Sharing drinks on NCL

[misstamster]

18 hours ago, dilbertsdaddy said:

Man, this is quite entertaining listening to the comments/justifications, etc.  I should have loaded up on popcorn first.

 

Not sure if the restriction to buying package for everyone is waived because of location, NCL norm, or that only two per cabin get Free at Sea?

 

At any rate, this is clearly intended to skirt the rules; how could it be interpreted any other way?  If they want to drink wine they should buy a package or pay as they go.  Very simple. 

 

I drink and my wife does not, so buying a package does not make sense.  We also were offered free packages if we pay the gratuity, and simple math indicates even then it is not a good deal for us.  If I were by myself it would be a no brainer to purchase it.  I'm cheap too, and will maybe get the credit card to build up some OBC for my drinks.  Everyone's situation is different and while I wish cruise lines had more flexibility, I would never try to justify breaking the rule with some BS like dumping drinks or throwing up a mocktail red herring when in reality I intend to drink wine.

 

Putting a crew member in an awkward position with a customer is also not cool.

 

By the way, I am traveling with a party of 10 who all have packages and I would never even think of asking them to order me a drink.      

But will you take one if it is offered to you?

[Oceans 818]

Reading this post and some of the visous responses is not making me want to sail NCL anytime soon. As many of these customers seem to be very aggresively judgemental towards their fellow cruisers.

At an average of $100 per day for a drink package, I'm inclined to think the cruiseline has factored in package sharing into the equation along with a healthy profit.

OP said the odd glass of wine, or mocktail. Honestly I doubt the cruiselines are as concerned about this as they are about those who load the plates so full, you couldn't put another olive on it and then leave the plates behind and head for the desert bar. Or in the MDR have several appetizers and mains and only eat parts, leaving the senseless waste behind. Restaurants push alcohol sales as the profit margin is much higher than food margins. But that is my opinon and I find the food waste the more offensive.

[cruiseny4life]

14 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

I understand that everyone's drinking habits are different, but I can't get why folks think 15 drinks a day (while on vacation) is a huge number.  Damn, I guess I have a problem 😃

 

 

I don't think I'll ever get 15 drinks in me on a cruise, but I'd never shame/judge anyone for letting loose and having a good time. So long as they're not being abusive toward anyone (and we all have seen plenty of drop dead sober folks that can be nasty and cruel to crew).

[cruiseny4life]

38 minutes ago, Oceans 818 said:

Reading this post and some of the visous responses is not making me want to sail NCL anytime soon. As many of these customers seem to be very aggresively judgemental towards their fellow cruisers.

Unfortunately, I think you'll find this on all cruise lines and anywhere cruising is discussed (i.e. the red-headed Facebook child). I've seen it on almost all the CC boards I've been on and plenty of other places. So, please don't judge us by the weird uncles we've accumulated!

[3Pelicans]

I was on the Encore in 2022 and every time we ordered drinks they took our cards. If we were ordering for several people, we had to give them multiple cards. It seemed pretty regulated. As the cruise went on, and we got to know a couple of bartenders, they weren't as careful. We were all (9 of us) on the drink package so we never had to try to be sneaky. 

[UKstages]

49 minutes ago, Oceans 818 said:

At an average of $100 per day for a drink package, I'm inclined to think the cruiseline has factored in package sharing into the equation along with a healthy profit.

 

how are you figuring $100 a day?

 

the actual "cost" for most people is $20 a day in gratuities. the drink package is "free" as part of the "free at sea" program.

 

are you assuming there are those who actually pay outright for the drink package?

 

very very very very few people do so... probably fewer than .05%

 

as for the healthy profit, it's likely calculated on expected consumption... which is likely why NCL prohibits sharing.

 

14 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

So long as they're not being abusive toward anyone

 

my experience has been that those that are abusive online are equally likely to be abusive in person, particularly if they have been drinking.

[LloydJr]

10 minutes ago, UKstages said:

my experience has been that those that are abusive online are equally likely to be abusive in person, particularly if they have been drinking.

How do you know that the person on the ship who is acting like a jerk has an online jerk persona as well?  I have no idea which of my fellow passengers have an online presence.  I'm guessing that the vast majority do not.

[UKstages]

i was referring to my personal experience of having met people in person who i had known only online.

 

cruising didn't enter into the equation.

[RocketMan275]

49 minutes ago, UKstages said:

the actual "cost" for most people is $20 a day in gratuities. the drink package is "free" as part of the "free at sea" program.

It isn't 'free'. It's 'included' in the cruise fare.  You are paying for it.

[Two Wheels Only]

2 hours ago, Oceans 818 said:

As many of these customers seem to be very aggresively judgemental towards their fellow cruisers.

 

Aren't you also being judgmental when referring to others as "aggresively judgemental"? 🤔

[lucklady77]

3 hours ago, Oceans 818 said:

Reading this post and some of the visous responses is not making me want to sail NCL anytime soon. As many of these customers seem to be very aggresively judgemental towards their fellow cruisers.

At an average of $100 per day for a drink package, I'm inclined to think the cruiseline has factored in package sharing into the equation along with a healthy profit.

OP said the odd glass of wine, or mocktail. Honestly I doubt the cruiselines are as concerned about this as they are about those who load the plates so full, you couldn't put another olive on it and then leave the plates behind and head for the desert bar. Or in the MDR have several appetizers and mains and only eat parts, leaving the senseless waste behind. Restaurants push alcohol sales as the profit margin is much higher than food margins. But that is my opinon and I find the food waste the more offensive.

I agree that the food waste is more offensive than a person getting a couple of drinks for free.

[Cruisercl]

On 2/13/2024 at 5:53 AM, havoc315 said:

As a lawyer, who has worked on criminal prosecutions — I can say with absolute certainty, it is NOT stealing. It may or may not be a violation of NCL policy, depending on how the NCL employee uses their discretion. 
 

Just as the waiter in a speciality restaurant did not “steal” when they gave me an extra dessert. 
 

Sharing something that you purchased is pretty rarely ever stealing. May indeed be a violation of a policy, but it is not stealing. 

Now, there is a huge difference between using your package to get 10 cocktails per day for other people not on the package… and grabbing 2-3 extra mocktails for a friend over the course of a week. Neither would technically be theft, but the former is clearly an abuse of their system. 

Nope. Just because it isn't a law doesn't mean it is not stealing.

As a lawyer you should know ethics.

[havoc315]

3 minutes ago, Cruisercl said:

Nope. Just because it isn't a law doesn't mean it is not stealing.

As a lawyer you should know ethics.

And there is absolutely nothing ethically wrong with the bartender using their discretion on when to charge.  
“Stealing” isn’t an ethics accusation — it’s an actual crime. 
 

If there is no deception, there is no theft, no ethics violation. 

[Cruisercl]

5 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

And there is absolutely nothing ethically wrong with the bartender using their discretion on when to charge.  
“Stealing” isn’t an ethics accusation — it’s an actual crime. 
 

If there is no deception, there is no theft, no ethics violation. 

Not what the OP was describing. 

I agree it is a crime but was answering to the person who believed it wasn't. Lots of laws are based on ethics principles. Lawyers are usually obligated to follow..lol.

We are on the same page. 🙂🌴

Edited February 15 by Cruisercl

[havoc315]

1 hour ago, Cruisercl said:

Not what the OP was describing. 

I agree it is a crime but was answering to the person who believed it wasn't. Lots of laws are based on ethics principles. Lawyers are usually obligated to follow..lol.

We are on the same page. 🙂🌴

OP asked whether the bartenders ever use discretion to let someone get a second drink for someone else. There is nothing deceptive about that. The bartender can allow it, the bartender can enforce the rule and not allow it.  That’s not theft, that’s not unethical. 
 

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, havoc315 said:

OP asked whether the bartenders ever use discretion to let someone get a second drink for someone else.

 

my goodness, that's not at all what the OP asked.

 

that's how you've chosen to interpret it to support your view and your value system.

 

i don't think the words "bartender" and "discretion" appear anywhere in the OP's initial post. i'm not even sure he mentions the word "discretion" anywhere in the thread. the protagonists in the initial post are the OP and his confederate (a.k.a. "Adult 2") who set forth their conspiracy to misappropriate drinks and transfer them to a third (unauthorized) person in violation of NCL policies.

 

Edited February 15 by UKstages

[PartyPlannerLady]

1 hour ago, havoc315 said:

OP asked whether the bartenders ever use discretion to let someone get a second drink for someone else.

That is not even close to what was asked.

[DominicAUS]

Let’s be clear. The OP knows that it’s wrong and breaks the rules of sharing the drinks package. Some of you keyboard warriors are carrying on like you’ve never something you’ve shouldn’t! 
 

Just my 2c worth, I always get the FAS but when I’m at a bar and chatting to new friends and I’m ordering a drink, and ask if they need a refill, I’m not checking if they have a drinks package or not, I’ve often got 2 drinks outside my cabin, so they have a drinks package? Who knows, had a bartender ever asked who the drink is for and do they have a package. Most bartenders will assume the majority of cruisers get the FAS. 
 

I am not saying I agree with sharing the drinks package nor am I some sticky beak that needs to get into other peoples business when they’re ordering drinks at a bar and checking they’ve all got a drinks package. 

[UKstages]

those new friends you're chatting with at the bar?

 

it's not your job to ask or find out what the status of their drink package is. that's the bartender's job, and if they're already at the bar and sitting down, there is an extraordinarily good chance that the bartender already has swiped them at least once and knows exactly what their status is. he may even have their card "on file" behind the bar.

 

NCL gives the bartender the authority to decide how and when and to whom they can dispense drinks.

 

it doesn't give that authority to its guests.

 

as for keyboard warriors, some principles are worth fighting for.

 

and nobody is getting into anybody's business when they're ordering drinks at a bar!

 

what most people are doing here is replying to a person who has said something on the order of "hey, theres no problem if i order multiple drinks, but some of those drinks aren't for me, right? i mean, my friend has a soda package but might want a glass of wine or a mocktail now and again... it's OK if i get it for him, right? no harm, no foul? i mean, i'll make it seem like it's for me, but it's really for my friend. i know it's against the rules, but I can do this with no problem, right? no judgment... just answer my question!"

 

people have responded to that scenario, pro and con... and everything in between. and offered up lots of judgment because many feel there is a moral question here and many believe that the OP's actions ultimately lead to higher prices for them. but nobody is getting into anybody's business or issues other than that which the OP asked them to address.

 

Edited February 15 by UKstages

[DominicAUS]

21 minutes ago, UKstages said:

those new friends you're chatting with at the bar?

 

it's not your job to ask or find out what the status of their drink package is. that's the bartender's job, and if they're already at the bar and sitting down, there is an extraordinarily good chance that the bartender already has swiped them at least once and knows exactly what their status is. he may even have their card "on file" behind the bar.

 

NCL gives the bartender the authority to decide how and when and to whom they can dispense drinks.

 

it doesn't give that authority to its guests.

 

as for keyboard warriors, some principles are worth fighting for.

 

and nobody is getting into anybody's business when they're ordering drinks at a bar!

 

what most people are doing here is replying to a person who has said something on the order of "hey, theres no problem if i order multiple drinks, but some of those drinks aren't for me, right? i mean, my friend has a soda package but might want a glass of wine or a mocktail now and again... it's OK if i get it for him, right? no harm, no foul? i mean, i'll make it seem like it's for me, but it's really for my friend. i know it's against the rules, but I can do this with no problem, right? no judgment... just answer my question!"

 

people have responded to that scenario, pro and con... and everything in between. and offered up lots of judgment because many feel there is a moral question here and many believe that the OP's actions ultimately lead to higher prices for them. but nobody is getting into anybody's business or issues other than that which the OP asked them to address.

 

Stand down mate!
 

The poor bartenders are generally rushed off their feet if they’re not going to check every card. 
 

Enjoy giving everyone your opinion as you seem to love doing that as we’ve all seen. 

[havoc315]

9 hours ago, UKstages said:

 

my goodness, that's not at all what the OP asked.

 

that's how you've chosen to interpret it to support your view and your value system.

 

i don't think the words "bartender" and "discretion" appear anywhere in the OP's initial post. i'm not even sure he mentions the word "discretion" anywhere in the thread. the protagonists in the initial post are the OP and his confederate (a.k.a. "Adult 2") who set forth their conspiracy to misappropriate drinks and transfer them to a third (unauthorized) person in violation of NCL policies.

 

Will the bartender enforce the rule — while they are sitting at the bar, in full view of the bartender. Of course that’s a question of discretion. 
There was no secret conspiracy — the OP said explicitly, as they sit together at the bar or dinner table. That’s the bartenders discretion.  At no time did the OP suggest lying to the bartender. 

[havoc315]

Just now, bkrickles1 said:

As others have said, that's not even close to what the OP said or "meant" in their initial post.

As a criminal attorney I hope you do a better job interpreting the facts of your cases! Lmao!!!!!

 

BTW, I'm still laughing at your BAC post.

I printed it and will be bringing it with me on my sailing in 64 days!

Lmfao 🤣

It’s the plain meaning of what the OP posted. Where did the OP suggest any attempt to lie to the bartender? 

[dmwnc1959]

PAGE 10!!!!

🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉
WE DID IT!

[seemoreroyals]

13 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

PAGE 10!!!!

🎉🥳🎉🥳🎉
WE DID IT!

 

Have we learned any thing new?   Has anyone changed their opinion?

 

I didn't think so.  

 

Onward towards page 11.

[dbrown84]

1 hour ago, seemoreroyals said:

 

Have we learned any thing new?   Has anyone changed their opinion?

 

I didn't think so.  

 

Onward towards page 11.

yes, I changed my opinion.  I always thought I was a social drinker, now I know that I'm a functioning alcoholic 🤣