Two Wheels Only

On some ships, there is no in-between. On some ships, only the Haven suites give you butler/concierge service. All "HI" staterooms are outside of the Haven enclave. Depending on ship, the HI was formerly a H9 which included Spa access. On those ships, the ones that became HI lost Spa access. On Joy, the HI used to be Concierge Class that did not have Haven access but gained Haven access when they became HI. Some CC forum members are a better source for stateroom information than any phone rep, travel agent, or website. 😉

NCL has called it a "gratuity". NCL has called it a "service charge". NCL has called it a "gratuity and service charge". No. The two are together. You can take the promo and not pay for the PBP but pay the 20% on the PBP. or You can not take the promo and pay for each drink and pay 20% on each drink. One of the differences with NCL is that you can see the total and can see the added gratuities/service charges before you even enter names and way before entering a payment. A better argument could be made for the DSC since newbie cruisers might not know about that and won't know about it until after they book/pay. On the flip side, the DSC can be removed if the newbie knows that it can be removed. That's a topic for another day but as far as the 20% added to drinks, specialty dining, souvenirs, spa treatments, etc., those things are optional even if the 20% isn't optional.

You can also decline the promo and pay for drinks à la carte. You will then have a 20% service charge added to each drink. Your choice.

Not always. It depends on the ship. For the OP, the Duplex Suites are outside of the Yacht Club enclave but are full Yacht Club suites. Having sailed both multiple times, my conclusion is that both are great. In some ways, Haven is better. In some ways, Yacht Club is better.

So it IS like a DSC/tip amount/chair hog/smoking thread. 🙃

There are a couple of videos on YouTube that show the difference between deck 17 and deck 18 as far as balcony size... ...so if you're going to do it, go for deck 17. The wind issue can be tricky. If it's really windy, the crew will tie-up the furniture to prevent it from moving around. January weather can also be tricky. For port days, breakfast on the balcony shouldn't be a problem. It's a slightly larger stateroom even though it sleeps 4 instead of 6. For 2 people, I'd probably go for the H3. If more than 2, I'd keep the H6. I travel as 4 so my situation is different than most.

That would be a H2 - Haven Deluxe Owner's Suite (DOS) with Large Balcony (16102/16702).

H2 - The Haven Deluxe Owner's Suite with Large Balcony (17102/17702, 18102/18702) H3 - The Haven Deluxe Owner's Suite with Balcony (17100/17700, 18100/18700) Which category is available for the upgrade? The H2 and H3 are configured differently and are very different in size. The H3 used to be called just "Owner's Suite" (not Deluxe) but NCL later decided to call both categories "Deluxe...". Either way, the forward-facing balcony on deck 17 is deeper/larger than the equivalent on deck 18. The side balconies for the H2 are the same depth/size.

Aren't you also being judgmental when referring to others as "aggresively judgemental"? 🤔

If you fiddle with it just right, you can get both to flow at the same time...ours was probably defective. 😁

That is one of the issues that many Americans can't get over. There's also a lack of typical comfort food that many American cruisers want.

You'll need to end a few sentences with "eh?".

It's cruising....very very unlikely that she only weighs 120lbs. 🤭 (I know that'll keep the thread going)

Reminds me of another 'Airplane!' classic....🤣

If NCL announced that a pregnant Blue Whale (endangered) was spotted and that all ships must avoid the intended area, I doubt that the angry people on the ship would feel any differently. Even if NCL gave a 100% FCC, there's no guarantee that the future cruise will go to every intended destination. It's mainly sheer curiosity as to why the change was made. How NCL communicates (or doesn't) is a separate issue. How NCL deals with the angry mob and bad publicly is also a separate issue. .... popcorn time...

But then, the forum would be boring. Up next, "Can I cancel the DSC and just tip the people that I want to tip?" 😎

Different market. The OP is in Spain.

Those same "thrifty" cruisers are the first to complain when prices go up. Maybe the solution is for ALL adults to have a drink package, add that cost into the base fare, and there will no longer be sharing. Is that what thrifty cruisers want?

No, the point is that NCL can continue to raise that price because the service charge will continue to rise with it. NCL also has the added benefit of claiming that they are giving you something and "saving" you $763 pp per cruise. NCL used to only add that service charge to guests 1&2. Now, it is added to every adult in the stateroom. In most cases (not what the OP has), guests 3&4 have a package so guests 1&2 are no longer sharing anything with guests 3&4.

Nobody is "made" to buy anything. It is a choice. The alternative (that many take) is to pay for drinks à la carte. If the one drinker downs enough, taking the package for both is the better deal. If the one drinker only has 1 per day, going à la carte is the better deal.

NOW, it is all adults in the stateroom. It used to be only guests 1&2. Why do you think NCL changed it to all adults? NCL has gone back and forth between 1 per transaction and 2 per transaction. NCL must have figured that a high enough percentage of guests were honest vs. the percentage who were not. The price does have an impact on the total paid by the guest as a "service charge". When it was $59pppd and 15%, the promo service charge was $61.95 per person for a typical 7 day cruise. The same at today's prices would be $152.60 per person.

It's better than "...for your convenience..." 😉

Technically, the handing over would be a violation of the terms of your package.... "Packages may not be shared and are non-transferable and non-refundable." It might seem like no big deal or "...it's the same thing..." but if the friend with the soda package drinks something that isn't covered by his/her package, that friend should pay for it.

The act of sharing makes it easier for NCL to justify raising prices. The guest is 100% responsible for NCL's profit because that's where the money comes from. Sharing drinks is an added cost that the paying guest will (eventually) make up for. There is no valid reason to give a drink to someone when that someone can easily pay for it on their own.

If adults are in the same stateroom, they DO have the same package. It wasn't always that way but.... ...you should care because if more and more people share drinks with guests who don't have a drink package, NCL will adjust accordingly. When actions of guests cut into profit, NCL will adjust to make up for that loss. The drink package was $59pppd and the service charge was 15% when I started sailing with NCL. Only guests 1&2 would receive the package as a promo and would pay the 15%. Over the years, as people continued to share with guests 3&4, NCL adjusted by raising the cost of the beverage package, raising the service charge on the package to 18% then 20%, and requiring all adults in the stateroom to take the promo (and pay the service charge) if any adult in the stateroom took the promo. The people who don't/never share drinks are paying more because of the actions of those who do share drinks. When you walk into a store, you might never shoplift. If you see someone shoplift, you might not care, either. If someone else does shoplift, that store will have to make up for that loss. The store will make up for the loss by raising prices. The honest shopper (you) will pay more because of the actions of someone else. Then, you will care.