Dana57 Posted July 22, 2015 #1 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Hi all! Curious as to when would be the best time to purchase SBP - prior to cruise or after we board? Any benefits to waiting till onboard? We booked before the Explore 4 (got the anniversary special though) therefore we need to purchase the SBP separately. Any advice? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted July 22, 2015 #2 Share Posted July 22, 2015 There is no known difference buying before or on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted July 22, 2015 #3 Share Posted July 22, 2015 If you have a lot of shipboard credit, then wait until you are on the ship to buy the SBP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted July 22, 2015 #4 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Hi all! Curious as to when would be the best time to purchase SBP - prior to cruise or after we board? Any benefits to waiting till onboard? We booked before the Explore 4 (got the anniversary special though) therefore we need to purchase the SBP separately. Any advice? Normally I'd say it makes no difference, but with the Loonie continuing to fall for the foreseeable future, I'd make the purchase now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare POA1 Posted July 22, 2015 #5 Share Posted July 22, 2015 If you are buying it onboard, make sure you get it before you order your first beverage. We waited until the 2nd day, and while they did back out the previous day's drinks from our account, the process was far from smooth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dana57 Posted July 22, 2015 Author #6 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Thanks guys! Appreciate the advice. I had thought I had read somewhere that if you bought getting aboard in Fort Lauderdale you also get charged Florida tax. Love the info on all these threads, great info! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare POA1 Posted July 22, 2015 #7 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Thanks guys! Appreciate the advice. I had thought I had read somewhere that if you bought getting aboard in Fort Lauderdale you also get charged Florida tax. Love the info on all these threads, great info! Nope. Only for drinks until you pull out, or liquor you have delivered before departure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberta Quilter Posted July 22, 2015 #8 Share Posted July 22, 2015 I believe that if you purchase it in advance, your name(s) will get printed on the card(s). I don't know if this is done if you get it onboard. Otherwise, I, too, would buy it before the CAD drops any more!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusieKIslandGirl Posted July 22, 2015 #9 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Would this purchase also add to your onboard spending total which then adds to your cruise day total? Don't remember the exact amounts but don't you receive one day toward Mariner status for every $300 spent onboard? That might be a reason to wait until onboard to buy the card. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare POA1 Posted July 22, 2015 #10 Share Posted July 22, 2015 I believe that if you purchase it in advance, your name(s) will get printed on the card(s). I don't know if this is done if you get it onboard. Otherwise, I, too, would buy it before the CAD drops any more!! Here is a tip we found completely by accident. We bought our Signature Beverage Packages on the Noordam at the Ocean Bar on the 2nd day of the cruise. So, we didn’t have pre-printed names on the cards. My wife has a clutch with a magnetic clasp. It accidentally demagnetized her card. We had to get a replacement at the front desk. The front desk's card printer does print your name on the card. This should work for beverage cards as well. HOWEVER - from what I understand, the Signature Beverage Package is now tied directly to your room key, so there's no separate card to worry about. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberta Quilter Posted July 22, 2015 #11 Share Posted July 22, 2015 Would this purchase also add to your onboard spending total which then adds to your cruise day total? Don't remember the exact amounts but don't you receive one day toward Mariner status for every $300 spent onboard? That might be a reason to wait until onboard to buy the card. No, the items one purchases prior to the cruise also count towards the cruise day credits so it doesn't matter if you buy before or during the cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberta Quilter Posted July 22, 2015 #12 Share Posted July 22, 2015 POA, for some reason, I can't quote your post. But you're right! I totally forgot that the SBP is no longer a separate card! I can't believe I forgot since I experienced that on my last cruise, in May! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare POA1 Posted July 22, 2015 #13 Share Posted July 22, 2015 POA, for some reason, I can't quote your post. But you're right! I totally forgot that the SBP is no longer a separate card! I can't believe I forgot since I experienced that on my last cruise, in May! It's because I have very strict copyright attorneys. ;) I don't know why that happens. Every once in a while, I come across a post that cannot be quoted too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted July 22, 2015 #14 Share Posted July 22, 2015 POA, for some reason, I can't quote your post. But you're right! I totally forgot that the SBP is no longer a separate card! I can't believe I forgot since I experienced that on my last cruise, in May! Your ability to quote previous posts and to remember the number of cards required with the SBP is directly proportional to the extent to which you used said card(s). :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SusieKIslandGirl Posted July 22, 2015 #15 Share Posted July 22, 2015 No, the items one purchases prior to the cruise also count towards the cruise day credits so it doesn't matter if you buy before or during the cruise. Last cruise I wanted to book a shore excursion ahead of time and called to ask whether it would count toward cruise day credits. I was told only onboard purchases count. Guess I need to call again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberta Quilter Posted July 23, 2015 #16 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Your ability to quote previous posts and to remember the number of cards required with the SBP is directly proportional to the extent to which you used said card(s). :) Ohhhhh, that explains a lot!!!:o:D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberta Quilter Posted July 23, 2015 #17 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Last cruise I wanted to book a shore excursion ahead of time and called to ask whether it would count toward cruise day credits. I was told only onboard purchases count. Guess I need to call again. Yes, I would call again, if you want confirmation from HAL. But, honestly, I wouldn't have as many cruise day credits if they didn't include items purchased prior to the cruise. This question comes up a lot here on the forum and everyone who responds says that pre-cruise purchases do count towards the cruise day credits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stratheden Posted July 23, 2015 #18 Share Posted July 23, 2015 I prepaid my laundry prior to my cruise and it wasn't included in my purchases. I received a card in the cabin to say that I had received a gift of laundry. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
clogaltocruise Posted July 24, 2015 #19 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Everything I've bought in advance has counted towards Mariner status. Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocalapat Posted July 24, 2015 #20 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Everything I've bought in advance has counted towards Mariner status. Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk Newbie here...Does this add to the Mariner status for both passengers? Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare POA1 Posted July 24, 2015 #21 Share Posted July 24, 2015 (edited) Newbie here...Does this add to the Mariner status for both passengers? Thanks Yes. It may not if you have separate folios, but if it's a joint onboard account, each get the days based on the combined spend. Oh, and welcome! (I gotta get better at that.) Edited July 24, 2015 by POA1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alberta Quilter Posted July 24, 2015 #22 Share Posted July 24, 2015 (edited) Yes. It may not if you have separate folios, but if it's a joint onboard account, each get the days based on the combined spend. Oh, and welcome! (I gotta get better at that.) It does even if you do have separate folios. I believe it's calculated at the cabin level (for the first two guests in the cabin) so both guests get the same onboard spending cruise day credits. At least, DM and I did when we did have separate folios. Edited July 24, 2015 by Alberta Quilter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare POA1 Posted July 24, 2015 #23 Share Posted July 24, 2015 It does even if you do have separate folios. I believe it's calculated at the cabin level (for the first two guests in the cabin) so both guests get the same onboard spending cruise day credits. At least, DM and I did when we did have separate folios. Thanks! We've always been on one account, so I didn’t want to speak out of turn. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ocalapat Posted July 24, 2015 #24 Share Posted July 24, 2015 Thanks POA1 and Alberta Quilter. Something to look forward to! Our first HAL cruise booked recently is a 42-day Atlantic Adventurer for Oct-Dec 2016 so I'm sure there will be some additional spending! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Please sign in to comment
You will be able to leave a comment after signing in
Sign In Now