dakrewser

I realize your question has been answered but wanted to point out to you and others that you probably won't want to go to a bar offering Happy Hour if you have the SBP. It's very busy in those bars that offer Happy Hour and not everyone on the ship will have the SBP. Since you have the package, go to another bar that doesn't offer Happy Hour; you'll get much faster service there.

Choosing a watering hole isn't always (or even mostly) about "fast service". Ambience and good company play a much bigger role, at least for me.

What is the consensus here......do you all like the 10 pm show time, or if eating at 8, would you rather have a show at 6 or 7 before your meal, then go to a bar or such after dinner?

 

My thought is 10 is too late for me, and if I really want to see that performer, I have to push to get out of dinner for it. I'd rather see if at 7 or so before the meal.

No, I'd rather go to the Ocean Bar around 7:15 for cocktails, dinner at 8 and showtime at 10. Followed by B.B.King show at 11...

Minor subtlety but Jack Daniels is Tennessee Whiskey not Bourbon. Some people can tell the difference but after the 1st one probably not so much. ;)

Legally it can't be called bourbon, but - from a recipe point of view - it is bourbon. Just as much as Illinois, Virginia and Maryland "bourbons".

If you have not been on NA, please do not answer, I am aware of other ships. :confused:

Do you really think you can pick and choose who you will deign to allow to answer your questions???

I did want to know if this kind of package is something usually noted on your boarding pass?

No, it won't be noted o n your boarding pass. It should have been noted on your booking docs (e.g., from your TA) after you initially booked the cruise.

That's my understanding as reported by many people who've experienced it.

As another poster mentioned, the kids menu items may be pre-plated or come from a different kitchen from the adult choices, making substitutions difficult.

No, to both assumptions. The expense of pre-plating - when it's possible no children will come to the MDR, or none will order from the child's menu - would be prohibitive.

And, since there's no "kids menu" as such in the LIDO, PG, etc. - why would their kitchens be used for the MDR children's menu?

Signature Beverage Package has a daily limit of 15 beverages, which includes all beverages priced $8.00USD or lower including service charges. Guests may order beverages one at a time and must be 21 years or older for alcoholic beverages. No sharing is permitted.

No, it's $8 or less MENU price - service charge is ignored. The 15% service charge was already added when the SBC package was purchased.

In my experience, it's not just requests for kids that waiters are reluctant to fulfill. The best thing to do is ask your waiter to ask a head waiter if he's reluctant to serve you something reasonable.

In 20 years of cruising on HAL I've never had a steward act "reluctant" to serve me anything I ordered. Except, of course, when he believed it would be something I might not like. Stewards get to know your likes and dislikes fairly quickly.

Actually, that would still work out. We would each get a glass of wine and use our cards as though we were not at Happy Hour. I am assuming that you can use the card during Happy Hour?

Yes, you can.

I've looked at suite deals on about every line out there, and I still think HAL offers a great value in their Neptune Suites. If you price comparable accommodations, many lines want twice the price, or more. Could HAL offer more amenities? Of course, but it won't happen for free. Butlers and private dining don't do that much for me as long as I have the Pinnacle, Tamarind, or the MDR, as we've enjoyed them all. I hear enough "elitist" remarks in these discussions as it is, without separate dining. The ships offering private enclaves are usually much larger than HAL ships, and the size of HAL ships is a plus in my mind. I like the Neptune Lounge very much, but it doesn't come close to having the space to make it work as a Happy Hour watering hole. Having the Honor Bar is a nice convenience, but if it became free, I think you'd see the NL overwhelmed. I'd rather pay for my drink, have a seat at a table with room to enjoy it.

Well put, BB

Why would you have "to sit in the QL for an extra 15 minutes" if you knew what time the show started?

Can you use the Explorer 4 beverage card for Happy Hour?

You can use it anytime, but you want get any special break during Happy Hour.

If the price drops before final payment it's easy to simply cancel and re-book.

Yes their is a price difference Dak. Is there any airline which doesn't have drinks included in the premium cabin? It just seems that HAL would do well to elevate their suite perks to match, or even better, their competitors. Look how NCL has catered to their suite guests with the Haven. High income guests are accustomed to a certain quality level of product and service. That would mean drinks included in the Neptune Lounge. When I take my Honda in for service they have a waiting area with a coffee machine and bottled water. When I get the Infiniti or Lexus serviced the waiting area has Starbucks, Macs to use, and freshly baked organic pastries. HAL needs to match Celebrity and Cunard.

I'd agree with you - if HAL weren't selling out their suites.

Sailing to Alaska (HAL, 7 days) on the last run of the season and I'm at a loss for what to pack. Obviously layers are the key, but exactly how heavy should I pack? One of our excursions involves a glacier hike ("Rain- and windproof outerwear, boots, and gloves are provided," says the website), so I have to assume I'll need more than a pullover. I don't want to be hauling more luggage than necessary while my gf & I putter around Seattle for a few days leading up to the cruise, so packing advice would be appreciated!

Layers and a waterproof coat with zip-out lining. That said, of our 7 Alaska cruises the one latest in the season was also the warmest and sunniest.

If HAL had better suite perks we would have booked one instead of a veranda cabin. So, since we have a long overnight flight we spent our money on seats up front. BTW cocktails are, of course, complimentary in the premium cabin. [emoji3]

You really think you aren't paying for those drinks? Think of the price difference between business class and, say, economy plus - how many drinks could you buy with that?

Sorry for your experience, but it's not typical of HAL. We cruised with our three grandchildren last fall (6, 9 and 12) and our dining team made sure they got exactly what they wanted at dinner - combining items from the kids and "regular" menu if needed. All while being especially attentive to my wife's and daughter's gluten-free needs.

Consider your experience an aberration.

The issue is using up the OBC for our cabin. If my kids' charges all have to go to their room and I can't apply some of my OBC, I'm probably going to lose out. Unless, as blizzardboy said, TA OBCs are refundable.

 

With $800 in OBC, and beverages, gratuities and internet already paid for, and the fact we tend to do shore excursions on our own, I will never burn through that much OBC. My kids, however, would need to pay gratuities and beverages, so they would. I wanted to combine them for a total of $1100, the majority of which would be spent by my kids.

Any OBC from your TA that is not used will be credited to your credit card at final settlement, so no need to worry which cabin something gets charged to as long as both are covered by the same CC. I agree with Blizzardboy 100% on that - one of the few things we do agree about! :)

Your answer is correct, but you should have left off your "doesn't make sense" remark. If it were 15 drinks per couple or cabin it could be 1+14, 2+13, etc., so her question did make sense to me, but then my math education goes through differential equations. ;)

Now who's being snarky??

:)

I see you're your usual snarky self. The poster made a pretty good point and doesn't deserve your ridicule.

Pls explain to me, then, why those who constantly knock HAL continue to sail on it's ships...

hmmm - what about a sherry?? Think it may 'pass' HAL security??

 

Last time I bought some in port, screening for reboarding was in the terminal and they did not care.

A bottle of bourbon "might" pass (hey, it's just corn wine!) - but it's also against the policy. Too much of that and even the "one bottle" rule will go away.

I find it VERY odd that drinks in the Neptune Lounge are NOT complimentary. The suite life on HAL is not very sweet. These days airlines, hotels and cruise lines are all upgrading the experience for their premium guests. An honor bar WITH a service charge is not the right direction.

There's lots of cruise lines. No one is holding a gun to your head and forcing you to choose HAL...

That is confusing. Did you mean that other adults in the cabin are required to purchase? How can one person have the promo and the other adults in the cabin not have it? Doesn't it apply to all adults on that reservation?

It does apply to everyone on the reservation, but it is possible for some in the cabin to have that promo and others not. Also it's possible for two people in a cabin to have different booking numbers. It's rare, but not impossible.

What do the numbers by some posters mean? # of posts?

In the post banner, (top right) you'll see "posts:" followed by a number - that's the poster's number of posts. Above that is another number (#1475, for example) that's the number of that particular post. Click on that number and it will bring up only that one post.