Drink Promotion...Again

[pspercy]

I may be wrong but I think if you call NCL you can have them apply your AARP rate. Sometimes things just don't work online.

 

Worked for me:D

[canadianeh934]

There is nothing free about the Drink package.

 

It now cost 18% of the real cost of the package. Great deal but not free.

 

Free equals no cost...llike when I booked the two upcoming cruises. I have the drink package and fully intend to tip the servers. ..getting better service is my goal.

[missintuitive]

I think they should go back to old promos where you might get $25pp if you were lucky and timed it right. Then all the bitching about how the current promos aren't good enough would end. The sense of entitlement is astounding.

 

I hear all the time that the promo isn't as good as it used to be. Well, it's better than nothing. There's no rule that says the promos always have to get better or even stay the same.

 

 

Entitlement? Huh? It's my money and NCL is only entitled to it IF the price is right for me. My money is EARNED and a company has to EARN it from me. It's called a free market. If the promos start to no longer be an incentive, I will not buy. It's not as if other cruise lines don't offer free drink packages, OBCc or wifi as incentives. NCL knows that there has to be an INCENTIVE to drive business or they wouldn't advertise things that they charge for as free*.

 

 

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Edited October 22, 2015 by missintuitive

[mianmike]

It's not a stealth fee. It is the auto gratuity. No ones trying to hide it.

 

 

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I disagree. NCL labels the arbitrary mandatory fee an “auto gratuity.” Suppose I chose the “free” drink package and I’m billed $191 for the auto gratuity. I’m a very light drinker and I might have five beers on a cruise. 5 beers divided by $191 equals an auto gratuity of $38.20 per beer. Assuming the cost of each beer is $6, the auto gratuity would come out to a tip of 637%. That’s a little more than I typically tip. It may be considered just semantics, but in my book a mandatory 637% tip makes my drinks far from free. This amounts to a stealth fee as the cost is deceptively high for light drinkers.

 

Now if at the end of the cruise NCL billed me 18% for each beer ordered that would be an auto gratuity.

[Demonyte]

I’m a very light drinker and I might have five beers on a cruise. 5 beers divided by $191 equals an auto gratuity of $38.20 per beer. Assuming...

 

 

Yes, you are assuming a lot. In fact nobody with the package is paying the service charge based on actually consumed drinks, but a fixed fee based on the fact that one is not limited in the number of drinks consumed - if you do, it is your choice.

 

You are already paying fixed service fees for other services onboard also - regardless of the actual usage.

 

So just because based on your personal choices the promo isn't best suited for you, it does not make it fraudulent like you're trying to claim.

 

Also, if you really drink 5 beers on a cruise, why in the world would you even choose the beverage package as a perk? Even a $50 OBC would suit your personal needs much better and without having to pay the service charges yourself, you'd have even some change left over from your bar bills for other onboard usage.

 

P.S. Nowhere does NCL say that the fee charged based on the retail value of the package is "auto gratuity", only bar receipts have auto-gratuity based on actual usage and if one has a package, those are not actually charged.

Edited October 22, 2015 by Demonyte

[mianmike]

Also, if you really drink 5 beers on a cruise, why in the world would you even choose the beverage package as a perk?

 

Agreed. I wouldn't. Thanks to Cruise Critic I'm an educated consumer who is aware this fee is exorbitant for the light drinker. The typical cruiser who doesn't read CC will have no idea the actual cost of the "free" beverage option and ignorantly think they are getting free drinks and will not crunch the numbers verifying the value. I realize that's their choice, but my original point was I wish NCL and other companies would be more transparent and upfront with the costs.

Edited October 22, 2015 by mianmike

[Moby0215]

I disagree. NCL labels the arbitrary mandatory fee an “auto gratuity.” Suppose I chose the “free” drink package and I’m billed $191 for the auto gratuity. I’m a very light drinker and I might have five beers on a cruise. 5 beers divided by $191 equals an auto gratuity of $38.20 per beer. Assuming the cost of each beer is $6, the auto gratuity would come out to a tip of 637%. That’s a little more than I typically tip. It may be considered just semantics, but in my book a mandatory 637% tip makes my drinks far from free. This amounts to a stealth fee as the cost is deceptively high for light drinkers.

 

 

 

Now if at the end of the cruise NCL billed me 18% for each beer ordered that would be an auto gratuity.

 

 

First of all it is not arbitrary and and second of all it is not a fee. The gratuity is always there, whether or not the package is free. People who pay full price for the package still pay the same gratuity. Your example of only having five beers the entire cruise just means that you should not choose the UBP as your promo because there are others promos that would benefit you better. You could look at your example another way: let's say you eat at a restaurant but don't eat all of your food, you are still tipping on the total, not on the portion that you just ate.

 

 

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[motleyfan]

Entitlement? Huh? It's my money and NCL is only entitled to it IF the price is right for me. My money is EARNED and a company has to EARN it from me. It's called a free market. If the promos start to no longer be an incentive, I will not buy. It's not as if other cruise lines don't offer free drink packages, OBCc or wifi as incentives. NCL knows that there has to be an INCENTIVE to drive business or they wouldn't advertise things that they charge for as free*.

 

 

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Okay then if the price isn't right don't book it. What people do is they book a cruise, & I would not be shocked if immediately after booking it they come on here to complain about it. Maybe I'm strange but what I would do is look at the promotion and if I don't like what I see instead of booking it I will look elsewhere.

[Demonyte]

...my original point was I wish NCL and other companies would be more transparent and upfront with the costs.

 

 

But they are. Just like the regular service charges or port fees are not included in the advertised cruise price, the service charges for beverage packages are listed separately from the package price (be it retail price or "free") in the fine print and T&C.

 

If somebody books anything without proper due dilligence (at least reading the terms of the contract), that is not a company not being transparent as all the info is made readily available.

[rvsullivan]

In the not too distant past there were routine posts on here (maybe some by those currently posting) bemoaning the fact that NCL did not have an all inclusive drink package. "Why can't NCL have a package like my favorite xyz cruise line does" was posted on here if not daily, certainly weekly. Then lo and behold, NCL implemented a package. The world was happy, for about a day! Then it began, it was too limited, didn't cover smoothies, no bottled water. "I hate NCL"! Then it was too expensive, lower your prices they said.

It reminds me of the guy who won a million dollars, then sued because they didn't tell him he had to pay taxes on it and it should have been explained in advance and he might not have bought a lottery ticket if he had known!!!

If anyone can find me a single bill they have received and paid that shows the cost of the "free" UBP actually had a charge associated with it, I'll pay the bill. UBP as a promotion is free, that's right, 0 dollars. There is a separate line item to pay gratuities though and that you do have to pay as listed on the description posted publicly on the web site. Should someone chose to not read the description of what they are paying, shame on them. But do not say the UBP promotion is not free, because it is, the gratuities are no longer free as they were at one point in time. Only you can determine if all you can drink is worth $11.50 per day.

[mianmike]

But they are. Just like the regular service charges or port fees are not included in the advertised cruise price, the service charges for beverage packages are listed separately from the package price (be it retail price or "free") in the fine print and T&C.

 

If somebody books anything without proper due diligence (at least reading the terms of the contract), that is not a company not being transparent as all the info is made readily available.

 

Can't argue a person who is price comparison shopping and doesn't read the fine print and terms and conditions for each and every cruise line and promotion is not doing their due diligence. Who knows, in a few years you'll need to send your cruise plans to a CPA and an attorney specializing in cruise law to evaluate the costs and liabilities for each potential cruise and all the ever changing promotions. :p

 

.

[scott in maine]

More of a realist, and/or maybe just an American… It is simply illegal to slip in taxes/fees like that in much of the rest of the world. This is why NCL UK and NCL EU only quote tax-inclusive cruise fares. And why the Freestyle Choice UBP/SDP perk in those offices still includes the 18% auto-gratuity.

 

Which begs the obvious question.... as a US citizen, am I able to book an NCL sailing using a UK based travel agent or a UK based website? If so, problem solved and I've pocketed about $160 in savings.

 

Am I missing something?

[Demonyte]

Which begs the obvious question.... as a US citizen, am I able to book an NCL sailing using a UK based travel agent or a UK based website? If so, problem solved and I've pocketed about $160 in savings.

 

 

 

Am I missing something?

 

 

No, except maybe the difference in currencies - nothing guarantees that the cruise booked in UK would cost you the same or less than in US.

 

Because of this it was really beneficial for us to always book through US just because the EUR-USD rate (we do it for several other reasons, price is a bonus) until the beginning of this year when Euro started to struggle and weakened against USD.

[hawkeyetlse]

I think for now everyone can book through any office they want (if you go through a local TA, I suppose they can refuse your business once they find out you're outside their area, but you can book directly with NCL). As Demonyte said, this will determine the currency of your booking: if you book in GBP, then everything else you pre-purchase for your cruise (excursions, drink/dining packages, spa passes, etc.) will be charged in GBP.

 

As Demonyte also said, you should of course compare the base cruise fare in addition to whatever promotional terms they are offering. You could end up saving even more than just the UBP service charge, you never know.

[scott in maine]

I think for now everyone can book through any office they want (if you go through a local TA, I suppose they can refuse your business once they find out you're outside their area, but you can book directly with NCL). As Demonyte said, this will determine the currency of your booking: if you book in GBP, then everything else you pre-purchase for your cruise (excursions, drink/dining packages, spa passes, etc.) will be charged in GBP.

 

As Demonyte also said, you should of course compare the base cruise fare in addition to whatever promotional terms they are offering. You could end up saving even more than just the UBP service charge, you never know.

 

Right. All of that makes good common sense. It just seems that if the three websites are pricing out close to one another (and they are for our Jan sailing), one should surely take into consideration the potential cost savings on the drink package of about $160+ USD if that cost is not applied to bookings on NCL.CO.UK or the NCL EU site.

[Demonyte]

Right. All of that makes good common sense. It just seems that if the three websites are pricing out close to one another (and they are for our Jan sailing), one should surely take into consideration the potential cost savings on the drink package of about $160+ USD if that cost is not applied to bookings on NCL.CO.UK or the NCL EU site.

 

 

Sure. One must also remember that the booking T&C are also different, for example you can't get price drops at all or at least as easily in US, nor can you cancel for free even before final payment.

 

But if it is a cruise that you know for sure that you'll be taking and the booking price is right to begin with, no problem with those. :)

[Moby0215]

Sure. One must also remember that the booking T&C are also different, for example you can't get price drops at all or at least as easily in US, nor can you cancel for free even before final payment.

 

But if it is a cruise that you know for sure that you'll be taking and the booking price is right to begin with, no problem with those. :)

 

 

What do you mean you can't get price drops or cancel for free before final payment in US? Is that really true? That was not my understanding.

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

What do you mean you can't get price drops or cancel for free before final payment in US? Is that really true? That was not my understanding.

The thing is that your deposit is non-refundable when you book through NCL UK or NCL EU, so the whole cancel and rebook thing doesn't really exist here, because you would lose your deposit each time. You can call them and ask for a price drop, but if they say no, what are you going to do.

[Moby0215]

The thing is that your deposit is non-refundable when you book through NCL UK or NCL EU, so the whole cancel and rebook thing doesn't really exist here, because you would lose your deposit each time. You can call them and ask for a price drop, but if they say no, what are you going to do.

 

 

Oh, the poster said US but I guess they meant UK?

 

 

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[hawkeyetlse]

Oh, I see. I think Demonyte meant to write "you can't get price drops at all or at least not as easily as in the US".

[motleyfan]

Re-read my post. I stated up front that if the price wasn't right I'm not booking. When I booked the gratuities were included in the package. But that's not entitlement. That's comparison shopping. Other cruise lines offer free alcoholic packages as promos (at certain times of the year) with gratuities included. That's free. What NCL offered in jan-March was free. Tacking on gratuities instead of including them is not a free package. Point blank period.

 

 

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Yes it is free because you're paying for the tax not the package itself. I was going to try carnival so I called A Cruise agency and I wanted to find out what specials each cruise line had, is she even told me Norwegian is pretty much the only cruise company that offers regular specials.

[hawkeyetlse]

carnivals is $49 a day with a drink maximum I'll never reach..10 a day)

Carnival's CHEERS! package is $49.95/day plus 15% service charge (still significantly cheaper than NCL's UBP), and the limits are $10 per drink and 15 drinks per day, with a 5-minute minimum wait time between orders, and a long list of other restrictions and exclusions.

[motleyfan]

Carnival's CHEERS! package is $49.95/day plus 15% service charge (still significantly cheaper than NCL's UBP), and the limits are $10 per drink and 15 drinks per day, with a 5-minute minimum wait time between orders, and a long list of other restrictions and exclusions.

 

Norwegian doesn't actually have a per day limit.