littlelulu01

You might want to sign up for HAL emails. I've received a few offers this year for bal GT rt Seattle for $799 3&4 sail free with some perks although can't remember what perks were. Hal is nice for Alaska because they have the covered pool with nice padded loungers for inclement weather, teak deck chairs on promenade, pretty much same itineraries. They've also relaxed dress code and for Alaska summer it's the same crowd they have on NCL Alaska (many families.) Have also received some enticing Celebrity offers with the bev pkg that includes canned sodas, speciality coffees, grats and water bottles. The offers for Celebrity have been priced not too much less than NCL though and no glacier bay for the offers I've received.

Haven't received any offers for NCL this year and don't see any last min major discounts any more. In 2014 we sailed last min rt Seattle August on the Pearl inside GT for $179 pp wa resident rate. I remember the taxes and port fees were more that the cruise. Sailed the Pearl 2 bed Haven suite in May of 2014 for $3900. I don't see a balcony room for that price any longer. "Free" booze has a price I guess.

Regarding Santorini: Was it as crowded your second week visit? I've read several reports now about the 8am arrival being very crowded. This was originally Kusadasi and when replaced, it added to the already overcrowded Santorini day. The 2pm arrival dates look much less crowded with most ships leaving in the afternoon and the Jade not leaving till much later.

I have booked a boat trip on Alex boat rentals. Pick up at old port where tender drop off is so no need to ascend or descend from Fira. Cost wise 700 euro for 5 hour charter max 5 persons. Quite pricy if we can't find another couple to split the cost but after reading all the reports about the crowds on the 8am arrival day I'm thinking it's worth it?

Hopefully you have contacted NCL to notify them of your mothers situation. Does she have checked luggage? Figure that will take some time to collect. A quick check of wsdot traffic estimates current travel time at 18 minutes from seatac to downtown. She will probably do best to take a taxi cab vs walking to the lite rail and the 30 min trip plus then still needing to get to ship. Keep an eye on her flight arrival, and have her hustle to ship. I'm thinking she might just make it. Also keep an eye on traffic. It can change quickly. If something happens and I-5 stalls then the lite rail will get her there quicker. Good luck.

Much of this issue is down to perception, history, understanding and the fact that the media is only interested in bad news.

 

Most Americans would be amazed if Europeans did not want to go to Miami because of something happening in Chicago. Europe is often portrayed to Americans as small, yet just taking the EU countries covering north of the Med that alone is half the size of the USA, and that does not even include Turkey. The main tourist port that NCL used to go to is Kusadasi and it is almost twice as far from Istanbul as it is between Miami to Orlando. And to give an idea of how Europeans feel about going on holiday there are apparently around 50,000 Brits alone in the Turkish holiday places in the west the country as we speak today,enjoying their sun and beach time.

 

The only time I can say that I have been really scared in a foreign country was when a couple of us accidentally came up out of the Washington Metro a couple of stops before the downtown shops. So I do understand what it is to be frightened when you are away from familiar surroundings at home.

 

I agree entirely that risk is very personal, but it is a real shame that the American people seem to getting the idea that Europe is not safe for them at present. There are issues, there are nasty people around, just like everywhere, but in Europe, they really are no worse than most other cruise destinations. Come and see for yourself.

I agree with you regarding much of Europe but Turkey? An attempted military coup yesterday. How many bombings in the last year in heavily tourists areas? The US military base on a delta level of security, Attaturk airport terrorist attack/bombing and a country with increasingly concerning political unrest not to mention terrorist threats. I'm sorry but a relaxing beach holiday with not a care does not seem without flaws at the moment. All that aside just the potential something very well may go wrong with a flight delay, and since we are talking about cruises, also a port omission, replacement...

I liken a cruise to Turkey and vacation to Istanbul right now to booking a cruise to the Caribbean when the weather report says a hurricane is coming. More power to all the holiday makers currently enjoying their carefree day on the beach today and wandering the streets of Istanbul.

When planning a relaxing and expensive holiday, Turkey would not be at the top of my list. There's a very big difference between a terror attack in Nice or Orlando and an attempted military coup and what has been going on in Turkey.

Anyone know if any cruise ships are in port there (Istanbul), or about to arrive (probably wouldn't now, of course).

 

The airport closed a while ago.

Unfortunately the world is not as safe any longer. This is true in the US and Western Europe. Turkey however is a much different situation and travel there is not without greater risks. The lines who held onto embarkation/debarkation in Turkey must subscribe to much different intelligence. I canceled a cruise with Celebrity recently because they somehow failed to see the dangers that most others did. I suspect now with the military coup the lines will have no choice but at this point I would not be surprised to see sea day replacements or multiple days in Athens. I was not about to spend that amount of money and travel time only to board a ship with several sea days or to visit ports that I had no desire to visit.

Despite NCL replacing Turkey many months ago, an excellent choice imo, I recently saw a video clip of Andy Stewart discussing how their Europe bookings are hurting this year. One certainly wouldn't know that given the sky high prices. I think many European sailings on NCL are filled primarily with US citizens and US citizens are not as eager to travel abroad. Warnings such as beware of your surroundings? Well it's much easier for someone from the US to be aware of their surroundings when they are familiar with their surroundings. When you have a language barrier and are not familiar of surroundings then it's much more difficult to recognize that something is not right or suspicious.

Granted terrible things can happen despite awareness and no matter where you are but traveling to Turkey is not something I would do. Loved our visit last year and feel quite bad for the people there. Then again the Phillapines, where the majority of ship crew come from, is no place to be right now either with their new leader. Crazy world. We have no plans to alter our Europe cruise. As far as Western Europe I feel about as safe there as I would traveling in the USA.

There is a coup going on right now in Turkey as I watch the news. Didn't some of those Turkish port visits already get cancelled anyway?

NCL canceled Turkish ports many months ago. I think celebrity, Hal and rcl still have calls scheduled.

Just a thought, but have you tried ordering a virgin Cuba Libre? Because the alcohol version is included, so wouldn't the virgin version also be? So you would get Pepsi and some lime on ice - not bad...

Thanks. I'll try that. Every time I see a thread posted asking about non alcoholic alternatives there doesn't seem to be many suggestions. I know we will be eating more than at home and my vices are morning speciality coffees, which aren't low calorie. I'm just not crazy about sweet fruity drinks, which I typically see for suggestions. I know I'm probably in the minority and also that NCL certainly doesn't need to offer up a package tailored to me. With this beverage ban hoopla I just figured it was an opportunity for me to give a few more shameless plugs in hopes that NCL might actually just include soda cans, speciality coffees and bottle water in the UBP. Usually I've seen them implement a good and bad option. Like they raised UBP price but included drinks to $15. I'm still holding out hope that they use this beverage ban as a good bad option. Raise UBP price but finally start including my drinks in the plan. If that happens you certainly won't see me complaining about the price increase or looking into other lines. Offer something like Celebrity's non alcoholic preimum package and I may just become a huge NCL superfan.

Soda is included, however not in cans, with the UBP. I cruise in a aft penthouse suite and have always had a liter of water waiting for me in my cabin and my Cabin Steward or Butler on one of the cruises replaced it when it was empty, the other cruises, I didn't drink it all. Juices are also included.

I have had success with the butler replacing a complementary bottle of wine with some water but also had failure asking for an included bottle of wine to be replaced with a bottle of water. I remember my husband saying at the time, wow that's either The least expensive wine known to man or a bottle of water must cost an arm and a leg on this ship.

I guess it's more about the principle. To be given a perk and then told your drinks aren't included. I have had this issue since the UBP came out though and still sail NCL. There's much more that I enjoy about NCL than dislike so I'll live with the UBP that doesn't suit me.

The new rule bugs me a little bit It's not the ban on beverages that gets to me. I wouldn't cancel a cruise over it but it's the fact that if I sail in a suite and am given the UBP as an included perk, most of my non alcoholic beverage choices are not included. I don't drink alcohol and don't see myself trying to consume a bunch of fattening virgin drinks just to get my "free" perk value. It is offensive to be given a perk that is advertised as "ultimate beverage package" that includes "unlimited drinks"....well except for me it covers no drinks and I'll have to pay for each bottle of water, each speciality coffee and each can of soda I consume. My UBP with unlimited drinks is going to add a lot more to my fare. Yes this time I will pay it because those items are things I want on my vacation. I thought about not giving them another $ but I want spa passes, I want spa treatments and some extras on vacation. In addition I'll now be put through some lengthy boarding process to ensure I don't have a bottle of water left over after my long wait for a cable car ride in Santorini? i guess if this is what making more money looks like for NCL yes, I may look for an alternative vacation next time around. Being charged over $6 for every bottle of water I want with my free UBP is pretty darned offensive. I'm happy to pay for my spa passes but $6 plus for a bottle of water and not able to wait in a hot line with a fresh cold water bottle prior to boarding a ship in hot med ports? That sounds like an extreme measure to earn more $.

Our local credit union does not charge a transaction or conversion fee but has a max 250 euro/day from checking account. We have two checking accounts. I label one debit card as backup with a sharpie and keep that separate just in case something happens to the one I carry and I need to shut down the account.

So cost wise: today daughter took out 250 euro and bank debited $277 from checking account. Some bank machines, like yesterday at Amsterdam train station said broken. There was another atm that said, no transaction fee. She started to use it and it had an exchange rate of 1.24 vs the going rate of 1.11. She waited till she got to the airport and took 250 out at 1.11.

It's not that hard to get euro once there for much less than anywhere in the states but like previous poster said, make sure you let your bank know beforehand so they won't deny the transaction for suspected fraud. I would not use a credit card to get cash because my bank would treat as a cash advance and charge fees.

1000 euro is enough that many exchange companies will wave the fee. But to get euro beforehand it is still going to cost more and it pays to check. My credit union charges more than my local Travelex branch. My local bank branch is about as interested in exchange of currency as the banks in Italy. Offered as a courtesy service for their customers but not without a markup for the hassle factor.

So at $3.75 per bottle that would be $90 per case. I guess the $60 per case is the way to go!

 

Do you know if that is the base price, or does it include everything (tax, gratuity, etc)?

$60 might be the way for you to go but I know I would much rather pay $12 and get the exact amount of water in 1/2 liter bottles.

Thank you. Excited to see more. We are doing the same cruise soon.

Again, I'm not unsympathetic to this, even though it is not particularly bothersome to me; but how many deposited bookings have been canceled since this was rolled out? I'd seriously guess zero people have gone to cancel trips they already had a deposit on. Future plans altered? Sure, I can easily believe that. But I don't believe anyone is giving up an already planned vacation over this.

For some who knows. It may be the last straw. I'm still holding out hope that NCL will use this as an opportunity to just include water bottles, speciality coffees and canned soda in their UBP.

Their model for the UBP perk and liquid restriction seems hard at work to make more money than no perk at all. Of course one can live within the parameters of the perk and liquid restriction but ncl's is the most exclusionary. Sure you can drink the included coffee from the buffet, soda from a gun and water from your sink but it's painfully obvious at this point in the thread that people don't want that. I really don't think there's anything wrong with them making more profit but this new liquid rule just makes the nature of their profit tactics more unpalatable to the consumer. All of a sudden everyone seems to know that the other lines have beverage packages that include potentially hundreds of $ more than NCL's package includes and the competition costs less. Now that many consumers realize that these fees and exclusions are often bumping the total vacation costs way up, many will start choosing lines that offer perks like, free UNLImITED internet, free inclusive beverage packages, obc vs a $50 per cabin per port limit shore excursion credit.

Consumers are savy and will vote with their pocketbooks in the end so I certainly hope NCL announces soon some sort of change to their UBP and beverage costs. The competition is not all that different any longer now that they are overall comparably priced and offer improved suite experiences and relaxed dress codes.

I like my NCL cruises so I hope that they continue to be profitable. I think they can figure out ways to make more money while at the same time offer the consumer something more as well. They had to have known the backlash of this change which is why I do hold out a little hope that this was a calculated decision and next move is an increase in the UBP fees but inclusion of water bottles, speciality coffee and soda cans. I don't think a service fee of some sort for byo liquids is out of line either. An Included UBP at $20-25/day cost is still better than a $100/day UBP. And this time they won't have all the backlash from people who doubt where the 18% goes. It simply goes to NCL.

I go by what the contract on my ticket that I paid for says. NCL can post whatever it wants on its website but that does not change the terms I agreed to before purchasing the ticket. NCL is of course free to propose changes in terms of contract just like passenger are free to do so. But both parties need to agree, neither has the right to force changes on the other after signing the contract. So this should not be a problem for those of us who already paid. It is simply something to consider for future bookings. Maybe NCL will lower prices for water on board or give free soda like airlines do and the who issue will go away

If you read the terms of your contract you will learn that they most definitely can. All cruise contracts with all the various lines are pretty much the same and they offer the consumer very little protection. If you think a bottle of water is a big deal, you should probably know that NCL, and other lines can and do change ports of call, charter cruises at any time and they don't need to do anything but give you your $ back. Really the only thing you can do is choose not to give them your $ by sailing with them. If you like cruising then you should read your customer contract and purchase cruise insurance before you set sail. A beverage policy can upset a lot of people but in the grand scheme of things it's really not an issue about your rights. I don't say this because I'm an NCL champion or anything. Just saying that what you think your contract is, is in fact quite different than what your contract is.

Thank you everybody. I just looked closer at our booking confirmations. There is only the port & tax fees for guests 3-6 and us as the first 2 for the suite. Aunties confirmation has the tax & port fees as well as a dining service charge I assume this is for her SDP.

What's weird is we have 138. pp for our taxes & port fees (all 6) and we need to pay higher for her in an inside 176. odd.

This is good I will ask the TA to have everything next week when we go in before final payment. Maybe she can get the auto service charges accessed so we can pay them at the same time as final payment. And we want to set up something for Auntie's 95th. birthday celebration. Has anybody used the casino credit as a gift? she loves the slots and hopefully they are the same with the paper payout slips. Princess will be hard for her next spring everything is on the cabin card and she will need a password etc.

Plus there is always bingo :).

Taxes and port fees do vary. I think it depends on when you book. Perhaps the fees are assessed based on how full the ship is expected to be and of course those expectations go up and down as the ship sells. Where as the port fee presumably remains a constant fixed cost for the ship, the price charged per passenger will presumably vary. That's just my guess though. They can't/don't just pocket those fees for profit sake.

Regarding the slots and credit from casino. If she has a difficult time with PIN numbers etc it may just be easier to hand her some cash for gambling when you go to the casino. That she can put into and pull out as she chooses and not have to worry about cash loaded onto a players card with a pin. You could ask the casino staff about it onboard to see what's easiest.

Now I'm very confused. When we booked a year ago April for this Oct. we received the UDP & Adult Beverage, service charge, & shore excursion credit for first two in the 2 BR suite. Also received soda package & UDP (with child's UDP) for the kids. Do I need to pay the 18% for these items on top of the service charge for the kids (which I have been trying to pre pay without luck)? Trying to get my budget in order I hate to think about the money end of our vacation while on vacation. Like it all paid for except daily spending. That way I can spend away :).

Other item is we later booked the inside across the hall from us for our Aunt in Jan this year. Paid for a solo and she received SDP. Do we need to pay the 18% on her package as well.

All these different terms UDP, SDP, and our drink package is listed as ABP (adult beverage package) never even seen this one before?

Thanks folk's I know somebody out there has an answer. I will ask the TA but she doesn't always get the same answer twice from NCL for us either.

If I'm reading correctly, the service charge you are speaking of is the DSC assessed per person? If it was included for the first two, which depending on booking date, may have been then you are talking about difficulties paying in advance for the kids? This can be done. Your ta should be able to handle this. I would also suggest you have your ta send you an amenities invoice and final payment invoice for both rooms, print and bring with you just in case there's any issues with the kids soda package and UDP. I would also make sure you have a my NCL account online for both you and aunts room. There you can pre check in, add passport numbers, verify amenities, make dining reservations etc. The only thing that won't show up on my NCL is if your ta gave you obc. That will be on the email ta sends you.

Bookings made up till around April, 2015? included everyone in stateroom and no 18%. The first two in the stateroom used to get the UBP with no 18% fee and the remaining stateroom guests received the soda package. If you booked the UDP perk, everyone in the stateroom used to get it, not just the first two and the speciality restaurants were not charged 18%. If you booked your rooms before these changes then you will not be assessed them at a later date. the fees associated with packages, like in your aunts room, are assessesed in your total due at final payment. You aren't charged for any perk fees on board.

So think of any fees that were or are associated with a perk as being built into a fare. They are always part of what you pay by final payment, never assessed once you board the ship. This is true no matter how long ago you booked and what the perk choices were at the time of booking.

The only onboard fees you may need to pay is the DSC, you may have had that added to your fare and if not they can be paid in advance, I think up till a few days prior to sailing, and then whatever you spend onboard for extras that will clearly be outlined when you make the purchase. Examples such as spa treatments, bingo, or a beverage that isn't included in the UBP or soda plan. The servers are good about letting you know that what you are ordering isn't included so it's not like you'll get a bill for $700 worth of water bottles and speciality coffees with no knowledge that they weren't included.

Other than that the only thing would be tip for concerige and butler and other staff at your discretion.

I see Haven prices in the high $2000s ($2900 plus).

 

I have asked before if these prices go down and the answer was NO. However, you can book a balcony or mini suite and then upsell to the Haven.

 

Is there any way I can just puchase the Haven without taking the chance of buying a balcony (which I do not want) and just get a Haven a little less than the going rate? No sales? Do you find TAs discounting them? .... I'm willing to look.

 

Otherwise, I'm going to probably book MSC Yacht Club.

 

I have been in NCL suites before, but the prices were not this high. :(

You might get a lower price or a heafty obc by using a ta vs using NCL direct. I couldn't find Haven prices that even remotely resembled your price but was shopping for med two week. They are running about quadruple what you are seeing. I used the online site where you put in the dates and category desired and then get quotes from various ta's. Once you get the quotes via email you can look up the companies and then call the ones with the best reviews and prices.

I've come to the conclusion that for the price, and the extras I would want, the Haven is not in my future any longer. People are raving about MSC but the big negative for me are the formal nights. Celebrity did away with them recently and their bev pkg is hands down much more inclusive and less expensive. They have some good suite prices. They don't have the Haven but do have a dedicated restaurant and Michaels club, concerige and butler. HAL has also ditched formal nights and has upped their suite amenities. I guess if you don't want all the extras that NCL charges you can still get a decent price on NCL. But for someone who does want the extras on NCL they will typically cost you much more now that they come with the included perks that for some aren't all that inclusive when you read the fine print.

I think that the whole book early and then keep an eye on prices till final payment is the best way to go regardless of which line you choose. They all fluctuate up and down depending on how strong bookings are but I've not seen any big price cuts on NCL suites. Some discounting after final pmt but not to the level when first avail for booking. That whole upsell last min is a bit too risky if you know you want a suite. I would think odds are pretty slim you would get lucky enough to nab one using that method.

I'm not sure what this means. Do Haven guests not pay the 18%? Can someone please explain what this means?

(Because that would be awesome news!)

All suites, except mini suites, do not pay the extra 18% on top of their cruise fare. Haven suites and S suites now have the UBP and associated fees built into your fare. It's a great news IF you drink alcohol. If not, as in the op's case, you have an UBP built into fare and it may not cover most of your consumed non alcoholic beverages. This thread is asking a question about included drinks with the UBP in a suite. The poster does not drink alcohol and has realized, I assume, that their unlimited drink package is not covering the non alcoholic beverages they want to drink.

The price is $553 per person for a 7 night cruise. 18% of that is $99.54, not $415.

 

Math, people.

 

 

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Or in op's case and a non alcoholic beverage drinkers case, they have a "ultimate beverage package" billed on NCL's website as the, "Unlimited beverages!" perk worth almost $100 per person per day. Add insult to injury they are not allowed to bring onboard ANY liquid non alcoholic beverage. Their huge perk that they're paying for in their fare is not going to cover a single water bottle, a single speciality coffee, a single can of soda. Nope they will pay NCL's jacked up prices for those beverages. i think the op was questioning the inclusions/exclusions more out of schock rather than about an exact down to the penny what their "free"perk was worth.

My understanding is that those having the UBP are assessed an 18% tip based on the cash value of $2305. That would be $415. Yikes!

 

Is that actually correct? Is that the way it works?

If in a suite the service fee is included. If not in a suite you pay the 18% so $400 for two people on a 2 week cruise. If a non drinker and not in a suite you are better off just paying for the soda package for soda in a glass at a bar unless you want to also order some very high caloric virgin drinks.

We are booked in a Haven suite on the Getaway in November. With the UBP,as non-alcohol drinkers, we are basically using this as a very over priced soda package (free perk at time of booking). New policy is requiring us to purchase the water package from NCL, correct? Or, do we have access to unlimited bottled water as Haven guests for the week?

 

Also, where does Perrier fall in these packages, available or not?

 

Can we request from our butler that the mini fridge be kept stocked with canned soda (since we can't bring our own aboard to consume in the room)?

I really hope they reconsider the UBP inclusion choices for people in your situation. The UBP perk for suites is built into the fare so we do pay for the UBP and service fee associated but just in a higher priced cruise fare. I find it absurd they don't include many non alcoholic beverages, especially now that we are not allowed to even bring on a can of soda. So yes, it's a glorified soda from a gun package that includes all the soda you want in a glass, served from the bar. You'll also have to pay for each speciality coffee you order but the coffees with alcohol are included!

You can have your butler stock your fridge with the sodas and waters you use and you just pay as you take. I think water bottle will be about $6 each, soda about $3/can and coffees? When you want a latte or coffee drink with a meal you will be charged for the beverage plus the 18% service fee. Your stateroom will have an nespresso for in room consumption of coffee. All the little charges for your non alcoholic beverages will show up as you go on your bill along with the 18%.

So the UBP is essentially a waste of a perk for a non drinker. The cash value of this perk for our cruise is $2305! So for the $2305 perk we get soda from a gun and will pay a few hundred extra for the canned sodas, bottles of water and speciality coffees each day. It's insulting to be "given" a beverage package worth $2305 and still have to pay for almost all of my drinks.

It is funny, I also cruise on Celebrity and yes, I can get water included in their beverage package, but it is going to cost me considerably more than I pay on NCL. Take December 16, 2017. I can cruise a 7 night Caribbean cruise on Celebrity for $1,099/$1,204/$1,414 per person in a balcony (depending on if I pick 1, 2 or 3 of the perks offered: Beverage Package, $150 OBC, prepaid tips, unlimited internet). I can cruise a 7 night Caribbean cruise on NCL for $899 per person in a balcony and the choice of 2 perks offered (beverage package, shore excursion, 250 internet minutes, SDP). Even if you do apples to apples, Celebrity would cost me $1,204 (with two perks included) and NCL would cost me $899 (with two perks included) for a balcony cabin. I think with the $300 savings, I could afford to purchase the water at NCL's current prices or purchase wine on board. I think one has to look at the entire picture when picking cruises, not just one policy.

Actually if apples to apples; the only semi comparable perks are internet and beverage package. So one has to add the service fee of $200 NCL will charge on the beverage package. Celebrity includes it with the perk. So for $100 more on Celebrity you can have unlimited internet and all the coffees and water bottles and cans of soda along with the beverages and tips on the beverages. Don't forget when you get an included coffee on celebrity you can also get a yummy treat in the case for free too.

NCL's package will cost you $100 less but you don't get unlimited internet and its painfully slow. The upgrades done in June and available in July onboard all ships don't seem to have materialized. Regardless unlimited internet is worth about the fare difference. The difference in the included water bottles, soda cans, speciality coffees and the gratuities on that package? Depends on how much you consume but could easily tip the scale a few hundred in the opposite direction.

Other cruise lines give the beverage packages for free.

When cruise lines began offering packages' date=' I haven't spend a dime.

Perk that always gets my attention.

 

Only on NCL Free Perk doesn't mean Free :cool: I was shocked when I had to pay for the gratuities. Even so, not a bad deal.

 

NCL should follow all the other cruise lines and charge less, include the gratuities, all the extras, water, juice, coffee, premium liquors, etc.

That would make cruisers happy cruisers. ;)[/quote']

 

NCL is not going to stop charging gratuities on the UBP perk AND add water bottles, canned soda, specialty coffees. For whatever reason it's the pricing structure of the UBP perk to have the service fees paid by the customer. They do offer to all room categories and so at $15/day it's really not a bad deal if you drink enough alcohol to cover the plan. I have no problem with it and feel they should be trying to get as much as they can for alcohol.

 

What I do have a problem with is that it is built into the suite fare. If you Don't drink it's pretty much a waste of a perk. To know you are paying for a higher fare and don't get many of the non alcoholic drinks included is madding.

 

Champions previously said that you can just bring your own water and soda cans on board and problem solved. Well that is not the case any longer. So now that suite guest who does not drink has the package built into their fare AND has to pay for many of their non alcoholic drinks.

 

I have been in a Haven suite and given a bottle of wine. Asked to trade it for a bottle of water and told no. It's that kind of stuff when you are paying top dollar that makes you think something is whack. Tell me I can have a specialty coffee only if I can take it with a shot of alcohol. No alcohol then you pay.

 

So if not in a suite you are presumably paying a much lower fare. If I am not in a suite and my cabin mate wants the drink package, we take it and pay the $15 pp pd. So now the non drinker pays the daily fee AND potentially pay for every beverage they consume just because they want it without a shot of whatever, or don't want soda from a gun or water from the bathroom faucet. Give me a break. It just makes no sense.

 

Since we know that NCL beverage package is the highest priced and least inclusive we can assume most are taking it because it was a perk and few are paying the $100/day. NCL wants to make more $ on drinks and so has banned water and soda cans because they want to make sure you are purchasing from them. I have no problem with that either. Why not just add the extra $ they want per day to the UBP perk and then we can pay for the perk choice fees or drink the bathroom sink water. I mean even for a moderate drinker to pay only $20/day for a beverage package that includes coffees, soda cans and water bottles, it's really not much. As a non drinker I would pay $20/day for the package and be done with it.

 

The alternative is to keep these beverages out of the Unlimited drinks package, which btw is a pretty misleading statement considering how limited it is, charge you 1000% markup for everything you drink outside the package and potentially have a non alcohol bill of the price of your cruise. That equals a bad taste in customers mouth and would make A LOT of cruisers run to a different line. Forget the Coke/Pepsi debate at that point because with the loss of customers they'll probably have to switch to a Safeway Select contract.

Yes, I had made all my reservations in advance with the exception of Jasmine Garden, we waited around 20 mins for a table here. There were huge queues for Grand Pacific a few times we passed by but I'm not sure about wait times.

Thank you. I went ahead and made reservations. Was not able to get all days but enough to satisfy. A lot more people must have a dining package this year.