How do you buy Pre Paid Wine Cards?

[Been There, Planning That]

I've been following a couple of threads with interest. We're relatively new to cruising and this is the first I'd heard of pre purchasing wine cards. I went to the HAL site and keyed in wine cards and came up empty 'glassed.'

 

We're booked on the Ryndam Jan. '08 for a 30 day cruise. Pre purchasing drink cards sounds like a good deal.

 

• How does one prepurchase a wine card?
  
• Or can one purchase them on board?
  
• And while I'm at it, can one also prepurchase laundry service on HAL ships?

And like one of the other posters we bring along our own Bibles, but old fashioned page turning one.

 

For the first time in decades our old Canadian dollar will go a bit further, so we might be able to splurge and have a glass of wine with each dinner!

[sk8teacher]

Wine cards can be purchased onboard or before sailing. To purchase before, go here and download the gift selection brochure. Fill it out and mail it in.

 

If you have a login ID and password, the gift selection can be filled in online and submitted there.

 

Laundry is purchased onboard, I don't recall a means of doing so before hand.

 

Cheers,

[Been There, Planning That]

Thank you Bill and Sharon for such a prompt reply to my rather basic question.

 

My error was to simply explore the HAL site and not key in our registration number when I was at the gift site. It's all so simple when you know what you're doing.

 

I assume from your identifier that one of you was a teacher -- you must have been very prompt with all the paperwork. And it's so easy I won't even need any remedial help.

 

We'll definitely preorder and thus prepay before sailing.

 

Again thanks,

 

Ruth

[grsnovi]

We purchased or wine card as we were exiting the Seattle facility prior to actually getting on the boarding ramp. Seems that just before the embarkation picture was taken you had the opportunity to purchase and they handed you the card right there.

[jtl513]

We'll definitely preorder and thus prepay before sailing.

We purchased or wine card as we were exiting the Seattle facility prior to actually getting on the boarding ramp.

 

I would suggest that you buy it on board from the person who will be serving you most of the time. That is probably the dining room wine steward for most people. That way he/she gets a bigger part of the 15% service charge (or at least the credit for selling the card) and is much happier to serve you. If you buy it on-line or in the boarding waiting room the 15% just goes into a big pool, to be shared by many who never see you, let alone serve you.

[cdkempton]

You can get your drink/wine cards on board from any bartender as well. If you buy the card on board, the bartender/waitperson, etc will get the 15% gratuity that is automatically built into the purchase price. When you pre-purchase from ship's services, HAL gets the gratuity. ;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Should you choose to pre-order the wine card before your cruise, keep in mind that the 15% gratuity that is added on to it goes into a pool and is divided among the bar and wine staff. However - if you wait to buy it once you are on the ship, the person who sells it to you not only gets credit for selling the crad, but gets most of the 15% gratuity.

[jtl513]

THAT'S FUNNY: three of us posted at the same time, and said essentially the same thing!! :D

[earl_m]

I guess great minds think alike:D

[Been There, Planning That]

WOW! So many experts replying to one question.

 

I guess we'd better wait and buy the wine card at our first dinner. All that information about how the tip is directed is sure new to me.

 

We'll have to count on our Canadian dollar remaining high for a couple more months.

 

Thanks, one and all,

 

Ruth

[hammybee]

I am not a fan of buying onboard services or beverages before a cruise.

 

There are too many opportunities for communication failure between the home office and the ship. Who wants to start a cruise having to deal with this?

[Been There, Planning That]

Interesting view point. We have prebooked and prepaid for our land tours. We'd done this on the Celebrity South American trip last winter and were glad we had as there were few options left by the time we sailed.

 

Now the ports were visiting aren't as exotic and there seem to have been more options but we have booked anyway.

 

We've decided thanks to all your kind advice to buy the wine cards on board.

 

Ruth

[JimVrhovac]

Better off waiting to the ship is out past the three mile limit before you purchase the card.

 

Here in Florida Sales Tax is added on whn the ship leaves a Florida port until it is outside the Three mile limit.

 

Can tell when there by the casino opening

 

Ruth & Jim

[advocado]

... A friend bought a wine card on the Noordam. At dinner he ordered a glass of Chateau "Foo Foo" (nice wine of some sort). When he presented his wine card, he was told that it applies only to house wines. No credit. Zero. He was charged full price.

[grsnovi]

I would have thought that the "house wine" restriction would have been made clear when the card was purchased.

[advocado]

I would have thought that the "house wine" restriction would have been made clear when the card was purchased.

Me too. He said, however, that nothing was explained beyond the cost of the card. He's probably right. Why go in to too much detail if it may kill the sale? (Yes, I AM cynical ...)

[jtl513]

I thought the terms would be specified on the card itself, so I just looked. All it says it "twenty glasses of wine as advertised", which is hardly a help! :)