Jump to content

Taxes on drinks?


Juliansmom
 Share

Recommended Posts

Hi all

 

First time on here! Will be cruising in March on Carnival. I have a few questions...

 

1.  Are taxes and/or gratuities on drinks at the bar included in the prices or do we add those?

2.  If we buy the Cheers package, I know the gratuities are included but are taxes added to the cabin bill at the end of our cruise?

3.  If I buy the Cheers package on Day 2 of our 7 day cruise, the price increases.  Am I charged for the first day or only the remaining 6 days?

 

thanks!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Taxes in port are NOT included, at least out of Long Beach. Once we set sail, no taxes were added to drinks. Even on Cheers. My friends who had Cheers were charged several cents per drink while we were in port. Same for those with Bubbles package. Gratuity of 18% is automatically on the bill. I always tipped an extra dollar or 2, but I was paying by the drink. 

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

there is no sales tax on a cruise ship at sea. The day you leave state tax is collected on each drink, just like on shore. 

 

 

4 minutes ago, bahacca said:

My friends who had Cheers were charged several cents per drink while we were in port.

 

not quite sure what this means, several cents per drink and has nothing to do with Cheers. The sales tax is the sales tax of the state you are departing from. so, if it's 8% and you buy a $10 drink sales tax would be .80.  

 

 

12 minutes ago, Juliansmom said:

 Am I charged for the first day or only the remaining 6 days?

 

 

Carnival only charges for days used. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, bahacca said:

I meant that the taxes were only a few cents per drink, even if you have Cheers or Bubbles.

 

 

Obviously our definitions of a few cents are quite different. As coevan pointed out, taxes on drinks on embarkation day can be close to the $1.00 range depending what you are drinking and what port you are sailing from. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Okay now I'm lost again. First time I have seen this subject!  First cruise in a couple weeks.  Are you saying that on top of the cost of drinks(either individually or cheers)there are taxes charged?  I'm so confused.  Contemplating Cheers program but if we're gonna get hit with an additional tax bill on top of the crazy cost then idk.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 minutes ago, Crazy4Camping said:

Okay now I'm lost again. First time I have seen this subject!  First cruise in a couple weeks.  Are you saying that on top of the cost of drinks(either individually or cheers)there are taxes charged?  I'm so confused.  Contemplating Cheers program but if we're gonna get hit with an additional tax bill on top of the crazy cost then idk.

 

This! Please someone explain!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

While the ship is at the pier there is sales tax added to each drink. Once you are away from the pier and at sea they no longer add taxes to each drink. Cheers or not.

Gratuites are added to each drink if paying by the drink. If you have the cheers package there is no gratuity added per drink.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, Crazy4Camping said:

Okay now I'm lost again. First time I have seen this subject!  First cruise in a couple weeks.  Are you saying that on top of the cost of drinks(either individually or cheers)there are taxes charged?  I'm so confused.  Contemplating Cheers program but if we're gonna get hit with an additional tax bill on top of the crazy cost then idk.

 

You only have to pay taxes on drinks on embarkation day when the ship is still in port until it reaches international water.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

15 hours ago, Crazy4Camping said:

Okay now I'm lost again. First time I have seen this subject!  First cruise in a couple weeks.  Are you saying that on top of the cost of drinks(either individually or cheers)there are taxes charged?  I'm so confused.  Contemplating Cheers program but if we're gonna get hit with an additional tax bill on top of the crazy cost then idk.

 

Just to clarify - you will be charged tax whenever you are in a port where such sales taxes are collected.  Not just embarkation port.  We had sales tax applied in St Maarten, IIRC, for example.  (Might have been St Kitts, might have been San Juan.)

 

While at sea outside the 12 mile limit (I think), there are no sales taxes charged - no-one to collect them!

 

If you depart from Port Canaveral, for example, sales taxes are ~6%.  So on a $6 beer, you pay 36 cents.  For some folks that might be "mere pennies".

 

Taxes, if charged, apply to Cheers and non-Cheers drinks.  For Cheers, it applies to the nominal cost of the drink.  So although you think it doesn't cost you any more to upgrade to that top-shelf vodka, you will pay a bit more due to the associated tax.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

28 minutes ago, coevan said:

  No, no and no sales tax on the islands mentioned.

 

Well, somewhere in port, we got drinks on board, and there was tax applied.  Lemme see if I can dig up my charges summary...

 

Yep, in San Juan.  San Juan is part of the US, so if there are applicable taxes, I guess Carnival has to collect them.

Edited by ProgRockCruiser
Added "I guess"
Link to comment
Share on other sites

22 hours ago, Juliansmom said:

1.  Are taxes and/or gratuities on drinks at the bar included in the prices or do we add those?

With Cheers, I have only paid taxes on drinks while I was in a port where taxes are charged.  I paid no tax on the vast majority of my drinks.

2.  If we buy the Cheers package, I know the gratuities are included but are taxes added to the cabin bill at the end of our cruise?

The taxes, only charged when you are in a ports where taxes are charged, have always been added to my statement.

3.  If I buy the Cheers package on Day 2 of our 7 day cruise, the price increases.  Am I charged for the first day or only the remaining 6 days?

It depends on which port you sail from.  (I believe Galveston and New York are the exceptions?) But from Miami and Ft. Lauderdale, I was charged for each day of the cruise, even when I bought it on the 2nd day--(when I had OBC to use up and before there were any price differences for when you bought it).  So, from Miami, for instance, when I bought it on day 2, I was still charged for day 1, but my drinks from day 1 were then included...except for the tax for the drinks I drank while still in port.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Sorry but I think this is BS.  The prices are already ridiculous for every aspect of this cruise but now I've got to pay extra taxes(they should roll this into the drink costs)if I want to drink on the first day?  If I get the Cheers package, they charge for the first day and since we don't even leave the port til 9 pm that basically means I'm paying for an entire day of drinking(even if we don't get on the ship til mid-afternoon)and now will have to pay taxes too.  UGH!

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

21 minutes ago, Crazy4Camping said:

Sorry but I think this is BS.  The prices are already ridiculous for every aspect of this cruise but now I've got to pay extra taxes(they should roll this into the drink costs)if I want to drink on the first day?  If I get the Cheers package, they charge for the first day and since we don't even leave the port til 9 pm that basically means I'm paying for an entire day of drinking(even if we don't get on the ship til mid-afternoon)and now will have to pay taxes too.  UGH!

It's all in the math.  It's either to your advantage, or it isn't.  It either saves you money (and/or stress about the bill at the end of the cruise), or it doesn't. If you've determined that it's BS, then it's clearly not for you.  Dilemma solved.  Now you can relax and enjoy your cruise.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

3 hours ago, naxer said:

It's all in the math.  It's either to your advantage, or it isn't.  It either saves you money (and/or stress about the bill at the end of the cruise), or it doesn't. If you've determined that it's BS, then it's clearly not for you.  Dilemma solved.  Now you can relax and enjoy your cruise.  

How is paying taxes to my advantage?  I'm not debating Cheers or not here.  I'm saying that it's crazy that the entire first day every drink I order has extra taxes on it.  This is something that I didn't know and wouldn't know had it not been for this thread.  It's sneaky.  For other cruises that leave in the morning, this is not an issue.  So then EVERYTHING purchased onboard our first day in San Juan will also be taxed?  Or is it just an alcohol thing?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

14 minutes ago, Crazy4Camping said:

How is paying taxes to my advantage?  I'm not debating Cheers or not here.  I'm saying that it's crazy that the entire first day every drink I order has extra taxes on it.  This is something that I didn't know and wouldn't know had it not been for this thread.  It's sneaky.  For other cruises that leave in the morning, this is not an issue.  So then EVERYTHING purchased onboard our first day in San Juan will also be taxed?  Or is it just an alcohol thing?

 

If you don't like paying taxes, talk to the Government (US and/or Puerto Rico, in this case), not Carnival.  Why should Carnival take the hit?  And yeah, I think anything eligible for sales taxation gets taxed.

 

And @naxer's point was you need to figure out whether the packagem, as a whole, including applicable taxes and grats, is worth it to you.

 

Oh, and yes, it is to your benefit to pay taxes - as long as everyone else is paying their fair share too.  Those roads and port infrastructure, etc don't happen for free.  Or are you one of those folks that takes nothing from society in some magical way?  Taxes aren't evil, per se.  Without them society couldn't function.  The issue is they used to be paid predominantly by corporations, not individuals.  Then the Great War started, and there was this temporary and small income tax...

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

23 minutes ago, Crazy4Camping said:

How is paying taxes to my advantage?  I'm not debating Cheers or not here.  I'm saying that it's crazy that the entire first day every drink I order has extra taxes on it.  This is something that I didn't know and wouldn't know had it not been for this thread.  It's sneaky.  For other cruises that leave in the morning, this is not an issue.  So then EVERYTHING purchased onboard our first day in San Juan will also be taxed?  Or is it just an alcohol thing?

 

I am surprised you aren’t aware of sales taxes. It’s a pretty common tax in the US and nothing sneaky about them. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, PhillyFan33579 said:

 

I am surprised you aren’t aware of sales taxes. It’s a pretty common tax in the US and nothing sneaky about them. 

I've paid my fair share of taxes(I live in NY)I just had no idea that there were additional taxes while in port.  Having never cruised before, how would I know?  It's something I just feel should be put out there so people know.  Like a disclaimer-along with something like "the advertised amount for the cabin is just for a bed to sleep in, and some food items, no soda, milkshakes or fancy coffee like in the pictures, and there are these extra costs also...."  and then list them so folks aren't blindsided.  

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Well, the Carnival site for Cheers states the following amongst the other disclaimers, exclusions, and rules:

 

  • Applicable state and local taxes will be charged to the guest folio when this program is used within US waters. The tax is based on the state's tax structure and the cost of the individual drink purchased (not the daily program rate). For example: if the drink price is $5 and the tax is 10%, the guest's Sail & Sign card will be charged $0.50 for tax. This applies to all US ports (embarkation home ports and ports-of-call).  

 

Also note that last statement for those stating there is no way I would have been charged taxes in San Juan.  :classic_rolleyes:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

10 minutes ago, Crazy4Camping said:

I've paid my fair share of taxes(I live in NY)I just had no idea that there were additional taxes while in port.  Having never cruised before, how would I know?  It's something I just feel should be put out there so people know.  Like a disclaimer-along with something like "the advertised amount for the cabin is just for a bed to sleep in, and some food items, no soda, milkshakes or fancy coffee like in the pictures, and there are these extra costs also...."  and then list them so folks aren't blindsided.  

 

Like the post above mentions, the information is available on Carnival’s website.  There is also a lot of good information provided online when going thru the check-in process. One problem is a lot of people don’t read this information and then complain about something later on saying they were never told that (the issue they are complaining about). 

Edited by PhillyFan33579
  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...