Alcohol available for purchase for In stateroom consumption on HAL Oosterdam

[Johnny de Laffy]

I've been searching the forums for a post on this topic and haven't been able to find anything so I thought I'd add this topic for comment.

 

I just got back from a Holland America Line cruise on the Oosterdam with stops in San Juan, PR and Amber Cove, DR. A few days before I boarded, I was looking through the info for "already booked" and found that I could purchase a bottle of alcohol with mixers for in-room consumption through room service. I could have also ordered through the website to have it in my stateroom when I arrived on the ship.

 

I ordered a bottle of Jameson Irish Whiskey by dialing 92 and when the bottle was delivered it was a full liter and not a 750ml as I expected. The price including gratuity was only $56 which is a steal considering mixed drinks for a 1.5 ounce pour were in the $10 range with gratuity. This was a no brainer as far as cost and the small inconvenience of walking down to the room to pour a drink was well worth it. Truthfully, I usually took my drinks up on deck or anywhere else on the ship that I wanted to with no questions from staff or crew.

 

It was also a great thing to have in the room for small get-togethers with friends for shots before attending entertainment events.

Edited January 15, 2019 by Johnny de Laffy

[Krazy Kruizers]

For years we have ordered alcohol for our cabin --- some times before we left on the cruise.  Sometimes we waited until we were on the ship to order the alcohol -- all depended on how much shipboard credit we had.

 

We love sitting out on the verandah having a cocktail to either watch the world go by or people watch if we are in port.

 

However -- we never have taken our drinks out of our cabin to any place else on the ship.

[boards]

We have done the same as Krazy Kruizers have done.  Some times have purchased it in advance or room service, but we buy  our mix at the Exploration Cafe because we are 4-star mariners and get it for half price.  If we have a mini fridge we will get the mix out of it, same thing, half price.

[Djptcp]

We have always ordered liquor for our cruises before we sail. Nice to have a bottle waiting for us on boarding. HAL's prices are still reasonable to do so. We sail more on Carnival and they jacked up their room liquor prices a few years ago and they are outrageous now - at least twice what HAL charges, so we don't order liquor for our cabin anymore on Carnival cruises. We don't order drink packages either because we just don't drink that much and we usually have free drinks in the casino on Carnival because of special casino offers.

[ottahand7]

We have always ordered a bottle for the room too.  I don't order the mixers though.  Last time on Oosterdam we just got off at our first port and brought back a trip's worth of Diet Pepsi and limes to go with the liter of Meyer's Rum.  Before that it was Jack Daniels that just needed water and ice.   It is a great deal and fun to share with friends.   

[boards]

We've done that too. but now it is NOW getting to be a little too much for us older folk to carry.    LOL

[euro cruiser]

I've always pre-ordered a bottle for my room but for some reason I'm not seeing it for my upcoming cruise.

 

Maybe it's a function of the new website and my lack of patience but nowhere under indulgences can I find booze options, in fact there's very little offered.

 

Is it possible that it's not offered because this is a short cruise (7 days)?  I don't think I've ever taken such a short cruise, maybe things are different?

[killsport]

@euro cruiser I'm on an upcoming 7 night cruise, and it's available to me.

On the website, when I open up my booking, on the left side, if I scroll down below the "BEFORE YOU LEAVE XX Days Until Departure" there is a link to "Purchase Beverages". You can then narrow by checking the "Spirits" checkbox and buy what you need.

If you are cruising this weekend, it might be too close in -- I'm not sure.

Hope that helps!

 

 

[euro cruiser]

Thanks!  As I said, no patience.  I poked around a few different places but was easily frustrated … but it was there all along.

 

Prices have gone up a bit since my last cruise, just 13 months ago.

Edited January 15, 2019 by euro cruiser