bmwman

I just left the Breakaway on 8/23 he was the Captain in charge. Is this new information?

Yep I got it wrong it is captain Sverre Sovdsnes who has left - my apologies for the wrong inforation:rolleyes:

Ruth Haggar & David Contreras are two of the top five Concierge's in the fleet.

Unfortunately, I can not concur with your other opinion.

I suppose we all have different experiences but we have always found him excellent in all respects.

We also have sailed with Yannis and Mustafa who were great guys and a pleasure to be with over the years.

I just left the Breakaway on 8/23 he was the Captain in charge. Is this new information?

Ok - Then maybe I have it wrong - Is this the captain from the EPIC?

The first night in the Spiegel Tent and Illusionarium (Getaway) has been free for people with the UDP for some time now. It is possible that there are some exclusions, but the OP is quite correct that this does happen, and I doubt they will be disappointed.

I think you will find they were. The UDP only includes 20% discount on the Cirque show. There we go all sorted!

You are absolutely correct, Gordonchick, about 2017 being so far out there. There nonetheless are some senior crew who could probably get whichever ship they want -- presuming NCL Corporate cares about their crews anymore. I just was hoping something might make the Epic more palatable.

Umm..........interesting your quote in yellow. This is my thought in an earlier post. As long as those ships are full do they care? like to think so but not sure

EPIC:

 

 

The concierge on the EPIC is David Contreras and he is awesome.

Yannis is great too - in my opinion.

 

Judy

EPIC resident HD is Richard Janiki whom is a most lovely French gentleman and a super person. Who will relieve him is open for discussion . :confused:

Ditto and trained by the best.

Ruth Haggar and David Contreras are both excellent

You'll have Captain Håkan Svedung for both your cruises and I think I had read earlier in the year that Captain Mikael Hilden was on Breakaway.

Sorry to disappoint but Captain Svedung has left NCL and Captain Hilden maybe on leave.

I completely disagree with you. I want to pay for the things I consume, not the things everybody else consumes. If sodas were included, then I'm paying for them even though I don't use them.

 

I don't use Room Service, in 22 cruises we never have...but we're in specialty restaurants almost every night.

 

 

I hope they keep doing exactly what they're doing. If it's not the line for you, then RCCL will perhaps suit you better.

 

 

Stephen

 

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Eloquently put and agreed. Are you a copywriter :)

We like we pay if we don't want then we do not pay - a bit like our low cost airlines. It is amazing what goes in our hand luggage!

Hi Dexysgirl, have you tried Thomson cruises from Palma de Majorca great entertainment, good deals on cruises. I'm biased as we live in Mallorca.

That was our position years ago and without NCL pricing we would never have been able to cruise on such a regular basis

People at Celebrity forums feel the same way about the Royal Caribbean Cruises head honcho, so it's all matter of perspective and the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side. ;)

 

I just browsed recent messages over there this morning and they do seem to have pretty much all the same grievances about addons being added to inflate the base price etc as people here do about NCL - cruising is definitely changing and we need to change with it.

 

P.S. As already said by many others, no mass market cruise line has ever been all inclusive.

Great comment At last sir we agree - how true your words are all that is happening is that the package is being de packaged and when you add it up it is more or so it seems. However when I go away I have a budget and how that budget is spent is still my choice not any one else's.

As to all inclusive I think the UK market is now realising it and many people you speak to do not want cruises but all inclusive resorts and one of our travel companies is now only "all inclusive". Our friends tell us they think cruising is expensive compared to a land based holiday and what with issues such as the pool decks on all lines they would rather go to a good all inclusive hotel these days. BUT each to their own whilst I can afford it I will be cruising on the high seas

At what rate?

 

And are you talking on NCL and in theory or in practice?

The rate will be the UK current rate 20%. Theory is practice and NCL would always remain in my view tax compliant.

There seems to be some confusion regarding 'territorial waters' and 'EU waters'.

 

To determine whether a cruise is subject to VAT charges for its complete duration, you need to look at the itinerary. If any port of call is outside the VAT area (i.e. visits ports such as the Channel Islands; Gibraltar; The Canary Islands; Turkey etc.) then VAT may only be chargeable within some countries' territorial waters (e.g. Spain).

 

If the itinerary only calls at ports within the VAT area, then VAT is payable throughout the cruise following the regime and rates of the originating country.

 

I suspect (but do not know), that whether VAT is payable on a pre-purchased package would be determined by the itinerary - that would seem logical (though EU laws are not always logical!:rolleyes:)

GREAT ANSWER this sums it up thank you for the insightful reply.

UK VAT rules have nothing to do with this matter. I have already provided references - for example Canary Islands and Åland are islands that are part of EU (inside EU area) but not in EU VAT area.

 

Going from inside EU VAT area to either Canary Islands or Åland without calling anywhere else does not leave EU area just like nomad098 stated:

 

"EU waters are infinite as long as you do not call at a non EU port..."

Really I would be interested to see the maritime law you seek to rely upon:confused:

Only in that Spanish port (and specific distance after departing from it) - not the rest of the cruise from that port.

You really should refrain form answering questions you are clearly not qualified to answer.

A cruise from the UK will incur UK VAT - Please do accept what this guy is telling you as he is wrong.

That is still absolutely incorrect. You do not need to leave EU waters/area in order to leave EU VAT zone, examples and references have been posted here already and you can insist all you want (without any opposite references) but you are still wrong.

Sorry mate this is wrong and if you want I will send you the UK VAT rules on it. Territorial waters mean you are in the EU. Give me an example of a cruise that ports in a place outside the EU and does NOT leave EU waters:confused:

Though the waters have been muddied on this topic the answer for cruisers is fairly straight forward

 

Years ago the cruise lines and the various countries in the EU had an informal agreement not to charge VAT. This all went out the window during the banking crisis about 6 years ago when Spain and later Italy decided it could gain extra much needed revenue by using the EU Vat rules for departures from Spain and Italy as in VAT terms everything purchased onboard was deemed to be purchased from the departure ports country as long as the ship did not call at a port outside the EU

 

EU waters are infinite as long as you do not call at a non EU port for example you could sail from Spain to the middle of the Atlantic turn round and come back and for VAT purposes and the EU maritime directive passed in 2012 you have not left EU waters

 

So as it stands

 

1) Pre purchase any package in the UK and VAT is applicable in the UK (same as US prices as the VAT can be reclaimed by the cruiseline). Other purchases made on board a ship departing either Spain and Italy local VAT is charged as long as no other non EU port is visited.

 

2) Purchase any package on board a ship sailing from Spain and Italy calling at all EU ports local VAT is applicable. Now this is where the cruise lines are swinging the lead a little what should happen is that the VAT should be charged for the whole package but they do not they use a loophole to charge the VAT on individual items and not the whole package. ( If you drink less than the package costs for example you save money on the VAT, drink more than the value of package and it costs more in VAT)

 

3)Sailing on a cruise from Spain or Italy calling at a non EU port including Canaries, Gibraltar, Channel Islands, Montenegro they are not part of the EU but official currency is the Euro. Pre purchased packages booked in the UK are subject to UK VAT (same as US prices as the VAT can be reclaimed) and only purchases made in territorial waters of either Spain or Italy are applicable to local VAT.

 

I hope this helps those from the UK and US looking at whether they should pre purchase packages

Now this is an educated reply and notes well the fact that the canaries are not part of the EU for VAT purposes. The VAT rules are the tour operators margin scheme and I regret that the poster from Finland has really mis-understood the rules.

This post is absolutely correct in law.

Ignore the comments from Demonyte they are simply wrong in law

Canary Islands are part of EU like the rest of Spain, just not part of EU VAT area - as already explained (and referenced) earlier in this thread.

Ah thank you for now agreeing with me if you cruise goes or starts from Canaries no VAT (Outside EU/VAT waters)

:)

You're definitely not helping when using phrases like "if the ship does not leave European waters" - the difference of physical EU area/waters and EU VAT area have been explained already in an earlier post (one does not need to "leave European waters" to leave the VAT area).

And you are certainly not helping by not understanding UK and Spanish VAT law. If you understood VAT at all you would realise that there is a lack of congruence in the EU how each member state has applied certain EU directives and readers would be well advised to remember the term European Waters. You need to leave EU and to do that you need to leave European Water.

Ask yourself a very basic question - Why has this only been in place for about 6 years but VAT for a lot longer. The answer is that it was not clear from the various EU countries how this was to be applied.

And also for recent EPIC cruisers - which MDR restaurant is better TASTE OR MANHATTAN? (I'n not paying for any specialty restaurants!)

The food in the MDR is excellent but the ambience in the speciality restaurants makes it for us. So we pay for the quiet. Does not matter though as we include this in our budget as we would for any holiday.:)

Manhattan is the more formal. It will have music and at times some performances. Food is the same for the most part.[/QUOT

 

The food is identical and there is a grand Piano in Taste for music at times.

 

They share the same kitchen

Just what I was hoping to hear Johnnylad67!!!

 

We have prepurchased UBP and we sail 3 weeks today and whilst there was no spanish vat on drink cost when we did the 3 nights in April we weren't certain if that was a blip as it was 1st cruise out of barcelona for the year!!

 

Roll on!!

Ok.. VAT and European cruises. NCL have no exemption and they are correct. It is simple if the ship does not leave European waters VAT will be charged based on the port of Embarkation of the cruise (Summer for Epic will always be Spain).

VAT law is complex but the reason if you prepay that no VAT is charged is what has been provided.

What is never mentioned in these forums is the tour operators margin scheme (TOMS) which is pan European and deals with packages and I suspect UBP and UDP.

What NCL do on their ships is 100% correct and do not forget the Canary Islands are not part of Community territory for the purposes of VAT (Article 6 of VAT Directive).

I am afraid their is a lot of ill informed stuff on the question of VAT on these boards.

I'm not an expert also, but based on my research I don't this is feasible to do. It can be done but getting back might be very difficult. I don't think there's a direct way, so you have to juggle different modes of public transportation (bus, train, ferry etc. ). If you miss any of it on your way back then you won't be able to get back in time.

 

The Amalfi Coast is hard to do it on your own if your with a cruise ship. It's only possible if you're in a land tour and have no time constraints.

SPOT ON do not do on your own or you will be getting the train to Civitevecchia;)!!!

Just back from a week on the Dawn and, for the first time, did not purchase a cruise reward certificate. But before I go on, I want to let you know NCL has been my favorite cruiseline for a while now and I'm Platinum +.

 

We (me, 2 daughters and 1 granddaughter) had connecting balcony cabins on deck 10. Cabins were okay and kept up well although I don't remember other NCL balconies being as small as these.

 

Entertainment was great...as always. My main gripe is with the MDR food and especially the service...very indifferent and, on a couple of occasions, downright rude.

 

And those darn pull-tab strips they sell. On every cruise I've been on, it always gets down to the final day and 'no one has won the $2000 yet'!! I spent too much time explaining to my 11 year old granddaughter that this is what is known as a colossal ripoff!!!

 

I promised another daughter (who could not go this time) that she and I would go on a cruise together later this year. I wish RCL was sailing from NO but since they are not, I am seriously looking at the Dream. I'm not a big Carnival fan but I think the time has come to give them another chance.

 

As always, JMHO.

 

One more thing. Loved the Spirit and Jewel (sailed both from NO.. the Spirit 4 or 5 times while she was here) and really liked both. Unfortunately, it looks like the Dawn is going to be parked here for a while. DARN.

Can you tell me what platinum plus is please :confused:

]

 

I will be on the Epic in September which ends in England. I read somewhere that if the cruise goes out of the European zone there is no VAT. Does anyone know if this is still true.

That is correct but the cruise to UK does not leave Europe so Spanish VAT (port of embarkation) will apply. At this time the UK is part of Europe