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

[POA1]

At dinner in the PG, I indicated to our waiter that we would need to pay corkage on the bottle, but basically he took no notice of it. Maybe I got away without corkage since it was a screw top :D.

 

For Stelvin Closures, you pay "twistage," or "screwage."

 

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Screw_cap_(wine)

[choc56uk]

so are we able to take cans of diet cola on board ( harwich ) or bottles of water etc...

 

alternative ....we could buy a single soda card for 25$ ( but the offer is giving 50$ ) .....seems a good idea ......so hubby will have this and will he be able to get bottles of water with also diet coke / sprite zero etc etc

 

 

also if we take on board 1 bottle of wine each ....

 

and buy the soda card.....and buy a bottle of bacardi .... can we ask for a ice bucket / ice for drinks etc.....

 

thanks

[freestyling]

You may bring soda and/or bottled water on board and also purchase in ports and carry on. The cabin steward will keep your ice bucket full. Just let him / her know. We dont use ice as a rule so we always let them know not to leave ice. Have a great cruise.

[Emjay65]

Following this debate I have no doubt we need to bring wine aboard; we don't drink wine at home that costs less than £10/$15 a bottle and even with the corkage the quality of wine will be so much better if we do that - we don't go on holiday to deprive ourselves - even if we only manage to carry 6 days' worth it'll be better than nothing!

 

 

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[GregnChris]

We are just back from 22 days on the Zuiderdam (5/13-6/8/2015). We got the beverage card as part of the Explore4 promotion. I must say that we were not able to come even close to reaching the daily drink limit. But we certainly did use the card more than if we were doing a pay by drink plan. I don't believe we drank more than $50 per day, but since it was given as a promotion, it was worth it.

 

The choice/quality of the wine by the glass in the dining room is limited, two reds and two whites. After a couple of days, we reverted to buying our wine by the bottle for dinner. But the card did cover a before dinner drink, Prosecco aperitif, sparkling water with dinner, an after dinner digestive, and cocktails in the theater for the show. Not to mention Latte's in the morning and diet Cokes during the day. All of this on the explore 4 card.

 

One thing that I didn't realize until we boarded was that the drinks card is NOT a separate card. Rather, it was our regular room card. I don't see any special marking on the card, so I guess it is just something they code in their accounting software. Interestingly, during the cruise, room charge summaries didn't show the drinks, but the final bill did show all the drinks, along with a credit for each one.

 

Something that is fairly new is that if you go on a HAL excursion that is wine oriented (wine tasting included), you are allowed to bring back one bottle of wine per adult on the tour for no charge. Make sure to have them mark the bottle when you bring it on, so you can take it to the dining room for no corkage fee! This policy is fairly new, and in conflict with what the excursion videos they plan on the TV said. However, as clarified by the Beverage Manager, the policy was changed to now allow you to take it to the dining room for free. I was told it was a fleet wide policy. They had a list of the room numbers and names of folks that went on a wine tour. When we boarded after the excursion, we stopped at the wine desk and they crossed our names off and put a sticker on the wine.

 

Greg

[Krazy Kruizers]

Thank you for this new information about being able to bring a bottle of wine on board if you go on a wine excursion. Think that will only apply to European cruises.

[cruz chic]

I'm surprised that they would let you take it to the MDR and not charge corkage. That was never the case when you brought wine on before they changed the policy. You could only drink it in your room.

[POA1]

Thanks Greg. It makes sense, since the cruise line is making money on the wine excursions. It's not like they're losing out.

[GregnChris]

You are right, that was the old policy. And if fact that is what the videos about excursions they run on the ship's TV channel 26 said. But I verified that the policy had been changed with the Beverage Manager (Lisa). She said the policy had recently changed, and that they had not had time to update the videos yet. She also said it was indeed fleet wide. There was no mention of it applying only in Europe.

 

When you bring a bottle from a tasting excursion back on board, make sure you go to the "wine table" and get a sticker. On the Zuiderdam, the table was just past the security X-ray machine. They will check your room number and name against the wine excursions list. Once they find you, they put a sticker on the bottle and can take it to the dining room, no cost. We did this a couple of times. I guess they figure the $18 corkage fee is covered by the cost of the excursion.

 

Greg

 

 

I'm surprised that they would let you take it to the MDR and not charge corkage. That was never the case when you brought wine on before they changed the policy. You could only drink it in your room.

[cruz chic]

You are right, that was the old policy. And if fact that is what the videos about excursions they run on the ship's TV channel 26 said. But I verified that the policy had been changed with the Beverage Manager (Lisa). She said the policy had recently changed, and that they had not had time to update the videos yet. She also said it was indeed fleet wide. There was no mention of it applying only in Europe.

 

When you bring a bottle from a tasting excursion back on board, make sure you go to the "wine table" and get a sticker. On the Zuiderdam, the table was just past the security X-ray machine. They will check your room number and name against the wine excursions list. Once they find you, they put a sticker on the bottle and can take it to the dining room, no cost. We did this a couple of times. I guess they figure the $18 corkage fee is covered by the cost of the excursion.

 

Greg

 

There is an excursion in quebec so this could be of interest to those folks. Hopefully the info has made it's way to the wine stewards. Thx for the info.

[Cruzin Terri]

Well I might as well ask my question here. We are on a Med cruise beginning on July 11. We are getting some OBC, a three bottle Navigator Wine pkg and 2 $50 soda cards.

 

Well, neither DH nor I drink soda (I actually cannot drink any carbonated beverage). Does anyone know if these cards can be exchanged for anything else? I would be happy getting bottled water instead or a beverage card.

 

Any ideas on how to do this?

 

Thanks for your help.

Terri

Edited June 20, 2015 by Cruzin Terri

[POA1]

That's a good question, Terri. On paper, the soda cards are only good for fountain sodas. If no one can give you an answer before you leave, let us know what you find out.

[Cruzin Terri]

I'll see what I can do. I will let you know how it works out. I am still open to suggestions in case anyone has any.

 

It is kind of crazy to give a soda card and presuppose that everyone drinks the stuff. I used to drink diet coke until I was told I can't have any of the stuff any more. DH just doesn't like soda. It is really a waste.

 

Should I go for a different type of card? Or OBC? Or any other suggestions?

Terri

[RuthC]

Or any other suggestions?

Who is giving you the card?

If it's the TA, I would just let him know that you don't need the card, and ask if something else can be substituted.

If it's from HAL, then I doubt they would take it in trade for something, but it's worth asking at the Front Desk.

 

If nothing else worked, I would try selling it off at a slight discount to another passenger who is interested in the card. Might work.

In any case, since it's a gift, if it goes unused, there's no real loss.

[Alberta Quilter]

Well I might as well ask my question here. We are on a Med cruise beginning on July 11. We are getting some OBC, a three bottle Navigator Wine pkg and 2 $50 soda cards.

 

 

 

Well, neither DH nor I drink soda (I actually cannot drink any carbonated beverage). Does anyone know if these cards can be exchanged for anything else? I would be happy getting bottled water instead or a beverage card.

 

 

 

Any ideas on how to do this?

 

 

 

Thanks for your help.

 

Terri

 

 

Well, the two soda cards cost $25 each if one was to purchase them. Maybe you could ask to exchange them for one $50 beverage card instead. Then, it would be a fair trade for something that you could actually use.

[Cruzin Terri]

Who is giving you the card?

If it's the TA, I would just let him know that you don't need the card, and ask if something else can be substituted.

If it's from HAL, then I doubt they would take it in trade for something, but it's worth asking at the Front Desk.

 

If nothing else worked, I would try selling it off at a slight discount to another passenger who is interested in the card. Might work.

In any case, since it's a gift, if it goes unused, there's no real loss.

 

It is from HAL as part of one of their promotions. I will see if I can ex hand the two of them for one $50 beverage card that we can actually use.

Otherwise, we will just not use it.

I am not going to try to sell it. That's just not me.

Terri

[POA1]

It is from HAL as part of one of their promotions. I will see if I can ex hand the two of them for one $50 beverage card that we can actually use.

Otherwise, we will just not use it.

I am not going to try to sell it. That's just not me.

Terri

Have you considered using sodas to bribe little children to run errands for you? ;)

[Cruzin Terri]

Have you considered using sodas to bribe little children to run errands for you? ;)

 

I would use the sodas to bribe them to stay away from me. Or keep them from running around in the MDR. Now that's an idea!

 

If all else fails.......

Terri

[regnig]

Well I might as well ask my question here. We are on a Med cruise beginning on July 11. We are getting some OBC, a three bottle Navigator Wine pkg and 2 $50 soda cards.

Well, neither DH nor I drink soda (I actually cannot drink any carbonated). I would be happy getting bottled water instead or a beverage card.

Any ideas on how to do this?

Thanks for your help.

Terri

 

Terri on our last cruise our TA gifted us wine (not a drink card) and we had a card in our stateroom that we were to hand over when we order it. I believe the gift price specified on the card was $50. We called room service and asked if we could exchange it for beer for DH and they said sure. They asked what kind DH wanted and sent up couple of buckets. So I suggest you give it a try to exchange them for bottled water. They may only give you the "retail" price value of $25 each but that's better than nothing.

[Cruzin Terri]

Terri on our last cruise our TA gifted us wine (not a drink card) and we had a card in our stateroom that we were to hand over when we order it. I believe the gift price specified on the card was $50. We called room service and asked if we could exchange it for beer for DH and they said sure. They asked what kind DH wanted and sent up couple of buckets. So I suggest you give it a try to exchange them for bottled water. They may only give you the "retail" price value of $25 each but that's better than nothing.

 

Thanks for your help and sharing your experience. We will give it a try.

Terri

[RobinKY]

I scanned a few of the pages on this topic and can't find the answers to my questions. I am new to HAL but have done RCCL and CCL and have done drink packages on those.

 

Questions:

 

1. Is there info on the HAL website to the SDP info/rules etc ?

 

2. Do they require each 21+ guest in the stateroom to purchase? That might not be an issue as I think we can get a cheaper rate getting 2 rooms (me + child then wife+ child) but that is tbd.

 

3. If we are able to only purchase one SDP, how are they on monitoring sharing drinks? I read somewhere about the 5 minute rule but that is no big deal.

 

4. Also daily drink limits?

[cabinluvn]

I asked that question to the live chat and the answer was it is only charged to the first two people over 21 in the cabin. It would not apply to the rest. We got separate cabins for our DD and DGD and the explore 4 will apply to both

 

 

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[TheDaringLibrarian]

I answered this briefly yesterday, but since I have cellular data today, I'll expand.

 

The portion size was one full ounce, plenty for two to share. (We could easily eat more, but 1/2 oz each was sufficient.) The quality of caviar was very good and the freshness was very good as well. It was Osetra. For reference, we get a fair amount of caviar from Browne Trading in Portland, Maine when we are at our summer home in Maine. This caviar was just as good as what we get there. We may have it again later in the cruise.

 

All in all, I would recommend it. Just make sure that you let them know you expect the full caviar setup. DW wasn't wild about the blinis. She prefers the ones our friend makes. Of course our friend is a classically trained pastry chef who has been on Chopped, Best Thing I Ever Ate, and the Travel Channel's "Food Paradise." so the comparison might be a little unfair.

 

I know I'm coming "late to the party" or should I say research (though I suspect the study at the Cheer Institute is perpetual), but I think $45 as a supplement for a full ounce of Royal Russian Osetra Caviar is a steal!

 

I love Malossol, which translates to "little salt" in Russian - (my Cold War era High School Russian finally pays off!) for the fresh delicate flavor and sells on Amazon for $139 an Oz and at Browne Trading for $225.00 per 30g.

 

But forgetting the Crème fraîche? Savages! [grins] If you don't finish it, how tacky would it be to take it back to the cabin for later al fresco egging? :)

 

Cheers!

~Gwyneth

(who is studiously working her way through the whole report - it's a super fun read!)

 

[POA1]

I know I'm coming "late to the party" or should I say research (though I suspect the study at the Cheer Institute is perpetual), but I think $45 as a supplement for a full ounce of Royal Russian Osetra Caviar is a steal!

 

I love Malossol, which translates to "little salt" in Russian - (my Cold War era High School Russian finally pays off!) for the fresh delicate flavor and sells on Amazon for $139 an Oz and at Browne Trading for $225.00 per 30g.

 

But forgetting the Crème fraîche? Savages! [grins] If you don't finish it, how tacky would it be to take it back to the cabin for later al fresco egging? :)

 

Cheers!

~Gwyneth

(who is studiously working her way through the whole report - it's a super fun read!)

 

 

Yes, it's an amazing caviar value. We did have it again - and again - on the Nieuw Amsterdam later in the year, and all the accoutrements were served with the caviar.

 

Thanks for your very nice note. It made my day. As you read through this information, just be aware that some program aspects have changed. The Signature Beverage Package is no longer a separate card. The drink prices have gone up, but so has the SBP per drink allowance. It's essentially a wash. There are a few things that were above the limit, but which are no longer. You now have a few more whiskey choices than you did in the past. (By "you," I mean "me." ;) )

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[Megsie1000]

So happy to see Hendrick's is just under the $8 line. :)

 

We have the Explore 4 package. Am I correct that the gratuities for the drinks are also included in the package? We did a cruise last year with the Explore 4 and that was the case. Just want to make sure that is still true.