Final Night Billing Question - So confused

[MeaganA]

Hi cruisers!

Some more questions for you:

On the final night I know you receive your room bill - how does this work exactly?

We are traveling with a group of 16 and once we get on the boat we will be switching up rooms ect to better fit everyones needs. So on the last night do you receive a bill that will show the gratities that are due along with any purchases charged to the room? 

What types of charges actually are charged for the rooms anyways, I thought everything is charged to the sea pass card. For example my children are booked in a different room than myself so I set up their seapass card to charge my credit card for anything they purchase. 

On another note, my step mom is booked as the main guest in our room to give us a bigger discount, however, she will not actually be staying in our room. So if she orders room service for her room that she is staying in who is charged?

I know this is very confusing so feel free to ask any other questions that may help you to better understand my question. 

Thank you in advance!

[Jedi Jason]

Gratuities will be charged daily to your on board expense account if you do not prepay them.  You may check your balance throughout your cruise on the TV or with guest services.  It is possible to have people in your room not have charging privileges or set up on a different card or cash account.  I believe your kids in another room could have a limit on their charge privileges and/or be setup to be charged to your card.  It will become more obvious once you complete the online check in the few weeks prior to your cruise.  I personally like to prepay the gratuities so I don't get such a large bill at the end of the cruise and only need to pay them and the cruise fare by the final payment date.  You can always verify with guest services on board or when you check in at the cruise terminal.

[MeaganA]

1 minute ago, Jedi Jason said:

Gratuities will be charged daily to your on board expense account if you do not prepay them.  You may check your balance throughout your cruise on the TV or with guest services.  It is possible to have people in your room not have charging privileges or set up on a different card or cash account.  I believe your kids in another room could have a limit on their charge privileges and/or be setup to be charged to your card.  It will become more obvious once you complete the online check in the few weeks prior to your cruise.  I personally like to prepay the gratuities so I don't get such a large bill at the end of the cruise and only need to pay them and the cruise fare by the final payment date.  You can always verify with guest services on board or when you check in at the cruise terminal.

Thanks Jedi!

We actually sail out in 2 weeks. 

Here is my issue - My step mom is lead guest in our room. I went ahead and pre paid gratuities on that room. She has now decided that she is going to be in that room and I will be in another room. So now I will get another bill for gratuities in the other room when I have already paid them. So my thing is how do they bill the gratuities? Do you get a bill at the end and then you give them your credit card information, or how does that work? How is the bill paid?

[CGTLH]

Removed: What I posted made no sense.

[Jedi Jason]

5 minutes ago, MeaganA said:

Thanks Jedi!

We actually sail out in 2 weeks. 

Here is my issue - My step mom is lead guest in our room. I went ahead and pre paid gratuities on that room. She has now decided that she is going to be in that room and I will be in another room. So now I will get another bill for gratuities in the other room when I have already paid them. So my thing is how do they bill the gratuities? Do you get a bill at the end and then you give them your credit card information, or how does that work? How is the bill paid?

So, when you check in online which helps shorten your check in process at the terminal it should ask you if you are using cash or credit card for on board expenses which will include gratuities if not prepaid.  It should also prompt you to indicate which guests you will be using the same method of payment.  Check in each cabin in your party indicating the payment method for each person.  You may have to figure out how to settle up with your step mom since her gratuities are pre paid by you and yours are not.  Whatever the daily gratuity rate is will be charged daily to the sea pass card for the room.  At the end of the cruise the credit card will be charged with the total balance of all on board expenses including the daily gratuity.  I hope this makes sense.  BTW,  they will probably ask you again for your credit card info for on board expense account when you check in at the terminal even if you provided it during online check in.

 

[StayFrosty]

Well, you have created a problem for yourself.  Cruise ships work differently than a hotel.  Your SeaPass card is what is used to get into your room.  It is also your identification for the ship as well as what they use to charge your account for purchases.  If you switch rooms, then you have to switch SeaPass cards.  If you do that then you will run into problems when you try to leave or return to the ship because you will not match the picture that appears when they scan your card.  Additionally, you will be responsible for any charges made on that SeaPass card. 

You could possibly work around these issues by trading back SeaPass cards before a port visit but that would be a nightmare.  I am not sure if they will switch things for you at guest services.  Doesn't hurt to ask, but don't get your hopes up.  

(if any of this is wrong please correct me)

[Jedi Jason]

I believe you can get an extra seapass card that gives room access without charging privileges especially if it is for a minor.

[MeaganA]

8 minutes ago, Jedi Jason said:

I believe you can get an extra seapass card that gives room access without charging privileges especially if it is for a minor.

Yes! OUr TA actually set it up this way to give the most discount since my parents and grandparents are platinum. We are able to go ask for a room key only that will work for our doors so we plan to do that. 

 

[MeaganA]

13 minutes ago, Jedi Jason said:

So, when you check in online which helps shorten your check in process at the terminal it should ask you if you are using cash or credit card for on board expenses which will include gratuities if not prepaid.  It should also prompt you to indicate which guests you will be using the same method of payment.  Check in each cabin in your party indicating the payment method for each person.  You may have to figure out how to settle up with your step mom since her gratuities are pre paid by you and yours are not.  Whatever the daily gratuity rate is will be charged daily to the sea pass card for the room.  At the end of the cruise the credit card will be charged with the total balance of all on board expenses including the daily gratuity.  I hope this makes sense.  BTW,  they will probably ask you again for your credit card info for on board expense account when you check in at the terminal even if you provided it during online check in.

 

I think where I am confused is I thought that gratuities are charged per room not per individual guest. 

So for example I have me, my SO, and my 2DD linked to my card. At the end of the cruise you mean they will charge my card for gratuities for all 4 of us regardless of the room we are in? So I already paid for them in the room I am in for 4 people. But I didn't realize by pre- paying gratuities that I was actually paying for my step mom and step brother and not just the room as a whole. 

[AshleyDillo]

41 minutes ago, MeaganA said:

Here is my issue - My step mom is lead guest in our room. I went ahead and pre paid gratuities on that room. She has now decided that she is going to be in that room and I will be in another room. So now I will get another bill for gratuities in the other room when I have already paid them. So my thing is how do they bill the gratuities? Do you get a bill at the end and then you give them your credit card information, or how does that work? How is the bill paid?

Your step mom and whoever else is registered to be in the room you pre-paid gratuities on will not be charged the daily service charge.  The daily service charge will be charged daily to each person that is booked into a room that has not pre-paid gratuities.  You will set up your credit card/billing information before you board (either online or at the terminal).  There will be a temporary hold placed on the card and at the end of the cruise when the charges are reconciled the final charge will hit the card.

You can set up multiple people to have the same form of payment for their account, but they will show as individual charges while on board, but you'll only get one charge on your card at the end for that room.

Basically if you pre-paid gratuities for a room that has four names on it, you've paid for 4 people in your party already.

[AshleyDillo]

7 minutes ago, MeaganA said:

I think where I am confused is I thought that gratuities are charged per room not per individual guest. 

So for example I have me, my SO, and my 2DD linked to my card. At the end of the cruise you mean they will charge my card for gratuities for all 4 of us regardless of the room we are in? So I already paid for them in the room I am in for 4 people. But I didn't realize by pre- paying gratuities that I was actually paying for my step mom and step brother and not just the room as a whole. 

What rooms are your SO, yourself and 2DD booked into?  If their names are on the room you pre-paid grats on, they won't be charged the daily service charge.  The others will be.  

[AshleyDillo]

1 hour ago, MeaganA said:

On another note, my step mom is booked as the main guest in our room to give us a bigger discount, however, she will not actually be staying in our room. So if she orders room service for her room that she is staying in who is charged?

Room service is usually charged by default to the lead passenger of whichever room is placing the room service order.  If you are juggling around rooms without officially switching the names on the reservations, that is going to get confusing.  They sometimes will confirm the name and let you put it on someone else booked in the room other than the lead passenger, but you won't be able to charge the room service to someone whose name isn't on the room booking.  

[Jedi Jason]

@MeaganA if you are still confused you might want to have your TA help you out.  On board the gratuities are charged per person daily to the payment method setup if not pre paid.  Generally prepaid gratuities are made for all in a room but you probably could pay for only some in a room.  RC isn't going to know that you are staying in different rooms than you are booked into just give your stateroom attendant a heads up though.

[melski94]

Each Sea Pass card is linked to a credit card.  Your cards should be set up to your credit card and your MILs card set up to her credit card.  Gratuities and purchases will be linked to the sea pass card and then the correct credit card.  You can ask for additional room keys.  Do NOT trade sea pass cards!  It all works out.  

Now I don’t know how room service works as we’ve never ordered it.