How big a deal is it to grab a free drink for a friend who doesn't have the drinks package?

[PATRLR]

2 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

You seriously need to calm down, dude. This isn't a court of law, it's a forum for cruisers. Wow. Just chill.

I need to chill?  You come in here claiming it's OK to steal, you make weak justifications for stealing,  you accuse NCL of stealing and you accuse this community of being hypocritical, yet I need to chill? 

 

OK, I get what you are.  I can't call you out on it, but I get what you are.

[FlGoodShips]

Even tho the "Nike" slogan is Just Do It...

I think the slogan here is....Just Don't Do It.

Enjoy your cruise.

[latserrof]

42 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

 Why isn't it considered stealing for the cruise line to force 2 adults in the same cabin to get the package,.

As far as I know, no one is forced to get any package.

[DCGuy64]

Just now, latserrof said:

As far as I know, no one is forced to get any package.

In a cabin of two adults, if one gets the Premium Beverage Package, the other must, no exceptions. It's both or none. I recently read where a lady was supposed to be traveling with her husband, and both had the package. The only way she got NCL to drop his was when he wasn't able to make the cruise for work reasons, so she's effectively a solo passenger.

[All-ready2cruise]

Wow! This is not good. 

Please, can we get back to what this is? Principles are important, however, when there are so many different levels concerning so many different beliefs and values how do we make it a level playing field.  

I do stick to the rules.  I cruise solo now and usually I'm very lucky to make friends very quickly on the cruises I take.  On a cruise in 2018 I met up with some great people and we spent a lot of time together. 

One person didn't have the drink package.  He saw that I was drinking wine and asked if I would get him a glass.  So, I did.  When I ordered, I told the bar tender the 2nd glass was for a friend and would he please charge me for it.  He brought the glasses and walked away.  He refused to charge me for it, who's at fault there?  Not me. 

So if the wait staff refuses to charge a guest, even when asked, what happens then?

 

[Red-Sol]

14 minutes ago, latserrof said:

As far as I know, no one is forced to get any package.

 

Sorry...Not True!

 

[New2cruise2022]

4 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

Wow! This is not good. 

Please, can we get back to what this is? Principles are important, however, when there are so many different levels concerning so many different beliefs and values how do we make it a level playing field.  

I do stick to the rules.  I cruise solo now and usually I'm very lucky to make friends very quickly on the cruises I take.  On a cruise in 2018 I met up with some great people and we spent a lot of time together. 

One person didn't have the drink package.  He saw that I was drinking wine and asked if I would get him a glass.  So, I did.  When I ordered, I told the bar tender the 2nd glass was for a friend and would he please charge me for it.  He brought the glasses and walked away.  He refused to charge me for it, who's at fault there?  Not me. 

So if the wait staff refuses to charge a guest, even when asked, what happens then?

 

The situation you describe is completely different than the one posted by OP. You were being straightforward with the bartender in your scenario. There was no deceit and no intent to steal from anyone. If the bartender refuses to put it on the tab that is between the bartender and his employer regarding the policy, not between you and the bartender. 

[DCGuy64]

2 minutes ago, All-ready2cruise said:

He brought the glasses and walked away.  He refused to charge me for it, who's at fault there?  Not me. 

Apparently, some people here think the bar tender should have been charged with being an accomplice to grand larceny. LOL 😂 Your point is well taken, though. No one is 100% consistent in the "rules are rules" line of reasoning, anyway. Better just to enjoy your vacation and not fret over trivialities like this. Speaking of which, I should be on the Epic this time a week from today! 😄 Free drinks on me! 🍹

[New2cruise2022]

1 minute ago, Red-Sol said:

 

Sorry...Not True!

 

The point being made about no one being forced is a fair point. No one forces you. You can choose to decline the drink, package and buy drinks as you go one drink at a time, that you can consume, or give to anyone of legal age to consume. The terms and conditions require certain things if you want an unlimited drink package. 

[Red-Sol]

Just now, New2cruise2022 said:

The point being made about no one being forced is a fair point. No one forces you. You can choose to decline the drink, package and buy drinks as you go one drink at a time, that you can consume, or give to anyone of legal age to consume. The terms and conditions require certain things if you want an unlimited drink package. 

 

If one person in a shared cabin wants to get the beverage package...the other must as well. That's forcing someone to get it whether they want to or not. If the first person opts to Not get it then no one is being forced.

[New2cruise2022]

5 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

 

If one person in a shared cabin wants to get the beverage package...the other must as well. That's forcing someone to get it whether they want to or not. If the first person opts to Not get it then no one is being forced.

I understand how it works. I take exception with it being a matter of force. It is a packaged deal. It’s the way it comes. That is unattractive for a lot of people, but it isn’t forcing someone. It is a contract. NCL offers a package with terms and conditions, including that both people in the cabin buy the package. As a consumer you have the choice to accept these terms or reject them. If you reject them, you don’t have a drink package and you can either buy your drinks one at a time or not drink at all. It is a choice. Not a forced option. I suppose you could counteroffer and try to work out a different agreement, but you don’t have much bargaining power as a consumer. Although I have heard of some people being able to work out a deal on RCCL. So, maybe try to work out a deal? 🤷🏿‍♂️ 

Edited December 1, 2022 by New2cruise2022

[Two Wheels Only]

3 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

 

If one person in a shared cabin wants to get the beverage package...the other must as well. That's forcing someone to get it whether they want to or not. If the first person opts to Not get it then no one is being forced.

 

Are you "forced" to share a stateroom with the other person? 😉

[DCGuy64]

3 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

 

If one person in a shared cabin wants to get the beverage package...the other must as well. That's forcing someone to get it whether they want to or not. If the first person opts to Not get it then no one is being forced.

Exactly my point. I also think it's important to distinguish between objecting to something and agreeing to it reluctantly. I accept, albeit reluctantly, if the rules say both me and my wife have to get the UBP, even if she drinks 1/5 of what I do, for instance. Sure, I accept the terms and conditions, but I object to them. What if the spa starts to say "free use of the Thermal Spa with any service of $100 or more" instead of the current procedure which is that it's free with ANY service, regardless of price? Or what if Cagney's decides you and your dinner companion have to have the SAME entree, or maybe one of equal or lesser value? NCL could legally do that and make it part of the T&C's, but people can still complain about it.

[DCGuy64]

13 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

The point being made about no one being forced is a fair point. No one forces you. You can choose to decline the drink, package and buy drinks as you go one drink at a time, that you can consume, or give to anyone of legal age to consume. The terms and conditions require certain things if you want an unlimited drink package. 

That reads like "take it or leave it." So say NCL says no more solo cabins, so solo travelers will now be randomly assigned a cabin mate, take it or leave it. Are you OK with that? Them's the rules! I'm not sure I'd be OK with that.

[New2cruise2022]

1 minute ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Are you "forced" to share a stateroom with the other person? 😉

Yet another option … stay in separate cabins. More space. Yes, there is an extra cost, but weigh that against an unused cabin. 

When you buy a car at a trim level that has the wheels you want but blind spot warning that you don’t want, the dealership isn’t stealing from you or forcing you to buy the blind spot warning system. They are simply saying “This is a packaged deal” and you either accept it and buy the car, or you don’t. You could buy a lower trim and then get the wheels you want after purchase. (Don’t buy the drink package, and buy your drinks as you go.)

 

[RocketMan275]

12 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

 

If one person in a shared cabin wants to get the beverage package...the other must as well. That's forcing someone to get it whether they want to or not. If the first person opts to Not get it then no one is being forced.

Well, yes, but you're overlooking that the Free at Sea drink package isn't free.  You still pay for it.  Two people, one cabin, one drinks, the other doesn't.   Don't buy a package.  The one who drinks pays al a cart for drinks. Probably less than paying for two Free at Sea drink packages.

[New2cruise2022]

1 minute ago, DCGuy64 said:

That reads like "take it or leave it." So say NCL says no more solo cabins, so solo travelers will now be randomly assigned a cabin mate, take it or leave it. Are you OK with that? Them's the rules! I'm not sure I'd be OK with that.

Right, and as a consumer, you accept it or not. This isn’t about satisfaction. It is about accepting the contract as it is offered. If enough people object and stop buying the drink packages, NCL may need to change their offering to make consumers happy enough to agree to the terms. 
Im all for people complaining about the drink package terms and conditions. I don’t love all of them. And I may even accept them reluctantly. But I’m also not going to look for was to ignore and abuse the terms. 

[New2cruise2022]

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

Well, yes, but you're overlooking that the Free at Sea drink package isn't free.  You still pay for it.  Two people, one cabin, one drinks, the other doesn't.   Don't buy a package.  The one who drinks pays al a cart for drinks. Probably less than paying for two Free at Sea drink packages.

And when you are booking it, there is a little box you can click to remove the drink package. It doesn’t FORCE you to take it. 

[Two Wheels Only]

5 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

That reads like "take it or leave it." So say NCL says no more solo cabins, so solo travelers will now be randomly assigned a cabin mate, take it or leave it. Are you OK with that? Them's the rules! I'm not sure I'd be OK with that.

 

If NCL started that today, a solo would have a choice to book solo with NCL or not.

 

If NCL applied that to people who already booked and didn't give enough notice for people to cancel with a full refund, I'd agree that NCL would be wrong in that case.

[New2cruise2022]

Almost all transactions/agreements between consumer and corporation are “take it or leave it”. Some of that is a corporation saying, we are bigger than you, so you will accept whatever we offer. And some of it is expediency. The package has a boilerplate terms and conditions and they don’t deviate because the people selling are not in a position of authority to make changes. 

[DCGuy64]

4 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

This isn’t about satisfaction

Actually, it IS. NCL and other cruise lines are in the travel and leisure business, so p***ing off customers isn't a good strategy. I'd actually argue that "forcing" people (deliberately in quotations because it isn't ACTUAL force, but more a condition I object to) to overpay for drinks unintentionally induces people like the OP to consider cheating and giving non-paying customers free drinks. Scenario 1: I get the drink package and my wife doesn't. She pays for hers out of pocket, NCL still makes money. Scenario 2: Neither of us gets the drink package (because it's either both or none) and we drink less than even one of us on his own WITH the package. NCL loses money it would have made had only "I" gotten the package. That's not a smart business decision, in my opinion. I'm not here to convince anyone, BTW. Just shooting the breeze. I don't expect to change anyone's mind, but to offer a counter argument.

[Cruising Lynne]

On 11/29/2022 at 3:15 PM, pookel said:

My husband and I have the "Free at Sea" unlimited open bar package. We're traveling with friends who aren't heavy drinkers and didn't spring for the package. I know it's technically not allowed to share drinks but is anyone going to notice if I grab a second drink for a friend when I go to the bar? I guess I'm wondering how serious an offense it is and if anyone really cares. (I'm NOT talking about grabbing a bunch of extra liquor for people who didn't pay for it, but just like an occasional soda or maybe beer/wine.)

If it is truly only occasional, it is probably not that big of deal, and not that noticeable if you are at a busy bar, but I wouldn't risk losing my drink package over it. Like some one else said, if it is an occasional drink they should just pay for it themselves. Consider how you would feel if as the week went by and your friends started thinking "wow, I sure am enjoying these free drinks" and they want you to sneak them free drinks more often than you are comfortable with? You are better off not even starting off getting them free drinks. The bar tenders and drink servers will notice if it happens often.

[DCGuy64]

7 minutes ago, New2cruise2022 said:

Almost all transactions/agreements between consumer and corporation are “take it or leave it”. Some of that is a corporation saying, we are bigger than you, so you will accept whatever we offer. And some of it is expediency. The package has a boilerplate terms and conditions and they don’t deviate because the people selling are not in a position of authority to make changes. 

You make a great point here, and one I can relate to since it happened to me personally. I bought a new Honda Accord in 2015 and it lacked some features I wanted, but with Honda things are based on trim levels. I ultimately sold the car and bought a new Ford Fusion as a factory special order, and I was able to customize the car in many ways Honda wouldn't let me. I love my car and now won't go back to Honda. You just made my point. Allowing people customization is a good thing.

[graphicguy]

BTW….if you find a bartender who’s willing to let you use your drink package to buy a drink for someone else, be sure to drop a 10 spot on them to look the other way.

[graphicguy]

4 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Actually, it IS. NCL and other cruise lines are in the travel and leisure business, so p***ing off customers isn't a good strategy. I'd actually argue that "forcing" people (deliberately in quotations because it isn't ACTUAL force, but more a condition I object to) to overpay for drinks unintentionally induces people like the OP to consider cheating and giving non-paying customers free drinks. Scenario 1: I get the drink package and my wife doesn't. She pays for hers out of pocket, NCL still makes money. Scenario 2: Neither of us gets the drink package (because it's either both or none) and we drink less than even one of us on his own WITH the package. NCL loses money it would have made had only "I" gotten the package. That's not a smart business decision, in my opinion. I'm not here to convince anyone, BTW. Just shooting the breeze. I don't expect to change anyone's mind, but to offer a counter argument.

Them’s fighting words….LOL!

 

Actually I’m a Honda lover.  I’ve had several, including 3 Acuras.  But, you’re right.  If you want to pick and choose your options, Honda/Acura ain’t the brand you want.