Is The HAVE IT ALL Package Worth It” on Holland America? Should we purchase it on our next cruise, or should we pass? I was just booking a 17 day cruise to Hawaii on the Holland America Cruise Line, and thought I would pose a question to you. “Is The HAVE IT ALL Package Worth It” on this trip that we just bought, or should we pass?
Today, I am examining what is included in the Have it all Package, the pros and cons of each offer in the package, the cost breakdown, and showing you the math on how to calculate whether this package is worth it.
STANDARD COST VS HAVE IT ALL COST
For this trip, we have decided to go with the Ocean View for 17 days, and want to know if it is worth it to add on the “Have It All” Package.
The cost that they are asking for is $1239 Canadian, which is $935 USD. This works out to $55 US per day, which is consistent with Holland America's ads stating that the package is $55 per person per day. However, if we WAIT and decide to purchase this same package when we board the ship, the price will increase to $65 a day per person.
WHAT’S THE VALUE IN THE 'HAVE IT ALL' PACKAGE?
So what VALUE does 'Have It All Package really give you? Here’s is the maximum of what you would get.
• Basic WiFi Surf Package: "Valued at $35 USD per day. That’s $595 USD for 17 days— Now, this poses 2 questions.
Number 1, is the SURF package enough for you, or do you need to upgrade to the STREAM package? The upgrade, depending upon how you want to use the internet, would cost you another $10 US per day.
Number 2, the SECOND question is, are you really going to use this package every day, getting the full value of it? I know that a lot of you may have an internet package already from your own cell phone provider, or an ESIM card which will take care of the days you are in port.
So, the question I am posing, would you really be calculating this for the full 17 days, or should you be calculating your basic surf WIFI for only the 10 days at sea, which would bring the value down to $350 USD ?
• Shore Excursion Credit: $200 USD that you can spend on Holland America excursions. Now, my question is, will you be getting the full $200 back, or will you end up buying excursions that would require even MORE payment out of you, or will you just purchase something that is LESS than the $200 and not getting your full value? It is highly unlikely that you will find 2, $100 shore excursions that you actually want to do. So, let’s say you find an excursion for $169, it is unlikely you will find one for the remaining $31 dollars… If you are going to use the Holland America excursion anyway, it could be worth it, but if not, it could be forcing you to do something yo$6u don’t want to do, or chose a trip just because of the cost.
• Specialty Dining: These specialty dining experiences are valued at $29- $46 USD to use in their “special” dining areas. Because this is a 17 day itinerary, you would get 2 of these, so that is valued at a maximum of $92, if you are able to go to the highest priced restaurant offering, The Pinnacle Grill, twice.
• 15 Drink Package: The balance of the money would be used on drinks. This package allows for 15 drinks at a maximum cost of $11 USD each, which equates to $165 USD if you, in fact, ONLY drank $11 dollar drinks: However, not all drinks are $11. These 15 drinks include coffee, water, and sodas, and you can’t overlook that there is no way that your coffee or water is valued at $11 each. Also, if any of the drinks that you purchase are OVER $11, then you still have to pay the difference. Too bad they just don’t give you the $165 dollars a day as a Bar Tab credit instead.
COST ANALYSIS
Now, let’s do some quick math. The MAXIMUM value of the WIFI, Shore Excursion Credit, and Specialty Dining, without factoring in the drinks, in the HAVE IT ALL package, PER PERSON, works out to $887 USD for this 17 day cruise. Remember that the cost in USD for $55 a day times 17 days is $935 USD.
So, if you were to MAX out on the benefits, the numbers would be:
935 – 887 which leaves you with $48 that you need to spend over the 17 days on drinks, which works out to about $3.00 per day, or a bottle of water. If you think that you are going to MAXIMIZE the benefits and drink at LEAST $3.00 worth of drinks per day, then this package would be worth it to you.
Now, for me, I wouldn’t necessarily max out on all of the benefits, so my personal math would be different. Here is how I would calculate OUR value. Remember, if I didn’t have the package, I would only buy 10 days worth of wifi, if that. I would probably only buy one excursion, if any, and I wouldn’t eat at the Pinnacle Grill restaurant. I would eat at the Italian restaurant that is valued at $29 though.
So, Wifi, I would buy maybe $350, maybe a 169 shore excursion, and 2, 29 dollar dinners which would amount to $557 value.
935 – 557, which leaves me with 378 for 17 days, which is $22 a day. This is two glasses of wine.
Or my other option, would be to opt for no internet, no excursion, and maybe special dinner at the Italian restaurant valued at $29
935 – 29, leaves me with $906 for 17 days, which is $53 a day. Which is 5 mixed drinks.
IS IT WORTH IT?
So, is this 17 day Hawaiian cruise worth it? Well, if you’re going to use everything in the 'Have It All' package, without having a drink, you’re pretty close to breaking even, and if you drink 5 $11 dollar drinks per day without benefiting from the other perks, you will break even as well.
You have to look at this chart to see what the benefits are for the length of your cruise. Remember that before the cruise you will be paying $55 per person per day, and after the cruise is booked, it will be $65 per day.
FINAL THOUGHTS
In the end, it really depends on YOU, and how much you value those perks. Are you the kind of traveler who wants everything included and ready to go, or do you prefer a bit more flexibility with your budget? Let me know in the comments which option you’d choose, and if you think the 'Have It All' package is a good deal! 🚢🌺
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