Beverage package included - but I don't drink alcohol!

[gailellen12]

HAL has given me a free beverage package; but I am a non drinker>  Has anyone ever tried to negotiate for a shore excursions or other perks in exchange?  thanks for any advice!

[Gigi1977]

Call your PPC or TA.   They might ‘trade’ for OBC but anyone else in room that is adult would likely have to do same.   Won’t hurt to ask.  

[3rdGenCunarder]

The package includes soft drinks, bottled water, and specialty coffees, so it isn't all alcohol.

 

[summer slope]

I've used ours for coffee, soda, water, non-alcoholic  drinks.  But hope you can trade for something else.  Let us know.

[canadianbear]

9 minutes ago, gailellen12 said:

HAL has given me a free beverage package; but I am a non drinker>  Has anyone ever tried to negotiate for a shore excursions or other perks in exchange?  thanks for any advice!

You can use it for bottled water, lattes, non alcoholic fancy drinks.   We’ve always asked for credit instead as my hubby doesn’t drink anything even the non alcoholic drinks.  But we ask at time of booking and the minimal amount I drink makes it worthless.  

[kazu]

OP, in case it is of help, don’t forget that the beverage package includes non alcoholic drinks as well - specialty coffees, water, sodas, mocktails, etc.

 

It might be worth asking your TA is there a difference in pricing if you don’t take the benefits that go with your cruise?  Sometimes there can be a significant difference.  Just make sure that the deposit is not non refundable.

 

 

[Krazy Kruizers]

Your TA or PCC at the time of booking -- knowing that you don't drink alcohol -- should have negotiated a lower cruise fare.

 

BUT -- I do have another question -- is someone else traveling with you -- in the same cabin -- who does drink alcohol?  That could be a problem.

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, kazu said:

OP, in case it is of help, don’t forget that the beverage package includes non alcoholic drinks as well - specialty coffees, water, sodas, mocktails, etc.

 

It might be worth asking your TA is there a difference in pricing if you don’t take the benefits that go with your cruise?  Sometimes there can be a significant difference.  Just make sure that the deposit is not non refundable.

 

 

 

HAL shows "with" and "without" fares on the website, so it's easy to see how much the promo is increasing the fare. This is fairly new. For years, all you could see was the price with the promo. But my TA has always checked "with" and "without" fares. Sometimes the promo was a bargain. Lately, not a bargain for me and I book the price without the promo.

 

[RocketMan275]

9 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

HAL shows "with" and "without" fares on the website, so it's easy to see how much the promo is increasing the fare. This is fairly new. For years, all you could see was the price with the promo. But my TA has always checked "with" and "without" fares. Sometimes the promo was a bargain. Lately, not a bargain for me and I book the price without the promo.

 

My TA, who is a major producer, said that the majority of her clients on HAL book the 'without' fare.  

OP, call whoever you booked with and see if  you can refare to the 'without' fare.

[suec12]

Not sure what you mean by "given". I booked a cruise several weeks ago that included the beverage package but re-fared when the promos changed and now have no package and a significantly cheaper fare. Are you a new cruiser? The bookings and "freebies" are quite a game but I doubt HAL is truly giving you anything!

[3rdGenCunarder]

2 minutes ago, suec12 said:

Not sure what you mean by "given". I booked a cruise several weeks ago that included the beverage package but re-fared when the promos changed and now have no package and a significantly cheaper fare. Are you a new cruiser? The bookings and "freebies" are quite a game but I doubt HAL is truly giving you anything!

 

(bold is mine) I agree!

 

Years ago, the promos didn't push fares up much. But lately, if you price what's in the promo and look at the difference in prices with and without, you'll see that the difference between the two prices is just about equal to the value of the promo. For singles, it's hopeless. If I take the "with" fare, I'm paying for it twice because of the single supplement. But they aren't going to give me double beverages. Or reduce my deposit by 50% and then another 50%. Or upgrade me twice as far as other passengers taking the promo. So I don't even bother to look at the promos.

 

[Mary229]

It doesn’t hurt to ask but if you are months out from your cruise you may have a chance at a better fare with different perks.  That is what I did and am very happy with my new set of perks.   Like the op a beverage card has no value to me.  The tab for all beverages on my last 12 day cruise was less than $100

[gknep]

It includes all the specialty coffees, smoothies, and shakes. The bartenders can also make mocktail versions of the many of the drinks as well. The package may or may not come in handy depending on what you like. 

[sail7seas]

No one  says you Must use the card.  Either refuse it when it is handed  to you or do not use it.  Easy

 

 

 

sail.noordam@gmail.com

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 25, 2019 by sail7seas

[Aquahound]

1 hour ago, sail7seas said:

No one  says you Must use the card.  Either refuse it when it is handed  to you or do not use it.  Easy

 

 

When the beverage package is included with the cruise purchase, you are not handed a beverage card.  They stamp SBP directly on to your cruise card.  

[Donald]

On 12/22/2019 at 2:24 AM, gailellen12 said:

HAL has given me a free beverage package; but I am a non drinker>  Has anyone ever tried to negotiate for a shore excursions or other perks in exchange?  thanks for any advice!

HAL has given me all you can eat in the buffet; but I don’t eat in buffets> Maybe I can negotiate for free Spa appointments instead???

[DaveOKC]

Often if you ask you can get a lower fare at booking time, or even for rebooking without the package.  We do this, as the beverage package does not make sense for us.

[tv24]

The drinks packages are worthwhile only if you drink alcohol.  Sure you can use them for free coffee and special soft drinks, but it's not a good value.  I hope you can do a trade for something else.

[VennDiagram]

On 12/21/2019 at 10:24 AM, gailellen12 said:

HAL has given me a free beverage package; but I am a non drinker>  Has anyone ever tried to negotiate for a shore excursions or other perks in exchange?  thanks for any advice!

 

I've never heard of anyone being able to trade a beverage package for something else.  However, as other posters have mentioned, it is very worthwhile to see if there is a lower fare if you book without the beverage package included.  Check with your travel agent, if you have one, or with HAL if you booked directly.

[boboraji]

14 hours ago, Donald said:

HAL has given me all you can eat in the buffet; but I don’t eat in buffets> Maybe I can negotiate for free Spa appointments instead???

Thanks Mr. Helper

[Tom O.]

If you were to purchase the beverage package, it would cost about $69 per person per day - A 10 day cruise would be $1380 for two people. It is rarely worthwhile for even people who drink - for non-drinkers it is an exceptionally bad deal.

Like others said, you should be able to rebook without the package. This should give you some significant savings, but not the full $69 per person per day savings - since it is a special deal.

[MisterBill99]

16 hours ago, tv24 said:

The drinks packages are worthwhile only if you drink alcohol.  Sure you can use them for free coffee and special soft drinks, but it's not a good value.  I hope you can do a trade for something else.

 

They are worthwhile to purchase at regular price only if you drink alcohol. If they are being offered as a perk of booking, you need to look at the extra price per day to get the package as opposed to booking the cheaper fare that others have mentioned. Then decide if that price per day is worth it to you. If you like specialty coffees and can use the bottled water and other drinks available in the package, it could be worth it.

Edited December 26, 2019 by MisterBill99

[tv24]

37 minutes ago, MisterBill99 said:

 

They are worthwhile to purchase at regular price only if you drink alcohol. If they are being offered as a perk of booking, you need to look at the extra price per day to get the package as opposed to booking the cheaper fare that others have mentioned. Then decide if that price per day is worth it to you. If you like specialty coffees and can use the bottled water and other drinks available in the package, it could be worth it.

Good analysis.

[TAD2005]

7 hours ago, Tom O. said:

If you were to purchase the beverage package, it would cost about $69 per person per day -

Not correct.  Purchased online, before the cruise, the regular Signature Beverage Package (SBP) costs $44.95 per day plus 15% service charge for a total of $51.70 per day.    The $69 price you mention is for the Elite Package and is not what the OP received as a promotion.   With the average drink price of $8.95 plus 15%,  an average mixed drink would cost $10.30 if you were paying as you go without the package.   Divide $51.70 by $10.30 and you get 5 drinks.   After that 5th drink, everything after is free.  Plus you also get unlimited bottled water, sodas in cans, and all specialty coffees included.  These non-alcoholic beverages do not count towards your daily 15 drinks that contain alcohol.   Sure, if you only drink a couple of glasses of wine at dinner, then, of course, any adult beverage package is a waste of money.   But to state that it is "rarely worthwhile" is a personal opinion, not to be given as general advice.   We have had the SBP on every cruise we have been on since it's inception, and we have always came out ahead by hundreds of dollars.  No we are not falling down drunks, we are a couple in our low 70's who take cruises of 25 days and up with many sea days.   

Edited December 26, 2019 by TAD2005

[MisterBill99]

29 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

Not correct.  Purchased online, before the cruise, the regular Signature Beverage Package (SBP) costs $44.95 per day plus 15% service charge for a total of $51.70 per day.    The $69 price you mention is for the Elite Package and is not what the OP received as a promotion.   With the average drink price of $8.95 plus 15%,  an average mixed drink would cost $10.30 if you were paying as you go without the package.   Divide $51.70 by $10.30 and you get 5 drinks.   After that 5th drink, everything after is free.  Plus you also get unlimited bottled water, sodas in cans, and all specialty coffees included.  These non-alcoholic beverages do not count towards your daily 15 drinks that contain alcohol.   Sure, if you only drink a couple of glasses of wine at dinner, then, of course, any adult beverage package is a waste of money.   But to state that it is "rarely worthwhile" is a personal opinion, not to be given as general advice.   We have had the SBP on every cruise we have been on since it's inception, and we have always came out ahead by hundreds of dollars.  No we are not falling down drunks, we are a couple in our low 70's who take cruises of 25 days and up with many sea days.   

 

I've seen people commenting that in order to make the beverage package worthwhile "you have to be a drunk". Obviously that is not true.  I'm glad you get good value from it even paying regular price. For us, if we have it on Celebrity we enjoy using it and would order drinks we would not get otherwise but also survive fine when we do not have it on HAL. I also know that there are people whose cruise bar bill is as much as they paid for the cruise, so for them it's well worth it to have the package.