bringing bottled water or soda on board

[OVgirl]

So it does look like no bringing on bottles of wine etc without paying a corkage fee. Regardless if drinking them in your stateroom or at a dining venue.

[The-Inside-Cabin]

Even though this new policy won't affect me - I no longer bring aboard sodas or wine anymore - just to make packing easier.   

 

Nevertheless....

 

I find this new policy petty and annoying.  

 

[fatcat04]

17 minutes ago, The-Inside-Cabin said:

I wonder what is driving this.  Were that many people really bringing on sodas?   There were some of course, but I can't imagine it cut much into their soda sales. 

 

No clue but I doubt it.

 

I guess it could be some attempt at uniformity in fleet policy, which notably from ship to ship and cruise to cruise and embarkation to embarkation has long been nonexistent. That said... the kind of wacky thing is the 2020 KBYG pdf is still the one downloadable and it is different from the present 2021 KBYG on the website AND the present googlable "Cruise Contract" is different from both of those. None are the same. So, lots of confusion.

 

I know some folks really like specific sodas that HAL does not carry. They would probably be fine buying it onboard IF HAL carried them (or could order them and deliver them to their cabin for a profit) but they don't. 

 

The whole NO plastic bottle thing is the enviro push that started back in 2018-19 so no shock there. They only had those metal and glass bottle waters on our last 2 cruises and we managed. I hope we can still bring our reusable plastic sports bottles. I assume we will be able to but I will be asking our PCC. 

 

As to the wine, again, it seems plain that there will be no more "free" bottles and a $20 corkage (not unreasonable) will be accessed on an undisclosed amount that is "deemed" not in excess. Ah.. clear as mud. 

[The-Inside-Cabin]

3 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

 

No clue but I doubt it.

 

I guess it could be some attempt at uniformity in fleet policy, which notably from ship to ship and cruise to cruise and embarkation to embarkation has long been nonexistent. That said... the kind of wacky thing is the 2020 KBYG pdf is still the one downloadable and it is different from the present 2021 KBYG on the website AND the present googlable "Cruise Contract" is different from both of those. None are the same. So, lots of confusion.

 

I know some folks really like specific sodas that HAL does not carry. They would probably be fine buying it onboard IF HAL carried them (or could order them and deliver them to their cabin for a profit) but they don't. 

 

The whole NO plastic bottle thing is the enviro push that started back in 2018-19 so no shock there. They only had those metal and glass bottle waters on our last 2 cruises and we managed. I hope we can still bring our reusable plastic sports bottles. I assume we will be able to but I will be asking our PCC. 

 

As to the wine, again, it seems plain that there will be no more "free" bottles and a $20 corkage (not unreasonable) will be accessed on an undisclosed amount that is "deemed" not in excess. Ah.. clear as mud. 

I refill a resuable sports bottle with tap water for ports.  Used to like picking up a 6 pack of local soft drinks that aren't carried aboard.     I wonder what problem they are trying to solve?  

 

Plastic waste?

 

Revenue?

 

Why cans of water but not cans of soda? 

 

Sounds like "movie theater" rules -  

 

All passengers will be xrayed for M and M's 

 

Notice how they don't define "excessive"  - sure to set up many confrontations on the ships.   Typical of headquarters mindset - foist all the tough decisions to the field.

[fatcat04]

Just for reference I checked out Carnivals posted rules. Some similarities in wording and the no plastic policy but some big differences. Assuming this is up to date Carnival does still allow some cans/cartons of soda etc and the 1 free bottle per person allowance on wine. Corkage is cheaper too but again you can only cart on 1 bottle pp period. I think Princess is similar to Carnival too but they do seem to allow more wine to be brought on similar to HAL's old policy. So this isn't some corporate wide uniformity thing if all that info is up to date.

 

 

Bringing Liquor and Beverages On Board - Embarkation

Guests are prohibited from bringing water, sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages that are packaged in glass or plastic bottles.

 

On embarkation day, a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, energy drinks, juice, and milk), packaged in cans or cartons, may be brought on board and must be in the guest's carry-on luggage. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12 ounces each or less, per person.

 

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception - at the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750 ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne, per person, in their carry-on luggage. Outside this exception, all liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided. Guests sailing with us on back-to-back cruises are entitled to bring the same quantity as stated in this policy, per cruise. The additional quantities will be stored for safekeeping at the start of the first cruise and will be given to the guest as each following cruise begins.

 

Corkage Fee

Should guests wish to consume their wine or champagne in the main dining room, specialty restaurant or bar, a $15.00 USD corkage fee, per 750 ml bottle, will be charged. A corkage fee is a charge that is assessed, at time of service, for every bottle that is served and not bought on the premises.

Edited June 6, 2021 by fatcat04

[The-Inside-Cabin]

5 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

Just for reference I checked out Carnivals posted rules. Some similarities in wording and the no plastic policy but some big differences. Assuming this is up to date Carnival does still allow some cans/cartons of soda etc and the 1 free bottle per person allowance on wine. Corkage is cheaper too but again you can only cart on 1 bottle pp period. I think Princess is similar to Carnival too but they do seem to allow more wine to be brought on similar to HAL's old policy. So this isn't some corporate wide uniformity thing if all that info is up to date.

 

 

Bringing Liquor and Beverages On Board - Embarkation

Guests are prohibited from bringing water, sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages that are packaged in glass or plastic bottles.

 

On embarkation day, a small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, energy drinks, juice, and milk), packaged in cans or cartons, may be brought on board and must be in the guest's carry-on luggage. A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12 ounces each or less, per person.

 

Guests are prohibited from bringing alcoholic beverages on board with the following exception - at the beginning of the cruise during embarkation day only, guests (21 years of age and older) may bring one 750 ml bottle of sealed/unopened wine or champagne, per person, in their carry-on luggage. Outside this exception, all liquor, beer, other forms of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are strictly prohibited in both carry-on and checked luggage and such items will be confiscated and discarded and no compensation will be provided. Guests sailing with us on back-to-back cruises are entitled to bring the same quantity as stated in this policy, per cruise. The additional quantities will be stored for safekeeping at the start of the first cruise and will be given to the guest as each following cruise begins.

 

Corkage Fee

Should guests wish to consume their wine or champagne in the main dining room, specialty restaurant or bar, a $15.00 USD corkage fee, per 750 ml bottle, will be charged. A corkage fee is a charge that is assessed, at time of service, for every bottle that is served and not bought on the premises.

Thanks for checking this out.   I hope they are upfront about the reason -

 

"We need the money and this is cutting into our sales" 

 

I'll respect that position more than some mumbo jumbo about "security" or "protecting the environment"

[kazu]

2 hours ago, fatcat04 said:

Some significant changes to the Know Before You Go in 2021:

https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/faq/know-before-you-go.html

 

No bottled water or cans of soda anymore.

I guess cans of water are limited but okay.

 

No mention of the previous 1 bottle of wine "free" per person for in cabin consumption.

Corkage has increased from $18 to $20.

Arbitrary? limitations on how much wine you can bring on. "Deemed to be excessive" means vastly different things to different people. Not that we any longer bring on a case (HALs wine selection is notably better than 12 years ago) but are 4 bottles excessive for a 14 day cruise? 

Also maybe no more bringing on a bottle of wine from a port and paying corkage, which at times has been okay. 

___

 

 

Guests are not allowed to bring alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages on board for consumption or any other use except as follows:

 

Guests may bring Wine and Champagne onboard, however a corkage fee of USD $20.00 (which is subject to change without notice) will be applied to each bottle (max 750 ml in volume or less). Limitations apply. Wine brought in quantities deemed to be excessive by the vessel or security will be refused.

 

Items such as sodas, energy drinks or other non-alcoholic items are not allowed on board in any form. Plastic water bottles are not allowed. However, an allowance of six liters, twelve (12) cans or cartons (500 ml in volume or less) or six (6) cans or cartons (1 liter in volume or less) of water are allowed per stateroom.  Any amount in excess of this allowance will be not be allowed onboard. Water in plastic bottles will not be allowed onboard in any quantity, including in ports of call. Guests will be asked to discard open beverages in plastic containers prior to boarding.     

...

You agree to surrender alcoholic beverages that are purchased duty free from the ship's gift shop, or at ports of call, to Holland America Line, which will be delivered to your stateroom just prior to disembarking the voyage.

 

 

 

I think HAL needs to clean that up a bit.  The 2 bottles per stateroom are still permitted.

 

this was recently posted on the HAL board.

   On 5/31/2021 at 9:32 PM,  rajkr74 said: 

   9 hours ago,  rajkr74 said:

We received a copy of the new HAL CruiseContract from our TA and there are some changes concerning what and how much Non Alcoholic beverages you can bring on board.  Corkage fee is now $20 USD per bottle.  This is  the paragraph dealing with this.

 

Guests agree not to bring alcoholic or non-alcoholicbeverages on board for consumption or for any other use except as follows:

• For Guests of legal drinking age, an allowance of two (2) bottles of wine or champagne (750 mL in volume or less) per stateroom may be presented to security during embarkation.

• For world cruises, or cruises with consecutive voyages, this allowance can be multiplied by the number of segments that comprise the complete sailing. Items for future segments/voyages will be held by the vessel and delivered on the first day of each segment. Guests should present their documentation for any consecutive sailings to security on boarding day.

• A US $20.00 corkage fee (which is subject to changewithout notice) will apply to each additional bottle (750 ml in volume or less) beyond the two (2) bottle allowance. Limitations apply. Wine brought inquantities deemed to be excessive by the vessel or security will be refused.

• Guests are also prohibited from bringing water,sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages on board that are packaged in bottles. A small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, juice, milk) packaged in cans or cartons may bebrought on board on embarkation day, only if carried on in Guests’ hand luggage (not in checkedluggage). A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12 ounces eachor less per person. Guests will be asked to discard open beverages in plastic containers prior to boarding.

[fatcat04]

37 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I think HAL needs to clean that up a bit.  The 2 bottles per stateroom are still permitted.

 

this was recently posted on the HAL board.
 

   On 5/31/2021 at 9:32 PM,  rajkr74 said: 

   9 hours ago,  rajkr74 said:

We received a copy of the new HAL CruiseContract from our TA and there are some changes concerning what and how much Non Alcoholic beverages you can bring on board.  Corkage fee is now $20 USD per bottle.  This is  the paragraph dealing with this.

 

Guests agree not to bring alcoholic or non-alcoholicbeverages on board for consumption or for any other use except as follows:

• For Guests of legal drinking age, an allowance of two (2) bottles of wine or champagne (750 mL in volume or less) per stateroom may be presented to security during embarkation.

• For world cruises, or cruises with consecutive voyages, this allowance can be multiplied by the number of segments that comprise the complete sailing. Items for future segments/voyages will be held by the vessel and delivered on the first day of each segment. Guests should present their documentation for any consecutive sailings to security on boarding day.

• A US $20.00 corkage fee (which is subject to changewithout notice) will apply to each additional bottle (750 ml in volume or less) beyond the two (2) bottle allowance. Limitations apply. Wine brought inquantities deemed to be excessive by the vessel or security will be refused.

• Guests are also prohibited from bringing water,sodas and other non-alcoholic beverages on board that are packaged in bottles. A small quantity of non-alcoholic beverages (i.e., sparkling water, sodas, juice, milk) packaged in cans or cartons may bebrought on board on embarkation day, only if carried on in Guests’ hand luggage (not in checkedluggage). A small quantity is considered a maximum of 12 sealed, unopened cans/cartons of 12 ounces eachor less per person. Guests will be asked to discard open beverages in plastic containers prior to boarding.

Okay. That one (which I had seen like a week ago) is different too.

 

Yes, a good clean up and a syncing of the varied online resources and documents would be great. As I said, they have up 3 different policies on their website (and the TA message makes a 4th) so it would be super easy to get to the port and only then discover the mix up. I don't mind rules. I just like knowing exactly what they are in plenty of time. 

Edited June 6, 2021 by fatcat04

[kazu]

7 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

Okay. That one (which I had seen like a week ago) is different too.

 

Yes, a good clean up and a syncing of the varied online resources and documents would be great. As I said, they have up 3 different policies on their website (and the TA message makes a 4th) so it would be super easy to get to the port and only then discover the mix up. I don't mind rules. I just like knowing exactly what they are in plenty of time. 

 

I totally agree on knowing what the rules are.  Bet some of them will be on the boarding pass like they used to be 🤞 

[fatcat04]

Just now, kazu said:

 

I totally agree on knowing what the rules are.  Bet some of them will be on the boarding pass like they used to be 🤞 

I hope so. We will next be on HAL out of Europe on a TA and I do so want to know what "excessive" means.

[kazu]

1 hour ago, fatcat04 said:

I hope so. We will next be on HAL out of Europe on a TA and I do so want to know what "excessive" means.

 

Ditto.  Right now no one knows if the Sommelier packages will be offered.  Have it All doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to the wine 😉 

[fatcat04]

5 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

Ditto.  Right now no one knows if the Sommelier packages will be offered.  Have it All doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to the wine 😉 

So true and starting from Europe.. oh the possibilities. 🥂 

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

So true and starting from Europe.. oh the possibilities. 🥂 

 

I have to Ditto you again as we are in the same boat, so to speak.  

I don’t mind paying corkage for good wine.  I’m looking forward to hearing reports from the first cruises and hope there are lots of LIVE threads as I am sure things will evolve.

 

Knowledge is power 😉 

[Durango Sandy]

What about a glass jar of olives for in cabin martinis ?

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Ditto.  Right now no one knows if the Sommelier packages will be offered.  Have it All doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to the wine 😉 

Here is a link to the Sommelier Packages available on my cruises in Nov and Dec 2021:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Wine-Cellar-Packages-2021.pdf