Champagne on boarding

[cruise kitty]

Hello,

 

does HAL give out glasses of champagne on embarkation?

 

Thanks

[sail7seas]

No.

There is always a bottle of sparkling wine chilling in ice bucket in suites when we board compliments of Captain and Hotel Manager as Welcome Aboard.

[iriemon]

The only one that I have been on that offers it to passengers as they board is Celebrity. Otherwise you have to wait to get to your suite if you have one.

[Kween Karen]

There was lots of free champagne flowing as welcome aboard the Amsterdam last fall. I boarded in Seattle.....we also picked up passengers in Vancouver and Los Angeles.....so there were THREE welcome aboard parties with free champagne all afternoon! Nice! However....I don't drink....lol....still felt festive though.

[cruz chic]

There was lots of free champagne flowing as welcome aboard the Amsterdam last fall. I boarded in Seattle.....we also picked up passengers in Vancouver and Los Angeles.....so there were THREE welcome aboard parties with free champagne all afternoon! Nice! However....I don't drink....lol....still felt festive though.

Yes, but that was a Grand Voyage correct? The champagne is not good IMO so I don't care to have any.

[Kween Karen]

Yes that was a Grand Voyage.....probably different. Lots of people seemed to be enjoying it....so it must have been at least palatable.

[Typhoon1]

If your travel agent is thoughtful enough, you might find a bottle of bubbly in your cabin.

[cruz chic]

Yes that was a Grand Voyage.....probably different. Lots of people seemed to be enjoying it....so it must have been at least palatable.

Either that or they wanted a cheap buzz:D. It's not my taste.....but I'm sure others enjoy it.

[sail7seas]

Yes that was a Grand Voyage.....probably different. Lots of people seemed to be enjoying it....so it must have been at least palatable.

 

 

If it's free, some people will decide it's just fine. :D

I can't drink the 'complimentary' glasses they pass around for various events.

[silverado44]

Nope

[DRWhit]

If it's free, some people will decide it's just fine. :D

I can't drink the 'complimentary' glasses they pass around for various events.

You could always bring your own bottle that meets whatever standards you require.

[bepsf]

The only one that I have been on that offers it to passengers as they board is Celebrity.

 

...tho it's only a half-glass, and it's pretty much fizzy swill.

I may be mistaken, but I think Seabourn and Crystal offers your choice of Champagne or cocktails at embarcation - or is it at an Embarcation Luncheon?

Perhaps someone more knowledgable than I knows for certain?

[sail7seas]

You could always bring your own bottle that meets whatever standards you require.

 

I don't drink much champagne at all of any quality. Gives me a headache which is why I don't drink it. :rolleyes:

But I thank you for the kind, thoughtful suggestion.

[ndavis7515]

The only one that I have been on that offers it to passengers as they board is Celebrity. Otherwise you have to wait to get to your suite if you have one.

 

Yes, I remember boarding the Summit, receiving a glass of champagne, and then having to manuever my luggage and my map and find my own way to my cabin.

I am used to the stewards lining up to bring people to their cabins. I don't remember if they all do it, but I think NCL does. I don't bother with Princess because I know my way around the ships. And HAL, I have been in suites, have brought us to the Neptune Lounge.

[hensghan]

When we boarded the Eurodam this October 30th there was no complimentary champagne offered as we boarded, but they did pass around glasses of champagne in the Neptune Lounge while we waited there for the cabins to become available. Since we don't usually get to the ship until later in the day when rooms are usually already available, I don't know if this is a routine practice or what.

[sail7seas]

When we boarded the Eurodam this October 30th there was no complimentary champagne offered as we boarded, but they did pass around glasses of champagne in the Neptune Lounge while we waited there for the cabins to become available. Since we don't usually get to the ship until later in the day when rooms are usually already available, I don't know if this is a routine practice or what.

 

 

That's very nice. We've cruised Eurodam five cruises and never saw that so you had a special treat. :) We have had the Suite Welcome Aboard Party every cruise and we always enjoy that. DH even has several 'special shirts' he only wears to Suite Welcome Aboard.

 

We did receive the Welcome Aboard bottle chilled in our suite from Captain and Hotel Manager.

[iancal]

We do get Champagne when we board a Celebrity cruise, as well as an escort to our cabin. Some think it is wonderful -for us it is a non event and sometimes the greedy ones are blocking the elevators as they try to get in another half glass of the plonk (go figure).

 

We do not really care about the free champagne when we board (or any other time). Don't really care about a 'free' bottle in our stateroom, luggage tags, medallions, 'special gatherings', dinner at the captains table, or what have you. All we want is an attractive and clean cabin, good service, good food, and of course lots of sunshine and calm water when we are in the Caribbean. I guess we are just plain boring.

[sail7seas]

We do get Champagne when we board a Celebrity cruise, as well as an escort to our cabin. Some think it is wonderful -for us it is a non event and sometimes the greedy ones are blocking the elevators as they try to get in another half glass of the plonk (go figure).

 

We do not really care about the free champagne when we board (or any other time). Don't really care about a 'free' bottle in our stateroom, luggage tags, medallions, 'special gatherings', dinner at the captains table, or what have you. All we want is an attractive and clean cabin, good service, good food, and of course lots of sunshine and calm water when we are in the Caribbean. I guess we are just plain boring.

 

 

 

You know what you want and what you need to have a great cruise. Nothing boring about that! IMO ....

[hensghan]

I can't comment on the uniqueness of the Champagne offering in the Neptune Lounge that day because, as I said, we don't usually board early enough to be so coddled while we wait for our cabin. Why I remember this event so clearly -- and I don't usually remember much of anything these days! -- is that here they were passing out half-filled flutes of free Champagne but, when a disabled gentleman who was sitting next to us asked for a diet Coke instead, he was brought the diet Coke and a charge slip to sign. While I don't usually drink soft drinks aboard ship I do know they are charged for, of course, and I just remember thinking it odd that here they are passing out free Champagne but had to charge for the man's diet Coke. I would have thought the Coke might have been comped under those prevailing circumstances.

 

Sitting here remembering now, I also recall there was a large group of LITS in the Lounge just then. I wonder if perhaps the Champagne was meant for them and we just happened to be included because we were there. LITS is a travel club of some sort and the LITS stands for Life Is Too Short, I believe.

[sail7seas]

 

That's very nice. We've cruised Eurodam five cruises and never saw that so you had a special treat. :) <snip>.

 

 

 

I can't comment on the uniqueness of the Champagne offering in the Neptune Lounge that day because, as I said, we don't usually board early enough to be so coddled while we wait for our cabin. Why I remember this event so clearly -- and I don't usually remember much of anything these days! -- is that here they were passing out half-filled flutes of free Champagne but, when a disabled gentleman who was sitting next to us asked for a diet Coke instead, he was brought the diet Coke and a charge slip to sign. While I don't usually drink soft drinks aboard ship I do know they are charged for, of course, and I just remember thinking it odd that here they are passing out free Champagne but had to charge for the man's diet Coke. I would have thought the Coke might have been comped under those prevailing circumstances.

 

Sitting here remembering now, I also recall there was a large group of LITS in the Lounge just then. I wonder if perhaps the Champagne was meant for them and we just happened to be included because we were there. LITS is a travel club of some sort and the LITS stands for Life Is Too Short, I believe.

 

 

Thanks for explaining about your special treat. You could well be correct it was because of the LITS group and HAL crew are far too polite to pour champagne for some folks in the room and not offer it to all.

 

I agree it was silly to charge the gentleman for a diet coke. I suspect a bar steward 'wasn't thinking' and no supervisor was aware it occured. He most likely would have told the steward to just serve the soft drink.

[crusinbanjo]

The only one that I have been on that offers it to passengers as they board is Celebrity. Otherwise you have to wait to get to your suite if you have one.

 

We have received a champagne welcome when boarding both Regent & Silversea. It is a really nice touch, but I understand why it is not practical on larger ships. I did watch HAL offer champagne to all the pax returning to Prinsendam from a day long tour. It was a nice touch, but a rushed affair. if you had seen that you would know why they don't attempt it for embarkation!

[sail7seas]

When we are boarding, we are both rolling a carryon, I have my pocketbook and DH has out netbook case over his shoulder and I'm often carrying a tote that has reading material etc in it. No free hands to hold champagne, really very little space for folks to stand around and sip it and it would fast become so congested it is impractical and probably unsafe. The other option is to sqeeze into the elevators with everyone juggling these glasses that are sure to end up spilled all over some people.

 

No thanks.

[crusinbanjo]

When we are boarding, we are both rolling a carryon, I have my pocketbook and DH has out netbook case over his shoulder and I'm often carrying a tote that has reading material etc in it. No free hands to hold champagne, really very little space for folks to stand around and sip it and it would fast become so congested it is impractical and probably unsafe. The other option is to sqeeze into the elevators with everyone juggling these glasses that are sure to end up spilled all over some people.

 

No thanks.

 

That is a big difference between the smaller luxury lines and the larger ships. when we board a Regent or Silversea ship,-a crew are in the lobby waiting to greet you, take your bags, offer you a glass of champagne and show you to your cabin. The experience is quite different from a mass market ship.

 

Don,t misunderstand, I think HAL does a good job of embarking the pax, but as you said, you have all that stuff you are carrying with you and no free hands. They would need a significantly larger crew to pull off an effective champagne welcome

[iancal]

For others such as us, who usually board with one small carry on it does not cause any issues whatsoever. We have never had champagne spilled on us, never been crowded, and we have yet to see anyone loaded down with bags forced to take the champagne. While this does not have any particular value to us, describing it as a negative if far, far from the truth. Do some people think that it is a negative because HAL does not do it???

[hensghan]

I know I'm getting off topic a bit here but I recall coming in from an excursion (San Juan maybe?) last cruise and being greeted back to ship with a cold damp hand towel by HAl stewards. Now THAT was a far nicer gesture than any glass of Champagne.