Add't $60/day/person now required before boarding

[Roz]

Greg,

 

Agree...in other words, there's no excuse for not knowing! It's hard for me to believe that people will fork over thousands of dollars for a cruise, and not take the time to do some research into what it is they're actually purchasing.

 

I can't travel flying by the seat of my pants. I plan and budget.

 

Roz

[RevNeal]

Agree...in other words, there's no excuse for not knowing! It's hard for me to believe that people will fork over thousands of dollars for a cruise, and not take the time to do some research into what it is they're actually purchasing.

 

Precisely! And, yet, we've seen it MANY MANY times on this board ... and I've encountered it many times aboard ship. People who are clueless as to matters that are expressly spelled out in the Know Before You Go booklet and online.

[HeatherInFlorida]

...........

I registered my AMEX Plat card and after I recorded the number and got DH's name on my card, it did indicate that there would be a $2760 HOLD placed on the card the day we check in at the pier.

 

And of course there is no limit on that card.

 

I think they do that no matter what card you register.

 

Heather -

 

Amex does not do "holds" in the sense other cards do. You are correct that since there is no preset spending limit, it's not an issue.

 

My understanding is that HAL will "check" that the amount of the pre-authorization will go go through (when using Amex) and to verify the card is not a lost or stolen card....

.............

 

Thanks, Yonnie and Laura. I suspect the reason I didn't see it is that it's not an issue for us with Amex.

 

I agree Amex is a great card to use for travel no matter what color it is.:) Except maybe if you're going to the Olympics where I think Visa is still the only card accepted. ;) :D

[Dena]

When it comes to one's kids I can't imagine not haveing the desire to do that. Doesn't everyone want to do what they can to get their kids off to a good start?

 

I saw a show on PBS a few year ago about 2 girls in high school. Both were bright. One had parents who supported their daughter's desire for higher education. These parents expected their daughter to study and make good grades - they said that was her job.

 

The other set of parents expected the daughter to work at a fast food place while attending high school. They did not support her desire to attend college. The accused her of trying to get "above her raisins." I'd never heard this expression before, but apparently it means trying to achieve more education, career options, and earning power than your parents. Many call this the "American Dream" and want this for their children. Others are so envious of their children's potential that they don't want to help them and see "getting above one's raisens" as a negative thing.

 

This is so sad. Some call it "crabs in pot" - you don't need to put a lid on a crab pot because if one crab tries to climb out the others will pull her back in.

[Jade13]

This is so sad. Some call it "crabs in pot" - you don't need to put a lid on a crab pot because if one crab tries to climb out the others will pull her back in.

 

Interesting expression which I have never heard, which is unusual because I grew up in an area with a lot of crabs :)

[Dena]

 

Btw, most people I know have paid for their own weddings, including my stepdaughter (although we ended up paying for the food - the amount was under $1K so I forgot about it).

 

When we were married almost 20 years ago, it was $75 per head for the reception - this covered food and drink, not music. So I'd say under 1K for food was very reasonable. It is a shame that you "ended up" paying it rather than doing so happily.

 

My parents were my no means wealthy, but they wanted to pay for our wedding. I was still in graduate school. DH was older and could have paid for the wedding, but my parents didn't want this to happen. They wanted us to have money for a down payment. They would gladly have skipped a few cruises to be able to pay for the wedding, but did not need to as they had planned for this expense. Anyway, in some ways weddings are really more about the families than they are about the bride and groom. I suggest that some couples might wish to consider Princess. Princess will conduct an onboard wedding. It would be nice way to elope and may be best if the bride and groom have families who don't want the best for them.

[Jade13]

Correct. Two single people sharing a cabin usually arrange to pay their own bills independently. However, being solo in a cabin one must be careful to make sure that each time one orders something they charge it to the right person ... (i.e., 1063-1 or 1063-2). It's not hard to do that, just tell 'em your name. Bar staff usually figure it out quickly. Once the preliminary bills come out one can go through, identify any charges that should be transferred one way or the other, and take 'em down to the front desk. They'll do it without batting an eye. No problems.

 

Christopher and I usually don't bother and just figure it out between ourselves. Last time, since I paid for the cruise for both of us, he paid for the airfare, the shore excursions (including the copper canyon tour!), and all onboard expenses. It works out. This coming cruise he paid the cruise fare and I bought the airfare and am paying the onboard expenses (via a cash deposit to get us started, and I'll register a credit card if I have to toward the end of the cruise). The Eurodam cruises, next year, are going to be "Dutch" (haha). We're splitting the cruise fare between us and each is handling his own airfare arrangements (though we're coordinating so we're on the same flights to Amsterdam), so I imagine that our onboard expenses will be done the same way (that's how we arranged things for our first few cruises together).

 

Thanks for the explanation. I never thought of "1" and "2" in a cabin. Btw, it sounds like you have a great relationship the way you work things out. My DH just says "here you pay, put it on your credit card to get the FFmile points". :D :D :D We have been very fortunate with those points though, which add up fast when charged to the same CC.

[Jade13]

When we were married almost 20 years ago, it was $75 per head for the reception - this covered food and drink, not music. So I'd say under 1K for food was very reasonable. It is a shame that you "ended up" paying it rather than doing so happily.

 

quote]

 

You misread me. I don't know why you are reading something as not being done "happily". The "ended up paying" was because we gave her cash and she said she used it to pay for the food. Btw, I think her budget for the entire wedding was under 2K. The wedding took place outside in a public place, so there was no cost for the space with the exception of a small fee for a permit. Her g-dmother's husband performed the ceremony so there was no cost for that either.

 

Remember, nowadays a lot of people live together for years before getting married as well as already have children. Not everyone is interested in havng a huge affair at a reception hall with over 100 guests.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Oh - there is another place where The AMEX card is not excepted.

 

Visby - the battery in my watch died and we had to go to a jewelry shop. They only accepted Visa!!

[Dena]

Not having a great deal of money is not a crime, nor is it automatically an indicator that they are lazy or have been financially negligent.

 

Some people who have been lucky to have supportive parents, educational and job opportunities, and good health are able to become wealthy. But sometimes they don't want to believe luck played a hand. So they believe they are rich because they are good and deserving. The flip side is that the poor are not poor because they have been unfortunate, but because they are bad and undeserving - well, undeserving of anything but scorn.

[peaches from georgia]

The flip side is that the poor are not poor because they have been unfortunate, but because they are bad and undeserving - well undeserving of anything but scorn.

A LOT of people believe this, Dena, as you know. Hence they begrudge any public funds going to help the poor or down-and-out. As if they had no luck or a helping hand on their way up the ladder. :(

[RevNeal]

Some people who have been lucky to have supportive parents, educational and job opportunities, and good health are able to become wealthy. But sometimes they don't want to believe luck played a hand. So they believe they are rich because they are good and deserving. The flip side is that the poor are not poor because they have been unfortunate, but because they are bad and undeserving - well, undeserving of anything but scorn.

 

It's called "Deuteronomic Theology," and it pervades North American society. It's also called "nonsense."

[lillulu]

Not exactly. The $60/p/d hold covers the $10/p/d auto service charge, so it's not "plus".

When it gave the total of what it would hold on the credit card, the amount was $1470.00,:eek: that would be $70.00 a person (tips),plus the $60.00 per day. (this showed up in a pop up screen.) That is why I called Holland. I wanted to make sure that was right or was something wrong. As I said, I am soooo confused about all of this. I have never had this when booking with Holland before, so this must be a new policy, I guess that's why it confused me.

 

I called Holland again today. The customer representative, assured me that this was only a hold and that they would only charge the card at the end for expenses incured.

 

My friend said not to worry about it. We will try and do as the other poster suggested and fix it that her card has no spending privileges.

 

]

How would a finder know your room number? It's not on the card! (assuming you mean the door/ID card).

 

You are right, it's not on the card, (I didn't think of that), but I am a worry wart. :p

[sail7seas]

Oh - there is another place where The AMEX card is not excepted.

 

Visby - the battery in my watch died and we had to go to a jewelry shop. They only accepted Visa!!

 

Two places we went for lobster lunches on our June Maasdam cruises only accepted Visa or M/C. DH was happy I had mine with me. :)

[HeatherInFlorida]

Oh - there is another place where The AMEX card is not excepted.

 

Visby - the battery in my watch died and we had to go to a jewelry shop. They only accepted Visa!!

 

Actually, there are many restaurants (and stores) who don't take Amex. Amex charges a much higher fee than Visa and MasterCard so many no longer accept it.

 

................... Some call it "crabs in pot" - you don't need to put a lid on a crab pot because if one crab tries to climb out the others will pull her back in.

 

This is awful!!!! And I didn't know it! I'm probably the only person on earth who gets upset for lobsters and crabs being thrown into a pot of boiling water. I can't do it.:o

[ekerr19]

This is awful!!!! And I didn't know it! I'm probably the only person on earth who gets upset for lobsters and crabs being thrown into a pot of boiling water. I can't do it.:o

 

Heather -

 

We went to Pappadeuax's Seafood for Sonny's B-day in August. Katie got so upset every time they fished a live lobster out of the tank, she couldn't eat. :o

[Amlee]

No, it can't. The worst thing that would happen is that you might have a charge declined because it would put you over your new temporarily-lowered limit.

 

Let's say you owe $3000 on a $5000-limit card. HAL then puts a hold of $840 on your card when you board, so your effective remaining credit is $1160. If you go ashore and try to buy $1200 worth of jewelry, it will simply be declined. Hardly "serious trouble" IMO.

 

 

I haven't read all the way through, I saw this post and needed to post.

 

Oh yeah, it can get someone into serious trouble. Several years ago, I was in Long Beach, Ca staying at the Hilton Hotel. When I checked in I asked the balance so I could pay half in cash and half on my card. I'm one of those type that calls daily when traveling to check my balance. So the next morning, I went to check the balance and saw that my card had been charged an extra $700. So I called to find out just what was going on. It seems that Hilton puts a hold on all cards to cover a per day charge in case you order room service.

 

The credit card company told me that it would take 7 to 10 buisness days to put the money back on my card. I was furious as I hadn't been told this would happen. So I marched down to the front desk to speak to a manager. I had room service removed from my room, so that it couldn't be ordered. I then had them give me my cash back, so I would have spending money, and charge it all on the card. If I hadn't of done this, I would have been in not seriouse trouble, but MAJOR trouble. I asked to be shown in their paper work where this is stated and nobody could show me where it was. I was told it was common knowledge. There was a gentlemen checking in, who over heard my conversation. He also had his room service canceled and he too had never heard of this. He commented that he too had never heard of it.

 

Later that evening I was having dinner with some people and brought the subject up. None of them (some of whom had been in the travel business for years) had heard of this. One young girl got very upset and went to contact her credit card company. Sure enough the hotel had maxed her card out. She didn't even have enough cash on her to pay for the dinner we were having. It was day 2 of a 7 day meeting. She was totally broke.

 

She had to get money wired to her.

 

Since then, I have learned to use one card to pay for my travel and another to make purchases with. This includes one for my ship account and one to spend while off the ship.

[ekerr19]

 

Later that evening I was having dinner with some people and brought the subject up. None of them (some of whom had been in the travel business for years) had heard of this.

 

I'm sorry, but this practice has been in place since the early 90's, in my experience. Rental car companies, major hotels - even if you paying in cash will usually "pre authorize for a day and half to assure that you don't "skip out"...:confused:

 

I wonder what sort of travrel business your friends are in... when rental car agencies started doing this (and I remember the first time I encountered it was when my DD was a baby in 1993) my TA warned me about it. I rented a car at SFO and drove to my parents home with my kids, they pre-authorized double the amount of the weekly rental.

[jhannah]

Regarding the reading of the Know Before You Go information ... I do this every time. After a number of cruises some folks may feel they don't need to. As someone mentioned, things change. I want to know the latest info so I don't end up getting a big surprise.

 

I wonder how many folks who got burned by the credit fiasco in the sub-prime loan market claimed they "didn't know" they could end up with huge increases in their mortgage payments along with decreases in home value? I'm guessing there have been many. This is slightly different, of course. Truth in Lending Laws require full disclosure. But even then, many simply don't pay attention.

[mindydaile]

Later that evening I was having dinner with some people and brought the subject up. None of them (some of whom had been in the travel business for years) had heard of this.

 

I think this is because most people don't check their credit card balances every day. By the time the statement comes, the holds are gone so unless you check constantly you'd never know they were there (unless you reach your credit limit due to a hold). Gas stations, hotels, rental cars, etc. all do this every day, but very rarely do you see it disclosed to the public. I know here where I live there was a big story on the local news that local gas stations were upping the amount of their pre-authorization hold for pay at the pump gas because the price of gas had gone up so much that people were getting turned down for their final amounts!

[HeatherInFlorida]

Heather -

 

We went to Pappadeuax's Seafood for Sonny's B-day in August. Katie got so upset every time they fished a live lobster out of the tank, she couldn't eat. :o

 

I feel better:D !!! (and late Happy Birthday to Sonny!!!:))

 

After a number of cruises some folks may feel they don't need to. As someone mentioned, things change. I want to know the latest info so I don't end up getting a big surprise.

 

I agree, Jim. I read the "Know Before You Go" online (sometimes even when I'm not "going";) ) because I always feel that hopefully it's more up to date than the booklet ... not sure how often they print those. One time I got a very outdated one.

[WillieF]

Just checked HAL's website - The CC 'hold' information is all spelled out -

 

Shipboard Account

Our cashless society is designed to make your life on board as simple as possible. When you board the ship, your account has already been activated and you may make purchases by simply showing your guest identification card and signing a receipt. On embarkation day, you will need to register your credit or debit card (Visa®, Mastercard®, American Express®, Discover®) in order to use your onboard account for shipboard purchases. Your card will be pre-authorized for USD$60 per person for each day of your cruise. 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. Please inform your credit or debit card issuer in advance that your card will be used on a Holland America Line ship. This will help prevent delays in obtaining pre-authorization on board. Some banks may keep the pre-authorization in place for up to 30 days. If you do not want to use a credit or debit card, the ship will collect a cash deposit from you at time of boarding in the same pre-authorization amount. Any excess deposit will be refunded to you at the end of the cruise. Traveler’s checks may be cashed at the front office to make your deposit. Personal checks are not accepted on board.

 

and the following covers the $10.00 per person per day charge

 

Hotel Service Charge

Our crew works very hard to make sure that every aspect of your cruise meets the highest standards. This includes those crewmembers who serve you directly, such as dining room wait staff and the stewards who service your stateroom each day. There are also many others who support their efforts whom you may never meet, such as galley and laundry staff. To ensure that the efforts of all of our crewmembers are recognized and rewarded, a Hotel Service Charge of $10 per passenger is automatically added to each guest's shipboard account on a daily basis. If our service exceeds or fails to meet your expectations, you are free to adjust this amount at the end of the cruise. The Hotel Service Charge is paid entirely to Holland America Line crewmembers, and represents an important part of their compensation. A 15% service charge is automatically added to bar charges and dining room wine purchases.

 

In terminals, airports, ports of call and on shore excursions, we suggest that you extend gratuities consistent with customary local practices.

[HickoryNuts]

I am finding this a very educating read. So tell me if I am understanding correctly:

 

I am sailing with my husband and two children (11 and 7) in a quad in two weeks. It is an 11 day sailing and would therefore be a $2640 hold on our card. Can I put $110 cash on each of the kids accounts to cover gratuities and request no charging priviledges for them? And then would they only put a $1320 hold on our card to cover DH and myself?

 

It doesn't really matter as it is only a hold...not a charge, but I was just wondering.

[Kamloops50]

On our HAL cruise thru the Panama in 06 , there was hold put on

 

on a per diem rate . Don't remember the amount.

[sungoddess]

These policies have been in place for a long time with HAL; they were certainly there when I worked as Guest Relations because I dealt with quite a few people who hadn't read the 'Know Before you Go' or any info on the website. The cruise lines have to do this to protect themselves from the few who don't want to pay up at the end. I also dealt with this quite a bit, before HAL had people pre-registering online. We would take the cc info on embarkation day and try to get the authorization overnight. If it came back declined, the passenger had usually already charged to their account and would ask us to try again, and it usually came back declined again. We would then close their account until they could provide some sort of payment. I'm not saying that all of the people whose cc's were declined were trying to get out of paying their bills- a lot of the time it was the bank declining it for some other reason. But, when you find yourself at the end of a cruise with a pax in your office and no way to pay their bill, what do you do? We couldn't hold them hostage onboard, so we would make them sign a promissary note and forward the bill to the Corporate Office. They would then try to collect and eventually the bill would be sent to a collection agency. As you can imagine, many of these bills ended up unpaid, plus, HAL had to pay the collection agency.

 

So, to make a long story short, there are reasons why all cruise lines do this. Be proactive- read all of the information provided to you before you go!

 

SG