New bar menus for 2024 with some welcome changes

[3rdGenCunarder]

1 hour ago, 0106 said:

The last time I saw “bottled water” from the bars, it was in a can with a screw top, not plastic or glass.  However, on the Rotterdam TA in October, the only had cans.

 

Oh, right. When I read bottled water, I thought of plastic bottles. I hope Zaandam will have the bottles next month. The cans are horrible for taking water on a tour, and I need to take extra water to the beach to rinse my camera. Must remember to pack my water bottle. 

[canadianbear]

43 minutes ago, albingirl said:

laugh if you want to, but they always run out of Bud Light.  My beer of choice, much to the disdain of my friends.

Get one every 10 minutes & stock in your cabin fridge!

[albingirl]

9 minutes ago, wandrr said:

How can I not laugh! Still, running out of the highest selling beer in the USA is inexcusable on a line with ships usually about 75% American. Shows how much attention they really pay to the beer drinkers. The wino's would mutiny if they ran out of Chardonnay.

 

As a suggestion, drink something else!    🤣

I like a peroni occasionally. Doubt they have that 

[Crew News]

3 hours ago, relmondcrsise said:

It appears new updated bar menus are coming for 2024 and I for one am extremely happy about the change in policy for the beverage packages.  You will now only pay the difference if your beverage is over the price limit of the package you've purchased.  There are also some pretty significant changes to the wine offerings.  I haven't spotted too many other changes yet.  Anyone see anything else of note?  Here are the new menus...

 

Holland America New Bar Menus for 2024

Interestingly, the above link for Sommellier Suites Cellar 1 and Cellar 2 are reversed on the link I just downloaded for my February cruise:  Sommellier Suite 2024 (Eurodam) Feb

[Blackduck59]

4 hours ago, Prada Cowboy said:

Menu and iclusion of each package look good to me (better then Celebrity)! My question is and I hope I can get an answer, if you have had the 15 drinks, can you charge more to your account for the regular price or are you cut off after that?

If you have the "Signature" package you get 15 drinks of all kinds up to $11.00. If you go over the $11.00 price you pay the difference plus 18% on the difference. If you go over the 15 quantity you pay full price for everything plus 18%. Keep in mind that they can refuse service to the stupid drunks just like on land.

[cruisemom42]

4 hours ago, wandrr said:

The wino's would mutiny if they ran out of Chardonnay.

 

It has happened. On the April 2023 Westerdam cruises they were running out of many varieties of wine -- first the NZ Sauvignon Blanc, then Malbec, and then others I can't recall now -- and a few types of liquor as well.

 

We winos are a classy lot though. It was a golf-clap mutiny.

 

[Ella2]

🤔  Sailing HAL for the first time in a LONG time in late March, as they are the only option West Coast then (that I would do).  After many Celebrity cruises...and as a wine by the glass person who loves FRENCH wine (GOOD French wine)...I'm a bit concerned by this menu.  I have the Elite package. Celebrity had a ton of good French options by the glass (with the additional upcharge from their top beverage package for some wines) and I was all good with that.  Maybe I'm reading this all wrong, but hoping that Kendall Jackson and the other brands on the Elite wine by the glass list are not ALL that is offered?  I don't want to buy a bottle of wine when I have the Elite package and want the better wines that are on the bottle list...but by the glass.  

 

Am I reading this wrong?

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Blackduck59]

27 minutes ago, Ella2 said:

🤔  Sailing HAL for the first time in a LONG time in late March, as they are the only option West Coast then (that I would do).  After many Celebrity cruises...and as a wine by the glass person who loves FRENCH wine (GOOD French wine)...I'm a bit concerned by this menu.  I have the Elite package. Celebrity had a ton of good French options by the glass (with the additional upcharge from their top beverage package for some wines) and I was all good with that.  Maybe I'm reading this all wrong, but hoping that Kendall Jackson and the other brands on the Elite wine by the glass list are not ALL that is offered?  I don't want to buy a bottle of wine when I have the Elite package and want the better wines that are on the bottle list...but by the glass.  

 

Am I reading this wrong?

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm certainly not a wine on a cruise aficionado but I do know if it's on the "Bottle" list you have to buy the bottle, and if it was available by the glass it wouldn't be covered by the $15.00 limit.

Just think of it this way, if you were at a restaurant on land and they had a wine listed by the bottle but not by the glass; are they going to open that bottle on the off chance you may drink the whole thing?

I hope you are able to find something by the glass you like, although I didn't really see much selection of "French" wine by the glass.

[crystalspin]

52 minutes ago, Ella2 said:

Am I reading this wrong?

I do not believe so. The by-the-glass selections tend to the New World...

[oakridger]

I've always thought that HAL's beverage package wines by the glass are what I call "Tuesday Wines".  Meaning they are OK at home with my meatloaf dinner on Tuesday but certainly not what I would drink on Saturday with my filet mignon dinner!  My OBC usually goes to those "Saturday Wines"!

 

I've not been on any other mainstream cruise lines since 1990 so how do HAL's by-the-glass wines compare to others such as RCCL, Carnival, Princess, etc?

 

~Nancy

[dmacleod]

I'm seeing quite a few drinks over $11 on those new menu's. We might upgrade just for the convenience of not having to sign something every time we go $.50-$1 over the $11. 

[CruiseIreland]

Looking at the package and menus, how best can I order my bourbon and diet coke? Does that count as 2 on the SBP, ditto for my wife's G&T?

[Cruiz'nBaers]

On 1/15/2024 at 1:36 PM, crystalspin said:

Actually, most people with the beverage package (SBP) are NOT happy because many standard mixed drinks such as Cosmo, Painkiller, Pina Colada are now $11.50 or $12 but the limit of the SBP is still $11 although your list shows the price of SBP has gone up $5pppd, the limit has not increased.

 

If nothing else, it will clutter up the daily statement!

I’m just curious, can you choose to have your favorite mixed drink made with rail liquor to keep the cost at or below the the  $11.  I like lemon drop martinis and make them at home using Smirnoff vodka, they taste pretty good to me. 

[Real NHDOC]

23 hours ago, Crew News said:

Interestingly, the above link for Sommellier Suites Cellar 1 and Cellar 2 are reversed on the link I just downloaded for my February cruise:  Sommellier Suite 2024 (Eurodam) Feb

I noticed that it seemed like something was wrong there. I am hoping your list is correct because I really like some of the cellar 1 wines and noticed some had been moved to cellar 2. We are booked onboard the Eurodam for 31 days starting next week so hopefully by then HAL will have straightened out these glitches. 
 

I was surprised to see the Eroica Riesling added to cellar 3. I do like that one but couldn’t justify the $60+ per bottle price they charged onboard for it. 

[kazu]

17 minutes ago, Real NHDOC said:

I noticed that it seemed like something was wrong there. I am hoping your list is correct because I really like some of the cellar 1 wines and noticed some had been moved to cellar 2. We are booked onboard the Eurodam for 31 days starting next week so hopefully by then HAL will have straightened out these glitches. 
 

I was surprised to see the Eroica Riesling added to cellar 3. I do like that one but couldn’t justify the $60+ per bottle price they charged onboard for it. 

 

And I am kind of hoping some of the previous white wines which are listed on the HAL site are on our cruise.  they had some nice ones and two seem to have disappeared on the new listing.  I have no problem to pay if i like the wine - especially at 50% off 😉 

[Blackduck59]

3 hours ago, CruiseIreland said:

Looking at the package and menus, how best can I order my bourbon and diet coke? Does that count as 2 on the SBP, ditto for my wife's G&T?

Just order them, they are both basic mixed drinks. If you were to order a shot of Bourbon and a diet Coke as 2 separate things then it is 2 drinks, doubles also count as 2 drinks.

[PalmSprings]

Something that may be worth a try to get a  cosmo under the SBP limit is to try ordering it with triple sec instead of cointreau - at restaurants here that has resulted in a major cost reduction (we have a good friend who drinks nothing else).

 

 

[redbanshee]

On 1/15/2024 at 12:16 PM, Prada Cowboy said:

Menu and iclusion of each package look good to me (better then Celebrity)! My question is and I hope I can get an answer, if you have had the 15 drinks, can you charge more to your account for the regular price or are you cut off after that?

As long as you are not presenting as obnoxious and fall down drunk your on board account will be charged. Don’t rely on your bartender to let you know if you are over limit. 

[redbanshee]

3 hours ago, Cruiz'nBaers said:

I’m just curious, can you choose to have your favorite mixed drink made with rail liquor to keep the cost at or below the the  $11.  I like lemon drop martinis and make them at home using Smirnoff vodka, they taste pretty good to me. 

I believe I saw on a previous thread that you will just get a $12 lemon drop made with Smirnoff but don’t quote me. There has been a lot of chatter about the minimum price for SBP. Some say it will increase to $12 as it has historically kept up with price increases. However perhaps they have reached their cutoff point and prefer to upsell the EBP and “pay the difference deal” 

Only time will tell🤗

[Cruiz'nBaers]

57 minutes ago, redbanshee said:

I believe I saw on a previous thread that you will just get a $12 lemon drop made with Smirnoff but don’t quote me. There has been a lot of chatter about the minimum price for SBP. Some say it will increase to $12 as it has historically kept up with price increases. However perhaps they have reached their cutoff point and prefer to upsell the EBP and “pay the difference deal” 

Only time will tell🤗

I read on one of the new bar menus that Grey Goose was $11, why charge $12 for the martini?  Seems a bit greedy to me.  

[crystalspin]

5 hours ago, CruiseIreland said:

Looking at the package and menus, how best can I order my bourbon and diet coke? Does that count as 2 on the SBP, ditto for my wife's G&T?

No, a 1+1 mixed drink has always been priced (and counted) as the cost of the liquor in it. One tick off your 15.

[crystalspin]

5 hours ago, Cruiz'nBaers said:

I’m just curious, can you choose to have your favorite mixed drink made with rail liquor to keep the cost at or below the the  $11.  I like lemon drop martinis and make them at home using Smirnoff vodka, they taste pretty good to me. 

Ya, I don't know! Ask me in 32 days. I will find out if I can spell out the ingredients for a PainKiller but without the Pussers! Myers? instead of Pussers?

[tompeter]

On 1/15/2024 at 4:41 PM, albingirl said:

I like a peroni occasionally. Doubt they have that 

They had it on NS in December...

[Murray's Pop]

Is there a discount for wine/champagne bottle purchase when you have the Elite Beverage Package?  I thought I remembered a discount but could not find on the HAL site. 

[CruiserBruce]

15 minutes ago, Murray's Pop said:

Is there a discount for wine/champagne bottle purchase when you have the Elite Beverage Package?  I thought I remembered a discount but could not find on the HAL site. 

No discount. If you are 4 or 5 Star, yes.