macattack1111

Hopefully they read my post 🤣

I believe these are the facts.....RCI..Celebrity...MSC....Costa and any other major cruise line are charging VAT and Gratuity for any drink purchased if that said person does not have a drinks package in the European ports mentioned in earlier threads...but if they do have a drinks package they are not being charged anything extra...as they have payed a all inclusive price precruise or at the beginning of their cruise. NCL on the other hand are charging vat and gratuity not only to passengers who dont have a drinks package but to every passenger who does have a drinks package racking up a possible hefty extra price when they believed that there was nothing else to pay as they had prepayed for a drinks package. The crux of the matter is no one had been informed of these extra charges when booking the cruise. and only found out about this once onboard. I think the top Brass at NCL in Miami have made a major boo boo and I hope some Lawyer comes along and says what they have done is illegal and thousands of passengers make a claim against them to get their VAT back....Otherwise someone please correct me if Im wrong.

Did they still charge VAT about 2 hours after you had left port( you would now have cleared the 14 nautical miles NCL agents keep refering to and be in international waters) or were you charged VAT on every single drink..Morning, noon and night.

Anyone seen their Haven review of the new ship....interesting viewing.

if I go on the Epic...and I didnt purchase a drinks package and buy individual drinks...then I would expect to pay vat and service charge according to NCL terms and conditions....But If I buy a drinks package what says all inclusive/ open bar...then that should be the end of it....no more to be paid......JUST LIKE OTHER CRUISE LINE DRINKS PACKAGES. It was a suggestion NCL should charge at source if you buy a drinks package....There is something seriously wrong if hundreds of passengers are lining up at customer service desks to complain.

if you pay £150 for a drinks package and are charged 20% VAT for this package...then the VAT Is £30...its not rocket science...I purchased the package in the UK...not on the ship and not in Spain.

I think a lot of people are missing the point about about this VAT malarky. 1.When booking and paying their cruise..no one was aware that they would be charged an extra 10%..20% what ever it is on drinks when they purchased the packages...THIS IS TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE FROM NCL...They seem to be blaming the countries involved but deserve the negative press they are receiving from Social Media and the News papers. 2.They need to charge the VAT at source..ie you buy the package in the uk say for £150 ..then you should pay the VAT then. FREE AT SEA....it certainly isnt.

Looking at some of the prices on upcoming cruises eg.. 11 day cruise £450...looks like customers are leaving NCL in their droves...things like the VAT thing does leave a sour taste in some peoples mouths.

We have managed to rebook on Dawn in Nov this year at a very reasonable price using the 20% FCC and paying a £100 penalty to British Airways to change our flights to Lisbon and back ...so all is not lost. Although limited to a handfull of cruises to choose from in April of next year...the 20% FCC can be applied to any European cruise the rest of the year and there are some bargains out there. Although not ideal...its better than losing out on the airfare we paid for the Lisbon trip.

I think NCL are shooting themselves in the foot regarding the vat and also the sudden cancellation of 13 cruises on the Epic...MSC are quickly emerging in the UK and Europe With their large ships...although the final product is night quite as good as NCL...they will certainly give NCL a run for there money with their pricing and reasonable drink packages.

Can anyone tell me who has cruised recently with NCL that had ports in the EU and out of the EU For example Casablanca, Morocco did they still have to pay the VAT on all their drinks even though they had the "Free at Sea "

Does this mean....if you do for example a 10 day cruise that does not leave the EU at all in the 10 days you will pay VAT for every single drink you have even though you have paid £199 for the so called Free At Sea. BUT if during your 10 day cruise you go to Morocco for one day which is outside the EU then these Taxes would not be collected...I hope somebody has the answer to this question.

My question to you professional lurkers...are passengers being charged Tax..vat or whatever you want to call it when purchasing a drink with or without a drinks package in Spanish ports.

Redeployed to Cape Canaveral....we booked on this cruise in Jan 2024....8 of us together....non refundable flights...not happy about situation :(