mdjohn5 Posted April 2, 2019 #1 Share Posted April 2, 2019 We were given some $100 beverage cards for our Zuiderdam cruise last week from our TA. We normally purchase a wine package when we cruise and I had planned to use the beverage cards to offset that cost. Unfortunately, they would not let us use the beverage cards for the wine package. There was some explanation about not being able to use them with discounted beverages, but I wasn't really following the logic. I am sure if you purchase them yourself there is probably some fine print that explains the limitations, but these were just given to us and I just assumed we could use them for any beverages. We ended up using them on individual bottles of wine and a few mixed drinks, but it was pretty frustrating to not be able to use them on the normal wine packages. Just wanted to give a heads up to anyone planning on using them for the wine packages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VTcruisenut Posted April 2, 2019 #2 Share Posted April 2, 2019 40 minutes ago, mdjohn5 said: We were given some $100 beverage cards for our Zuiderdam cruise last week from our TA. We normally purchase a wine package when we cruise and I had planned to use the beverage cards to offset that cost. Unfortunately, they would not let us use the beverage cards for the wine package. There was some explanation about not being able to use them with discounted beverages, but I wasn't really following the logic. I am sure if you purchase them yourself there is probably some fine print that explains the limitations, but these were just given to us and I just assumed we could use them for any beverages. We ended up using them on individual bottles of wine and a few mixed drinks, but it was pretty frustrating to not be able to use them on the normal wine packages. Just wanted to give a heads up to anyone planning on using them for the wine packages. WE had $25 beverage cards on our cruise 3/16 on Oosterdam. They wouldn't let us use them for a purchase of wine either. We did try to use them for drinks on the Sea View deck, but the cards continually wouldn't work the bartender told us. When I went to Guest Services, they claimed they did work and that the drinks had been charged to the cards, but the drinks were also charged to our cabin! Beware! When we left the ship, we all had balances left on those cards because they wouldn't work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mdjohn5 Posted April 2, 2019 Author #3 Share Posted April 2, 2019 1 hour ago, VTcruisenut said: When we left the ship, we all had balances left on those cards because they wouldn't work! That's interesting. I thought I was being careful managing the cards...I had 4 to juggle...but on the last day I tried to use the last one and they told me the balance was 0. I was confused, but just assumed I messed somewhere up and threw away the wrong card...but I bet I had the same issue. Overall I am not a fan of the beverage card system. Live and learn I guess. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cruise Suzy Posted April 2, 2019 #4 Share Posted April 2, 2019 29 minutes ago, mdjohn5 said: Overall I am not a fan of the beverage card system. Live and learn I guess. I had 3 beverage cards - $50 non-alcoholic beverage card, $50 general beverage card that I used for alcoholic beverages and a $50 soda card (purchased for $25). I wanted to see if a Quench package might somehow be worth it on a future cruise and what an "included" beverage package would really be worth to me. At the end of the cruise I had about $8 left on the non-alcoholic beverage card. The balance was applied to our account. I used the last bit of the general beverage card to partially pay for a beer DH had. I didn't use quite all of the soda card, but the amount used was more than I paid, so nothing was refunded. Beverage cards worked well for me, but next time I won't bother with the non-alcoholic one - just purchase a larger $ amount of the general beverage card. But what works for one cruiser won't necessarily work for another. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiidan Posted April 2, 2019 #5 Share Posted April 2, 2019 32 minutes ago, mdjohn5 said: That's interesting. I thought I was being careful managing the cards...I had 4 to juggle...but on the last day I tried to use the last one and they told me the balance was 0. I was confused, but just assumed I messed somewhere up and threw away the wrong card...but I bet I had the same issue. Overall I am not a fan of the beverage card system. Live and learn I guess. Lesson: HAl is not going to offer something they will loose money on by making you think your saving.... Best to go day by day regular war without any gimmick cards. HAL is slippery.... they still advertise cruises without including the real cost like Port and Tax and daily service fee pp ! Know who your playing with... and trust not. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare boards Posted April 2, 2019 #6 Share Posted April 2, 2019 That has worked for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Krazy Kruizers Posted April 2, 2019 #7 Share Posted April 2, 2019 HAL has had that rule for years that you can not use a Beverage card to buy a wine package. But you certainly can use the Beverage cards to buy bottles of wine. We have bought and have gotten free Beverage cards for years. Never had a problem using them. If we had anything left over on the cards that we bought, it was refunded to my credit card at the end of the cruise. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiidan Posted April 3, 2019 #8 Share Posted April 3, 2019 19 hours ago, fyree39 said: I'm of a mind that I'll simply purchase OBC rather than the beverage card. I'd assume the OBC will cover everything and anything we want to purchase during the cruise, including gratuities. Yes? Suggestion...if you want to earn FF miles. With the same money, why not pay after the cruise with your credit card and earn valuable future travel benefits... Get a 30 day interest free float from the bank.. Why give money in advance, which if you dont spend you have to try and get it back. . Just one less step it seems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted April 3, 2019 #9 Share Posted April 3, 2019 20 hours ago, Hawaiidan said: Lesson: HAl is not going to offer something they will loose money on by making you think your saving.... You clearly don't understand how a beverage card works. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted April 3, 2019 #10 Share Posted April 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said: Suggestion...if you want to earn FF miles. With the same money, why not pay after the cruise with your credit card and earn valuable future travel benefits... Get a 30 day interest free float from the bank.. Why give money in advance, which if you dont spend you have to try and get it back. . Just one less step it seems HUH? You can use a credit card with FF miles to pay for beverage cards or OBC. so, you get the same interest free window if you choose to buy these items in advance. Both are refundable. There’s no “trying to get it back”. Why is your way the only right one? Lots of people do things differently and don’t need to be told how to do their finances. 55 minutes ago, RuthC said: You clearly don't understand how a beverage card works. You sure have that one right. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiidan Posted April 3, 2019 #11 Share Posted April 3, 2019 it is a great wonder why people would want to pre pay when they do not have to thats all and receive no tangible benifit. Before or after yes you get the same points.. but after you still get the same without having to give your money for someone to hold. That seems to me very un wise The longer they have someones money the more things that could go wrong.. based on everything I have recently experienced. I guess I am sensitive as I have been very distrustful of HAL in all my recent dealings. as they continue to try to change rates, fees and so on... I have seen in a 2 week period prices go up then down then up as much as $700.... Sorry. I am a bit gun-shy about dealing with them. I am still mystified why a beverage card can not be used for all beverage charges like wine bottles. and maybe corkage... .... Again sorry for venting... 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pmcubed Posted April 3, 2019 #12 Share Posted April 3, 2019 18 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said: it is a great wonder why people would want to pre pay when they do not have to thats all and receive no tangible benifit. Before or after yes you get the same points.. but after you still get the same without having to give your money for someone to hold. That seems to me very un wise The longer they have someones money the more things that could go wrong.. based on everything I have recently experienced. I guess I am sensitive as I have been very distrustful of HAL in all my recent dealings. as they continue to try to change rates, fees and so on... I have seen in a 2 week period prices go up then down then up as much as $700.... Sorry. I am a bit gun-shy about dealing with them. I am still mystified why a beverage card can not be used for all beverage charges like wine bottles. and maybe corkage... .... Again sorry for venting... Then, my question is, why are you on the HAL board? To warn us all away? I have never had ANY trouble with HAL. And I like to leave a cruise ship NOT owing any money to anyone. I enjoy the feeling that my vacation is completely paid for when I walk off the ship. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted April 3, 2019 #13 Share Posted April 3, 2019 1 hour ago, Hawaiidan said: it is a great wonder why people would want to pre pay when they do not have to thats all and receive no tangible benifit. People have listed several reasons why they prefer to pre-pay. The great wonder is why you can't or won't accept the fact that your way isn't the only way and that there is no loss in tangible benefits by pre-paying. 5 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiidan Posted April 4, 2019 #14 Share Posted April 4, 2019 23 hours ago, pmcubed said: Then, my question is, why are you on the HAL board? To warn us all away? I have never had ANY trouble with HAL. And I like to leave a cruise ship NOT owing any money to anyone. I enjoy the feeling that my vacation is completely paid for when I walk off the ship. I am on this board because it has been a few years since I cruises HAL and I wanted to get up to speed. In the process of getting up to speed on the new HAL, I experienced a whole slew of bad experiences caused by HAl. The HAL of 10 years ago is NOT the HAL of today.. It has colored some of my opinions I too in the past have never had a problem with HAL of the past....Today is the opposite, and something I did not anticipate at all. .... This is all the more troubling as I have been traveling and cruising since 1973. I am no new-be. I understand your wanting to walk off the cruise with no bill. I dont have the same desire. I like get the most by managing my money and it has proved most profitable for me. Its not for everyone however, I am cool with that. I only offer my experiences for others to consider, laugh or discount. Enjoy your life Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiidan Posted April 4, 2019 #15 Share Posted April 4, 2019 22 hours ago, Fouremco said: People have listed several reasons why they prefer to pre-pay. The great wonder is why you can't or won't accept the fact that your way isn't the only way and that there is no loss in tangible benefits by pre-paying. Oh thats fine..... its your money spend it wisely. There are many ways. I offer my way as an option. and yes prepaying can result in a very tangible dollar loss depending on how you source your finances. I realize that for the 7-10 day cruiser that may not be a factor. I am a 28-36 day cruiser. The obc required jumps from a few hundred to many thousands.... So consider that please Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted April 4, 2019 #16 Share Posted April 4, 2019 10 minutes ago, Hawaiidan said: Oh thats fine..... its your money spend it wisely. There are many ways. I offer my way as an option. and yes prepaying can result in a very tangible dollar loss depending on how you source your finances. I realize that for the 7-10 day cruiser that may not be a factor. I am a 28-36 day cruiser. The obc required jumps from a few hundred to many thousands.... So consider that please You are quick to dispense advice and tell people that they should or shouldn't do something without taking into consideration that their circumstances might be entirely different than yours. Wonderful, you are a 28+ day cruiser and you have your own particular approach to doing things, but it's clear that you have tunnel vision when you make comments like the one below. 23 hours ago, Hawaiidan said: it is a great wonder why people would want to pre pay when they do not have to thats all and receive no tangible benifit. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hawaiidan Posted April 4, 2019 #17 Share Posted April 4, 2019 44 minutes ago, Fouremco said: You are quick to dispense advice and tell people that they should or shouldn't do something without taking into consideration that their circumstances might be entirely different than yours. Wonderful, you are a 28+ day cruiser and you have your own particular approach to doing things, but it's clear that you have tunnel vision when you make comments like the one below. It is sound advice on what a person should consider, it is sound and can be applied to any and all circumstance. But it does not change whetehr it is a 1 day or 100 day cruise. The principals remain constant. The gain/loss thus remains proportional to the individuals trip/cruise etc. It is tunnel vision not to realize that these principals some how only apply to special situations and not lower levels of cruising..... My hope is that people come to understand it applies to everyone all the time. You can ignore it but that does not make it any less real There are a substantial bunch on these post who are taking 14-28-36-50-80 day cruise should we only given for people who sail 7 days or less? I offer hard fact for everyone with out regard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted April 4, 2019 #18 Share Posted April 4, 2019 2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said: Oh thats fine..... its your money spend it wisely. There are many ways. I offer my way as an option. and yes prepaying can result in a very tangible dollar loss depending on how you source your finances. I realize that for the 7-10 day cruiser that may not be a factor. I am a 28-36 day cruiser. The obc required jumps from a few hundred to many thousands.... So consider that please It would be nice if you offered “your way” as an option but unfortunately you continue on and on and on like the Energizer bunny in more than one thread. I’m a 24 - 33 day cruiser and prepaying my OBC and buying beverage cards works just fine for us thank you very much. I don’t need your lectures nor your “supposed” expertise on finances. My past life was one of a financial planner and I think I have an idea of what I am doing and why. Not everyone is in your situation and what works for you may not work for others especially people like Fourmenco and I who deal with the exchange rate risk. I know, that’s a lot to expect for you to comprehend that different people have different needs and different reasons for what they do, but different ways of doing things should be acceptable here no matter what your personal opinion is. Different things work for different people. I don’t walk in your shoes nor do you mine. I don’t judge how you do things, but please don’t judge me or anyone else who has something that works. And, it would be nice if the endless lectures stopped. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RuthC Posted April 4, 2019 #19 Share Posted April 4, 2019 3 hours ago, Hawaiidan said: I offer my way as an option. "Offering" is one thing. The constant browbeating, with several posts in each of more threads than I can count, is another. 7 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted April 4, 2019 #20 Share Posted April 4, 2019 3 hours ago, Hawaiidan said: I realize that for the 7-10 day cruiser that may not be a factor. I am a 28-36 day cruiser. The obc required jumps from a few hundred to many thousands.... So consider that please 2 hours ago, Hawaiidan said: It is sound advice on what a person should consider, it is sound and can be applied to any and all circumstance. But it does not change whetehr it is a 1 day or 100 day cruise. The principals remain constant. Once again, you've contradicted yourself. It's hard to take someone seriously when they can't even make up their own mind whilst pontificating. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oceanmom Posted April 4, 2019 #21 Share Posted April 4, 2019 I've been meaning to do 'ignore' for some time, but today is the day. Bye-bye, Hawaiidan. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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