Drink package is no comparison between X and HAL

[Wayneair]

To be fair, I do like the service of Holland America and if I am unable to find a sailing that works for me on Celebrity, I choose Holland America. While I find them to offer great service and maintain clean vessels, IMHO, Celebrity is just a bit more cutting edge and will do things more with a flare. Having said that, what Holland America calls a signature drink package, is a complete joke. This is from the HAL website,

 

"Our convenient, affordable Signature Beverage Package allows you to select from a variety of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails (including non-alcoholic), sodas & coffee! Includes any beverage priced at a $7.00 or lower menu price. Up to 15 beverages per day. * Prices are per day; Signature Beverage Package for $44.95* per day, per person a 15% service charge is not included and will be automatically applied to your purchase. The package must be purchased for the entire duration of the voyage. Up to a 15-drink maximum per day. All adults over 21 years old booked in the same stateroom must also purchase the package. Participants may order only one drink at a time. No sharing is permitted. Excludes Mini Bar, In-Room Dining, & beverages on Half Moon Cay. Packages are not transferable or refundable. Beverage management reserves the right to revoke the package if misused and reserves the right to refuse service for any reason; including refusing service of alcoholic beverages to intoxicated customers. Must be 21 years or older to purchase and agree not to give to minors. "

 

When I sail Celebrity I always get the premium package (yes, I like my cocktails) but I also enjoy the fact that I can get bottle waters, specialty coffees, and freshly squeezed OJ. Yes, there is a $15/day price difference, but not sure where you can go and get a great glass of wine or a nice cocktail for $7.

 

Would I still take HAL, of course. I was just stunned when looking at their offerings.

[KirkNC]

I agree, we also sail both and while I will buy the package on X I don't even think about it on HAL. Add to that HAL's awful wine list and its a no brainer to pass.

[x lindsay x]

"Our convenient, affordable Signature Beverage Package allows you to select from a variety of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails (including non-alcoholic), sodas & coffee"

 

You can definitely get water and coffee with the package as my parents had it on their last cruise, my mother got several bottles of San Pellegrino each day. I was told that the wines included for under $7 were pretty bad which would be a bummer for me. But they still have a pretty liberal wine policy in terms of bringing on bottles so I would probably just do that for my wine.

 

And in HALs defense they always have free fresh squeezed juice in the Lido for breakfast, no upcharge.

 

HAL also has some pretty great "Happy Hour" drink pricing buy one get one for $1. The times and places can be a bit random but they are wonderful to take advantage of. I would get doubles of Johnnie Walker Black for under $9 (with service charge), or my husband and I would each get a single serving for the same price. The last time I sailed with them bloody marys with all the fixings were going for the same buy one get one for $1 promo every morning.

 

I do love the Celebrity premium package but HAL definitely has some nice perks for those who don't have the package if you are willing to take advantage of them. To each their own I guess.

[C 2 C]

But they still have a pretty liberal wine policy in terms of bringing on bottles so I would probably just do that for my wine.

 

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I thought that HAL announced an end to endless wine allowance upon boarding and now limits pax to two bottles per stateroom. :confused:

[x lindsay x]

I thought that HAL announced an end to endless wine allowance upon boarding and now limits pax to two bottles per stateroom. :confused:

 

They listened to their guests :eek: and back tracked. You can bring on all you want. The first two bottles (one per person) get a pass and the rest are subject to the $18 corkage charge.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5711

[Hlitner]

HAL is an industry "follower" while Celebrity is a trend setter. The one big plus we have long given to HAL are their itineraries and long cruises. The new HAL wine policy has taken away one of their better benefits and the so-called corkage fee is actually more like penalty fee. Corkage fees are paid in restaurants who will then take care of opening and serving your wine. But the new HAL corkage is just a fine you pay to bring aboard more then 1 bottle a person. Even if you decide to enjoy that wine in your cabin you still have to pay that fee.

 

Celebrity also has, what we consider to be, the best frequent cruiser program in the entire industry. As an example, we now have over 300 days on HAL, and yet still do not get even a single minute of free internet. In fact, in order to even get a discount on internet we would need over 500 days. On X, we get hundreds of free minutes (and on Princess we get a lot more).

 

As to drink packages, Celebrity has the best in the industry. And we should also mention that while Celebrity has a large and decent wine list, HAL has a wine list that is the worst of all the cruise lines. They certainly must have read the criticism of their wine list here on CC, but have done nothing to improve the situation. On X, when we get the drink package (even the Classic Package) we have a pretty decent selection of wines (which really improves with the Premium package). I recall being on a long (62 day) HAL cruise and one evening decided to order a Malbec. There was not a single bottle of any Malbec onboard, and I think there was only 1 or 2 on the entire wine list (which were not even stocked onboard).

 

Hank

[bphman]

I would not consider myself a big drinker and may not have had enough to meet the daily charge but chose the 123 package and upgraded to the Premium. I was extremely pleased. I was concerned that there would be a lack of service because of the "free" drinks but that was not the case. However, there were not a lot of bars open on Infinity during the daytime. We were never upcharged for exceeding the drink allowance at the Martini bar or during dinner when drinking better wines. I probably wouldn't purchase the package outright but would upgrade from the free package to Premium in a heartbeat. One observation is that Celebrity really jacked up the drink prices, especially the wine list. Over 300% markup on wine was not uncommon.

[YYC F/A]

The Premium Beverage package on X is the best in the business (by far). Across any cruiseline, mass market or luxury - no one can rival the beverage options of X. 40+ different vodkas, 40+ world craft beers, great new cocktail options at all bars, Martini bar, Molecular bar... list goes on. Even onboard Regent and Crystal, I wistfully missed the great beverage options we always enjoyed on X.

 

While I have a soft spot for HAL, the beverage package offerings have steered my business back to X. I don't drink for the sake of drinking, but being able to choose from great hand crafted cocktails, freshly made smoothies, or a respectable selection of up to 20 wines by the glass (Premium Package) on X leaves HAL in the dust.

 

The Signature Beverage Package on HAL offers IIRC a paltry four house wines, which on my last cruise, were so poor quality they were quite literally undrinkable. There is no way on HAL to upgrade or pay a differential to get drinkable wine, nor is there any real choice of wines, just some very cheap and pretty nasty house pours. I ended up buying bottles of wine or better wines by the glass (with no discount) which largely made the beverage package a moot point.

 

If you just want a simple vodka tonic, HAL will be just fine. Anyone that appreciates wine or a true selection of craft beers and cocktails will be disappointed with the weak HAL offering however.

 

I've spoken with some fairly senior executive team folks at HAL about this, they say they are aware of the issues (particularly with regard to wine), but yet nothing is ever changed.

Edited August 23, 2014 by YYC F/A

[MCKC]

I agree Celebrity premium package is the only way to go. No slips to sign and endless choices. Just got off a RCCL and had the ultimate package and it doesn't even compare IMO.

 

 

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[4774Papa]

I agree Celebrity premium package is the only way to go. No slips to sign and endless choices. Just got off a RCCL and had the ultimate package and it doesn't even compare IMO.

 

 

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If you don't drink sodas, bottled water or $5 coffee and are elite (free happy hour) the drinks package makes absolutely NO sense.

[MCKC]

I don't drink soda, love $5 coffee and drink a bottle of water with every cocktail! So for us it makes perfect sense;)

 

 

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[Pushka]

I haven't travelled on HAL but have on other cruise lines. Just exited from Celebrity Equinox. We upgraded from 123 classic to premium. And it was such a winner that if the itinerary works then Celebrity is our cruise line of choice. We don't drink a lot of alcohol but the Evian waters, coffees, shakes, then the alcohol (baileys on ice at 4pm was pure luxury) then we worked through the different bars, well it was a true experience. Don't think even if I was elite that the happy hour would be enough.

[bobsfamily]

what Holland America calls a signature drink package, is a complete joke. This is from the HAL website,

 

"Our convenient, affordable Signature Beverage Package allows you to select from a variety of wine, beer, spirits, cocktails (including non-alcoholic), sodas & coffee! Includes any beverage priced at a $7.00 or lower menu price. Up to 15 beverages per day. * Prices are per day; Signature Beverage Package for $44.95* per day, per person a 15% service charge is not included and will be automatically applied to your purchase. The package must be purchased for the entire duration of the voyage. Up to a 15-drink maximum per day. All adults over 21 years old booked in the same stateroom must also purchase the package. Participants may order only one drink at a time. No sharing is permitted. Excludes Mini Bar, In-Room Dining, & beverages on Half Moon Cay. Packages are not transferable or refundable. Beverage management reserves the right to revoke the package if misused and reserves the right to refuse service for any reason; including refusing service of alcoholic beverages to intoxicated customers. Must be 21 years or older to purchase and agree not to give to minors. "

 

HAL is owned by Carnival Corp and that is the drink package on Carnival Cruise Line ships. I guess it might be all lines owned by Carnival Corp? I sure do like the CC policy and think the 15 limit is to generate more revenue from heavy drinkers... if you start buying drinks at say 12-13 you can continue to drink, if you hit 15 you are cut off til 6am the next morning... even if you offer to buy them. Hit 15 and you are done.

[Cruising89143]

I tried one HAL cruise on the Oosterdam. Decided that HAL was not for us. The pluses were the bedding and the lido dining. At the time we were cruising more on RCI. We found RCI better in suites, service, overall food and entertainment. The ship felt cheap. Very bad decor. It looked as though Joe Farcus from Carnival had a hand in the interior decor. The Pinnacle was a major disappointment. Tried it twice. Left disappointed both times. The overall quality of food on Celebrity has beat HAL in every category other than lido dining which I have found to be the best on HAL as was the bedding.

Edited August 23, 2014 by cruisingator2

[fortinweb]

If you don't drink sodas, bottled water or $5 coffee and are elite (free happy hour) the drinks package makes absolutely NO sense.

 

But only if you drink all your alcoholic drinks during that happy hour time. What about wine during dinner, or fresh squeezed juice with breakfast, or a tropical drink during the day while at the pool, or a beer with lunch? That elite happy hour benefit isn't going to cover you then. :eek:

 

We always take a bottle of water each whenever we go ashore. And since we don't have to pay for each $5 coffee, we order them instead of the regular coffee, which we would normally drink otherwise. Drinking both of those makes the package even more worthwhile, with or without elite happy hour.

Edited August 23, 2014 by fortinweb

[Cruising89143]

But only if you drink all your alcoholic drinks during that happy hour time. What about wine during dinner, or fresh squeezed juice with breakfast, or a tropical drink during the day while at the pool, or a beer with lunch? That elite happy hour benefit isn't going to cover you then. :eek:

 

We always take a bottle of water each whenever we go ashore. And since we don't have to pay for each $5 coffee, we order them instead of the regular coffee, which we would normally drink otherwise. Drinking both of those makes the package even more worthwhile, with or without elite happy hour.

 

I agree. We don't do the Elite or Michael's club happy hour and we always order wine during dinner. We a also grab water for port days. More than pays off.

Edited August 23, 2014 by cruisingator2

[4774Papa]

But only if you drink all your alcoholic drinks during that happy hour time. What about wine during dinner, or fresh squeezed juice with breakfast, or a tropical drink during the day while at the pool, or a beer with lunch? That elite happy hour benefit isn't going to cover you then. :eek:

 

We always take a bottle of water each whenever we go ashore. And since we don't have to pay for each $5 coffee, we order them instead of the regular coffee, which we would normally drink otherwise. Drinking both of those makes the package even more worthwhile, with or without elite happy hour.

We generally don't drink alcohol until 5 PM. Once in a while, after an excursion, we might have a beer. We do purchase wine for dinner and might have an after dinner drink.

 

I always add up our alcohol expenses when our final bill arrives and it is a small fraction of what those beverage packages cost. Geeze, $50 per day per person, that amounts to $1400 for a two week cruise. We might spend 25 percent of that.

[CathyCruises]

On our 15 day TA, our total bill was $293 without the beverage package. That included two dinners each in a speciality restaurant, some on board shopping, and random frou frou drinks during the day. We used our drink coupons each night and I always used my third one for a glass of wine to carry to dinner. If we wanted fancy coffees we visited the Elite breakfast for cappuccinos. We drink the water on board and find bottles of water much cheaper to buy on land than Celebrity's prices.

 

I would never pay the charge for the drinks package, it's about equal to what we are paying per day for the cruise!!! We don't drink fresh squeezed oj at home, nor drinks during the day, etc. so we don't feel we're missing a thing.

[Christine Frances]

We have had the "included" drink pkg on our last three cruises. If we had to cruise without one I am sure our folio would be up there because we are now very spoilt. After having assistance from some wonderful sommeliers, I am now beginning to be able to tell the difference between the better wines than the house ones served at the Elite event. Also appreciate the better beers.

 

We never go to the evening CC event as we would rather go to the Martini Bar. Can't get chocolate Martinis with a coupon lol. Also we have early seating so we can only go for one hour anyway.

 

After saying all that, if the worst happened and our booked cruise didn't have the included Bev pkg, we would just have to suck it up and pay the piper at the end lol. I doubt that we would purchase a pkg but we will still enjoy the Martini and Molecular bars along with better wines and beers:)

 

 

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[bobsfamily]

Christine!

Love your tag line!!+1

Being an IT guy its even more frustrating for me.... but alas it does help with security:D

[Pushka]

We consumed far more than alcohol using the package. Just great to go get a really nice coffee, soft drink and Evian. I've consumed the free water and even though it's perfectly safe it still tastes of salt to me. Mind you I don't eat cheese anymore for the same reason.