UBP Gratuity on getaway

[drneal]

On earlier posts it appeared that the gratuity on the unlimited beverage package and the beverage were posted to your account and then removed the next day. However, more recent posts are saying that both are posted to the room and then the drink is deducted but not the gratuity. Has this always been the case or is this a new policy?

Just curious

Neal

[kac911]

I believe the drink (up to $11) plus the automatically added on 18% gratuity are deducted, if you opt to leave an additional dollar or two that is NOT included and therefore will not be deducted.

[triptolemus]

Many recent posts on the subject appeared to have confused the gratuity with local taxes, such as VAT and Texas...those remain.

[Sandman799]

I believe the drink (up to $11) plus the automatically added on 18% gratuity are deducted, if you opt to leave an additional dollar or two that is NOT included and therefore will not be deducted.

 

I sure hope that's the case since the current promotion seems to include the gratuity: The Ultimate Beverage Package gives guests free glasses of wine, draft beer, cocktails, juices, and soda normally priced at $11 or less. It also gives guests a 20% discount on bottles of wine. For all drinks over $11, guests just pay the difference. When choosing this offer, we’ll also take care of the 18% gratuity that’s normally added to this package!

 

This seems no different than the previous promo they ran, and no telling how long they'd been running it, so I am confused about the posts where the drink cost was deducted, but not the gratuity. Also, what taxes would apply? Are those only when at port? If there's anyone who's recently completed a cruise with the Freestyle Choice UBP Promo, please let us know what to expect. Thanks!

[jojokay]

Following

[lbrandon]

We had absolutely no issues with the UBP on the Epic in March. The only thing that ever showed up on our bill were additional tips that we gave in addition to the included 18% gratuity. There were also a few sales tax charges for drinks we bought while the ship was docked in Miami. The automatic 18% gratuity shows up on the slip you sign for the drink but does not show up on your bill.

[vjpiott]

Think of it this way, any drink 9.25 and below will be free of charge. Any drink above 9.25 will have an 18% gratuity that will take the overall charge over $11, incurring a charge to your account.

[cliffd64]

Think of it this way, any drink 9.25 and below will be free of charge. Any drink above 9.25 will have an 18% gratuity that will take the overall charge over $11, incurring a charge to your account.

 

This is entirely wrong!

 

The $11 limit is not including 18 percent gratuity... it is the posted price of the drink! Therefore you can order a $10.95 drink and regardless of the gratuity you will not be charged a single cent. This is first hand experience on the Getaway in December.

[triptolemus]

I sure hope that's the case since the current promotion seems to include the gratuity: The Ultimate Beverage Package gives guests free glasses of wine, draft beer, cocktails, juices, and soda normally priced at $11 or less. It also gives guests a 20% discount on bottles of wine. For all drinks over $11, guests just pay the difference. When choosing this offer, we’ll also take care of the 18% gratuity that’s normally added to this package!

 

This seems no different than the previous promo they ran, and no telling how long they'd been running it, so I am confused about the posts where the drink cost was deducted, but not the gratuity. Also, what taxes would apply? Are those only when at port? If there's anyone who's recently completed a cruise with the Freestyle Choice UBP Promo, please let us know what to expect. Thanks!

 

This just isn't complicated.

 

If posters are confused, they should take the time to read through some threads here and discover what's happening.

 

Whether the UBP is purchased or given as a promo, the 18% gratuity is included in that transaction. If you pay for the UBP, the 18% is added then and there. If you have it as a promo, the terms clearly state the 18% is included. Read the terms of the promo for details.

 

The must notable tax which people are surprised about seems to be on voyages which leave from Texas, where any booze sold which wasn't purchased IN TEXAS is subject to an excise tax. Most (all) of the booze on the ship was not purchased in Texas. This excise tax appears and stays on the ticket. The other common tax is the VAT, in Europe.

 

The UBP tickets DO NOT SHOW ZERO when presented to the customer. The drink price and gratuity are reversed later. The rest remains. You just sort of have to trust it.

 

One recent poster swore up and down that the gratuity remained on her bill and was OUTRAGED, but after looking closer, the poster finally admitted that it was indeed the Texas tax that was on her folio.

[triptolemus]

Think of it this way, any drink 9.25 and below will be free of charge. Any drink above 9.25 will have an 18% gratuity that will take the overall charge over $11, incurring a charge to your account.

 

Wrong.

 

It's posters like this who are probably creating all the confusion.

 

It's okay if you don't know... don't post. Don't make stuff up.

[vjpiott]

Sorry for the misinformation. Obviously, if you experienced that, then it's true. There seems to be a lot of conflicting reports about this from cruisers and from agents.

 

Believe me, I'll be happy to have been wrong!

[cliffd64]

Sorry for the misinformation. Obviously, if you experienced that, then it's true. There seems to be a lot of conflicting reports about this from cruisers and from agents.

 

Believe me, I'll be happy to have been wrong!

 

This is how it works...

 

Any listed drink prices $11 and under... you pay nothing.

 

Lets say you buy an 15 dollar drink... you are credited with 11 dollars, leaving $4.00 plus gratuity on the $4.00 giving you a total of $4.72 which is applied as a charge to your account.

 

You are only charged gratuity on the amount that is actually chargeable, the gratuity on the first 11 dollars is already covered by the UBP.

 

None of this applies to certain sales tax/VAT taxes imposed by local state or city governments of course.

Edited April 23, 2015 by cliffd64

[drneal]

Abmin9 wrote:

Please note, if you get the UBP, you will be rung up for your drinks and gratuity and will have to sign the slip that reflects the full amount. It will post to your folio but then the drinks get zeroed out by the next day, leaving only the gratuity. To clarify - $10 drink + $1.50 tip = $11.50 slip you will sign. You'll see $11.50 on your folio immediately. Next day, you'll only see the $1.50. If you are the type to follow every expense, every day, this can prove to be a moving target but I can say that in the end, all my alcohol and other drinks were free! There is a $11 limit to the free drinks but not once did I come across a beverage that was that high, not even at Sugarcane

 

Xugreatone wrote:

What I didn't know is that with our "free" Ultimate Beverage Package upgrade - we still had to pay additional gratuity of 18% every time we got anything to drink besides breakfast juice or tap water. That really adds up on a 7-day cruise. Even if you just want a soda with lunch - be prepared to have a $1-$1.50 added to your onboard account. I will know this next time I go on a cruise - but this was a bit shocking to see it add up quickly

[GrabMyWrist]

People are confusing gratuity and tip.

 

Gratuity is already added to the package price or promotion, if free. Tip is additional and you are responsible for that.

 

In other words, if you write any amount in the tip box on your receipt or go over the $11.00 limit, that's what will show on your bill.

 

I've used the promotion twice now and have never been billed anything additional, other than what I chose to tip in addition.

Edited April 24, 2015 by GrabMyWrist

[GrabMyWrist]

NCL would be better off changing the word gratuity to service charge. Being that we have no say so in paying it, that's exactly what it is. No different than the daily service charge for the cruise itself. A true gratuity or tip, is something that I have a say over. It should be in line with service received. Not extorted or expected.

Edited April 24, 2015 by GrabMyWrist

[triptolemus]

drneal, both of these are simply incorrect. There is no other way to explain it to you.

 

 

Abmin9 wrote:

Please note, if you get the UBP, you will be rung up for your drinks and gratuity and will have to sign the slip that reflects the full amount. It will post to your folio but then the drinks get zeroed out by the next day, leaving only the gratuity. To clarify - $10 drink + $1.50 tip = $11.50 slip you will sign. You'll see $11.50 on your folio immediately. Next day, you'll only see the $1.50. If you are the type to follow every expense, every day, this can prove to be a moving target but I can say that in the end, all my alcohol and other drinks were free! There is a $11 limit to the free drinks but not once did I come across a beverage that was that high, not even at Sugarcane

 

Xugreatone wrote:

What I didn't know is that with our "free" Ultimate Beverage Package upgrade - we still had to pay additional gratuity of 18% every time we got anything to drink besides breakfast juice or tap water. That really adds up on a 7-day cruise. Even if you just want a soda with lunch - be prepared to have a $1-$1.50 added to your onboard account. I will know this next time I go on a cruise - but this was a bit shocking to see it add up quickly

[drneal]

Great. I was hoping others that have been on recent sailings did not find that they had any unintended charges

[CC71]

Great. I was hoping others that have been on recent sailings did not find that they had any unintended charges

UBP worked perfectly for us

 

I got off the epic on Sunday and I had the UBP as a free promo. We didn't have any additonal charges added to our onboard account. Eg we ordered two cocktails and the itemised receipt showed the prices plus the gratuity, this was always taken off our account by the end of the evening and then showed as a zero charge. Additionally, we were not charged spanish VAT on any drinks covered by the UBP promo. The whole system worked seamlessly for us and I didn't have to query anything on our onboard account, I was very impressed with the efiiciency and accuracy of the onboard system used by NCL!

[KanataKruiser]

You don't end up paying anything. The bill comes, everything is itemized and unless you leave an additional gratuity, nothing is charged to your onboard account. I was using iConcierge and it was quasi-instantaneous.... you didn't wait for anything to happen at night. The drinks never appeared on your bill. I always left $1 a drink additional and that would get posted to my account a few minutes after I signed.

 

Just to confuse matters more, my wife ordered a cranberry martini with Grey Goose. The cost was 11.50$ . I was not impressed since my waiter hadn't warned me. When I discussed it with him, he informed me that the price of the alcohol was under 11.00$ so I would not be charged. He was right, although the drink appeared at 11.50$, I was never charged a penny. Go figure!

[marazad16]

 

Just to confuse matters more, my wife ordered a cranberry martini with Grey Goose. The cost was 11.50$ . I was not impressed since my waiter hadn't warned me. When I discussed it with him, he informed me that the price of the alcohol was under 11.00$ so I would not be charged. He was right, although the drink appeared at 11.50$, I was never charged a penny. Go figure!

 

That's interesting. Did she order that drink more than once? Odd for sure.

[LrgPizza]

That's interesting. Did she order that drink more than once? Odd for sure.

 

 

It's not the slightest bit odd. If the base price of the drink is under $11, then it is included.

[marazad16]

It's not the slightest bit odd. If the base price of the drink is under $11, then it is included.

 

base price meaning before tax? I thought 11.50 was the base price. thanks

[LrgPizza]

base price meaning before tax? I thought 11.50 was the base price. thanks

The base price is the menu price you see for the drink. The only time you will have to pay any tax on cruises departing from USA is sometimes while docked at port before you leave.

 

That poster stated that the server told them the price for the alcohol was under $11. The base price was under $11. It is a very, very, very simple system.

[nadeki]

Does anyone have a bar menu of drink prices? Or know the price of a glass of Baileys on ice?

 

And are most beers included as they are less than $11? Or is it on beer not in a bottle?

 

Thanks

[Cruise-Crazy]

I really don't see where there is any confusion? Under $11 you don't pay.

 

I feel like I need a drink after reading the posts :D