Notts1964

We’ve had an email from our travel agent in the UK to tell us the cruise part of our holiday (Doha to Mumbai) is cancelled. It was part of a package holiday including a couple of nights in Doha and a land tour of the Golden Triangle in India - we are so disappointed as it would have been our first time on Silversea. Apparently they are contacting us by Friday to try and give us some options. So fingers crossed they come up with an alternative for us.

The cruise from 16th to 26th has already been cancelled, and so the question is - can the Silver Moon sail around Africa from Athens to Dubai in 10 days? I don’t know the answer, and it may be way out, but I know UK news agencies have been saying that UK cargo ships are adding 9-10 days to their journey by having to go around Africa rather than through the Suez Canal. We’re due to start our Doha to Mumbai cruise on 2.2 so if it doesn’t manage Dubai in time I wonder if everyone could embark in Doha.

We were on the Epic last week, and there is still nightly live entertainment in the Manhattan Room - very enjoyable

https://ein.org/millions-of-pounds-in-taxes-taken-from-uk-cruise-line-passengers/?fbclid=IwAR2eF9lAJf-AHs-enauFi4emwx1JHd436I_CZB3BkizrWXkaujboJa3bBi0_aem_AQ4tvAeblGq6nuhv26PBMO5cs59KJMiEdh7Tjrh4wXGGV1RkjzHbmbpVPUjIMY0ftuc Interesting UK news article about this.

I’ll be on MSC World Europa in less than 2 weeks, Barcelona to Barcelona, so I suppose I’ll find out if they’re charging VAT on drinks package drinks then. The drinks package was included in the price of the cruise holiday, so not paid for separately. Incidentally I wasn’t charged VAT on the NCL Getaway drinks package drinks 2 weeks ago with 5 Spanish ports 🤷‍♀️

We came back from an NCL Getaway 10 night cruise 2 weeks ago. Embarked in Rome but stopped at 5 Spanish ports. Ended in Lisbon. We were not charged VAT on our drinks package drinks or Speciality dining included in the Free at Sea at any time. We had even been sent the email about being charged VAT in Spain prior to the cruise 🤷‍♀️ It seems NCL are not consistent with their policy of whether or not the charge VAT on the “free” drinks.

As I mentioned above, you do not need an ETIAS to enter the UK.

My understanding is as follows: The European Union are working on an Approval to travel/Visa Waiver system - ETIAS, that they are hoping to start on 1 January 2024. It has already been delayed a couple of times. IF it starts as planned, you will be able to (and will have to) complete an ETIAS online for around 7euros. It will be similar to the US ESTA that people have to complete to visit the USA. It will last 3 years and allow you to travel to any Schengen country for up to 90 days within a 180 day period. You will not need one for each country you visit. So if all works as planned, you will need to apply online for an ETIAS before a holiday to European Union countries in 2024 (there will be a list of the relevant countries). It will not be necessary to visit the UK (although the UK are considering a similar system in the future). UK citizens will also will have to complete an ETIAS, it’s not only US citizens. I’m sure it will be very straight forward once it’s up and running.

Thank you for posting this. I’ve seen mention of this “VAT” on Facebook pages and was certain it was being charged on the drinks package drinks illegally (well as far as the UK is concerned, where the drinks package price includes VAT when actually purchased before the cruise). If I’m charged “VAT” on “free” drinks on board I’ll be complaining too.

Just to clarify. The “Free at Sea” package is purchased and paid for in the UK. The cost of the package depends on the number of days of your cruise. So for 7 days it is normally £149pp including VAT (sales tax has to be included in the price by law in the UK), and for a 9 day cruise it is £199 including VAT etc. There are 2 issues being discussed. The fact that if drinks are not served, for say 2 days, a refund is due as each day has actually been prepaid for. The package is not free in the UK. VAT has already been charged and paid for at the time the package was purchased, and as such tax should not be charged again on individual drinks during the cruise. I have not been involved in the controversy as I sailed on the Jade in April and was not charged sales tax on drinks. But there is obviously confusion between the UK and US folks based on different sales/trading conditions.

That is great news. We were upgraded to a balcony room last year on MSC after booking a Fantastica Inside cabin. We were delighted, but I understand why some people would have issues with the change in location. I’m glad it has now worked out for you. Have a great cruise.

I’ve been (briefly) under the fitness centre, but on a Royal Caribbean ship. It was horrendous. We were directly below leg machines that banged and vibrated our room when they were released - all the time! The noise didn’t stop when the gym was closed, because the crew were able to use the gym when shut to the passengers. We went to Guest Services after one sleepless night and we were moved to another cabin, as soon as we told them our cabin number. It was obviously a well known problem.

The same thing happened to me in 2021. Our shore excursion was cancelled on our cruise on 8 September 2021. The refund was shown on our onboard account, and we were told it would be refunded to our credit card (used to book the excursion) within 10 working days. After getting nothing for 30 days we did everything requested by NCL - filed a claim, got a claim number etc. After several emails (to the named “Guest Experience Co-ordination”) we eventually got our money refunded in March 2022 - so 6 months! Luckily they owed us $173, rather than hundreds of dollars, but still very annoying and time consuming to keep following up. So I’m afraid I don’t have any advice really, but I just wanted to reassure you that we did eventually get our money back via our registered credit card.

My favourite up to now is “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” on the Epic last year. It was so well done. We’re due to see “Six” on our next cruise which I’m looking forward to.

I have just come on here to ask the same question. I’ve been trying to access our account for 24 hours without success. Hopefully we can access our documentation before our cruise next week.

Thank you for all the information. Can someone (me) on the included drinks package go into the Atlas bar and just have an included drink (say gin and tonic), or bring one in from another bar, if it’s not actually served in the Atlas. Or are we effectively banned from the Atlas bar unless we pay an extra fee for an upgraded drink? Thanks

Thank you very much for confirming the free test at the port. My son and his friend will opt for that, although they will do a home test before they travel for their own peace of mind.

May I ask whether the people having a test at the port received a free test, as per NCLs website. My son is joining the Epic next week in Barcelona after staying in Barcelona for one night, and has registered for what he believes is a free test at the pier.

We had an inside guarantee (cheapest) cabin on Jewel of the Seas last year, and bid just the minimum bid for several higher categories. We “won” a spacious balcony for £70pp bargain 😊