Beverage Card Question

[52Daffodils]

Can a single beverage card (not the beverage package) be used for more than one person?

[cruzin4us]

I don't see why not.   It's not a package where it is regulated by the amount of drinks you can order in one day.  You get or purchase a $50 beverage card, you get $50 in drinks whether you use it all the 1st day or spread it out over 7.  

 

Edited April 3, 2019 by cruzin4us

[Fouremco]

Yes, no problem.

[OVgirl]

If you have the SBP, buying a beverage card as well makes it much easier to buy drinks for other friends onboard. If you are so inclined. 😘🍹

With just the package it makes it difficult, because you may not share it and I don't think there is an easy way for bar staff to charge your account .

[VTcruisenut]

Beware the $25 and $50 Beverage cards!  Our experience (there were 6 of us that had them) was that they aren't activated when you board - though they are in your cabin with your shore excursions.  We tried to use them and the bartender told us they wouldn't work.  Then we went to Guest Services who activated them.  The next time we tried to use them, they said they wouldn't work and charged the drinks to our cabin.  When we went to Guest Services, we found the beverage card had been charged and so had our cabin!  There were several other people in line at Guest Services with the same issue.  Just a head's up!

[kazu]

1 hour ago, 52Daffodils said:

Can a single beverage card (not the beverage package) be used for more than one person?

 

Absolutely - for as many people as you want 😄 

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, VTcruisenut said:

Beware the $25 and $50 Beverage cards!  Our experience (there were 6 of us that had them) was that they aren't activated when you board - though they are in your cabin with your shore excursions. 

 

You ALWAYS have to activate your beverage card.  You just take it and the key cards to a bar and they activate them for you.  From there you are good to go.

 

I thought there was a note telling you to do that, but I could be wrong as I do it automatically now and don't read. 😉 

[VTcruisenut]

3 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

You ALWAYS have to activate your beverage card.  You just take it and the key cards to a bar and they activate them for you.  From there you are good to go.

 

I thought there was a note telling you to do that, but I could be wrong as I do it automatically now and don't read. 😉 

No, there were no instructions and the bartender told us we had to go to Guest Services.  Everytime.  Multiple times.  When we left the ship, I think all but one card still had balances, a couple of them full balances...................

[kazu]

1 minute ago, VTcruisenut said:

No, there were no instructions and the bartender told us we had to go to Guest Services.  Everytime.  Multiple times.  When we left the ship, I think all but one card still had balances, a couple of them full balances...................

 

that's weird.  I always go to a bar.

 

I guess we'll find out in a week. 😉 

 

If the cards were activated and had credit balances you should have been refunded whatever was left on them.  It's never been an issue for us.

 

If you weren't contact HAL immediately.  You should be credited.

[rkacruiser]

31 minutes ago, VTcruisenut said:

the bartender told us we had to go to Guest Services

 

The bartender did not know what he was talking about.  Maybe he didn't know how to activate  the card?

[Cruise Suzy]

5 hours ago, kazu said:

You ALWAYS have to activate your beverage card.  You just take it and the key cards to a bar and they activate them for you.  From there you are good to go.

 

I thought there was a note telling you to do that, but I could be wrong as I do it automatically now and don't read. 😉 

 

That's the way it was on the Koningsdam in February.

[VTcruisenut]

15 hours ago, kazu said:

 

that's weird.  I always go to a bar.

 

I guess we'll find out in a week. 😉 

 

If the cards were activated and had credit balances you should have been refunded whatever was left on them.  It's never been an issue for us.

 

If you weren't contact HAL immediately.  You should be credited.

good luck with that!  we have no idea what the balances are because they were double posting drinks to the cabin and then GS said no, they used the beverage card.  AND I still haven't heard from Guest Services about all our other issues.  I had to ask for an on board credit we were given to be posted (from a shore excursion guarantee).   It was a total mess..........

[Paulinda]

We had trouble with our beverage cards only at the poolside bar.  They would take our card but charge our shipboard account.  Since I was vigilant in checking our shipboard account on a daily basis I caught it early.  We weren't double charged but we should have been told by the poolside bartender.  Toward the end of the cruise we had a balance on our cards and asked ship services to transfer the balances to our account. 

[TrolleyGirl]

20 hours ago, VTcruisenut said:

Beware the $25 and $50 Beverage cards!  Our experience (there were 6 of us that had them) was that they aren't activated when you board - though they are in your cabin with your shore excursions.  We tried to use them and the bartender told us they wouldn't work.  Then we went to Guest Services who activated them.  The next time we tried to use them, they said they wouldn't work and charged the drinks to our cabin.  When we went to Guest Services, we found the beverage card had been charged and so had our cabin!  There were several other people in line at Guest Services with the same issue.  Just a head's up!

We had the EXACT same issues off/ on for our entire 11 day sailing on the Zuiderdam last December!  Frustrating!!

[kacurl]

Just off Eurodam I had a $250  and a $25. Just activated it at ocean bar with key card once and was good to go.

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, kacurl said:

Just off Eurodam I had a $250  and a $25. Just activated it at ocean bar with key card once and was good to go.

Yep, just showed my key card with beverage card in Billboard Onboard the first time to activate it, after that good to go.  Got a receipt every time showing remaining balance, except for the drink I got poolside.

 

Also used to get drinks for both me and my husband at the same time. 

[joekerstef]

On 4/4/2019 at 12:37 PM, TrolleyGirl said:

We had the EXACT same issues off/ on for our entire 11 day sailing on the Zuiderdam last December!  Frustrating!!

Huh, I was on Zuidy in December as well and had no problem other than my not very good beverage steward at dinner usually did not bring me my receipt. Otherwise for me it's always been as Kazu described, get your bevvie card activated the first time you use it, and then get a receipt each time showing remaining balance. Very surprised to hear of the problems you've described and that HAL couldn't figure it out easily. I'd be frustrated too.