Society status when purchasing official HAL shore excursions, spa bookings, packages, etc. in advance of their cruise (not while on board).?  I purchased over $700 in excursions for an upcoming cruise, so in theory that should translate to getting credit for 2 cruise days towards my Mariner status, correct?  I know you get credit for on board purchases.  Thanks for any insights here.  I’m looking forward to my Norwegian Fjords cruise on Nieuw Statendam in Sept.

[CruiserBruce]

Yes, you do.

[TiogaCruiser]

Yes, but you receive them AFTER the cruise. (Not sure if that was part of your question....)

[Loreto]

I have found HAL to be very generous in calculating the pre and onboard spending cruise credits!

Karen

[aledomom]

Where do you find the information on the different levels, where you are in that level and what qualifies for credits?

[aledomom]

Never mind - found it!

[Shmoo here]

On 8/9/2019 at 8:41 AM, Loreto said:

I have found HAL to be very generous in calculating the pre and onboard spending cruise credits!

Karen

Does the HSC count in calculating credits?

 

Do they just total all the spending in a room and give both people the same number of credits?

 

So I spend XX on excursions pre-cruise, and my partners account is the one we use for onboard purchases, and HSC (if also included) all equals, say $946.  Do we both get 3 extra days?

 

 

Edited August 14, 2019 by Shmoo here

[RuthC]

37 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

Does the HSC count in calculating credits?

Yes, it does. And if you increase your HSC, that higher amount counts, too.

37 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

Do they just total all the spending in a room and give both people the same number of credits?

 

So I spend XX on excursions pre-cruise, and my partners account is the one we use for onboard purchases, and HSC (if also included) all equals, say $946.  Do we both get 3 extra days?

If you both are on the same account it will work that way.

[Shmoo here]

1 minute ago, RuthC said:

Yes, it does. And if you increase your HSC, that higher amount counts, too.

Even if the HSC was an included promotional perk?  As in, we didn't pay the HSC, the cruise line did.

Edited August 14, 2019 by Shmoo here

[RuthC]

18 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

Even if the HSC was an included promotional perk?  As in, we didn't pay the HSC, the cruise line did.

Oh, that could be different.

Not the same, but very similar situation:
As a 5* Mariner I get two Pinnacle dinners at no charge, and the remainder at half price. Sometimes the charge appears on my bill, then the discount appears as a credit. In those cases, I am getting the Mariner Days credits.
Other times, no charge appears at all for the included dinners, so no Mariner credit.

Perhaps it's a matter of how it's recorded on the bill for the HSC, too.

[Alberta Quilter]

25 minutes ago, Shmoo here said:

Even if the HSC was an included promotional perk?  As in, we didn't pay the HSC, the cruise line did.

Based on my experience and resulting cruise day credits, the HSC perk does count towards one's cruise day credits.  It might depend on how they actually process the "free" HSC.  On at least one of my cruises with the perk, HAL debited the charge and then posted a credit for the same amount.  It's the debits that count towards your cruise day credits and not the credits.  The thing is that one does not actually see all the ins and outs on one's printed bill at the end of the cruise.  I saw them on my mother's account (before they combined it with my account) but not on my account.  I've almost always gotten more cruise day credits than I've expected so I don't worry about it anymore, particularly once we got to 4 star status.

Edited August 14, 2019 by Alberta Quilter

[Shmoo here]

1 minute ago, Alberta Quilter said:

particularly once we got to 4 star status.

Yeah, that's what we're aiming for......