If revenue is the issue, what wine policy makes sense?

[arewethereyet]

The new policy just can't be the final answer, because it doesn't make sense. If the issue is revenue, why not continue to allow guests to bring their own wine aboard, and just charge a corkage fee on all bottles (like NCL?, Princess)? That would certainly raise revenue, and it would not negatively affect their on-board sales, since there will be no more wine brought aboard than there ever was. But, HAL would be seeing revenue that wasn't there before.

 

The right corkage fee would be a key to me. I would happily pay $15 per bottle for each that I brought aboard. I thought the old corkage fee of $18 was fair, and I can't remember a HAL cruise when I didn't pay a corkage fee at least a couple of times. (I don't have a problem with that). But, I would be willing to bet (I have no way of proving this) that the vast majority of bottles brought aboard never see the MDR and were not subject to the fee. With a new policy they would be getting the corkage on every bottle, so a little lower corkage fee would seem doable.

 

For those who want to bring wine aboard, you could still do so, but with the $15 per bottle.

[kazu]

Frankly, I think HAL went from one extreme to the other.

 

they probably could have started with allowing one bottle per person at embarkation or at port and then tacked on the $15 corkage fee on any bottle after that.

 

If they had done that with proper notice, there wouldn't have been the broo ha ha there is right now.

 

They would have collected a lot of money, potentially increased bar sales or corkage fees if people preferred the wine they could find.

 

And, I think most would have agreed that this was reasonable and understandable. Down the road, if they wanted, they could have phased in corkage fees as you are suggesting and it very well would have been accepted if they had announced and given people time.

 

anyways, just my thoughts for what little they are worth.

[arewethereyet]

And, any policy change should be announced with plenty of lead time before implementation. The "no prior notice" and extreme change combination really puzzles me. It makes me wonder what kind of thinking goes on in Seattle. What was done, and the way it was done, is almost contemptuous. I'm having a hard time believing that HAL thought past their nose on this one.

[Riversedge]

I would be happy with one bottle each at each embarkation point. All I want is a small glass of wine on my balcony before I go to dinner. As I wouldn't be drinking it in a public area I wouldn't care to spend an extra $15 per bottle (or more). Two bottles of wine would be enough for us for a week and I'd probably still order a glass of wine at dinner or have an occasional drink in the bar.

 

As it stands now, I booked a suite for an upcoming Collector's Cruise thinking that we would have the balcony...a nice relaxing place for a glass of wine before dinner or before bed. Even though this cruise is 3 segments long I can still only bring ONE bottle of wine. If I booked b2b we could bring 3 bottles. If I hadn't just passed final payment I would think seriously about downgrading my cabin.

 

I think being allowed one bottle of wine pp at each embarkation point is reasonable and I would be satisfied with that but no corkage fee if I'm going to drink it in the spot that I paid lots of extra $$$ to book.

[Divi]

Agree completely with Kazu and Arewethereyet.

I sent an email to customer service yesterday, really ticked with the new policy.

This morning I sent another one emphasizing the unfair way this was implemented when I realized this was what was bothering me the most.

It really is a bizarre way to treat customers.

[jtl513]

And, any policy change should be announced with plenty of lead time before implementation. The "no prior notice" and extreme change combination really puzzles me. It makes me wonder what kind of thinking goes on in Seattle. What was done, and the way it was done, is almost contemptuous. I'm having a hard time believing that HAL thought past their nose on this one.

I agree 100% with both your posts. The way this was done was very inane!

[LindaM]

Agree completely with Kazu and Arewethereyet.

I sent an email to customer service yesterday, really ticked with the new policy.

This morning I sent another one emphasizing the unfair way this was implemented when I realized this was what was bothering me the most.

It really is a bizarre way to treat customers.

 

That is what bothers me most....total disrespect for their customers. I understand they can impose whatever screwball policy they want. Even on Princess they were given from around Feb. until July for the policy to be implemented.

[whogo]

"If revenue is the issue, what wine policy makes sense?"

 

None of us knows and the bean counters at Holland America probably don't either. My guess would be that charging for every bottle brought aboard could maximize profit, but at what price point? Can HAL make a profit at $15 per bottle? Would anyone bring wine at $25 per bottle? How would this compare to the profit made on bottles purchased onboard? I assume that by charging a corkage fee on every bottle the cheapskates would suddenly start bringing their wine into the dining room instead of drinking it in their cabin. HAL would need more wine stewards to handle all the bottles. There are too many unknown variables for cruisers to figure pricing policy and probably more variables than HAL can figure out.

[George C]

It does not take much for me to switch lines and I doubt I will be sailing Hal anytime in the near future, we cruise every year for decades, after sailing on Staterdam in 1980 I did not sail Hal for 30 years, to many other lines to go back to .

[innlady1]

The new policy just can't be the final answer, because it doesn't make sense. If the issue is revenue, why not continue to allow guests to bring their own wine aboard, and just charge a corkage fee on all bottles (like NCL?, Princess)? That would certainly raise revenue, and it would not negatively affect their on-board sales, since there will be no more wine brought aboard than there ever was. But, HAL would be seeing revenue that wasn't there before.

 

The right corkage fee would be a key to me. I would happily pay $15 per bottle for each that I brought aboard. I thought the old corkage fee of $18 was fair, and I can't remember a HAL cruise when I didn't pay a corkage fee at least a couple of times. (I don't have a problem with that). But, I would be willing to bet (I have no way of proving this) that the vast majority of bottles brought aboard never see the MDR and were not subject to the fee. With a new policy they would be getting the corkage on every bottle, so a little lower corkage fee would seem doable.

 

For those who want to bring wine aboard, you could still do so, but with the $15 per bottle.

 

I totally agree with you. I'd be very happy with that as well.

As I've said in the other threads, we're doing a Med Collectors Cruise in the fall and I had looked forward to trying the local wines by bringing them on board to enjoy at sailaway.

It seems like such poor public relations to slap this new policy into effect without any advance notice. Unbelievable.

I've written an email to Stein Kruse...I hope others will do the same.

[arewethereyet]

"If revenue is the issue, what wine policy makes sense?"

 

None of us knows and the bean counters at Holland America probably don't either. My guess would be that charging for every bottle brought aboard could maximize profit, but at what price point? Can HAL make a profit at $15 per bottle? Would anyone bring wine at $25 per bottle? How would this compare to the profit made on bottles purchased onboard? I assume that by charging a corkage fee on every bottle the cheapskates would suddenly start bringing their wine into the dining room instead of drinking it in their cabin. HAL would need more wine stewards to handle all the bottles. There are too many unknown variables for cruisers to figure pricing policy and probably more variables than HAL can figure out.

It's inconceivable to me that charging a corkage fee on all wine brought aboard could hurt HAL's bottom line. If someone is truly a "cheapskate", would they even bring wine aboard if they had to pay the corkage? It makes sense to me that if passengers had to pay a corkage fee on all wine, that there would certainly be less wine brought aboard. It certainly doesn't encourage people to bring on more, since they could already do that for free.

[SeaBands]

rather than up. This wine policy is not going to help them get more cruisers.We are sailing with the family in Nov and since we drive we planned on bringing wine with us for the rest of the group to drink in the cabin. Now what? Are they going to go thru all the luggage looking for liquor like NCL and Princess? If so, they will lose us as customers.

[whogo]

It's inconceivable to me that charging a corkage fee on all wine brought aboard could hurt HAL's bottom line. If someone is truly a "cheapskate", would they even bring wine aboard if they had to pay the corkage? It makes sense to me that if passengers had to pay a corkage fee on all wine, that there would certainly be less wine brought aboard. It certainly doesn't encourage people to bring on more, since they could already do that for free.

Sure it could hurt HAL's bottom line. The change could decrease occupancy rates. Extra wine stewards are expensive and the corkage fee might not cover their cost. HAL might make more selling a few bottles of overpriced wine than charging a corkage fee on lots of bottles brought aboard.

[kazu]

rather than up. This wine policy is not going to help them get more cruisers.We are sailing with the family in Nov and since we drive we planned on bringing wine with us for the rest of the group to drink in the cabin. Now what? Are they going to go thru all the luggage looking for liquor like NCL and Princess? If so, they will lose us as customers.

 

Yup, for what the Prinsendam cruise is costing me - I could have easily gone to a more upscale line at not that much more money. But a) we like the Prinsendam, b) it had a great itinerary and c) I took the ability to bring wine on board into the calculations.

 

that ship is not cheap to sail - to be told we can't bring wine on board at these unique ports really puts a different twist on this cruise.

[smokinmike]

Suggestions:

 

1. Revamp the present wine list to include more approachable selections along with commensurate price adjustments.

 

2. Revise the policy to include one gratis bottle per passenger per port.

 

3. Charge a corkage fee per bottle for those bottles above the gratis limit.

 

4. When making significant changes to any policy which may affect a passenger's cruise experience, the company should provide enough lead time to allow for informed decision-making.

 

None of this is particularly hard and none of this should be that hard to implement.

[Cindy]

"If revenue is the issue, what wine policy makes sense?"

 

None of us knows and the bean counters at Holland America probably don't either. My guess would be that charging for every bottle brought aboard could maximize profit, but at what price point? Can HAL make a profit at $15 per bottle? Would anyone bring wine at $25 per bottle? How would this compare to the profit made on bottles purchased onboard? I assume that by charging a corkage fee on every bottle the cheapskates would suddenly start bringing their wine into the dining room instead of drinking it in their cabin. HAL would need more wine stewards to handle all the bottles. There are too many unknown variables for cruisers to figure pricing policy and probably more variables than HAL can figure out.

 

Sure it could hurt HAL's bottom line. The change could decrease occupancy rates. Extra wine stewards are expensive and the corkage fee might not cover their cost. HAL might make more selling a few bottles of overpriced wine than charging a corkage fee on lots of bottles brought aboard.

 

We brought some bottles on our Noordam cruise, took them to the dining room, and happily paid the corkage charge for each of the bottles. The issue I had was I thought the dining room wine service was horrendous for both our own wine and the bottles we bought from HAL. More often than not, after the first pour, we had to fend for ourselves. If we hadn't, we might still be sitting there waiting!:eek: I know that happens every now and then on ships and on land, but in the case of the Noordam it was every night.:(

[startwin]

My daughter got off the Zuiderdam last week. She reported the table next to her waited in vain throughout dinner for the wine waiter to bring their bottle of wine, purchased the previous evening, and left without having any at all.

[kazu]

Suggestions:

 

1. Revamp the present wine list to include more approachable selections along with commensurate price adjustments.

 

2. Revise the policy to include one gratis bottle per passenger per port.

 

3. Charge a corkage fee per bottle for those bottles above the gratis limit.

 

4. When making significant changes to any policy which may affect a passenger's cruise experience, the company should provide enough lead time to allow for informed decision-making.

 

None of this is particularly hard and none of this should be that hard to implement.

 

and it just makes too much common sense:D

[arewethereyet]

We brought some bottles on our Noordam cruise, took them to the dining room, and happily paid the corkage charge for each of the bottles. The issue I had was I thought the dining room wine service was horrendous for both our own wine and the bottles we bought from HAL. More often than not, after the first pour, we had to fend for ourselves. If we hadn't, we might still be sitting there waiting!:eek: I know that happens every now and then on ships and on land, but in the case of the Noordam it was every night.:(

LOL - I've had good wine stewards and bad ones. Sometimes they are just overworked. I find that if you want the wine steward to pay attention (after the uncorking) pick up the wine and start pouring. Then watch the blur across the dining room as the wine steward rushes over with a horrified look on their face.

 

BTW, since I have mentioned X and Princess as having better wine selections, I should also mention that my two worst experience with wine service have been on Celebrity and Princess (once each).

[dr.dawg]

the only 'plus' to all of this, as i see it, is that it has united so many of us with otherwise differing opinions on lots of isssues. maybe that is a good thing. most of us HATE this new policy and especially the way it was implemented. wine drinkers or not.

[nutensteve]

Suggestions:

 

1. Revamp the present wine list to include more approachable selections along with commensurate price adjustments.

 

2. Revise the policy to include one gratis bottle per passenger per port.

 

3. Charge a corkage fee per bottle for those bottles above the gratis limit.

 

4. When making significant changes to any policy which may affect a passenger's cruise experience, the company should provide enough lead time to allow for informed decision-making.

 

None of this is particularly hard and none of this should be that hard to implement.

 

Well said ... agree 100%

[Tampa Girl]

Suggestions:

 

1. Revamp the present wine list to include more approachable selections along with commensurate price adjustments.

 

2. Revise the policy to include one gratis bottle per passenger per port.

 

3. Charge a corkage fee per bottle for those bottles above the gratis limit.

 

4. When making significant changes to any policy which may affect a passenger's cruise experience, the company should provide enough lead time to allow for informed decision-making.

 

None of this is particularly hard and none of this should be that hard to implement.

 

My suggestion, as well.

[kazu]

the only 'plus' to all of this, as i see it, is that it has united so many of us with otherwise differing opinions on lots of isssues. maybe that is a good thing. most of us HATE this new policy and especially the way it was implemented. wine drinkers or not.

 

I knew you would find the silver lining in the cloud:D And I truly mean that - yes, perhaps it is good we are coming on as a unified force (at least most of us:D). Thanks for finding the bright side to this mess:)

[Cruising-along]

The new policy just can't be the final answer, because it doesn't make sense. If the issue is revenue, why not continue to allow guests to bring their own wine aboard, and just charge a corkage fee on all bottles (like NCL?, Princess)? That would certainly raise revenue, and it would not negatively affect their on-board sales, since there will be no more wine brought aboard than there ever was. But, HAL would be seeing revenue that wasn't there before.

 

The right corkage fee would be a key to me. I would happily pay $15 per bottle for each that I brought aboard. I thought the old corkage fee of $18 was fair, and I can't remember a HAL cruise when I didn't pay a corkage fee at least a couple of times. (I don't have a problem with that). But, I would be willing to bet (I have no way of proving this) that the vast majority of bottles brought aboard never see the MDR and were not subject to the fee. With a new policy they would be getting the corkage on every bottle, so a little lower corkage fee would seem doable.

 

For those who want to bring wine aboard, you could still do so, but with the $15 per bottle.

 

I agree completely. Right now I would be thrilled just to be able to bring a bottle onboard from each port, and to pay a corkage fee for that bottle. I think $15 is very fair. The fact that they raised the corkage fee to $20 just adds salt to the wound. :(

[dr.dawg]

seriously, i think HAL should 'listen up.' this wine issue is a catalyst for lots of dissatisfactions and an underlying kind of discontent. i think there is a larger statement being made here. HAL, disregard your loyal folks' opinions at your own risk. and it may be greater than you think. you may have only four 'cheerleaders' left if this is not ammended and you do not stop the cutbacks. just a thought.