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HAL alcohol policy

San Diego Ronni

By San Diego Ronni,
in Holland America Line

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted
If you purchase a wine package from Holland ahead of time is there a corkrage fee added to that too.

 

No - no corkage fee on HAL's wine - even if you bring it from your cabin. They know what wines they have:D

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doublebzz

doublebzz

Posted
Posted
Maybe they assume that you have brought it from one of the ship's bars? Therefore do not charge you the fee?

I'm sure you are right. I believe the corkage fee is to open a bottle. I don't know whether they would have any objection to bringing a single glass to dinner or even if there is a specific prohibition against this. I'm not really a big wine drinker and I don't have any qualms about doing this a few times each cruise particularly since I generally purchase drinks in the ships' bars.

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Boytjie

Boytjie

Posted
Posted
I'm sure you are right. I believe the corkage fee is to open a bottle. I don't know whether they would have any objection to bringing a single glass to dinner or even if there is a specific prohibition against this. I'm not really a big wine drinker and I don't have any qualms about doing this a few times each cruise particularly since I generally purchase drinks in the ships' bars.

 

The corkage has nothing to do with the action of physically opening the bottle.

 

Here is what the HAL policy says:

Guests can bring wine and/or champagne on board at embarkation or purchased in port. A corkage fee of US$18.00 applies to wine and champagne brought to the shipboard restaurants or bars for consumption.
Wine and/or champagne brought on board cannot be consumed in any public venue. If a guest is drinking a beverage carried on board and in a public venue they will be asked to return it to their stateroom.

(Emphasis is mine)

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dfb

dfb

Posted
Posted

One of the joys of international travel for my husband is finding and sampling local beers. I'm curious if he would be allowed to bring back onboard from various port calls a bottle or 2 or locally available beers from time to time?

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Boytjie

Boytjie

Posted
Posted
One of the joys of international travel for my husband is finding and sampling local beers. I'm curious if he would be allowed to bring back onboard from various port calls a bottle or 2 or locally available beers from time to time?

 

The HAL policy is that only wine and champagne can be brought onboard.

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Sea42

Sea42

Posted
Posted
The corkage has nothing to do with the action of physically opening the bottle.

 

Here is what the HAL policy says:

Guests can bring wine and/or champagne on board at embarkation or purchased in port. A corkage fee of US$18.00 applies to wine and champagne brought to the shipboard restaurants or bars for consumption.
Wine and/or champagne brought on board cannot be consumed in any public venue. If a guest is drinking a beverage carried on board and in a public venue they will be asked to return it to their stateroom.

(Emphasis is mine)

I do wonder though if this would include people lounging outside their Lanai cabins.

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sapete

sapete

Posted
Posted
One of the joys of international travel for my husband is finding and sampling local beers. I'm curious if he would be allowed to bring back onboard from various port calls a bottle or 2 or locally available beers from time to time?

 

Wine, soda, water only. Beer is not included on the carry-on-board list.

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doublebzz

doublebzz

Posted
Posted
The corkage has nothing to do with the action of physically opening the bottle.

 

Here is what the HAL policy says:

Guests can bring wine and/or champagne on board at embarkation or purchased in port. A corkage fee of US$18.00 applies to wine and champagne brought to the shipboard restaurants or bars for consumption.
Wine and/or champagne brought on board cannot be consumed in any public venue. If a guest is drinking a beverage carried on board and in a public venue they will be asked to return it to their stateroom.

(Emphasis is mine)

 

Didn't know that - kind of hard to enforce, though.

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doublebzz

doublebzz

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Not that hard to enforce IMO. The glasses in your cabin are not the same as those used in the bars and dining areas. And I am sure the staff knows the difference.

 

DaveOKC

 

You mean by the same folks who "enforce" dress codes, reserving deck chairs, etc?

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

Posted
Posted
One of the joys of international travel for my husband is finding and sampling local beers. I'm curious if he would be allowed to bring back onboard from various port calls a bottle or 2 or locally available beers from time to time?

 

I suspect you will not have an issue if it a bottle or two only. Dh and I had bought a bottle in the Med and hesitated - we were told one bottle - no problem - as they smiled at us. We were totally upfront and asked.

 

Now, i am sure this will vary from ship to ship and cruise to cruise but if you are just bringing a sampling on and if it's not one they offer - from my experience, I think you will be ok. (I'm not talking about a case - I'm talking a bottle or two) :D

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kazu "Live from...." Rare

kazu

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You mean by the same folks who "enforce" dress codes, reserving deck chairs, etc?

 

The crew have to walk a fine line between enforcing rules and making sure that guests are happy. Do as you wish but they DO know - how do you think your wine steward or beverage servers feel.

 

Here's my personal take - as long as HAL lets us bring on wine to drink in our cabin (please keep it) I don't over use the policy (I can't say abuse since I have been chastised for that). I bring what I can carry on. any more is too much. We do NOT take our personal wine out of our cabin to any public venue.

 

I find HAL's wine policy generous - the more it is abused - the sooner it will disappear. I am happy to buy their wine/drinks in any public venue.

 

I call it fair ball:)

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Jean1946

Jean1946

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Posted

You can ask at any of the bars for wine glasses. We do take some wine on. Generally before dinner we find one of the 2 for 1 and take one of those into the dining room. Have even, gasp, taken a glass of my own in there and have never been looked at funny.

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