Wines and corkage and bars, Oh my! (Signature Beverage Pkg, Beverage Cards & Corkage)

We've come to the conclusion that there is quite a large volume of scientific research presented in this thread. While that might be fine for the average academic scholar - that is to say, most of you - it might be a bit overwhelming for the non-researcher layperson who would just like to know some very specific information. If all you want to know is: "Can I get a freakin' Tanqueray & Tonic on the Signature Beverage Package? I don't have all day to wade through this nonsense." - Then we have a solution for you.

We've had our interns slaving away to produce a handy, dandy index of the main topics covered in this vast treasure trove of knowledge you see before you. We hope that it helps and that it cranks up the Awesome-Meter to 11.

If we have left something unanswered, please feel free to ask. If we don't have the answer, we're sure that one of the leading academics who subscribe to this journal of learning might be able to help. (You, gentle reader are a leading academic.) The people who have contributed to this thread are renowned members of the scientific community, hailing from prestigious institutions of higher learning around the world.

Topic Index with Hyperlinks to the Corresponding Posts(or at least I hope there are hyperlinks and that they work. :cool:)

• Aperitifs Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #63
  
• Beer List, Post #172
  
• Beer, Non-Alcoholic, Post #161
  
• Beers Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #63
  
• Brandy Not Included :( with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #63
  
• Chocolate Drinks List, Post #110
  
• Cocktail List, B.B. King's Blues Club, Post #212
  
• Coffee Drinks List, Post #110
  
• Digestifs Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #63
  
• Draft Beers - Not on all ships!, Post #291 (Hat Tip, RetiredMustang)
  
• Equipment List, Wine Carrier, Ice Bag, Post #281
  
• Explore 4 $50 Beverage Card Wrap Up, Post #299, #300, #301
  
• Gins Included/Not Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #52
  
• Happy Hour, the Signature Beverage Package and, Posts #53, #61, #168
  
• Le Cirque Menu, Post #189
  
• Liqueurs Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #63
  
• Ports Included/Not Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #63
  
• Room Charges for Beverages, Post #347
  
• Rums Included/Not Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #50
  
• Signature Beverage Package Wrap Up, Post #324, #336
  
• Tequilas Included/Not Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #50
  
• Vodkas Included/Not Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #50
  
• Whiskeys, Bourbon Included/Not Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #52
  
• Whiskeys, Canadian Included/Not Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #50
  
• Whiskeys, Irish Included/Not Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #50
  
• Whiskys, Scotch Included/Not Included with the Signature Beverage Package, Post #52
  
• Wine Check In & Corkage Wrap Up, Post #281
  
• Wine Check In, Initial Observations About, Post #21
  
• Wine List & Menu, Le Cirque at The Pinnacle Grill, Post #189
  
• Wine List, Pinnacle Grill, Post #183
  
• Wine List, Main Dining Room, Post #39, #183 -
  
• Wine Packages, Admirals & Navigator's, Post #47
  
• Wine, House Wines included in the Signature Beverage Package, Posts #119, #125, #126
  

The National Institute of Cheer is not affiliated with "The Institute of Official Cheer" by James Lileks. Mr. Lileks has cruised on Holland America, but he is a much better writer than I can ever hope to be.

You. Are. Amazing!!

Incredible work! Thanks again for all the time and effort you have put into this. Greatly appreciated.

We've had our interns slaving away to produce a handy, dandy index of the main topics covered in this vast treasure trove of knowledge you see before you. We hope that it helps and that it cranks up the Awesome-Meter to 11.

More like Awesome Meter to 1000000000!

I believe your stellar research should be worth an honorary degree from the Vulcan Academy of Science.

Stay Thirsty my friend... live long, and prosper

A big thanks to you and your team for a fantastic job.

I'm going out on a limb here and assuming, (I know, I know never assume) that you are retired. How else would you find the time to do this? You are really amazing!

I'm going out on a limb here and assuming, (I know, I know never assume) that you are retired. How else would you find the time to do this? You are really amazing!

No, I have a long way to go until retirement. This is more or less in my field of expertise - the computer part - the drinking part is just a hobby. It doesn't take all that much time, really. I am in front of the computer all day, so it gives me something to do to keep the mind fresh.

I'm going out on a limb here and assuming, (I know, I know never assume) that you are retired. How else would you find the time to do this? You are really amazing!

This made me smile. Our crackwhip team aged in range of 41 to 50. Any of us would be so lucky to be retired now. :D

Thanks so much for all your hard work!! :)

I think I've decided that my best bet for my Alaska cruise will just be buying a beverage card and using that. I don't think i'll come anywhere near the 15 drinks a day, and hopefully my Lenten resolution to cut out sodas (I take on stuff too, so it's not all trivial) will stick, so that will eliminate those charges.

But yeah... Awesome work!!

Thanks so much for all your hard work!! :)

 

I think I've decided that my best bet for my Alaska cruise will just be buying a beverage card and using that. I don't think i'll come anywhere near the 15 drinks a day, and hopefully my Lenten resolution to cut out sodas (I take on stuff too, so it's not all trivial) will stick, so that will eliminate those charges.

 

But yeah... Awesome work!!

Thanks. Glad we could help. I'll probably cover this in more detail when I get some time over the next few days, but if you're thinking of buying a beverage card in advance, for budgeting purposes and spreading out your cruise cost perhaps, I'd recommend that you pre-purchase shipboard credits instead. A few years ago, HAL gave you a discount on beverage cards. A $100 card was $90 and a $250 card was $225. (I think. It's been almost 4 1/2 years since we took advantage of the beverage card discounts.)

That's no longer the case and you pay face value for the beverage cards.

 

Figure 91, above shows the $50 Explore 4 Beverage Card. A normal prepaid beverage card looks pretty much the same, except for the "Explore Four" wording.

 

Here are the downsides when compared to purchasing onboard credits.

1. The Beverage Card can only be used for beverages. (Kind of obvious, but the shipboard credit can be used for anything.)
   
2. You have 2 cards to carry around, your room key and your Beverage Card. In addition to potentially causing confusion, the extra weight will take its toll on you over the course of your voyage. If you decide to go with the beverage cards, you should start a weight training regimen immediately. We recommend squats and the clean & jerk. (Mostly because they were the funniest weight lifting terms that sprang to mind.)
   
3. According to the Terms of Acceptance on the back of the card:
   
   • If you lose the card, you're out the remaining value. It will not be replaced if lost or stolen.
     
   • If you don't use the entire card value on your cruise, you forfeit whatever is left on the card. (Updated per Ruth C - This only applies to "free" beverage cards. Paid cards will be refunded.
     

[*]Certain colors will clash with the green color of the card. If you don't choose your outfits carefully, the other passengers will taunt you mercilessly, making you cry.

[*]It's not just the other passengers that can be cruel. Scientists have decoded the whale-song of Orca (Killer Whale) pods and they are constantly chattering on about fashion faux pas.

[*]Pairing colors with this green can be difficult. It took a team of color scientists and highly paid consultants nearly 6 hours to find a shade of purple that looked nice with the Beverage Card's green so that we could draw a rectangle around it.

[*]It's heliotrope. Thanks for asking.

[*]If you are in a bar fight and need to match the color quickly, the Hexadecimal color code for heliotrope is #DF73FF.

Hope that helps! We'll post a little more on the pros and cons of each card later.

[*]If you don't use the entire card value on your cruise, you forfeit whatever is left on the card.

That may very well be true on the Explore 4 card, since it is considered a gift, or a bonus. It's part of a promo.

However, when you pay full value for a Beverage Card, you are refunded any unused balance. Even when there were "free" dollars on a Beverage Card, the unused balance up to what was paid for the card could be refunded.

That may very well be true on the Explore 4 card, since it is considered a gift, or a bonus. It's part of a promo.

 

However, when you pay full value for a Beverage Card, you are refunded any unused balance. Even when there were "free" dollars on a Beverage Card, the unused balance up to what was paid for the card could be refunded.

Thanks, Ruth! I updated the post to reflect your information.

Imagine my shame if we posted something incorrect. :(

That may very well be true on the Explore 4 card, since it is considered a gift, or a bonus. It's part of a promo.

 

However, when you pay full value for a Beverage Card, you are refunded any unused balance. Even when there were "free" dollars on a Beverage Card, the unused balance up to what was paid for the card could be refunded.

Ruth - Do you happen to know if the refund on a pre-paid Beverage Card happens automatically, or does the guest have to request it from the Front Office or Concierge?

I think we owe you an "Associate Researcher" credit in our footnotes. ;)

Ruth - Do you happen to know if the refund on a pre-paid Beverage Card happens automatically, or does the guest have to request it from the Front Office or Concierge?

 

I think we owe you an "Associate Researcher" credit in our footnotes. ;)

Although I purchase Beverage Cards, I have never left any money on them. I generally run out of funds on the card a night or two before disembarkation. So, I can't answer your query from personal experience.

What I know, I know from others (can a research assistant have a research assistant?)---that you had to request the balance be refunded. I have also read that the refund is automatic. What I suspect is that the system has been refined, and what was once a manual task is now automatic.

Obviously, further research is needed. If I get some personal experience at this on my upcoming cruise, I'll report back on my findings.

Yup, that's me. A footnote in history. I'll take it.

Thanks. Glad we could help. I'll probably cover this in more detail when I get some time over the next few days, but if you're thinking of buying a beverage card in advance, for budgeting purposes and spreading out your cruise cost perhaps, I'd recommend that you pre-purchase shipboard credits instead. A few years ago, HAL gave you a discount on beverage cards. A $100 card was $90 and a $250 card was $225. (I think. It's been almost 4 1/2 years since we took advantage of the beverage card discounts.)

 

That's no longer the case and you pay face value for the beverage cards.

 

 

 

Here are the downsides when compared to purchasing onboard credits.

1. The Beverage Card can only be used for beverages. (Kind of obvious, but the shipboard credit can be used for anything.).

Thank you for that "obvious" information. Sometimes, some of us (me) miss the obvious!!!:o

I did purchase the beverage cards back when they were offered at a discount but haven't since they stopped being discounted. I do like the idea of prepaying a portion of the cost of the onboard account by purchasing onboard credits. I hope I remember this for a future cruise. (The cruise in the immediate future has the Explore4 SBP and I have a fair bit of OBC from the TA.)

What I know, I know from others (can a research assistant have a research assistant?)

....

Yup, that's me. A footnote in history. I'll take it.

No, but we can probably get you an intern. He or she won't get paid, though. The interns work for experience and for how much it impresses future employers when they see "Interned with RuthC" on their resumes.

Since they're college students and want to make their time interning with you sound as impressive as possible, it will probably be written up something like this:

Thank you for that "obvious" information. Sometimes, some of us (me) miss the obvious!!!:o

 

I did purchase the beverage cards back when they were offered at a discount but haven't since they stopped being discounted. I do like the idea of prepaying a portion of the cost of the onboard account by purchasing onboard credits. I hope I remember this for a future cruise. (The cruise in the immediate future has the Explore4 SBP and I have a fair bit of OBC from the TA.)

Yeah... Now I'm debating the options (purchase beverage card or just OBC). I'm through a TA but with a group, and they haven't specifically said we get any OBC so I don't want to count on it (and I feel weird calling and asking - I figure if we do it'll be a bonus). I don't plan to buy a lot of souvenirs on board, so the credit would be used for drinks. I'd been thinking the $250 one - that would be just one card, right? Those can't weigh THAT much. ;)

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Yeah... Now I'm debating the options (purchase beverage card or just OBC). I'm through a TA but with a group, and they haven't specifically said we get any OBC so I don't want to count on it (and I feel weird calling and asking - I figure if we do it'll be a bonus). I don't plan to buy a lot of souvenirs on board, so the credit would be used for drinks. I'd been thinking the $250 one - that would be just one card, right? Those can't weigh THAT much. ;)

 

 

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The OBC I'm referring to are credits you buy for yourself before you go. They're purchased through the HAL site once you've logged in to see your reservation. If we want to spread out the cost of our vacation, we simply buy OBC in dribs and drabs a few months prior to cruising. I even used a gift card that I got as an AT&T U-Verse rebate to buy $100 worth of OBC.

The OBC you but yourself is fully refundable, as is any you would get from your travel agent. If you are getting OBC from HAL - for some special promotion as an example - it's not refundable. Hope that makes it a little clearer, and I beg your forgiveness for the complete and utter lack of humor in this post. I must be slipping.

Yeah... Now I'm debating the options (purchase beverage card or just OBC). I'm through a TA but with a group, and they haven't specifically said we get any OBC so I don't want to count on it (and I feel weird calling and asking - I figure if we do it'll be a bonus). I don't plan to buy a lot of souvenirs on board, so the credit would be used for drinks. I'd been thinking the $250 one - that would be just one card, right? Those can't weigh THAT much. ;)

 

 

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The OBC I'm referring to are credits you buy for yourself before you go. They're purchased through the HAL site once you've logged in to see your reservation. If we want to spread out the cost of our vacation, we simply buy OBC in dribs and drabs a few months prior to cruising. I even used a gift card that I got as an AT&T U-Verse rebate to buy $100 worth of OBC.

 

The OBC you but yourself is fully refundable, as is any you would get from your travel agent. If you are getting OBC from HAL - for some special promotion as an example - it's not refundable. Hope that makes it a little clearer, and I beg your forgiveness for the complete and utter lack of humor in this post. I must be slipping.

Runnergirl, I would just buy the OBC myself. Since you get it back in the end, wouldn't it be nice to receive money "from HAL" (yes, I realize it's your own money) instead of paying them? It sounds like you have nothing to lose. If you do get extra OBC that you don't quite know what to do with, then buy an unlimited laundry package, or internet package onboard. Those two things will use up a bit!! And don't forget your HSC. You could always increase the HSC, if you want to, if you get to a use it or lose it situation.

The OBC I'm referring to are credits you buy for yourself before you go. They're purchased through the HAL site once you've logged in to see your reservation. If we want to spread out the cost of our vacation, we simply buy OBC in dribs and drabs a few months prior to cruising. I even used a gift card that I got as an AT&T U-Verse rebate to buy $100 worth of OBC.

 

The OBC you but yourself is fully refundable, as is any you would get from your travel agent. If you are getting OBC from HAL - for some special promotion as an example - it's not refundable. Hope that makes it a little clearer, and I beg your forgiveness for the complete and utter lack of humor in this post. I must be slipping.

Right, right. :) No problem! I understand that. I've cruised before on Disney, so I'm familiar with OBC - I just always book myself so I don't have to deal with waiting on a TA to do things I can easily do myself. So this time is double new - first time on HAL and first time having to deal with a TA. :)

Runnergirl, I would just buy the OBC myself. Since you get it back in the end, wouldn't it be nice to receive money "from HAL" (yes, I realize it's your own money) instead of paying them? It sounds like you have nothing to lose. If you do get extra OBC that you don't quite know what to do with, then buy an unlimited laundry package, or internet package onboard. Those two things will use up a bit!! And don't forget your HSC. You could always increase the HSC, if you want to, if you get to a use it or lose it situation.

Thanks, I'm thinking OBC will be how I go. I might do the coffee mug package with a small beverage card, but the rest I'll just do OBC.

I do know that our HSC is included in our package price with the group I'm with, so that's something I don't have to worry about unless I give extra.

Here's the Terms of Use from the back of the Beverage Card. The card stock was the same whether you bought the card or got it free as part of your Explore 4 promo. That's why I am a little leery about advising people to prepay for the card. It's possible that there is a different type of blank card stock with a different set of Terms & Conditions, but this is what I saw on the "free" cards as well as the "paid" ones. Maybe the Noordam just ran out of the other type, assuming it exists.

There's a 2013 copyright on the card, so my guess is that this card stock is pretty recent. To be safe, I would purchase OBC and if I wanted to use it for Beverage Cards, I would do so after I got on the ship. Of course, if you can get a confirmation from the cruise line stating that you get your unused portion back, this is probably moot.

Here's the Terms of Use from the back of the Beverage Card. The card stock was the same whether you bought the card or got it free as part of your Explore 4 promo. That's why I am a little leery about advising people to prepay for the card. It's possible that there is a different type of blank card stock with a different set of Terms & Conditions, but this is what I saw on the "free" cards as well as the "paid" ones. Maybe the Noordam just ran out of the other type, assuming it exists.

 

There's a 2013 copyright on the card, so my guess is that this card stock is pretty recent. To be safe, I would purchase OBC and if I wanted to use it for Beverage Cards, I would do so after I got on the ship. Of course, if you can get a confirmation from the cruise line stating that you get your unused portion back, this is probably moot.

 

Awesome!! Yes - OBC it shall be!! The coffee package has either a $25 or $50 card (on my phone, not home). That will be gone in no time.

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Awesome!! Yes - OBC it shall be!! The coffee package has either a $25 or $50 card (on my phone, not home). That will be gone in no time.

Glad to help. It's like we're your personal research department.

Greetings colleagues, scholars, academics, intellectuals, and other learned persons!

It's time for us to present our final research conclusions and wrap up this profoundly intellectual work of serious scholarship. We hope that this post will serve as an executive summary for those of you who are too busy with your own scientific pursuits to be able to take a deep dive into this essential and comprehensive reference work. (In layman's terms, this post will save you from needing to read the whole thread. Your life won't be as rich as it would if you read the whole thing, but if you want to be a Philistine, woe be it unto us to try to stop you.)

The goal of our research product was to examine the newly revised Holland America wine carry-on policy and the beverage purchasing options available to passengers traveling on HAL's Explore 4 Program. Our crackerjack team of research scientists embarked on a Caribbean itinerary on the Noordam on February 28, 2014. The voyage was a 10 day Southern Caribbean sailing and the team was eligible for the $50 per passenger beverage card version of the promotion. (The promo awarded a $50 beverage card to the first two guests traveling in a stateroom. Solo travelers were eligible for only one $50 card, even though they probably paid double the fare and they only get to carry on one corkage-free bottle of wine.... Not that they're bitter. :( )

The $50 per passenger beverage card / $100 maximum per cabin version of the Explore 4 promotion was available on select Caribbean and Mexican cruises. There is also a version of the promotion that awards a Signature Beverage Package (SBP) to each of the first two eligible guests in a stateroom. This version of the Explore 4 was available on cruises to Alaska, Europe, Hawaii, South America, Antarctica, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand. (Once again, the single traveler gets the shaft here, but they are not bitter. I repeat, They. Are. Not. Bitter. :mad: )

There were some other things included with the Explore 4, such as reduced deposits, a complimentary specialty restaurant dining experience, and an autographed 8"x10" glossy photo of Stein Kruse**. Because our team of scientists specialize in liquid dynamics and the investigation of potables, we chose to focus on the the two beverage options: The $50 Explore 4 Beverage Cards and the Signature Beverage Package or SBP. Our itinerary was not eligible for the SBP Explore 4 promo, so we applied for, and were awarded, a grant from the National Institute for Cheer which allowed us to purchase four SBP cards for our researchers.

The diagram above shows you the appearance of the gold Signature Beverage Package Card (Figure 39, outlined in chartreuse,) the green $50 Explore 4 Beverage Card (Figure 91, outlined in heliotrope,) and the regular Stateroom Key Card (Figure 8, outlined in verdigris.) Please note that stateroom keys are available in both gold and silver versions. The silver one is diesel.

The $50 Explore 4 Beverage Card:

The beverage cards that come with select Explore 4 promotions are, quite simply, cards that allow you to buy $50 worth of beverages. You can use them the same way you would use a $50 beverage card you bought yourself.

There are no restrictions on the $50 Beverage cards other than that they may only be used to buy beverages. There is no per-drink or per-day limit. You may use the $50 on any beverages you wish. The only limitation is the $50 value of the cards. You cannot use these cards to purchase merchandise, spa services, or excursions. The fine print on the back of the card states that the card is valid for the current cruise only. (See Post #372 for more details.)

There has been some confusion between the $50 Explore 4 Beverage Card and the Explore 4 SBP card. Much of this comes from the unfortunate wording in the 5th paragraph of HAL's Explore 4 announcement here:

http://www.hollandamerica.com/news/NewsRelease.action?newsReleaseId=1106

This paragraph states that the SBP card has a value of $50 per person per day. Following as it does on the heels of the sentence that talks about the $50 Explore 4 Beverage Card, many HALoholics were left in a state of befuddlement. Had the sentence about the SBP told the reader that the value of the card was actually $51.69 per day ($44.95 per day + 15% service charge,) things would have been different. Granted, people would have still been confused, but it probably would have been for completely different reasons.

To better understand the Explore 4 $50 Beverage Card, we recommend that you read:

• Explore 4 $50 Beverage Card Wrap Up, Post #299, #300, #301
  

The Signature Beverage Card:

The SBP Card is a perk given to those lucky individuals who have the Explore 4 promotion on itineraries other than those to the Caribbean or Mexico. This card is valid for up to 15 beverages per day. Each beverage is limited to beverages with a menu price of $7.00 or less.

The SBP Card was the focus of most of our research effort. In fact, we researched the heck out of it.

• You can find the SBP card wrap up posts in Posts #324 and #336
  

We created a handy reference post that details what you can get with the SBP. This reference post covers everything from Aperitifs to Wine, from Beer to Whiskey, from Happy Hour to Coffee Drinks. In fact, our research is so thorough that we went through a half decent sized bottle of aspirin, several rolls of antacids, and a quite a few gallons of water, just to bring you the results.

• You can find all the references in Post #351
  

New Carry On Wine Policy:

Q: Hey, Mister Science Man, this thread is supposed to be about the corkage policy, It says so right in the title. Where's the corkage information?

A: Thank you for reminding me.

• You can find information on the wine check in process in Posts #281 and Post #21.
  

**Quantities are limited. Please see your local Holland America Retailer for details. Price excludes taxes, title, tags, fees, and dealer contribution.