Beverage Card or Not to Beverage Card?

[magictam]

I'm trying to decide if I should pre-purchase beverage cards before we leave or pay as we go. I would really any assistance in deciding this. I have a few questions I'm hoping someone can answer.

 

1. How much is the average cost of soda?

By the Can or Glass?

Is there a gratuity plus the cost of the beverage charged to your account?

 

2. How much is the average cost of Specialty Drinks?

I've heard about a sail away party and drinks being available there, but if you accept one it's charged to your account. Does the wait-staff offer the price of the drink or should you ask before accepting it?

I am assuming the gratuity is handled the same as the soda gratuity?

 

3. I'm not a latte' or cappuccino drinker, but do like a good coffee. I'm taking a whale watching cruise in Juneau first thing in the morning. Want to take a travel mug of coffee w/me (I spoke Eileen at Harv & Marv and they don't have coffee on their boats).

Does the Exploration Café offer regular coffee? If so, anyone know who much (I was planning on bringing my own travel mug from home).

My DH does like lattes, does anyone know the average price?

Again is the gratuity added to the total cost?

 

4. Beverage Cards:

Soda card is it by the glass or the can?

How do you do a gratuity (slip 'em a dollar)?

 

Thanks for any and all input.

[jtl513]

I would suggest that any beverage cards (wine, soda, cocktails) you decide to buy should be purchased on-board from the place you expect to use them most often. The reasons are (a) HAL has a history of fouling-up on-line pre-purchases and (b) the seller will get the credit for the 15% service charge rather than having it go into "the pool" to be shared by everyone. You are likely to get a little better service that way.

 

Specialty drinks being served at sail-aways or Lido parties etc. are usualy at a small table with a sign giving the price. If no sign, just ask. You give them your cabin number and the charge goes on your account. The price includes the 15% service charge, but if you feel like giving them a $1 it is appreciated.

 

Soda cards give you "20 drinks" for $18 + 15% = $20.70. Whether you get the full can or just a glass full is up to the server. Sometimes you may get the flat 2nd-half can. :( If you buy by-the-drink the price will include the 15% service charge. (Do you notice that I'm refusing to call that a gratuity? :rolleyes: )

 

I think most specialty drinks are $6.50. Not sure though.

 

DW thinks you can get plain coffee at the Explorations Cafe for a charge ... but why not get it at the Lido for free? She doesn't know the price of a latte but says she thinks it's "cheaper than Starbucks" :)

[RuthC]

Soda cards give you "20 drinks" for $18 + 15% = $20.70. Whether you get the full can or just a glass full is up to the server. Sometimes you may get the flat 2nd-half can. :( If you buy by-the-drink the price will include the 15% service charge. (Do you notice that I'm refusing to call that a gratuity? :rolleyes: )

I take long cruises and stay up late at night drinking soda. I've never been given the entire can when using the soda card---only a glass which is equivalent to 1/2 a can.

The can costs $1.85 +15% = $2.01. Therefore, the cost of the card and an equivalent amount of soda in cans is pretty much a wash.

The advantage of the card is you don't need to sign and keep a purchase slip for every transaction (less paperwork). The disadvantage is that the server doesn't seem as motivated to pay as much attention as I might like.

I don't buy the card anymore as I figure it's not worth it.

[x lindsay x]

Last May on the Ryndam we got full (unopened) cans quite a few times using the card, I'd say more than 60% of the time. In the DR at night when I would request ginger ale I would always get a full can. On the last night with 3 punches left to go we got three cans to take with us as we left the DR, one of which my dad left in his bag to be confiscated by airport security the next day.

[Jade13]

I'm trying to decide if I should pre-purchase beverage cards before we leave or pay as we go. I would really any assistance in deciding this. I have a few questions I'm hoping someone can answer.

 

1. How much is the average cost of soda?

By the Can or Glass?

Is there a gratuity plus the cost of the beverage charged to your account?

 

2. How much is the average cost of Specialty Drinks?

I've heard about a sail away party and drinks being available there, but if you accept one it's charged to your account. Does the wait-staff offer the price of the drink or should you ask before accepting it?

I am assuming the gratuity is handled the same as the soda gratuity?

 

3. I'm not a latte' or cappuccino drinker, but do like a good coffee. I'm taking a whale watching cruise in Juneau first thing in the morning. Want to take a travel mug of coffee w/me (I spoke Eileen at Harv & Marv and they don't have coffee on their boats).

Does the Exploration Café offer regular coffee? If so, anyone know who much (I was planning on bringing my own travel mug from home).

My DH does like lattes, does anyone know the average price?

Again is the gratuity added to the total cost?

 

4. Beverage Cards:

Soda card is it by the glass or the can?

How do you do a gratuity (slip 'em a dollar)?

 

Thanks for any and all input.

 

 

We purchase one Cola Card per cruise for $20.70 (includes 15%). It has 20 punches (drinks). We than can have a glass at dinner. It can not been used for room service.

 

Your cruise fare includes coffee, tea, and we always have orange juice at breakfast. For lunch there is ice tea. I hope they have lemonade but someone said they may have done away with the lemonade. I can't help you with coffee, since we are not coffee drinkers.

 

Btw, we usually board with some cans of cola for the room and the water is fine to drink. Not sure if we will bring anything on-board in Europe after someone posted Cola's are running 3-5 euros per can...

[Solo Cruiser]

So it IS ok to bring soda on board? I will be in FLL the day before I cruise which should give me time to get cola and ginger ale plastic bottles to keep in my cabin. I know this sounds penny wise and pound foolish but honestly I'm not being cheap... I just hate all that signing of tickets:eek:

[Krazy Kruizers]

Solo Cruiser

 

Yes you can bring as much soda onto the ship as you want.

[Krazy Kruizers]

Warning -- at the sail away parties many times the drinks come in a speciak glass which you pay for!!! And that costs extra!! If you want the special sail away party drink and don;t want to pay for the glass - be certain that you tell them that you want it in an ordinary glass or they will just bring it to you in the special glass. And many times they just hand you a slip of paper with "X2 special drink" and you won;t know that you have paid for the glass until the end of the cruise.

[ldog]

I like to buy the sailaway drink with the large plastic glass. I use it as my nighttable water glass for the rest of the cruise. I drink lots of water.

[wizard-of-roz]

I love caffeine-free diet coke....no ship carry's it. I've been doing it for many years and on many different lines.

I put a luggage tag on the "flat" (the one you get from Costco); give it to the porter, along with our luggage; it's delivered to my cabin and lasts the whole 7 days. My DH is a water drinker....he brings a "flat" of water....he swears the ship water is not as good as his bottled stuff!

[Gonzo70]

Don't buy the coffee card if you plan to purchase regular coffees. The quality of the coffee is better at Explorations Cafe than Lido (at least most coffee drinkers would probably agree on this), but thwe coffee card is priced with the expectation that more expensive drinks are being purchased (i.e. Expressos, Lattes etc.). It will be cheaper to you to buy a large coffee by the glass at Explorations Cafe than use a coffee card to buy them.

[RuthC]

I love caffeine-free diet coke....no ship carry's it.

I drink cans of the stuff every night on cruises as long as 35 days. HAL hasn't run out yet.

Bring your own aboard if you want, but not because it's not available. It is.

[wizard-of-roz]

Glad to hear it! When I asked for it, in April, I was told they didn't have it! :o

I don't take chances that a ship may not have it....by bringing my own.....I was prepared but it's good to know that they carry it....maybe they were out!