Sharing drinks on NCL

[AlmiranteChurruca]

2 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

No.  It’s more like you paid for the buffet. You went, you ate the salad, soup, entree. You decided to take a slice of cake to go.  When you got home, you shared the cake with your spouse. Is that stealing?!?!

Or maybe I grabbed an apple on my way out of the buffet. Left it on my counter at home and my kid ate it the next day, did my kid steal it?!

 

It’s common sense flexibility.  
 

According to NCL rules, speciality meals include a 1 soup, 1 appetizer, 1 entree and 1 dessert.  I mentioned to my server I couldn’t decide between 2 desserts — the server brought me both.  Did the server and I conspire to steal from NCL? Should I alert BCL that their server stole? Should I apologetically send a check to NCL for the 2nd dessert that broke the rules?

 

Or just maybe… NCL recognizes that the rules are designed to prevent abuse. Not written in stone with no discretion.  

 

How dare you! Adding insult to injury? Second dessert and waiter not reported yet? Not even Saul can save you! 😉

[havoc315]

20 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

 A bottle of wine. Yes. 
 

 A glass of wine using the drink package.  No. 

 The drink package is for an individual, not a group. 
 

 

 Do you pay for 1 all you can eat buffet and bring your friends for free since you paid? Exact same thing. 
 

 You’re going to do what you want. If you get caught accept the consequences. 

Now you’re just creating your own rules. Surely, if my friends in another cabin asked me to carry their wine for them, because they didn’t get FAS and I did… surely that would violate the rules.  
But they just gifted me their wine, and I’m just sharing it with them on board!

Now real world — there is discretion and there is abuse of discretion.  Ultimately up to the cruise line to decide how and when to enforce their rules. 

[AlmiranteChurruca]

6 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Here's my take on this situation:

 

As for wine you brought on board, that should be freely sharable.

Asking for an extra glass in the dining room? That's pushing it - and asking to get "caught" as you are asking the waiter to serve person #3.

 

As for the original question, I say take the high road.

Expect that #3 may be charged.

It has been said here that they may not even be asked to pay because of the soda package (for mocktails). Or, that they may automatically charge the drink to one of the first two passengers. If thses things happen, you're good - and did not intentionally do any violation.

No worries at all.

 

Thanks for your advice! Greatly appreciated! 😊

[schmoopie17]

Veering off subject...

How can there be 54 responses to this topic but zero views?

Hmmm...

Okay, back to bashing the OP...

[dbrown84]

3 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Veering off subject...

How can there be 54 responses to this topic but zero views?

Hmmm...

Okay, back to bashing the OP...

sooooo funny.  I noticed the same thing.  but it's not just this thread.  must be something going on with the forum

Edited February 11 by dbrown84

[G-DawgMN]

33 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

No.  It’s more like you paid for the buffet. You went, you ate the salad, soup, entree. You decided to take a slice of cake to go.  When you got home, you shared the cake with your spouse. Is that stealing?!?!

Or maybe I grabbed an apple on my way out of the buffet. Left it on my counter at home and my kid ate it the next day, did my kid steal it?!

 

It’s common sense flexibility.  
 

According to NCL rules, speciality meals include a 1 soup, 1 appetizer, 1 entree and 1 dessert.  I mentioned to my server I couldn’t decide between 2 desserts — the server brought me both.  Did the server and I conspire to steal from NCL? Should I alert BCL that their server stole? Should I apologetically send a check to NCL for the 2nd dessert that broke the rules?

 

Or just maybe… NCL recognizes that the rules are designed to prevent abuse. Not written in stone with no discretion.  

Never been to a buffet that lets you take leftovers home so that’s an invalid argument. 
 

 Your morals are clearly different than mine. Accept that we have differences.  

[JandC_Cruising]

19 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Veering off subject...

How can there be 54 responses to this topic but zero views?

Hmmm...

Okay, back to bashing the OP...

Because only the OP has the "View" package...all of us are just stealing views without paying our fair share!

[havoc315]

Just now, KSSS2013 said:

Never been to a buffet that lets you take leftovers home so that’s an invalid argument. 
 

 Your morals are clearly different than mine. Accept that we have differences.  

Every breakfast buffet I’ve ever been to, I’ve been able to take out a piece of fruit, a cookie, an individual serving box of cereal. 
 

But how’s this… at a breakfast, my wife gets the buffet, I get the pancakes ala carte.  I eat 1 of her slices of bacon that she got from the buffet. She ate a bite of my pancakes.  Did we steal?!??

 

It has nothing to do with morality. Or, are you a deeply immoral person if you’ve driven 56 in a 55 zone?

 

Not every policy, especially set by a private company, is a moral code.  If your employer has a policy that you arrive by 9:00am.. and you arrive at 9:05am… you might indeed get fired. But you haven’t committed an immoral act.  

[justhappy]

As with any law or rule people usually don’t care what you do as long as it doesn’t affect them.

 Speed limit is 65, you can drive 85. It’s when your speed causes an accident that causes a road shut down or worse than that, an injury. Then your speeding affects others.

 Disregard rules on drink packages to save some money, I’m guessing most people would not be bothered.
But when so many people start doing it that a cruise line has to raise prices or remove certain beverages that were formerly available (Vueve, anyone?) then that affects others.
The problem is so many people only care about themselves and not how their actions impact others even if it’s not directly.

 I think it gets worse when folks have the anonymity of being in a place where most of the people don’t know you, and you’ll be gone in a week or two.

Thats why cruises tend to have chair hogs, elevator hogs, bar hogs and theater seat savers, just to name a few “It’s all about me” people.

[dbrown84]

17 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

Not every policy, especially set by a private company, is a moral code.  If your employer has a policy that you arrive by 9:00am.. and you arrive at 9:05am… you might indeed get fired. But you haven’t committed an immoral act.

Excellent point!!!

[Two Wheels Only]

Drink sharing?

"NCL should let things slide..."

 

Chair Hogging?

"NCL should enforce their rules..."

 

[mjkacmom]

2 hours ago, Asawi said:

Ok, I actually don't think any rule breaking has to be done. The person with the sode package should order their drinks themselves and offer their card. If it's just a simple Shirley Temple or similar it's not likely to be any charge. The bartende will register it as soda water. Right or wrong, that is how bartenders seem to handle at least simple mocktails. I don't knwo about more advanced ones, like virgin mudslides or whatever, but would not be surprised if it would be the same. Technically not part of the soda package, but in practice often still given.

As long as there is no alcohol involved bartenders often have a relaxed attitude as long as you have some sort of drinks package.

 

I can verify that Shirley temples are considered sodas and virgin drinks like mudslides are not considered sodas and will incur a charge with the soda package.

[schmoopie17]

20 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

I can verify that Shirley temples are considered sodas and virgin drinks like mudslides are not considered sodas and will incur a charge with the soda package.

If I ever go on a Virgin cruise, I plan to argue that all drinks are virgin drinks and shouldn't be subject to the alcohol package price.

[LloydJr]

3 hours ago, seemoreroyals said:

If NCL does not require everyone in cabin to purchase drink package I would say go for it.  It is not the same as stealing candy bars from the store or going 1 mph over the speed limit.  

Where I live, the "speed limit" is basically just a recommendation.  A person doesn't get ticketed for "driving faster than the speed limit."  The first level ticket is for driving at an unsafe speed, which is defined as:

a) exceeding the speed limit by at least ten miles per hour

b) driving too fast for the road conditions

 

When conditions are good, the vast majority of drivers drive five to ten miles per hour over the speed limit.  That is the expectation, and the cops will just ignore it (or even wave, we have one of the best police forces in the nation).  

 

Steal a candy bar?  If you're over ten years old you better plan on talking to the judge.  

[UKstages]

 

8 hours ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

is bottled water included in the soda package or not? Keep reading some conflicting reports on this issue.

 

really? you're reading conflicting reports on this issue? really?

 

excuse me, but you kind of lost your credibility way upfront with this statement.

 

on NCL, bottled water (the base variety of which actually comes in a carton) is not even on the regular drink package, the one that includes alcohol. so who is it that might think it would be available on the soda package at about half the price? where did you see these conflicting reports?

 

7 hours ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

From my POV there should be nothing wong with this. If am allowed to order two drinks, why should they care about what I do with them or who actually drinks them.

 

this is why we can't have nice things.

 

8 hours ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

I could even order them "because I can" and just leave them untouched on the table. Of course, I am just exaggerating here to try to show my point, you get te idea people.

 

no, it's quite clear from your posts that you're not exaggerating at all. in fact, i'd say you've invented a new program called "sail and disdain." it's a carefully orchestrated plot to deceive NCL and steal drinks.

 

8 hours ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

Now, I would really be surprised if they where effectively tracking down on a regular basis who the actual drinker is after the beverages have been served on the table and the one card with FAS has been swiped.

 

i'd be very surprised, too. but that's not really the point.

 

yours is a moral question, not really a question about the rules of the drink package or how bartenders and servers enforce those rules. most here will tell you that bartenders rarely swipe cards for nonalcoholic drinks (mocktails will vary) and that when it comes to charging a card for alcohol, the bartenders do what is convenient for them and will very often charge only one card when a husband and wife order, or two people traveling together.

 

but, again, that's really not the point.

 

5 hours ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

With all due respect, can you please be more precise as to how I would be breaking the rules?

 

what you are in essence asking is could you walk into a retail store and switch the price tags on two different items, go to the till and have them scan the higher priced item, for which you would only pay the much lower price. and the answer is the same... yes, you probably could.

but you shouldn't.

 

5 hours ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

I mean, would I be breaking the rules if I ordered the two drinks per serve I am entitled to, left one of the glasses unattended on the table and one of my travel buddies decided to drink its contents?

 

probably not. no more than if you left the area and someone else happened along and decided to partake of the drink you left behind. but is that what you would be doing? and, yet again, that's not really the point. the point is your stated intent and dedicated commitment to deceive. in the isolated example you cite, you ordered two drinks and your friend, without your knowledge drank one of them. the fact that you are discussing your calculated plan in an internet forum months in advance of your cruise demonstrates that this would not be what would happen. even less so, if it happens drink after drink, bar after bar.

 

you keep referring to the "two drinks per serve" that you are entitled to. the key thing is that YOU are entitled to them... they are for you to drink. you're not entitled to sell them to another person or give them away for free to another person.

 

as pointed out in post #10, NCL rules expressly forbid the sharing of packages.

 

3 hours ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

Thanks for clarifying this!

 

the poster clarified one reason that the purchase of a drink package may not be required for all persons in the cabin. the rules for not sharing packages are different and apply to all guests worldwide, regardless of county of origin or which "realm" they are prepared to visit. sharing of packages is not allowed.

 

2 hours ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

Good to know you all have very high moral standards that most of you feel I am lacking of, but this is not the point of my thread. The point, I ask for a final time, is if and how those written rules are implemented or not.

 

that's not your point at all. your "point" in asking if the rules are enforced is precisely so you can make a judgment as to whether or not you would be able to successfully violate those rules and steal drinks, in direct opposition to NCL's stated policies. that's your point!

 

you've been told several times, including in this post, that many bartenders and servers often do what's easier and simpler for them, and in many cases, that means charging multiple drinks on one card. so, you've received the answer to your question many times over.  but that's not the point, either.

 

the only thing left to discuss, frankly, is the moral question. so it should be no surprise that this issue comes up repeatedly in this thread.

 

2 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

This subject may be similar to other questions about bending the rules.

 

NCL is allowed to interpret and bend the rules. passengers are not.

 

it's about intent. 

 

i don't think anybody has any problem with a bartender, acting on NCL's behalf, charging one card for a number of drinks, regardless of who those drinks are consumed by. but that's the bartender's independent decision. that's the bartender's choice.

 

here, it's about intent. NCL, and many on this thread, would have a concern with the OP deceiving the bartender and claiming - or creating the appearance that - the drinks were for the OP's personal consumption. 

[AlmiranteChurruca]

Is bottled water included in the soda package or not? Keep reading some conflicting reports on this issue.

 

really? you're reading conflicting reports on this issue? really?

 

excuse me, but you kind of lost your credibility way upfront with this statement.

 

on NCL, bottled water (the base variety of which actually comes in a carton) is not even on the regular drink package, the one that includes alcohol. so who is it that might think it would be available on the soda package at about half the price? where did you see these conflicting reports?

 

 

Now, I really have to answer to this and the answer is quite simple.

 

CC, although probably the best board for cruises, it is not the only one. There are many others from different countries and in different languages. If, as already shown, same cruise lines have different reservation rules when on different markets, it could be possible that reasonable doubts arise among cruisers as to what is included or not depending on where they write from.

 

Add to the equation the possibility of special temporary promotions with extra inclusions and the reasonable doubt is more than clearly warranted.

 

From the rest of your post I gather that you are on the side of those that consider me a thief and, without saying the word, you imply that I am also a liar.

 

On NCL's conditions they indicate the inclusion of "soda water" in the soda package. It could be cultural differences between continents or just the way the same thing is called a different name in a different place. For us in Spain soda water is assimilated to sparkling water while maybe for the US they are two completely different things.

 

Now go ahead and keep bashing this Spaniard without morals for asking what he considered to be a very normal question and whose original intention was NEVER to get into a moral debate here.

 

Cruise Critic or Cruise Court? 

[G-DawgMN]

This has probably been beat to death. There’s 2 options. Stealing is wrong or I’m entitled to do what I want because the rules may or may not be enforced. 
 

 

 

 

 

Edited February 11 by KSSS2013

[AlmiranteChurruca]

40 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

This has probably been beat to death. There’s 2 options. Stealing is wrong or I’m entitled to do what I want because the rules may or may not be enforced. 
 

 

 

 

 

 

Could not agree more! Too bad the least we got here were those real life experiences I was looking forward to reading about. Thank you very much indeed to the few who supplied some really useful information about their personal experiences onboard. Much appreciated!

[mjkacmom]

I’m guessing NCL would prefer that you pay for your drinks.

[dbrown84]

Man, I hope the game tonight is as enjoyable as this thread :)

[Two Wheels Only]

53 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

Man, I hope the game tonight is as enjoyable as this thread 🙂

 

At least with the game, one side will actually win. 

[FFTB]

20 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

At least with the game, one side will actually win. 

And yet somehow, we all still lost...  

 

 

I'll preface this with I'm not sure how things are charged for those from Europe (or if FAS is even a thing), but over in the USofA with FAS being an option, no one is really "paying" for drinks. The cost is for tips spread amongst the bar tenders for making your drinks.  So if you happen to order extra drinks for a friend, I'd say just make sure to send some extra love to the bar tenders.

[PartyPlannerLady]

On 2/11/2024 at 2:43 AM, AlmiranteChurruca said:

On the Norwegian Dawn next summer for a 10 days British Isles/Ireland itinerary. Three adults in one cabin. Adults 1 and 2 have Free At Sea package. Adult 3 does not drink much alcohol, so just purchased a soda package separately. However, this third adult likes to have just a mocktail or a glass of wine from time to time which, to the best of my knowledge, are NOT included in the soda package. If the three of us are sitting together at any bar will the ones with FAS be able to order a second drink to hand it over to that third guest? I know that NCL's policy is that packages are not to be shared, but what I really want to know is if that rule is REALLY enforced onboard somehow. In other words, could the two guests with FAS be in some trouble if we get a mocktail or glass of wine for that third guest? Also, could we ask during dinner at the MDR or at a specialty restaurant for an extra glass of wine with our FAS and be the third guest the one who actually drinks it? I would guess they are so busy with their regular duties that they would not really care so much about who the actual drinker is but who knows, maybe they are extremely strict on this matter. Anybody has first hand experience with this? Lastly, is bottled water included in the soda package or not? Keep reading some conflicting reports on this issue. Thanks in advance for your advice!

Sure if you think it is OK to steal drinks which is what you proposed boils down to.

[Two Wheels Only]

On 2/11/2024 at 2:43 AM, AlmiranteChurruca said:

I know that NCL's policy is that packages are not to be shared, but what I really want to know is if that rule is REALLY enforced onboard somehow. In other words, could the two guests with FAS be in some trouble if we get a mocktail or glass of wine for that third guest?

 

NCL could revoke the beverage package without refund AND charge for ALL drinks that were ordered with the package...even the legit drinks that were NOT shared. This has been reported by different people on the forum who have witnessed the package being revoked. Nobody has posted a video of it happening but if I ever see it......I'll post it. 🤣

 

NCL could also kick the guest off of the ship at the next port without a refund. 

 

Someone could drive 50mph over the speed limit and end up in jail.

Someone could drive 50mph over the speed limit and just get a ticket.

Someone could drive 50mph over the speed limit and just get a warning.

Someone could drive 50mph over the speed limit and not get caught. 

 

With NCL, something could happen but it is impossible to know what will happen no matter what other people have experienced. 

Edited February 12 by Two Wheels Only

[D_And_K_gocruising]

Is it because it's a non USA based cruise that you could have 3 adults in a room and not have the FAS / drinks package?  I thought if one adult had it, everyone over 21 had to?   Again, maybe due to where the cruise is?