HAL Signature Beverage Package Update

[Fouremco]

IIRC, for our one family cruise on Royal Caribbean, we were given the glasses for the Coke Freestyle machines as part of our beverage package. That way, we could get our sodas without tying up the bartenders. Now that HAL has these machines on the K'dam, and I'm assuming the NS will have them too, does HAL also provide you with the glasses if you have a signature beverage package, or does HAL restrict it to those with the Coke package?

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I upgraded to the Elite package on my Alaskan cruise this year. It was $13 a day. The price includes gratuities I did the switch the first day on the ship. The change didn't show up in the computer. The bar manager on a sticky sheet wrote a note saying I was upgraded. I attached it my sail card.

 

Such a hassle to have to carry around a hand written sticky note to "prove" you had paid to upgrade. Also this is another case of HAL inconsistency - some are saying they paid $5 or 10 (+15% gratuity) per day to upgrade, and here you are charged a flat $13! Others have been denied the upgrade, or given extreme hassle in trying to do so, and of course if you call Seattle they will say you cannot upgrade the SBP that comes with the Explore4 Promo to Elite, period, end of ....... What a shambles!

[POA1]

Such a hassle to have to carry around a hand written sticky note to "prove" you had paid to upgrade. Also this is another case of HAL inconsistency - some are saying they paid $5 or 10 (+15% gratuity) per day to upgrade, and here you are charged a flat $13! Others have been denied the upgrade, or given extreme hassle in trying to do so, and of course if you call Seattle they will say you cannot upgrade the SBP that comes with the Explore4 Promo to Elite, period, end of ....... What a shambles!

 

We had sticker for the SBP a few years ago. I think it added about 18,400 pounds to the weight of our room keys. It ripped my left arm clear off. My poor wife carried her stickered card onto the elevator and the weight caused it (the elevator) to rip though the hull and she's (my wife) currently buried in the sea floor, somewhere in the Bahamas.

 

It really wasn't a big deal. The sticker was a placeholder that allowed the servers to know how to ring our drinks until the system updated.

[ksmaxey]

Has anyone purchased the SBP before the cruise online for the discount of $5 per day and then upgraded to the EBP on board for difference between the two packages onboard? (IE - do they charge the difference between the onboard packages thus saving $5. tip per day or do they charge the difference between what was paid before sailing the EBP price.)

[POA1]

Has anyone purchased the SBP before the cruise online for the discount of $5 per day and then upgraded to the EBP on board for difference between the two packages onboard? (IE - do they charge the difference between the onboard packages thus saving $5. tip per day or do they charge the difference between what was paid before sailing the EBP price.)

The EBP price is the same whether you buy it beforehand or not. The upgrade price is going to be $5 (full price SBP) or $10 (discounted SBP.) Plus the 15% service charge, of course.

[Despegue]

The Signature Beverage package has always been and still is UNLIMITED non-alcoholic drinks and up to 15 alcoholic beverages.

It is JUST THE WORDING by HAL that is confusing, and all that Seattle representatives do is look at the terms and conditions. 

If anyone here on cruisecritic has been charged when drinking over 15 drinks, INCLUDING non-alcoholic drinks, please make yourself known, I bet there are none.

[crystalspin]

On 10/8/2018 at 3:04 PM, AtlantaCruiser72 said:

 

... and here you are charged a flat $13! ... What a shambles!

$13 is the $10 difference between the pre-cruise (or Ex4) SBP price of $44.95 and the EBP price of $54.95, plus 15% ($3). It just happens to come out flat and even.

[crystalspin]

On 10/7/2018 at 2:36 PM, crystalspin said:

Both must up-buy to Elite, and before either have ordered any drink. The cost is the difference in the package prices: $5pp/day. But -- Bombay Sapphire is included in the SBP so no need to go Elite:

My bad, the upgrade from Ex4 is, as POA said, $10pp/day +$3pp/day gratuity. The difference between the pre-sailing price of SBP and the (unchanging) price of EBP. But since if you like nicer wine available by the glass, and you'd pay for the whole drink, not the difference, one glass of wine a day (per person) will still pay for upgrade.

[kazu]

On 10/8/2018 at 8:34 PM, POA1 said:

ksmaxey said:

Has anyone purchased the SBP before the cruise online for the discount of $5 per day and then upgraded to the EBP on board for difference between the two packages onboard? (IE - do they charge the difference between the onboard packages thus saving $5. tip per day or do they charge the difference between what was paid before sailing the EBP price.)

The EBP price is the same whether you buy it beforehand or not. The upgrade price is going to be $5 (full price SBP) or $10 (discounted SBP.) Plus the 15% service charge, of course.

 

Assuming they allow you to upgrade your Explore4 to the Elite, would it be the $10 per day pp? (+ s/c of course 😉)

[Nang]

4 hours ago, Despegue said:

The Signature Beverage package has always been and still is UNLIMITED non-alcoholic drinks and up to 15 alcoholic beverages.

It is JUST THE WORDING by HAL that is confusing, and all that Seattle representatives do is look at the terms and conditions. 

If anyone here on cruisecritic has been charged when drinking over 15 drinks, INCLUDING non-alcoholic drinks, please make yourself known, I bet there are none.

 

Not sure where you got that information but it does not align with the HAL staff who I rang this September, the conditions for Explore 4 SBP,  the two bar managers I asked on the Koningsdam this month or the guest services officer I also asked. The wording for the SBP conditions are in no way confusing to me - all drinks count.

[SweetsugarNL]

On every site is it max 15 drink incl non alhocol.

So im confused now.

[Despegue]

Once again, I am looking for anyone who has indeed been charged when consuming more than 15 drinks in TOTAL within a 24h. Period.

 

I remain that “beverage” means in reality any alcoholic drink, and not soft drinks.

[SweetsugarNL]

That is for me a dealbreaker. I dont drink a lot of alcohol but im drink a lot of soda.

And HAL dont have a soda card.

So i thought always Hal isnt the righ choice for me.

 

but now im looking to a alska cruise.

[POA1]

2 hours ago, kazu said:

 

Assuming they allow you to upgrade your Explore4 to the Elite, would it be the $10 per day pp? (+ s/c of course 😉)

 

The last time we had Explore 4 (Dec 2016) the upcharge to the Elite Beverage Package was the $10 difference + 15% service change, or $11.50/pp/day.  We were shot down on the upgrade by two bartenders and the front desk before one of the servers in the Crow's Nest got a bar manager to do the upgrade for us. We knew they were doing the upgrades because several trusted CCers (like @frankc98376 ) told us that there were actively pushing it on certain ships.

 

We plan to upgrade in December, and it sounds like they are again pushing the EBP upgrades.  After all, this year's E4s came at an additional cost in the fare. Our 2016 one did not.

[frankc98376]

We were on Oosterdam for 2 weeks last October. The first Bartender we met (Lido Bar) suggested we upgrade to the EBP- we said we would think about it.  A bit later at Pinnacle Bar the server suggested the same so we took him up on it. 

[kazu]

1 hour ago, POA1 said:

 

The last time we had Explore 4 (Dec 2016) the upcharge to the Elite Beverage Package was the $10 difference + 15% service change, or $11.50/pp/day.  We were shot down on the upgrade by two bartenders and the front desk before one of the servers in the Crow's Nest got a bar manager to do the upgrade for us. We knew they were doing the upgrades because several trusted CCers (like @frankc98376 ) told us that there were actively pushing it on certain ships.

 

We plan to upgrade in December, and it sounds like they are again pushing the EBP upgrades.  After all, this year's E4s came at an additional cost in the fare. Our 2016 one did not.

 

Thanks kindly. Appreciate the info 🙂 

[POA1]

58 minutes ago, frankc98376 said:

We were on Oosterdam for 2 weeks last October. The first Bartender we met (Lido Bar) suggested we upgrade to the EBP- we said we would think about it.  A bit later at Pinnacle Bar the server suggested the same so we took him up on it. 

You were one of the people who gave us hope about upgrading in 2016. My wife was annoyed when they told us that we could not upgrade an Explore 4 SBP. I was all like, "Don't worry my Sweet Baboo. FrankC, whom we've never met, but nonetheless seems like a very reliable person, says that the upgrade can be had." Then she was all like, "If Huskerchick doesn't get her Pinot Noir, both you and FrankC are dead to me." 

 

Fortunately, it worked out.  We're a persistent people. I was either going to be able to pay for the upgrade or I was going to turn the experience into some artisinal humor product in my" "Live From."  In the end, finding someone on the ship who was willing to take extra money wasn't that hard. It wasn't seamless, but it wasn't insurmountable either. 

[POA1]

1 hour ago, frankc98376 said:

 

 

Deleted. Bizarro double post that's not supposed to be able to happen. 

 

Edited November 1, 2018 by POA1
Dunno. Beats me.

[crystalspin]

7 hours ago, SweetsugarNL said:

That is for me a dealbreaker. I dont drink a lot of alcohol but im drink a lot of soda.

And HAL dont have a soda card.

So i thought always Hal isnt the righ choice for me.

 

but now im looking to a alska cruise.

What is the deal breaker? HAL has a lovely unlimited Quench non-alcoholic pkg for $17.95pp/day, or $20.65 with the gratuity. See the left third here:

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Beverage-Packages.pdf

[crystalspin]

Also I seem to be unable to do simple math, the EBP upgrade charge from pre-cruise bought SBP (including Ex4) should be $11.50 with the service charge. IDK where the $13 came from!

Edited November 1, 2018 by crystalspin

[SweetsugarNL]

6 minutes ago, crystalspin said:

What is the deal breaker? HAL has a lovely unlimited Quench non-alcoholic pkg for $17.95pp/day, or $20.65 with the gratuity. See the left third here:

http://www.rogerjett-photography.com/here/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Beverage-Packages.pdf

Oh really i didnt know that! Is this something new?

[crystalspin]

9 minutes ago, SweetsugarNL said:

Oh really i didnt know that! Is this something new?

No, not new -- always been available/required for underage in the same cabin as SBP/EBP holders. It's just that SBP gets talked about more on CC (not that we're ALL crazy partiers, although we might be!).

 

ETA: if you get SBP through Explore4, and are not a drinker, it only makes sense that your Quench "purchases" are unlimited as the $17.95+ package is. Watch your balance sheet and take it up with the purser if not!

Edited November 1, 2018 by crystalspin

[newtocruiseinblue]

23 hours ago, SweetsugarNL said:

That is for me a dealbreaker. I dont drink a lot of alcohol but im drink a lot of soda.

And HAL dont have a soda card.

So i thought always Hal isnt the righ choice for me.

 

but now im looking to a alska cruise.

Yes, they do have a soda card - its $25 for $50 worth of soda. 

[POA1]

There's also the Quench Package, which is unlimited non-alcoholic beverages. On the two new ships you get Coca-Cola Freestyle machines. 

[kevingastreich]

On 10/31/2018 at 11:58 PM, Despegue said:

The Signature Beverage package has always been and still is UNLIMITED non-alcoholic drinks and up to 15 alcoholic beverages.

It is JUST THE WORDING by HAL that is confusing, and all that Seattle representatives do is look at the terms and conditions. 

If anyone here on cruisecritic has been charged when drinking over 15 drinks, INCLUDING non-alcoholic drinks, please make yourself known, I bet there are none.

We had the SBP one time and I know for a fact that on more than one occasion we went over the 15 limit for combined alcohol/non alcohol and were never charged for the alcohol unless that was more than 15.