TN-Mountains

I must not have been clear. I debated getting the free @ sea unlimited open bar package because the 20% Open Bar gratuity ($240 pp) is comparable to what my daily drinks would cost if I pay a la carte. I was worried I might have to pay VAT on the cost of the open bar package (>$240 pp) vs. VAT on the value of a single drink or two ($3-$10) .

Thanks for the info. I assumed the package covered at both sea & port. It wasn't until I was typing Free at Sea for this post, that I realized they could literally mean "at sea". 😉 I read a couple of the posts regarding taxes at the US ports and drinks not being served in port at Gibraltar. I'm an occasional drinker so I'm not worried about alcohol not being served at an occasional port. I actually debated declining the package, because I'll likely just break even on it. If there is VAT added to a package price there is no way I'd break even. I believe at least one person mentioned being taxed on the package price at a US port, which is what prompted my question.

I booked a cruise to Norway & Iceland on NCL in June. I opted for the Free at Sea promotion and noticed the following clause in the T&C: "Guest's check may reflect applicable VAT and/or taxes for certain ports or itineraries." A quick google search shows VAT in Norway and Iceland might be around 25%. Does anyone have experience with taxes/VAT being added to your check because you were at port in Norway or Iceland? If so, is it based on the value of the Free at Sea package or just individual meals/drinks ordered while at port? I'm not as worried about a miscellaneous $10-20 tax, but if I'm going to get hit with $100s pp, I'd like to know up front. A couple of the stops on this cruise stay overnight in port (20 hrs+/-), so the option to have a late dinner to avoid extra taxes isn't available. This also brings up another question, is the Free at Sea promotion, literally only free while at sea or does it include the time you're at port? It has been about 15 years years since I last went on a cruise and I've never been on NCL. I recall on Princess a lot of the shops, casino, etc. either closed or charged taxes on purchases while at port. I don't remember about dining options though.

Thank you! This is very helpful. I need to read it again to digest everything, but I wanted to take a brief second to upload a screen shot of the $1500 discrepancy and and clarify a few things. Your inferences were correct as to cabin categories. I'm currently booked in a premium ocean view (O5). I've read in a few places that I should keep tabs on pricing in case they drop, so I'm trying to make it a habit of checking daily. While checking yesterday, I noticed the obscured balcony (BY) was pricing out at approximately $100 more than what I paid for the O5 Oceanview, so I was going to book it. I selected the cabin and got to the page that summarized the selections/prices including taxes fees. It looked great! I'm attaching a screen shot of the message I got once I logged into the site to proceed with the booking. I've only been searching the Princess Plus rates.

Thank you for checking. Is that the standard fare or Princess Plus fare? I should also have noted that the fares I was searching were princes plus.

yes. I'm currently booked in an Oceanview cabin. When I saw the obstructed balcony for only $100 more, I was going to book it instead.

14-Day Icelandic & Norwegian Fjords Copenhagen, Denmark to Southampton (London), England Wednesday, July 12, 2023 - Island Princess I'm not sure why being a past guest would increase the rates either, but it was clearly showing $6386 after taxes, fees, etc. Once I logged in to proceed with the booking, a window popped up alerting me that the fares had changed. It showed an updated pricing summary in a table w/ pricing for guest 1, guest 2, cruise total, taxes & fees and finally the total price. The first price was $6386 and the new pricing was $7870. I closed the browser, opened a new one and went through the process again with the same results.

I searched pricing on a lot of the websites for before I booked. That included big box store and some member only benefits I have through my insurance. Princess' website was showing the cheapest rate. I called one of their vacation planners because she had been emailing me that she could get me the best rate. The rates she gave was HIGHER than the website. She didn't seemed interested in finding out why. She just said sometimes our rates are higher?? Ugh. I called Princess today and was on hold forever before I got cut off. The next time I called, I selected the "hold my place in line and call me" option. I still haven't received a call back yet. I emailed the vacation planner that helped with the 1st booking. I included the photo showing the price and then the price change once I logged in. She said she can't see that rate...sorry, but keep checking the rates! I asked her to escalate to a supervisor to see if they can match it. She said she talked to her guest services team and they see the same pricing she sees and they are unable to price match. Not sure guest services team is a supervisor, but what am I going to do? I guess I'll keep checking. I'll probably check some other cruise lines while I'm at it. My allegiance to Princess only runs so deep. A $1500 price increase because I'm a previous passenger is well past that threshold!

You found a TA that actually knows things about cruises??? I tried using one a few months ago. I asked lots of questions about everything the fare included and what extras I should expect. She told me the fare included everything so she put a temp hold on the cabin. I did a little more research and quickly learned there were hundreds per guest in gratuities that weren't included. It is all so confusing. Now I know why my local TA quit selling cruises! It is a shame, because she was wonderful helping with a couple of our previous non-cruise vacations.

Ugh. I hear you! My first reaction was to cancel, but then I thought of all the additional research I'll have to do to plan a different vacation! LOL! Since the deposit is refundable I'll try to resist the urge momentarily.

Let me know if you get this resolved. They sold out of the type rooms I booked so I'm glad I went ahead and paid the deposit, but I think I'll call and ask that they refund the $300.

This is what I thought was going on! I sent a screen shot to princess to see if they'll give me the lower rate. The only email I have is the vacation advisor that had me pay the higher deposit, so I'm not holding out much hope. Either way, I think I'll call princess and see if they'll give me the lower deposit on what I have booked.

I booked a cruise over the weekend on Princess. I booked directly through their website. For some reason, it wouldn't give me the low deposit rate of $100pp which is their current Love Boat promo. I spoke with a Princess Vacation Planner who said it was because I was getting a lower fare than the Love Boat fare. The same lady quoted me higher fares the day before, so I reluctantly paid the higher deposit since it is refundable. Today I decided to check prices and it looks like I can upgrade from an premium OV to an obstructed balcony for $100. I got all the way to the page that adds in the port fees, taxes, etc, so I was looking at the final price. When I logged into my account a window popped up telling me the fares have changed. They actually went up by $1500 and the deposit jumped from $200-$500! Is this normal?? Is anyone else having this issue? I've sailed with Princess 4 times in the past, but it has been 15 years since my last cruise. I have my captain's circle number in my profile and it shows the correct level as ruby.

Thank you all for your replies! Your thoughts are much appreciated. After considering all your input, I broadened my scope and looked at some different itineraries that focused on the fjords (14- day Icelandic & Norwegian Fjords) rather than the northern lights/midnight sun. My husband was more excited about this itinerary. He used to live in Alaska and has seen the Northern Lights on many occasions. I booked a premium oceanview cabin since it was substantially cheaper than a balcony. It looks like this category of cabin has a small sofa/loveseat and a chair near a picture window. What do y'all think of this itinerary? 14-Day Icelandic & Norwegian Fjords Wed, Jul 12 Copenhagen, Denmark Thu, Jul 13 Skagen, Denmark Fri, Jul 14 Haugesund, Norway Sat, Jul 15 Alesund, Norway Sun, Jul 16 Shetland Islands (Lerwick), Scotland Mon, Jul 17 At Sea Tue, Jul 18 Seydisfjordur, Iceland Wed, Jul 19 Akureyri, Iceland Thu, Jul 20 Grundarfjordur, Iceland Fri, Jul 21 Reykjavik, Iceland Sat, Jul 22 At Sea Sun, Jul 23 At Sea Mon, Jul 24 Liverpool, England Tue, Jul 25 At Sea Wed, Jul 26 Southampton (London), England

Oh no! I did read the rule about the travel agents. Since it was a big box I didn't think of them as a travel agent, but you're right! Is there a way for me to edit my post? I didn't see one or would. Is there a trick to knowing which balconies are sheltered when reading the deck plans?

Thanks for your insight. You hit on my points of concern for a winter cruise. I'm also considering a different cruise of Norway in June. I'm thinking a balcony would be used during the long summer days, but would love your thoughts on that too! Both itineraries are shown below! This is the itinerary for the Oct 4-18 sailing: 1. Southampton (London), England 2. At Sea 3. Stavanger, Norway 4. At Sea 5. At Sea 6. Tromso, Norway 7. Alta, Norway (Water Shuttle Required) 8. Alta, Norway (Water Shuttle Required) 9. At Sea 10. Lofoten Islands (Gravdal), Norway (Water Shuttle Required) 11. At Sea 12. Alesund, Norway 13. At Sea 14. At Sea 15. Southampton (London), England And, the itinerary for the June 17-July1 sailing: 1. Southampton (London), England 2. At Sea 3. Bergen, Norway 4. Molde, Norway 5. Trondheim, Norway 6. At Sea 7. Honningsvag (for North Cape), Norway 8. Tromso, Norway 9. Lofoten Islands (Gravdal), Norway (Water Shuttle Required) 10. At Sea 11. Alesund, Norway 12. Olden, Norway 13. At Sea 14. At Sea 15. Southampton (London), England

Thanks for your reply. I didn't think about the decks being colder than the balcony. I guess the dividers do provide a wind break, so that is a good point. One of my concerns with an ocean view is that the windows are above the bed in the photos. If that is the case, I can't imagine that would be comfortable for extended viewing. I've searched several sites for pricing, but mostly Princess's website, since it seems more straight forward and easier to search. At first glance it looked like some other sites were cheaper, but they just tack on the fees at the end instead of up front. I checked Costco, but they were $500-600 more for this sailing. (You get most of it back on a Costco card.) It is possible that their cabins are a higher category than the ones I'm looking at on Princess. They were over budget so I didn't bother digging into the details. Once I find something within budget I'll search Costco again and drill down deeper into the details.

I really want to do a Northern Lights cruise next October, but the prices are coming in higher than I like. Before I give up on the idea for 2023, I thought I'd revisit my options to see if there is anyway to trim costs. I've been pricing the cruise with an unobstructed balcony stateroom and the Princess Plus fairs (drinks, wifi, crew appreciation). I thought about ditching the Princess Plus, but last time I cruised (2008) I recall how quickly those things add up purchasing a la carte. Crew appreciate and wifi are a must (kids will be left at home with Nana). I can do without a lot of alcohol, but I like specialty coffees and juice. With the already over inflated prices + gratuity, I'm guessing 1-2 beverages/day is the break even point, no? That leaves the stateroom. Are balconies a must for this type of trip? I've had both windows and balconies on past cruises. If I cruise the Caribbean again, I've always said I could skip the balcony if it saves a lot of money. My Alaska cruise I didn't consider rooms without a balcony, but that was in May/June. Will it be too cold in October to really use the balcony? Should I just look at Ocean View rooms instead? I'd love some opinions on this! BTW--This is my first time posting. I hope this question hasn't been asked a 1000 times! I didn't see anything when I did a search.