How does Free at Sea work when you stay overnight at a port?

[TN-Mountains]

I booked a cruise to Norway & Iceland on NCL in June.  I opted for the Free at Sea promotion and noticed the following clause in the T&C:  "Guest's check may reflect applicable VAT and/or taxes for certain ports or itineraries."  A quick google search shows VAT in Norway and Iceland might be around 25%.  Does anyone have experience with taxes/VAT being added to your check because you were at port in Norway or Iceland?  If so, is it based on the value of the Free at Sea package or just individual meals/drinks ordered while at port?  I'm not as worried about a miscellaneous $10-20 tax, but if I'm going to get hit with $100s pp, I'd like to know up front.  A couple of the stops on this cruise stay overnight in port (20 hrs+/-), so the option to have a late dinner to avoid extra taxes isn't available.  This also brings up another question, is the Free at Sea promotion, literally only free while at sea or does it include the time you're at port?  It has been about 15 years years since I last went on a cruise and I've never been on NCL.  I recall on Princess a lot of the shops, casino, etc. either closed or charged taxes on purchases while at port.   I don't remember about dining options though.   

[KeithJenner]

Any tax charged would be on the value of drinks consumed. It is relatively common in certain places (US ports for example), but is not consistent and can change in some ports from time to time.

 

I've not been to Iceland or Norway for a few years, but when I have done (including an overnight in Reykjavik) I'm fairly sure that no tax was charged.

 

Free at sea covers the whole cruise, whether in port or at sea. You may see a current discussion about drinks not being served in a port (Gibraltar) but that is an exception.

[TN-Mountains]

5 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Any tax charged would be on the value of drinks consumed. It is relatively common in certain places (US ports for example), but is not consistent and can change in some ports from time to time.

 

I've not been to Iceland or Norway for a few years, but when I have done (including an overnight in Reykjavik) I'm fairly sure that no tax was charged.

 

Free at sea covers the whole cruise, whether in port or at sea. You may see a current discussion about drinks not being served in a port (Gibraltar) but that is an exception.

Thanks for the info.  I assumed the package covered at both sea & port.  It wasn't until I was typing Free at Sea for this post, that I realized they could literally mean "at sea". 😉 I read a couple of the posts regarding taxes at the US ports and drinks not being served in port at Gibraltar.  I'm an occasional drinker so I'm not worried about alcohol not being served at an occasional port.  I actually debated declining the package, because I'll likely just break even on it.  If there is VAT added to a package price there is no way I'd break even.  I believe at least one person mentioned being taxed on the package price at a US port, which is what prompted my question.   

[tallyho8]

If you purchase the package while in a port, they may charge you taxes on it, but if you just have a couple of drinks while the ship is in the port, they will only charge taxes on the value of the drinks if it is a port with VAT.

[MoCruiseFan]

The VAT is added whether you have the package or not.  It has no implication on 'breaking even'.

[phillygwm]

1 hour ago, TN-Mountains said:

Thanks for the info.  I assumed the package covered at both sea & port.  It wasn't until I was typing Free at Sea for this post, that I realized they could literally mean "at sea". 😉 

The thing to remember in many ports is that not all bars will be open during the day.  Obviously, there's the Gibraltar thread, but I was in Canada.  While in port, I think 3-4 bars were open on the entire ship.  You needed to refer to the Freestyle Daily to see what was open.  I'm not sure whether that's a licensing/tax issue or whether they're just closed because most people are ashore.

[TN-Mountains]

43 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

The VAT is added whether you have the package or not.  It has no implication on 'breaking even'.

I must not have been clear.  I debated getting the free @ sea unlimited open bar package because the 20% Open Bar gratuity ($240 pp) is comparable to what my daily drinks would cost if I pay a la carte.   I was worried I might have to pay VAT on the cost of the open bar package (>$240 pp) vs. VAT on the value of a single drink or two ($3-$10) .     

[MCMC100]

2 hours ago, phillygwm said:

The thing to remember in many ports is that not all bars will be open during the day.  Obviously, there's the Gibraltar thread, but I was in Canada.  While in port, I think 3-4 bars were open on the entire ship.  You needed to refer to the Freestyle Daily to see what was open.  I'm not sure whether that's a licensing/tax issue or whether they're just closed because most people are ashore.

The alcohol restriction while docked in Canada is a law. The ship can only open one bar per deck.  My memory fails trying to recall which ones were open. (Atrium and The Local seem logical, but I just can’t remember).
I’m very confident that we had drinks in the MDR during dinner before we got off to tour Victoria, BC so there is some sort of workaround for drinking while dining.
Victoria is nice, but basically a throwaway stop to meet the foreign port requirement on Alaska cruises.  It’s a bit of an anticlimactic end to an Alaska cruise because almost all the bars close around 4 pm when you arrive and never reopen when you leave around 11. Nothing to do in the Victoria port area, downtown Victoria is a 20 minute walk and the ship feels like a boarded up ghost town.  

[phillygwm]

7 hours ago, MCMC100 said:

I’m very confident that we had drinks in the MDR during dinner before we got off to tour Victoria, BC so there is some sort of workaround for drinking while dining.

Yeah, my friends and I were in Ocean Blue, midship, and waitstaff needed to run aft to the A List bar for drinks.  It was slow, especially for my bottle of wine, not to mention a hassle for the crew.  But somehow we survived 🙂

[KeithJenner]

9 hours ago, TN-Mountains said:

I must not have been clear.  I debated getting the free @ sea unlimited open bar package because the 20% Open Bar gratuity ($240 pp) is comparable to what my daily drinks would cost if I pay a la carte.   I was worried I might have to pay VAT on the cost of the open bar package (>$240 pp) vs. VAT on the value of a single drink or two ($3-$10) .     

You were very clear