Another Beverage Card Question/Issue

[andyandsue]

Can anyone tell me from experience, if I buy the $250 beverage card, can anyone in my party use it, or will it have my name and I have to go up and buy all the drinks? Same question with the kids... if I buy a soda card for my kids to share (because $50 of soda should cover it for them), will they have to get me to buy them a soda with the card or can the two of them go up together and get their drinks?

[serene56]

Cards are meant PER PERSON- not meant for one person to buy a card and share it with their party.

 

example of the soda card-- one kid has a card he can only get one soda at a time so what happens at dinner do you tell one kid he can have soda and the other can not?

 

Save your 50 bucks-- carry on the kids soda-- when its gone its gone

[kakalina]

The new soda cards do not work like the old ones used to. They are not unlimited cards. They are deducted like a debit card and anyone can use it. There are no names on them, just the amount of the card. When you make a purchase you get a receipt with the remaining amount on it.

If 6 people want a soda they will deduct the price of 6 sodas from the card. Very easy to use.

[sapper1]

The first time you use either card it must be presented along with your cabin card to activate it. After that it can be used by others in your party. I often used my husband's card and he, mine.

 

The soda card can be used to buy as many cans of pop as you wish. The total amount is then deducted from the card. The new card, as mentioned above, is not an unlimited amount of pop for one person, as the old ones were.

 

If you pre purchase the card online you can have it delivered with your name on it. Cards purchased onboard do not have the name. Since stewards often handle several cards at once I like to have one with a name on it.

[Cindy]

The first time you use either card it must be presented along with your cabin card to activate it. After that it can be used by others in your party. I often used my husband's card and he, mine.

 

The soda card can be used to buy as many cans of pop as you wish. The total amount is then deducted from the card. The new card, as mentioned above, is not an unlimited amount of pop for one person, as the old ones were.

 

If you pre purchase the card online you can have it delivered with your name on it. Cards purchased onboard do not have the name. Since stewards often handle several cards at once I like to have one with a name on it.

 

Are the $250 beverage cards good for all alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages? I'm interested in the card if it's something we could use for bottles of wine as well as sodas and bar drinks.

[sapper1]

Are the $250 beverage cards good for all alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages? I'm interested in the card if it's something we could use for bottles of wine as well as sodas and bar drinks.

 

I would not use it to buy sodas as the soda card is 25 dollars for 50 dollars worth of soda. You pay 225 dollars for a 250 dollar beverage card. Since it is not as good a deal to use the beverage card for pop, I never tried and therefore do not know if you can do it.

 

I believe you can use them to buy bottles of wine but if you are using your mariner status to buy discounted wine packages I do not believe you can use the card as that would be double dipping. Someone please correct me on this if I am wrong.

[Cindy]

I would not use it to buy sodas as the soda card is 25 dollars for 50 dollars worth of soda. You pay 225 dollars for a 250 dollar beverage card. Since it is not as good a deal to use the beverage card for pop, I never tried and therefore do not know if you can do it.

 

I believe you can use them to buy bottles of wine but if you are using your mariner status to buy discounted wine packages I do not believe you can use the card as that would be double dipping. Someone please correct me on this if I am wrong.

 

No worries about "double-dipping," since I have one lonely little star and this is our first HAL cruise!

From your comments, it sounds like I should get a beverage card for the alcoholic beverages, and then purchase a separate soda card. I'm not sure the soda card would be worth it...I drink one a day at most, and like to use cards more for convenience than anything else. I suppose since we're in an SC aft corner, I could always buy cans for entertaining purposes!:)

[catl331]

Cards are meant PER PERSON- not meant for one person to buy a card and share it with their party.

 

example of the soda card-- one kid has a card he can only get one soda at a time so what happens at dinner do you tell one kid he can have soda and the other can not?

You must be thinking of some other cruise line, because on HAL the beverage/soda cards are definitely not restricted to one person or one purchase at a time. With the soda card you could have a party and buy 22 sodas all at once! We usually buy two glasses of wine at a time, one for each of us. :)

[sapper1]

You must be thinking of some other cruise line, because on HAL the beverage/soda cards are definitely not restricted to one person or one purchase at a time. With the soda card for example, you could have a party and buy 22 sodas all at once! :)

 

Maybe they just have not cruised on HAL for a while because under the old system of unlimited soda cards it was one glass at a time. They would not give you a can--- only a small glass. I like the new system much better.

[RuthC]

No worries about "double-dipping," since I have one lonely little star and this is our first HAL cruise!

 

From your comments, it sounds like I should get a beverage card for the alcoholic beverages, and then purchase a separate soda card. I'm not sure the soda card would be worth it...I drink one a day at most, and like to use cards more for convenience than anything else.

I completely understand. I love the convenience, even when I don't get any discount.

Yes, you can use the beverage card for all the drinks, including soda. You don't get as large a discount as a soda card offers, but there's no discount on a soda card if you don't use it, either!

[canadarocks]

If you pre purchase the card online you can have it delivered with your name on it. Cards purchased onboard do not have the name. Since stewards often handle several cards at once I like to have one with a name on it.

 

I discovered the importance of this on our last cruise. Our brand new $100 card (without a name on it) was mixed up at the Explorer's Lounge with someone else's. Later at dinner our wine steward said there was insufficient funds to pay for our bottle of wine :eek: The server at the lounge was extremely apologetic, but it was a nuisance to get the whole thing straightened out.

 

From now on if it doesn't have my name on it, I'm marking the card in some way to make it identifiable to me!

[Krazy Kruizers]

We buy one Beverage Card at a time -- we wait until we are on the ship to buy them -- thus -- no name on them.

Once it is activated -- we just present the card and buy drinks for both of us.

You do not have to buy a card for each person in your group. Use the one card until it is used up -- then buy another card.

They are very convenient - don't have a bunch of receipts to check against your shipboard bill at the end of the cruise.

[serene56]

Maybe they just have not cruised on HAL for a while because under the old system of unlimited soda cards it was one glass at a time. They would not give you a can--- only a small glass. I like the new system much better.

 

 

I would like this new system better too. Thanks.

[kazu]

No worries about "double-dipping," since I have one lonely little star and this is our first HAL cruise!

 

From your comments, it sounds like I should get a beverage card for the alcoholic beverages, and then purchase a separate soda card. I'm not sure the soda card would be worth it...I drink one a day at most, and like to use cards more for convenience than anything else. I suppose since we're in an SC aft corner, I could always buy cans for entertaining purposes!:)

 

You can definitely use your beverage card for bottles of wine or even a wine package if you so choose:) - The soda card is only worth while if you drink the value of the sodas - otherwise I would be tempted just to use the beverage card. (ie. if you only drink $25 worth of sodas - there is no refund as the card only cost you $25. The card is worthwhile if you can get your moneys worth by drinking the $50 worth (or close to it)).

[andyandsue]

Thank you!

 

We are going to get the $250 (for $225) beverage card that my DH and I can use for whatever we like, and the kids the $50 (for $25) soda card. At $2 a soda, that's not really a lot of soda for kids on vacation and given a green light, it equals a little over 3 per day per kid. :)

[Typhoon1]

Cards are meant PER PERSON- not meant for one person to buy a card and share it with their party.

 

In theory, this is correct. There is nothing to stop some from having more than one person use it.

[edgeman61]

Is the soda card valid for only the cruise it is purchased on? or can any balance be carried over to another sailing?

 

I presume that no bottled water can be purchased with the soda card but maybe with the beverage card.

 

Thanks,

[sapper1]

Is the soda card valid for only the cruise it is purchased on? or can any balance be carried over to another sailing?

 

I presume that no bottled water can be purchased with the soda card but maybe with the beverage card.

 

Thanks,

 

The balance will be credited to your onboard account, up to the amount you have actually paid. On the $250 beverage card that you pay $225 for, any balance amount which exceeds $25 will be refunded but if the balance is less than that there will be no refund. They will not refund what you did not pay. In other words you use it or lose the discount.

The same applies to the soda card. Refunds are made up to the 25 dollar amount and then are cut off. If you have a 27 dollar balance you will be credited 2 dollars.

[parrochin]

Hello, is it better to buy the soda card before boarding or could be purchased on the ship anyway? The price is the same?

[kazu]

Hello, is it better to buy the soda card before boarding or could be purchased on the ship anyway? The price is the same?

 

Price is the same. If you want to have it when you arrive then order on line. Otherwise it makes no difference. We order our cards in advance just to have some of the cruise costs paid for.;)

[Krazy Kruizers]

Is the soda card valid for only the cruise it is purchased on? or can any balance be carried over to another sailing?

 

I presume that no bottled water can be purchased with the soda card but maybe with the beverage card.

 

Thanks,

 

The Beverage cards and Soda cards can not be carried over to a future cruise. The last night of the cruise the purser's office closes all accounts around 1 AM (except for Intransit people). Read Sapper1's response for refund.

Bottles water can be purchased using the Beverage cards only.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Sometimes we purchase the Beverage cards before we cruise -- sometimes we buy it once we are on the ship. It all depends on how much Shipboard Credit we get.

[Cindy]

After reading everything I can find on the topic of Beverage Cards, Wine Packages, and Soda Cards, I think the big $250 card is the way I want to go for our 11-night cruise in November, and I will probably get 2 of them!:rolleyes: I like the idea of this type of card MUCH better than the all-you-can-drink soda packages that are found on other lines. A beverage card seems like it allows maximum flexibility while still offering a small discount.

I've ruled out any kind of a wine package because the selection is just too limited for people who drink red almost exclusively, and usually choose either a Cab or a Pinot Noir (and are somewhat "picky":o). We'll probably bring 4-6 bottles with us, and then use the cards to purchase what we want from the whole wine list instead of being confined to a limited selection due to a package. I do like paying for things ahead of time which is why I was considering a package, but the Beverage Cards seem like they would work much better for us than a pre-set list. I think if we buy 5-6 bottles of wine as well as the occasional soda, mixed drink, bottled water, etc., we shouldn't have any problem using 2 cards in 11 nights.

A couple questions...

• If we didn't use all of both cards, is the difference refunded at the end of the cruise?
  
• Can we use a beverage card for corkage fees?
  

Thanks for your help!:)

[catl331]

• If we didn't use all of both cards, is the difference refunded at the end of the cruise?
  
• Can we use a beverage card for corkage fees?:)
  

The cards are "front loaded" so you're paying full price for all drinks until you hit the card purchase price, then all drinks after that are free. If you use $225 from each of two cards you get nothing back, but if you use $250 from one and $200 from the other you get back $25.

 

I'm not positive, but I think you can't use the card for corkage fees.

[Cindy]

The cards are "front loaded" so you're paying full price for all drinks until you hit the card purchase price, then all drinks after that are free. If you use $225 from each of two cards you get nothing back, but if you use $250 from one and $200 from the other you get back $25.

 

I'm not positive, but I think you can't use the card for corkage fees.

 

Thank you, Carol!