New beverage cards just posted

[ninkb]

I must be missing something obvious - could be HAL terminology I'm unfamiliar with. What exactly does a "beverage card" get you?

 

As I understand it, the beverage cards get you "Prepaid" beverages . . . wine, or soda, or coffee, or mixed drinks. If your card is a $50 card, you get $50 worth of beverages, although you actually paid only $45. Order a fountain soda and the amount it costs is deducted from your card. Order wine and the amount it costs is deducted, etc.

 

You should be able to buy any beverage with the same card. It's simply a prepaid card with a 10% discount.

 

And if I misunderstand, my apologies, and I'm sure someone else with clarify. This has been bouncing around for months! Soon we should all learn the TRUTH!!! :D:D:D

[jaspersmycat]

I hope HAL adds descriptions to say what is and is not covered by each card.

 

Also, why have different cards for Alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages? Why not have one card to use for any beverage?

[porrah]

I, too, was going to buy a couple of wine cards for dinners on my cruise next month. I called HAL and was told no more, just the beverage cards. I asked how much a wine would be and she said maybe $4.50 (plus 15%) which of course is not such a good deal. I'll just have to do what others do and take my own. Hey, do they have corkage on the 3l boxes(lol)? Dressed up for a formal dinner, carrying a box of wine.........

Does anyone have an e mail address I can write to? Maybe if we all bombard them they will change their mind. (I think I just saw a pig flying past the window)

[airlink diva]

I feel the same - we purchased 2 X 20 glass wine cards ($155.26 total) only last week for a cruise on Volendam in November.

So I can see that they may be replaced with 3 x $50 beverage cards - but I like my wine cards the way I bought them:(:p

I feel there will be some busy people answering many phone calls over this one if they do change them after purchase!!

You'd think it wouldn't be worth it for them to 'not' honour already purchased products - but we will see, time will reveal all:)

 

Hi Osmosis Jones!

Like you I purchased items for my upcoming cruise.

I called today to ask how would the new beverage cards that HAL is offering for sale would effect my $20 soda card and $65 Cocktail card.

The person I talked to was very nice and explained that the Beverage cards were being offered fleetwide starting Monday. She told me that any purchases prior to then will be honor and I will still receive my $20 and $65 card and that I should have no problem using them since prior to Monday, people have purchase the various wine,soda and cocktail cards for sailings.

I will still take my purchase confirmations on board (I do always!) just in case a problem occur.

Just wanted to past it along since we are in the same boat!!

[KirkNC]

Just ordered the soda cards...good deal if it sticks..

 

They had all these cards on our Noordam cruise in August. The Noordam and Westerdam were the testing ships. IMHO the new soda card is a much better deal than the old one, you can get 22 full cans of soda for $25, in the past you had to use two pours to get one can. The key is you need to be able to drink that many on a cruise (not a problem for us). We actually enjoyed the beverage cards also, since we could not use our wine card during Happy Hour, we used the beverage card to get 2 for 1 plus the 10% discount. What I hate to see go away is the wine card. I had hoped they would keep that in place. I can't remember what the "normal" price is for a house pour but the wine card saved more than 10% I believe.

 

Kirk

[K2DangerGirl]

Also, why have different cards for Alcoholic beverages and non-alcoholic beverages? Why not have one card to use for any beverage?

The only thing I can think of is if parents wanted to get them for their teenagers? Not having cruised until I was well past the legal drinking age, I don't know what procedures are on the ship regarding enforcing age limits. Something as simple as a card that can't be used for alcohol doesn't seem like it would work, but there might be something I'm not thinking of. Obviously little kids would not be served alcohol and might not be given the freedom of a beverage card by their parents in any event.

[Linda&Vern]

IMO (and only my opinion) here is what I "think" the new cards are for. As there is still no description on HAL's website, I'm just thinking:

 

$50.00 Beverage Card cost $45.00 (replaces the old wine card)

 

$50.00 Non-Alcoholic Beverage Card cost $45.00 (replaces the old coffee card)

 

$100.00 Beverage Card cost $90.00 (again, replaces the old wine card)

 

$50.00 Soda Card cost $25.00 (replaces the old soda card)

[Laminator]

The reason HAL has come out with the new beverage card system is actually advantageous to the PAX. I have had on many occassions the opportunity to sit at the aft pool bar at 11:00am watching pax and pax come to the bar wanting a Bloody Mary after their 8 glass wine binge the night before. Once they hear that they can not get a Bloody Mary with their wine card, who would have thunk it, the entertainment begins. Now I get to listen to the pax go into their 5 minute diatribe with the bartender. On my first cruise I thought that maybe the bartender was in fact the CEO of HAL and they were taping that new Undercover Boss Show. Lo and behold this exact same situation has occurred on every cruise since. They can't all be CEO's of HAL.

 

Now the good part. I am guessing that the bartenders finally got together, and instead of asking for a raise from their $50 a week salary, would rather have HAL have a beverage card where beer, wine and liquor can all be purchased from the same card. I am guessing they felt it was advantageous to the longevity of their lives.

 

So now instead of having to have a wine card and a liquor card all you need is the one beverage card. Easier for everyone and definitely not a conspiracy to screw anyone.

[slimknyzer]

I bought wine glass card for our upcoming 28 day'er. Do you think they will still deliver the wine cars to the stateroom?

[slimknyzer]

Er'.......wine Card. Perhaps a little too much Chard with dinner! Lol

[Bill B]

Er'.......wine Card. Perhaps a little too much Chard with dinner! Lol

That cracked me up! I was trying to figure out if a wine car was something they send to pickup PAX who have overindulged... or it was a little car they use to deliver wine to the staterooms.

[canadarocks]

Guess what's listed now to describe each and every beverage card, including the $50 soda card!

 

"Enjoy a bottle of vodka and three cans of tonic water. Your choice of Smirnoff or Stolichnaya. A 15% service charge is included in the price of the item. You must be 21 years of age or older to order and receive alcoholic beverages."

:D:D:D:D

 

AWWW.... it's gone now, rats! ;)

[slabeaume]

I assume if the soda card is a travel agent incentive, then it won't show up in your account? I was hoping the soda card would become a beverage card, I guess that's not going to happen.

[croozer]

 

So now instead of having to have a wine card and a liquor card all you need is the one beverage card.

 

Well, as it is, we already have a beverage card: it's called your onboard account, and you can get wine, liquor, coffee drinks, soda, whatever you want, with the boarding pass/cabin key. The advantage of the buying a beverage card is a 10 per cent discount. Also, it's probably pretty handy to give as a gift, or as a thank you from a travel agent. It's not worth it to me to prepay for a card (that I might lose or feel forced to overspend to use up) just to get that small discount when I can just hand over my room card.

[Laminator]

Well, as it is, we already have a beverage card: it's called your onboard account, and you can get wine, liquor, coffee drinks, soda, whatever you want, with the boarding pass/cabin key. The advantage of the buying a beverage card is a 10 per cent discount. Also, it's probably pretty handy to give as a gift, or as a thank you from a travel agent. It's not worth it to me to prepay for a card (that I might lose or feel forced to overspend to use up) just to get that small discount when I can just hand over my room card.

 

I am with you croozer. I have never bought a beverage card onboard of any type. The only reason I know anything at all about them is from listening to the bartenders explaining it to other pax over and over again. Especially the last cruise two weeks ago as everyone was asking about the new program. For the card buyers it has to be advantageous as they may have a cocktail before dinner and then wine with their dinner.

 

I do know the amount charged for the drink on the card does include the mandatory 15% gratuity so it does in fact save the pax more than 10%.

 

To each their own. I have enough trouble keeping track of my room key.

[Bill B]

For the card buyers it has to be advantageous as they may have a cocktail before dinner and then wine with their dinner.

I'd argue the 'advantage' of only having to carry one card instead of two is more than negated by the increase in price.

 

I do know the amount charged for the drink on the card does include the mandatory 15% gratuity so it does in fact save the pax more than 10%.

No it doesn't! It saves the pax EXACTLY 10% - no more, no less.

[KirkNC]

Remember the beverage card can also be used on bottles of wine so one would not think it is that hard to use them up. In my world saving 10% is well...saving 10%. It all adds up. The new card is no harder to keep up with than the old wine card. The only real potential downside is having something left on the card as the cruise winds down and you end up buying more than you would otherwise. Of course that was true with the old cards also.

 

Kirk

[kazu]

How do you access your account to check on the wine cards?

 

It doesn't look like anyone answered you - if you go back to your on line check in - underneath the luggage tag printing is your 'custom itinerary'.

 

It includes your shore excursions and everything you ordered on line.

 

The cards will be one of the first thing shown. i checked mine yesterday and it was still showing what I ordered :)

[Seren Ap Gwalia]

Wrote a nice post and then it vanished so here I try again to share our experience (the short version this time!)

We were on Eurodam in Sept and had soda, coffee and beverage cards ($50 beverage card came in part of a package we had ordered).

We were told on board that the soda cards were being phased out, much to my husbands disappointment as he doesn't drink alcohol. We found out that in certain bars (such as Silk Den) you will get a can of soda, however most places will give you a smaller glass of soda from the fountain.

The $50 beverage cards worked well for me since I prefer a glass of beer to wine, and with the receipt you always get informed how much credit is left on the card, it also shows that you are paying the 15% as well so be warned! If you do not have enough credit on your card for the drink you can clear the card and pay the difference on your room.

The beverage card can not be used on a different cruise as any credit left on card at the end of the cruise is transferred as credit to your ship board account.

 

Hope this helps

[trollydolly]

but as a replacement to the wine card if you just drink wine they are a bad deal as i said on another post wine card was $77 for 20 glasses of pinot grigio which i drink with the new card is $160 as pinot on wine list is $8 a glass so unless there is a cheaper house pinot grigio which isnt listed this is double the cost. wont stop me drinking but it is a massive difference

[RSVE821]

My confirmation e-mail for my purchase of beverage "indulgences" says that I can add, change or cancel a purchase up to 3 days prior to departure by logging into "My Account." I see the items listed in my "custom itinerary" but don't see anywhere how to cancel an item. What am I missing here? Thx

[canadarocks]

My confirmation e-mail for my purchase of beverage "indulgences" says that I can add, change or cancel a purchase up to 3 days prior to departure by logging into "My Account." I see the items listed in my "custom itinerary" but don't see anywhere how to cancel an item. What am I missing here? Thx

 

You have to call ship services to cancel "Indulgences" 800 541 1576

[Linda&Vern]

The reason HAL has come out with the new beverage card system is actually advantageous to the PAX. I have had on many occassions the opportunity to sit at the aft pool bar at 11:00am watching pax and pax come to the bar wanting a Bloody Mary after their 8 glass wine binge the night before. Once they hear that they can not get a Bloody Mary with their wine card, who would have thunk it, the entertainment begins. Now I get to listen to the pax go into their 5 minute diatribe with the bartender. On my first cruise I thought that maybe the bartender was in fact the CEO of HAL and they were taping that new Undercover Boss Show. Lo and behold this exact same situation has occurred on every cruise since. They can't all be CEO's of HAL. Now the good part. I am guessing that the bartenders finally got together, and instead of asking for a raise from their $50 a week salary, would rather have HAL have a beverage card where beer, wine and liquor can all be purchased from the same card. I am guessing they felt it was advantageous to the longevity of their lives.

 

So now instead of having to have a wine card and a liquor card all you need is the one beverage card. Easier for everyone and definitely not a conspiracy to screw anyone.

I think you might be right!

[onthegogirl]

As I remember it the old beverage cards covered ten drinks for $50.00. Most mixed drinks cost between $4.50 and $7.50. I used the card for the more expensive cocktails and charged to cheaper ones to my room.

 

As a debit card I'll be paying full price for all drinks, right?

 

Another thought. I used my HAL rewards points for beverage cards and was charged 5,000 points not 4,500 ($45.00). Not a big deal but.........

 

So if I am right, my nightly cocktail will be substantially more expensive.:mad:

 

Is this the way it works?:confused:

[Typhoon1]

From reading another topic a few weeks ago, I believe it was 22 cans.

 

If indeed, this is the case. It is a good deal.

 

Not as good as the old soda stickers, however.