Signature beverage package

[poolgirl]

My husband is not allowed to drink alcohol for health reasons if we provide a doctors note would I be ably to purchase the package for me

[SLOTheta]

Both people registered to the room must buy the SBP. You can't have one person do it, without having the other person also buy it. If you hubby doesn't drink, it's better to just buy individual drinks or wine packages.

 

 

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[pmcubed]

You can get specialty coffees, bottled water, and all paid for beverages up to $8.00.

 

We have it for our next cruise and I drink very little alcohol - but I am looking forward to the coffees and not having to pay for bottled water.

[Cruiz'nBaers]

I would ask. You never know the answer until you ask as someone from HAL. You could even ask at the bar on embarkation day.

[sheba2008]

You can get specialty coffees, bottled water, and all paid for beverages up to $8.00.

 

We have it for our next cruise and I drink very little alcohol - but I am looking forward to the coffees and not having to pay for bottled water.

 

What is the price?

[SLOTheta]

What is the price?

 

 

Signature Beverage Package is $44.95 per person, per day. All adults in the cabin have to buy the SBP. 15% service charge is added your total charge when you buy the SBP, which makes the price be $51.69 pp/per day. You can have up to 15 drinks per day, that are $6.95 and below. I looked at the wine list, if you are a wine drinker, you have limited options. But, if you like cocktails, the world is your oyster!

 

If you don't get the SBP for free, you'd have to drink 7 drinks a day to break even. We have a port intensive Med cruise, there's no way I could drink more than 7 drinks a day. We are off the boat for a majority of the day and I can't see myself drinking 7 drinks at night.

 

If you are a drinker and your spouse isn't, they will have to buy the SBP. But, there are plenty of mocktails and coffee based drinks you can get. Bottled water and sparking water is included. But, again, I don't think I could drink more than 7 a day to make it worth it. There are a lot of websites from cruisers who have taken photos of the menus. I found a bunch when I googled "Signature Beverage Package and HAL"

 

If the SBP is free, I would definitely opt for it. I'm waiting for an offer that includes it. For now, we are happy with the $300 OBC in our deal. 3 free drinks a day works for us.

 

 

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[OVgirl]

The SBP now includes all beverages priced $8 or less before the 15% is added. The prices for drinks have gone up from the 6.95. A lot of them are much closer to $8 now, so with the 15%, they can go as high as $9.15. At that price you don't have to drink as much to make it worth your while to either buy the package or keep it as part of a promo.

 

I hope that they will let you get the package without getting it for your husband as well.

Edited March 12, 2016 by OVgirl

[Robe Cruiser]

Technically the SBP is never free, you are actually paying for it in your fare. We originally booked a 25 day Med cruise for roughly $4300 P/P with the SBP as part of the fare. Then we checked the fares later and were able to get a fare of $2700. If the cost of the SBP is about $55.00/day or $1375 for the cruise, you are technically paying for it.

[slabeaume]

Technically the SBP is never free, you are actually paying for it in your fare. We originally booked a 25 day Med cruise for roughly $4300 P/P with the SBP as part of the fare. Then we checked the fares later and were able to get a fare of $2700. If the cost of the SBP is about $55.00/day or $1375 for the cruise, you are technically paying for it.

 

The one time we got the SBP free the price of our room had gone down. So I got the SBP and paid less for the cruise then when I originally booked it. Wish we'd find a deal like that again!

[teamflames]

Our cruise fare was less than currently advertised and we got the sbp! Still 3 months to go so maybe it will drop

 

 

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[travelinjones]

On the Nieuw Amsterdam transatlantic cruise last November the beverage manager answered this question. He said all guests in Stateroom aged 21 and over have to purchase the Signature Beverage Package unless one guest cannot Drink alcohol for medical reasons. Best to confirm with the front desk or ship services before you sail.

Bet

[Karen13]

We got the SBP free with the 'explore 4' programme on our Alaska cruise this June. This also included a free Pinnacle Grill dinner. We booked a year in advance.

 

As far as I could check, the price for our balcony cabin has never fallen below the price we paid, and is now significantly higher, with no SBP.

[gpb11]

Also remember you can order a bottle of liquor ahead of time for delivery to your cabin. Bring your own soft drinks aboard as mixers.

 

It's under the Gifts & Indulgences section of the website.

[dznymom]

My husband doesn't drip a drop but I enjoy a libation or 2 or 3 now and then :) I ordered bottle of Crown for the room, and we will bring on our 2 bottles of wine. If I happen to finish the wine too early in the cruise, I will pick up another bottle or 2 somewhere and pay corkage. I'll make it work.

 

I do plan to ask about the doctor's note for future cruises as I do enjoy the ease of the package. On Celebrity, DH got the unlimited non-alcohol package and I got the drunk package and that was a really nice feature :D

[TAD2005]

We are looking at a 21 day HAL cruise this November. The Explore-4 promotion is not being offered. I see everyone saying the SBP, when purchased, is $44.95 per day/per person plus 15% service. But on HAL's website, they do not quote a price, but they say that the price is based on the length of your cruise. If $44.95 per day times the number of cruise days is the final price, then yes, the total price is based on the length. Has anyone had luck negotiating with HAL's PCC's getting a SBP thrown in to a cruise package, or at least a negotiated price ? We are 3-star Mariners.

[cabinluvn]

For that much money pp, you can have a bucket of beer during happy hour and a nice bottle of wine with dinner and more! You would have to drink a lot of liquor/specialty coffees, bottled water to break even

 

 

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[dakrewser]

For that much money pp, you can have a bucket of beer during happy hour and a nice bottle of wine with dinner and more! You would have to drink a lot of liquor/specialty coffees, bottled water to break even

 

While it depends on what you mean by a "nice" bottle of wine, most decent wines plus a bucket of beer will set you back well over $50. Of course, neither of those are available with the SBP so the point is moot.

 

3 large specialty coffees, 2 cocktails, a glass of wine and an aperitif daily with the odd bottle of water now and again, however, will be less expensive with the SBP.

[cabinluvn]

If you bought a $50 bottle of wine, that is only a little more than half of the daily SBP package for two. You would have about $40 left to make up the daily difference. Point being that you could save money by buying the drinks on your own, unless you could drink $45 worth of liquor a day

 

 

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[dakrewser]

If you bought a $50 bottle of wine, that is only a little more than half of the daily SBP package for two. You would have about $40 left to make up the daily difference. Point being that you could save money by buying the drinks on your own, unless you could drink $45 worth of liquor a day

 

AS I said "3 large specialty coffees, 2 cocktails, a glass of wine and an aperitif daily with the odd bottle of water now and again, however, will be less expensive with the SBP."

[OVgirl]

If you bought a $50 bottle of wine, that is only a little more than half of the daily SBP package for two. You would have about $40 left to make up the daily difference. Point being that you could save money by buying the drinks on your own, unless you could drink $45 worth of liquor a day

 

 

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As most cocktails run around $9 and change (after adding the 15%), that would be 5 cocktails between 2 people.

It's a very good idea to do the math before buying the SBP or giving it up for a cruise price drop.

Edited March 16, 2016 by OVgirl

[FrankieSue]

We received the SBP with Pinnacle dinner and Onboard credit for our upcoming cruise. The price of that cruise is still the same as we paid but no longer comes the benefits. The benefits of course are offered in US $ which means that for us Canadians, they are worth a good 25% more than face value. We know that we got a great deal. Happy cruising everybody.

[teamflames]

I think the sbp also gives you freedom to try things you might not otherwise.

For us cruising is rare and we want to have a fun time without being concerned of wasting $9 on a cocktail. Likewise we wouldn't want to limit ourselves to only drinking in the cabin and mdr, when there are lots of different options.

Of course if you are a light drinker or concerned with price there are other options, but if you want flexibility I think it's good value. I know on X we loved being able to get bottles of still and sparkling waters whenever we wanted and trying all the specialty coffees on top of all the late night baileys on ice [emoji6]

 

 

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[kevingastreich]

As most cocktails run around $9 and change (after adding the 15%), that would be 5 cocktails between 2 people.

It's a very good idea to do the math before buying the SBP or giving it up for a cruise price drop.

 

Sometime itinerary has something to do with how much I drink also. The longer I stay on board and the hotter the weather, the more beer I consume! :p