How do you know the price of a drink??

[Hobar]

If ordering a drink not on the menu, how does one know the cost?  Does bartender or server tell you, or do you sign for it, or what?  This will be my first cruise that is non-inclusive.  TIA.

[Blackduck59]

8 minutes ago, Hobar said:

If ordering a drink not on the menu, how does one know the cost?  Does bartender or server tell you, or do you sign for it, or what?  This will be my first cruise that is non-inclusive.  TIA.

They will give you a chit to sign. Many people object to this, especially if they have a drink package. Of course the flip side is, if a charge shows up on your account you don't recall then you can ask to see a copy of the signed chit.

[Crew News]

2 hours ago, Hobar said:

If ordering a drink not on the menu, how does one know the cost?  Does bartender or server tell you, or do you sign for it, or what?  This will be my first cruise that is non-inclusive.  TIA.

Ask the bartender before you order. 

 

If you have a beverage package, here is what drinks are included under the cost limit:  Beverage Packages 2024

[ExArkie]

6 hours ago, Crew News said:

Ask the bartender before you order. 

 

If you have a beverage package, here is what drinks are included under the cost limit:  Beverage Packages 2024

We have the Early Booking Bonus, which comes with an Elite package. Being a fan of single-malts, I was interested to see whether one was included. The package flyer lists none, but says at the bottom of the spirits list "And Many More..." 

 

Considering that the bar and drink menus I have found on-line list only cocktails and not individual spirits (to me, a cocktail is made by taking the Scotch bottle, pouring some into a glass, and maybe adding a drop of water, depending on the spirit), I have resigned myself to ordering drinks on board by asking what Scotch is available on the package.

 

[cruisemom42]

7 hours ago, Crew News said:

Ask the bartender before you order. 

 

If you have a beverage package, here is what drinks are included under the cost limit:  Beverage Packages 2024

 

Thanks for that link. It's frustrating that most bar menus only list a few signature drinks for each venue, and I don't like having to ask the cost of what I'm ordering each time. 

 

I'm somewhat unhappy to see that my two favorite "go to" cocktails are now only included under the Elite package (Grapefruit Cosmo and the various "Lemon Drop" concoctions). Guess I should be happy that I can still get a dirty martini with non-premium vodka....🍸

 

For all those who keep saying they're going to adjust the bev package limits to be in line with the new bar price hikes -- when???

[ArizonaStorm]

Ask the bartender.  I don't understand why that is hard to do.  

 

I sailed on the Koningsdam last month to Hawaii.  I ordered a Blue Hawaiian from the same bartender several times on different days (not on any menu) from the Panoramic Bar on Deck 10.  It was a fabulous drink.  My cruise account was charged varying amounts for this drink: $12.88, $14.11, $14.05 and $12.39.  Again, same bartender and bar (face-to-face ordering as I sat at the bar), different days.  I chose to add $2.50 tip on top of each of the above amounts.  I didn't care about the small difference in pricing.  I never drink more than one serving of alcohol per day on a cruise, so I focus on savoring a well-made drink.  (The Mai-Tai made at the Ocean Bar was also exceptional, in my opinion).  A cruise is a great way to try a variety of cocktails.  I crossed a few off my bucket list.

 

On that 17-day cruise I concluded that drinks listed on the menu were charged the amount shown on the menu.  Drinks not listed on the menu were priced at the whim of the bartender.  If a dollar or two is enough to ruin your cruise, maybe stick to the menu.  Still, the best way to avoid a surprise is to simply ask the bartender for the price.

 

Finally, while it's nice to see a photo of a drink menu from a recent cruise posted on Cruise Critic, just understand that prices are dynamic.  The prices and the menus may be entirely different on the same ship a month later.  They are snapshots in time.

[Hobar]

5 hours ago, ArizonaStorm said:

Ask the bartender.  I don't understand why that is hard to do. 

Thank you for your response. I imagine it’s not “hard to do.” But that was not the focus of my question. I don’t know what the protocol is. I will be a first timer on HAL and have not cruised in a very long time where I had to show a card or pay for drinks so I was just asking. I find it might be of annoying to ask the cost of a drink so I probably will not do that and will likely have a bar tab above and beyond what I have paid for my package. So be it. 

[Latkebabka]

6 hours ago, ArizonaStorm said:

I didn't care about the small difference in pricing.  I never drink more than one serving of alcohol per day on a cruise, so I focus on savoring a well-made drink.  
 

  If a dollar or two is enough to ruin your cruise, maybe stick to the menu.  

 

Finally, while it's nice to see a photo of a drink menu from a recent cruise posted on Cruise Critic, just understand that prices are dynamic.  The prices and the menus may be entirely different on the same ship a month later.  They are snapshots in time.

If you are only ordering one serving of alcohol per day, then yes, it is only a dollar or two. I don’t think the OP was asking that. I suspect that those ordering several drinks will incur a price of much more than a dollar or two a day. The price of a drink should not be priced at the whim of the bartender - unless of course, the bartender is lowering the drink, but I bet that never happened.  Changing prices on a whim - for anything in any business - is not acceptable by any standard - unless you think, for instance, the HAL can market one price for a cruise but change they when you book the cruise at the whim of the HAL cruise agent. The menu is a contract - a legal representation of what the ship will charge you and not subject to the whim of the bartender. But again you are only ordering a drink a day and so that is why you are not concerned with a dollar or two. The prices on the menus constitute a contractual agreement - an expectation of what to expect - not subject to whims of employees to cha he that. I suspect HAL makes more revenue by virtue of a dollar here, three dollars there, for every passenger every day on each ship. Having bartenders change it at their whim is unacceptable and a devious business practice. But again it doesn’t bother you because you only order one drink a day. 

[prescottbob]

Ahoy !

If it’s ’s a concern, whether it be a drink pricing, surcharge of some sort ,or spa deal that you may have a query, just ask the server/bartender/ representative .

 

No biggie. You’ll find that the HAL staff, and other cruise lines for that matter, will not have any sort of issues asking regarding pricing of any items. 
 

Hey, it’s your cruise!

 

Enjoy & Be well.

Bob

.

 

[ArizonaStorm]

Latke, my post stated that “drinks listed on the menu were charged the amount shown on the menu.”  Drinks ordered that are NOT on the menu are charged at the discretion of the bartender (each of whom is trained by the cruise line to recover the cost of the ingredients, then add profit).  Even menu beverages are subject to pop-sales throughout the cruise during certain hours.  I imagine staff receive their daily “marching orders” on what to charge to keep the billion dollar corporation happy.  It is also in the realm of possibility that the magical HAL accounting system adjusts prices for non-menu items based upon such factors as time-of-day and whether it is a sea-day or a port-day.  My point was that if you order a non-menu beverage, that would be the time to ask for the price.  Ditto in the shipboard shops - most of the merchandise I perused displayed no price.  I had to ask for the price.  Cruise ships are infamous for snap price adjustments on shop merchandise based on supply and demand.  If cruisers aren’t spending, a ”sale” will be announced.  Products that are selling better than expected will probably not be included in such sales.  Cruise ship are giant retailers focused on maximizing profit.  Contracted shop clerks have daily sales goals to meet, and their net pay will reflect how well they have met those goals.  Ask for pricing, just as you would at Macy's if merchandise is missing a price. 

[Laminator]

1 hour ago, ArizonaStorm said:

Latke, my post stated that “drinks listed on the menu were charged the amount shown on the menu.”  Drinks ordered that are NOT on the menu are charged at the discretion of the bartender (each of whom is trained by the cruise line to recover the cost of the ingredients, then add profit).  Even menu beverages are subject to pop-sales throughout the cruise during certain hours.  I imagine staff receive their daily “marching orders” on what to charge to keep the billion dollar corporation happy.  It is also in the realm of possibility that the magical HAL accounting system adjusts prices for non-menu items based upon such factors as time-of-day and whether it is a sea-day or a port-day.  My point was that if you order a non-menu beverage, that would be the time to ask for the price.  Ditto in the shipboard shops - most of the merchandise I perused displayed no price.  I had to ask for the price.  Cruise ships are infamous for snap price adjustments on shop merchandise based on supply and demand.  If cruisers aren’t spending, a ”sale” will be announced.  Products that are selling better than expected will probably not be included in such sales.  Cruise ship are giant retailers focused on maximizing profit.  Contracted shop clerks have daily sales goals to meet, and their net pay will reflect how well they have met those goals.  Ask for pricing, just as you would at Macy's if merchandise is missing a price. 

I'd be willing to bet that a drink that is requested that is not on the menu is probably not in the HAL POS system. This means the bartender will choose a different drink that is in the POS system and charge the customer for the price of that drink. I am sure these bartenders make hundreds of drinks a day and can not remember what drink he used to charge the customer the day before. Hence the discrepancy's. 

[cruisemom42]

9 hours ago, ArizonaStorm said:

my post stated that “drinks listed on the menu were charged the amount shown on the menu.”  Drinks ordered that are NOT on the menu are charged at the discretion of the bartender (each of whom is trained by the cruise line to recover the cost of the ingredients, then add profit).

 

But very few cocktails are ACTUALLY listed on the menu in any given bar on HAL. Each bar seems to feature its own small collection of cocktails -- which in no way includes even the top 20 most frequently ordered drinks.

 

For those who suggest asking the price -- it's just a hassle. Let me give an example. I might have the "classic" beverage package. Let's say I want a cocktail, something different than what I ordered yesterday. But I'm not sure exactly what I want. I just know I'd prefer to keep it within the range of drinks covered by my package. 

 

So I should have to ask the price of every cocktail I MIGHT consider to determine the subset of ones within the BP?  And then what -- write them all down so I don't forget while I'm considering?

 

Prices may be "dynamic" but they're not all that dynamic. HAL only seems to adjust prices less than once a year and believe me, the new "menus" (with selected drinks) appear right away and are very soon reported here. So I think most of us know when increases are implemented.

 

[AncientWanderer]

Lots of times we will just say to the bartender, "I'd like this that or the other.  Would that be covered by our package?"  

They're very nice and helpful and will suggest a change of call brand, if necessary.  No dollars and cents mentioned.

[mawvkysc]

23 hours ago, ArizonaStorm said:

Ask the bartender.  I don't understand why that is hard to do.  

 

I sailed on the Koningsdam last month to Hawaii.  I ordered a Blue Hawaiian from the same bartender several times on different days (not on any menu) from the Panoramic Bar on Deck 10.  It was a fabulous drink.  My cruise account was charged varying amounts for this drink: $12.88, $14.11, $14.05 and $12.39.  Again, same bartender and bar (face-to-face ordering as I sat at the bar), different days.  I chose to add $2.50 tip on top of each of the above amounts.  I didn't care about the small difference in pricing.  I never drink more than one serving of alcohol per day on a cruise, so I focus on savoring a well-made drink.  (The Mai-Tai made at the Ocean Bar was also exceptional, in my opinion).  A cruise is a great way to try a variety of cocktails.  I crossed a few off my bucket list.

 

On that 17-day cruise I concluded that drinks listed on the menu were charged the amount shown on the menu.  Drinks not listed on the menu were priced at the whim of the bartender.  If a dollar or two is enough to ruin your cruise, maybe stick to the menu.  Still, the best way to avoid a surprise is to simply ask the bartender for the price.

 

Finally, while it's nice to see a photo of a drink menu from a recent cruise posted on Cruise Critic, just understand that prices are dynamic.  The prices and the menus may be entirely different on the same ship a month later.  They are snapshots in time.

Maybe the bartender used different brands of alcohol to make the drink on different days. Perhaps one rum was closer to where he was standing, or one brand had run out so he used another. Different brands have different prices. 
Just curious, do you remember what the line item was on your account for the drink? Was it a drink name, did it just say cocktail, or did it list the liquor?

Edited March 1 by mawvkysc

[ArizonaStorm]

3 hours ago, mawvkysc said:

Maybe the bartender used different brands of alcohol to make the drink on different days. Perhaps one rum was closer to where he was standing, or one brand had run out so he used another. Different brands have different prices. 
Just curious, do you remember what the line item was on your account for the drink? Was it a drink name, did it just say cocktail, or did it list the liquor?

My list of onboard expenditures (via the Navigator Wallet) simply lists the date, name of the bar and the charge.  I kept track with more details using my own spreadsheet.  I was determined to limit my technology to one device - my new iPhone 15 ProMax.  I had never tried building a spreadsheet on my iPhone, but it was quite easy (using Apple's Numbers app).  I used the phone to surf the Internet, read downloaded Kindle books, and watch downloaded videos.  It was nice not to cart around larger devices.  I also used the shipboard library, reading three books during my cruise.  

[ArizonaStorm]

7 hours ago, cruisemom42 said:

 

But very few cocktails are ACTUALLY listed on the menu in any given bar on HAL. Each bar seems to feature its own small collection of cocktails -- which in no way includes even the top 20 most frequently ordered drinks.

 

For those who suggest asking the price -- it's just a hassle. Let me give an example. I might have the "classic" beverage package. Let's say I want a cocktail, something different than what I ordered yesterday. But I'm not sure exactly what I want. I just know I'd prefer to keep it within the range of drinks covered by my package. 

 

So I should have to ask the price of every cocktail I MIGHT consider to determine the subset of ones within the BP?  And then what -- write them all down so I don't forget while I'm considering?

 

Prices may be "dynamic" but they're not all that dynamic. HAL only seems to adjust prices less than once a year and believe me, the new "menus" (with selected drinks) appear right away and are very soon reported here. So I think most of us know when increases are implemented.

 

Well, HAL puts the onus on passengers.  I'm sure their unctuous marketers would respond that HAL is improving the passenger experience by providing shorted lists of drinks at each bar.  But given the long lives of most of us cruisers, we've developed our own list of favorites.  

 

Although I don't drink much, I decided to use the cruise to try old favorites as well as drinks that I've heard about but hadn't yet tried.  I did some simple Internet searches (like "best Hawaii cocktails", "best cocktails from the 1970s", "popular cocktails" - then I typed the ones I wanted to try into my Reminders App on my iPhone, including ingredients.  It made it easy for me to remember.  Then when you approach a bartender, you could simply say "I'd like the best classic gin and vermouth martini you can make that's within the "Classic Beverage Package".  

 

It's not "fun" to ask for the price, but that is a responsibility HAL has placed on our backs by not sharing comprehensive price lists.  And prices ARE dynamic enough to sporadically announce brief specials.  The amount of the delivered product that is "profit" is dynamic in that the bartender is choosing the quality of the liquor and additives that make it into the drink.  On my first cruise I asked for a Maker's Mark Manhattan in the MDR.  Every night hence one was brought to me without my asking.  There were no "drink packages" then, so the cruiser often specified the liquor brand, or the bartender would ask.  

 

If you are planning on having several cocktails in the coming hours, perhaps spend a bit more on the first one while your taste buds are fresh.  My father advised me, "after the first drink, your taste buds are numbed, so you might as well have well-drinks from that point on."  That advice has served me well for many decades.

[Latkebabka]

On 2/29/2024 at 12:14 PM, ArizonaStorm said:

If a dollar or two is enough to ruin your cruise, maybe stick to the menu

I will garner a guess that, based on the OP’s signature travelling exclusively all-inclusive luxury lines, he/she/they would not be bothered by a dollar or two. Having also sailed a couple of those lines, it’s really just more of an annoyance to have to take out your card each time for it to be swiped rather than having glasses is wine or another cocktail seamlessly poured. 

[Hobar]

3 hours ago, ArizonaStorm said:

My list of onboard expenditures (via the Navigator Wallet) simply lists the date, name of the bar and the charge.  I kept track with more details using my own spreadsheet. 

Spreadsheet???  You’re scaring me.  Sounds like a lot of work. I will need to bring my assistant to do this since I don’t even do that at work. 

[ArizonaStorm]

I can (and probably do) make spreadsheets in my sleep.

[ArizonaStorm]

40 minutes ago, Latkebabka said:

I will garner a guess that, based on the OP’s signature travelling exclusively all-inclusive luxury lines, he/she/they would not be bothered by a dollar or two. Having also sailed a couple of those lines, it’s really just more of an annoyance to have to take out your card each time for it to be swiped rather than having glasses is wine or another cocktail seamlessly poured. 

Um...I have no signature.  Even if I did, it would show I've cruised twice on Holland America - a premium, not-all-inclusive line.  Have you been racing to the 15-drink upper limit?  You're seeing things that aren't there.

[crystalspin]

47 minutes ago, ArizonaStorm said:

Um...I have no signature.

You are not the OP (original poster). I believe "babka" was agreeing with you by pointing out that the OP has only sailed Seabourn and Silversea since 2002. 

 

Sometime you just gotta stick with your comfort zone.

[ExArkie]

Asking the price or whether something is covered by the package can also be problematic if the bartender is busy and really doesn’t have a moment to explain the unpublished menu. 

[Latkebabka]

On 3/1/2024 at 6:31 PM, ArizonaStorm said:Have you been racing to the 15-drink upper limit?  You're seeing things that aren't there.

Sorry but I am not understanding what you are asking.  What does “racing to the drink limit” mean?

[Latkebabka]

On 3/1/2024 at 6:27 PM, ArizonaStorm said:

I can (and probably do) make spreadsheets in my sleep.

Now that’s sad.  

[Petronillus]

We're still basking in the afterglow of 28 days ohboard the Westerdam cruising Asia-Pacific. HIA gave us the signature package, and I had my set of drink preferences (a rather small number and narrow range). I never once found, regardless of venue, that my charges varied. On those rare occasions when I ordered something above the signature-package limit, the server always told me what the upcharge would be.