Guests sailing on Holland America are allowed to bring soda, juice and or bottled water on board with them to drink throughout their cruise.
Wine and or champagne are also allowed onboard to drink in your stateroom. If you would like to take your wine or champagne to the dining room you will be charged a corkage fee of $18.00 per bottle.
Except for wine and champagne, alcoholic beverages purchased in the vessel’s shops cannot be consumed on the ship. Bottles and other containers will be collected for safekeeping and delivered to your stateroom on the last day of the voyage.
Alcoholic beverages will not be served to guests under age 21.
Holland America doesn’t offer an unlimited soda card, but they do have a Soda Value Card. This package costs $25 but you receive $50 worth of soda (cans). A 15% beverage service charge will be automatically added to all beverage purchases and will be deducted from the value of the card at the time of purchase.
They also offer several Beverage Cards. Purchase one of these pre-paid beverage cards for $45 and receive $50 toward beverage purchases; or $90 and receive $100 toward beverage purchases.
This discounted beverage value card offers savings on a variety of beverage selections from soda, espresso and non-alcoholic beverages, to wine, beer and spirits. A 15% beverage service charge will be automatically added to all beverage purchases and will be deducted from the value of the card at the time of purchase. TIP: You are not able to use this card for the daily drink special or during happy hour!
Wine can be purchased in packages that save up to 25% (with the 15% beverage service charge included). They offer 2 different packages, the Navigator and the Admiral, both packages come with a bundle of 3, 5 or 7 bottles. The price ranges from 102.75 up to $228.85 for the Navigator, $135.70 up to $309.35 for the Admiral.
Holland America offers guests the opportunity to purchase beer or liquor packages through room service to consume in their stateroom for discounted prices or pre-purchase online so that it is in your stateroom on embarkation day.
One example of this would be the Gin and Tonic package, it comes with a 1L bottler of Gin and 3 cans of tonic water for $36.80. Others include Rum and Coke, Scotch and Soda, Miller Lite Domestic 6 pack for $21.85, Corona 6 pack for $23, and so on.
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Regarding the Soda Cards…
From what I can see in the terms and conditions, HAL will give a refund on the remaining balance of your soda card or the price you paid, whichever is lower. So it seems to me that the best option is to buy a $50 for $25, use it to buy up to $25 worth of soda, and then receive the remaining $25 balance back at the end of your cruise: free soda! If you’ve spent $25 and your cruise is only half over, just buy another card.
Seems like an excellent deal, unless I’m missing something…
What an interesting idea Mike!
I found this, I think it confirms your theory:
They deduct the full value for each of the first 11 sodas you drink ($1.95 + 15% gratuity = $2.24).
If you drink 11 or fewer sodas, they will give you the remaining value, up to the $25 you paid, back on your final bill.
Anything you drink before soda #12 is essentially “free”.
Thanks!