When does HAL generally offer the drink package?

[brockmom]

Please refresh my memory on this.......and I keep reading conflicting info...

can you pay and upgrade the free perk ? Anyone done this ?

thank you

brockmom

[awhcruiser]

Maybe call HAL and ask?

Edited February 20, 2020 by awhcruiser

[kazu]

15 hours ago, brockmom said:

Please refresh my memory on this.......and I keep reading conflicting info...

can you pay and upgrade the free perk ? Anyone done this ?

thank you

brockmom

 

Sure.  Your booking can be amended to add the perk and pay the additional $$ IF it is currently offered.  Right now, it isn’t offered.  It’s usually offered a couple of times a year.  Usually someone posts on the board here to alert others that a) it is coming or b) it’s now available.

[Krazy Kruizers]

July in the past has been the most popular time that it has been offered.

 

But just keep checking HAL's site -- it can pop up any time.

[brockmom]

thank you

this site has saved me many many phone calls...lol...

I will keep watching

Brockmom

[oakridger]

Hi brockmom.  Just an additional note to be sure and check the difference in price of the cruise with the perks (such as beverage packages) versus the cost of the cruise with no perks plus the cost of buying the beverage package by itself.  I have found that other than two cruises last fall that it was cheaper to pay the no perks cruise fare and pay for the beverage package separately.  Sometimes some of the added perks have no value for me, such as 10% off some excursions or 3rd person in room at 50% discount.  Good luck!

[crystalspin]

I believe SBP is offered right now (up to the end of February?), for European cruises in 2021. The offer is called "all inclusive 2021 offer" and includes

Free Air (up to $800 per person)
•Free Drinks
•Free Onboard Spending Money (up to $250 per person)
•Free Stateroom Gratuities

Bonus offer for Suites: Free Internet Package and Free Dining Package per person

 

In previous years, SBP was included in the "Explore4" promo for several years running. in 2019, E-4 did not include SBP but a $50 beverage card and only for the 3rd/4th passengers in a cabin... and I did not book under that promo!

 

The last SBP I did book. was for another way out cruise; I forget what the promo was called but I got perks for a Jan 2021 Caribbean cruise, similar to the current European promo, but without the help with air!

[TAD2005]

HAL had a promotion running in the Spring of 2019, through about June called EBB, Early Booking Bonus.  It included the SBP and a PG dinner.   The old Explore-4 program, which used to include the SBP was changed in 2019 to just cabin credits, a PG dinner, and some other perks that are not useful, IMHO !!

If you do get the SBP through a promotion, and you want to upgrade it to the Elite package, you have to wait until you get onboard, and before you order your first drink.   HAL values the promotional SBP at $44.95 a day, plus 15% SC.   If you want to pay to upgrade it onboard to the Elite package, you can't just pay the $5 (plus 15%) difference.  You have to pay the onboard price for the Elite package, which is $59.95 plus 15%.   So, to upgrade onboard, you will be paying $17.25 per day.   I have never heard of anyone being able to upgrade a promotional SBP before the cruise by calling Ship's Services.

[crystalspin]

TAD you have it -- my Nieuw Statendam cruise to So.Caribbean was booked under the Early Booking Bonus!

[Seasick Sailor]

7 hours ago, crystalspin said:

TAD you have it -- my Nieuw Statendam cruise to So.Caribbean was booked under the Early Booking Bonus!

 

Hi crystalspin, sure wish we had a drink bonus for our upcoming cruise. Just paid the SBP for our 6 weeks. 🤑

Will you be on the Mex Riviera cruise before our South Pacific cruise?

[brockmom]

Thanks again ! Great info

I reached out to our PCC.

cheers !

😀

 

 

[crystalspin]

4 hours ago, Seasick Sailor said:

Hi crystalspin, sure wish we had a drink bonus for our upcoming cruise. Just paid the SBP for our 6 weeks. 🤑

Will you be on the Mex Riviera cruise before our South Pacific cruise?

 

No, just the 28-day. I bit the bullet and bought the Elite Beverage Package, and one Internet sub. During a rare moment when the website was working, I see the observation deck verandahs are now available with Cruise+SBP for within a couple hundred dollars of our OB deck inside plus EBP. Of course we are locked in unless THEY offer! But I may call my PCC and let them know we'd be interested, but only in deck 10 verandahs.

[boze9999]

If you don't get the SBP or EBP package as a promo - buy it online before you go - you save about $5-A$10 a day if you book ahead of time vs on ship (and usually save the tax rate for the port you're in!).

 

[Caribbean Chris]

On 2/20/2020 at 6:02 PM, oakridger said:

Hi brockmom.  Just an additional note to be sure and check the difference in price of the cruise with the perks (such as beverage packages) versus the cost of the cruise with no perks plus the cost of buying the beverage package by itself.  I have found that other than two cruises last fall that it was cheaper to pay the no perks cruise fare and pay for the beverage package separately.  Sometimes some of the added perks have no value for me, such as 10% off some excursions or 3rd person in room at 50% discount.  Good luck!

This is excellent advice, to compare when new promos come out.

 

I calculated our actual average daily spending on drinks/water/coffee after a two-week cruise with no beverage package. It makes it easy to do an apples-to-apples comparison - the net rate recently was a much better value for us, just paying for drinks as we go.

 

Sometimes it can work the other way - We rebooked paying $200 more to get a promo that gave us $500+ in prepaid gratuities on a long cruise.

[Seasick Sailor]

1 hour ago, Caribbean Chris said:

This is excellent advice, to compare when new promos come out.

 

I calculated our actual average daily spending on drinks/water/coffee after a two-week cruise with no beverage package. It makes it easy to do an apples-to-apples comparison - the net rate recently was a much better value for us, just paying for drinks as we go.

 

Sometimes it can work the other way - We rebooked paying $200 more to get a promo that gave us $500+ in prepaid gratuities on a long cruise.

 

We buy the SBP because we drink prosecco and wine, Bloody Mary's at Trivia. But most importantly, we drink alot of specialty coffee throughout the day, and alot of sparkling water. For a 6 week cruise, just the water and coffee daily adds up. It works out better for us. 

[Caribbean Chris]

1 hour ago, Seasick Sailor said:

 

We buy the SBP because we drink prosecco and wine, Bloody Mary's at Trivia. But most importantly, we drink alot of specialty coffee throughout the day, and alot of sparkling water. For a 6 week cruise, just the water and coffee daily adds up. It works out better for us. 

 

And a definite factor to consider is the number of sea days on many long cruises, when you would maximize the package value by using it all day, versus being ashore during the day.