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.

5 minutes ago, Charli001 said:

Love the updates. Does anyone know where the Moon is going after Athens? I’m supposed to embark on the 26 Jan in Dubai to Mumbai, if the Moon isn’t going to Dubai I wish SS would notify future passengers in order to make other arrangements.

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.

4 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

We always eat at the Manhattan Room which [used to] have live music nightly. 

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.

On 9/22/2023 at 7:20 PM, Girr said:

It doesn't.  I was just reading an article (different social media site) from a passenger talking about MSC charging him VAT on a Med Cruise last week.  Up to this point I believe MSC wasn't charging (also keep in mind how much more MSC charges for their beverage package).  IMO I think other cruise lines were absorbing, but as this goes on, if they haven't already, they'll start charging VAT.

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 🤷‍♀️

19 hours ago, Girr said:

I think the answer is "it depends on the day of the week". 

 

I also sailed on the Epic in July, only originated in Rome, doing the loop via Barcelona.  At that time VAT was charged on all drinks during the entire cruise. It was not charged on the specialty meals.  

 

Since then, from what I've read is some are being charged, others not.  Now, it could be because the cruise leaves the EU for part of the cruise.  Others reported receiving a $50 credit - we did not.  

 

At this point you should be charged VAT in Barcelona (nothing new being going on for years), and I have my fingers crossed nowhere else.  

 

I'll be back on board in December sailing out of Rome doing the TA, and waiting to see how VAT is/isn't applied.

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.

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

It has been discussed extensively on Cruise Critic. If you enter the EU or Britain, you will need to apply and pay.

 

Since the system is months away from being implemented, that is the extent of the details for now. When it happens, it happens. Only speculation on the implementation right now. 

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.

15 hours ago, Binky0 said:

Came across this on last NCL cruise, this was their response when complained. Got all tax refunded. Sailed from Barcelona.

Dear
 
We understand your concern in regards to the taxes that have been charged during the cruise and appreciate you did not expect to pay an extra amount on the drinks you ordered. Unfortunately we were not made aware of that issue during the cruise and only learned of it when the first guests contacted us after the end of the voyage.
 
We have now received feedback from our head Office as well as from the colleagues on-board confirming the mistake. This sailing has been considered an intra EU sailing starting and ending within the EU and only touching EU ports of call. For such sailings the respective national VAT is applicable, but only for purchase sales - so e.g. if guests for example didn’t have a drinks package either pre-paid or complimentary and pay per drink, then these costs were subject to Spanish VAT for the whole duration of the cruise. By mistake also guests with included drinks packages were charged with the Spanish VAT, which shouldn’t have happened. We realized that indeed there has been misleading and incorrect communication on-board and you can be assured that different steps were taken in the meantime to avoid similar issues on future sailings. We already received feedback that a proper debriefing of the situation has been conducted. We fully appreciate the frustration this situation during the cruise caused and we sincerely apologize for this highly negative Impression.
 
I have reviewed your final invoice and found that you have been incorrectly charged for an amount of 142,30 USD. In order to refund you, would you please provide us with your bank account number and sort code? A refund back to the credit card is not possible.
 
Kind regards,
 
Mariano Calzada
Guest Relations Executive

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.

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Still trying to wrap my mind around anyone trying to get a refund for something that was free to begin with.  Free at Sea offers free drinks.  And, from what you’re telling me NCl can’t break out taxes/VAT on their invoice in Europe, and free drinks don’t qualify for taxes/VAT, I still don’t know what it is you’re expecting?

 

Matter of fact, the only place I’ve seen any of this mentioned it’s here at CC.  As best I can tell, none of the YouTubers have even noticed any of this.

 

But hey, if you can get away with getting a refund for something that was free to begin with, have at it.  Nothing I read here at CC surprises me anymore.  

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.

On 2/1/2023 at 12:44 AM, Envelope21 said:

Update: My saga regarding the unrequested upgrade appears to have been resolved. After 3 calls to MSC, and being put on hold numerous times, I finally got someone to help me. They saw in the notes my previous phone calls and were able to escalate my issue to a higher authority (they say it was corporate). 
 

The  ship is almost sold out and the only availability was balcony or YC. I could see on their website there were a few balcony cabins near an elevator. 

The agent asked me if I knew of a cabin number I wanted, I was able to say yes, and I gave him the number of a balcony cabin near an elevator. Within minutes he was able to switch my booking to that cabin. 
 

I think the only reason they were able to work with me on this is because the cruise is only 2 days away — and they probably can’t sell those cabins now anyway. They had already upgraded me to a balcony, so all they had to do was move the location. 
 

I’m so grateful

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.

8 hours ago, Cruise Critic Chris said:

Hi all -

 

So last night I spent some time at the Atlas Bar and have a few updates after speaking to Tony, head of F&B. 

 

The prices for the bites served in Atlas have not been set, and won't be until the last minute on Tuesday. They will range between $6-$15.

 

That menu you are looking at is not the final menu. They are going to continue to tweak them. I took a photo of the demo bites they had out but the ones they served us were not the same. 

 

Drinks in Atlas will be included for some people, depending on your drink package. Most will fall under the Premium Package, which is an extra $15-$16 a day. The really high end ones are covered in the Ultimate Drink Package, which is an extra $25/day. 

 

We tried a bunch of the cocktails and they were tasty in theory. Staff still needs to be trained on them, as a few were too strong. 

 

The mural in the library is gone. 

 

They still don't know where they will be having the Best of the Best dinner. 

 

Chefs Table and Explorer's Dinners will still be held. Those are each $95 and include the wine pairings. 

 

It is true that there are more Suites onboard and those passengers have the ability to book unlimited specialty restaurant meals. Tony didn't seem to think that would cause a major problem with other people getting reservations. 

 

Photos of Atlas Bar to come. 

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

6 hours ago, Nikoladoig88 said:

I tested 24 hours before, but as long as you tested in line with the timescales on the NCL website (2/3 days I think) then you were absolutely fine. There is no requirement to test to enter Spain/France/Italy/U.K. as long as you are fully vaccinated within the last 270 days or have had a booster if your vaccination was older than 270 days. NCL need you to have the booster a minimum of 14 days before boarding. The NCL website is actually incorrect, there is free testing at the port, but they do not require you to be tested if you have tested yourself (either video supervised or in a pharmacy etc). Personally I would test myself rather than not have tested and get it done at the port. I didn’t see anyone getting testing at the port, but there was a sign for it. When on board we have never been tested again, and we can get off freely in all ports. Hope this helps! 

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.

18 hours ago, Nikoladoig88 said:

I’m currently onboard the Epic, having got on from Rome yesterday. I had spoken to NCL many times on Covid testing and had so many conflicting conversations- when we arrived at the port, they didn’t test us, they just checked our test results were negative and if we had tested the appropriate number of days before. There was a separate queue for people who didn’t have a test, but I’d say on the whole this wasn’t very busy so definitely best to test before you go. The whole process was surprisingly seamless, after a lot of worry in the lead up! 

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 😊

24 minutes ago, roberts2005 said:

Makes it rather difficult for those on the May 2nd Onward cruise.  Being that the prior day is May 1st, a national holiday and most everything will be closed.

We’re on the 2nd May cruise and haven’t been informed of any testing requirements 🤷‍♀️

On 12/29/2021 at 2:31 AM, alohayall said:

According to the MSC website, you cannot use your drink package in Hola!  This applies to Easy, Easy Plus, and Premium Extra for cruises beginning in Winter 2022 (now).  I am assuming you are looking at Bahamas / Caribbean cruises.

 

”*Package can be enjoyed in our bars, buffet, restaurants, speciality restaurants, Ocean Cay Island and other exclusive destinations. Cannot be consumed signature venues (Venchi 1878 establishments, Lavazza Coffee Shop, Jean Philippe Chocolate, Coffee, Crepes & Gelato,Starship Club, Hola! Tacos & Cantina). On board currency applies.”

That’s a shame, we did enjoy our evening meal at Hola! In the summer,  Including beers and margaritas using our premium drinks packages.

If we can’t use our premium extra drink packages in there on our forthcoming cruise I don’t think I’ll bother paying extra for the four of us to go.

On 12/10/2021 at 11:07 PM, JoyandRoss1964 said:

Fourever is awesome,  However,  even better was the night before in the Pub.  The lead singer of the group sang/played classic rock for an hour.   The guitarist who is usually in the pub and other venues was equally awesome.    Did a solo tribute to Eddie Van Halen.

 

The Pub gave them both a standing Ovation.   When do you this ever happen in a small venue on a cruise?    I really got lucky

 

On the ship Dec 5 to Dec 12.   Don't miss both.  Remember, Night before their show in the Pub on 5

After the recommendation from John&LaLa, we also saw the lead singer of Fourever sing with the classic guitarist in the Boot and Bonnet. Really great show, best entertainment we’ve ever seen in a small venue on a cruise.

I have just returned from America today. I had bought Day 2 LFTs from Testing for All for £17 each, before we travelled. Whilst away they emailed me to explain the change in the UK rules, they refunded the cost of the Day 2 LFTs,  and gave a link to purchase their Day 2 tests for £48 each if we wanted too.

The tests were at home when we arrived, very easy to do, and dropped into our local Royal Mail priority box.

We used Testing for All on a previous trip 3 months ago, and we got our PCR results in less than 48 hours.

2 minutes ago, John&LaLa said:

 

Make sure you catch the lead singer from Fourever and the Classic guitar player show in the pub. Only do it one night. Awesomeness. 

Thanks for the tip 👍

We’re onboard now. We were able to book entertainment as soon as we were onboard on the RCL APP. It wasn’t available beforehand. Do it straight away as the shows get booked up quickly. We didn’t get anything booked for our first night.

Current shows are:

Grease

Hideaway Heist - Aquatheatre

ISkate - Studio B

Rick Novell (Juggler, acrobat)

Fourever (Male singing group)

Comedy Shows - The Attic