Signature Drink Package

We purchased the Signature Drink Package for our cruise in April. How does this work? Is it like a bracelet you wear or do you get 15 drink vouchers or do you use your card? I have never sailed with HAL...so just curious as to how it works!

Thanks in advance!

It is loaded onto your ID card which is also your room key.

Whenever you want a drink, bottled water, specialty coffee, just hand the server your ID card.

There is a $9 limit on alcoholic drinks. So if you order a cocktail that is over $9, you will be charged for that drink on your shipboard account. HAL does not allow you to just pay the difference between the cost of the drink and the $9 limit.

Forgot

You can not use the Signature Beverage Card on HMC -- no computers there. It can not be used for anything in your mini refrigerator in your cabin. And you can not use it for room service.

The 2 bottles of water you will find in your cabin are also not included, but you can purchase 1 liter bottles of water at any bar and take those back to your cabin, or on a shore excursion. The bottles of water they sell at the gangway are also not covered.

And when considering a particular beverage, only look at the menu price. Don't concern yourself about the 15% service charge in your $9 limit, because you already paid it when you purchased the SBP. You can also order doubles for mixed drinks. That is covered, but it counts as 2 of your daily 15. The package is coded into your room key-card. They sometimes put a little sticker on your card to indicate the SBP.

We've had SBP several times now, mostly as part of Explore 4 promotions, but we have also lately started buying it as convenient. There have been three different ways we have noticed to indicate we had the SBP:

- first, it was just noted in the bar/main computers, with nothing on our cards to indicate we had the package. Our account, which I checked daily on the then-new Navigator, showed charges for the drinks and then deductions for each drink we ordered (it made for a thick final statement in our mail slot that last morning :)).

- then, we had little colored stickers attached to our cards that read "SBP" and the charges never appeared on our account.

- on our latest cruise last month, for which we purchased SBP, I went to the front office on embarkation day to make sure we had been notated as both having the SBP and not me with two packages (long story, it happened once). The staff member checked and said she saw nothing to indicate we had purchased the package. I had my receipt, of course, and showed it, and the young lady called someone (beverage staff?) and learned that those who had purchased SBP separately were just being entered into the computer, and yes, we both had it, not me twice. Later, a bartender said we should go back and get updated cards. So, we did, and the "SBP" was imprinted on the cards, same as the dining room reservation and lifeboat assignment. I'm not sure it was absolutely necessary, since no charges every showed on our account for the time before we got new cards so presumably the computer sorted us out, but it did avoid any confusion for anyone concerned.

And, as TAD2005 wrote, the cost limit was the basic price, not including the 15% gratuity, which was also covered by the plan. And, you can order doubles, which counts as two drinks against your limit.

Dave

As noted above, the SBP is not valid for drinks on Half Moon Cay. If desired, there is a drink package for Half Moon Cay that can be purchased whether one has the SBP or not. I'm sorry that I cannot remember the price per person for the Half Moon Cay package but I know that it is less than $30.00.

Thank you to everyone...all of this is very helpful information!! We are so excited for our first HAL cruise!!!

How does the SBP work during Happy Hour?

Just for clarity, if the drink is 9 dollars as I see some wine glasses are, is that ok or is it up to 9??

Just for clarity, if the drink is 9 dollars as I see some wine glasses are, is that ok or is it up to 9??

It's $9 or less, so that would be okay.

Can I request that the room steward remove any beverages in a minibar (I’m not even sure there’ll be one-noordham balcony cabin)? I’m planning on bringing a few bottles of water onboard and would like to put them in frig instead. Also, can I buy canned soda with the package? I’m not a coffee drinker, but need my soda first thing in the morning!

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Can I request that the room steward remove any beverages in a minibar (I’m not even sure there’ll be one-noordham balcony cabin)? I’m planning on bringing a few bottles of water onboard and would like to put them in frig instead. Also, can I buy canned soda with the package? I’m not a coffee drinker, but need my soda first thing in the morning!

 

 

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Yes, you can ask them to remove the items in the mini bar. And yes, your balcony cabin will have a mini bar.

And a final yes - you can buy canned soda/pop with the package.

HAL does not allow you to just pay the difference between the cost of the drink and the $9 limit.

I read somewhere ( I think on the boards ), that if it is more than the $9, you only pay the difference. But if you have experience on this, Ill have that in mind. ( I will cruise for the first time with HAL in May )

How does the SBP work during Happy Hour?

The Signature Beverage Card can not be used during Happy Hour.

Buy one drink and when you ready, get another drink with your card and if you want a 3rd drink -- get it.

No deals with the Signature Beverage card.

Yes, you can ask them to remove the items in the mini bar. And yes, your balcony cabin will have a mini bar.

 

 

 

And a final yes - you can buy canned soda/pop with the package.

Thank you!

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The Signature Beverage Card can not be used during Happy Hour.

Buy one drink and when you ready, get another drink with your card and if you want a 3rd drink -- get it.

No deals with the Signature Beverage card.

Thanks KK, but isn't Happy Hour buy one, and get the second one for $2? And so wouldn't it just count as 2 drinks against one's 15/day limit? :confused: