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

[POA1]

.... their beverage packages only gave ONE red wine by glass option. Yuk!

 

I wonder if they changed the reds by the glass. There were two for a pretty long time, a Merlot (Santa Carolina which rated 83 by Wine Spectator,) and a Cabernet Sauvignon (also by Santa Carolina - which rated 89 by WS.)

 

Do you recall what the red by the glass happened to be?

[POA1]

We just took our first HAL cruise so didn't qualify for any Mariner benefits for any of the wine packages. We did bring on a few bottles but not as many as we should have. We were appalled by the prices being charged for their so-so wines, and the full-price packages (because we don't qualify for discount).

 

I agree with you 100% about the markups. If one is 4* or 5* Mariner, the markups on the packages is really quite reasonable. It's still pretty high for 3* Mariners. For guests not getting a discount, the markups approach astronomical numbers. Generally speaking, we expect a high markup to translate into exceptional wine service. Here it does not.

 

We also happen to know that large customers don't pay the release price for wine, so the markups are even higher than they look from the numbers above. That's why I was relieved when the actual corkage policy was released.

 

Q: You know that this thread now has a high probability of turning into a huge "complaining about wine prices" debacle now, don't you?

A: Yes, but at least it won't be about smoking.

 

Q: Umm...

A: Darn!

 

Q: Did you do the same analysis for the regular wine by the bottle list?

A: Yes, and for the Pinnacle list.

 

Q: Care to share research?

A: Not at the present time.

[POA1]

Wine Packages - Unlocking the Hidden Mysteries - Revision for Errata

 

====SNIP!=====

 

Three Star Mariners save 25% off these prices. Four and Five Star Mariners receive a 50% discount. I am reasonably sure that these prices are subject to a 15% service charge, but when I went to look it up on the HAL site, the page said: An unexpected response condition code has been received. I refreshed the page and it then spit out the message: An error occurred while processing your request. Reference #97.4510fea5.1396847901.d6d880. So, I'm gonna go with the "Yes, there is a 15% service charge added to the wine package price. Some one will correct me if I'm wrong. I can pretty much guarantee it.

====SNIP!=====

 

The HAL site is now allowing me to see the wine package details and it turns out that I was (Gasp!) wrong about the service charge. The 15% service charge is indeed included in the prices. For example, the 7 Day Admiral's Package details screen reads:

 

Admiral's Wine Package: 7-Bottle

 

This premium package allows you to choose seven wines from a wonderful selection that includes Four Emus Chardonnay, Gewurztraminer Columbia Winery, Silverado Sauvignon Blanc, Laboure Roi Macon Villages, Franciscan Chardonnay, I AM ROSE, Spellbound Cabernet Sauvignon, The Jobe Pinot Noir, Niner Merlot, Chianti Castiglioni Frescaboldi, Blackstone Syrah and Icon Ravenswood. Delivered to your stateroom on embarkation day.

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.

 

 

I am stunned that no one fact-checked me on this. I'd hate to be posting information that was just made up. Speaking of made-up information, I am pretty sure that there is no Pinot Noir called the Jobe. Nobilo has a Pinot Noir called "The Jibe" and HAL sells a fair amount of Nobilo wine.... In any case, I have only seen "The Jobe Pinot Noir" on the HAL website and haven't seen it on any of the lists people posted.

[Gsel]

Please forgive me if this question has been asked, and answered before, but if you order one of the wine packages for your stateroom can you take a bottle to the dining room? And, will you have to pay a corkage fee for that bottle?

Thanks

[POA1]

Please forgive me if this question has been asked, and answered before, but if you order one of the wine packages for your stateroom can you take a bottle to the dining room? And, will you have to pay a corkage fee for that bottle?

Thanks

 

Anything you buy from HAL may be taken to the dining room or any place you like, without corkage. Corkage is only charged on wine guests bring onto the ship.

[POA1]

Anything you buy from HAL may be taken to the dining room or any place you like, without corkage. Corkage is only charged on wine guests bring onto the ship.

 

I should add that you get a carry on allowance of one corkage-free bottle of wine per person for in-room consumption. If you take your "free" bottle to a dining venue or bar, you will be charged corkage.

[Gsel]

Thanks, I knew about the bottles we are going to bring onboard but was not sure about the package bottles.

[GrammySpo]

I don't recall sorry. Was just stunned that there was only one white and one red option included.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[POA1]

I don't recall sorry. Was just stunned that there was only one white and one red option included.

 

That's weird. On every house wine list I've seen, there are 2 reds: Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon, 2 whites: Pinot Grigio & Chardonnay, and 1 sparkling wine: Prosecco. Once you get away from the house selections, the wines by the glass choices expand considerably.

 

If you go to this post and scroll down to the Wine heading, you will see links to the selections available on the Noordam in early March.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=42154126

 

 

In the off chance that I messed up the link, it's post #351 in the current thread. I'm posting from my phone and sometimes my sausage-like fingers mistype. ;)

[onlyleigh]

I was asked to post this to a HAL forum along with our Grand Voyage Roll Call. It offers a different perspective as to what some have said about the "new" wine policy. I hope it offers some food for thought on this issue.

 

The one thing that is missing is that I was told today that only one bottle per person may be brought on board at embarkation, no extra bottles even if you pay the corkage fees.

 

Also, this issue is ALL about on board wine sales, not about over consumption or risk management or fairness or guest relations. It is all about increasing profits on board.

 

Hi all,

 

As a lot of you know HA had in the past a very nice wine policy. That is you could bring what you wanted for cabin consumption on embarkation and in ports. Well, NO MORE. There is a new policy in effect that I just found out about. You can bring one 750ml bottle on board at embarkation and any other bottles bought in ports and brought on for personal consumption will have to be surrendered to them until disembarkation OR YOU CAN PAY AN $18 PER BOTTLE SURCHARGE to consume it on the ship, either in the dining room or YOUR OWN CABIN. And, we are going to two of the premier wine producing countries of the world, Argentina and Chile. I called both Reservations and the Mariner desk to confirm the policy. Reservations said call the Mariner desk and I got the following reply, "Everyone in the industry is doing it." (I hate that kind of mindless reply) and a suggestion that I email a letter to Guest Relations - they no longer have a phone number. I wonder why? And, they suggested I post it to their guest comment section, which I will do next. Since I was in such a great humor - NOT - I have decided to start a crusade. I would encourage all of you to protest. And, for those of you who think that this is a fruitless argument, I can tell you that this is all about selling their wine on board and their profits and stick it to the passenger. I have copied my letter to Guest Relations for forwarding to the appropriate person. Every word in it is true. I did all the research on it.

 

I realize that some of you are not going to agree with me, but I did want to let you know of this change that occurred at the end of January. It will affect quite a few of us. I really don't mind a corkage fee if someone else removes the cork, chills the wine, pours it and disposes of the bottle. But to surcharge my own personal purchases? I think that is going way too far.

 

My email to guest relations......

Hello,

 

Please forward this to the appropriate person.

 

 

I am a travel agent and my husband and I are booked on your 68 day Grand South America Voyage departing 1/3/15. We are also 3 star Mariners. And, this would be our 113th cruise, 80% of which have been on Carnival Corporation ships, so we are not novice cruisers. My husband was reading the new wine policy for passengers and we are now thinking of cancelling this voyage for the following reasons.

 

 

As I read the policy and as it was explained to me by the Reservations and the Mariner departments, a passenger who brings a bottle of wine back on board in a port of call will have to either surrender that bottle of wine until disembarkation or pay $18 per bottle for the privilege of consuming it in their cabin or in the dining room. I fully understand the concept of a corkage fee. However, for private cabin consumption this policy is completely ludicrous and is, in our opinion, simply a move that looks like a deliberate attempt to harm the passenger.

 

 

We sat and figured out that our average cabin consumption for two people for 68 days would be about 46 bottles of wine. At your rates we would be paying $18 per bottle for 44 bottles brought back on board (2 bottles would be brought on at embarkation) a total of $792.00 just to consume it on board over and above the purchase cost. And, you do nothing for that money for people who simply consume it in their cabins. Considering that you are going to visit two of the premier wine producing countries of the world, Chile and Argentina, many of your passengers would likely want to bring wine back with them. This would be especially true in Chile where one of your shore excursions visits one or more wineries. Most of those people would like to bring a bottle or two back also. In essence you would be taxing people for bringing back souvenirs from their trip. And, I am unsure if you have informed the tour operator that any wine purchases would be surcharged when the passengers return to the ship. Most of the wineries I know open their doors to sell wine, not just show the passengers how wine is made. I am not sure how happy they would be also to know that their sales could suffer greatly from this policy.

 

 

Also, this Grand Voyage can be booked as one 68-day trip or 3 segments. The person booking the Grand Voyage is now penalized because they only have one embarkation, but others, depending on the way they booked it, could have as many as three. Thus, the segmented passenger would be at an advantage over a loyal passenger who has booked the larger voyage.

 

 

I understand the purpose of this is to discourage passengers from consuming their own wines and encourage them to purchase one of your wine packages. There is just one problem that I see in that. I checked out one of the wine packages on your website. It shows that you have three possible packages 3 bottles for $102.35 (avg. per bottle $34.12), 5 bottles for $171.35 (avg. per bottle $34.27), and 7 bottles for $228.28 (avg. per bottle $32.61). I have a list of the wines you can choose from. I then went online and did a wine search. Of the 12 wines on your list 4 retail for over $10.00 per bottle. The other 8 retail for under $10.00 per bottle. That makes your wines at least a 200% mark up on 4 of them and a minimum 300% mark up on 8 of them and most of those are closer to 400% or more. And that is retail. I am sure that you get a further bulk purchase discount. Most people accept reasonable mark ups. That is how business is done and profits made. But, there comes a point where price points discourage demand and consumption. For several years now that is exactly the complaint I have heard from Maitre d's.

 

 

I do understand that you want to discourage excessive consumption. And I could understand this policy on party voyages of 7 days or less, but on a Grand or World Voyage of this duration?

 

 

As I am not a stupid person, nor are those people who can afford to book grand voyages or world voyages, I find it incredibly insulting that you actually feel that this new move of taxing or surcharging for a passenger's personal purchases that are brought on board is really going to enhance your image within your loyal repeat customers and encourage new customers. Since you are taxing or surcharging now for wine souvenirs because you would rather we purchase it on board, what is next?

 

 

I admit that I am going to be a bit facetious here, but seriously, what is next? If this stands, are you going to then surcharge or tax other items you sell on board that passengers purchase on land such as T-shirts, postcards, candy, water, sodas, magnets, pins, hats or anything else because your sales are lagging on board in certain areas?

 

 

Your hotel directors will tell you that the busiest time for the bars on your ships are the Happy Hours when the wine is half priced. Having witnessed it first hand I can tell you that if Happy Hour ends on a Holland America ship at 6 pm, at 6:02 pm the bar is virtually empty. Perhaps if the wine prices were say 1/3 less than they are now, more would be purchased. As I said above, I checked the wines in your packages and quite frankly, I wouldn't be interested in the wines in your package because I have tried them in the past and find them to be not to my liking. My husband, who drinks only quality red wines has seen none on your package that he would consider drinking. I know you have other wines on your wine list, but again, your price point far exceeds what a lot of people are willing to pay for it. An example would be your White Zinfandel which I can buy at home for around $5.99-7.99 per 750ml bottle. The last time I checked you were selling it for just about $28.00 per bottle. Anyone who looks at that price and knowing the length of voyage they are on would be hesitant to buy a bottle. At $18-20 it's far more attractive.

 

 

I am asking that someone take a really close look at this policy and dump it and go back to the older policy where a person could bring wine on board as long as it wasn't excessive and let your hotel directors decide what is reasonable for their specific voyages. Your line visits most of the premier wine producing countries of the world; France, Spain, Italy, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Chile and the US. This policy does not make sense except to the accountants. It certainly won't encourage me to take this voyage or any other of a great length. Far from it.

 

 

To illustrate that point. This particular voyage will cost us with airfare, cabin, taxes and insurance almost $50,000. However, as this policy dampens my enthusiasm for the voyage, I am quite seriously thinking of cancelling my trip. In that case, your company will probably in the end lose $40,000 or more of my money. I wonder how many other bookings you are losing and don't even know it.

 

 

My husband, a retired judge, quite frankly is feeling a bit ripped off at this point.

 

 

I would like a response to this email that does not simply tell me that you are doing it because "everyone is doing it." As a good and loyal customer I would expect more than that from Holland America.

 

 

Sincerely,

 

Leigh ******

[POA1]

I was asked to post this to a HAL forum along with our Grand Voyage Roll Call. It offers a different perspective as to what some have said about the "new" wine policy. I hope it offers some food for thought on this issue.

 

You missed an opportunity here. "Drink" for thought would have been more of an attention grabber. ;)

 

The one thing that is missing is that I was told today that only one bottle per person may be brought on board at embarkation, no extra bottles even if you pay the corkage fees.

 

I'm not sure who told you that, but I can tell you for a fact that if you can carry it, and you pay corkage on it, you can bring it. (Subject to the 750ml restriction, one "free" bottle per adult, etc.)

 

Also, this issue is ALL about on board wine sales, not about over consumption or risk management or fairness or guest relations. It is all about increasing profits on board.

 

No argument here. However, you go on to compare the onboard wine prices to retail. HAL is buying at wholesale - deeply discounted wholesale, in fact. In reality, the markups are higher than your calculations indicate.

 

Ready for some blood pressure medication washed down with a nice Albarino yet?

 

Our reasons for carrying on our own wine are twofold: First, we enjoy choosing special wines for our trips, in much the same way we have fun selecting wines for dinner parties. Second: Even with the corkage, we are still miles ahead. Most of the wine we take with us isn't available on the ship, and if it were, the markup would far exceed $18.

 

For us, the carry on policy works. If we were taking a Grand Voyage, we'd have a problem. I can't imagine having the upper body strength to carry on three cases per person. :)

 

I wish you the best of luck with your efforts. It would be nice to see the policy changed so that it's fairer to multi segment cruisers and solo travelers.

Edited April 8, 2014 by POA1

[VermeulT]

I wish you the best of luck with your efforts. It would be nice to see the policy changed so that it's fairer to multi segment cruisers and solo travelers.

 

I also agree that there should be some consideration for the length of the voyage... 1 bottle per person for a 7 day cruise, and 1 bottle for a 68 day cruise - doesn't seem fair.

[RJ2002]

We usually don't bring wine on board, but are considering it for our next cruise. For white wines, do most people chill them in their stateroom and then take them to the dining room, or can you drop the wines off in advance and have HAL store/chill them?

[flychick737]

First off, thank-you for ALL of your research! This helps immensely, but also raises some further questions or clarifications. Being that there is 22 pages to read through here.....I might have missed the answers already :rolleyes:

 

#1 - Carrying on wine......this is my plan and to pay the corkage at $18. We also plan on 2 for our stateroom consumption. I noticed on an above post this is no longer possible.......***? Please tell me it is!! The $18/btl gets charged to your room. Then we just bring it to dinner with us? When/where do you pay? Im afraid of paying x2 if you pay on embarkation, then if you have to pay again in dining room?!

 

#2 - Can you bringing on water or soda for stateroom - can we still do this?

 

#3 - I can't find what time embarkation is at....prob just missing it in the documents.....:confused: What time is best for avoiding crowds and bringing on wine?

 

#4 - Soda cards.....what is the cost for a fountain soda vs. can? Is the card worth it....I have a hard time sucking up paying $100 for fountain sodas!! :mad:

 

#5 - coffee!!! What is available OB for no extra charge? Momma needs her coffee......and lots of it!!

 

#6 - the bottles you can order to your room (Pre-cruise package) (Gin and Tonic) etc., say 1 bottle and 3 cans.....is it a 750ml bottle or a small size?

 

Thanks in advance!! :cool:

[ajcruiser]

 

 

. You can bring one 750ml bottle on board at embarkation and any other bottles bought in ports and brought on for personal consumption will have to be surrendered to them until disembarkation OR YOU CAN PAY AN $18 PER BOTTLE SURCHARGE to consume it on the ship, either in the dining room or YOUR OWN CABIN.

 

I thought the policy had been amended/clarified to allow each guest to bring one bottle back on the ship at each port for free and only pay corkage on additional bottles beyond the one. Is that not correct?

[ajcruiser]

You can bring one 750ml bottle on board at embarkation and any other bottles bought in ports and brought on for personal consumption will have to be surrendered to them until disembarkation OR YOU CAN PAY AN $18 PER BOTTLE SURCHARGE to consume it on the ship, either in the dining room or YOUR OWN CABIN.

 

I thought the policy had been amended/clarified to allow each guest to bring one bottle back on the ship at each port for free and only pay corkage on additional bottles beyond the one. Is that not correct?

 

Answered my own question at the HAL website. You do pay to bring bottles on board at the ports. Forgot that they originally were going to prohibit any bottles being brought from ports but amended it to allow bottles after corkage is paid. Oops.

[POA1]

We usually don't bring wine on board, but are considering it for our next cruise. For white wines, do most people chill them in their stateroom and then take them to the dining room, or can you drop the wines off in advance and have HAL store/chill them?

 

I chill it myself. There are a couple of ways to go. You can request a wine chiller bucket and ice from your room steward, or you can do what we do and bring an Ice Bag. The advantage of the Ice Bag is that it is taller and chills the neck of the bottle much better. (Eliminating the nasty warm first glass problem.)

 

You can find out more about the Ice Bags in this post:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1999316

 

 

Just scroll down to where it says "Equipment List."

 

Some people do take their whites to their wine steward for chilling, but we like to manage our own wine temperatures. In case you couldn't tell, we're a little persnickety about it. :D. IMHO, there's nothing worse than whites that are so cold you can't taste the character of the wine and reds that are so warm that the alcohol "blooms" and ruins the taste.

Okay, maybe no wine at all is worse. ;)

[RJ2002]

I chill it myself. There are a couple of ways to go. You can request a wine chiller bucket and ice from your room steward, or you can do what we do and bring an Ice Bag. The advantage of the Ice Bag is that it is taller and chills the neck of the bottle much better. (Eliminating the nasty warm first glass problem.)

 

You can find out more about the Ice Bags in this post:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1999316

 

 

Just scroll down to where it says "Equipment List."

 

Some people do take their whites to their wine steward for chilling, but we like to manage our own wine temperatures. In case you couldn't tell, we're a little persnickety about it. :D. IMHO, there's nothing worse than whites that are so cold you can't taste the character of the wine and reds that are so warm that the alcohol "blooms" and ruins the taste.

Okay, maybe no wine at all is worse. ;)

 

Thank you! Great suggestion on the Ice Bag.

[POA1]

First off, thank-you for ALL of your research! This helps immensely, but also raises some further questions or clarifications. Being that there is 22 pages to read through here.....I might have missed the answers already :rolleyes:

 

No problem. We love an inquisitive colleague!

 

#1 - Carrying on wine......this is my plan and to pay the corkage at $18. We also plan on 2 for our stateroom consumption. I noticed on an above post this is no longer possible.......***? Please tell me it is!! The $18/btl gets charged to your room. Then we just bring it to dinner with us? When/where do you pay? Im afraid of paying x2 if you pay on embarkation, then if you have to pay again in dining room?!

 

The policy still allows you to bring on bottles of wine (750ml size) in addition to your "free" allowance bottle, as long as you pay corkage. I'm not sure how the one-bottle-no-matter-what-and-no-more rumor got started. Trust me, I'm a scientist. ;)

 

Actually, you can read the HAL policy in their Know Before You Go PDF here:

 

http://www.hollandamerica.com/assets/cruise-vacation-onboard/KBYG.pdf

 

The relevant information is on Page 6 under the heading "ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES BROUGHT ON BOARD."

 

Each guest 21 years and older may bring one bottle of wine or champagne (no larger than 750ml) onboard in carry-on luggage at the beginning of the voyage. This bottle will not be subject to a corkage fee if consumed in the stateroom.

 

Additional wine or champagne bottles (no larger than 750ml) in carry-on luggage are welcome, but will incur a US$18.00 (subject to change) corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed. Guests are not allowed to bring beer, boxed wine, or other liquors and spirits onboard.

 

Holland America Line reserves the right to remove all alcoholic beverages from any guest luggage that violates this policy. Any alcoholic beverage found will be removed and returned on the last evening of the voyage. Guests will not receive any monetary compensation for alcoholic beverages that were removed from luggage.

 

Wine and champagne bottles (no larger than 750ml) purchased in ports of call are welcome to be brought onboard subject to a US$18.00 (subject to change) corkage fee each, irrespective of where they are intended to be consumed.

 

Alternatively guests can choose to have these bottles stored and returned on the last evening of the voyage at no charge.

 

All other alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of calls as well as all alcoholic beverages purchased from onboard shops will be stored and returned on the last evening of the voyage at no charge.

 

You pay the corkage when you board - or, more accurately, your room is charged corkage when you board. For example, if you have 6 bottles and you are using two as your corkage free allowance (assuming 2 adults in the stateroom) - a beverage steward will place stickers on the four bottles for which you are charged corkage. If you brings these bottles into the dining room, or anywhere else for that matter, the wine steward will see the sticker and know not to charge you corkage since it's already been paid. If you bring one of your "free" bottles to a dining venue, you can expect to be charged the corkage.

 

The wine "check in" table was directly after the security scanner in Fort Lauderdale. The posts that should answer the rest of your wine check-in questions are #281 and #21 in this thread. (Hyperlinked for Your Convenience!)

 

#2 - Can you bringing on water or soda for stateroom - can we still do this?

 

Yes, you can. You do not have to carry the water or soda on. You can check it, so make sure it's packaged safely if you decide to check it.

 

#3 - I can't find what time embarkation is at....prob just missing it in the documents.....:confused: What time is best for avoiding crowds and bringing on wine?

 

Check in usually starts at 11:30 AM, give or take a few minutes. We always try to get to the pier early to beat the rush. Ideally, we want to reach the terminal just after the people lined up and waiting for the doors to open get inside. It's not an exact science, but we shoot for an arrival at the port as close to 11:30 as we can get.

 

#4 - Soda cards.....what is the cost for a fountain soda vs. can? Is the card worth it....I have a hard time sucking up paying $100 for fountain sodas!! :mad:

 

Hat Tip to DRS/NC for this information: Fountain sodas are $1.50 + 15% service charge, cans are $1.95 + 15% SC. You can not get cans with the soda card any more. With the soda card you get 29 glasses of soda for $25.

 

#5 - coffee!!! What is available OB for no extra charge? Momma needs her coffee......and lots of it!!

 

Yes. Regular and decaf coffee are still free. If you want to get fancy and have cappuccino, espresso, or get the full barrista treatment, there is a surcharge.

 

#6 - the bottles you can order to your room (Pre-cruise package) (Gin and Tonic) etc., say 1 bottle and 3 cans.....is it a 750ml bottle or a small size?

 

It's a full liter bottle.

 

Thanks in advance!! :cool:

 

You're welcome. We're here to help.

[ajcruiser]

No problem. We love an inquisitive colleague!

 

The policy still allows you to bring on bottles of wine (750ml size) in addition to your "free" allowance bottle, as long as you pay corkage. I'm not sure how the one-bottle-no-matter-what-and-no-more rumor got started. Trust me, I'm a scientist. ;)

 

Every good scientist needs a historian. When the HAL alcohol policy change was first announced last fall, effective January 31, 2014, they were going to limit us to "one-bottle-no-matter-what" policy. Not a rumor. As a result of them being inundated by customer outrage they subsequently amended the policy to be more consistent with the Princess policy which is the current version you have quoted.

 

There are some old threads which dealt with the original announcement of the more restrictive policy.

 

Alan

[ajcruiser]

Here is what the policy said as of July 31, 2013 regarding the January, 2014 change:

 

New Policy effective January 31, 2014:

Each guest 21 years and older may bring one bottle of wine or champagne (no larger than 750ml) onboard in their carry-on luggage at the beginning of the voyage. Guests are not allowed to bring beer, boxed wine, or other liquors and spirits onboard. Holland America Line screens luggage as part of our standard security process and reserves the right to remove all alcoholic beverages from guest luggage that violates this policy. Any alcoholic beverage found will be removed and returned on the last evening of the voyage. Guests will not receive any monetary compensation for alcoholic beverages that were removed from luggage. Alcoholic beverages that are purchased in ports of calls or from onboard shops will be stored and returned on the last evening of the voyage. A corkage fee of US$20.00 (subject to change) applies to wine and champagne brought to the restaurants or bars for consumption. In-Room Dining offers reduced-price stateroom beverage packages for in-stateroom consumption of alcoholic beverages (a 15% Service Charge on all beverage items and packages with beverages will be added).

Updated: 07/30/2013

 

This is the reason for the confusion. It was changed after passenger outrage.

[POA1]

Every good scientist needs a historian. When the HAL alcohol policy change was first announced last fall, effective January 31, 2014, they were going to limit us to "one-bottle-no-matter-what" policy. Not a rumor. As a result of them being inundated by customer outrage they subsequently amended the policy to be more consistent with the Princess policy which is the current version you have quoted.

 

There are some old threads which dealt with the original announcement of the more restrictive policy.

 

Alan

 

Thanks Alan. It's good to have the historical perspective. Part of the reason we embarked on this project was to find out what what was really going on with the Signature Beverage Package and the Wine Carry On Policy. (The other part, purely coincidental I might add, was that we enjoy the occasional glass of wine, bottle of beer, or cocktail.) There was quite a bit of confusion and we set out to clarify things as much as we could.

 

==========

 

When we were planning for our cruise earlier in the year, we were expecting to be limited to one bottle per person. That's why I compiled all the information about the wine in the packages. Up until the new policy was put in place at the very end of January, we were expecting to supplement our two bottles with wine packages.

 

When the new policy came out, we decided to carry on our own wines. We've been doing that for several years and it's kind of a tradition for us. We appreciate the convenience of bringing our own wine to the dining table with us. We simply tell our wine steward to set us up with glasses for a red and white every night, and to add a third glass for Champagne on formal nights. It speeds up the process for us, since we can select our wine pairings by looking at the daily dinner menu and choosing the appropriate wine bottles from our "stock." Admittedly, the pairing choices get a little more arbitrary when we reach the end of the trip... but it works for us.

[onlyleigh]

No problem. We love an inquisitive colleague!

 

The policy still allows you to bring on bottles of wine (750ml size) in addition to your "free" allowance bottle, as long as you pay corkage. I'm not sure how the one-bottle-no-matter-what-and-no-more rumor got started. Trust me, I'm a scientist. ;)

 

Every good scientist needs a historian. When the HAL alcohol policy change was first announced last fall, effective January 31, 2014, they were going to limit us to "one-bottle-no-matter-what" policy. Not a rumor. As a result of them being inundated by customer outrage they subsequently amended the policy to be more consistent with the Princess policy which is the current version you have quoted.

 

There are some old threads which dealt with the original announcement of the more restrictive policy.

 

Alan

 

You are correct. I was just repeating what the HAL Mariner guy and the Reservations gal told me yesterday morning.

 

But, I still object to paying for service I don't get. Maybe we should call room service and have them open it, chill it, pour it, etc. I bet they would change it in a hurry if half a ship started calling room service at 5pm.

 

And, if they charge for no service and get away with it, how long will it take before they try charging for some other service they don't render?

[GrammySpo]

Here, here! You are so right! For the reasons you expressed, my husband has no interest in going on HAL again because he felt totally ripped off. Good luck in your quest for a change.

 

As far as the question regarding the one red, one white offered on the Signature package, we kept asking and verifying with the bartender that it wasn't a good deal BECAUSE there was only one option, and he stuck to the party line that it was a great deal because of all the other drink options. I think he was pretending not to understand that this was a problem for us.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[jaspersmycat]

How about we keep this thread to just the great information about the different drink options that POA1 and company spent so much time researching and reporting back on. There are other threads devoted to the wine policy where you can comment/complain.