Tax on food and beverage while in USA port with bev package?

[slugg]

I have more dumb questions. I’m really not too smart. 

 

Anyway. I read some fine print that additional taxes are charged for alcohol and food while at a port in the USA. How much are these taxes, and are they included with the beverage package (in the case of drinks)?

 

In terms of food, if I go to the buffet, how would they know to charge me?

[Victress2007]

The additional tax charged is different depending on the state the port is in, it is the sales tax.  Interesting question on the beverage package, I don't know how they handle that. Tax is only charged on upcharges of food, so the buffet would not be taxed.

 

Vic

 

[mdsgu]

The tax on drinks amounts to less than $1 on drinks.  Not sure about the food -- never ran into that issue.

[laurabegorrah]

For drinks, I believe that you are charged tax by the glass.  So you order a drink, you get the drink itself for free, but you have to pay tax on what that drink would've cost had you not had the package

[slugg]

Another dumb question. When do they stop charging for sales tax? Is it in international water, or is it immediately upon embarking and detaching from the pier?

[realnurse2]

Yes you pay the tax on drinks until you hit international waters .It doesn't amount to much, just a nuisance.

[slugg]

Okay, yet another dumb question, but this one is more about curiosity than practicality. Has it always been this way with regard to the taxes, or was it brought into effect recently?

[goin-away]

Been several years that I've noticed it. Tax is at the local rate on the price of the drink.

[prwilson33]

Just experienced this on the Epic while in PC. Looked like it was around 11% or so, which seemed high but still was not much. What stinks is we were delayed leaving Port so we had a couple extra dollars we had to spend on the drinks we had with dinner, but in the grand scheme, it was no big deal at all.

Edited April 15, 2019 by prwilson33

[ziggyuk]

I found it  bit hit and miss on the first day on Jade in March , we had lots of drinks while still in Miami, 2 wines each for lunch in the MDR, several drinks in Spinnaker lounge etc but only 2 drinks appeared on the account.

Other US ports later in the trip all drinks appeared on the account.

[Paphillyguy]

On the Escape, it was charged on any drink while in Port in NYC and Florida.  

[BirdTravels]

12 hours ago, slugg said:

Okay, yet another dumb question, but this one is more about curiosity than practicality. Has it always been this way with regard to the taxes, or was it brought into effect recently?

Nope. Local states and cities have decided to collect taxes on items purchased while in their ports. Started in a few ports. Now more widespread. The cruise lines comply and collect the taxes.  

[DaCruiseBug]

22 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Nope. Local states and cities have decided to collect taxes on items purchased while in their ports. Started in a few ports. Now more widespread. The cruise lines comply and collect the taxes.  

 

Mostly just NCL. Other cruise lines don't collect the tax. Recently went on MSC out of Miami and Celebrity out of Fort Lauderdale and neither charged us anything when getting drinks in port.

[newmexicoNita]

20 hours ago, slugg said:

I have more dumb questions. I’m really not too smart. 

 

Anyway. I read some fine print that additional taxes are charged for alcohol and food while at a port in the USA. How much are these taxes, and are they included with the beverage package (in the case of drinks)?

 

In terms of food, if I go to the buffet, how would they know to charge me?

food has never been taxed as far as I know . It would be pretty hard to tax something that doesn't really have a price tag. As for drinks, I am not sure of the % but unless you are a huge drinking you will hardly notice it on your final statement. BTW, good for you for reading the small print and the only dumb question is the one you don't ask. Now that doesn't apply to my husband, he asks a lot of dumb questions. 😂

[newmexicoNita]

19 hours ago, slugg said:

Okay, yet another dumb question, but this one is more about curiosity than practicality. Has it always been this way with regard to the taxes, or was it brought into effect recently?

I am going to say it was about 10 years ago, maybe less that cruise lines started enforcing the law.  I am guessing they have always had to pay the taxes, but I don't know this as fact. 

[smplybcause]

Anyone know if the Alaska ports all charge the tax?

[lhsail]

9 hours ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

Mostly just NCL. Other cruise lines don't collect the tax. Recently went on MSC out of Miami and Celebrity out of Fort Lauderdale and neither charged us anything when getting drinks in port.

Thought we got charged on the Celebrity Equinox March 2018, but I could be wrong.  Such a small amount.  Princess charges as well. 

[ZsaZsa2019]

So if we are docked in Alaska and have the free UBP and have already paid about $250 or so in taxes for hubby and I on the drinks we get free, we still have to pay additionally for drinks while in port?  

[njhorseman]

2 minutes ago, ZsaZsa2019 said:

So if we are docked in Alaska and have the free UBP and have already paid about $250 or so in taxes for hubby and I on the drinks we get free, we still have to pay additionally for drinks while in port?  

You didn't pay taxes on your UBP, you paid an NCL gratuity/service charge. The sales taxes are what state and local governments charge and the money goes to those governments, not NCL.

[njhorseman]

1 minute ago, stopthenickelanddimeing said:

Is it really a "tax" or just another NCL fee? 🤔

It's state and local sales tax, not an NCL fee. 

[BarBug]

...not totally insignificant, as some have claimed....our recent Mexico cruise was many  hours late leaving port in Los Angeles and tax for DH and I was over $20. Not a deal breaker, but was a surprise to us and many others.

[DaCruiseBug]

23 minutes ago, lhsail said:

Thought we got charged on the Celebrity Equinox March 2018, but I could be wrong.  Such a small amount.  Princess charges as well. 

 

We went on the Edge and not a penny was charged, nor were any of the other people we talked to.

 

While it may not be much, just think 2 drinks per person before the ship leaves to international waters and if the tax is $1 per drink, that’s $8,000 (based on 4,000 passengers) that NCL is taking out of our pockets. That’s per week. 52 weeks per year and that number grows to $416,000 per ship. So easily there’s a couple million dollars per year that NCL charges us for where other cruise lines just eat it up.

[CruisingNole]

Every other cruiseline "absorbs" the taxes and do not charge passengers.

 

But of course, NCL does charge the passengers...

[ColeThornton]

2 minutes ago, stopthenickelanddimeing said:

 

 

 

Is this a new troll or an old troll with a new creative name?   Hmmmmmm.

[ZsaZsa2019]

My bad, yes it was a service charge, not taxes, that we prepaid on the UBP.