Wine Policy Question

[scluvsrain]

I know that one bottle of wine is allowed per person on a HAL cruise, "free of corkage fees", and the corkage fee for more than one bottle is $18. While I don't like this policy, it is what it is.

 

My question is this - and of course at this point it's rhetorical, but why is it that for a 7 day cruise you are allowed one bottle, but for a 3 week or longer cruise, you're still only allowed one bottle????

 

Why can't they allow one bottle per every 7 days, or something like that?

 

It just wears me out.

[SilvertoGold]

Good point, of course.

 

It would certainly wear HAL out, too, trying to keep track of it all for all those pax, all those bottles.

 

Not that they couldn't do this, but.............

[POA1]

Think of it as "one per voyage." Maybe it will help you sleep better. ;) We always pay corkage on all our wine - even the "free" bottles. If you are like us, pay the corkage. Drink out in the open*. Amongst friends. The wine is bound to make one of you more interesting. :D

 

*Always party responsibly. This is especially important as Spuds MacKenzie just turned 29.

[scluvsrain]

Well, I calculated if I wanted to buy the admiral's package of 7 bottles - that's $269. If I apply my 4* discount, that comes to $134.50. Divide that by 7 bottles and I get an average bottle price of $19. If I brought a $15 bottle of wine onboard then paid the $18 corkage, I'm now at $37 for that bottle. I could have 2 bottles from the wine package for that amount. If I do the same calcs for the navigator pkg it's still at $32 per bottle.

 

Now, if they'd apply the mariner discount to the corkage fee, that would be better.

 

Also, I sail single usually, so I should at least get 2 bottles free, since I pay double (or almost) for the single supplement fee.

 

Sigh.

[cruz chic]

I sail single as well. It's annoying that you can't bring 2 freebies on. Being a 4 star it doesn't pay for me to bring it on. I can get something I like in a wine package with a decent discount.

[Steve_Red_Dog]

We are booked on the Oct Trans-Atlantic repo out of Civitavecchia, IT on the Koningsdam. While browsing the available excursions I came across this surprising gem in the "Taste of Sardinia" excursion in Cagliari, Sardinia, Italy.

 

"Corkage policy: Onboard corkage fee is waived for one bottle of wine per person per tour for wine purchased during a Holland America Line shore excursion."

 

We love winery excursions, and have almost always purchased a bottle or two while on the tour. If this policy applies to all HAL wine tours it'll make lots of us happy. :D

[Vict0riann]

We like the wine packages, too. Much more economical - although we have been known to carry on a bottle or 6!:D

Edited March 25, 2016 by Vict0riann

[sail7seas]

Well, I calculated if I wanted to buy the admiral's package of 7 bottles - that's $269. If I apply my 4* discount, that comes to $134.50. Divide that by 7 bottles and I get an average bottle price of $19. If I brought a $15 bottle of wine onboard then paid the $18 corkage, I'm now at $37 for that bottle. I could have 2 bottles from the wine package for that amount. If I do the same calcs for the navigator pkg it's still at $32 per bottle.

 

Now, if they'd apply the mariner discount to the corkage fee, that would be better.

 

Also, I sail single usually, so I should at least get 2 bottles free, since I pay double (or almost) for the single supplement fee.

 

Sigh.

 

If you bring your own wine, pay the corkage and you are sure to have a wine you enjoy.

 

If you depend upon selecting from a limited wine package, there may be few if any wines you really enjoy.

 

[RuthC]

We love winery excursions, and have almost always purchased a bottle or two while on the tour. If this policy applies to all HAL wine tours it'll make lots of us happy. :D

It does so long as:

1.) it's a HAL winery tour; private tours do not qualify, and

2.) the wine is consumed in your cabin.

Should the wine be brought to a public area, such as the dining room, the corkage fee is due.

[SilvertoGold]

We like the wine packages, too. Much more economical - although we have been known to carry on a bottle or 6!:D

 

We do, too.

One bottle carry on each and the Admiral's wine packages at 50% work for us!

[sail7seas]

I don't bother to carry a bottle of wine aboard but it irks me as a solo to pay 200% the fare as though still two of us but am allowed only one wine corkage free.

 

If HAL (other cruise lines as well) want to say cabins must be treated as doubles then they should be treated as doubles in favor of both sides. They get double the fare and the solo should get double the permitted benefits.

 

JMO.......

[CHOPPERTESTER]

It's really not about the cost of the cabin. It's about the on board spending.

 

A solo paying 200% could get the benefits of two if, on average, they spend for two on board.

 

That's HAL's business model it's all about yield. They would rather have two in a cabin than solos therefore not much, if any, incentives for solos.

 

Some cruise lines have solo cabins but the footprint is not 50% of a cabin for two due to the washroom.

 

It's tough going solo. On the plus side you can get some great deals to reduce the costs as you would most likely be more flexible on sail dates.

[cruz chic]

It's really not about the cost of the cabin. It's about the on board spending.

 

A solo paying 200% could get the benefits of two if, on average, they spend for two on board.

 

That's HAL's business model it's all about yield. They would rather have two in a cabin than solos therefore not much, if any, incentives for solos.

 

Some cruise lines have solo cabins but the footprint is not 50% of a cabin for two due to the washroom.

 

It's tough going solo. On the plus side you can get some great deals to reduce the costs as you would most likely be more flexible on sail dates.

 

Lots of generalizations here. I spend quite a lot on board. I've seen couples that spend next to nothing. I met one couple last year and he said I must be "rich" because I was buying Hal's wine. You can believe my on board spending was much higher than that couple. Allowing singles on the ship with two bottles would cost Hal nothing more than letting a couple on with two bottles.

[scluvsrain]

I could live with a one bottle per person per week arrangement. Seems only fair.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kazu]

I could live with a one bottle per person per week arrangement. Seems only fair.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

I wish :).

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[TiogaCruiser]

I don't bother to carry a bottle of wine aboard but it irks me as a solo to pay 200% the fare as though still two of us but am allowed only one wine corkage free.

 

If HAL (other cruise lines as well) want to say cabins must be treated as doubles then they should be treated as doubles in favor of both sides. They get double the fare and the solo should get double the permitted benefits.

 

JMO.......

 

At least as a Solo we get both pillow chocolates.:D

[USN59-79]

Well, I calculated if I wanted to buy the admiral's package of 7 bottles - that's $269. If I apply my 4* discount, that comes to $134.50. Divide that by 7 bottles and I get an average bottle price of $19. If I brought a $15 bottle of wine onboard then paid the $18 corkage, I'm now at $37 for that bottle. I could have 2 bottles from the wine package for that amount. If I do the same calcs for the navigator pkg it's still at $32 per bottle.

 

Now, if they'd apply the mariner discount to the corkage fee, that would be better.

 

Also, I sail single usually, so I should at least get 2 bottles free, since I pay double (or almost) for the single supplement fee.

 

Sigh.

Just to clarify, it is not quite that simple. If you buy a package for $269 there is an additional 15% added. With the 4* discount, you must add 30% to the $134.50, so it is now $176. or $25. per bottle.

[scluvsrain]

Oh crap. You're right. I forgot about that surcharge.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[sapper1]

Just to clarify, it is not quite that simple. If you buy a package for $269 there is an additional 15% added. With the 4* discount, you must add 30% to the $134.50, so it is now $176. or $25. per bottle.

 

In other words you are saying the service charge is added based on the full cost of the package before the 4/5* discounts are applied.

 

That's fair enough as when we are tipping in a land restaurant and we are using a discount coupon we base the tip on the original cost of the meal.

 

I don't know why I have never thought to buy a package before this upcoming cruise. I guess I knew they existed on one level but the idea never really sank in. My husband doesn't drink wine so he wouldn't know either. With a 33 day cruise coming up the packages will represent a big saving.

[kazu]

In other words you are saying the service charge is added based on the full cost of the package before the 4/5* discounts are applied.

 

That's fair enough as when we are tipping in a land restaurant and we are using a discount coupon we base the tip on the original cost of the meal.

 

I don't know why I have never thought to buy a package before this upcoming cruise. I guess I knew they existed on one level but the idea never really sank in. My husband doesn't drink wine so he wouldn't know either. With a 33 day cruise coming up the packages will represent a big saving.

 

correct sapper1. The 50% discount only applies to the cost of the wine package. The tip is charged based on the value of the package before the discount.

 

It's only fair. As you point out why should the stewards be shorted in their tip?

 

Check out the offerings on board as sometimes the choices vary on cruises.

 

If one package lasted us for 33 days, our onboard account would be a lot less :p:D

[CHOPPERTESTER]

Lots of generalizations here. I spend quite a lot on board. I've seen couples that spend next to nothing. I met one couple last year and he said I must be "rich" because I was buying Hal's wine. You can believe my on board spending was much higher than that couple. Allowing singles on the ship with two bottles would cost Hal nothing more than letting a couple on with two bottles.

 

Unfortunately it is all about generalizations, or should I say averages. I concur, but based on averages, there is no incentive for HAL to offer such a benefit. It's only a $18 loss in revenue for them. I agree it would be a small benefit but they are cutting costs everywhere, no more free Tamarind lunch, Canaletto used to be free, corkage on wine brought on board over and above the one bottle per person per voyage etc etc.

 

To put it in perspective, I will be going on a collector's voyage (7 and 12 night combined) and still only get 1 bottle with no corkage not 2. I am not upset as there was a reduction in cost by booking it that way.

 

Think of the one free bottle as a benefit you wouldn't get on another cruise line. HALs wine policy, on board room service prices for hard alcohol, 2 for 1 drink specials etc are still a lot better than most cruise lines.

[MadManOfBethesda]

If HAL (other cruise lines as well) want to say cabins must be treated as doubles then they should be treated as doubles in favor of both sides. They get double the fare and the solo should get double the permitted benefits.

 

JMO.......

 

The flaw in your logic is that there is no correlation whatsoever between a cabin and the number of bottles of wine allowed. It's not one or two bottles per cabin, it's one bottle per person. If there are four adults in a cabin, then the allowance is 4 bottles, correct?

[mpat]

In October, I will be doing a 14-day cruise from Tokyo to Hong Kong, then a 26-day cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore on the same ship. This will be my first "back-to-back". How does the wine policy when boarding work in this case? Does it count as boarding the ship for 2 different cruises and another bottle of wine per person?

[DaveOKC]

The flaw in your logic is that there is no correlation whatsoever between a cabin and the number of bottles of wine allowed. It's not one or two bottles per cabin, it's one bottle per person. If there are four adults in a cabin, then the allowance is 4 bottles, correct?

 

Correct

[DaveOKC]

In October, I will be doing a 14-day cruise from Tokyo to Hong Kong, then a 26-day cruise from Hong Kong to Singapore on the same ship. This will be my first "back-to-back". How does the wine policy when boarding work in this case? Does it count as boarding the ship for 2 different cruises and another bottle of wine per person?

 

My understanding is that it is 2 different cruises and you should be able to bring one bottle per person on at Tokyo and another at Hong Kong.