Drink package

[sand and water]

Hello,

In order to purchase the drink package, do both people in the room have to?

[kazu]

Hello,

In order to purchase the drink package, do both people in the room have to?

 

Yes, the occupants in the cabin all have to take the drink package.

[Krazy Kruizers]

So you will have to sir down and figure how many drinks each of you will drink in a day and if it is worth buying the drink package.

Remember that you can also buy specialty coffees and teas in the Explorations Café, bottled water, sodas and specialty coffees in the dining room at dinner.

[pugmadkate]

My husband had the Elite Beverage Package and I did not purchase it. They required a note from my doctor that I do not drink alcohol due to a medical condition. Easy enough.

[sand and water]

My husband had the Elite Beverage Package and I did not purchase it. They required a note from my doctor that I do not drink alcohol due to a medical condition. Easy enough.

 

 

 

We have someone that doesn't drink alcohol, her choice, does she need a note?

[pugmadkate]

We have someone that doesn't drink alcohol, her choice, does she need a note?

 

I was told a doctor’s note is required and that it must be for a medical reason. I did not press it any further as

I have a medical reason.

[KroozNut]

We have someone that doesn't drink alcohol, her choice, does she need a note?

 

Yep.. unless she has a documented medical condition (via the Dr's note), then she would be required to purchase the package if she's sharing a cabin with someone who purchases the package.

 

That she simply chooses not to imbibe is not sufficient to avoid the requirement to purchase.

[TAD2005]

Yes, a legitimate medal problem must be spelled out in a doctor's note to get around the "both must purchase" rule. You cannot simply say "I don't drink alcohol". You can thank the freeloaders who figured that they could scam the system by only one person buying the package and sharing drinks with their cabin-mate. That problem was widespread across all cruise lines which offered drink packages. Some lines, like HAL used the "both must purchase" solution, other lines just raised the price of the package to a level that if there was sharing that went undetected, the cruise line wouldn't lose out. In all cruise lines, if you are caught sharing, (and the waiters and bartenders are very good at detecting it) you lose the package for the rest of your cruise with NO refunds or prorating. Some even backtrack and charge you full price for all drinks you had since the cruise began, and the money you paid for the package is gone.

[sand and water]

Thanks everyone

[jimlouisesophie]

The break even point is about 7 drinks per day. We bought it prior to our cruise for $44.95 and found out that it was worth it, as drinks can be expensive on board, even a large water will cost about $5. For someone that does not drink alcoholic drinks, it may not be worth the cost. The only way to find out how many drinks one has had per day is to ask the customer service desk, or what we did was to log all drinks on my note book which I kept on my person all the time. The crows nest on the Westerdam had a bar and it was nice to get a specialty coffee while watching the scenery.

[TAD2005]

Set up an account (free) with the onboard wi-fi (not internet, just onboard info), and you can monitor your drink consumption as well as your total onboard spending on a tablet or laptop. With the beverage package, you will see that your account is hit for each drink, plus the 15% service charge, and then it is reversed out. If one of your drinks exceeds the $9 or $15 drink price limit, or if you have exceeded the 15 drink daily limit, you will see the full price of the drink on your account, and it will not be reversed. The total drink price plus 15%, will be added to your cabin total. Remember, doubles of any drink count as 2 drinks in your 15 per day limit.

 

The average $7.95 cocktail ends up costing $9.14 if you pay as you go. The regular beverage package costs $51.70 per day, with the 15% service charge. So the break-even point with the SBP is 5.6 drinks. After 6 drinks, you are drinking free.

We always take cruises with lots of sea days, so the beverage package always saves us hundreds on every cruise. If you on a "if it's Tuesday, this must be Santorini" type of cruise (a port every day), of if you only have a glass of wine at dinner, then the SBP is not for you.

[kazu]

Set up an account (free) with the onboard wi-fi (not internet, just onboard info), and you can monitor your drink consumption as well as your total onboard spending on a tablet or laptop. With the beverage package, you will see that your account is hit for each drink, plus the 15% service charge, and then it is reversed out. If one of your drinks exceeds the $9 or $15 drink price limit, or if you have exceeded the 15 drink daily limit, you will see the full price of the drink on your account, and it will not be reversed. The total drink price plus 15%, will be added to your cabin total. Remember, doubles of any drink count as 2 drinks in your 15 per day limit.

 

The average $7.95 cocktail ends up costing $9.14 if you pay as you go. The regular beverage package costs $51.70 per day, with the 15% service charge. So the break-even point with the SBP is 5.6 drinks. After 6 drinks, you are drinking free.

We always take cruises with lots of sea days, so the beverage package always saves us hundreds on every cruise. If you on a "if it's Tuesday, this must be Santorini" type of cruise (a port every day), of if you only have a glass of wine at dinner, then the SBP is not for you.

 

Your post has intrigued me.

 

I do use the Navigator on board to keep track of my on board account and other things.

 

I did have the Explore4 last cruise on the 1st segment but nowhere did I see the drink consumption.

 

Is there a button I failed to press?

 

Thanks.

[TAD2005]

Your post has intrigued me.

 

I do use the Navigator on board to keep track of my on board account and other things.

 

I did have the Explore4 last cruise on the 1st segment but nowhere did I see the drink consumption.

 

Is there a button I failed to press?

 

Thanks.

 

Unless things have changed in the last 4 months, every recent HAL cruise I have been on, their free "Navigator" site on the ship, allows you to see your cabin account folio. It is very current and one of the menu selections that doesn't cost you anything. It initially shows your cabin balance including any OBC you may have. As the days progress, you should see your $13.50 P/P, per day HSC being added to your account. If you have the beverage package, any drinks you purchase should show up in the left column and then reversed (credited) in the right numerical column. I always capture that folio on the last day and when I get home, I total my drinks for the cruise and compare that total against the cost of the beverage package. You can also get a printed copy of that folio at the self-service kiosks near the front desk. When I do my comparison, we always make out in the hundreds of $$$, over buying drinks as-you-go.

Possibly when you have the SBP provided by Explore-4, some ships may not show each drink and the credit for it. We had a cruise with free gratuities, and each day, we saw the usual $13.50 added to our account, and then immediately reversed. They should do the same with the SBP.

[kazu]

Unless things have changed in the last 4 months, every recent HAL cruise I have been on, their free "Navigator" site on the ship, allows you to see your cabin account folio. It is very current and one of the menu selections that doesn't cost you anything. It initially shows your cabin balance including any OBC you may have. As the days progress, you should see your $13.50 P/P, per day HSC being added to your account. If you have the beverage package, any drinks you purchase should show up in the left column and then reversed (credited) in the right numerical column. I always capture that folio on the last day and when I get home, I total my drinks for the cruise and compare that total against the cost of the beverage package. You can also get a printed copy of that folio at the self-service kiosks near the front desk. When I do my comparison, we always make out in the hundreds of $$$, over buying drinks as-you-go.

 

thanks so much. :)

 

Well, I guess it was different on the Prinsendam. I did use the Navigator to keep track and my drinks did not show.

 

Neither did my HSC but it did show on my final statement (we had Explore4 on the 1st segment and prepaid HSC on the 2nd)

 

Our drinks didn't show on either the Navigator or the statement.

 

It was our first time with Explore4 so I can't compare to other cruises unfortunately. Just my experience on this cruise which was less than 3 months ago.

[KroozNut]

So apparently, it varies by ship is the bottom line.. ;)