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Holland America Signature drink package

Holland America Signature drink package

Old Jul 28, 2015, 3:38 pm
  #1  
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Holland America Signature drink package

We have traveled on HAL several times. Looking to do a 17 day. It comes with a bonus of a Signature drink package. The value in the bonus is based on a 14 day cruise, but the deal is a generic one for any of several cruises.

Do you think we will get 17 days (really not 17 days, as first is part day and last is just AM).

The package is for 2. It is equivalent to 15 drinks. It is a value of +-$50/day/pp. No drink over $7, except okay for wine at $8. What is the limit? # of drinks, money per day? Split evenly between my wife and I, or can it be weighted one way or the other?

It looks like a drink priced over the max, will have the "extra" charged to one ship account?

When does it start (if not 17 days)? First day? First use?

I've done some net search, but cannot get details, only overview, comments about value or rip off etc. I do not care about value, it comes with the booking, so I just need to understand it as best as possible. Hoping someone here has tried it.
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Old Jul 28, 2015, 5:46 pm
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There have been some great threads on cruise critic about this - at one point we were considering a quickie HAL cruise this year but opted against it. My husband and I will drink, so when I run the numbers for us, it makes sense. Coming "free" as part of a promo - no question I'd go for it!

Note there are different packages. One is a card with a value of $50 for any drinks you want. The other is the 15 drinks a day, none more than $7 option - that's the one that everyone in a cabin has to buy.

This thread is my favorite - VERY thorough overview of all things boozy on HAL. Took me a few days reading to get through it, but I think all your questions could be answered in it. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1999316

Last edited by Hoyaheel; Jul 29, 2015 at 6:45 pm Reason: Wrong URL
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Old Jul 28, 2015, 8:12 pm
  #3  
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It all depends on your taste and how important a particular cabin is to you. Most on cruisecritic say that HAL prices these packages (and more) into the fare and that nothing comes free.

I've sailed HAL twice on longer voyages (intercontinental repos) and learned a few things:

The only wine eligible is pretty much the cheap house wine. Santa Carolina or something (Chile) where a bottle in the U.S. is less than a glass onboard. Most cocktails in that price range are with generic/lower-cost spirits except for the Tanqueray 1010.

So the question is whether you can stomach that much or not.

On our cruises, my wife and I were pretty happy drinking the made-from-syrup coffee at breakfast, water for lunch, the odd happy hour cocktail (+$1 for the 2nd drink of the same type), and water + BYOB wine for dinner.

We like good wines and never bought anything onboard except one night in 2 cruises for a total of 37 nights. For those with low or no HAL status, buying a good wine for up to $25 in California where it is cheap and bringing onboard (paying $18 corkage) is better than what you buy onboard at $40 (the same $3-5 house wine they sell for $7-8 a glass), + 18% gratuity.

As for when it starts, when you board and when you disembark (so they only charge you 17 days gratuities for a 17 night cruise). If you board early and have sailed with HAL before, you can have boarding lunch in the dining room as long as you're seated from 12 to either 1300 or 1330.

You can search on CC for pictures of the drinks/price list.

If you PM the cruise, I can give you my less-than-educated guess as to whether it is worth it or not.
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Old Jul 28, 2015, 8:42 pm
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Cutting to the bottom line......if you drink and like the better call spirits and finer wines you're not going to be happy with Holland America's drink packages. If you're a middle of the road and well spirits and average wines are okay then you'll be fine so it's a pretty good to okay deal. If you're a light drinker then obviously the packages are not worth it.
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Old Jul 29, 2015, 3:24 pm
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Thank you all

As I stated, I am not interested in the value discussion (others reading may be, so it okay). The Signature Beverage Package (SBP) comes with my booking, I own it.

My interest is in how to use it. I was hoping that someone here had done so and could give the nitty gritty. I have spent 2 hours, so far, on the link provided by Hoyaheel and only covered pages 1-6, then I went to the end and started backward hoping there was a summary. There was not.

That write up was from a ship and has a lot of stuff covered, as well as, this program. Here is what I got out of it, some other readings, and some other issues.

Important: HAL allows not hard liquor to be brought aboard. Unlimited wine (limited to what you can carry is volume) can be brought aboard, but only one bottle per person will escape the $18 corkage fee, and that only if you open it yourself and consume it in your room. The SBP is different from drink cards. They are more like gift cards and are used for the $$'s on them.

This is what I have figured out so far. Please trust, but verify!

The SBP allows so many drinks a day. It is limited to a top value per drink consumed. All adults in your cabin must have the package (some medical exceptions may be made)
The SBP is good for 15 drinks a day (pp?, per cabin? Surely it is 15 per person).
There is a no sharing rule in place.
There is a time spacing between drink orders (5 minutes, or 5 or 15 depending on source).
Use at Happy Hour is not of special value, as you will not get a second drink with SBP for a $
The program allows purchase of water, soda, coffee (s), liquors, smoothies, wine and mixed drinks.
SBP is good at the BB King lounge.
This program does not cover off ship.
Sip and savor (onboard wine tasting), may or may not be okay.
No wine on the wine list in the main dining room or pinnacle is low enough to qualify for the program, but I know you can get wine in the main dining room that is low enough, the ship wines. I do not know the rules for the Pinnacle? Or the Italian place?
The ad I used to book our cruise had this SBP as part of a bonus. The ad was based on a 14 day cruise. We are booked on a 17 day so I wonder if my SBP is for 17 days?
As we will be getting on already with the Package, can we just start ordering drinks, or do we have to go and sign up somewhere?
Will the tax on these drinks be added to our onboard account, or included in our Package (I believe we are charged separately?).
Can I use this program at breakfast the last day, after my bill has been settled?
Hopefully, I can get some help, and have possible helped some others.

Last edited by ranles; Jul 29, 2015 at 4:28 pm Reason: part of post did not make it
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Old Jul 29, 2015, 6:49 pm
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Sorry I posted a wrong URL in my post - am looking for correct one now to add back in.

Service is included in SBP drinks ordered as noted in this post in that super long thread I did link http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showp...&postcount=491

My reading of that thread (and not my personal experience) indicates that your SBP is good for the day you board. I don't recall alcohol being served anywhere on disembarkation days, so perhaps it ends at midnight the day before you leave?

Last edited by Hoyaheel; Aug 5, 2015 at 1:34 pm
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Old Jul 29, 2015, 11:23 pm
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Hoyaheel
Thanks. HAL site says tax will be added to each drink and charged to your account. Not sure alcohol is served the last day either, but maybe soda, water coffees? Seem like it would be hard to account for and tipping would need to be in cash, as the accounting would be difficult after the final night?
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Old Jul 30, 2015, 7:40 pm
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Originally Posted by ranles
Can I use this program at breakfast the last day, after my bill has been settled?

Hopefully, I can get some help, and have possible helped some others.
This is the only thing I can answer. On my one cruise on HAL, the bars were closed on the last morning. We couldn't even get a soda to finish off our soda card.
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Old Jul 31, 2015, 4:49 am
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Originally Posted by KenS
This is the only thing I can answer. On my one cruise on HAL, the bars were closed on the last morning. We couldn't even get a soda to finish off our soda card.
I agree. I've never seen a bar open on disembarkation morning and that is with over a dozen cruises on HAL going back to 1995. In fact to the best of my knowledge none of the pay-for-services venues are open that morning until after the ship zeros out disembarking passengers and starts boarding new passengers.
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Old Aug 3, 2015, 9:46 pm
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Originally Posted by ranles
Hoyaheel
Thanks. HAL site says tax will be added to each drink and charged to your account.
When you say "tax" do you really mean gratuity? I know that's the case with drinks purchased a la carte ... a gratuity is automatically added to your bill. As with most cruise line drink packages that are included "free" as part of a promotion, you are not charged extra for gratuity either on the package itself -or- separately when you order a drink. The gratuity is included as part of the promotion.

When you purchase a beverage package, it's common that 15-18% gratuity is added to the daily price of the package and not on a drink-by-drink basis when you order. The only exception to this that I know of is with NCL. When they include the drink package free as a promotion, they still charge you 18% gratuity up front on the value of the package (pro-rated on a daily basis).
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Old Aug 4, 2015, 12:01 pm
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BEAV spot on, tip, not tax...oops

When we buy a wine package on HAL, they charge the tip in at the time you buy the package, not as you get the bottles.

Seems that I read that the drink packages have tip added as you buy each drink. That might be because, while you pay a flat amount for the package, the actual "price" of what you drink depends on what you order and how much? I really do not know. Thought someone on this board would have sailed on HAL and gotten this package. Adding a bit of complication, this is a bonus for us, not a direct purchase. The drinks are free (included), but are the tips??

Here is what it says on the HAL website
Our convenient, affordable Signature Beverage Package allows you to select from a variety of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails (including non-alcoholic), sodas & coffee! Includes any beverage priced at a $7.00 or lower menu price. Up to 15 beverages per day. * Prices are per day; Signature Beverage Package for $44.95* per day, per person a 15% service charge is not included and will be auto...

There is nothing to click to get the rest. Assume (?) ...matically added to your shipboard account. ??? Our bonus package allows for wine up to $8 (misprint, or update that the website has not made??)

Last edited by ranles; Aug 4, 2015 at 12:11 pm Reason: Research
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Old Aug 5, 2015, 11:48 am
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I'd go to the cruisecritic.com website and look at the HAL sub-forum to see what others' experiences are with the gratuity.
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Old Aug 5, 2015, 1:33 pm
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Originally Posted by YVR Cockroach
I'd go to the cruisecritic.com website and look at the HAL sub-forum to see what others' experiences are with the gratuity.
You mean like that URL I linked a couple posts above that says it's included?

Here, directly from that post I linked:

Estimate the value you would get from the SBP card. Try to figure out how much you would drink each day. Include both alcoholic (beer, house wine, cocktails) and non-alcoholic drinks (bottled water, specialty coffees, etc.) When you are doing this drink math, don't forget to factor in the 15% service charge which is included in the SBP.

Last edited by Hoyaheel; Aug 5, 2015 at 1:35 pm Reason: Including CC quotation
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Old Aug 5, 2015, 1:37 pm
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If you will be receiving the Signature Beverage Package as part of the Explore4 promotion, you can access the full terms & conditions on the HAL website by clicking the T&C hyperlink under the promo:

Explore4 2015 Terms & Conditions
*Fares and Explore4 offers are based on Promo(s) KA/KC/JA. Featured fares are per person based on double occupancy, cruise or Land+Sea Journeys only. Fares are in U.S. dollars. Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses are additional and range from $108.72 to $769.66. Subject to availability. Explore4 offers are per stateroom based on double occupancy, for 1st and 2nd guests sharing a stateroom and excludes 3rd/4th guests, except as provided herein. Explore4 offers are available for new bookings only, apply only to the cruise portion of Alaska Land+Sea Journeys, are not combinable with any other discounts, are not transferable, are capacity controlled, and may be modified or withdrawn without prior notice. Offers are applicable on select 2015, 2016 and 2017 departures. The Signature Beverage Package value of US$1,400 is based on a 14 day cruise and has a daily limit of 15 beverages, which includes all beverages priced $7.00USD or lower including service charges with the exception of wines priced at $8.00USD or lower. Signature Beverage Package excludes purchases made in Signature Shops, Mini Bar and In Room Dining, or beverages on Half Moon Cay. Signature Beverage Packages are not transferable or refundable and may be used only on the cruise portion of Land+Sea Journeys. Participants may order only one drink at a time and must be 21 years or older. No sharing is permitted. Beverage management reserves the right to revoke the Signature Beverage Package if misused and reserves the right to refuse service for any reason, including refusing service of alcoholic beverages to intoxicated guests. Signature Beverage Package has a retail value of US$50 per person per day, including service charges. Guests receive one complimentary Pinnacle Grill dinner per person. Offer is not transferable or refundable. Reservations and dining times will be assigned and a confirmation card will be placed in your stateroom upon embarkation day. Offer excludes Specialty Dining Events in the Pinnacle Grill such as Le Cirque, De Librije, Master Chefs Table and Sommelier Dinner. Third/fourth offer is based on sharing a stateroom with 1st and 2nd guests, valid on select sailings, and are based on Promo Z3. Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses apply to all 3rd/4th offers. Reduced deposit offer is valid for new bookings only. Bookings made on voyages requiring immediate final payment are not eligible for a reduced deposit. Suite offer: Guests who book a suite category stateroom receive one complimentary Canaletto dinner per person and $150 USD per person ($300 USD per stateroom) onboard spending credit. Suite offers apply only to guests 1 and 2 in the stateroom and are not transferable or refundable. The onboard spending credit is not combinable with regional discounts, Net Rates or other travel agency exclusive offers. For more information about our stateroom categories and suite descriptions, and to view deck plans and for full terms and conditions applicable to your cruise, please refer to hollandamerica.com or the appropriate Holland America brochure. Offers are capacity controlled, and may be modified or withdrawn without prior notice. Other restrictions may apply. Explore4 offers end October 30, 2015. Ships' Registry: The Netherlands.
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