HAL Wine Policy

[rucrazy]

Julie from the HAL blog editorial staff responded to all the posts this evening stating....

Julie says:

December 6, 2013 at 8:16 pm

Thanks to all for the considered comments. As is known, earlier this year in an effort to standardize our policies with industry practices, Holland America Line adopted a new alcoholic beverage policy effective on sailings departing on or after Jan. 31, 2014 (full policy details are posted on the HAL website at http://www.hollandamerica.com under the “For Booked Guests tab and Shipboard Life: Onboard Policies”). Wines or alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of call, on a shore excursion for example, or in our onboard shops will be held for safekeeping and returned to the guests on the last night of the cruise. Additionally, most wineries will happily ship purchases home for customers. We thank everyone for your feedback and invite you to always share your comments with us. In addition to commenting here you may also do so by emailing our Guest Relations team at guestrelations@hollandamerica.com. We appreciate hearing from you on this topic and hope you enjoyed learning more about European wines. — Holland America Blog Editorial Team

[aliaschief]

Julie from the HAL blog editorial staff responded to all the posts this evening stating....

Julie says:

December 6, 2013 at 8:16 pm

Thanks to all for the considered comments. As is known, earlier this year in an effort to standardize our policies with industry practices, Holland America Line adopted a new alcoholic beverage policy effective on sailings departing on or after Jan. 31, 2014 (full policy details are posted on the HAL website at http://www.hollandamerica.com under the “For Booked Guests tab and Shipboard Life: Onboard Policies”). Wines or alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of call, on a shore excursion for example, or in our onboard shops will be held for safekeeping and returned to the guests on the last night of the cruise. Additionally, most wineries will happily ship purchases home for customers. We thank everyone for your feedback and invite you to always share your comments with us. In addition to commenting here you may also do so by emailing our Guest Relations team at guestrelations@hollandamerica.com. We appreciate hearing from you on this topic and hope you enjoyed learning more about European wines. — Holland America Blog Editorial Team

 

Just doing her job. keep posting and hopefully some execs and policy decision makers read our responses.

[FATJACK]

Why not take a non-HAL wine tour and then have HAL store you purchase for you? I have brought back wine from Europe many times in my checked luggage with no problems at all. Because the custom/duty is so small on a bottle of wine, something like thirty cents, after declaring it, I have never paid anything to the custom officer.

[Cruzin Terri]

I just send an email to Guest Relations and quoted Julie.

I indicated that packing wines in luggage adds weight and incurs extra baggage fees and runs the risk of breakage;

the extra cost involved to have wineries ship the wine;

and how lovely it would be to be able to enjoy the wine at dinner back on the ship and that I did not think anyone would object to paying the corkage fee.

 

I also quoted Julie's comment. and added a few more of my own.

Terri

[startwin]

Why not take a non-HAL wine tour and then have HAL store you purchase for you? I have brought back wine from Europe many times in my checked luggage with no problems at all. Because the custom/duty is so small on a bottle of wine, something like thirty cents, after declaring it, I have never paid anything to the custom officer.

 

At the end of a cruise, I have zero room or weight allowance for anything else! And the whole point is - enjoying a local wine while you are onboard.

[hvsteve1]

I did a winery tour in California and found the wineries cannot ship to my state. So much for that. I purchase what added up to a half dozen bottles, brought them on O'dam and drank them on the two week cruise. Today, it would have been unproductive to purchase that wine.

 

If I were flying from the ship, I cannot carry the wine through TSA and would pay a fortune in baggage fees to check it, not to mention the chance of breakage. I could, of course, purchase one of those fairly pricey thingies the wineries sell to protect the wine. So far as these tours being in Europe...shipping?

[4friends]

For those of us who live in Canada, besides the added weight concern, we are only permitted to bring 2 bottles per person back home, otherwise the customs fee can be very costly.

[madera1]

I added my own thoughts to the blog.

[FATJACK]

If you plan ahead with your frequent flyers mileage, it is possible to fly business class and avoid excess baggage fees. I have been using my Delta American Express Card and have either received several "free" business tickets or low cost upgraded fares in business to Europe from coach. As far as breakage, I have brought more than six cases back from Europe over the last fifteen years in my checked luggage without special shipping casks never losing one bottle. Yes it would be nice if HA would relent, but if not, there are alternatives to think about, while having HA store my wine.

 

That reminds me, I still have one bottle of a 2001 Brunello left over from my last cruise in 2011 that costs me $30 in Italy.

[RuthC]

If you plan ahead with your frequent flyers mileage, it is possible to fly business class and avoid excess baggage fees. I have been using my Delta American Express Card and have either received several "free" business tickets or low cost upgraded fares in business to Europe from coach. As far as breakage, I have brought more than six cases back from Europe over the last fifteen years in my checked luggage without special shipping casks never losing one bottle. Yes it would be nice if HA would relent, but if not, there are alternatives to think about, while having HA store my wine.

Your suggestion, although plausible, misses the two main points people are trying to make: 1.) People shouldn't have to go through such contortions to get wine home, and 2.) People want the wine on the ship (with corkage fee charged).

[Cruzin Terri]

Your suggestion, although plausible, misses the two main points people are trying to make: 1.) People shouldn't have to go through such contortions to get wine home, and 2.) People want the wine on the ship (with corkage fee charged).

 

Thank you Ruth.

Terri

[startwin]

I just send an email to Guest Relations and quoted Julie.

I indicated that packing wines in luggage adds weight and incurs extra baggage fees and runs the risk of breakage;

the extra cost involved to have wineries ship the wine;

and how lovely it would be to be able to enjoy the wine at dinner back on the ship and that I did not think anyone would object to paying the corkage fee.

 

I also quoted Julie's comment. and added a few more of my own.

Terri

My comment - and several others - have been removed from the HAL blog this morning. Interesting.

[RuthC]

My comment - and several others - have been removed from the HAL blog this morning. Interesting.

Veddy interrrestink.

[kazu]

My comment - and several others - have been removed from the HAL blog this morning. Interesting.

 

 

 

Well, I just posted on it - we'll see if it stays or not. Even if it doesn't, maybe, just maybe they might get the message?

 

I'd say it's worthwhile for anyone who cares to post here.

[taxmantoo]

My comment - and several others - have been removed from the HAL blog this morning. Interesting.

 

It seems that Julie will have the final word and will not let anyone contradict her flawed explanation :rolleyes:

[kazu]

It seems that Julie will have the final word and will not let anyone contradict her flawed explanation :rolleyes:

 

then I guess my post will be gone since I corrected her flawed explanation;)

[FATJACK]

Your suggestion, although plausible, misses the two main points people are trying to make: 1.) People shouldn't have to go through such contortions to get wine home, and 2.) People want the wine on the ship (with corkage fee charged).

 

As an alternative to writing letters or trying to get published on a blog, my method of having a large amount of people returning to the ship with a case of wine or even a couple of cheap boxes of wine would send a message to HA when they would have to store the wine and in turn return it on the last night. In light of the uneven ways HA enforces the collection of a port bottle of wine, there might be some enforcement fatigue on HAL's part. For those who don't want to bring the wine home, I'm sure your shipmates would take it off your hands. There are many "Social Cantinas" in Italy, many near the port, where you can get bottles of wine for as little as E1.00 and up or for those who are real thrifty, if you bring your own container, it can be filled for about 30 cents a gallon.

 

As the old Rolling Stone song went "You can't always get what you want, but if you try real hard, you'll get what you need".

[Cruzin Terri]

As an alternative to writing letters or trying to get published on a blog, my method of having a large amount of people returning to the ship with a case of wine or even a couple of cheap boxes of wine would send a message to HA when they would have to store the wine and in turn return it on the last night. In light of the uneven ways HA enforces the collection of a port bottle of wine, there might be some enforcement fatigue on HAL's part. For those who don't want to bring the wine home, I'm sure your shipmates would take it off your hands. There are many "Social Cantinas" in Italy, many near the port, where you can get bottles of wine for as little as E1.00 and up or for those who are real thrifty, if you bring your own container, it can be filled for about 30 cents a gallon.

 

As the old Rolling Stone song went "You can't always get what you want, but if you try real hard, you'll get what you need".

I think we have to bombard them in every way we can. This is the first thread that is proposing something proactive (aside from the petitions).

Whining here is not going to change anything. Posting on their blog will annoy them. Even if the posts do not get published, it will make HAL sit up and take notice. Bringing more wine on board than they can store is a great idea too. We have to come up with some other ideas to let them know that we are not happy. Just posting here is not going to do it.

I wrote to guest relations and quoted Julie and pulled apart her flawed response. I hope others did too.

They have to see the error of their ways.

Terri

[startwin]

I think we have to bombard them in every way we can. This is the first thread that is proposing something proactive (aside from the petitions).

Whining here is not going to change anything. Posting on their blog will annoy them. Even if the posts do not get published, it will make HAL sit up and take notice. Bringing more wine on board than they can store is a great idea too. We have to come up with some other ideas to let them know that we are not happy. Just posting here is not going to do it.

I wrote to guest relations and quoted Julie and pulled apart her flawed response. I hope others did too.

They have to see the error of their ways.

Terri

You're absolutely right.

[kazu]

As an alternative to writing letters or trying to get published on a blog, my method of having a large amount of people returning to the ship with a case of wine or even a couple of cheap boxes of wine would send a message to HA when they would have to store the wine and in turn return it on the last night. In light of the uneven ways HA enforces the collection of a port bottle of wine, there might be some enforcement fatigue on HAL's part. For those who don't want to bring the wine home, I'm sure your shipmates would take it off your hands. There are many "Social Cantinas" in Italy, many near the port, where you can get bottles of wine for as little as E1.00 and up or for those who are real thrifty, if you bring your own container, it can be filled for about 30 cents a gallon.

 

As the old Rolling Stone song went "You can't always get what you want, but if you try real hard, you'll get what you need".

 

This is a really good idea :) With my luck they'd let me keep the cheap stuff and take away the good stuff :D

[FATJACK]

This is a really good idea :) With my luck they'd let me keep the cheap stuff and take away the good stuff :D

 

HAL is supposed to return all of the wine. The good wine you can still keep, the cheap stuff you can hand it out to all of the passengers in line to remove their tips on the last day.

[kazu]

HAL is supposed to return all of the wine. The good wine you can still keep, the cheap stuff you can hand it out to all of the passengers in line to remove their tips on the last day.

 

LOL - On the cruise I'm concerned about the passengers are well travelled and I have not seen a lineup cancel the hsc ever. :)I know they return the wine, but I'm not lugging that home on a plane. The most I would keep would be a bottle or two for the hotel and that would be it. The whole point of getting the wine is to enjoy it as you remember the port as you sail away and savour the sips and the moments :D

[innlady1]

LOL - On the cruise I'm concerned about the passengers are well travelled and I have not seen a lineup cancel the hsc ever. :)I know they return the wine, but I'm not lugging that home on a plane. The most I would keep would be a bottle or two for the hotel and that would be it. The whole point of getting the wine is to enjoy it as you remember the port as you sail away and savour the sips and the moments :D

 

Jacqui...please go on the BLOG and post your comments. I just did...there are several there with a comment from HAL as well.

 

Taxmantoo...the first comment posted is from Louis...I presume that is you!

[rucrazy]

Bringing more wine on board than they can store is a great idea

 

Folks ....Do you realize how much storage space is available below deck... this idea has very little merit in my opinion.. the only thing that this will accomplish is people wasting money buying wine the will not drink because at the end of the day they cannot transport the wine back home for one reason or another ...

Once again.. I believe you have to hit them hard where it counts in revenue.. and to accomplish that there needs to be a first night boycott of wine purchases.. by all cruisers who normally drink wine.. this goes for buying wine packages and single bottles on embarkation day and night...by generating a deliberate boycott on the first night.. it gets the message across to the front line..

 

The boycott should start with YOUR next cruise!

just my opinion...

Edited December 7, 2013 by rucrazy

[rucrazy]

But at the end of the day ..Holland America Line will do what Holland America Line wants to do.. and will "look forward to welcoming you back soon!"

Edited December 7, 2013 by rucrazy