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Booze on board .....


Ziggy7

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Ok e1 my parents want to know can you still buy booze on board at the ships shop and pay 5 dollars more to take it to their cabin (rum), since DH and I dont drink we cant answer this for them, so please someone help my parents with an answer :)

Thanks

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Ok e1 my parents want to know can you still buy booze on board at the ships shop and pay 5 dollars more to take it to their cabin (rum), since DH and I dont drink we cant answer this for them, so please someone help my parents with an answer :)

Thanks

No. But you can order it from room service (or pre-order from Ship Services).

 

-dave

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Yes you can order the Rum through Ships Services and ask for it to be put in your cabin.

 

I have done a similar thing with wine. We like to have a glass of wine whilst we are getting dressed etc. and I have ordered it through Ships Services. Go to the HAL Website and you will find the list.Here is the website: http://www.hollandamerica.com/onboard/gifts.do?gifts=beverages

 

As we live so far away I was able to order it by fax.

 

Jennie

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You can either pre-order alcohol for your cabin by calling ship services at least 10 days before sailing - the cost will go on your credit card - not your shipboard account.

Or you can wait until you get on the ship and order it from room service. But note: if the ship is leaving from a Florida port and you order alcohol from room service before the ship is about 10 miles out to sea, you will pay a 15% gratuity on it as well as a 7% Florida tax.

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Some people are not ordering/wanting liquor in their cabin for the 'bargain of it'. They want to have it there for enjoyment and convenience. If they enjoy a drink while dressing, it is not always just a matter of a "bargain" but of pleasure and enjoyment.

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I don't drink hard liquors, but was shocked to see the difference in pricing of the room service selection. I noted this because our steward came in and changed the pages that had the alcohol pricing half way through our cruise! This is obviously an area that HAL is trying to make maximum profit!!:eek: That said, it really doesn't effect us, as we will rarely order anything other than wine with dinner.:cool:

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I agree that some people like to have a drink in their cabin and price may not be a consideration for some but there are others that purchased a bottle in the ship's store because it was a bargain.

My comments were meant to make one aware of the fact that prices are no where near what they were in the ship's store and let them know they may face "sticker shock" if ordering through Ship's Service.

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From the time you get on the ship to the time you get off you hear duty free bargains,the price they charge for room service,and beer for that matter 18 dollars for a six pack way out of line.We buy at the shop or sneak it on. TOM

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I agree that some people like to have a drink in their cabin and price may not be a consideration for some but there are others that purchased a bottle in the ship's store because it was a bargain.

My comments were meant to make one aware of the fact that prices are no where near what they were in the ship's store and let them know they may face "sticker shock" if ordering through Ship's Service.

That's me, looking for a bargain. If I want a drink while dressing I can buy one in a bar and bring it to my room, if I want to save some money (which I do) that's different.

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Something interesting about the Gift Order Form...I downloaded one from the website and they also emailed me one ( I wanted to see if the one on the website was up to date or not). Anyway, I had planned on ordering the 6 bottle wine package (#501). The one from the website had a price of $125.00, while the emailed form stated $144.00. So I decided to call in my order so I would know exactly which price they were going to charge me. The rep asked ME what price I had on my form, of course I said $125.00 and that is what I was charged. I looked at both forms and it states "UPDATED 06/04" yet there are some minor differences. It may have been that they TRIED to increase the pricing and changed their minds. The clue that gave it away is the rep asking me what price I had on my form. Make sure you get the "right" form so you are not overcharged.

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Ziggy, FYI re rum from ships services or room service. Bacardi Gold, $37, Bacardi white, $29, Bacardi Limon $29, Myers, $29 Hope this helps.....jean :cool:

jean-

 

Well, it looks like it's gone up just a bit since April... on the Maasdam we paid about $45 for a liter of Bacardi white with 4 (I think it was 4) cans of coke and a liter of Absolut Limon with a couple of cans of tonic...

 

Ziggy-

 

Your parents can try and smuggle it in their bag, but IMO, it's simply not worth it - what if it breaks?? Yuck, Bacardi all over their clothes... they'd pay more for laundry than for buying the Bacardi from ship services...

 

Hey, you can always pre-order it as a gift for them... that way it'd be in their cabin when they arrived, along with a nice little note card... just a thought. :)

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jean-

 

Well, it looks like it's gone up just a bit since April... on the Maasdam we paid about $45 for a liter of Bacardi white with 4 (I think it was 4) cans of coke and a liter of Absolut Limon with a couple of cans of tonic...

 

Ziggy-

 

Hey, you can always pre-order it as a gift for them... that way it'd be in their cabin when they arrived, along with a nice little note card... just a thought. :)

Sound like a good idea but I dont see any rum on the internet webpage order form, just wine & champange :(

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Thank you TASZMOM re: the 6 bottle wine package information. We are going on the Westerdam next month for the Mediterranean cruise followed by the transatlantic cruise. I ordered the wine package for both cruises today and asked for the $125 price and that was ok. But in thinking about it, HAL now adds a 15% service charge and if you do the calculations it comes to almost $144, I wonder if my credit card will show $144 or if 15% will be added when we are on the ship?

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Dont they check those too ???
I assume suitcases still go through the X-ray machine but I don't see the suitcase until about three hours later at my cabin. I've never had them come looking for me in order to remove the bottle from the locked suitcase (NOTE: It's been nearly a year since my last HAL cruise so if the suitcases go through the checkpoint at the same time as you there could be a problem. I believe it's worth the risk to avoid the 250% or higher mark-up of room service or the restaurant.). Many hard-sided Samsonite suitcases come with a zippered, waterproof bag which will easily hold several bottles of liquor or wine. I've never ended up with a broken bottle because I pack clothes on either side of the waterproof bag. I always take a liter of gin and 4-5 bottles of wine. I have never cared for HAL's "wine package" selections - they're usually bottles of wine for which you wouldn't pay over $9.95 at your local beverage store. HAL still gets my beverage business poolside. ;)
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I think they made a big mistake by stopping passengers from buying the liquor from the onboard store for consumption in their cabin. Now when you spend that much to have the bottle and mixers in your room you feel like you cannot spend $5-6.75 each for drinks at the bars. :(

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I have never cared for HAL's "wine package" selections - they're usually bottles of wine for which you wouldn't pay over $9.95 at your local beverage store. HAL still gets my beverage business poolside. ;)

Do you always bring your own wine to landside restaurants, also? :rolleyes:

 

I've found HAL's (and other cruise lines') wine prices to be in line with most restaurants, and better than many. The selection isn't as good as I'd like, but well-aged wine doesn't take to gentle rocking the way I do!

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