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Have it all package drink questions

motravelerken

By motravelerken,
in Holland America Line

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motravelerken

motravelerken

Posted
Posted

Heading out on July 16th from Vancouver to Whittier on the Nieuw Amsterdam. We have the Have it all package which includes drinks. Just trying to confirm some of the things I have read on here. It seems like we get 15 drinks a day. This includes basically anything but coffee, tea and water. I am hearing (??) it includes bottled water, soda, specialty coffee, alcohol (wine, beer, and cocktails)? Some said that it might even include milkshakes? I am totally new to HAL. Never been on an HAL cruise and not many cruises period. How do the bartenders and wait staff know that you have this package? And how do they keep count when you reach your 15 drinks (not that I will likely even get close).? I have a party of 8 that I am traveling with and I am the information gatherer. 

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yerdua

yerdua

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Thr water that's included is in the pop top cans only. HIA will be printed pn the upper corner of your key card. You need to keep track of your drink count yourself. If you order a drink priced higher than the $11 limit you will be charged the difference plus the 18% gratuity on that difference. Below $11, the gratuity is included in the package.

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rodndonna

rodndonna

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15 minutes ago, yerdua said:

Thr water that's included is in the pop top cans only. HIA will be printed pn the upper corner of your key card. You need to keep track of your drink count yourself. If you order a drink priced higher than the $11 limit you will be charged the difference plus the 18% gratuity on that difference. Below $11, the gratuity is included in the package.

 

Also - 😥 no to milkshakes and smoothies 

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JohnCoffield

JohnCoffield

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Our first HAL cruise was in March this year on Noordam & we had the HIA package. Coffees were included in the package, though neither my wife or I are milkshake or smoothie fans so can't comment on them. As long as you are within the 15 limit then you can double up on spirits & not get charged - at least the bartenders did on Noordam! With 30 drinks per day between my wife & I were never in danger of breaching the limit!

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yerdua

yerdua

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58 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

Also - 😥 no to milkshakes and smoothies 

We were not charged for a milkshake from Gelato on the NS this past May. So, maybe yes, maybe no.

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deltadoug13

deltadoug13

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18 minutes ago, yerdua said:

We were not charged for a milkshake from Gelato on the NS this past May. So, maybe yes, maybe no.

We just got off the Nieuw Amsterdam and were never charged for Milk shakes with our Have it All package.(unless you have it ordered to your room)

Breakfast smoothies are a different story. The ONLY place to order them is room service. I tried Lido and dining room and the managers said they were available for room service only.

Unfortunately anything coming to room service will NOT be included in your have it all package and will be charged.

I went to the restaurant managers and the guest service manager and they all said the same thing. 

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erdufylla

erdufylla

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1 hour ago, rodndonna said:

 

Also - 😥 no to milkshakes and smoothies 


I know my nephew got a milkshake somewhere on the ship that was included in the HIA package when we were on the Koningsdam a few weeks ago. I’m not sure if that was at the Gelato stand or in the Lido Market, but I do know I wasn’t charged for it. (He said it was excellent. Tiramisu flavored!)

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WannaSea

WannaSea

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When you order a drink anywhere you'll be asked to show your room card. Any excess charges (ie, any drink over $11 or not included in the package) gets charged to your account then as well as an 18% gratuity on the overage. It's a good practice to review your account daily on the TV or Nav app to track these charges while fresh in your memory. For the OP, just download the document in post #5 to share with your fellow travelers. It has the basics of what everyone needs to know about HIA drinks and consider the rest a personal adventure for you to investigate on board.

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sandjb

sandjb

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50 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

As a few have corrected my mis post - the milkshakes are indeed  included, but not smoothies. 

 

You got it backwards - smoothies are specifically included in the HIA package. Milkshakes are not included in the package (in writing) but many have ended up with free milkshakes. I have heard many say they were also charged for them, even with HIA. So it's mostly just how the crew on your ship is handling them that day.

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rodndonna

rodndonna

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8 minutes ago, sandjb said:

You got it backwards - smoothies are specifically included in the HIA package. Milkshakes are not included in the package (in writing) but many have ended up with free milkshakes. I have heard many say they were also charged for them, even with HIA. So it's mostly just how the crew on your ship is handling them that day.

 

OK - now I remember why I am confused.

 

On HAL, they have "smoothies" at the bars. They are not really what I consider smoothies - they are those frost ice things that come out of a machine (like at the 7-11). Somewhere (I do not know where but I think the Gelato place?) you can get proper made smoothies but you have to pay for those.

 

I spent 3 years in adult braces where smoothies were my life. I still love them, but what HAL calls "smoothies" at the bars are not actually 'real' smoothies 😢

 

 

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Haljo1935 "Live from...." Rare

Haljo1935

Posted
Posted (edited)

Slightly off topic but HIA related. Been trying unsuccessfully to add HIA to a "free" casino rate booking that we added Club Orange to.

Multiple calls to HAL: A couple different people said it wasn't available so they couldn't do it. Two tried to add it but after putting me on hold to get Supervisor assistance, I was told they couldn't add it because it's not combinable w/the free casino rate.

Any insights from those who've overcome this issue is appreciated. 

Thanks!!

Edited by Haljo1935
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kurtmi03 Great Review Rare

kurtmi03

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23 hours ago, Haljo1935 said:

Slightly off topic but HIA related. Been trying unsuccessfully to add HIA to a "free" casino rate booking that we added Club Orange to.

Multiple calls to HAL: A couple different people said it wasn't available so they couldn't do it. Two tried to add it but after putting me on hold to get Supervisor assistance, I was told they couldn't add it because it's not combinable w/the free casino rate.

Any insights from those who've overcome this issue is appreciated. 

Thanks!!

I had the same problem on our April Eurodam cruise. Some people here suggested trying a different browser but that never worked for me. YMMV. When I took an upsell, I was able to buy the HIA on the website. On that cruise I ordered a milkshake and had to sign for it, but was never charged so I just assumed it was part of the HIA.

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Haljo1935 "Live from...." Rare

Haljo1935

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2 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

It was at the Gelato Bar on the K'dam.

Yummy! We had an issue Nov/Dec with the Gelato Bar not being open during the day when it was supposed to be - multiple times. 😪 When it was open & we asked waffle cones, response was "I'm too busy to make them" - the poor guy was the only one working. Clearly the staffing shortages had not been resolved. Hope that's all history  - love the Gelato Bar. 😋

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AllTheSun

AllTheSun

Posted
Posted (edited)
On 6/22/2023 at 5:26 PM, Haljo1935 said:

Slightly off topic but HIA related. Been trying unsuccessfully to add HIA to a "free" casino rate booking that we added Club Orange to.

Multiple calls to HAL: A couple different people said it wasn't available so they couldn't do it. Two tried to add it but after putting me on hold to get Supervisor assistance, I was told they couldn't add it because it's not combinable w/the free casino rate.

Any insights from those who've overcome this issue is appreciated. 

Thanks!!

When I did it the phone tree offered two options that sounded like they could be right. The first one I picked couldn’t do it, said it wasn’t allowed. I didn’t push it. Called again and picked the other option, person who answered added it in like 5 mins. Definitely didn’t hold for a supervisor or anything like that.

Edited by AllTheSun
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POA1 "Live from...." Rare

POA1

Posted
Posted (edited)

On the non-Pinnacle class ships, the Dive In has milkshakes. If you have the Elite Beverage Package (no limit to non-alcoholic drinks) or you are willing to burn through 2 of your 15 allotment on the Signature Beverage Package, grab a liquor "up" from the Lido pool bar and mix it with your shake.

 

Crème de menth + vanilla or Kahlua + chocolate are good starter combos. Use your imagination! If the mere thought of this causes your eyes to water, don't worry. They're tears of joy at the realization that your vacation has just gotten 12% better.

 

A little food - drink really - for thought:

 

https://insanelygoodrecipes.com/boozy-milkshakes/

Edited by POA1
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Haljo1935 "Live from...." Rare

Haljo1935

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7 hours ago, AllTheSun said:

When I did it the phone tree offered two options that sounded like they could be right. The first one I picked couldn’t do it, said it wasn’t allowed. I didn’t push it. Called again and picked the other option, person who answered added it in like 5 mins. Definitely didn’t hold for a supervisor or anything like that.

Were you adding to a free casino rate booking? They're telling me that's the issue - HIA is not combinable with the discounted casino rate. The last person who tried was very enthusiastic about adding it, but when the system wouldn't accept it on his end, he reached out to a supervisor for assistance. Their research for determining how to get the system to accept it led them to the fine print saying it's not combo able with certain discounted rates, casino being one of them. They apologized like crazy and said they have no way to override it.

If anyone knows how to get past this, I'm open for suggestions on how I can get HIA added to my booking. 🤔

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Haljo1935 "Live from...." Rare

Haljo1935

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24 minutes ago, DaveOKC said:

Yesterday received an email from HAL offering to add HIA to our casino deal (free cabin) for $50 per person per day.  Our cruise is 90 days out.

You're killing me!! Were you able to add it? I also received an email offer (assume same/similar as yours) which prompted 1 of the 4 calls I made.

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