Have It All is the most consequential variable in HAL pricing and the most frequently misunderstood one. Not the best price guarantee mechanics. Not the 72-hour window. The package.
Here's why it matters so much: two bookings on the same sailing at different fares can look like a clear case of one being better than the other. Run the total value comparison including inclusions and the "cheaper" fare is often worse by $400 or more. That gap comes almost entirely from the package tier difference — specifically whether the booking carries the Early Booking Bonus version of Have It All or the standard version.
Get this right and HAL pricing makes sense. Skip it and you'll accept reprices that cost you money. It's the foundation under our complete guide to Holland America price drops.
What Actually Matters
Standard Have It All and Have It All EBB are materially different products. Not slightly different. Materially.
The EBB exists only for the first 90 days after a sailing opens for booking. Miss that window — it's gone. No post-booking add-on path restores it.
Standard Have It All's Signature Beverage Package caps at $12 per drink. Most premium spirits exceed that cap. You pay the overage, not the full drink — but it adds up.
EBB's Elite Beverage Package raises the cap to $16. Adds premium spirits and bottled water. For passengers who drink premium labels, this is real daily value across a 7- or 14-night sailing.
The streaming Wi-Fi upgrade from Surf to Premium matters most on long sailings. On a 7-night Caribbean trip, fine. On a 21-night Grand Voyage, the Surf package's inability to stream becomes genuinely frustrating after week one.
Prepaid crew appreciation (gratuities) in the EBB removes the daily charge from the folio. On a 7-night sailing for two in a standard verandah: approximately $224. Real money.
Have It All covers first and second guests only. Third, fourth, and fifth guests — not included.
Not available on Grand Voyages or sailings under four nights.
Standard Have It All: The Actual Numbers
Signature Beverage Package
$12 cap per drink, 15 per day. Covers: spirits and cocktails at standard labels, most beers, most wines by the glass at entry tier, specialty coffees, non-alcoholic beverages.
What falls outside it: top-shelf whiskeys, aged spirits, premium cocktails with top-shelf ingredients, better wines by the glass. These generate overage charges at the difference above $12 — you're not paying full price, but you're paying something.
For a moderate drinker at standard labels: $300 to $500 per person on a 7-night sailing. For someone who drinks primarily premium: value drops depending on overage patterns. For non-drinkers: the package is essentially coffees and juices. Discount it to near-zero in your total value calculation.
Wi-Fi Surf Package
One device. Web browsing, email, news, sports. No streaming. No video calls on standard video platforms.
For email-and-news travelers: fine. For anyone who wants to call home via FaceTime or watch Netflix: it blocks both. You'll be pressured to upgrade onboard.
Approximate value at HAL's onboard pricing: $105 to $140 per person on a 7-night sailing.
Specialty Dining and Shore Excursion Credits
Scaled to cruise length. Two specialty dining nights on a 7-night sailing is typical. Cover charges at Canaletto, Pinnacle Grill, Nami, Tamarind run $20 to $50 per person per venue. Value: $40 to $100 per person. Shore excursion credits run $50 to $100 per person on 7-night sailings, higher on longer itineraries.
Track your HAL cruise price and get an alert when there's a fare drop — CruiseAlert.com
Have It All EBB: What's Different
Elite Beverage Package
Cap goes from $12 to $16. Premium spirits at standard pour. Bottled water. For a passenger who drinks Johnnie Walker Black or better, or any cocktail with a premium spirit component, the per-drink overage on the Signature package adds up across a sailing. The Elite package eliminates that overage on most standard premium pours.
Practical value difference from Signature: $30 to $70 per person on a 7-night sailing for a moderate premium drinker. More for heavy premium drinkers. Less for standard-label-only drinkers.
Premium Wi-Fi
Streaming capable. One device per person. Video calls work. Netflix works. The things the Surf package blocks, this one doesn't.
Value upgrade from Surf to Premium at onboard pricing: approximately $49 to $70 per person on a 7-night sailing. More meaningful on longer itineraries where the streaming restriction becomes a genuine quality-of-life issue.
Prepaid Crew Appreciation
Gratuities removed from the daily folio charge. Rate varies by cabin category — roughly $15 per person per day for interior and ocean view, $16 to $17 for verandah, $18+ for suites.
For two guests in a standard verandah on a 7-night sailing: approximately $224. For two guests on a 14-night Alaska Cruisetour: $448 to $504. Gone from the bill.
The Total EBB Premium
On a 7-night sailing for two in a standard verandah, comparing EBB to standard Have It All:
Upgrade | Approximate value (2 guests, 7 nights) |
|---|---|
Elite vs. Signature beverage | $60–$140 |
Premium vs. Surf Wi-Fi | $98–$140 |
Prepaid crew appreciation | ~$224 |
Total EBB premium | $382–$504 |
That's the number to hold in your head for any HAL fare comparison. A lower fare needs to overcome approximately $400 per stateroom (minimum) before it actually beats an EBB booking on total value.
Most post-window fare drops don't clear that threshold.
How Package Tier Affects Every Post-Booking Decision
You have EBB: the comparison requires the lower fare to carry EBB too, or the fare difference to exceed $382 to $504 per stateroom. Most fare differences don't reach that number. Most BPG claims on EBB bookings that look attractive on fare comparison are actually negative outcomes on total value.
You have standard Have It All: cleaner comparison. Lower fare plus same package is clearly better. Lower fare without the package requires calculating the gap.
You have no package: any fare comparison is just the fares. No bundle math required.
One pattern we see consistently: a passenger books during an EBB window in January, secures the Elite Beverage and streaming Wi-Fi. Three months later an Anniversary Sale produces a lower fare without EBB. The fare comparison looks good — $150 per person in their favor. The total value comparison is negative by $200+ per stateroom. They submit the BPG form (if still within 72 hours — here's how to submit the claim correctly) or request a courtesy adjustment. They get the lower fare. They arrive onboard and find out their premium spirits aren't covered anymore.
Five minutes of comparison math prevents this. Every time.
Research the package before you book. Search your sailing on CruiseAlert to compare departures and inclusions, and set a free alert so any qualifying fare drop in your first 72 hours reaches you in time to act. Research your sailing at CruiseAlert →
Common Questions
Is EBB always available when a sailing opens?
No — it's promotion-specific, capacity-controlled, and limited to the first 90 days. Not every sailing launches with EBB. Verify the specific inclusions on your sailing at booking time.
Can I add EBB post-booking if I missed the window?
Sometimes HAL allows Have It All to be added as a post-booking purchase, but the EBB tier specifically — Elite Beverage, Premium Wi-Fi, prepaid crew appreciation — is typically unavailable post-window. The upgrade path, if it exists at all, usually prices the inclusions separately at higher rates than the bundled EBB.
My EBB booking's lower-fare alternative has standard Have It All. Is the BPG claim worth filing?
Run the numbers. For most 7-night sailings: if the fare difference is under $200 per person, the EBB package premium ($382–$504 per stateroom) makes the total outcome negative. The claim isn't worth filing. If the fare difference is $250+ per person, the math gets closer — verify for your specific sailing and consumption patterns.