beverage packages on the Konningsdam Holland America

[Sheri K]

Is it true that everyone in the same stateroom has to get the same beverage package? I was informed of this by a cruise respresentative thru HAL. This doesn't seem logical. What if one person drinks alcohol and the other doesn't? They make you both pay for the same package so the non-drinker would have to get the same package as the one getting the alcohol which for the Baltic Sea 14 night cruise is over $700 per person. Has anyone who has gone on this cruise line before been successful in adding the package once on board and requesting 2 different drink packages?

[Krazy Kruizers]

I have read many reviews here and so far no one has been able to do 2 different drink packages staying in the same cabin.

This is how HAL makes money.

You can buy coffees and cokes with the drink package -- but that will work out to be very expensive specialty coffees (and teas) and cokes. There are mocktails that you can buy with the drink package.

[BAHunt]

This is why we are waiting until a week before we sail to buy the drink package. We figure if I can not drink (perhaps pregnancy) then him buying drinks one buy one would be healer then 2 drink packages.

 

 

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[*Miss G*]

Some have reported they did not have to buy the 2nd drink package for their roommate. I think they had to provide documentation. If you do a search on this board you will find the posts.

[woody14h]

I was specifically told by an agent that the package must be bought by both parties. Koningsdam TA March. My life doesn't drink. What do I do for proof. Letter from a priest? Local bartender?;);)

[Lady Arwen]

I was specifically told by an agent that the package must be bought by both parties. Koningsdam TA March. My life doesn't drink. What do I do for proof. Letter from a priest? Local bartender?;);)

I believe you would need a letter from a medical professional stating this person cannot consume alcohol because of a medical issue.

[mgier]

Can anyone tell me the difference between the Signature Beverage Package and the Elite Beverage Package? All I got from Hal customer service was, one the drinks are $9, the other $15! I want to know what are the drinks, what brands, what wines???

Thanks!

 

 

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[Crew News]

Can anyone tell me the difference between the Signature Beverage Package and the Elite Beverage Package? All I got from Hal customer service was, one the drinks are $9, the other $15! I want to know what are the drinks, what brands, what wines???

Thanks!

 

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Here is the Bar Menu to see drink prices:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Pool-Bars.pdf

 

Here is the wine list for the Main Dining Room (scroll down to wine by the glass) for prices:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/MDR-Beverage-Menu.pdf

[mgier]

Here is the Bar Menu to see drink prices:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/Pool-Bars.pdf

 

Here is the wine list for the Main Dining Room (scroll down to wine by the glass) for prices:

 

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/MDR-Beverage-Menu.pdf

 

 

 

Thank-you, very informative!

 

 

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[TAD2005]

The only way to get around the "both must buy the same package rule" is to have a doctor's note that states you cannot drink alcohol for medical reasons. Don't blame HAL for this restriction, it's the people who always try to game the system by sharing drinks. One person buys the package, the other doesn't and they share drinks off the same package. Other cruise lines have the same problem. Some raise the price of the package so high that they make out even if sharing happens. However, if you are caught sharing, (and the bartenders are watching for it), you will lose your package with no refunds for the remaining number of days on the package.

[vermonter16]

I was just off a Celebrity and a Princess cruise. On Celebrity I could get whatever drinks I wanted...cans of cokes, large bottles of water, double shots, etc. On Princess, I could only get fountain sodas on lido and only small bottles of water, NEVER a double shot, etc. Is Holland 'stingy' like Princess was? We were considering a HAL for a Panama cruise but now I'm not so sure.

[TAD2005]

I was just off a Celebrity and a Princess cruise. On Celebrity I could get whatever drinks I wanted...cans of cokes, large bottles of water, double shots, etc. On Princess, I could only get fountain sodas on lido and only small bottles of water, NEVER a double shot, etc. Is Holland 'stingy' like Princess was? We were considering a HAL for a Panama cruise but now I'm not so sure.

 

On HAL's drink packages, just about anything you can drink is covered. All sodas, water in 2 liter and 1 liter bottles, all beers, most cocktails, some wines. (within the $9 or $15 package limits). And yes, you can get doubles. No problem. Just keep track of your doubles. They count as 2 of your 15 daily drink allotment. If you run over your 15 before midnight, HAL will keep pouring, but they will charge those drinks to your onboard account. They do not flag you if you have hit their 15 drink limit. (unless you are falling-down drunk, then you will be cut off.)

[vermonter16]

Lol. Thank you. I never come close to the 15, at least not yet. It's just convenient when I want to go back to the cabin and sit on my balcony. Thanks very much for the information.

[johnnycruise]

Do soft drinks taken from the Freestyle Coca-Cola machine count toward the 15/day limit?

[sevenseasnomad]

On our recent Koningsdam cruise, my brother and I were in the same cabin. He drinks A LOT; I drink no alcohol (personal preference). Immediately after sailing, we were, in fact, still in sight of Ft. Lauderdale, he investigated the drink package and came back to inform me that he could buy a package for $50 and would receive all the alcohol he could consume. Since he had never cruised before, he didn't know better. I questioned how HAL could make any money, but he was adamant that he'd signed up for $50. And he had signed me up too! I asked who was going to pay for it, and he claimed it was okay, he'd pay. After all, look what he was getting for $100. I was still skeptical, but really didn't think any more about it.

 

That 1st evening, he had probably 8 drinks. Yes, he was still standing, through I couldn't see how. Anyway, the next day, I suggested he ask for a print-out of his charges. Imagine his shock at seeing a $450 charge for a drinks package. Imagine my fury when $450 had been charged to my account without my knowledge or approval. Since I'd never participated in any kind of package on previous cruises, I had no knowledge about the rule that if one person buys a package the 2nd person in the cabin also buys the drink package. The lady at the front desk immediately took the charge off my account which removed the charge from my brother's account as well. He was okay with that until he saw the price of those 8 drinks! However, he was satisfied that the $450 charge came off. Turns out, he couldn't afford it. For the rest of the cruise, he purchased only 2 or 3 drinks. Taught me a good lesson that unless one knows exactly how a program works, don't buy it. And if someone, like a well-meaning brother, signs a person up for something, please investigate immediately!!!!

[TAD2005]

Your brother only listened to part of the beverage package deal. Yes, it is $50, but that is PER DAY. (Actually $51.70 including service charge). And the deal is that if one buys the package in a cabin, the other person will buy it, even if they know nothing about it. To prevent the scam of drink sharing, everyone in the cabin must have the same package. I agree that it really is a pain, but you can thank the freeloaders who scam the system by sharing drinks for this restrictive rule. Even if one person buys the package online, ahead of the cruise, on day one, your cabin mate will automatically have the same package charged to their cabin account. As you noted, when you asked for the package to be removed from your account, it was automatically removed from your brother's account. And any drinks he consumed under the package were converted to regular menu prices, plus 15% service charge.

A side note, the 8 drinks he had that first day, 2 or 3 of them would be free if he kept the package. The break-even point is 5-1/2 drinks. After that, you are drinking free with the regular signature beverage package and a standard $7.95 cocktail..