Beverage card question thanks??

[portcbob]

Hi hal cruisers.

Going on our first hal cruise on the volendam next June to Alaska. 

Just bee  reading about the hal, beverage cards. 

Can we order one each before we cruise and how long out can we order them on line through the hal cruise website????

Ps. Is there really any advantage to have one.

Kind regards Bob. 👍

[oakridger]

Hi Bob.  This has just been discussed in detail in the link above.  Yes you can order them online up to a few (3-7?) days before the cruise.  You can also purchase them on board.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

~Nancy

[Krazy Kruizers]

You can order them up to 3 days before your cruise.  They will be in your cabin with your name on them.

 

We like them for the convenience of not having to check all those receipts at the end of the cruise.

[Iamthesea]

We enjoyed the convenience, but I do recommend ordering them ahead of time.  First of all, we had a trouble finding an onboard  bar tender that had the cards.  Secondly, when we did find one, they had limited amounts in their drawer.  We ended up having to visit 2-3 times to buy the cards in smaller amounts than we wanted.  I seem to remember that he had $50 cards, but nothing over that amount.  It wasn't a pain to visit for more cards because the bar was in the area where we preferred to have drinks, however, the bar tender was unpleasant.   He acted like it was an inconvenience to him that we were purchasing the cards.

Edited October 28, 2019 by Iamthesea

[tripletmomfl7]

Regarding the beverage cards-they are for non-alcoholic and alcohol drinks? We are traveling with 4 teens in Dec. and would like them to be independent to get drinks when they want-do I need to get them these cards?

[Cruise Suzy]

31 minutes ago, tripletmomfl7 said:

Regarding the beverage cards-they are for non-alcoholic and alcohol drinks? We are traveling with 4 teens in Dec. and would like them to be independent to get drinks when they want-do I need to get them these cards?

 

The beverage card can be used for ANY beverage, However, there is also a $50 card that is limited to non-alcoholic beverages. Additionally, there is the $50 soda only card that can be purchased for $25. You do not have to purchase a card for your teenagers as they can use their room key card.

Edited October 28, 2019 by Cruise Suzy

[tripletmomfl7]

thank you! so it is better off just letting them use their key card? Also can you purchase daily use of

spa retreat area?

[Cruise Suzy]

1 hour ago, tripletmomfl7 said:

Also can you purchase daily use of spa retreat area?

 The spa and The Retreat are two different areas. The Retreat has rental cabanas; if there are any that haven't been pre-rented for the entire cruise, you can rent for a day.

[samella79]

Does anyone know the current price for a single glass of soda (Coke) on Holland America?

We are trying to decide if the soda package is the better price option - we would both have to buy the package (I don't drink soda), and my husband doesn't drink a LOT of soda...

[Cruise Suzy]

32 minutes ago, samella79 said:

Does anyone know the current price for a single glass of soda (Coke) on Holland America?

We are trying to decide if the soda package is the better price option - we would both have to buy the package (I don't drink soda), and my husband doesn't drink a LOT of soda...

 

$2.25 plus 15%

 

If you pre-purchase some of the $50 soda card for $25 each, it's essentially half price - and only one has to purchase. If you don't order at least $25 worth of soda using the card, you get a refund ($25 less whatever amount you actually used)

 

Or bring your own soda on board at any port.

Edited October 28, 2019 by Cruise Suzy

[samella79]

Thanks - that helps a lot with planning!  Was expecting soda price could be $5-6.  We've only cruised on Royal Caribbean, so don't know what to expect on Holland.

[metairiegal]

Can you use the beverage cards on Half Moon Cay?

[kazu]

7 minutes ago, metairiegal said:

Can you use the beverage cards on Half Moon Cay?

 

No you can’t.

All the charges are manual so the drinks have to be charged to your room.

 

[metairiegal]

7 hours ago, kazu said:

 

No you can’t.

All the charges are manual so the drinks have to be charged to your room.

 

Ok, thanks for that info.

[sevenseasnomad]

On 10/28/2019 at 11:54 AM, tripletmomfl7 said:

thank you! so it is better off just letting them use their key card? Also can you purchase daily use of

spa retreat area?

Likewise, you can remove your children from your credit card.  Visit the Front Desk as soon as you board.  Have them place a block on your children's key cards.  The kids cannot charge anything in this instance.  You'll have no surprise on your onboard account such as a $700 watch our 16 year-old son purchased in one of the jewelry stores!  We rushed to the Front Desk, explained the situation, and asked that his key card be invalidated for any charge.  There was no problem with the Front Desk complying, as many parents take this course of action.  We also insisted that the ship allow us to return the watch, which they did.

 

I am not saying your children would be this irresponsible, but it makes sense to buy the card (or multiple cards) for minors.

 

BTW, I'm  still cruising with my son, who is now an adult with his own onboard account.  He routinely buys watches on each cruise, sometimes in port, other times on the ship.  Now that he's spending his own $$, I don't even blink at the amount he spends.  We often laugh about the time he bought that first watch, although at the time, it wasn't funny.

Edited October 30, 2019 by sevenseasnomad