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Beverage Card


martiniren

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Does Holland America issue an actual card when one purchases a Beverage Card, or is something imprinted on your key card (as Celebrity does) to indicate you have purchased a beverage package? Just wondering if we would be carrying two cards around - key card and beverage card.

 

Thank you!

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Definitely a separate card - the first time you want to use it - you need your room key card to activate it. Just stick it with your key card in the little envelope they give you - it works great:)

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I always carry a small purse with me -- for kleenex -- DH's pill boxes -- and for my ID card and beverage card.

We buy the card once we are on board the ship and have it activated at time of purchase.

We buy the $250 Beverage which costs $225 -- that has the biggest savings.

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Can the beverage card be used for water, soda, coffee as well as liquor?

 

Yes

There was a soda card that once was a good value -- you paid $25 for a $50 card that got you at least 22 cans of soda -- but on our recent Amsterdam cruise and others have reported this as well -- you now only get a glass of fountain soda -- about 6 ounces depending on how much ice is in the glass.

So if you like cans of soda -- you are getter off using the Beverage cards. And the Exporations Cafe does except these cards as well.

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They still seem to be selling these kind of cards:

The $225 beverage card - soda, espresso and non-alcoholic beverages, to wine, beer and spirits. (value 250)

The $95 beverage card - same as above (value 100)

The $50 beverage card - same as above (value 50)

The $50 non Alcoholic card - soda and espresso to non-alcoholic beverages (value 50)

The $25 soda beverage value card - (value 50)

this is according to Hal website. I don't see the point of the middle two, you seems to be paying for what you get. There is a small discount for the top two and the bottom one.

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Can the beverage card be used for water, soda, coffee as well as liquor?

 

yes as KK said - you can also use it for wine packages, whatever - so in reality a $250 beverage card can be used pretty quickly if you put it to full use:) Unless you are 3 or 4* it's a great deal to use the beverage card as you are getting some savings plus you don't have to worry about a pile of slips:):)

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They still seem to be selling these kind of cards:

 

The $225 beverage card - soda, espresso and non-alcoholic beverages, to wine, beer and spirits. (value 250)

 

The $95 beverage card - same as above (value 100)

 

The $50 beverage card - same as above (value 50)

 

The $50 non Alcoholic card - soda and espresso to non-alcoholic beverages (value 50)

 

The $25 soda beverage value card - (value 50)

 

this is according to Hal website. I don't see the point of the middle two, you seems to be paying for what you get. There is a small discount for the top two and the bottom one.

 

Black highlighted - Now the biggest ripoff card. Can only purchase 6 oz fountain drinks with this. - If you purchase the any beverage card - you can use it for all drinks - non-alcoholic, alcoholic and Explorers Cafe for speciality coffee and tea drinks.

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Thanks all. My husband may only drink 1 soda per day and on a 12 night cruise he'd not use up the soda card. I just figure we could have cocktails pre-dinner (he doesn't drink liquor) a soda for him and something a bit stronger for me.

 

We can both use the card once we activate it correct?

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Thanks all. My husband may only drink 1 soda per day and on a 12 night cruise he'd not use up the soda card. I just figure we could have cocktails pre-dinner (he doesn't drink liquor) a soda for him and something a bit stronger for me.

 

We can both use the card once we activate it correct?

 

yes, it technically belongs to the one whose name it was in - but once we activated it either of us could use it - it was never a problem or my DH or myself:) Definitely the beverage card is the best bet for you:D

 

btw - any left overs are refunded to you (less the discount).

 

Have a great cruise and enjoy:)

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Black highlighted - Now the biggest ripoff card. Can only purchase 6 oz fountain drinks with this. - If you purchase the any beverage card - you can use it for all drinks - non-alcoholic, alcoholic and Explorers Cafe for speciality coffee and tea drinks.

I totally agree with you, it is a rip off.

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yes, it technically belongs to the one whose name it was in - but once we activated it either of us could use it - it was never a problem or my DH or myself:) Definitely the beverage card is the best bet for you:D

 

btw - any left overs are refunded to you (less the discount).

 

Have a great cruise and enjoy:)

 

Thanks for your answers.

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We bought the $250.00 beverage card on a 14 day Hawaii out of San Diego. There were four of us cruising together, and it worked out perfectly. We could buy any beverage including Non alcoholic cocktails and beer and canned soda. As suggested above, we used the room key card for capichino, coffee and tea in the library.

This beverage card was also accepted during happy hour "two for a dollar extra." We spent the last of the card on the last night of the cruise.:)

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Black highlighted - Now the biggest ripoff card. Can only purchase 6 oz fountain drinks with this. - If you purchase the any beverage card - you can use it for all drinks - non-alcoholic, alcoholic and Explorers Cafe for speciality coffee and tea drinks.

 

So....this must be something new? I am talking about fountain drinks on HA, I have never seen them before on any ship, soda was always cans in my experience. Has this gone fleet-wide?

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So....this must be something new? I am talking about fountain drinks on HA, I have never seen them before on any ship, soda was always cans in my experience. Has this gone fleet-wide?

 

Other threads over past 4 weeks have been reporting the changes. Soda Card only good for 6 oz fountain drinks now - BUT if you purchase pop with Beverage Card - you get a 12 oz can.

 

Go figure. :confused:

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So....this must be something new? I am talking about fountain drinks on HA, I have never seen them before on any ship, soda was always cans in my experience. Has this gone fleet-wide?

 

Actually years ago HAL tried the unlimited soda card -- don't remember the price. But people were really taking advantage of it. We were having cocktails one day in the Ocean Bar. We watched as a family of 4 sat down and sent the one boy to the bar to get a soda -- fountain. He brought it back to the table. Then he left to go to another bar -- got a fountain soda and brought it. Within a few minutes all 4 of them had their foutain soda. All done on one card. I imagine that they did this all the time. And they weren't the only ones. HAL caught onto this and sure enough the unlimited fountain soda cards were gone.

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What kind of liquior drinks can you purchase with the Beverage card? Fancy foo-foo drinks? Or just basics like rum & coke?

 

The card can be used for any type of alcoholic drink you want.

 

The card can be used to purchase any any kind of alcoholic drink that you want -- fancy or plain. You can even buy a bottle of wine with it. Cans of soda, bottled water and coffees, etc., in the Explorations Cafe. People have also used the card to pay for the corkage fee for their own wine they have brought on board the ship.

However -- if you are a 3 or 4 star Mariner -- you would be wise to use your regular ID card in the Explorations Cafe to buy your coffees as you get a discount there.

Other exception -- at Happy Hour when they have the buy one drink get the second one for a $1 -- it must be the same drink -- only drinks costing up to $6.95 and the Beverage Card will not cover Premium alcohol. For example we like Grey Goose -- it costs $6.95 and is not covered as Grey Goose is considered a Premium alcohol.

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KK - are you saying I can't use the beverage card for Grey Goose vodka for the entire cruise? Or do you mean I can't buy a Grey Goose vodka cocktail with the beverage card during Happy Hour?

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The card can be used to purchase any any kind of alcoholic drink that you want -- fancy or plain. You can even buy a bottle of wine with it. Cans of soda, bottled water and coffees, etc., in the Explorations Cafe. People have also used the card to pay for the corkage fee for their own wine they have brought on board the ship.

 

However -- if you are a 3 or 4 star Mariner -- you would be wise to use your regular ID card in the Explorations Cafe to buy your coffees as you get a discount there.

 

Other exception -- at Happy Hour when they have the buy one drink get the second one for a $1 -- it must be the same drink -- only drinks costing up to $6.95 and the Beverage Card will not cover Premium alcohol. For example we like Grey Goose -- it costs $6.95 and is not covered as Grey Goose is considered a Premium alcohol.

 

 

Thanks...I am a lowly 1 Star Mariner so no discounts for me...looks like the beverage card might be a good idea for my 10nt cruise..

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