How does one sign up for "Notes" on Koningsdam?

[shiner6]

After searching The Navigator for information, I am still in the dark. I know you experienced HAL cruisers can provide the information.

I am very interested in signing up for this as a surprise for my Hubby.  We depart this Saturday.  Does it fill up quickly? Should I make it a priority when we board? Thanks in advance.  Any other advice or tips are also appreciated, as this is our first HAL cruise. 

[fsdj1097]

2 hours ago, shiner6 said:

After searching The Navigator for information, I am still in the dark. I know you experienced HAL cruisers can provide the information.

I am very interested in signing up for this as a surprise for my Hubby.  We depart this Saturday.  Does it fill up quickly? Should I make it a priority when we board? Thanks in advance.  Any other advice or tips are also appreciated, as this is our first HAL cruise. 

When we were onboard Koningsdam two weeks ago, we were able to just walk down to Notes, no reservation was required.  During the entire week, we rarely saw anyone there.  But, I'm sure it varies from week to week.  In fact, we had to ask one of the nearby bar tenders to contact 'Archie' who was quickly available to assist us.  Archie also conducts the mixology classes onboard Koningsdam.

[Unlvswezel]

Notes is very odd. It sometimes operates as a bar, others it’s an activity location. There are usually a handful of tastings that’s offered through the week. I would typically order a glass of Blantons while watching Billboard Onbaord and the Notes staff were able to help. Just a heads up, some but not all the whiskeys at notes are covered by the signature or ultimate beverage package.

[Steelrz]

On 6/27/2022 at 3:08 PM, Unlvswezel said:

Notes is very odd. It sometimes operates as a bar, others it’s an activity location. There are usually a handful of tastings that’s offered through the week. I would typically order a glass of Blantons while watching Billboard Onbaord and the Notes staff were able to help. Just a heads up, some but not all the whiskeys at notes are covered by the signature or ultimate beverage package.

@Unlvswezel, were you on one of the beverage plans?  If so, can you give me an idea of what whiskey was covered by the plan?

[0106]

Here is the bar menu.  Drinks $11 and under are covered by the beverage plan.  https://rogerjett-photography.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Bar-Menu-2021.pdf

[iceman93]

Notes was one of the big disappointments on my current NS cruise.  My wife and I were really looking forward to the near-daily tastings, but after the first couple we realized the bartender running them had no real education or experience in whiskey.  He was reading notes from a mobile phone and was unable to answer even basic questions from the other guests.

 

I still think it's a really neat idea you want to surprise your husband with this, but just go in knowing that if he knows anything at all about whiskey, he won't be learning anything at the tastings.

[BigMattT]

On 7/30/2022 at 6:19 PM, iceman93 said:

Notes was one of the big disappointments on my current NS cruise.  My wife and I were really looking forward to the near-daily tastings, but after the first couple we realized the bartender running them had no real education or experience in whiskey.  He was reading notes from a mobile phone and was unable to answer even basic questions from the other guests.

 

I still think it's a really neat idea you want to surprise your husband with this, but just go in knowing that if he knows anything at all about whiskey, he won't be learning anything at the tastings.

 

I'm so sorry to hear Notes was a disappointment on NS.  In contrast: it was our favorite experience on the Koningsdam in October. Had a wonderfully educated leader of tastings, who seemed very passionate about production methods, aging, regions.

 

It's also a pretty darn good collection. We participate in tastings and flight offerings regularly when we travel, and we were introduced to three new Asian whisky products on that cruise which we now stock at our bar at home.

 

FYI - the standard bar menu does not include the selections at Notes. Many of the "tasting" pours are covered by the $15 limit on the Elite package. The bottles in stock seem to change though.