Beverage Packages

[lumpkin8]

Cannot find anything on HAL website regarding beverage packages.  Does anyone have a link with prices, or know how I can find it?   Also any menu links?  I will be sailing in March 2021 on the Niew Amsterdam.

 

Thanks.

 

[seachef318]

Log into your account on HAL website and choose “already booked”.  Register Yourself and you’ll find all you available beverage packages, laundry, shore excursions etc for the trip.  
 

menus can be found at 
http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/  Because roger is an awesome person who has done all this for us!  He is currently on NS and will be updating soon as well. 
 

hope that helps! Happy sailing! 

[CruiserBruce]

A little search on the board would find dozens of threads, including:

 

 

 

[TAD2005]

Quick and easy.  2 Packages, the Signature Beverage Package (SBP) and the Elite Beverage Package (EBP).

SBP.... Purchased before the cruise, online, $51.70 per day which includes the 15% gratuity.  Any drink priced $11 MENU PRICE or lower is included.  There's a 15 ALCOHOLIC drink daily limit.  however, you get unlimited sodas, 500 ml bottles of water and specialty coffees.  If you wait to buy the SBP onboard, it will cost you $63.20 per day including 15% SC.

 

The EBP, elite package, costs $68.95 per day including 15% SC and it is the same price purchased online or onboard.  This package is the same as the SBP except your per drink menu price is $15.

 

With both packages, the 15% bar service charge has already been paid, so the only price you have to worry about when determining if your drink is included in the package is the menu price.  Don't sweat the SC.

 

You can order doubles or even triples of any drink, and it just counts as 2 or 3 of your daily 15.   Mixed drinks that have 2 or more alcohols (Long Island Ice Tea, Zombie, Wang Wang for example) are still counted as ONE drink.  Unless you are crazy and order a DOUBLE ZOMBIE.  But when you do that, you also get a personal escort back to your cabin by 2 very strong waiters holding you up.   Mixed drinks like a Rum & Coke, vodka & tonic  count as one drink.  Mixers of any kind are included, and no charge for the fruit and shrimp on your Bloody Mary.   You can use call brands for your mixed drink,  such as a Grey Goose Martini.  The price will be the menu price of a single shot of that beverage, the mixers are free.  The after dinner cordials in the MDR which include a souvenir glass still count as one drink.  We get one after every dinner, and we have cabinets full of those little glasses.  Never got an extra charge if you take the glass home.

 

Beverages in your cabin fridge are not included in either package.  Same for drinks on HMC and bottle of water sold at the gangway when leaving for a shore excursion.   If you want water or soda in your cabin, stop by any bar and order a few bottles or cans of soda and take then back with you.  No limit of water or sodas.  .

 

Both packages automatically include the Quench beverage package, which gets you unlimited sodas, bottled water, still and bubbly, 330 ml or 500 ml, and all specialty coffees, teas and hot chocolate that do not contain a shot of alcohol.  If you want a little extra kick in your hot chocolate, that is covered by both packages, but it will count towards your daily 15.   

 

In both packages, both guests over 18 years in a cabin must buy the same package.  This prevents drink sharing.   If DW or DH does not drink alcohol  and you do, you can try to get a note from a doctor on letterhead, stating your medical condition that by consuming alcohol would be hazardous to your health.   This has worked for some people, no guarantees.  

Edited December 13, 2019 by TAD2005

[LuAnn]

6 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

Quick and easy.  2 Packages, the Signature Beverage Package (SBP) and the Elite Beverage Package (EBP).

SBP.... Purchased before the cruise, online, $51.70 per day which includes the 15% gratuity.  Any drink priced $11 MENU PRICE or lower is included.  There's a 15 ALCOHOLIC drink daily limit.  however, you get unlimited sodas, 500 ml bottles of water and specialty coffees.  If you wait to buy the SBP onboard, it will cost you $63.20 per day including 15% SC.

 

The elite package, costs $68.95 per day including 15% SC and it is the same price purchased online or onboard.  This package is the same as the SBP except your per drink menu price is $15.

 

With both packages, the 15% bar service charge has already been paid, so the only price you have to worry about when determining if your drink is included in the package is the menu price.  Don't sweat the SC.

 

You can order doubles or even triples of any drink, and it just counts as 2 or 3 of your daily 15.   Mixed drinks that have 2 or more alcohols (Long Island Ice Tea, Zombie, Wang Wang for example) are still counted as ONE drink.  Unless you are crazy and order a DOUBLE ZOMBIE.  But when you do that, you also get a personal escort back to your cabin by 2 very strong waiters holding you up.   Mixed drinks like a Rum & Coke, vodka & tonic  count as one drink.  Mixers of any kind are included, and no charge for the fruit and shrimp on your Bloody Mary.   You can use call brands for your mixed drink,  such as a Grey Goose Martini.  The price will be the menu price of a single shot of that beverage, the mixers are free.  The after dinner cordials in the MDR which include a souvenir glass still count as one drink.  We get one after every dinner, and we have cabinets full of those little glasses.  Never got an extra charge if you take the glass home.

 

Beverages in your cabin fridge are not included in either package.  Same for drinks on HMC and bottle of water sold at the gangway when leaving for a shore excursion.   If you want water or soda in your cabin, stop by any bar and order a few bottles or cans of soda and take then back with you.  No limit of water or sodas.  .

 

Both packages automatically include the Quench beverage package, which gets you unlimited sodas, bottled water, still and bubbly, 330 ml or 500 ml, and all specialty coffees, teas and hot chocolate that do not contain a shot of alcohol.  If you want a little kick in your hot chocolate, that is covered by both packages, but it will count towards your daily 15.   

 

In both packages, both guests over 18 years in a cabin must buy the same package.  This prevents drink sharing.   If DW or DH does not drink alcohol  and you do, you can try to get a note from a doctor on letterhead, stating your medical condition that by consuming alcohol would be hazardous to your health.   This has worked for some people, no guarantees.  

 

Thanks so much for this detailed info!!! Do both people have to up-grade or can just one?

[TAD2005]

Both must have the same package, so both must upgrade to Elite if that is your choice.   

[fatcat04]

From US ports at least this is what HAL says concerning both having the same package when prepurchasing online. In the US, the age is 21. 

 

 If a Signature Beverage Package or Elite Beverage Package is purchased before your cruise, each guest over 21 years of age who is booked in the same stateroom must also purchase the same package. If this package is not purchased for each guest prior to the cruise, the stateroom account will be charged for the guests who have not purchased the package

[TAD2005]

7 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

From US ports at least this is what HAL says concerning both having the same package when prepurchasing online. In the US, the age is 21. 

 

 If a Signature Beverage Package or Elite Beverage Package is purchased before your cruise, each guest over 21 years of age who is booked in the same stateroom must also purchase the same package. If this package is not purchased for each guest prior to the cruise, the stateroom account will be charged for the guests who have not purchased the package

You are correct.  If two people are in a cabin, and one decides to go online and buy the SBP or EBP, but the other does not, then when you board the ship, you will see a cabin account charge for the purchase onboard price of the package for the person who did not pre-purchase online.   

[sevenseasnomad]

22 minutes ago, TAD2005 said:

You are correct.  If two people are in a cabin, and one decides to go online and buy the SBP or EBP, but the other does not, then when you board the ship, you will see a cabin account charge for the purchase onboard price of the package for the person who did not pre-purchase online.   

Learned this the hard way.  Was cruising two years ago with my brother, who enjoys his alcohol.  I don't indulge at all.  After we boarded, he signed us up for one of the packages.  When he told me he'd bought the package for both of us @ what he understood to be $50 total, I thought, okay, no big deal.  Imagine my shock when I checked my onboard account the second day and saw a charge of over $400.  My brother, who could not afford that charge, explained his misunderstanding to the Front Desk.  They removed the charge from both of our accounts and charged him for each of the eight alcoholic beverages he'd consumed up to that point.  When he saw that amount, he cut back drastically on his consumption.  In hindsight, it's funny.  At the time, not so much so.

[luv2kroooz]

Hi. So, I'm coming over from NCL where everything is fee here, fee there, service charge here, service charge there. If I am booking a fare that is cruise plus beverage package for one price, am I charged an additional service charge? I did a mock booking and am being charged the base fare for the cruise + bevaerage package and then taxes and fees, as expected.  Thank you! I did try to search under beverage package and then beverage AND package, but I find the search function pretty clunky!!

[sevenseasnomad]

2 minutes ago, blcruising said:

Hi. So, I'm coming over from NCL where everything is fee here, fee there, service charge here, service charge there. If I am booking a fare that is cruise plus beverage package for one price, am I charged an additional service charge? I did a mock booking and am being charged the base fare for the cruise + bevaerage package and then taxes and fees, as expected.  Thank you! I did try to search under beverage package and then beverage AND package, but I find the search function pretty clunky!!

Welcome to HAL's website!  Fortunately, the dam ships are vastly superior to the dam website.

[snowcitizen]

9 minutes ago, blcruising said:

 If I am booking a fare that is cruise plus beverage package for one price, am I charged an additional service charge? 

 

They will cover the service charge, you will not be charged anything extra.

[crystalspin]

2 hours ago, blcruising said:

Hi...If I am booking a fare that is cruise plus beverage package for one price, am I charged an additional service charge? 

If you have a promotional with beverage package (normally the Signature BP), the gratuity is included. AND if you are buying your own beverage package -- you are charged for the gratuity at the time. No surprise billing! yay.

 

If you have the SBP as a promo, but you want to upgrade it to the Elite package (benefit of more/better wines and high-end Scotch & tequilas) -- do it onboard before you have had anything to drink off the SBP. Go to any bartender (not server) and if that one says they can't do it, go to another bar. You will pay the difference PLUS the difference in gratuity, for everyday of the cruise.

 

Many have upgraded by this procedure, although I have not as I am not that picky about my wine, I can always find something I can drink for dinner -- especially after a couple of boat drinks in the afternoon!

[BatchawanaBabe]

Don't forget that you're allowed to bring a bottle of wine per adult on Holland America ships which we appreciated since most cruise lines don't allow this.  Also, during Happy Hour which is usually 4-6 pm and sometimes 11 pm, the second drink is an additional $2.  Since we're not big drinkers, it worked out well for us and much cheaper than a pricey beverage package.  Also, it's nice to have a local specialty drink in port which you'd have to pay for anyway.  The screening on the Konigsdam wasn't the greatest coming in from our excursion - we had 2 bottles of liqueur in our bag and nobody noticed.

[lumpkin8]

 I had booked thru a whole ship charter, so no HAL online registration available yet.  And searching the cruise critic threads did not get me the answer without reading thru pages and pages of posts. 

 

I appreciate all the detail from Tad2005 and the menus from Seachef318, plus all the other info from others in the answers. 

 

 

[rucrazy]

How does crew know you have purchased a beverage package?? Sticker on key card? if so is it already attached at embarkation check in?

 

TIA 

 

Joseph

[fatcat04]

If you buy online prior to sailing, your key card will have your beverage package listed on it. I think if you buy onboard you can go have your key card remade at the front desk to signify your beverage package. If you don't do that, I am sure they have some way of knowing. 

 

We have bought our beverage packages online before but I'll be able to tell you more about buying onboard in a few weeks as we will be using onboard credit to pay for our beverage packages.

[rucrazy]

12 minutes ago, fatcat04 said:

If you buy online prior to sailing, your key card will have your beverage package listed on it. 

 

Yes we pre-purchased SBP.. Good to know it's lazered into the card. and not a sticker...

Thank you.

[TAD2005]

The existence of the SBP or EBP on your account is in the computers.   The waiters don't have to do anything.  when they swipe your card at the terminal, the computer knows you have the package and the price of the drink you ordered.  If the drink is covered under the package, nothing happens, your daily tally is reduced by one, and that is the end of the transaction.  Usually, no receipt is generated unless you ask for it.   If the drink you ordered is above the $11 or $15 package limits ( menu price), then your cabin account is charged for the full amount of the drink, plus 15%.  With HAL, if your drink exceeds your package limit, in price, or if you exceed your daily 15,  your account is hit.  You cannot pay just the difference between $11 or $15 and the drink cost, you pay the full price.

If you pre-purchase the package or it is included in your fare, you will see SBP printed on your key card.   If you purchase the package onboard, some ships have the ability to reprint your cabin key card, others will put a sticker on the card. 

Back years ago, the beverage package was the same price, purchased onboard or online, before your cruise.   Then, after 2016, HAL started charging a $5 penalty to purchase onboard.  Now, that is raised to $10 per day, plus 15% if you purchase onboard.   The reason is that HAL would prefer you use your own cash to buy the package, not the free OBC that you received from HAL.  They would prefer that you use the OBC for much higher markup items like shops, photography, shore excursions, etc.  

[LuAnn]

And the 15 limit per day only applies to drinks with alcohol right?

[rucrazy]

59 minutes ago, LuAnn said:

And the 15 limit per day only applies to drinks with alcohol right?

That is my understanding as well.

[TAD2005]

2 hours ago, LuAnn said:

And the 15 limit per day only applies to drinks with alcohol right?

Yes,  HAL's FAQ's state that both "adult" beverage packages also include their "Quench" package.   The Quench package includes unlimited sodas (in cans), bottles of water (500 ML) and specialty coffees, tea and hot chocolate that do not contain a shot of alcohol.  So, yes, unlimited non-alcoholic beverages.

[fatcat04]

On 12/13/2019 at 3:23 PM, rucrazy said:

How does crew know you have purchased a beverage package?? Sticker on key card? if so is it already attached at embarkation check in?

 

TIA 

 

Joseph

Just as an update, we just used our OBC last week on NA to buy the Elite Bev Pkg onboard at the lido pool bar and yes, they slapped a sticker on our cabin cards that said "EBP." It is also obviously keyed into the system because even when dh's sticker faded, he had no issues.

Edited January 15, 2020 by fatcat04