Free Promos are Not Free

[HuliHuli]

Imagine my surprise when the total cruise cost amount included a $178 service charge for the "Free Drinks." What is free about that? I chatted with a NCL rep and was told the service charge is the 20% gratuities for the free drinks! Free drinks should include the gratuities or it isn't really free.

 

Nothing is free people, do some simple math and cruise on..

 

PTC DAWG has the right idea on this, BUT do that math on the WHOLE of your cruise vacation cost. To single out just the $178 service charge misses the big picture. What do you have to pay for the entirety of YOUR DESIRED CRUISE EXPERIENCE? Include cruise fare; gov't. taxes & port fees; costs of all "included" promos, special dining, gratuities, and daily service charges; cost to get to and from the port, e.g., airfare, mileage, hotel, etc.; travel insurance; and don't forget to subtract the on-board credit or cash cards your TA might provide. ONLY then do you have a NET total cost to compare between cruise lines on which you can draw the conclusion of what is the BEST VALUE for your cruise.

[PTC DAWG]

PTC DAWG has the right idea on this, BUT do that math on the WHOLE of your cruise vacation cost. To single out just the $178 service charge misses the big picture. What do you have to pay for the entirety of YOUR DESIRED CRUISE EXPERIENCE? Include cruise fare; gov't. taxes & port fees; costs of all "included" promos, special dining, gratuities, and daily service charges; cost to get to and from the port, e.g., airfare, mileage, hotel, etc.; travel insurance; and don't forget to subtract the on-board credit or cash cards your TA might provide. ONLY then do you have a NET total cost to compare between cruise lines on which you can draw the conclusion of what is the BEST VALUE for your cruise.

 

Exactly...but some folks just prefer one line over another, and some here take issue with that too...some think more than 2 drinks a day is binge drinking, some say that’s just getting past breakfast while on vacation. We are all different..one reason threads like this make me chuckle at times.

 

Cruise on..

[JamieLogical]

Others are either heavy drinkers or binge drinkers while on a cruise, and will drink more than the 2 or 3 drinks it takes to break even on the $18 per day cost.

 

2-3 drinks in a day while on vacation is "binge drinking"??!!?

 

According to the CDC, binge drinking is "when men consume 5 or more drinks or women consume 4 or more drinks in about 2 hours". Two to three drinks in 24 hours is definitely NOT binge drinking.

[NLH Arizona]

Most other lines do not try to play is bait and switch game like NCL.

I really wish posters would research and understand what bait and switch is before using the term. Folks, this is not bait and switch by any definition of the term.

 

BTW, if someone has an issue paying the 20% gratuity/service charge for the "free" drink package, (the package is free they never said the gratuity/service charge is) then choose another perk and pay for each drink as you have it.

[NLH Arizona]

I hear you. Our 'free' drink package for an 11- day Adriatic cruise was almost $400!!

Then why did you pick the UBP as your perk, as there are other perks where there is no gratuity/service charge attached? You could have easily paid for your drinks as you had them.

[jskinsd]

As former NCL cruisers DH and I were open to trying NCL again. When attempting to book a 5-day cruise out of Tampa I selected the Free Drinks promo. Imagine my surprise when the total cruise cost amount included a $178 service charge for the "Free Drinks." What is free about that? I chatted with a NCL rep and was told the service charge is the 20% gratuities for the free drinks! Free drinks should include the gratuities or it isn't really free. No thanks, we'll stick to Carnival and Holland America where there aren't service charges for "free" promos. By the way, their drink gratuities are 15%, not 20%.

You and everyone else that does not like the "promo" wording then go get a lawyer. File a class action suit if you feel you are being duped. Go cruise on another cruise line. Stop complaining and leave NCL alone.

[drsel]

You and everyone else that does not like the "promo" wording then go get a lawyer. File a class action suit if you feel you are being duped. Go cruise on another cruise line. Stop complaining and leave NCL alone.

Hehe, he has already switched back to Carnival and Holland America. And left NCL forever!

[ClaireAndMike]

Thanks for the additional info. I'm not a newbie, having taken a handful of cruises, though it has been a few years since my last one, and I've never partaken in an unlimited beverage package, so I truly don't know the ins and outs. One more stupid question, if the gratuities are automatically charged, be it before final payment or on my final bill, does that mean I don't have to tip extra on my receipt as I'm ordering drinks unless of course I have an awesome bartender and elect to tip extra? Do you even get a receipt per drink when on an UBP?

 

I've carried my own bottles on before and paid the corkage fee, which I may do again if that policy is the same as it was. I think it was a $15 corkage fee per bottle. I'm not a cheapskate, but I also don't want to throw my money away if this package won't be of value for me.

 

I have copy/pasted part of an email from my uncle below, so maybe I'll select a different promo/amenity:

 

"I've made reservations, including room assignments, for everyone and pasted them below. I have some extra rooms on hold that we can use or cancel once everyone confirms their accommodations.

Originally, they

were not offering any group discounts for this week but I worked with their Group Department and I was able to get them to free up a block of rooms for us. As a group, the 1st & 2nd registered guest in each room gets to pick 2 of the following five amenities (for the reservations I booked,

which can be changed .

I chose the Bar and Service Fees for each room

, which means there are no other extra costs for the cruise, except specialty dining and shore excursions:

1. FREE UNLIMITED OPEN BAR

2. FREE SHORE EXCURSIONS

3. FREE SPECIALTY DINING

4. FREE WIFI

5. SERVICES CHARGES INCLUDED"

[JamieLogical]

One more stupid question, if the gratuities are automatically charged, be it before final payment or on my final bill, does that mean I don't have to tip extra on my receipt as I'm ordering drinks unless of course I have an awesome bartender and elect to tip extra? Do you even get a receipt per drink when on an UBP?

 

If you have UBP, you will not get a receipt. They will simply swipe your card and hand it back to you. 20% gratuity is already paid, but if you want to tip extra to a particularly awesome bartender, you will have to do so with cash. You won't have an opportunity to charge a larger tip to your room.

[jskinsd]

Hehe, he has already switched back to Carnival and Holland America. And left NCL forever!

And forever means forever. Never for a great itinerary or price. Never if you win free cruise but you still have to pay taxes and port fees(I thought free meant free). I am wondering why the OP even considered the NCL cruise if they had to give them another try. What went wrong the last time? What caught there eye for this cruise? Or was it just for the booze? Forever means forever. You cannot change your mind, even though circumstances may work to your advantage the next time.

[broberts]

... (the package is free they never said the gratuity/service charge is) ....

 

No, the package is not free. It is encumbered by a 20% service charge. There no way to obtain the "free" package without paying the service charge.

[ClaireAndMike]

If you have UBP, you will not get a receipt. They will simply swipe your card and hand it back to you. 20% gratuity is already paid, but if you want to tip extra to a particularly awesome bartender, you will have to do so with cash. You won't have an opportunity to charge a larger tip to your room.

 

Ahhhhhh, gotcha! Okay, that makes sense then. Thank you!

[NLH Arizona]

No, the package is not free. It is encumbered by a 20% service charge. There no way to obtain the "free" package without paying the service charge.

The drink package is free (you don't pay for any of your drinks), but the 20% gratuity/service charge is not and that is clearly spelled out on NCL's website. Sorry if you disagree, but you don't have to choose the UBP as your perk and you won't have to pay the gratuity/service charge, so it would be a moot point.

[newmexicoNita]

No, the package is not free. It is encumbered by a 20% service charge. There no way to obtain the "free" package without paying the service charge.

Yes, it is free, there is no charge for the drinks. That means it is free. If you have a 2 for 1 dinner certificate, you are expected to tip on the entire bill before the deduction of the certificate. You are also charged tax on the entire bill. So I guess by your way of thinking the second meal was not free? You are making no sense as far as I can see. :rolleyes:

[broberts]

The drink package is free (you don't pay for any of your drinks), but the 20% gratuity/service charge is not and that is clearly spelled out on NCL's website. Sorry if you disagree, but you don't have to choose the UBP as your perk and you won't have to pay the gratuity/service charge, so it would be a moot point.

 

Yes, it is free, there is no charge for the drinks. That means it is free. If you have a 2 for 1 dinner certificate, you are expected to tip on the entire bill before the deduction of the certificate. You are also charged tax on the entire bill. So I guess by your way of thinking the second meal was not free? You are making no sense as far as I can see. :rolleyes:

 

You can choose to buy into the misuse of the word "free". I won't. As far as I'm concerned something is not free when one MUST pay something to receive it.

[JamieLogical]

You can choose to buy into the misuse of the word "free". I won't. As far as I'm concerned something is not free when one MUST pay something to receive it.

 

Well in that case, it wouldn't be free, even without the service charge, because you MUST pay for cruise fare to receive it.

[KarlChilders]

Well in that case, it wouldn't be free, even without the service charge, because you MUST pay for cruise fare to receive it.

drops mic (y)(y)(y)

Edited July 25, 2018 by KarlChilders

[SeaShark]

You can choose to buy into the misuse of the word "free". I won't. As far as I'm concerned something is not free when one MUST pay something to receive it.

 

So then you're saying it would be impossible to win a free cruise since you'd still have to pay the govt taxes and port fees in order to take it?

 

 

FWIW, who gets to say what is a misuse of the word free? In NCL's marketing, they use it as an adjective. Is is their fault that you've decided to use it as an adverb?

[sloperate]

We don't buy drink packages on Carnival or HAL because we don't drink that much. I do get free drinks in the casinos every time we cruise and the server gets a tip - I asked the casino hosts because I wanted to make sure he/she received a tip. So free is free there.

 

Then, why in the world would you care what the drink package charge is?

[broberts]

So then you're saying it would be impossible to win a free cruise since you'd still have to pay the govt taxes and port fees in order to take it?

 

 

FWIW, who gets to say what is a misuse of the word free? In NCL's marketing, they use it as an adjective. Is is their fault that you've decided to use it as an adverb?

 

Yes, if one has to pay taxes and port fees the prize is not "free".

 

I suggest that most reasonable people seeing the phrase "free xyz" interpret that to mean there is no cost to acquire "xyz".

[SeaShark]

Yes, if one has to pay taxes and port fees the prize is not "free".

 

I suggest that most reasonable people seeing the phrase "free xyz" interpret that to mean there is no cost to acquire "xyz".

 

And that right there is why marketing works so well. :rolleyes:

 

The fallacy of an Ad populum argument aside, what would "most reasonable people" think about NCL offering the UBP for $89.00 per person/per day? Shouldn't they be upset about that since you can't get the UBP for $89.00 per person/per day??

[Shidah]

Bad info. MSC packages already include the gratuity built in.

 

No, it’s good info. Not all of their packages do. The one currently offered “drinks on us” does not. You need to upgrade.

[Shidah]

2-3 drinks in a day while on vacation is "binge drinking"??!!?

 

According to the CDC, binge drinking is "when men consume 5 or more drinks or women consume 4 or more drinks in about 2 hours". Two to three drinks in 24 hours is definitely NOT binge drinking.

 

This actually made me laugh out loud, 2 drinks is a binge drinker! I must be on a perpetual bender then! 😭

[ziggyuk]

No, the package is not free. It is encumbered by a 20% service charge. There no way to obtain the "free" package without paying the service charge.

 

There is one way, if you live/book through the UK/EU, our all inclusive UBP includes the service charge as well as 1L of water a day, and specialist coffee at meal times, it really is all inclusive.

I guess there is nothing stopping anyone from booing through a UK TA, you would be paying in UK£ though, so would have to pay the exchange rate from US$ to UK£.

[HuliHuli]

Exactly...but some folks just prefer one line over another, and some here take issue with that too...some think more than 2 drinks a day is binge drinking, some say that’s just getting past breakfast while on vacation. We are all different..one reason threads like this make me chuckle at times. Cruise on..

 

Fair enough PTC DAWG, and indeed cruise line and cruise ship preferences, as well as loyalty programs, itinerary, cruise dates, and a host of other intangible factors are all part of the "best value" equation. IMHO, folks are free to make their cruise choices based on any factors they may so desire. I make my decisions based on the factors I outlined and if it doesn't work out to be the best experience, I know who to blame. :D