Wines and corkage and bars, Oh my! (Signature Beverage Pkg, Beverage Cards & Corkage)

[VermeulT]

**Quantities are limited. Please see your local Holland America Retailer for details. Price excludes taxes, title, tags, fees, and dealer contribution.

 

But are batteries included?

 

I. Am. Not. Bitter. :)

Thanks again for the personal sacrifices made by the research team.

[Freeling]

Many thanks for your indefatigable research and publication.

My question; if one uses OBC for any paid refreshment, then one must sign the docket.??

Or, with either cards ($50 total or SBP) does one expect that the charge is against the card - so no signature required.

Seems it would be elegant not to have to sign ....

Edited March 28, 2014 by Freeling
spelling

[POA1]

Many thanks for your indefatigable research and publication.

My question; if one uses OBC for any paid refreshment, then one must sign the docket.??

Or, with either cards ($50 total or SBP) does one expect that the charge is against the card - so no signature required.

Seems it would be elegant not to have to sign ....

 

That's correct. No signature is needed for either the regular Beverage Card or the Signature Beverage Card. In addition to elegance, you get simplicity. :D

 

In most cases, you will sign a beverage slip for room charges. If you frequent the same bar and your server/bartender/research assistant knows that you usually stay for a few rounds, they may leave your tab/check open until you are ready to go.

[POA1]

But are batteries included?

 

I. Am. Not. Bitter. :)

Thanks again for the personal sacrifices made by the research team.

 

The pleasure is all ours. We're hoping to turn this into a six figure book deal with a major scholastic publishing house. If that doesn't work out, we have a grant proposal in with the National Institute of Cheer. If both of those options fall through, maybe we'll become port lecturers at the Total Wine in Fort Lauderdale. ;)

Edited March 28, 2014 by POA1

[Rockfan2]

Friends of ours are cruising for the first time next month on the Westerdam, repositioning from San Diego to Seattle.

 

We recommended that they read this thread about the Explore4 Signature Beverage Card so just giving the thread a little push back to the first page :)

 

Rockfan2

[Mr Stagger Lee]

The pleasure is all ours. We're hoping to turn this into a six figure book deal with a major scholastic publishing house. If that doesn't work out, we have a grant proposal in with the National Institute of Cheer. If both of those options fall through, maybe we'll become port lecturers at the Total Wine in Fort Lauderdale. ;)

 

Outstanding work of course, but I have seen zip as to whether using the SBP I can purchase a bottle or can of beer UNOPENED... for future use? To maybe stock the cabin fridge for, you know, those more intimate moments ;)

[POA1]

One of our researchers was indeed able to get beer unopened. First, make sure you are nice to your server. Second, make sure you order the beer unopened. We saw a few people ordering beer and then, when it came, saying, "Oh. I wanted it unopened."

 

There is a five minute "wait" between the time you are allowed to order drinks. It's enforced by the computer system. Technically, you are only supposed to have one beverage at a time, but I'm you stuck your spares in a tote bag or something, I would think you'd be fine. On the other hand, if you are walking around with armfuls of cans or bottles, you probably will find yourself unable to get your "road sodas."

 

Just so we cover our bases, the same thing would apply to soda, bottles of water, etc. Just find a good server and make sure you take care of them. We had good luck finding the better servers and bartenders, but we're trained professionals. ;)

[Puchmic]

1.Can a beverage package, to include water,wine and cocktails for the full duration of a cruise on Volendam ,be bought in advance?

2.Is this what a beverage card is ?

3. Can this package or card only be bought on the first day of a cruise?

Thankyou

[POA1]

1.Can a beverage package, to include water,wine and cocktails for the full duration of a cruise on Volendam ,be bought in advance?

2.Is this what a beverage card is ?

3. Can this package or card only be bought on the first day of a cruise?

Thankyou

 

The Signature Beverage Package (SBP) or the Beverage Card can both be purchased in advance. The package is the Gold colored card and is good for up to 15 beverages per day. You have to purchase the SBP either in advance via the HAL website, or on Day 1 or 2 of your cruise.

 

The Beverage Card is a fixed denomination card that can be bought before you cruise or any time during the voyage. The Beverage Card is green. If you buy a Beverage Card, say for $100, it's good for one hundred dollars worth of beverages.

 

 

Just remember that they're two different things.

 

Scroll back to post #351 in this thread for a big list of topic links that cover most aspects of the two cards.

Edited April 3, 2014 by POA1

[Alberta Quilter]

POA1, can you advise if your Explore4 $50 card was in your stateroom upon embarkation or shortly afterward?

 

We have the Explore4 SBP on our upcoming cruise to Alaska and we are hoping that it is in the stateroom at embarkation. We don't want to encounter the accounting issues that you did.

 

I tried to deal with the front desk on my last cruise regarding accounting issues, and don't want to go through that again. I do enough accounting at work and don't want to do it on vacation.

 

Thank you for your very thorough report. I appreciate the sacrifices that you all made on our behalf.

[Puchmic]

Thanks re reply on Hal cards. Now where on the website can I purchase the SDP (gold) 15 drinks package ?

[POA1]

Thanks re reply on Hal cards. Now where on the website can I purchase the SDP (gold) 15 drinks package ?

 

Just follow these super simple steps! :confused:

 

 

• Login to the HAL site.
  
• Find your itenerary.
  
• Once you're on your itinerary page, look for the green button labeled "Purchase." Click it.
  
• From there, click the "Indulgences" tab near the top of the page.
  
• Then, click the side navigation item for "Beverages."
  
• Scroll down the page until you see "SIGNATURE BEVERAGE PAKAGES."
  
• Click on the X Day Signature Beverage Packag's "Select" button.
  
• Proceed by with the purchase process.
  

 

By this point, you will be wishing that you could use one of your 15 beverages - or perhaps two, to make it a double. If the whole online order process starts to give you a headache, you can also call Ships' Services at 1-800-541-1576.

[Puchmic]

Thank you for guidance to Hal Beverage packages .I did as you said but of the 103 beverages there are only $100 and $250 cards? Is it possible that on the Volendam leaving Yokohama to Vancouver does not offer this SBP?thanks

[POA1]

POA1, can you advise if your Explore4 $50 card was in your stateroom upon embarkation or shortly afterward?

 

We have the Explore4 SBP on our upcoming cruise to Alaska and we are hoping that it is in the stateroom at embarkation. We don't want to encounter the accounting issues that you did.

 

I tried to deal with the front desk on my last cruise regarding accounting issues, and don't want to go through that again. I do enough accounting at work and don't want to do it on vacation.

 

Thank you for your very thorough report. I appreciate the sacrifices that you all made on our behalf.

 

The $50 card (Green Card) was in our stateroom with our names printed on them. Please note that you are more likely to be getting the Signature Beverage Package (Gold Card) that is worth up to 15 beverages per day since that is the Alaska promo. We were in the Caribbean, hence the $50 green card.

 

What makes the promo a little confusing is that the Alaska/Europe/Aussie SBP is marketed as having a $50 a day value. The SBP is really worth $51.69 per day and translates into 15 beverages with all the accompanying rules outlined above.

 

I would check my statement a few days before the cruise ends to see if there were any errant charges. Most of our problems were the result of manual posting of entries, so be especially vigilant if the beverage POS system is down and you are given paper slips. Those charge should be backed out by the night auditor, but it didn't always work out that way.

 

Enjoy your cruise and I am glad we were able to offer some assistance in your quest for knowledge.

 

[POA1]

Thank you for guidance to Hal Beverage packages .I did as you said but of the 103 beverages there are only $100 and $250 cards? Is it possible that on the Volendam leaving Yokohama to Vancouver does not offer this SBP?thanks

 

I can only see our upcoming itinerary, which has the SIGNATURE BEVERAGE PACKAGES listed below BEVERAGE CARDS and above WINES AND CHAMPAGNES. It could be that it's not offered on your sailing, but you might want to call HAL Ships' Services to check.

[Puchmic]

I think you are correct. I will need at least 4 packages after this.

[POA1]

I think you are correct. I will need at least 4 packages after this.

 

Sorry - Just realised that you were in the UK. I tried to compensate by spelling "realised" correctly, but I cannot see the Holland America UK site. It keeps bouncing me back to the US version.

 

Google reports the Holland America number as:

 

+44 20 7940 4470

 

That, however would be a number for me to dial from the USA. Their office is in London, if that helps.

[Alberta Quilter]

The $50 card (Green Card) was in our stateroom with our names printed on them. Please note that you are more likely to be getting the Signature Beverage Package (Gold Card) that is worth up to 15 beverages per day since that is the Alaska promo. We were in the Caribbean, hence the $50 green card.

 

What makes the promo a little confusing is that the Alaska/Europe/Aussie SBP is marketed as having a $50 a day value. The SBP is really worth $51.69 per day and translates into 15 beverages with all the accompanying rules outlined above.

 

I would check my statement a few days before the cruise ends to see if there were any errant charges. Most of our problems were the result of manual posting of entries, so be especially vigilant if the beverage POS system is down and you are given paper slips. Those charge should be backed out by the night auditor, but it didn't always work out that way.

 

Enjoy your cruise and I am glad we were able to offer some assistance in your quest for knowledge.

 

 

 

Thank you, POA1. Yes, I was aware of the differences between the Explore4 promos for different itineraries. And I will be checking my account a few times but thank you for reminding me.

[Puchmic]

thanks in Ireland but that number is great.

[POA1]

thanks in Ireland but that number is great.

 

My apologies. I saw that your profile said Great Britain and I just assumed England, Scotland, or Wales.

 

Regardless of where you are from, I hope you have the opportunity to perform more research on the Signature Beverage Package.

[slabeaume]

Love this thread! You must be a hoot to be around. This thread should be a "sticky"!

[POA1]

• Q: We will be getting the Signature Beverage Package on an upcoming cruise as part of the Explore 4 promotion. Do you have any recommendations?
  
• A: Yes.
  

 

• Q: Well, what are they?
  
• A: Since you are fortunate enough to be receiving the Signature Beverage Package (SBP) as part of your Explore 4, we recommend that you try to use it to meet all your beverage needs if possible. This will give you the maximum savings and best overall value. The beverage selections you will find most limited under the SBP are the wines by the glass. A good way to see if you will like the wines by the glass is to order one of each, early in the cruise. Assuming that you have two people in your party, order the two house reds: Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon. Have a couple of sips to see what you think of them. Next, try the same thing with the two house whites: Pinot Grigio & Chardonnay. To read what we thought of the wines by the glass as well as what the expert ratings were, check out posts #119, #125, and #126. If you like the house wines, you are all set - assuming that you don't have the kind of poerful thirst that causes you to blow through your 15 drink allotment on any given day.
  

 

• Q: I am a solo traveler. It would seem that tasting all four house wines in one sitting might be a bad idea.
  
• A: We agree completely! It also might give people the impression that you are a lush, as opposed to what you are: a concerned investigator just trying to make a valid study and comparison of the house wine selections. In your case, we would recommend tasting the reds in one sitting and the whites in another. If your thirst for umm... knowledge is strong and you really want to try all 4 wines at one time, eat some bread for absorbency. You may also wish to pin a note to that reads, "If found, please return to (insert your cabin #.) onto your shirt or blouse.
  

 

• Q: I prefer Champagne. What are my options under the Signature Beverage Package?
  
• A: While you won't find Champagne included under the SBP, there is a Prosecco by the glass that is covered by the package. We heard several people say that they enjoyed it. We did not sample that as we were fully stocked in the Champagne department.
  

 

• Q: What do you mean by "fully stocked in the Champagne department?"
  
• A: Our modest wine assortment included 3 Champagnes and two domestic sparkling wines.
  

 

• Q: Five bottles? Isn't that a lot?
  
• A: No, five bottles of Champagne per day is a lot - and even that depends on the circumstances. It's one for the first night of our trip, one for each formal night, and one for the last night of the voyage.
  

 

• Q: What's your honest assessment of the new wine carry on policy?
  
• A: We always took our wine to the dining rooms or specialty restaurants, so paying corkage isn't anything new to us. I really like the fact that Holland America gives guests the option of paying corkage on bottles of wine carried onto the ship. The fact of the matter is that a ship can only carry a limited selection of wines. The ship's wine lists have to cater to a wide variety of tastes and preferences, all the while dealing with limited storage space and the fact that the ship can't exactly replenish their wine stocks with the ease of a land based restaurant. For people like us, who have a fair amount of experience with wine, carrying on our own and paying the corkage makes a tremendous amount of sense. If you are the type of traveler who liked to carry on a case of wine and drink it in your room to save money, I can certainly see why would wouldn't be happy.
  

 

• Q: Can your share your opinions of the wine check-in process?
  
• A: It went smoothly and we didn't have any issues. The key is to make sure you have a good way to carry on your wine all the way from the curb to your stateroom. The wine totes from Total Wine made it easy to carry 6 bottles per tote and the Wine Tote of Awesomeness is well... pretty awesome. Remember that you need to carry your wine all the way to your cabin. Plan accordingly.
  

Edited April 4, 2014 by POA1

[tbredpure]

Dear POA1-Thank you for your efforts on behalf of us all. You have mastered the art of research and thus have eliminated my job. Many thanks and much appreciation for the clarification and beverage card lists and facts.

Happy sailing!

[POA1]

Wine Packages - Unlocking the Hidden Mysteries

 

(Doesn't that sound better than "Wine Package Collateral Materials?)

 

In January 2014, when the wine carry on policy was still up in the air, we thought we might be limited to one carry on bottle per person, so we set out to catalog the selection of wines available in the wine packages so we knew what to buy to supplement our meager (yet awesome) selection of carry on bottles. We scoured the CC boards & HAL website for references to recent Navigator's and Admiral's lists and looked each selection up using the Interwebs, our proprietary network of Cat-5 cabling and computing machinery. We knew that there was a good chance that the list on our cruise would be a little different from what we found on Cruise Critic - after all inventories change - so we were fully prepared to grab the Noordam's list after boarding, fire up our smartphones and perform the requisite research while we still had a cellular data connection in Fort Lauderdale. Are we dedicated researchers, or what? No, you're just touched in the head.

Once the carry on/new corkage policy was announced and we realized that we could carry on any wine we wanted (subject to the 750ml size limitation, corkage fee, etc.) we threw out the wine package plan idea and decided to bring our own wines. However, since we had already compiled the wine package information, we decided to keep a copy in the Master Archive in the Beverage Sciences Hall of Records at The National Institute of Cheer.

 

We're very glad that we kept the information, because one of our esteemed colleagues, Delbankin, asked about the packages in Post #7 of this thread. Any time we can recycle some work we did previously and pass it off as brand new research, we're all over it! So without further ado, here are our notes.

 

HAL Wine Packages - Research Notes of Crucial Import:

 

Layperson's guide to making head or tails of this mess...

 

When you see a listing that looks like this:

 

Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc $13.00/85 ($8.97)**

 

Nobilo is the producer. Sauvignon Blanc is the varietal. $13.00 is the release price, or initial retail selling price set by the winery. 85 is the score based on a 100 point scale. If there is a price in parentheses, it's the current selling price at Total Wine in Fort Lauderdale, FL. The wine ratings are based on information pulled primarily from Wine Spectator and supplemented by info from Wine Advocate. The 100 point scale can be read as follows:

 

 

• 95-100 Classic: a great wine
  
• 90-94 Outstanding: a wine of superior character and style
  
• 85-89 Very good: a wine with special qualities
  
• 80-84 Good: a solid, well-made wine
  
• 75-79 Mediocre: a drinkable wine that may have minor flaws
  
• 50-74 Not recommended
  

When you see a double asterisk ** at the end of a listing line, it denotes wines that were on the Noordam's package list for the 2/28/2014 - 3/10/2014 sailing.

 

Not to spoil the surprise, but you aren't going to find any outstanding or classic wines in the packages. :p

 

 

NAVIGATOR WINE PACKAGE:

 

• 7 Bottles = $228.85 or $32.69/bottle;
  
• 5 Bottles = $171.35 or $34.27/bottle;
  
• 3 Bottles = $102.35 or $34.11/bottle.
  

Three Star Mariners save 25% off these prices. Four and Five Star Mariners receive a 50% discount. I am reasonably sure that these prices are subject to a 15% service charge, but when I went to look it up on the HAL site, the page said: An unexpected response condition code has been received. I refreshed the page and it then spit out the message: An error occurred while processing your request. Reference #97.4510fea5.1396847901.d6d880. So, I'm gonna go with the "Yes, there is a 15% service charge added to the wine package price. Some one will correct me if I'm wrong. I can pretty much guarantee it.

SELECTIONS:

 

• Mondavi Private Selection J Riesling $11.00/Low 80s ($8.99)**
  
• Monkey Bay Chardonnay $11.00/85 (N/A)
  
• Caliterra Chardonnay $13.00/85 (N/A)**
  
• Toasted Head Chardonnay $14.00/Low-Mid 80s ($9.47)**
  
• Danzante Pinot Grigio $10.00/83 ($8.99)**
  
• Blackstone Sauvignon Blanc $12.00/83 (N/A)
  
• Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc $13.00/85 ($8.97)**
  
• Sylvester Kiarra Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon $10.00/Low 80s (N/A)
  
• Three Blind Moose Cabernet Sauvignon $11.00/Low 80s (N/A)**
  
• Veramonte Merlot $12.00/86-87 ($8.99)
  
• Ravenswood Zinfandel $9.00/87 ($6.97)**
  
• Remole Frescaboldi $10.00/84 ($9.99)**
  
• Twin Fin Shiraz. $10.00/Low 80s (N/A)
  
• Alice White Shiraz $9.00/85+ (N/A)**
  
• Errazuriz Merlot $11.00/81-83 (N/A)**
  
• Diseno Malbec $11.00/85-86 ($10.99)**
  
• Laboure Roi Pinot Noir $12.00/81 (N/A)**
  

 

=============

ADMIRAL WINE PACKAGE:

 

 

• 7 Bottles = $309.35 or $44.19/bottle;
  
• 5 Bottles = $228.85 or $45.77/bottle;
  
• 3 Bottles = $135.70 or $45.23/bottle.
  

SELECTIONS:

 

• Four Emus Chardonnay $11.00/Mid-80s (N/A)
  
• Gewurztraminer Columbia Winery $11.00/85 (N/A)
  
• Silverado Sauvignon Blanc $14.00/Mid-80s ($18.99)
  
• Laboure Roi Macon Villages $10.00/Low-Mid-80s (N/A)**
  
• Franciscan Chardonnay $18.00/86 ($16.99)**
  
• I'M ROSE (Misspelled on HAL site as I AM ROSE - Isabel Mondavi's Rose) $16.00/Mid-80s (N/A)
  
• Spellbound Cabernet Sauvignon $15.00/Low-Mid-80s (N/A)**
  
• The Jobe Pinot Noir - Can't find this anywhere. Wonder if it's real. (N/A)
  
• Miner Merlot - $35.00(???)/Mid-80s (N/A)
  
• Chianti Castiglioni Frescaboldi $15.00/88 ($12.99)
  
• Blackstone Syrah $15.00/Mid-80s ($8.99)
  
• Icon Ravenswood $20.00/Mid-80s (N/A)
  
• Clos du Bois Chardonnay $15.00/Mid-80s ($10.99)**
  
• Hogue Gewurztraminer $11.00/87-89 ($8.97)**
  
• Estancia Pinot Grigio $15.00/Mid-80s ($9.99)**
  
• Simi Sauvignon Blanc $14.00/84-85 ($13.99)**
  
• Blackstone Merlot $12.00/82-84 ($6.47)**
  
• Mark West Pinot Noir $14.00/Mid-80s ($8.97)**
  
• Wild Horse Cabernet Sauvignon $17.00/Mid-80s ($17.99)**
  
• Red Guitar Temporanillo $13.00/Mid-80s ($9.99)**
  

Edited April 7, 2014 by POA1

[GrammySpo]

We just took our first HAL cruise so didn't qualify for any Mariner benefits for any of the wine packages. We did bring on a few bottles but not as many as we should have. We were appalled by the prices being charged for their so-so wines, and the full-price packages (because we don't qualify for discount). We had just finished a week cruise on the Royal Princess and took advantage of their new alcohol policy that is not linked to loyalty rewards so were really disappointed to see that some of HAL wines were $30 higher per bottle AND their beverage packages only gave ONE red wine by glass option. Yuk! We are such wine snobs I guess. I appreciated reading this thread before we left that gave us an idea what to expect, but still suffered sticker shock in the end. My husband has no interest in sailing on HAL again because he thought it was so bad. I still enjoyed the cruise for other reasons, so we'll see.

 

 

 

 

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