Free Ultimate Beverage Package Sale Question

I have read MANY conflicting things about receiving the free beverage package when booking and I am looking for some clarification.

I understand with the current sale, one of the options is receiving the Ultimate Beverage Package for free. On the NCL website, under the Learn More section for the sale, it states "FREE UNLIMITED OPEN BAR: Enjoy a poolside mojito, highballs in the casino, and a glass of pinot at dinner, all included with the Ultimate Beverage Package. Applicable service charges apply."

When you click on the underlined part on the website, a box pops up that explains "Guest is responsible for 18% gratuities & service charges on the retail value of the Ultimate Beverage Package and/or Soda Package prior to cruise, except when booking a Haven or Suite.

18% gratuities & service charges on the retail value of the Ultimate Beverage Package and/or Soda Package are included when booking through the Australia office."

I have read some reviews/posting online that say the following:

A) 18% gratuity of the retail cost is charged up front, when booking the cruise, and that is the only additional fee/gratuity from the package.

B) 18% gratuity is charged to the on board account for every drink ordered while cruising

C) 18% gratuity is charged to the on board account for every drink ordered while cruising and the charged are reversed at some point the next day.

I'm not opposed to paying the 18% per drink, I just don't want to book the package through the sale and then be blindsided at the end of my cruise. I just would like to know up front.

Just looking for some clarification from someone who has booked the free beverage package recently.

Thanks!

The source of your confusion might be because the terms/rules have changed.

My Jan. 2016 cruise with the free UBP did not charge the 18% ahead of time. We only had to pay an optional gratuity with each drink ordered. It was a GREAT deal!

My recently booked upcoming cruise with the free UBP has 18% of the UBP cost added at the time of reservation (so paid prior to the cruise).

If you book now, for the current special, 18% will be added to your cruise invoice, payable prior to the cruise (so, option A as you described above). That's my experience.

In our experience Choice A with ** exception noted below

A) 18% gratuity of the retail cost is charged up front, when booking the cruise, and that is the only additional fee/gratuity from the package **

If you do a dummy booking on NCL you will see that if you choose the Beverage package as a promo the Gratuity service charge is included in your cruise booking price so it is paid in full before you board the ship. Charge now is $14.22 per person per day based on 18% of $79 current daily charge if you were to purchase the Ultimate Beverage package.

We did not have to sign any beverage slips except when ordering a drink in a specialty restaurant (think they wanted us to add in an extra tip). The beverage charges did not appear on our shipboard account.

**There are some drinks that are over the $15 included drink price limit so you would pay the difference in price plus 18% gratuity on the amount over $15. We did not have any drinks that fell in this category.

Here is link to NCL Beverage Package page .... see *'s for terms and conditions

https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/beverage-packages

You will pay 18% on the retail price of the package. It will be added to your account at the time you book, to be paid along with your final payment before you sail.

You will not pay gratuity on the drinks on the ship. No one with UBP, whether purchased or received as a promo, EVER pays gratuity on drinks on the ship.

That's good information. We also just booked our cruise with the free drinks promo, and wow it's really a great deal and I did go back and read the terms again and even the drinks over $15 you only pay the difference, plus the 18% grat. I'm glad I went back and read after seeing this post as I thought you paid the entire cost of a drink that cost over $15. Thank you.

Thank you everyone for the clarification!

You will also pay sales tax on drinks ordered when embarking in certain ports and within the territorial waters of those ports. It would likely amount to probably $1 or so per drink ordered. You will be able to see this on your daily account.

We cruise on the Pearl on Sunday (YAY, finally)! We have the "totally" free UBP (booked in March 2015 before they started adding the 18%). Will we be charged 18% for each drink?? I didn't think so, but now I wonder?

We cruise on the Pearl on Sunday (YAY, finally)! We have the "totally" free UBP (booked in March 2015 before they started adding the 18%). Will we be charged 18% for each drink?? I didn't think so, but now I wonder?

Nope

We cruise on the Pearl on Sunday (YAY, finally)! We have the "totally" free UBP (booked in March 2015 before they started adding the 18%). Will we be charged 18% for each drink?? I didn't think so, but now I wonder?

No.

We cruise on the Pearl on Sunday (YAY, finally)! We have the "totally" free UBP (booked in March 2015 before they started adding the 18%). Will we be charged 18% for each drink?? I didn't think so, but now I wonder?

Read post #4 in this thread.

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Read post #4 in this thread.

Why? It's not entirely accurate. There are occasions where an individual with either purchased or promo'd UBP could be compelled to pay additional gratuity on drinks onboard the ship...

Nothings ever free, you'll pay for it way one or another!

Thank you everyone for the clarification![/QUOT

 

Not the whole picture

 

How about booking through the UK website - no service charges added ever and with the weak pound is a great deal!!

Why? It's not entirely accurate. There are occasions where an individual with either purchased or promo'd UBP could be compelled to pay additional gratuity on drinks onboard the ship...

If you have the UBP, you don't pay the 18% gratuity per drink on the ship. Feel free to argue in a miserable attempt to confuse people who really need to know, but I don't see your purpose.

If you have the UBP, you don't pay the 18% gratuity per drink on the ship. Feel free to argue in a miserable attempt to confuse people who really need to know, but I don't see your purpose.

> $15.

And if someone is looking to avoid confusion, they're on the wrong forum and cruising the wrong line. A thread here and a voyage on NCL is fraught with misrepresentations and half-truths and outright lies.

> $15.

 

And if someone is looking to avoid confusion, they're on the wrong forum and cruising the wrong line. A thread here and a voyage on NCL is fraught with misrepresentations and half-truths and outright lies.

Bitter much?:rolleyes:

nevermind. not gonna feed the troll

That's good information. We also just booked our cruise with the free drinks promo, and wow it's really a great deal and I did go back and read the terms again and even the drinks over $15 you only pay the difference, plus the 18% grat. I'm glad I went back and read after seeing this post as I thought you paid the entire cost of a drink that cost over $15. Thank you.

It's not often you even find one over $15. Occasionally a craft beer or a glass of wine. But honestly, we went on this cruise back in January and saw very few things over $15!

It's not often you even find one over $15. Occasionally a craft beer or a glass of wine. But honestly, we went on this cruise back in January and saw very few things over $15!

Some posts recently indicate that quite a few of the drinks have been repriced to over $15.

It's not often you even find one over $15. Occasionally a craft beer or a glass of wine. But honestly, we went on this cruise back in January and saw very few things over $15!

Apparently you are not in the loop here on NCL's across the board increase on "Super Premium" drinks to $16.95 (not to be confused with the higher end "Ultra Premium") and some mixed drinks such as chocolate martini, Chiroc Vodka Cosmo or Prairie Gin and Tonic for $17.95 each which will be a $3.48 supplement for each. While there are alternative liquors to most drinks, they suggest the mixed drink combinations with the ones requiring supplement and no one has suggested a great alternative to the chocolate martini.

It's not often you even find one over $15. Occasionally a craft beer or a glass of wine. But honestly, we went on this cruise back in January and saw very few things over $15!

Some posts recently indicate that quite a few of the drinks have been repriced to over $15.

I have family on the Escape this week. I told them in advance of the price increases I read about online, and they assured me NCL would not do that. Then they got onboard and called me to say yes, NCL did, in fact, jack up all the drink prices.

Just cruised with the UBP last month. Very, very few drinks over the $15 limit. And, those seemed to be ones like very high end tequillas, brandies, scotches, etc.

I like premium bourbon (Woodford), vodka (Grey Goose), gin (Hendricks) and beers (Fosters oil cans) and none of them were on the "above $15" list.

I think you'll be fine.

Just cruised with the UBP last month.

FDR set the vibe for his tenure when he famously said his goal was to get another five bucks from your wife.