Looking for corroboration of a tip seen in some HAL FB groups

[Euby]

I'm a member in a couple of HAL groups on Facebook.  Recently, I've seen a few tips on some of the groups that has me curious regarding soft drinks.  I'd ask for further details on FB, but the posts that I read were becoming troll ridden and combative.  So I thought I'd come over to CC and see what others may have experienced.  You know..."Trust but Verify."

HAL has a partnership with Coke and serves their soft drinks.  Per the "Know Before You Go" page on the HAL website, "Items such as sodas, energy drinks or other non-alcoholic items are not allowed on board in any form." and "All checked and carry-on luggage will be scanned and any prohibited items, including alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages will be removed, confiscated, and discarded."

 

However, according to the tip, if you contact Guest Services prior to the cruise, you can purchase other brands through them to be delivered to your stateroom for use on the ship.  The examples given from the tip posts were Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper.

So now I have several questions:

1)  Has anyone actually done this?

2)  Was the request made through Guest Services or another department?

3)  What drinks were you able to get?

4)  Did you have to provide a reason for the request? (i.e., allergy or dietary)

5)  Was there a limit to the number requested?

I'm really asking more from a curiosity stand-point than anything else.  I've not seen this discussed on the HAL boards before.

[Will_Dieterich]

Saw it being done for beer.  Hung out at one of the bars pre-dinner and one of the guys there, on HIA, preferred Budweiser, and they ran out.  When we got back to the states the bar tender went and purchased a couple of six-packs for him to keep on ice at that bar.  Price was covered by his HIA package.

[AKJonesy]

This topic has come up often.  I drink Coke.  When in port, I buy Coke and and I bring them on board, every single time.  However, before leaving the ship, I ask security if I can bring some cans or bottles back and every single time it is yes.  I also see crew bringing back soda through security.  The policy does exist.  It just seems that no one on the ship got the message.  I will say, that I do NOT bring soda aboard on embarkation day, but when in port I do purchase Coke anywhere I can find it and every time.  Our last cruise was in the spring from Japan to Seattle.  I clearly remember buying Coke in Kodiak and Ketchikan and bringing it back through security.  Just sayin'.  

[*Miss G*]

1 hour ago, Euby said:

HAL has a partnership with Coke and serves their soft drinks. 

 

1 hour ago, Euby said:

 

However, according to the tip, if you contact Guest Services prior to the cruise, you can purchase other brands through them to be delivered to your stateroom for use on the ship.  The examples given from the tip posts were Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper.

 

I would honestly be surprised if they would do this.  As you say, HAL partners with Coke.  It will be written into the contract that HAL will not purchase a competitor brand.

[MikeD4134]

9 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

 

 

I would honestly be surprised if they would do this.  As you say, HAL partners with Coke.  It will be written into the contract that HAL will not purchase a competitor brand.

Dr. Pepper products are not Coke or Pepsi, but both companies manufacture their products.  I drink Dr. Pepper products, and they are always available on HAL ships.

[*Miss G*]

34 minutes ago, MikeD4134 said:

Dr. Pepper products are not Coke or Pepsi, but both companies manufacture their products.  I drink Dr. Pepper products, and they are always available on HAL ships.

 

Thank you. Probably why (per the OP) people are saying the ship filled a special order for it then. 😂 Mountain Dew is a Pepsi product, so I’d be interested to hear if that request was filled. 

[seagarsmoker]

38 minutes ago, MikeD4134 said:

Dr. Pepper products are not Coke or Pepsi, but both companies manufacture their products.  I drink Dr. Pepper products, and they are always available on HAL ships.

I have never seen Dr Pepper beverages for sale on a HAL ship. Where do they sell it? 

[Euby]

While there were several comments on this so far, no one has answered my original questions.  

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

On 8/17/2024 at 1:02 PM, Euby said:

I'm a member in a couple of HAL groups on Facebook.  Recently, I've seen a few tips on some of the groups that has me curious regarding soft drinks.  I'd ask for further details on FB, but the posts that I read were becoming troll ridden and combative.  So I thought I'd come over to CC and see what others may have experienced.  You know..."Trust but Verify."

HAL has a partnership with Coke and serves their soft drinks.  Per the "Know Before You Go" page on the HAL website, "Items such as sodas, energy drinks or other non-alcoholic items are not allowed on board in any form." and "All checked and carry-on luggage will be scanned and any prohibited items, including alcoholic/nonalcoholic beverages will be removed, confiscated, and discarded."

 

However, according to the tip, if you contact Guest Services prior to the cruise, you can purchase other brands through them to be delivered to your stateroom for use on the ship.  The examples given from the tip posts were Mountain Dew and Dr. Pepper.

So now I have several questions:

1)  Has anyone actually done this?

2)  Was the request made through Guest Services or another department?

3)  What drinks were you able to get?

4)  Did you have to provide a reason for the request? (i.e., allergy or dietary)

5)  Was there a limit to the number requested?

I'm really asking more from a curiosity stand-point than anything else.  I've not seen this discussed on the HAL boards before.

Friends have done it on Grand Voyage.

[POA1]

2 hours ago, Euby said:

While there were several comments on this so far, no one has answered my original questions.  

Why don't you call Ship Services? They have a toll free number and you could get an answer right from the department which handles it?

 

800–541–1576

 

Not to put too fine a point on it, but calling them would seem to be more efficient than asking on CC or FB.

[baggal]

About a year ago I contacted Ships Services to ask them to provide Diet Seagrams Ginger Ale (a Coke product that isn't available on the ship) and I was told they couldn't do it.  I was booked in a standard verandah cabin.  Not sure if there's any correlation between request and type of cabin booked.

In any case, I recently sailed on a Celebrity ship and I happily brought my Diet Seagrams.  Celebrity allows you to bring non-alcoholic beverages.

[ottahand7]

One of our friends was on the Eurodam for a many months cruise.  He is President's Club and he would get a six pack of either diet ginger or tonic that he brought to his cabin from the Ocean Bar.  I think like a previous poster mentioned since he was on from January to May it is like a Grand Voyage and they stocked it for him. Or certain bars have special mixers and he was just getting his regular PC allotment.  It pays to ask if you want something special at each bar as they all aren't stocked the same.  We found the only place to get a chilled Coke Zero was at the aft pool bar.

[sandiego1]

The crew don’t have the same restrictions about bringing on soda/water as passengers do. We have seen crew bring on large water jugs and cases of soda. But we’ve also seen similar items confiscated from passengers by  HAL. Yes, there are always stories about how some people weren’t stopped being water/soda/beer/wine. It depends on how diligently the security team is watching the scanner.

 

One time I brought some wine back from a port, fully expecting to pay corkage. I was directed to the table and they wrote it up. I was never charged. Other times, there was no table. And several times, I was charged in full. 

[rj59]

My approach is for the first day of a cruise to just use water enhancer I bring on board, or make an Arnold Palmer with ice tea/lemonade in the buffet, or sample their herbal teas. Then in the first port I stop and bring back a 2L of my soda of choice, and maybe another bottle later on in the cruise. So in Juneau I went to a grocery store and got a 2L of root beer, and then a bottle of Coke Zero in Sitka.  No problems bringing soda on board--I made sure to check with security before leaving the ship in port. In Mexico I find an OXXO convenience store, which are all over, and I often pick up a can or bottle of a local beer to try while waiting to go back to the ship. The new HAL 150 canvas tote bags are perfect for carrying soda back to the ship.