Is The HIA Plan Worth The Cost

[mcrcruiser]

We do not ever get the HIA plan  because we do not thing it is  worth the money . We are not   drinkers .The lemon aid & ice tea & coffee  suits us just fine & we gladly pay our gratuities  as billed . so why do you but that HIA plan ?

[Hlitner]

I guess the quick answer is because we do drink, both adult and other beverages.  We also like having some kind of Internet plan.  Is it truly worth the cost?  Ask me in a few months.

 

Hank

[CurlerRob]

2 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We do not ever get the HIA plan  because we do not thing it is  worth the money . We are not   drinkers .The lemon aid & ice tea & coffee  suits us just fine & we gladly pay our gratuities  as billed . so why do you but that HIA plan ?

 

That's fine if it suits your preferences.

 

On our December cruise the HIA was as below. I did the math - for us it made sense, as we use all of the inclusions (gratuities were not in our HIA). For others, this may not be the case. 🍺🥌

 

Special Services Description

7-Day Surf Wifi HIA Promo
Signature Beverage Pkg HIA Promo
Shore Excursion Discount HIA
1 Night Spec Dining HIA Promo
$1 Reduced Deposit

1: Shore Excursion offer: Choose one shore excursion per guest (up to $100 value per tour). Shore excursions are available to pre-reserve or may be booked onboard.
2: 1 Night Spec Dining, reservations and dining times are available to pre-reserve or may be booked onboard.

[FlaMariner]

2 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We do not ever get the HIA plan  because we do not thing it is  worth the money .

 

We can never create a positive business case with the "have it all" promo.....I've done the math many times.

 

We are fine with the free coffee and tea.  We certainly do not need the internet.  We rarely/never go to a surcharge restaurant.  My Mariner discount on the wine package takes care of our drinking. So the math does not come out positive for us.

 

I'm glad we have choices...and YMMV. 

 

 

[billbunger]

If you don't drink, surf the web get and send email, don’t do specialty restaurants or only occasionally go to them and don’t or rarely do shore excursions then HIA is not for you.  

By all means go with the lowest fare you can. I firmly believe that for the majority of cruisers who do want or are interested in those choices that the HIA offers can be a money saver but, you need to check out each offer as HAL continuously adds or subtracts from their HIA promotions. As I stated in another thread we did the math and it does work out much cheaper for our cruise of choice than the offered low price when you add the costs of the extras to that low price point. 
 

Below is a quote from a message I sent in the thread I mentioned. The cruise I’m referring to is the 27 day Vancouver to Fort Lauderdale October 1 - 28, 2023 sailing. 
 

We checked the lowest (best) fare and the HIA package was a far better value. We ran a mini budget and if we each had five drinks a day, alcoholic or nonalcoholic based on $11.00 each plus 18% gratuity the cost for just those beverages alone would be just over $3,500 00 for the cruise. That would bring the cost of the “cheap” fare up to the HIA price! That  drink package with the other perks that you would normally pay for, such as shore excursions, specialty dinning and crew gratuities made the HIA package a no brainer. 
 

I firmly believe that HAL is positioning fares so they can turn to an all inclusive model and do away with all of the “other fares”  and have one single price. This is an excellent opportunity for them to compete with land based all inclusives. I suspect within a relatively short time you will see just one price offered to customers and not just on Holland America. 

[shack]

HIA was included in our excellent fare, though I wish it had included grat/crew appreciation.  Even if you only take advantage of half the HIA pkg it's worth it IMO.

 

Not big drinkers, but wine with meals is nice and strangely all the digestifs and after dinner drinks like cognac are under $11/pop.  Plus factor in the specialty dining,  coffees and even waters they take you to the woodshed on and HIA is 'found money'  IMHO.  Go with whatever floats your boat.

[DaveOKC]

On a future 11 day cruise and it cost us $500 pp for HIA.  Got back $200 pp in excursions and 2 dinners each, plus wifi, so I figure the breakeven drink cost is about $20 a day pp.  Good deal in this case.

 

[VermeulT]

For the 28 day Alaska 2024 it's $1540 right now to get HIA.  It includes - 3 specialty dinners, top wifi, 3 x $100 shore excursions, gratuities,  and upgraded drink package, plus mariners get $400 per cabin OBC.

 

We don't drink much.  Wifi typically not needed but with 14 sea days, wouldn't be bad to have.  In 28 days - having the specialty dinners will be a nice change of pace.  But if you do the math - $448 based on current non suite fee for gratuities, $300 shore excursions. $100 in dinners, wifi they say is a $420 value... I'll put $50 on it as I could do without.  This leaves HIA cost to about $650 or $23 per day.  I'm willing to do that.  it's three "drinks"... it's having a soda if I feel like it... grab a water before going ashore... juice or specialty coffee outside of breakfast...

And that value doesn't even include the $400 OBC.

 

For the Caribbean in March 2023 which I'm considering... it's $400.  You get wifi, $100 shore excursion, 1 specialty dinner and drinks. For a 7 day cruise - I can do without wifi.  I'd be forcing myself to use the excursion credit.  The dinner would be nice. For me, the drinks would cost $35/day and I'd be forcing myself to drink 5 a day to break even.

 

SO in sum - It depends on the package and if you find the amenities of value to you.

To each their own.

[BobbiSox]

I agree that it's only a bargain if you have done the math and found it to be a bargain. If it's 'included', you really have no say in the matter, so just enjoy it! 

[firsttimer1971]

31 days cruise round South America, HIA was included.

Would I have bought it otherwise? 
Even though Gratuities were not included, I probably would have just because I like to have "peace of mind" and know what I have spent upfront. 

But as others have remarked: it all depends on your individual situation and preferences. 

[mcrcruiser]

Yes the HIA could be worth the cost id based on certain itineraries .About HAL including it in one price point ,I truly doubt that would happen because then they may not be competitive to another cruise line not including those perks

[scooter6139]

IMHO, it's all based on if you drink or not.  Internet will always be "meh" on a cruise ship, the dining is nice if you use it at Pinnacle or Tamarind, and the shore excursion is similar to everyone else's.

 

But it also depends on what it covers.  I think what the Signature Bev Package includes is pretty much garbage with it's 15 drinks per day limit on everything.  Compared to what other lines do for their basic drink package it's pretty weak.

 

 

[firsttimer1971]

59 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said:

About HAL including it in one price point ,I truly doubt that would happen because then they may not be competitive to another cruise line not including those perks

 

Well, this remark got me checking something. First of all, I am from the Netherlands and booked through the Dutch version of the Holland America website. So, I opened a VPN to the USA, went to the HA website again and searched for my cruise. 

And guess what: On the Dutch website the prices shown include the HIA, there is not option or choice for just the cruise without the HIA. And, as you know, on the website that you get to see in the USA you do have the option between just the cruise or the HIA included.

 

I did find out that I could have booked just the cruise on other websites from Travel Agents in the Netherlands. Crunced some numbers and still would have booked it with the HIA as we are going to do the excursions, will definitely want WiFi, love the speciality dinners and the beverage packages comes down to USD 26 per person for 15 drinks so that is a good deal in my eyes.

[scooter6139]

I usually like to book my own stuff and handle everything myself, but this time the PCC got us a great rate for our Alaska cruise using some hidden voodoo magic (and a special mariner rate we had on our account that we didn't know about). When poking around on several online booking sites, there were 4-5 (or even more) options per room, each with a different name.  HIA was just one.  I was so confused.  She was able to beat the pricing on every one. 😏

[mwj]

To each their own ... for us HIA isn't worth it, unless we book early and it includes gratuities as well.

We drink moderately, and a wine package will more than suffice.

We don't do a lot of HAL excursions, and so the excursion money may or may not be of value to us.

We don't NEED internet, although we will use it.

 

[crystalspin]

Worth it for us. 

[aa7yy]

Some of the positives can not really be "penciled out". If you don't drink it is almost always not worth it, but I wouldn't order a beer with my lunch if I had to pay $7-$8 for it. Now I often have a second one. Maybe an extra glass of wine at dinner and I would never order an after dinner drink if I had to pay. I have done the option where I buy the wine packages but that doesn't work well if you want a glass in maybe 4 different bars besides with dinner. My wife love her Chi Tea, not sure we would pay for it when you add on the gratuities. Specialty restaurants are a plus. Spent 7 weeks on the Rotterdam last summer and never ate in the MDR. Credit for Shore Excursions is little or no use as I avoid them. Wifi is a leading cause of frustration onboard.

[Crazy For Cats]

I’ve done the math on this a few times.  I find that without gratuity it’s borderline at best.  We typically drink during happy hour so those prices are reduced.  I also consider our discount for specialty dinners.  You if your excursion is cancelled and there are no replacements then that $100 is lost.  I booked our next cruise while on the NA without HIA and since it was during the Black Friday sale we have gratuity and ship board credit.  

[AFNavigator]

8 minutes ago, Crazy For Cats said:

I’ve done the math on this a few times.  I find that without gratuity it’s borderline at best.  We typically drink during happy hour so those prices are reduced.  I also consider our discount for specialty dinners.  You if your excursion is cancelled and there are no replacements then that $100 is lost.  I booked our next cruise while on the NA without HIA and since it was during the Black Friday sale we have gratuity and ship board credit.  

A couple of subjective factors to consider, beyond simple dollar cost, are experience broadening and peace of mind.  I find myself trying new things from the bar menus that I otherwise probably wouldn't get if I was paying by the drink.  If I don't like that drink, no great loss, I get something else next time.  I also find myself shopping shore excursions that I probably wouldn't consider if I was paying by excursion outside the plan.  From the peace of mind standpoint, I like just handing over my card each drink purchase without worrying about how much of a bill I'm running up each day.

[firsttimer1971]

55 minutes ago, AFNavigator said:

A couple of subjective factors to consider, beyond simple dollar cost, are experience broadening and peace of mind.  

 

I completely agree with you, I love the peace of mind and my wife and I have decided that we are going to try each cocktail on the menu at least once (31-day trip so time enough), something that we otherwise probably would not have done. 

[albingirl]

I can live without it.  On long cruises, we just go to happy hours or buy the wine package.  It seems to me that when we buy it, I drink more alcohol than usual.  Find me someone who doesn't and I'll eat my hat.

[EatonDoolittle]

 

 

I don't have a lot of interest or credibility in these YouTubers (spoken as someone who actually worked for a living, and never videoed myself doing it...) , but this was in my feed, and he breaks it down quite well. 

 

As others have said, you'll need to figure it out for your particular wants and needs. 

[Dutchman48]

22 hours ago, mcrcruiser said:

We do not ever get the HIA plan  because we do not thing it is  worth the money . We are not   drinkers .The lemon aid & ice tea & coffee  suits us just fine & we gladly pay our gratuities  as billed . so why do you but that HIA plan ?

We do the math and for some of us it is not. Unless you drink it usually is not the best offer.

On an upcoming cruise we opted for HIA while our travel companions chose not to. Since only one of them drinks it was cheaper to by wi-fi and the other perks than taking the package.

[scooter6139]

Sorry, another HAL noob question, but where on the website does it show you have the HIA plan?  Our Booking Confirmation email does, but wondering why I can't find it anywhere when Managing My booking?  (I wanted to upgrade from Signature to Elite Bev and our PCC said that wasn't possible until we were on board which I find suspect). 

[HALcruiser2001]

It is correct upgrade to Elite, must be done on board.  According to multiple threads here.

I also have not seen HIA on Navigator or Web, just confirmation on purchase.