Eivind

25 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

We need someone who has done the Eastern Med itinerary recently to confirm

what the current situation is.

@Harratine(above) had just been on the Epic, and it seemed to be the case that there were no added taxes when you were sticking to items covered by your package.

Seems to be a bit back-and-forth here on what the situation is and how it works.

But it seems like "free drinks" are covered, even while docked, and you won't be charged additional taxes. But if you buy anything not covered, there will be taxes added while docked, depending on the country.

43 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

This cruise has very specific issues, as it never leaves the European VAT area and the tax is chargeable for the entire cruise, not just when in port.

Huh, so the cruise technically is never in international waters, so you'll always have to pay added taxes, including on any "free" drinks you get when you have a beverage package? Or did I misunderstand?

Do the TVs in the staterooms/cabins on the Norwegian Epic have HDMI ports accessible to the guests? So that you can e.g. connect your computer to the screen.

Or do the TVs have USB ports and can play media from a USB stick?

Just considering whether or not there's any point in bringing along some media (and a HDMI cable) if we ever want to have some downtime and watch something in the evening.

Thank you! 

43 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

So...many people, upon boarding the ship, find the nearest bar to have a welcome aboard drink, or three. Those are taxed?

From how I'm understanding @Harratine, the taxes on the drinks when the ship is docked are covered by the beverage package you might already have. So they remain "free".

But if you don't have such a package or are going off-package, you will then have to pay whatever taxes are applicable when the ship is docked. And there will (usually) be signs at the bars telling you when taxes are added, according to @UKstages.

Please correct me if I'm misunderstanding how it works.

11 hours ago, Harratine said:

For the premium beverage and premium plus package they will only add the taxes if you go over the package amount (I.e. more than the $15 per drink in the PBP).  Biggest one to watch is Starbucks if you don’t have the Premium plus.

Thank you for sharing! 😀 So you're sure taxes aren't added when you have the Premium Beverage Package and you get drinks that are included in said package when you're docked?

The language on all the documents is often unclear with a lot of small-print text, so just want to be super extra sure.

First time doing a big cruise, and trying to get an accurate overview of the actual costs we can expect – which is easier said than done. Going with the Norwegian Epic which is departing from Rome, Italy on August 2nd (so roughly a week away as of writing this).

We have the Premium Beverage Package, and just found out about this: "your check may reflect applicable VAT and/or taxes for certain ports or itineraries".

From what I understand, your free drinks may come with a tax, depending on the port?

Do they announce when you enter/exit international waters, so you know when the taxes will be added?

Will the taxes be added to the food at the restaurants too, if you have a meal while docked?

Is there anywhere we can find what the added taxes are for each port we will be stopping at, if we want to have anything to drink while docked?

This is a list of all the scheduled ports.

• Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
• Naples, Italy
• Florence/Pisa (Livorno), Italy
• Cannes, France
• Palma, Majorca, Spain
• Barcelona, Spain
• Ajaccio, Corsica, France

Any help would be much appreciated!