Jammu2 Posted May 15, 2019 #26 Share Posted May 15, 2019 (edited) On 5/12/2019 at 8:29 AM, KroozNut said: Not the case on Oosterdam last Fall. 1 liter bottles of Evian WERE included (no charge). This ongoing inconsistency with how policies regarding the SBP are interpreted and enforced from ship to ship (and even same ship sailing to sailing) is maddening to us! 😣 So true. And we know to ask specifically to have the package explained. First stop - Lido bar. (Blah blah blah...) "Ok thanks. Ill have a bottle of Evian." He brings out the 1 liter. We just spoke for 4 minutes about what was and was not included. Do I need to ask again? No. Second stop - Ocean bar on 3. Explain the SBP please (mil had additional questions. (Blah blah blah.) Ok I'll have an Evian. Again, a 1 liter bottle! Next stop, Guest Services - my spouses family has to know every detail about everything... FF to next morning. Check folio. 6 charges of $6.33 for the water. Arrrrrgh!!! Edited May 15, 2019 by Jammu2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san diego spartan Posted May 15, 2019 #27 Share Posted May 15, 2019 On 5/11/2019 at 12:53 AM, Despegue said: I highly suggest that you talk with the Beverage Manager as you are being scammed. ANY DRINK of 11$ Or less is included. We will be on the Oosterdam this weekend. We were just on the Nieuw Amsterdam when they raised the $11 beverage limit - it did include all alcoholic beverages - we had some hiccups with it - but it got cleared in the end. All non-alcoholic drinks were included. I never drank so much Evian in my life. lol. Anyway, I'm hoping the Beverage Manger on the Oosterdam follows suit for us - but with this posting, I'm doubtful. However, most of the liquor is under $9 anyway, it really is just the wine that for $9 or under is not that great of selection (or taste), still very limited up to $11, but at least a few other options. HAL in general needs to upgrade their wine selections and pricing. I'm probably back to Celebrity for the next cruise - but we will see. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san diego spartan Posted May 15, 2019 #28 Share Posted May 15, 2019 1 hour ago, Jammu2 said: So true. And we know to ask specifically to have the package explained. First stop - Lido bar. (Blah blah blah...) "Ok thanks. Ill have a bottle of Evian." He brings out the 1 liter. We just spoke for 4 minutes about what was and was not included. Do I need to ask again? No. Second stop - Ocean bar on 3. Explain the SBP please (mil had additional questions. (Blah blah blah.) Ok I'll have an Evian. Again, a 1 liter bottle! Next stop, Guest Services - my spouses family has to know every detail about everything... FF to next morning. Check folio. 6 charges of $6.33 for the water. Arrrrrgh!!! Oh this is so troubling!!! the 1 liter should be included as it was on our recent NA cruise. Did Guest Services remove the charge for you??? I know what a pain it is to visit them daily to have your account adjusted (I posted on this site about it last month). I'll ask for the 1/2 liter I guess to avoid, but I like the 1 liter as I drink a lot of water. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jammu2 Posted May 15, 2019 #29 Share Posted May 15, 2019 (edited) 8 minutes ago, san diego spartan said: Oh this is so troubling!!! the 1 liter should be included as it was on our recent NA cruise. Did Guest Services remove the charge for you??? I know what a pain it is to visit them daily to have your account adjusted (I posted on this site about it last month). I'll ask for the 1/2 liter I guess to avoid, but I like the 1 liter as I drink a lot of water. 🙂 They eventually did. Supposedly the policy changed the day we boarded - May 5th. Ask for the 500 ml Evian or the 350 ml Perrier. ETA - my point to GS: you mean I can go around the ship and order 100 of these 500 ml bottles and it doesnt count towards my 15 drink limit (I dont drink alcohol) but one 1 liter costs me an additional $6.33? Response: Blink...blink... Edited May 15, 2019 by Jammu2 Eta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
san diego spartan Posted May 15, 2019 #30 Share Posted May 15, 2019 Ok - thanks for the advice - 500 ml Evian for us I guess. Just more trips to the bar..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coconutmonkey Posted May 15, 2019 #31 Share Posted May 15, 2019 Can anyone tell me what a gin martini costs? Is it within the $11 limit for the beverage package? Also are there very many wines by the glass within the $11 limit? Thanks so much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fatcat04 Posted May 15, 2019 #32 Share Posted May 15, 2019 (edited) 26 minutes ago, coconutmonkey said: Can anyone tell me what a gin martini costs? Is it within the $11 limit for the beverage package? Also are there very many wines by the glass within the $11 limit? Thanks so much. A regular martini looks to be $8.75. Here is the best site around for all bar menus on HAL. This site is a great resource. http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/specialty-2/hal-regular-and-specialty-restaurants/hal-beverage-menus Edited May 15, 2019 by fatcat04 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
coconutmonkey Posted May 15, 2019 #33 Share Posted May 15, 2019 fatcat04, thanks so much for the link. It gives me all the information I need! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grest Posted May 16, 2019 #34 Share Posted May 16, 2019 If you get the x4 as part of a HAL promotion, are the gratuities included? Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted May 16, 2019 #35 Share Posted May 16, 2019 58 minutes ago, grest said: If you get the x4 as part of a HAL promotion, are the gratuities included? Thanks. Yes, gratuities are included as part of the perk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TAD2005 Posted May 16, 2019 #36 Share Posted May 16, 2019 We got the 1 liter bottles of water included with the SBP on the Eurodam. never billed any extra. We would also order 2 or 4 bottles at a time, if we had a shore excursion the next day. No problem. So, if you do find out that only the 500ml bottles are included on your ship, just ask for 4 of them. No big deal, because water and sodas are not included in your 15 drink daily limit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jammu2 Posted May 16, 2019 #37 Share Posted May 16, 2019 (edited) Make sure they ring them up separately. If you ring up 4 at once, you get charged for 3! We got lectured several times; "one at a time per card!" Ask a bartender to explain what you can and can not do. Thats what we did. It seems ships are different. It's not foolproof! But at least you have a strong case when you are standing there at guest services the next day. Edited May 16, 2019 by Jammu2 Spelling etc Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KroozNut Posted May 17, 2019 #38 Share Posted May 17, 2019 17 hours ago, TAD2005 said: We got the 1 liter bottles of water included with the SBP on the Eurodam. never billed any extra. We would also order 2 or 4 bottles at a time, if we had a shore excursion the next day. No problem. Same here on Eurodam last December. 🙂 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquahound Posted September 21, 2019 #39 Share Posted September 21, 2019 So I've read time and time again that the SBP covers drinks up to $11. Yet, I just booked a cruise 2 weeks ago, got the SBP, and the booking confirmation I got from HAL says $9. Is this yet another HAL IT SNAFU, or is it actually $9? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted September 21, 2019 #40 Share Posted September 21, 2019 It covers drinks to $11. Yes, HAL is way behind on getting the info out, for some unknown reason. And yes, it has been explained here dozens and dozens of times. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquahound Posted September 21, 2019 #41 Share Posted September 21, 2019 I've missed the dozens of explanations regarding the guest confirmation email. I apologize. But thanks for confirming. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted September 21, 2019 #42 Share Posted September 21, 2019 On 5/16/2019 at 12:32 PM, grest said: If you get the x4 as part of a HAL promotion, are the gratuities included? Thanks. On 5/16/2019 at 1:31 PM, Fouremco said: Yes, gratuities are included as part of the perk. They USED to be included, now it depends on the promotion. On the last one which included the SBP, they were not included. Nor were they on another cruise I had with SBP. On the current promotion they are included but there is no drink package - instead there is OBC. You really need to check the terms and conditions of each promotion as they are not constant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cruisingnana Posted September 21, 2019 #43 Share Posted September 21, 2019 Do both passengers have to purchase same package? I might be interested in the quench package but my husband already has drinks in the casino. Can I just buy the quench package for myself? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fouremco Posted September 21, 2019 #44 Share Posted September 21, 2019 2 hours ago, kazu said: They USED to be included, now it depends on the promotion. On the last one which included the SBP, they were not included. Nor were they on another cruise I had with SBP. On the current promotion they are included but there is no drink package - instead there is OBC. You really need to check the terms and conditions of each promotion as they are not constant. Good point. Even though my post was accurate at the time it was written, things can change quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquahound Posted September 21, 2019 #45 Share Posted September 21, 2019 (edited) 2 hours ago, kazu said: They USED to be included, now it depends on the promotion. On the last one which included the SBP, they were not included. Nor were they on another cruise I had with SBP. On the current promotion they are included but there is no drink package - instead there is OBC. You really need to check the terms and conditions of each promotion as they are not constant. The promotion I received was $140 per person on top of the normal booking price. Nowhere in it or on my documents does it even mention gratuities. Nor was I charged gratuities upon final payment. Am I to assume they were included or will there be a gratuity fee added to my on-board spending account? I'm good either way because it was a good deal, but it would just be nice to know. Edited September 21, 2019 by Aquahound Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlorenceItaly Posted September 21, 2019 #46 Share Posted September 21, 2019 3 minutes ago, Aquahound said: The promotion I received was $140 per person on top of the normal booking price. Nowhere in it or on my documents does it even mention gratuities. Nor was I charged gratuities upon final payment. Am I to assume they were included or will there be a gratuity fee added to my on-board spending account? I'm good either way because it was a good deal, but it would just be nice to know. Great deal! I am noticing this lately on cruises booked after final payment. I hope they keep it up as next Fall I hope to book after final payment. I am seeing quite a few good deals but we are already booked on the 51 day Tales of South Pacific later next month. We are use to a drink package with Celebrity and am really going to miss it on our upcoming cruise. We've ordered some hard liquor for the cabin, and will carry on wine. I imagine we will still have a BIG bar bill, lol. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted September 21, 2019 #47 Share Posted September 21, 2019 1 hour ago, Aquahound said: The promotion I received was $140 per person on top of the normal booking price. Nowhere in it or on my documents does it even mention gratuities. Nor was I charged gratuities upon final payment. Am I to assume they were included or will there be a gratuity fee added to my on-board spending account? I'm good either way because it was a good deal, but it would just be nice to know. I’m not sure what your $140 pp is? OBC? But, if gratuities are not mentioned, it’s my experience they are not paid by HAL. But, gratuities are never charged with final payment. They are charged daily when you are on board and are part of your final bill for charges incurred on the ship. I hope this makes sense. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted September 21, 2019 #48 Share Posted September 21, 2019 2 hours ago, cruisingnana said: Do both passengers have to purchase same package? I might be interested in the quench package but my husband already has drinks in the casino. Can I just buy the quench package for myself? Most of the beverage packages have the requirement that both occupants in the stateroom must purchase it. I haven’t bought the quench package so I went to check and that is indeed the case. Directly from the HAL site for purchasing: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trigre Posted September 21, 2019 #49 Share Posted September 21, 2019 We are going on the Nieuw Amsterdam in October. I purchased the drink package and have recently printed out my boarding pass and luggage tags. I dont see anywhere on anything a mention that I purchased the drink package. Should it say somewhere that it was purchased? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare kazu Posted September 21, 2019 #50 Share Posted September 21, 2019 2 minutes ago, trigre said: We are going on the Nieuw Amsterdam in October. I purchased the drink package and have recently printed out my boarding pass and luggage tags. I dont see anywhere on anything a mention that I purchased the drink package. Should it say somewhere that it was purchased? No, it won’t be there. Log in to your booking and click on “my itinerary” and it should show on your embarkation day. It doesn’t hurt to bring a print out of that or the email from HAL confirming your purchase with you - in case. Once you see all is good, it can go in recycling on board. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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