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

[AIRBUSDRIVER]

Leaving on Eurodam on Nov 16. Is the SBC good for the happy hours on board?? And other thanthe maximum $7 restriction are there any other restrictions?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Dave

[POA1]

Leaving on Eurodam on Nov 16. Is the SBC good for the happy hours on board?? And other thanthe maximum $7 restriction are there any other restrictions?

 

Thanks in advance.

 

Dave

You can use the SBP at happy hour, but you cannot get the 2nd drink for $1. Each drink simply counts against your total.

 

This allows you to avoid the Happy Hour crowds and go to any bar you want. Of course, if you like crowds, you can go to the Happy Hour bar.

[AIRBUSDRIVER]

You can use the SBP at happy hour, but you cannot get the 2nd drink for $1. Each drink simply counts against your total.

 

This allows you to avoid the Happy Hour crowds and go to any bar you want. Of course, if you like crowds, you can go to the Happy Hour bar.

 

 

Thanks a bunch!! Sounds like a no brainer to purchase this package. Looking forward to it.

[POA1]

The Manhattan Project: Answering the question about the SBP and making a Manhattan with a decent whiskey.

 

Background: You can get a Manhattan using the Signature Beverage Package, but it's made with the well Bourbon. If you want a Manhattan made with Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, or Wild Turkey, it would exceed the $7 mark. Workaround - Use one SBP drink to get a vermouth, up. Put the glass aside. In 5 minutes, order your Bourbon. (The 3 I listed are below $7.) Ask the bartender to mix however much vermouth you prefer into your plain Bourbon drink. Unless you like a 1:1 ratio, your little glass of vermouth should last a few rounds. If you're lucky, your bartender might figure out what you are doing and offer an alternative.

[MarElz]

In unrelated news, the Noordam is in code red for Noro. None of our research scientists has succumbed though. Any headaches or nausea we have felt was completely self-induced.

 

I know this is an older post, but HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

[2ptu/000]

The Manhattan Project: Answering the question about the SBP and making a Manhattan with a decent whiskey.

 

Background: You can get a Manhattan using the Signature Beverage Package, but it's made with the well Bourbon. If you want a Manhattan made with Jim Beam, Jack Daniels, or Wild Turkey, it would exceed the $7 mark. Workaround - Use one SBP drink to get a vermouth, up. Put the glass aside. In 5 minutes, order your Bourbon. (The 3 I listed are below $7.) Ask the bartender to mix however much vermouth you prefer into your plain Bourbon drink. Unless you like a 1:1 ratio, your little glass of vermouth should last a few rounds. If you're lucky, your bartender might figure out what you are doing and offer an alternative.

Thank You, POA1. We now have a plan.

[MarElz]

I will often order the next night's wine at the end of dinner. You want to avoid sitting down and having to comb through the list if at all possible. Most other tables will be doing that and the wine stewards can only move so fast.

Hope you have a great vacation!

 

We're bringing our own onboard for the post-New Years sailing, but I will take this excellent advice for my Xmas cruise. Great tip!

[POA1]

As part of The National Institute of Cheer's ongoing mission, we are happy to report that there's cider available (Strongbow) and a couple more wines by the glass that qualify for the Signature Beverage Package.

 

More at the link, including the whole darn December bar price list:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=44930879&postcount=321

[GregnChris]

POA1: Thanks for posting the drink menu. I have been on several HAL cruises and never see one. Is it hiding in the cocktail lounges where one has to "filch" it to have a personal copy?

 

And of course we can assume that in your quest of knowledge, you and/or your companions have tried all of the items, right? ;) If not, it must be time for another cruise so you can sample the missing items. Are you starting a Kickstart campaign to fund said cruise? :D

 

Really, thanks for your posts. They have made me smile and pointed out lots of interesting things. We are eagerly awaiting our next HAL cruise in May on the Zuiderdam, which included the beverage package.

 

Greg n Chris

[POA1]

POA1: Thanks for posting the drink menu. I have been on several HAL cruises and never see one. Is it hiding in the cocktail lounges where one has to "filch" it to have a personal copy?

 

And of course we can assume that in your quest of knowledge, you and/or your companions have tried all of the items, right? ;) If not, it must be time for another cruise so you can sample the missing items. Are you starting a Kickstart campaign to fund said cruise? :D

 

Really, thanks for your posts. They have made me smile and pointed out lots of interesting things. We are eagerly awaiting our next HAL cruise in May on the Zuiderdam, which included the beverage package.

 

Greg n Chris

 

We definitely did not try all the items. We have but one liver to give for our cause.

 

All I did was ask a bartender if I could borrow a menu for about a half hour. I sent it to the Institute's Department of Scanning Things and then returned it to the bar.

 

Glad we could help!

[Krazy Kruizers]

POA1: Thanks for posting the drink menu. I have been on several HAL cruises and never see one. Is it hiding in the cocktail lounges where one has to "filch" it to have a personal copy?

 

And of course we can assume that in your quest of knowledge, you and/or your companions have tried all of the items, right? ;) If not, it must be time for another cruise so you can sample the missing items. Are you starting a Kickstart campaign to fund said cruise? :D

 

Really, thanks for your posts. They have made me smile and pointed out lots of interesting things. We are eagerly awaiting our next HAL cruise in May on the Zuiderdam, which included the beverage package.

 

Greg n Chris

 

 

We have cruised HAL for years.

The Drink Menus are on the cocktail tables in the Ocean Bar and Crow's Nest.

[Don't spammy]

Many thanks to the Institute's Department of Scanning Things. They have been very busy lately. Much appreciated.

[Olivia'sMom]

By any chance do you have a bar menu for cocktails?? We bought a SBC for our cruise next week on the Nieuw Amsterdam and are hoping that our favorite drinks are covered. The price limit on the card is $9 per drink. If you don't have a menu do you know where we could find it online?? We're just curious as we've never done a beverage card before. Thanks!!

[Alberta Quilter]

By any chance do you have a bar menu for cocktails?? We bought a SBC for our cruise next week on the Nieuw Amsterdam and are hoping that our favorite drinks are covered. The price limit on the card is $9 per drink. If you don't have a menu do you know where we could find it online?? We're just curious as we've never done a beverage card before. Thanks!!

 

Check out this link, just scroll down to the beverage menus: http://halfacts.com/general-info/

 

There is a ton of info on this site, including pictures of cabins.

[Olivia'sMom]

Thanks so much!! This is a big help! We've cruised plenty but have never done the card.

[Crew News]

By any chance do you have a bar menu for cocktails?? We bought a SBC for our cruise next week on the Nieuw Amsterdam and are hoping that our favorite drinks are covered. The price limit on the card is $9 per drink. If you don't have a menu do you know where we could find it online?? We're just curious as we've never done a beverage card before. Thanks!!

 

Here is a link to the current Specialty Restaurants, Beverage, and Room Service menus in PDF format:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/?page_id=908

[POA1]

In addition to the standard cocktail list, most bars will have a smaller list of specialty cocktails that were created specifically for that bar. They're almost always - if not always - under the $7 mark. Also, if you are a fan of the Bloody Mary, look for the premium Bloody Mary bar. It's usually in the Lido Restaurant or by the Lido pool bar. They had top shelf vodkas and everything you could want in a Bloody. The drinks were priced at an SBP friendly $6.95.

[Vict0riann]

By any chance do you have a bar menu for cocktails?? We bought a SBC for our cruise next week on the Nieuw Amsterdam and are hoping that our favorite drinks are covered. The price limit on the card is $9 per drink. If you don't have a menu do you know where we could find it online?? We're just curious as we've never done a beverage card before. Thanks!!

 

That's very interesting. When we had a free SBP as part of the explore4 promo, the limit was $7. If it has gone up to $9, it might be well worth buying!

 

I just went and checked my latest booking, and the SBP still says the limit is $7 per drink - are you sure yours says $9?

Edited January 28, 2015 by Vict0riann

[summersigh]

Our favorite wines were not available on either of the Admiral or Navigator packages and we normally drink 5 bottles over a 7 day cruise.

 

But .... For our March cruise I did some poking around on the Indulgences Beverage list and found it's $5 cheaper off the package price :D to just order 5 bottles of our favorite wine and for delivery choosing the "DINING" option instead of the "Stateroom - At Sea" option.

 

We got a good chuckle too as ordering a bottle of Crown Royal for the cabin was only $5 more than a bottle of our wine :D ... and yes, we did go ahead and order the Crown for the cabin.

 

The $5 on the wine or the Crown doesn't really make any difference in the large scheme of things ...it was just amusing to note it.

[Tampa Girl]

That's very interesting. When we had a free SBP as part of the explore4 promo, the limit was $7. If it has gone up to $9, it might be well worth buying!

 

I just went and checked my latest booking, and the SBP still says the limit is $7 per drink - are you sure yours says $9?

 

 

How do they assign the Pinnacle dining time on this Explore4 Promo, since the dinner is part of the package? Can you change the time if you meeting up with family on the ship but not booked with them?

[Vict0riann]

How do they assign the Pinnacle dining time on this Explore4 Promo, since the dinner is part of the package? Can you change the time if you meeting up with family on the ship but not booked with them?

 

We changed ours - no problemo! Just go to the Pinnacle after you board and tell them what you want.

[sail7seas]

How do they assign the Pinnacle dining time on this Explore4 Promo, since the dinner is part of the package? Can you change the time if you meeting up with family on the ship but not booked with them?

 

We have had CC'ers report here they had no problem changing the time they were assigned to Pinnacle if that day/time did not suit them. Of course, it depends upon availability.

 

Edited January 28, 2015 by sail7seas

[POA1]

It's going to depend on how many other passengers on your sailing have the Explore 4. In March 2014, we were able to change, but we went to the PG immediately after boarding. There were 900+ Explore 4 reservations pre-booked. The cruise prior to ours had over 1,200 Explore 4 promo reservations on the books and we were told that moving was next to impossible.

 

My advice: Go right away and check your reservation.

[Tampa Girl]

We changed ours - no problemo! Just go to the Pinnacle after you board and tell them what you want.

 

 

Thanks so much!

[Tampa Girl]

It's going to depend on how many other passengers on your sailing have the Explore 4. In March 2014, we were able to change, but we went to the PG immediately after boarding. There were 900+ Explore 4 reservations pre-booked. The cruise prior to ours had over 1,200 Explore 4 promo reservations on the books and we were told that moving was next to impossible.

 

My advice: Go right away and check your reservation.

 

 

Do we get our Pinnacle reservation when we check in or is it waiting in the cabin?