Possible to get a double without it counting as two drinks?

Any bar or lounge - or ask your room steward.

Thanks

Thanks

If you find yourself running out of ice, ask for a wine bucket of ice. It holds more, but it does melt faster.

HAL bartenders will keep on pouring as long as you can fumble your room key out of your pocket. I know a guy who had the SBP and figured he was all set. He ordered doubles of tequila, plus morning coffees and bottles of water. He went over the 15 drink limit a few times because doubles are happily served, but charged as 2 drinks. HAL will not say anything, they just add the extra drinks to your bill as a normal $7.95 + 15% drink, or in the case of doubles, $15.90 + 15%. I think if you wait until past midnight, that resets the 15 drink limit. As the old saying goes, "if you can reach the bar, they will happily take your money". I hear that recently, the SBP limits are $9, not $8. So far, they haven't raised the average drink prices to match.

So, if you have a package, and you have breakfast in your cabin, and include a pot of coffee, what is charged to your 15/day?

And, with no package, is there a charge for the coffee? Or juice and milk?

I'm beginning to think none of these packages or beverage cards are worth it, except maybe the beverage card for $25 that gets you $50 worth, but I don't know the "catch", if there is one.

The HAL website seems to leave out important details, on many of these things. Or maybe I'm making it more difficult than it really is. Just want to get the most value for my money.

Make friends with a bartender, use them exclusively when possible, tip them generously and you'll get your double.

Double ditto

Dennis

So, if you have a package, and you have breakfast in your cabin, and include a pot of coffee, what is charged to your 15/day?

And, with no package, is there a charge for the coffee? Or juice and milk?

It's included with your breakfast. You just tick the box. It's also included in the MDR as well as the Lido. If you get coffee at Explorations there is a charge.

As with all beverage packages, you will always have the folks who use it to the hilt, and then some, and others who don't. It all balances out in the end. HAL is hoping that the majority don't max-out their limits. But the break-even point of the regular SBP is about 6.5 drinks. After that level, you are drinking free. Enjoy !! The $25 card that gets you $50 is only for sodas.

As with all beverage packages, you will always have the folks who use it to the hilt, and then some, and others who don't. It all balances out in the end. HAL is hoping that the majority don't max-out their limits. But the break-even point of the regular SBP is about 6.5 drinks. After that level, you are drinking free. Enjoy !! The $25 card that gets you $50 is only for sodas.

You make a great point.

Disregarding gratuities, a Maker's rocks, my preferred drink, is $7.95. With a $44.95 pre-pay package price, that's 5 1/2 drinks for the breakeven. Very doable. That leaves 9 other drinks, from evening Bailey's and coffee, to morning mimosas, to bottles of water. Or more Maker's! Does that sound right? OTOH, I'm not sure I want to put my liver through all that, for 7 days. :confused: Committing to buying the package also depends on whether we do any part- or all-day shore excursions, which depends on the expected weather. Such a dilemma.

I'm guessing the beverage card is a separate card, since it is ideal for children? Does it also require that I pre-purchase the full 7 days?

I'm guessing the beverage card is a separate card, since it is ideal for children? Does it also require that I pre-purchase the full 7 days?

A beverage card is just a prepaid card. Think Gift Card. It would be fine if you want the kids to be able to purchase beverages without having them charged to your room account.

A beverage card is just a prepaid card. Think Gift Card. It would be fine if you want the kids to be able to purchase beverages without having them charged to your room account.

That's good. I can just use it as needed, like on the cruise days, when I'm likely to have more cocktails charged against the package, and don't want sodas charged against my 15 limit.

You make a great point.

 

Disregarding gratuities, a Maker's rocks, my preferred drink, is $7.95. With a $44.95 pre-pay package price, that's 5 1/2 drinks for the breakeven. Very doable. That leaves 9 other drinks, from evening Bailey's and coffee, to morning mimosas, to bottles of water. Or more Maker's! Does that sound right? OTOH, I'm not sure I want to put my liver through all that, for 7 days. :confused: Committing to buying the package also depends on whether we do any part- or all-day shore excursions, which depends on the expected weather. Such a dilemma.

 

I'm guessing the beverage card is a separate card, since it is ideal for children? Does it also require that I pre-purchase the full 7 days?

You are correct. With the new, $9 limit on drinks (on some ships, not fleet wide yet) the break even point is now down to 5-1/2 drinks. With specialty coffees in the morning, a few beers at lunch, pre-dinner cocktails, after-dinner drinks, and a few ginger-ales or bottles of water to take back to the cabin, you are still under the 15 drink limit. Unless you like doubles, Then, it is possible to run over the 15 limit, and HAL's bartenders will not say a word to you. They will keep pouring until you say "when". They just add the over 15 limit onto your room tab at regular drink prices. We usually take long cruises, 21 days or more, with lots of sea days (trans-Atlantic, Trans-pacific), and that's when the beverage package really pays for itself. If you have one of these 7-day "If it's Tuesday this must be Martinique" cruises, with all port days, it might not be a good deal for the SBP. You have to judge for yourself.

For your kids, you would either have to purchase a beverage card ($25 for $50 of sodas) or just pay the menu price. You cannot put their sodas on your adult beverage package account. With the SBP or EBP, you don't get a separate card, it's just coded into your room key. The beverage cards for your kids are separate cards, just like a gift card.

Do you have a bar on land where you order a 'double' and are charged for only one drink? Why would a bar on a ship not charge for two?

It's not that we're lushes ;p but we do want to get our money's worth! LOL!

Your money's worth is 15 drinks per day, not 15 doubles.

The reason the OP is asking is because the Elite Beverage Package covers drinks that cost up to $15. For example, a double Ketel One would be $15. (2 x $7.50 according to the June 2017 menus that Roger Jett posted. Thanks, Roger!)

 

The OP wants to know if a drink like that would be covered. It's a valid question, because you'd get one drink and it would cost $15, the EBP limit. It's served in a single glass and it's at the limit.

 

When I order a double, I don't think of it as being two drinks. It's just one.

By that reasoning two beers that would cost less that $15 should also count as one under the elite beverage package. They surely could find a container large enough to serve both beers in it - but that is not one drink. ;)

By that reasoning two beers that would cost less that $15 should also count as one under the elite beverage package. They surely could find a container large enough to serve both beers in it - but that is not one drink. ;)

Not to my way of thinking. A beer is a self contained unit for the most part. Thought experiment: If they sold draft beer and a 12 oz glass was $8 and and a 22 oz draft was $12, would you count the big beer as one or two drinks? (This is relatively common in sports bars. I don't normally drink beer, but I if I did, I don't know that I'd count the big beer as two - or 1.83333 beers.

I just thought it was an interesting question.

Would you count a black Russian (vodka & Kahlua) as two drinks? What about a white Russian?

Sounds like a serious project for someone to look into.

OP , Jusst a suggestion b ut in place of worrying in advan ce how to have your second shot of liquor , wait until you board the ship and peak with a b artender to see how they handle it? Have a great cruise. Don' worry, you will 'get your money's worth. I have never seen an HAL bartender not treat a guest well.

sail7seas that is great advice. we have never had a beverage problem, I don't think anyone will go wrong following your advice.

We are sailing THIS SATURDAY and have only sailed once before (and that was 25 years ago).

 

Wondering about getting double drinks onboard the Nieuw Amsterdam? Are the cocktails singles? Doubles? Is it possible to get a double without it being rung in as two drinks?

 

We purchased HAL's Elite Beverage package which allows us drinks up to $15. Given that most cocktails are under $8, we're hoping there's a way to do this without losing too many of our 15 drinks per day.

 

It's not that we're lushes ;p but we do want to get our money's worth! LOL!

 

Any tips or suggestions are most welcome!!

If you went to a bar on land and paid for single drink and asked for a double, what do you think might happen.

DON

You can order Black Russians and White Russians, and they count as one drink. You can order a Long Island Ice Tea (which has 5 types of liquor in it) and it still counts as one drink. You can order a Wang-Wang, which has just about anything the bartender can find in it, and it's still ONE drink. Unless you want a double Wang-Wang, in which case you will need to be carried back to your cabin, at no extra charge.

If you went to a bar on land and paid for single drink and asked for a double, what do you think might happen.

 

DON

This is why a large order of fries is two orders of fries, right?

If not, how is it different?

Not to my way of thinking. A beer is a self contained unit for the most part. Thought experiment: If they sold draft beer and a 12 oz glass was $8 and and a 22 oz draft was $12, would you count the big beer as one or two drinks? (This is relatively common in sports bars. I don't normally drink beer, but I if I did, I don't know that I'd count the big beer as two - or 1.83333 beers.

 

I just thought it was an interesting question.

 

Would you count a black Russian (vodka & Kahlua) as two drinks? What about a white Russian?

 

 

If you can two pourings of white wine into a red wine glass, does it then make it a single drink (for SBP purposes)?

Sounds like a serious project for someone to look into.

They are selling the 12 oz and one drink and the 22 oz as one drink; if you have the SBP you go for the big drinkif you want value for money. ;)

If there is a difference between 12 oz of beer and 22 ounces of beer, surely there is a difference between 1 oz and 2 oz of whiskey. ;)

On the ship a rum and coke is one shot of rum with coke. A double is therefor the equivalent of two drinks. Same as two beers is a huge mug.

To relate it more to your usual beverage: if you can pour two servings of white wine into a red wine glass, does it suddenly make it count as one drink?