Hi

Rose and I reside in Melbourne and will be going on the Alaska cruise as well.

Julie & Rosy

until this last cruise...in which some women carried cases of beer on board...HAL's policy was that you could bring on wine, champagne, soda and bottled water...knowing that for wine there was a corkage fee ($18 last time i checked)

the best thing to do is to call HAL and make sure of their current policy

 

 

I did not think you could bring beer on the ship, only wine.  Have they changed the policy?

The good thing about Holland America is they let you take as much wine and beer on board as you can carry.    There is a government liquor store fairly close to the cruise ship terminal and the host hotel.  http://www.bcliquorstores.com/store/53  You should note that it is only open until 6PM and not on Sunday at all, but this will be the cheapest alternative for wine and beer shopping as there is no liquor available in grocery stores in Vancouver (or most of Canada for that matter) and the "Cold Wine and Beer" stores that stay open late and on Sundays usually charge a heft $2 - $3 premium per bottle of wine.

Also check out Xtra West on line for ads for the bars, clubs restaurants etc.    http://www.xtra.ca/vancouver.aspx

We found that the Holland America staff on the Western Caribbean were really easy about us bringing our own wine to the show room or the dinner table.  It was great and saved a bunch of money!!!

 H & G

First of all y'all make me laugh! 

Butterfly - Massage from a new "friend" is ideal, but i don't expect everyone to be qualified in deep tissue. Other kinds...Maybe a lot more so ; ) 

Diana - I get paid while i'm on holidays fortnightly so i'll be right but don't wanna be short when i get off the boat.  so if i sort out funds now i wont be blowing my credit card on board. The alcohol with be my echiles(how is that spelt?) but thats expected on board any ship. Think i'll have to bring on a few bottles and just buy soda. Party in my room! hehe. 

Malinda - you rock! i did read something about that but didnt quite understand it. that sounds very easy and doable.

 

I'm getting really excited now. Olivia hasn't got back to me yet with my enquiry so when i get a chance next week i'll have to book it all in.

Anyone up for catching up in Vancouver for a night out the night before? I'll google a lady bar/club. I'll likely be staying in the hotel they suggest, i think its two nights for under $250 for the days prior and the same again the two days after the cruise. 

 

 

Here's a bit more info -- there will be daily drink specials but drinks are pricey as a general rule because this is one way the cruise line makes their money and is the reason they charge a "cork fee" for bringing your own wine on board.  Spa services are also pricey but again, check the cruise line web site for more info here.  You can also check your on board charges daily so you know exactly where you are at.  This also avoids the end of cruise sticker price some people encounter when they see their final bill !! It's all to easy to just give them your card, sign and rack up the charges so this is a good way to know if you can keep on spending or need to curb your on board expenses and/or what you do in port.  You're a smart woman to want to plan expenses ahead and then plan accordingly. 

Hi Toyah...Not sure if anyone has filled you in on your "onboard account"...if not, here goes... when you check in at the port you will open an "onboard account" which you will use to pay for things while on board the ship...that way, you don't need to worry about using cash on board...for the past two cruises i've been on they "allow" $60 (USD) per day or $420...so, you will need to use a credit card that they can put a "hold" on it for $420 or bring $420 cash to open your onboard account.  You use this account to pay for pictures, spas, drinks, souvenirs from the onboard shops, oliviawear, casino, excursions, etc.  At the end of the cruise, you will receive an itemized bill with all your charges and the actual amount they will charge to your credit card...it's a good idea to keep track of your onboard expenditures so you can check them against the itemized bill you'll receive the last day of the cruise.  Mistakes can be made!!!  You can also purchase "drink cards" for alcool and for sodas and if you like a particular liquor, ie rum, you can order a bottle for your room and mix your own drinks in your room and take them with you.  Also, even though the gratuities are included in the Olivia price, it's a good idea to save a little something back to "thank" your room steward for taking good care of you (and they really do a good job of it)...maybe $10-$20...and if you get a really good wait person in the dining room that takes care of your table every night (like we did on my last cruise), it's good to give them a little something too!!   Hope this helps a little in figuring your budget!    Get ready to have the experience and the best time of your young life!!!!

Malinda

Hi Toyah, the message you sent me did not come thru , happens sometimes on this message service! try again or join the facebook gp and send me a message on there.

As sleddog posted it's entirley up to you how much you spend per day on the ship.Depends how much you plan to drink! If you take your own wine, soda will be considerablly less. If you want to check the prices of massages etc have a look at the official Holland America web site, they have the cost of most things posted on there.

Drink your own wine, take your own photos,dance the night away instead of going to the casino and  find a new friend to give you a massage  , and it won't  cost you a penny! lol 

sorry to double post - but do you think that a budget of $100-$200 per day on the cruise is reasonable?

too much? too little? 

I just mean onboard and at the ports.

All prior and after expenses for hotels and airbnb.com I've accounted for.

and got my airfare sorted too. Virgin do cheap flights from melbourne to LA.  

but i'm gonna be going to spain too.

so yeah just on board.

Alcohol

spa

massage

Thanks!! 

You can also buy just a few photos - or none at all.  There are many, many photo opportunities throughout the cruise and when you get off the ship in the ports.  You can set up private photo sessions on board as well.  There is a photo gallery on board where the pictures are displayed and you can find yours, buy them, or discard in the discard box in the photo gallery.  Duplicate photos can also be purchased of the same picture for members of a group.

I have a couple of prices if you're interested. Our drinks, normally frozen ones, averaged $8.00 each with all the fees. The picture package (gold) which was all the pics but not digital copies, $299.00. They don't include the special black and white sittings. The Pinnacle Grill is a $25.00 extra charge per person.

Boy…that’s a hard one to answer…it all depends

If you do a pre or post hotel stay…the price all depends on what you choose

All the food you can eat is included on the ship unless you eat in the Pinnacle Grill (extra $$)…on shore that’s up to you

If you want spa treatments, to buy photos the ship takes of you or to gamble in the casino…all extra!

Drinks on the ship cost extra…but with Holland America…you can bring on board your own (unless HAL changes things) wine, champagne, soda and water…if you open your bottle of wine outside your room they will charge you a corkage fee (I think it’s like $18)

Aside from airfare to get to/from the cruise the next expensive thing is shore excursions in each port…they can cost from about $35 (USD) to $300 and sometimes even higher

Sleddog,

Could you tell me, approximately what kind of budget am i going to need if i plan to drink well, eat well, and do lots of fun stuff at the ports?

just so i'm not restricting myself too much.

I think i wanna go all out on this one. Why not ay!

 

Toyah 

Welcome aboard Toyah!

You might not be the only baby of the cruise...there is usually a group of younger women...even on the Alaska cruises!!

See you on the ship!!!