Updated drink package information

[aliaschief]

On 8/30/2021 at 5:40 PM, Boytjie said:

We were on the Nieuw Amsterdam Aug 14th cruise. I don't know whether the 15 drinks limit at that time was for all drinks or just alcoholic ones but, we did not come near either limit at any time.

 

When we both ordered a drink, we automatically gave them both our cards; I would never have assumed that the system - or the bar tender - would do a lookup to see if there was another person in the cabin with a beverage package that may cover the second drink.

 

Just about every night we ended up at the Gallery Bar for a nightcap or two, which were most often a double of some spirit. We were never charged for it (a double would have been over the individual drink limit).

 

We did have an issue when we were both charged for a cocktail at the Tamarind Bar pre-dinner and also once charged for Perrier in the Dining Room. A visit to Guest Relations had the charges reversed fairly quickly. 

Same here. I also ordered a double single malt scotch and just said charge me double. It worked with our upgraded Premium Package.

[RSWBADGER]

21 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

I’m not sure where on the HAL site you are getting that.  The limit is a drink of $11 without gratuity.  That’s been the SBP for a few years now  since the drink prices went up.  Here is the link on the HAL website for 2021 SBP: https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/deals_CAD/terms/europe-2021-all-inclusive-offer.html

 

Here is a screen shot of the key part of the link:

 

 

Sign into your HAL booking and look to purchase drink packages. This is exactly where this is from.

Signature packages up to $11.00 a drink, Elite up to $15.00 a drink.

 

If a Signature Beverage Package or Elite Beverage Package is purchased before your cruise, each guest over 21 years of age who is booked in the same stateroom must also purchase the same package. If this package is not purchased for each guest prior to the cruise, the stateroom account will be charged for the guests who have not purchased the package

Our convenient, affordable Signature Beverage Package allows you to select from a variety of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails (including non-alcoholic), sodas, bottled water (sparkling 330ml or still 500ml) & coffee! Includes any beverage priced at $11.00 or lower (up to 15 beverages per day). Prices are per day at $44.95 if pre-booked online compared to $54.95 if purchased on board. A 18% service charge will be automatically applied to your purchase. The package must be purchased for the entire duration of the voyage. All adults over 21 years old booked in the same stateroom must also purchase the package. Participants may order only one drink at a time and must be 21 years or older. Sharing is not permitted. Excludes Mini Bar, Honor Bar, Chocolate Seduction, In-Room Dining, beverages on Half Moon Cay, Freestyle Coca-Cola and any self-service draft beer. Packages are not transferable or refundable. Beverage management reserves the right to revoke the package if misused and reserves the right to refuse service for any reason; including refusing service of alcoholic beverages to intoxicated customers

 

[kazu]

3 minutes ago, RSWBADGER said:

Sign into your HAL booking and look to purchase drink packages. This is exactly where this is from.

Signature packages up to $11.00 a drink, Elite up to $15.00 a drink.

 

But that’s exactly what I have been saying all along.   Exactly what I told the person asking.   You were quoting a $10 price in yours. 

 

The reason I pasted from the HAl site.  I’ve had the SBP thanks and already been on my bookings.  Sailed on HAL a lot and I know what the SBP entails   😉 

[RSWBADGER]

6 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

But that’s exactly what I have been saying all along.   Exactly what I told the person asking.   You were quoting a $10 price in yours. 

 

The reason I pasted from the HAl site.  I’ve had the SBP thanks and already been on my bookings.  Sailed on HAL a lot and I know what the SBP entails   😉 

The $10.00 a day is the amount you save if you purchase the drink package on-line before the cruise.

[kazu]

Just now, RSWBADGER said:

The $10.00 a day is the amount you save if you purchase the drink package on-line before the cruise.

 

Most people right now have the “Have it All” package which includes the SBP.  While they are “paying for it” in their cruise, it’s not usually as much (you need to do the math) as if you bought it separately.  

So, I was addressing the questions in that vein.  

[Daniel A]

16 hours ago, roxybear135 said:

Here's the PDF we received from HAL about the changes to the beverage packages.  It's still horribly worded but seems that the elite beverage package includes unlimited non-alcoholic drinks and up to 15 alcoholic drinks a day while the standard only includes 15 drinks total

Is there any chance you can post a link to the original PDF?  It is definitely something I would want as a hard copy with me onboard.  Thanks.

 

I was told by my TA that since the Have It All package already has the Signature package included, if I wanted to upgrade to Elite, I would need to do it when I am onboard.  Has anybody been able to upgrade to Elite from Signature in advance?  I am also assuming that if one person in the cabin upgrades to Elite, then the second in the cabin would need to upgrade from Signature as well.  Does anybody know for a fact whether or not this would be the case?

[kazu]

2 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I was told by my TA that since the Have It All package already has the Signature package included, if I wanted to upgrade to Elite, I would need to do it when I am onboard.  Has anybody been able to upgrade to Elite from Signature in advance

 

Your TA is correct.  It has to be upgraded on board.  Everyone who has upgraded to the Elite package has reported it had to be done on board.

 

The process is simple - just ask at a bar and don’t take a drink while you have the SBP until it is done.  On some sailings, the wine stewards (when we had them) were actually offering to upsell people.

[TiogaCruiser]

On 9/8/2021 at 5:21 PM, rdemn said:

Déjà vu my last Holland America cruise everybody was in a an uproar because Holland was testing  a new charge  of $10 for an extra main dish at dinner. Correct me if I’m wrong but that didn’t last long I know it wasn’t on my cruise. I don’t Think this will stick around very long if we all complain enough.

It didn’t stick around in that form, but there are several upcharge items now on the MDR menu, including lobster and the shrimp cocktail. And pax are reporting they don’t show up on the regular gala menu (without the upcharge). 
 

So, in essence, anyone wanting those items get to pay for firsts, and seconds if they so desire.

[roxybear135]

3 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Is there any chance you can post a link to the original PDF?  It is definitely something I would want as a hard copy with me onboard.  Thanks.

 

I was told by my TA that since the Have It All package already has the Signature package included, if I wanted to upgrade to Elite, I would need to do it when I am onboard.  Has anybody been able to upgrade to Elite from Signature in advance?  I am also assuming that if one person in the cabin upgrades to Elite, then the second in the cabin would need to upgrade from Signature as well.  Does anybody know for a fact whether or not this would be the case?

It was sent to us as a PDF attachment on an email, so there isn't a link to it but I will try uploading it here as an attachment rather than a screenshot.  I've also been told you have to upgrade to the elite package onboard.  If you do upgrade the the elite package, can you please update me about what you learn onboard about drink limitations with that package?  Thanks.

071521-Beverage Package.pdf

[Daniel A]

1 hour ago, roxybear135 said:

It was sent to us as a PDF attachment on an email, so there isn't a link to it but I will try uploading it here as an attachment rather than a screenshot.  I've also been told you have to upgrade to the elite package onboard.  If you do upgrade the the elite package, can you please update me about what you learn onboard about drink limitations with that package?  Thanks.

071521-Beverage Package.pdf 1.19 MB · 15 downloads

Thank you, the link you included was exactly what I was asking for.  Thanks again!  👍

[roxybear135]

2 hours ago, Daniel A said:

Thank you, the link you included was exactly what I was asking for.  Thanks again!  👍

No problem. We plan on printing it and bringing it on board too just so we don’t have any issues. We feel it’s worth the extra cost for the elite package so we don’t have to worry about overages due to water bottles and soda (we drink a ton of water) and had issues with that with the standard beverage package on our last cruise. It’s frustrating that HAL doesn’t update their site to have the correct info and it seems like everyone on the ship has different info, so I figure having this on hand will be helpful 

[Boytjie]

12 hours ago, kazu said:

The process is simple - just ask at a bar and don’t take a drink while you have the SBP until it is done.  On some sailings, the wine stewards (when we had them) were actually offering to upsell people.

 

Our process was not that easy on the NADM on the August 14 cruise!

 

We asked a Lido Bar waiter to upgrade and eventually three others joined, one of them at a higher level. He took our cards and promised to get it done and try it in about 10 minutes (gave our cards back). When I checked my statement on the Navigator app, they had changed us for a full EBP! 😮

 

It took a while for someone at Guest Relations to sort it out.

 

YMMV.

 

[Boytjie]

What is "zero-proof"? I assume non-alcoholic but it does not explain it.

[roxybear135]

2 hours ago, Boytjie said:

What is "zero-proof"? I assume non-alcoholic but it does not explain it.

I take it to mean non-alcoholic. Why they can’t just write that is beyond me. 

[Dunmore2]

“Proof” refers to the amount of alcohol by volume. In Canada and USA ( perhaps other places, not sure) , the number is twice the % of alcohol by volume. Eg.100 proof is 50% alcohol, zero proof is 0% alcohol. There’s likely a reason that it is printed on the bottles, but not necessarily a good reason. % seems like enough to display.

[mark71mark]

On 9/18/2021 at 6:48 PM, Boytjie said:

 

Our process was not that easy on the NADM on the August 14 cruise!

 

We asked a Lido Bar waiter to upgrade and eventually three others joined, one of them at a higher level. He took our cards and promised to get it done and try it in about 10 minutes (gave our cards back). When I checked my statement on the Navigator app, they had changed us for a full EBP! 😮

 

It took a while for someone at Guest Relations to sort it out.

 

YMMV.

 

 

So to upgrade to Elite, were you eventually charged $5/per person, per day (+ gratuity on $5), or were you charged $15/per person, per day (+ gratuity on $15)?

 

The reason I ask is that I remember reading something shady where HAL would "credit" you the pre-purchase SBP price of $44.95/day and then charge you the on-board Elite price of $59.95/day, resulting in that $15/day difference.  If true, a nice way to triple that package upcharge by not allowing it pre-cruise!

 

 

 

Edited September 20, 2021 by mark71mark

[Boytjie]

3 hours ago, mark71mark said:

 

So to upgrade to Elite, were you eventually charged $5/per person, per day (+ gratuity on $5), or were you charged $15/per person, per day (+ gratuity on $15)?

 

The reason I ask is that I remember reading something shady where HAL would "credit" you the pre-purchase SBP price of $44.95/day and then charge you the on-board Elite price of $59.95/day, resulting in that $15/day difference.  If true, a nice way to triple that package upcharge by not allowing it pre-cruise!

 

 

 

 

We were each charged $82.60 for the 7-day cruise: $10 per day plus 18% service charge. We had the SBP as part of the Have it All fare.

Edited September 20, 2021 by Boytjie

[figmentdj]

The PDF contradicts itself - even in the same paragraph. Under the Terms and conditions:

 

 

• Quench, Signature and Elite Packages have a daily limit of 15 Beverages. The Signature Package includes all beverages up to $11 in value and counts all zero-proof beverages towards the daily limit. Elite Package includes all beverages up to $15 in value and includes unlimited Zero-Proof beverages.

 

Do we a definitive answer on whether or not the elite package includes unlimited non-alcoholic beverages?

[jimgev]

8 hours ago, Boytjie said:

 

We were each charged $82.60 for the 7-day cruise: $10 per day plus 18% service charge. We had the SBP as part of the Have it All fare.

So the price difference between the signature and elite packages is advertised as $5 per day, but only if you make the change in advance. And then they don't allow you to make the change in advance and charge you $10 per day for not making it in advance. ???!!!

TF

[kazu]

3 minutes ago, jimgev said:

So the price difference between the signature and elite packages is advertised as $5 per day, but only if you make the change in advance. And then they don't allow you to make the change in advance and charge you $10 per day for not making it in advance. ???!!!

TF

Pretty much.  The Have it All works on the pricing of booking early.

 

so you get dinged because you have to upgrade on board.

 

And there’s no way around it as far as I know.

[zgscl]

On 9/18/2021 at 6:48 PM, Boytjie said:

 

Our process was not that easy on the NADM on the August 14 cruise!

 

We asked a Lido Bar waiter to upgrade and eventually three others joined, one of them at a higher level. He took our cards and promised to get it done and try it in about 10 minutes (gave our cards back). When I checked my statement on the Navigator app, they had changed us for a full EBP! 😮

 

It took a while for someone at Guest Relations to sort it out.

 

YMMV.

 

This sounds about like our experience trying to use the Dam Drink coupon in the Canaletto! 

 

Is everything now automatically on your cruise card? We did not have a beverage package this last time around and as best I can recall when we had it last (has been years) there was an actual separate card you had to use.

[kazu]

5 hours ago, zgscl said:

This sounds about like our experience trying to use the Dam Drink coupon in the Canaletto! 

 

Is everything now automatically on your cruise card? We did not have a beverage package this last time around and as best I can recall when we had it last (has been years) there was an actual separate card you had to use.

 

It’s on your cruise card.   Last time we had it there was an SBP sticker on it - not sure if that is still the case or not.

[Daniel A]

22 minutes ago, kazu said:

 

It’s on your cruise card.   Last time we had it there was an SBP sticker on it - not sure if that is still the case or not.

I remember the beverage stickers on the cruise card.  That was waaayy back when 'unlimited' was truly unlimited.  The sticker told the bartender not to ring up that drink.  Now with the limits on the number of beverages they needed a more sophisticated method in order to count how many drinks you had each day.  🍺🥃🥤🍸🍷🍹

[kazu]

6 minutes ago, Daniel A said:

I remember the beverage stickers on the cruise card.  That was waaayy back when 'unlimited' was truly unlimited.  The sticker told the bartender not to ring up that drink.  Now with the limits on the number of beverages they needed a more sophisticated method in order to count how many drinks you had each day.  🍺🥃🥤🍸🍷🍹

Bolding is mine.  Drinks were never truly unlimited.  The alcoholic drinks were still limited to 15 per day  - although how anyone could reach the limit is beyond me 😉 

[Daniel A]

17 minutes ago, kazu said:

Bolding is mine.  Drinks were never truly unlimited.  The alcoholic drinks were still limited to 15 per day  - although how anyone could reach the limit is beyond me 😉 

I was transferring over my experiences with Princess which used to put an unlimited drink package sticker on the cruise card.  They were unlimited drink packages.  I remember the hue and cry when Princess started to limit the number of alcoholic beverages.  

 

According to the following web site, the HAL packages were also truly unlimited at one time:

 

"Holland America Line Beverage Package Options

Enhance your vacation with any choice of the following beverage packages! While optional, many guests opt for these choices for a worry-free, inclusive cruise!

 

Carnival wants every guest to enjoy their cruise to the fullest. They know you'll want to unwind and savor the seas with a refreshing beverage in your hand. Because of this, they have two beverage packages to make your cruise dreams a reality. Both packages offer unlimited helpings of the drinks you love, or new favorites you have yet to try. Whether you want alcoholic included or not, one of these packages should best meet your needs."

 

Holland America Line Drink Packages | The Cruise Web

 

 

Edited September 21, 2021 by Daniel A