Holland America changes carry on wine policy

[quist100]

According to Holland America's web site and other conformations, Holland America will NO LONGER allow unlimited wine to be brought on board. Starting Feb. 1 st. 2014 ALL passangers will be allowed to bring on ONLY ONE 750 ML. bottle of wine each AND only at embarkation! Regardless of cruise length or location.

 

Holland has gone from one of the best policy's to one of the most restrictive policies in the industry.

 

Future cruises will be on other cruise lines which allow their customers the freedom of their own decisions.

Edited November 30, 2013 by quist100

[kazu]

According to Holland America's web site and other conformations, Holland America will NO LONGER allow unlimited wine to be brought on board. Starting Feb. 1 st. 2014 ALL passangers will be allowed to bring on ONLY ONE 750 ML. bottle of wine each AND only at embarkation! Regardless of cruise length or location.

 

Holland has gone from one of the best policy's to one of the most restrictive policies in the industry.

 

Future cruises will be on other cruise lines which allow their customers the freedom of their own decisions.

 

Welcome to Cruise Critic :D

 

This is not new news here on these boards. We have been discussing this since August when they brought it out abruptly and then re-tracked until January 31/14.

[Cruzin Terri]

Wow, when I read the title I thought HAL had a change of heart and not going to go through with the absurdity.

Terri

[Krazy Kruizers]

Welcome to Cruise Critic.

This is one of many threads about the new policy:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1890524&highlight=new+wine+policy

[innlady1]

How disappointing! I clicked on this thread in great anticipation that HAL had had a "change of heart" after all of our complaints and relaxed their idiotic new policy...only to see that the OP didn't research the threads here and find the multitude of postings about the new policy. :(

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

So did I ...

[TiogaCruiser]

Welcome to cruise critic and thanks for posting the info.

Keeping each other up to date is one of the things CC is about.

 

There were a number of threads about this last summer when the changes were implemented without warning, then postponed until February. At that time there was a sticky started by one of the Mods. The "sticky" became "unstuck" and sunk with the rest of the threads (many got locked as there was quite some contention with a few posters).

 

Personally, I think it would be good to have a sticky about it so someone coming in new or returning will be aware of this big change.

[sapper1]

Welcome to Cruise Critic. When I read your title regarding the subject that has caused untold angst here on the HAL board for several months I thought you were delivering an early Christmas present. :)

[mamaofami]

Me too. Between the new wine policy and more smokers cruising HAL because of their liberal smoking policy, it might make me think twice about a different cruise line.

[taxmantoo]

Me too. Between the new wine policy and more smokers cruising HAL because of their liberal smoking policy, it might make me think twice about a different cruise line.

 

Totally agree. While too late to cancel our February cruise, we have booked with Princess (less smoking, more civilized wine policy and better priced wine list) for our September cruise in Asia.

[sail7seas]

Wow, when I read the title I thought HAL had a change of heart and not going to go through with the absurdity.

Terri

 

How disappointing! I clicked on this thread in great anticipation that HAL had had a "change of heart" after all of our complaints and relaxed their idiotic new policy...only to see that the OP didn't research the threads here and find the multitude of postings about the new policy. :(

 

 

:) I also thought HAL had reconsidered and loosened up their revised policy.

 

[MAHLO]

Boy oh boy sure got my motor running when I saw that title what a dissapointment when I read it all,just maybe they will see how many disagree with this and :mad: they will not be so hard on us..:mad:

[Kenato]

What a bummer that turned out to be!!!!

[NMLady]

According to Holland America's web site and other conformations, Holland America will NO LONGER allow unlimited wine to be brought on board. Starting Feb. 1 st. 2014 ALL passangers will be allowed to bring on ONLY ONE 750 ML. bottle of wine each AND only at embarkation! Regardless of cruise length or location.

 

Holland has gone from one of the best policy's to one of the most restrictive policies in the industry.

 

Future cruises will be on other cruise lines which allow their customers the freedom of their own decisions.

 

This is old news. I thought maybe your post was that there was another change. I keep hoping they'll change it to at least allow a bottle of local wine at each port.

Edited November 30, 2013 by NMLady

[sail7seas]

Has anyone who is doing a Med cruise that usually offers excursions to wineries seeing those tours still offered by HAL? How do they think people will take those tours if they can't bring wine back to the ship to enjoy? :confused:

[peaches from georgia]

Has anyone who is doing a Med cruise that usually offers excursions to wineries seeing those tours still offered by HAL? How do they think people will take those tours if they can't bring wine back to the ship to enjoy? :confused:

I doubt the wineries would be too excited about hosting excursions either when few guests will be buying anything.

[startwin]

Boy oh boy sure got my motor running when I saw that title what a dissapointment when I read it all,just maybe they will see how many disagree with this and :mad: they will not be so hard on us..:mad:

 

It was a bit of a let-down, wasn't it?

[pris993]

Hopefully another thread on this issue will remind HAL that many really do care about this crazy policy. We are on the TA next April, it probably will be our last HAL cruise. We cruise Princess, Celebrity, Cunard and NCL -all are more flexible. There are lots of choices besides HAL out there. We would like HAL to recognize they made a mistake but if they don't we all have choices.

[Two@Sea]

Maybe HAL can use some of their increased wine revenue to put a sneeze guard in the Westerdam Neptune Lounge? :)

[innlady1]

Has anyone who is doing a Med cruise that usually offers excursions to wineries seeing those tours still offered by HAL? How do they think people will take those tours if they can't bring wine back to the ship to enjoy? :confused:

 

There was an excursion to a winery in most (if not all) of the ports we visited in Italy, France, and Spain. Some friends on the ship went to one of them in Spain...we did not because DH doesn't drink so I didn't think it would be much fun for him.

We did, however, visit a winery on our private tour in Florence and I brought back four bottles to the ship. Three came home with us (they packed them well for travel). But I did enjoy one of the chianti on the ship.

It will be interesting to see what HAL does about this. Why they would deprive their customers this pleasure is beyond me.

[kazu]

Has anyone who is doing a Med cruise that usually offers excursions to wineries seeing those tours still offered by HAL? How do they think people will take those tours if they can't bring wine back to the ship to enjoy? :confused:

 

They are still offering the tours on our 2014 cruise in the fall on the EE.

 

I would have actually done one of them as it is a very nice winery, unfortunately with the current policy - it makes little sense to book :(

[Cruzin Terri]

They are still offering the tours on our 2014 cruise in the fall on the EE.

 

I would have actually done one of them as it is a very nice winery, unfortunately with the current policy - it makes little sense to book :(

 

They are also offering a number of winery tours on our 22 day Noordam Mediterranean cruise. It will be interesting to see how popular they are.

I, for one, will not sign up for any. Then again, I rarely do ship excursions.

Terri

[Candiaccruiser]

You had us all fooled with that title! Hope flickered for a few moments and then died...

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Cruzin Terri]

Here is my strategy. I am on a b2b. I will buy wine in the ports on the first half and have them hold it. They will deliver it to my stateroom on the last night before the end of the first half and I will have it for the second half of the cruise.

Hopefully they will not catch on.

[kazu]

Here is my strategy. I am on a b2b. I will buy wine in the ports on the first half and have them hold it. They will deliver it to my stateroom on the last night before the end of the first half and I will have it for the second half of the cruise.

Hopefully they will not catch on.

 

Hey that's a smart idea :) We're on a collectors' cruise too! So, the nice wines will be primarily in the 1st 1/2 of the cruise. I might try that as well.

 

The worst that can happen is that they don't do it. We can drink some the last night and since we are staying overnight we can always take some with us for the hotel and leave the rest behind.

 

Brilliant idea - thank you :):)