Liquor

Does Holland America offer duty free liquor on board, or do we have to purchase all drinks from a bar.

They sell duty free in the shops onboard.

I wonder what the price difference is between the boat and say ABC liquor store on a bottle of vodka.

Duty free liquor is available for purchase in the botiques BUT you can not take it back to your cabin for in-room consumption. It will be delivered to your cabin the last evening of the cruise.

You can order a bottle for your cabin (around $28- depending on what you like) through ship services 1-800-541-1576. Or you can wait until you are on the ship and order a bottle from room service (15% gratuity will be added on). Or you can go to any bar and buy a bottle (15% gratuity added on).

If you are sailing out of Florida and you order a bottle before you are ten miles out to sea, another 6% will be added onto your bill.

HAL used to sell liquor out of the duty free that you could take to your cabin but no longer. Now the only liquor you can buy in the duty free is the liquor that you take off the ship at the end of the cruise. If you want liquor you either have to buy it in the bars, by the drink , or smuggle it on board.

The policy seems to be an industry wide trend. If you want a bottle in the cabin they have drink packages that you can buy, though overpriced. I know many people who bring liquor in their luggage have had no problems. I think that the line wants to avoid a loud and embarassing arguments at security.

Thankyou for the information. You have been very helpful.

The 15% gratuity will be added on whether you order it before the cruise or after, is that right. Also when can you order before your cruise, ours isn't till Nov., is now too soon? Would like to book reservations for the Pinnacle also, is it too soon for that as well.

Thank you

As far as 'smuggling' is concerned, do they still check bags

after a day ashore? I had a bottle of tequila in a plastic bag,

and it was really obvious that it WAS a bottle. (In Cabo)

After claiming it from the x-ray machine, I wasn't stopped and requested that it be handed over.

(Good job Vic!)

:-D

The 15% gratuity will be added on whether you order it before the cruise or after, is that right. Also when can you order before your cruise, ours isn't till Nov., is now too soon? Would like to book reservations for the Pinnacle also, is it too soon for that as well.

 

Thank you

You can make reservations for the Pinnacle Grill by calling Ship Services at HAL, they will ask you to fax information to them. We are sailing on the Oosterdam October 22 and made our reservations for the Pinnacle Grill several months ago. Hope this helps. Shirley

Vic - My thought is that they don't want to cause a commotion in security over a bottle of liquor. If XRay shows it in your bag they may ask if it is wine. Just say yes. ---- Many long time HAL customers are very upset with this new rule and I don't think HAL is stupid enough to get too rigid on the subject.

On our 21 day Pan American cruise on the Statendam, bottles of alcohol were not confiscated at the various ports.

But on our January back-to-back cruises on the Westerdam (eatern and western Caribbean) - alcohol bottles were confiscated at every port.