Bringing beer onboard

[forevertravel]

I know HAL allows passengers to bring unlimited wine, soda, and water. What about beer? Is beer allowed? Thank you.

[maxout]

No.

 

They seem to be more tolerant of it being brought on from ports but officially it is not allowed.

[billyelliot]

Apparently not, but I don't know why? Seems strange that they won't allow it to be drank In yr cabin like wine, yet it seems people can take gallons of soda and consume it any where..... :rolleyes:

[jtl513]

Apparently not, but I don't know why?

I believe they only allow it for wine because there are so many different types that people prefer, unlike beer which comes in far fewer variations. (Yes, I know in Belgium that there are allegedly 400 "kinds" of beer sold, but few people in the world could tell the differences between many of them. :p )

[YubaSutter]

I believe they only allow it for wine because there are so many different types that people prefer, unlike beer which comes in far fewer variations. (Yes, I know in Belgium that there are allegedly 400 "kinds" of beer sold, but few people in the world could tell the differences between many of them. :p )[/

 

I could.

[cmdchiefthom]

I remember when bringing beer aboard a HAL ship wasn't a big deal, and that was probably ten or twelve years ago. However now, its what all the lines do. Every penny counts these days.:rolleyes:

[Duck Duck Cruise]

Good question......Yes we could tell the difference because we live in the Pacific North West where there is a huge "Craft Beer" community. Our son recently won first place in a "Home Brewing Craft Beer Competition"

 

I was a wine drinker until the sulfates started giving me hives (really bad) So it was off to the world of Micro Brews. Yum.... I love Stouts and Porters.

 

Does anyone know if Hal has any beer other than the Standard off the shelf Bud?

 

Guinness? Ect.

 

Thanks,

Lin

[Kelownabccan]

We just got back from 17 days.....loved my beer from every country and port....one of my things to do in ports after tours is find the local grocery store and buy 3 or 4 of the local beers and take them back to my cabin....never have had any problem.....cans or bottles never seemed to make any difference.....I suppose if I tried to bring a case on I might have a problem but a few here and there are fine.....after all....I like beer my wife likes wine and she has no trouble bringing wine on from the grocery store ........

[GeriatricNurse]

We just got back from 17 days.....loved my beer from every country and port....one of my things to do in ports after tours is find the local grocery store and buy 3 or 4 of the local beers and take them back to my cabin....never have had any problem.....cans or bottles never seemed to make any difference.....I suppose if I tried to bring a case on I might have a problem but a few here and there are fine.....after all....I like beer my wife likes wine and she has no trouble bringing wine on from the grocery store ........

 

Didn't you cruise on the 'Veendam'? Were there any 'maintenance' issues related to a/c or plumbing?

[Laurie S.]

HAL discriminates against beer drinkers! Boo!!!! It really isn't fair. There are so many different kinds of beer, and yes, I can tell them apart. As far as wine, it almost all tastes the same to me.

[Doh15]

I'm another who can't drink wine after developing sulfite allergies and I agree that beer drinkers get the short straw-- it's crazy to me that they only offer bud/bud light and forbid you from bringing any aboard, leaving aside the ridiculous prices (I would not object to paying 2x retail, but 3-4x retail?).

[jtl513]

-- it's crazy to me that they only offer bud/bud light and ...

That's not true at all. The best beer offered on all HAL ships, IMO, is Grolsch, followed by Heineken or Beck's. On some itineraries they will offer "local" beer which is quite good. In AK my choice (after Grolsch) is the Alaskan Amber.

 

If you're on one of the ships with the Mix (Ryndam, Veendam, Maasdam, Statendam, and Rotterdam) you can get four kinds of draft beer: Beck's, Boddington, Bass, and Stella Artois.

[Doh15]

That's not true at all. The best beer offered on all HAL ships, IMO, is Grolsch, followed by Heineken or Beck's. On some itineraries they will offer "local" beer which is quite good. In AK my choice (after Grolsch) is the Alaskan Amber.

 

If you're on one of the ships with the Mix (Ryndam, Veendam, Maasdam, Statendam, and Rotterdam) you can get four kinds of draft beer: Beck's, Boddington, Bass, and Stella Artois.

 

Sorry, partly I was going off what I've seen on cruise critic and the Holland America site as to what is offered and partly I was using "Bud" as a standin for a number of similar beers.

 

I grant you that Heineken is arguably a step above Budweiser, and Grolsch a little better (but I have not seen Grolsch listed anywhere as a beer they sell). The beers they offer for in-cabin consumption, at least pre-sail, for our cruise (we are not on a "Mix" ship) are Miller/Miller Lite, Bud/Bud Light, Heineken/Amstel Light, and Corona. If that's really all you are going to offer, then I think you should let people bring their own on board.

[fann1sh]

One of the few things Carnival does better that HAL is ThirstyFrog Red... on draught (or if you insist, "draft" :cool:)

 

Some sea days I'd kill for a dark draught. :eek:

[Ray in NH]

I'm another who can't drink wine after developing sulfite allergies and I agree that beer drinkers get the short straw-- it's crazy to me that they only offer bud/bud light and forbid you from bringing any aboard, leaving aside the ridiculous prices (I would not object to paying 2x retail, but 3-4x retail?).

 

Last year on the Maasdam (Voyage of the Vikings) they had Boddington on tap in Mix. Didn't try to bring any other beer on board. One of the best cruises we have ever done -- probably would say the same even if the Boddington wasn't there :D

Ray in NH

[Doh15]

Last year on the Maasdam (Voyage of the Vikings) they had Boddington on tap in Mix. Didn't try to bring any other beer on board. One of the best cruises we have ever done -- probably would say the same even if the Boddington wasn't there :D

 

Ray in NH

 

 

That's a fair point-- once I'm on board I'm considerably less likely to be concerned about it. :) (Maybe I should go pre-order some liquor while I'm at it ;))

[billyelliot]

My DH loves dark beer, real ale. And on our previous cruises, other than the odd can of Guinness it's been mostly what we call larger. Light and mass produced world wide. He would love to take a few bottles of the 'real stuff' He is looking forward to Alaska in May to try out the Alasken beers. Me.........Austrailian Red every time:D lol

[swedie]

I know HAL allows passengers to bring unlimited wine, soda, and water. What about beer? Is beer allowed? Thank you.

We bought beer in the duty free shop right outside of the security check-in prior to boarding the Westerdam Oct. 2010 and brought it aboard with no problem. They carried Heinekin and something else. Every port (10 ports in 13 nights - it was a port intensive cruise) we brought aboard additional local beers bought in grocery stores - never an issue. Hope it hasn't changed!

[jtl513]

Hope it hasn't changed!

It all depends on whether security at the gangway chooses to enforce the rule that day or not. A different ship with different security people may well be different on enforcement.

[Randyk47]

It all depends on whether security at the gangway chooses to enforce the rule that day or not. A different ship with different security people may well be different on enforcement.

 

I would agree. My experience, from observation not from trying myself, is that the majority of security folks will take beer and liquor away from you for delivery at the end of the cruise. We're actually not in the habit of buying liquor at a port, especially now since you can't carry it on a plane, but back in the days when we did I think just once security didn't take a bottle of rum away from us. I was actually surprised but it was just that one time.

[cruisinggranmama]

I'm sure it's only me since I'm not a big drinker, but I don't understand bringing your own wine, beer, soda on board. (Ok soda if you consume a lot because it's more expensive than on land.) It's seems like a lot of trouble and storage issues for something you can readily get on the ship. We order a wine package and DH gets a couple of bottles of liquor that comes with sodas. Liquor pricing is good compared to what we pay in MD.

 

OK go... I know where will be comments.

[whogo]

It is Holland America's ship and they can make the rules. I agree that beer drinkers get short thrift. I thought that the draft Beck's they served on the Veendam last February was inferior to the bottled Beck's and figured it had been tapped too long ago. I did not see much demand for draft beer. Beck's, Boddington's, Bass, and Stella Artois are not the best of beers, but they are exported to the USA.

 

Bass and Boddington are at the bottom of my list of beers to drink when in the UK. Bottled Grolsch is my preferred beer on Holland America.

 

I suggested that Holland America buy a few cases of assorted local beers in exotic ports and offer them up in a special beer gathering aboard. Holland America could turn a profit and beer drinkers could try some interesting beer. I did not find any exceptional beers on my cruise around Cape Horn, but I had fun looking.

[jtl513]

I suggested that Holland America buy a few cases of assorted local beers in exotic ports and offer them up in a special beer gathering aboard. Holland America could turn a profit and beer drinkers could try some interesting beer.

Sometimes they do. For example I remember having Rostock beer when in Warnemunde Germany, while an oom-pah-pah local band played. This was for a couple hours starting around noon, so many may have been off on excursions and missed it.

[RSWBADGER]

Bass and Boddington are at the bottom of my list of beers to drink when in the UK. Bottled Grolsch is my preferred beer on Holland America.

 

 

I'll second that!!

[snowmc]

Last summer we were able to bring beer on that we bought in Juneau from Alaska Brewing Company...never had any problems.