4* wine pkg

[Crusin-Suzan]

If you order the 3 wine pkg can it be delivered to your cabin?   And is it  half price for 4*?

[Nang]

Not half priced according to https://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/whats-new/why-to-join-holland-america-mariner-s ociety-loyalty-program/ 

[highscar]

Always paid half price for wine packages since becoming 4* years ago.  I have taken bottles to my cabin from the dining room.  

[sue1898]

54 minutes ago, Nang said:

Not half priced according to https://www.hollandamerica.com/blog/whats-new/why-to-join-holland-america-mariner-s ociety-loyalty-program/ 

This is the current info https://www.hollandamerica.com/en_US/mariner-society.html

[Real NHDOC]

The discount has been 50% off for 4* and 5* Mariners for at least several years now. I have discovered that if you pre-buy the package online before the cruise you receive a full 50% off the price paid as an onboard credit to your cabin account (which includes 18% gratuities) but if you purchase on the ship they give the discount only on the price of the package and add 18% of the full price for gratuities so it is advantageous to preorder it. Maybe it’s just a glitch in their system but that’s what’s happened on all of my recent cruises. 
 

This same glitch happened with specialty dining that was preordered. We received the 50% discount in OBC based on the full purchase price, which included gratuities.  These OBCs are refundable if you don’t use them up during the cruise too so you don’t need to spend it. 

Edited March 11, 2023 by Real NHDOC

[Real NHDOC]

And yes, you can order wine off the package from room service and they will deliver a bottle to your cabin. 

[boatmad]

We had 6 bottle package last month and it was 50% off.  Not sure if 3 bottle package is included.  We ordered in mdr, but could take bottles with us.

[highscar]

Yes. My six bottle was billed Half price in January. Ordered at dinner table first night. 

[DaveOKC]

2 hours ago, Crusin-Suzan said:

If you order the 3 wine pkg can it be delivered to your cabin?   And is it  half price for 4*?

Now 4 bottle minimum.

[VMax1700]

Yes 50% discount from the package price plus 18% gratuity which is charged on the full value, so

(Package Price - 50%) + (package price x 0.18) = billed amount.

 

[MAVIP]

3 hours ago, VMax1700 said:

Yes 50% discount from the package price plus 18% gratuity which is charged on the full value, so

(Package Price - 50%) + (package price x 0.18) = billed amount.

 

Colin, I had a discussion with the HD about this, because I thought it was a mistake that we got 50% reduction on the price of the 8 bottle package INCLUDING the 18%. The answer was that they got too many complaints and decided to skip the method you mention.  IMO the work for personnel is the same.....

[USN59-79]

18 minutes ago, MAVIP said:

Colin, I had a discussion with the HD about this, because I thought it was a mistake that we got 50% reduction on the price of the 8 bottle package INCLUDING the 18%. The answer was that they got too many complaints and decided to skip the method you mention.  IMO the work for personnel is the same.....

Not sure if I understand this.  If the list price is say $200, does that mean that the actual list price is $236?  And 50% off for a 4/5* would be $136?  I think that I the way I was charged when I cruised pre-pandemic.

Ray

[MAVIP]

11 minutes ago, USN59-79 said:

Not sure if I understand this.  If the list price is say $200, does that mean that the actual list price is $236?  And 50% off for a 4/5* would be $136?  I think that I the way I was charged when I cruised pre-pandemic.

Ray

Pre pandemic we paid f.e. the € 136 you mention (Service changed in the meantime from 15 to 18%).

In you example we paid € 118 on the Rotterdam last year (one of three cruises we did not buy HIA). 

Edited March 11, 2023 by MAVIP
a had to be e in example

[SilvertoGold]

51 minutes ago, USN59-79 said:

Not sure if I understand this.  If the list price is say $200, does that mean that the actual list price is $236?  And 50% off for a 4/5* would be $136?  I think that I the way I was charged when I cruised pre-pandemic.

Ray

This is how we have been charged always.  Price $200 x 18% = $236 - 50% of price (50% of $200 = $100) = $136 to charge.

 

If all ship do it the"new" way it should be $200 - 50% = $100 + 18% = $118

 

We will be happy if our ship does it this new way :) About time, too.

[USN59-79]

I am very surprised that HAL actually reduced the price on something.  I guess they got tired of saying to their Mariners "Yeah, you get your 50% discount, but we are going to charge you a 36% gratuity charge on top of that."

Ray

[Real NHDOC]

On 3/11/2023 at 7:17 PM, USN59-79 said:

I am very surprised that HAL actually reduced the price on something.  I guess they got tired of saying to their Mariners "Yeah, you get your 50% discount, but we are going to charge you a 36% gratuity charge on top of that."

Ray

I bought an 8 bottle cellar 1 package last week on Rotterdam and it was still discounted the old way (1.18 x $219=$258.42 - $109.50 = $148.92). When I pre ordered them I received the full discount of 50% off what I prepaid (1.18X$219 = $258.42 - $129.21=$129.21) so it seems like no change was made to the way the discount is applied to packages purchased on this ship (unless you preorder it). 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Real NHDOC

[USN59-79]

On the HAL website it lists a price and doesn't mention that it includes the gratuity.  They list the 8-bottle cellar package at $258.42, so now I know that is the price with gratuity.  I am boarding the Westerdam soon so I will order a package from home and see how they handle it.  

Ray

[Real NHDOC]

13 hours ago, USN59-79 said:

On the HAL website it lists a price and doesn't mention that it includes the gratuity.  They list the 8-bottle cellar package at $258.42, so now I know that is the price with gratuity.  I am boarding the Westerdam soon so I will order a package from home and see how they handle it.  

Ray

Yes, those preorder prices include the 18% gratuities, just like the specialty restaurant prices.  Incidentally they do the same quirky thing with their restaurant discount as they do with the wine packages (they refund 50% of the full amount paid including tips). So you pay less for those too if you prebook them. 

[KAKcruiser]

Do they charge sales tax if you preorder?  I remember in the old days they would wait until the ship was at sea to run the charges for the wine packages so you didn't have to pay sales tax.

[USN59-79]

I noticed you have a choice of having it delivered either on embarkation or the first sea day and either in the dining room or your cabin.  We are embarking in Yokohama, so no worry about city taxes, but it might be an issue in some U.S. ports.

Ray

[Real NHDOC]

18 hours ago, USN59-79 said:

I noticed you have a choice of having it delivered either on embarkation or the first sea day and either in the dining room or your cabin.  We are embarking in Yokohama, so no worry about city taxes, but it might be an issue in some U.S. ports.

Ray

Delivery is a misnomer. There is nothing to deliver except a note saying you bought the package. You order wine by the bottle as you want it. They will give it to you at any restaurant or room service will send a bottle (or more) directly to your cabin but the package is just the right to receive the certain number of bottles during the cruise. I always buy package 1 because we like the wine from it but more often than not they will substitute wine from the other packages or the wine list if you ask nicely. For example we often get the St. Michelle brut sparkling wine on our package even though it’s only on the wine list. Just ask for something else if you want it. Most times they are happy to accommodate you. 

[Real NHDOC]

19 hours ago, KAKcruiser said:

Do they charge sales tax if you preorder?  I remember in the old days they would wait until the ship was at sea to run the charges for the wine packages so you didn't have to pay sales tax.

Never been charged tax on any wine from the package. Only on cocktails when in port. I think because they charge the package either before or after the port calls specifically to avoid it. 

Edited March 17, 2023 by Real NHDOC

[Sea42]

5 minutes ago, Real NHDOC said:

Delivery is a misnomer. There is nothing to deliver except a note saying you bought the package. You order wine by the bottle as you want it. They will give it to you at any restaurant or room service will send a bottle (or more) directly to your cabin but the package is just the right to receive the certain number of bottles during the cruise. I always buy package 1 because we like the wine from it but more often than not they will substitute wine from the other packages or the wine list if you ask nicely. For example we often get the St. Michelle brut sparkling wine on our package even though it’s only on the wine list. Just ask for something else if you want it. Most times they are happy to accommodate you. 

In the past, we have picked our wines and had them all delivered to our cabin at one time.

[Real NHDOC]

1 minute ago, Sea42 said:

In the past, we have picked our wines and had them all delivered to our cabin at one time.

You certainly can do that if you want but the preorder page asks where and when you want the package delivered. That doesn’t mean you physically receive anything other than the card. 

[Real NHDOC]

Your best friend on the ship is the cellar master. If you ask them for recommendations they can substitute wine or find bottles that are supposedly unavailable. For example on this cruise there isn’t any St. Michelle Riesling onboard. But we we able to get the Eroica and Long Shadows Riesling on our package 1 and both are considered premium wines. The long shadows is $64 on the wine list so quite a nice upgrade.