Any reason not to buy the beverage card

[jtl513]

If you have the beverage card, can you use it for the drinks "on sale" - you know buy 1 get 1 at 1/2 price or their drink of the day which seems lower than the regular drinks?

Most ships won't let you use them at the Happy Hour 2-for-1, but some ships have allowed it. Don't know about the drink of the day, but my guess is that would be OK, since you're paying the going price for it.

 

We were told we could use them on anothr cruise.

I believe you were told wrong. ;)

 

Also, I have read that sometimes drinks ordered with the card are not as good (too much ice in a soda, as an example) as drinks ordered at full price.

:confused: With sodas you get the whole can, and I seriously doubt they would go to the trouble to "water" a mixed drink just because a card was being used. Besides, for the first 90% of the face value, the amount being deducted from the card is the full price plus 15% service charge. No one would know whether you were going to use up the card fully and get the last free drinks.

[cruisingxpert]

On HAL site it talks about the soda card $25 for $50 of soda. Does anyone know if you can use it for bottled water and when they say soda, do they mean cans of soda or the tap soda?

[LAFFNVEGAS]

On HAL site it talks about the soda card $25 for $50 of soda. Does anyone know if you can use it for bottled water and when they say soda, do they mean cans of soda or the tap soda?

Cans of soda only.

[Krazy Kruizers]

On HAL site it talks about the soda card $25 for $50 of soda. Does anyone know if you can use it for bottled water and when they say soda, do they mean cans of soda or the tap soda?

 

Soda only -- cans:

The soda card costs $25 but has a face value of $50. Each time you buy a soda with it $2.24 ($1.95 + 15%) is deducted from the value. $50/$2.24 = 22 cans, with $0.72 left over. You can use that $0.72 with $1.52 on your room key card (or another soda card) to get another can.

[IslandThyme]

I went back to try again, just in case I had made some error, and sure enough it worked without charging me tax. Duh! I must have packed my brain along with my cruise clothes.

[RuthC]

Also, I have read that sometimes drinks ordered with the card are not as good (too much ice in a soda, as an example) as drinks ordered at full price.

That claim was made by some under the old soda punch card system. It was also claimed, again by some, that the wine pours were short when the old wine card was used.

Neither statement is true any longer.

[Who knew?]

We were told we could use them on anothr cruise.

 

Is it possible this was one of the punch-type cards, which I understand they used to use, and you could keep them to use on later cruises? (Unlike the electronic ones now in use.) Just a thought...

[RuthC]

Is it possible this was one of the punch-type cards, which I understand they used to use, and you could keep them to use on later cruises?

Punch cards weren't supposed to be carried over to another cruise, although sometimes people did get away with doing so.

[Jemima]

There may be disadvantages for some people depending on beverage choice and star category. We drink sodas and coffees, but only infrequently drink alcoholic beverages. We buy the soda cards only. The beverage cards would be a bad purchase for us. We get a much better deal on sodas with the soda card. We're 3 stars and come out much better not using a beverage card in the Explorations Cafe.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

There may be disadvantages for some people depending on beverage choice and star category. We drink sodas and coffees, but only infrequently drink alcoholic beverages. We buy the soda cards only. The beverage cards would be a bad purchase for us. We get a much better deal on sodas with the soda card. We're 3 stars and come out much better not using a beverage card in the Explorations Cafe.

I am confused on this? Why? When they ring it up at the Exploration Cafe they give you the discount of the three star then that amount comes off your Beverage Card you are actually saving more money.

[VermeulT]

I am confused on this? Why? When they ring it up at the Exploration Cafe they give you the discount of the three star then that amount comes off your Beverage Card you are actually saving more money.

 

Not so. They charge you full price. When it hits your room statement - the % is then deducted. Same with the discount in the shops for HAL logo clothing.

[LAFFNVEGAS]

Not so. They charge you full price. When it hits your room statement - the % is then deducted. Same with the discount in the shops for HAL logo clothing.

Well that is not what happened on my recent Westerdam cruise in May. When a shirt I was purchasing was rung up th guy said "Oh I need to re-ring this you are a three star Mariner" The receipt I was given and what I signed for was minus the 10%"

[bet410]

Well that is not what happened on my recent Westerdam cruise in May. When a shirt I was purchasing was rung up th guy said "Oh I need to re-ring this you are a three star Mariner" The receipt I was given and what I signed for was minus the 10%"

 

Just a guess on my part but that may be because you used your room key to purchase the shirt. Your room key is coded with your mariner status. However, when you use a beverage card, the card isn't coded with your mariner status. That's another reason why it would be wonderful to link a beverage card purchase to the room key!

[Jemima]

I've asked a couple of times at the Explorations Cafe and have been told the full price would be charged to the beverage card. This is different than buying a HAL logo shirt because the shirt would be only one discount (your 3 or 4 star one).

[Sea42]

Is the Mariner discount applied when you purchase the beverage card itself rather than the discount being applied to each drink purchased with the card? Perhaps that's where the extra savings come in?

[jtl513]

[quote name='Carol2765']Is the Mariner discount applied when you purchase the beverage card itself rather than the discount being applied to each drink purchased with the card? Perhaps that's where the extra savings come in?[/quote]The discount is given at purchase time (you pay $45 or $90) and the full + 15% price is charged when you use it. There's no extra savings for 3* or 4* in the Explorer's Cafe, and as Jemima says it's better not to use the beverage card there if you're 3/4 star.

[RuthC]

[quote name='Carol2765']Is the Mariner discount applied when you purchase the beverage card itself rather than the discount being applied to each drink purchased with the card? Perhaps that's where the extra savings come in?[/quote]
[FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=royalblue]As John said in the previous post---there's no double dipping. You pick whichever discount you want, but you can't have both. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT]

[Sea42]

[quote name='jtl513']The discount is given at purchase time (you pay $45 or $90) and the full + 15% price is charged when you use it. There's no extra savings for 3* or 4* in the Explorer's Cafe, and as Jemima says it's better not to use the beverage card there if you're 3/4 star.[/quote]

[quote name='RuthC'][FONT=Comic Sans MS][SIZE=3][COLOR=royalblue]As John said in the previous post---there's no double dipping. You pick whichever discount you want, but you can't have both. [/COLOR][/SIZE][/FONT][/quote]
Oh that's too bad it seems it would be a nice little perk for 3/4 star mariners. A discount when you buy the card and then the 10% discount of the card itself that everyone gets.

[startwin]

It's interesting this thread appeared just as DH and I were discussing the cards. You can buy them onboard at the same price as online - we purchased one a couple of weeks ago on our cruise. But we also decided to buy and pay for them ahead of time for our next cruise to reduce the onboard account a bit! There were no taxes added, by the way. And I understand they will be waiting in our cabin for us.