Wines and corkage and bars, Oh my! (Signature Beverage Pkg, Beverage Cards & Corkage)

Like many of you, we had a lot of questions about the Explore 4 Beverage Cards, the Signature Beverage Package, and the new corkage policy. Some questions were answered, some were kinda sorta guessed at, and some still remain mysteries. In a few hours, our crack team of researchers will board Holland America's ms Noordam, armed only with our grit, determination, scientific curiosity, a thirst for um... knowledge, and a couple cases of wine.

We will take copious notes in our research journals as we pass through the boarding area, check in our wines and pay our corkage. Later, we will procure Signature Beverage Cards for each of our brave scientists so that we can better study the program. We are also traveling on the Explore Promo which will give us a chance to examine the $50 Explore 4 Beverage cards in their natural habitat.

If you have any questions of the liquid variety, please feel free to post them. We will do our best to answer them. We will also try to post some shots of the various bar menus, wine lists and wine package lineups. Remember: There are no stupid questions, only stupid people. :D

We've already started our own list of ridiculous questions. If you have any, please feel free to add yours.

• You have wait 5 minutes between drink orders on the Signature Beverage Package (hereinafter abbreviated SBP.) What do you do the other 1,365 minutes of the day?
  
• If I bring a bottle of wine to the MDR and my wine steward opens it, presents it, pours a taste - and it turns out to be a corked bottle, do I complain to myself, or discreetly write a sternly worded letter of complaint and leave it in my mailbox?
  
• What time does the "day" for 15 beverages a day turn over?
  
• The policy states that all passengers in a cabin over 21 must buy the SBP if one buys it. If another passenger steps into my cabin, is he or she obligated to buy an SBP?
  

You can also ask any real, serious, and legitimate questions you may have. Just remember that this kind of research can be challenging and our investigators may be not be able to respond immediately (due to the slow speed of satellite communications - totally.) Just be patient and we will answer as many questions as we can.

Raise your glass and toast -- to science!

ha! ha! I am still laughing. Looking forward to your investigative report.

I bought beverage cards to hopefully pay my corkage fees but I now realize that most likely the charge will be levied before we get to our room, so it will be a charge to the onboard account and not to the beverage card since that won't be in our possession or activated yet - oh well;)

Looking forward to your reports. Hope you have a great cruise!:D

Looks like a delightful assortment. I look forward to your reports in preparation for my Alaska cruise/tour in June. Thanks for dedicating your cruise to this scientific discovery! ;)

Bon Voyage! Looks to me like a fabulous trip is guaranteed! Looking forward to some stellar reporting.

Thank you for the morning laugh! I look forward to reading the results of your investigation on your posts.

I will start with another question - (remember, no stupid questions).

We have the Explore 4 for our next cruise and our docs state that we have the Signature Beverage package - 15 drinks per day. I note your reference to Explore 4 and $50.00 beverage cards above. Did some Explore 4 promos come with a beverage card and others with a Signature Bev Pkg?

Have a wonderful cruise!

Thank you brave and noble researchers! With all the hard work you will be suffering through, I am sure this entire trip should be a tax write off!

Have a great cruise.

Bon Voyage!!

Looking forward to your reports.

ha! ha! I am still laughing. Looking forward to your investigative report.

 

I bought beverage cards to hopefully pay my corkage fees but I now realize that most likely the charge will be levied before we get to our room, so it will be a charge to the onboard account and not to the beverage card since that won't be in our possession or activated yet - oh well;)

 

Looking forward to your reports. Hope you have a great cruise!:D

I was wondering about that as well.

Guess the corkage fees will have to be charged o the cabins as no one will have access to their Beverage cards right away.

I raise my glass and toast you intrepid investigators!

Cheers.

Have a great cruise. I'm looking forward to reading your results.

Thanks for the morning laugh :D

I will raise a glass for science! Looking forward to your report. :p

LOL -- we appreciate the efforts and sacrifice you will be making in the name of scientific discovery. Enjoy your cruise and I'm looking forward to your reporting!

Thanks so very much for the research you are undertaking for the benefit of all cruisers :D

And thank you for my morning laugh :D

I appreciate your sacrifice & dedication to this difficult topic!

From the Advance Party - This could a first for us. Embarkation day happy hours in 4-5 in the Ocean Bar, Crows Nest 4-5, and 6-7. Northern Lights from 11-12.

Thank you for the morning laugh! I look forward to reading the results of your investigation on your posts.

I will start with another question - (remember, no stupid questions).

We have the Explore 4 for our next cruise and our docs state that we have the Signature Beverage package - 15 drinks per day. I note your reference to Explore 4 and $50.00 beverage cards above. Did some Explore 4 promos come with a beverage card and others with a Signature Bev Pkg?

Have a wonderful cruise!

I think Caribbean & Alaska were the $50 beverage cards. European voyages were SBP.

Will we see the report on 20/20 or Dateline?! :p;) I will be tuned in! :)

I was wondering about that as well.

Guess the corkage fees will have to be charged o the cabins as no one will have access to their Beverage cards right away.

Yes, corkage was charged to the room. Each couple is $180 was the hole before we even got our room keys. We're taking the remaining 4 bottles to the MDR, and will pay corkage as we go.

You are my kind of scientist!

Your devotion to science is soooo impressive. Good luck with your investigations! I look forward to learning the results! Bon Voyage!

The wine check in process is pretty straightforward. It's a desk after security but before you get your key. They sticker your wine and write a ticket to charge your corkage. If you have one bottle or less per person, you bypass the wine check in.

We saw very few people checking wine and got more than a couple of "stink eyes" when people saw four of us carrying six bottles each. I suppose that's the cross we bear in our pursuit of science.

Bottom line: You are required to carry your wine all the way to your cabin. The check in process is quick and easy. They do not log in your individual wines. They just take a count.

Can I apply for a research grant?

And my research question....

If I checkin and pay corkage, but at the end of the cruise I have unopened bottles....wait, that probably is the one exception to to the no dumb questions rule. The team would have to make a serious sacrifice in the name of science to learn if corkage would be refunded.

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I commend you on the extreme sacrifce you are making in the name of science. Bon Voyage, dear soul.

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I think Caribbean & Alaska were the $50 beverage cards. European voyages were SBP.

Alaska is SBP :D

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I think Caribbean & Alaska were the $50 beverage cards. European voyages were SBP.

It is the Caribbean and Mexico cruises that have the $50 cards. Alaska cruises get the SBP. That's under the Explore4 promo. I don't know about the Above & Beyond promo.