Tom O.

Growing up in the pizza business (80s &90s) my parents would say that the large cups @ $0.05 ea. cost more than the soda. I'm sure there is inflation now and not sure cost of canned soda.

 

Sent from my SM-G925P using Forums mobile app

Canned soda, purchased at the super market in 12 packs are about 35 cents per can.

No idea what soda cost out of a fountain dispenser, but I would guess at least half of the cost of canned soda. Also, soda glasses usually hold less than 12 oz. So we would be talking about 15 cents per glass, maybe less. At any rate, there is no chance of HAL losing money on any kind of soda package.

Likewise, since the ingredients of typical cocktail or glass of wine cost $1, there is no chance of losing money on the Signature Beverage Package either.

Had two trips and A SODA CARD in my cart(not paid for):confused: for my 21 feb trip on Zaandam,all disappeared and unable to re-book as "no trips available please check back " first trip on HAL so anybody any idea's ??.

I assume by "trips" you are referring to excursions. Until they are paid for, they are not confirmed. Anything not paid for can disappear out of your shopping cart as they become unavailable.

This is the first time I have heard of the Quench Beverage Package. Maybe since your cruise is not until 2018 this is something they are introducing for the future.

The whole HAL beverage package/card system seems to be in transition,with different offerings on different cruises.

On my cruise, in two weeks, there is a plan called the Unlimited Coca-Cola Package, which costs $8 per day. But I believe this doesn't include bottled water or mocktails.

Not quite. HAL's profit on these packages is an inverse function of how many drinks you consume and is at a maximum when you consume the minimum amount. Every drink you consume reduces the profit.

 

The intent is not to have passengers to consume as many drinks as possible to have passengers pay for as many drinks as possible.

 

We've spent some time on Princess and we always bought their soda and more package.

I see your point. If passengers drink more than the break-even point, HAL will not earn as big of a profit. But I am willing to bet that for every passenger that come out ahead on the deal there will be another one who doesn't drink enough to make it to that break-even point.

My point is, I am sure that most passengers who buy the plan, will end up drinking more than if they hadn't. And HAL will end up profiting more from passengers who buy the plan than ones who don't.

There will always be some passengers who order lots of drinks whether they are on the plan or not, and they will come out ahead on the deal.

I am just trying to explain why I think HAL likes these sorts of plans, and why they seem to be replacing the old beverage cards.

I have come up with a theory of why plans such as the $8 per day soda package and the $50 per day Signature Beverage Plans are so profitable.

First lets take the Signature Beverage Plan. Everyone knows that selling cocktails in bars and restaurants is extremely profitable. The components that make up a $10 cocktail cost about $1. So the more drinks a passenger orders the more profit HAL makes. The trick is how to encourage passengers to drink more.

With the SBP passengers pre-pay to have a lot of drinks, so when they get on board, they do their best to drink enough to make it worthwhile. If they paid for each drink separately, most people would drink less. So, the SBP is simply a plan by HAL to encourage passengers to have as many drinks as possible.

The SPB has proven to be so profitable that now they have devised a similar plan for soft drinks. The jury is still out on if this will work for HAL, because soft drinks are not as profitable as alcoholic ones, and most people only drink a soda once or twice a day.

All of this is simply my theory, but it makes sense to me, in my opinion.

I have no problem with dressing in a suit for dinner. I actually enjoy doing that. But, I don't like having to pack a suit and and worry whether it will get all wrinkled.

Our next cruise will be the first one, in which I do not bring a suit. My wife and I will simply go with the "smart casual" standard, and have one less thing to worry about.

Other than a beverage card, which can be used for any beverage, this seemed to be the only option for soda which was available for pre-purchase on our next several cruises. Prices varied based the number of days of each cruise.

 

UNLIMITED COCA COLA PACKAGE

Apparently different cards are available for different cruises.

I have more options on my cruise that embarks in two weeks. Maybe this is because they are planning on phasing out some of these cards at later dates.

The Unlimited Coca Cola Package, which the OP referred to as the $8 per day plan, is essentially a soft drink version of the Signature Beverage Package.

I believe that the Signature Package is a big money maker for HAL, because the people who buy it end up not drinking enough to come out ahead.

So, HAL now has a fountain drink version, and hope this will be profitable as well. I am sure that the people on the ship who sell these packages are being told to really push the Coca Cola Package, which is why the OP was told, at first, that this was the only option.

Much better to purchase a card before the cruise, so you won't be subject to their sales pitch.

I believe HAL will eventually get rid of all beverage cards, and have only the pay per day packages such as the Coca Cola and Signature Beverage Packages. If so, I will simply pay per drink, because these kinds of packages require you to drink way more than I want to.

Or maybe I will have to go back to what I did on my very first cruise, when I was poor - drink iced tea for the whole voyage.

With very few exceptions all rooms of the same type (verandah, ocean view,etc) are identical. The different letter codes refer to different locations on the ship.

One thing that can vary, is the size of the balcony. IMO cruise lines don't put enough emphasis on balcony size in their determination of category. I would much rather have a larger balcony than a prime location.

There seems to be several new options for beverage cards, since the last time I looked.

I just went online and looked at all of the options for my Jan 18 N.A. cruise.

1. There is the Signature Beverage Package, which has been around for a long time and is very expensive ($568 per person for my 11 day cruise) - I am not interested in this.

2. There are beverage cards in $50 and $250 amounts. These allow you to get any kind of beverage, but there is no savings. Unused portion to be refunded. These cards have been around for a long time too, but I don't remember seeing the $250 amount. Also there is a non-alcoholic version of this, which I assume is aimed at kids.

3. There is also a "soda value card." I have never seen this one before. It only costs $25 but is good for $50 worth of soda. I assume this one is not refundable.

4. Finally there is an unlimited Coca Cola Package, which is $8 per person per day plus gratuity. This would cost me $101.20 per person for my 11 day cruise. That is too much for me. I have not seen this package offered before.

I would be interested in the $25 card that gives me $50 of soda. So I think I will get two of these for my wife and I.

These policies, requiring everyone in the same room to purchase identical beverage packages, only exist because of passengers being dishonest in the past. One person would buy a package and then share the drinks with their cabin mates. If more people were honest, we wouldn't have this rule.

My advise is to pay for each drink as you go, because most beverage packages are not that good of deal, unless you drink lots of beverages.

Just got off the Koningsdam this morning and the only thing I don't agree with is the service. Our experience in the main dining room was awful, in the Lido it was haphazard, and we had a major issue in the Pinnacle (which they more than made up for with a free meal on another night). Our room stewards never made up our room unless we asked. Not nitpicking- just telling our experience. Overall we liked the ship and had a great time.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I have never heard of a steward who had to be asked to make up a room. Sometimes, if you are in the room when they make their rounds you will get skipped temporarily. When this happens, we will usually let them know when we leave so they can get in. This happens a lot since we spend more time in our room than most people - We always have breakfast in our room. But I don't consider this poor service, it is just the steward trying to be polite, while still trying to time it so he can clean several rooms.

I would definitely pay online and make your reservation in advance.

I have made two reservations for the PG on my next cruise in a couple of weeks.

I have not eaten there before because of the cost. You have to remember the price of the PG is just for the difference between a dinner in the MDR and the PG. Since you are giving up a dinner in the MDR that I figure is worth at least $35 plus paying another $35 for for the PG. That means that you are actually paying about $70 per person to eat at the PG.

That is much more than I would ever pay for a dinner in a restaurant. But for my next cruise, I decided to just bite the bullet and try the PG to see if it's worth it. I ended up reserving it twice, once for my DW's birthday and I got another one free with some credit card rewards points.

I will post a review when I get back and say if the PG is really worth it.

Whenever i make a reservation, I first try a faux reservation on the HAL website, and see what cabins are available and get a price.

I then contact my TA, and she always gives me a better price, and finds many more cabins that are available than were on HAL webstie. So, for reasons unknown to me, HAL does not display all the available cabins on their website, but a TA should have access to that information.

Nothing....not particularly happy with HAL who I cruise with a lot. Would upgrade me to better Verandah room but I would loose some of my OBC.

Would upgrade me to a suite for and extra $200 each...not happening.

 

I tried.

I am not surprised. Once final payment is paid, their motive is to get whatever they can for unsold rooms. If they gave everybody the last minute sale price, they wouldn't be in business for long.

The best way to get low prices like that, is to not purchase until the last minute, but then you won't have much choice on room location. If room location is not important, then you can save a lot of money. Of course, there is always the possibility that the ship is sold out and you don't get to cruise at all.

I have done an early June cruise before, and the weather was perfect. We were told that there is less rain that time of year.

Never saw a mosquito.

Early season cruises may not have access to some "scenic cruising" if there is still too much ice in some bays. We had Glacier Bay replaced by the Tracy Arm (Sawyer Glacier), but it was terrific.

And if you prefer to get it ahead of time... bestter to start 1-3 days ahead on it... meclizine is what you want to look for. Not drowsy like dramamine is (even when it says it isn't)

Dramamine II, usually marked "Less Drowsy Formula" is actually Meclizine. Other brands of Meclizine are Bonine, Bonamine, Antivert, Postafen, Sea Legs and many generics.

I'm sure that's the same network, but a different TA.

 

Ever watch the movie "Casablanca"?

You've got me there, Rocket. You're a little too clever for me to interpret that. I tried different things in my head, such as Rick's, As Time Goes By, We will always have Paris, Beginning of a great friendship, and the Usual Suspects, but none worked.

Perhaps all of the agents from that network have good deals.

Personally, I use a small Travel Agent who only has two or three employees. She is affiliated with a major credit card company. She offers 10% discounts on Holland and Princess. She can't discount the others. If I intend to sail on a different cruise line, I will use the big box.

Rocketman, we have compared our agents in another thread, and now I believe we may either have the same agent or at least the same network.

Her initials are F.D. And her network is affiliated with a major credit card company that is also famous for travelers checks.

I get them at my branch of Citizens Bank (they are in several states) right around the corner.

If I want foreign currency I have to go to a branch further away!

Wow, I thought Travelers Checks were a dead technology. I didn't know they were still issued.

I would never bother with them on a regular land vacation, but I can see their usefulness on a cruise ship.

A good TA can do anything a PCC can do, plus they can either get you a lower price or OBC.

The trick is finding a good TA. Rarely, can you get a great price from a local TA. There is no need to have a local TA, they can be anywhere in the country. You may have to search on the internet to find a good one that specializes in cruises. Word of mouth recommendations work best, but we can not mention any names of TAs here on CC.

Was surprised to see the negative posts on aft cabins. We have an aft VB balcony upcoming on Eurodam and are excited about it. To me most afts are premium cabins and sell out quickly. I understand that some ships have aft layouts that are not optimal (noise from above, soot from stacks, etc.) but barring that we loved the aft suite we had on an 11 night NCL and look forward to the Eurodam.

What we enjoyed was a sense of privacy, serenity that you have watching the wake with few cabins around you. JMHO

I agree, we love them. However, we don't like uncovered balconies, no matter where on the ship they are located. On some HAL ships aft balconies are uncovered. But on the Eurodam and Nieuw Amsterdam they are covered. We have an aft balcony on our upcoming cruise on the Nieuw Amsterdam.

Hello everyone, I was looking to get some feedback from anyone that booked directly through Holland America. Did you receive any notice of the policy change? How did eveyone find about the change?

We are smokers and understand and agree with the change in policy. Two things that I see creating problems are the e-cigs in room and only one area to smoke on several ships. Going to be a crowded area by the sea view pool with even more unhappy people not wanting to be near.

We have a cruise we booked a year ago for mid January, 2017. I didn't receive anything from HAL telling us of the policy change. The only reason I know about the policy is from being a regular here on CC.

The new policy was in the cruise contract when we checked in, but it was buried deep in the fine print. I doubt if many people even read the contract.

I suspect there are going to be a lot of shocked smokers on my cruise! I hope they don't mutiny!

I was perusing the Holland America website about the Premium beverage package which includes everything. Am I correct in reading that the charge per day depends on the length of the cruise ? Was looking at a grand voyage of 54 days.:confused:

No that is not correct. The total charge of the package depends on the length of the cruise, but the per day charge is the same. The charge per day, per person, is $51.69 including the service charge.

For a 54 day cruise that would be $2792.26 per person. If one person wants the package, all adults in your room are required to buy it also.

The inferences about "inner city", "gangs" and "drugs"... The "inner city" and "drug related" were used quite a bit this Fall as a euphemism by certain candidates running for national office to imply certain racial groups. But, if I remember, Salt Lake City, Ogden, Provo, St. George do not have an "inner city" like most heterogeneous cities in the US. But, I'd watch my step out in parts of the suburbs of South and West Jordan and Taylorsville. And the meth-infested parts of Eastern Summit County ;-)

Here are some examples of murder rates, I gleaned from the FBI web site. They are from 2010, so they are a little out of date:

City Murder Rate per 100,000 Pop.

Compton, CA 27

Inglewood, CA 18

Las Vegas, NV 8

Cedar City, UT 7

St. George, UT 0

Salt Lake City, UT 4

South Jordon, UT 0

Taylorsville, UT 3

West Jordon, UT 1

St. Louis, MO 41

Utah is my retirement home. I lived all my life in the Los Angeles area, including my first 22 years in Compton, so I am familiar with inner cities. I am just saying that in the US most areas are just as safe as Europe because most murders occur in just a few areas.

I certainly feel safer here in Cedar City, than I ever did in So. California.

By avoiding high crime areas, and a dangerous lifestyle, you can feel safe. But terrorism, which as other posters mentioned, is not related to murder rates.