Beverage Card - Amsterdam

[want2retire]

We are new to HAL with just booking the 14 day Amsterdam to Alaska for next summer. We are familiar with the 'soda cards' on other ships. This time our TA has given us the soda cards and two 'beverage cards'. What can the beverage cards be used for onboard, specialty coffees, bar drinks ? Thanks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

HMM -- this is strange. We were told that all the old cards -- soda, wine, etc will be gone.

 

We have all been told that beginning in January there will be a new "card". It is $50 and is all inclusive -- you can buy cocktails, cokes, coffees, wines with it.

 

Better have your TA check up on this.

[jtl513]

This time our TA has given us the soda cards ...

I agree with KK that the soda cards will probably be obsolete by next summer.

[NMLady]

HMM -- this is strange. We were told that all the old cards -- soda, wine, etc will be gone.

 

We have all been told that beginning in January there will be a new "card". It is $50 and is all inclusive -- you can buy cocktails, cokes, coffees, wines with it.

 

Better have your TA check up on this.

 

Who told you?? I haven't heard a definite answer about wine cards not being sold after January, and I asked in another thread.

And I certainly haven't heard of a $50 price. How do they figure the number of drinks it's worth with so many options?

Yours is the first post I've seen with a price and a definite January date.

[Cruzin Terri]

Who told you?? I haven't heard a definite answer about wine cards not being sold after January, and I asked in another thread.

And I certainly haven't heard of a $50 price. How do they figure the number of drinks it's worth with so many options?

Yours is the first post I've seen with a price and a definite January date.

I am getting two $50 beverage cards from our TA for our upcoming cruise on the Maasdam on Jan. 24. I asked her and all she could tell me was that was what was being offered. She is part of a larger nationwide TA and this is considered a group cruise with lots of extras by the Agency.

We will wait and see.

Terri

[deneen716]

How much is the current soda card and what does it allow you to have? Also is this the same on everyship? We sail the Eurodam for Christmas. Thanks

[gregdude]

Very strange because for my March cruise on Veendam they are selling both soda carts and 10 & 20 glass wine cards as they have for years. I don't know where this single card concept started, but there has been no mention from HAL and they are pre-selling the old type cards for all cruises in the future.

 

I suspect the TA card give aways are a deal between HAL and the travel industry and has nothing to do with passenger cards.

 

In any case January is less than a month away so I guess we will all know soon!!

[catl331]

How do they figure the number of drinks it's worth with so many options?

Rumors say that it will be just like a Gift Card. Each time you use it, the price of whatever drink will be deducted ... at full price ... no discount.

[Jemima]

Rumors say that it will be just like a Gift Card. Each time you use it, the price of whatever drink will be deducted ... at full price ... no discount.

 

So why would anyone buy one? They'd make sense as an actual gift or if it came from a TA, but not for purchase by passengers.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Before we left for our cruises in Oct -- it was mentioned on this site about the new cards.

So when we got on the ship I asked several of the bar tenders about this new card. They confirmed that on the Zuiderdam are to start in January. It's really not a card -- the $50 is linked to your ID card and onboard account.

You get no discounts with this card.

[want2retire]

I should have been a bit more specific in my original post. We are getting two $50 soda cards PLUS two $100 'beverage cards'. I just was wondering what the beverage cards covered. thanks.

[RuthC]

How much is the current soda card and what does it allow you to have? Also is this the same on everyship?

The soda card works the same way on every ship. Currently, it costs $20.xx (I think it's $20.73), including the service charge, for 20 glasses of soda. Each glass of soda is the equivalent of 1/2 can, so 20 sodas are the equivalent of 10 cans. If purchased by the can the price would be $22.40 for the 10 cans ($2.24 each, including the 15% service charge).

So, the savings is less than $2.00 for 10 cans/20 glasses. However, it is a little easier not having to sign for every soda, and not to keep track of, and reconcile, all those sales slips.

[RobertGraves]

I sailed some years ago on Holland America, and I would like to ask you: how much does the current wine card cost? Is it money-saving comparing to buying each glass of wine separately?

[gregdude]

The 10 glass card is currently $41.40 and the 20 glass card is $77.63. Thus you save about $.22 on the 20 glass card per glass of wine. I'm not sure how much a glass of wine costs without the card, but I believe you save between $.25 and $.50 plus you save the 15% tax on each glass when you use the cards. I used the 20 glass cards on my last cruise and found them very convenient. You have to remember this is NOT high end wine, but it is wet and drinkable.

 

In order to make it easier on the wine steward I often ordered two glasses at the same time in the dinning room, knowing I would want two glasses of wine with dinner. This worked out well since they generally only come to each table at the start of the meal.

[Krazy Kruizers]

HAL has switched brands that they use for the house wines. The ships are now using Coastal Vintners. We tried a glass -- didn't care for this brand. For the first time in about 3 years we did not buy the wine cards.

[jtl513]

So why would anyone buy one?

I certainly won't if there's no discount built into it somehow!

The 10 glass card is currently $41.40 and the 20 glass card is $77.63. Thus you save about $.22 on the 20 glass card per glass of wine. I'm not sure how much a glass of wine costs without the card, but I believe you save between $.25 and $.50 plus you save the 15% tax on each glass when you use the cards.

If you're referring here to the 15% service charge, that's not true. The prices you quoted include the service charge. The 10-glass card is actually $36 + 15% = $41.40, and the 20-glass card is $67.50 + 15% = $77.625. That's how they came up with such odd prices.

 

A glass of house wine without the card starts at about $4.95, plus 15% = $5.69, so with a wine card you are saving at least $1.55 per glass with the 10 card, or $1.81 with the 20 card.

 

All of this changes when they go to the new form of card ... possibly as early as 1/1/10.

[RobertGraves]

The 10 glass card is currently $41.40 and the 20 glass card is $77.63. Thus you save about $.22 on the 20 glass card per glass of wine. I'm not sure how much a glass of wine costs without the card, but I believe you save between $.25 and $.50 plus you save the 15% tax on each glass when you use the cards. I used the 20 glass cards on my last cruise and found them very convenient.

 

Thanks for the detailed response.

 

Wow, how inexpensive!

 

HAL does many things better than the competition. 'A tradition of excellence', indeed. Our only complain was the interior decor of their ships, but this is certainly personal taste.

[jtl513]

Thanks for the detailed response.

Detailed, but wrong! :):) See mine, #16.

[RobertGraves]

Detailed, but wrong! :):) See mine, #16.

 

Quite detailed and informative answer, too. Many thanks.

[Krazy Kruizers]

From what I was told -- when these new drink cards do go into place -- there really isn't going to be any savings.

If this is true, I don't see any value in buying them.

[RobertGraves]

From what I was told -- when these new drink cards do go into place -- there really isn't going to be any savings.

 

If this is true, I don't see any value in buying them.

 

 

The real purpose of these cards is saving money. Otherwise, signing for each drink separately is very convenient and not a great fuss.

 

Who would buy a card if it did not offer savings? Very few...:)

[jaspersmycat]

I don't believe these are meant as an item purchased by cruisers. More as something a TA can give a cruiser or a friend could buy as a gift.

[Krazy Kruizers]

The real purpose of these cards is saving money. Otherwise, signing for each drink separately is very convenient and not a great fuss.

 

Who would buy a card if it did not offer savings? Very few...:)

 

Just reporting what I was told by several bar tenders on our recent Zuiderdam cruises.

[RobertGraves]

Just reporting what I was told by several bar tenders on our recent Zuiderdam cruises.

 

I have never doubted the truth of your words.

 

I really don't know. Sometimes even the crew is not accurately informed. It has happened to me in the past.

 

We shall have to wait and see. Let's hope that nice discounts will continue to exist.

[Krazy Kruizers]

I am thinking that HAL isn't interested in doing discounts.

We were looking at cruises for 2011. One of the cruises we looked at is similar to one we will soon be doing -- and the price is $4000 more for our SA.

Also on our recent cruises we noticed that there weren't a lot of Happy Hour specials as compared to other ships. The bars were empty many times we went by.