SeaShark

But you are being disingenuous in your argument and you know it. You have a CHOICE as to whether or not to buy the drink package. When you have a CHOICE, by definition, you are not forced. You also fail to recognize that the price is $99pppd applied to ALL adults in the same stateroom...the pricing only can be applied to one person, if that one person is the only adult in the room. You are trying to change the offer into something it is not in order to argue...and that dog don't hunt.

So why then present in a way in which you know I didn't mean?

But that option is entirely possible...just place the two adults in different cabins (like, for example, adjoining studios) problem solved. Challenging sounds good, but in the long run you won't win. If NCL was told that they had to allow one person in the cabin to buy the package while the other could pass on it, they'd just double the price of the package...problem solved, right? Remember, the current pricing is based on the assumption that the double occupancy guest both get the package. When the model changes, so will the pricing...and you likely won't be happy with that change either.

How much rain are we talking? What if its just a light drizzle and not a heavy downpour? Is it different if the rain is accompanied by fog?

Now follow it up. Interstate speed limit is 70 mph, so 82 is "OK" and 83 is "BAD". Why does one person get a ticket and the other doesn't over just a paltry 1 mph? You're just as dangerous at 82 mph as your are at 83 mph.

Well, then if there is no demarcation between the two, your initial argument is therefore invalid. BTW...I don't want a line...that is something you put on the table when you tried to claim one instance of speeding was OK while another was not. I'm just asking you to specify how we tell the difference.

Since we've seen this "logic" attempted earlier in the thread, I'll put the same question to you. You present this a 1 mph over the limit is "OK" while 65 mph over the limit is "BAD". Please give the specific number over the limit where "OK" turns to "BAD". Your argument only cites the extremes...where is the actual line drawn?

For @CruzinMel I wanted to address this part. Yes...CC has taken to archiving old discussion forum posts, making them difficult to impossible to find. If you'd like to be able to review your reviews, you really should submit them in the Member Review section of CC...NOT here on the discussion boards. The Member Reviews aren't memory-holed like the forum posts are.

The whole beer angle is a very bad analogy since the purchase conditions of the two scenarios is totally different. A better analogy: Person A and Person B walk into an all-you-can-eat buffet. Person A pays their $15.99 for the buffet, while Person B pays nothing as they are "not hungry". Then Person A goes up to the buffet, fills two plates full of food and they eat one plate while Person B eats the other. Think the restaurant would be OK with that?

Hate? What hate? Please quote and reference specific examples. Disagreement is not "hate". Additionally, the word "liar" has only been used twice in this thread...never by me. Care to walk that back? I rely on Sr Management with NCL that have plainly refuted your report. As did others here. BTW, the mere fact that it "is just select cruises" certainly does change your experience...which was to say this was a new NCL corporate policy.

Seems the narrative is bending that way...

Why would the unfinished wine be trash? You can always have them store it for you for another meal, or you can take it with you to your room...not need to trash it. And if you have the drink package, and you are truly worried about trash, why not just order by the glass? You don't need to try to save $$ ordering by the bottle.

Are you comparing picking up drinks for people who have the drink package with getting drinks for someone who does NOT have the drink package?

I would also suspect, given the current financial situation that the cruise lines are in as a result of the shutdown, that they will be a little more strict and a little less flexible about this type of thing than they might have been pre-pandemic.

Also...a little advice as you are new to Cruise Critic. The cruise lines can, and do, read things that are posted here. You only have a handful of posts so far, but the fact that Jeff and Alice from Bismark will be sailing on the Gem on Jan 16th isn't hard to figure out from the posts you have made. It wouldn't be difficult for the cruise line to figure out exactly who you are so that they can flag/monitor you for possible drink sharing. IOW, if you want to bend the rules, you may not want to broadcast your intent in public.

Well...aside from being forbidden by the T&C of the drink package, it is stealing. I think, though, that you already know this. NCL can cancel your drink package for a violation. They could also put you off at the next port. Just depends on who catches you and what kind of mood they are in that day. You also have to keep in mind that "the folks on Cruise Critic said it wouldn't be a problem" isn't really valid once you're onboard. That aside, from your parenthetical, I gather that "grabbing a bunch of extra liquor for people who didn't pay for it" is "BAD", while "an occasional soda or maybe beer/wine" is "GOOD". Out of curiosity, where exactly do we draw the line between the two? 3 drinks, 4, 5, 6? At what point does "GOOD" turn to "BAD"?

In the very first post when you stated that it was a corporate policy. You never indicated that this was "Pearl Only". And to your question about the crew lying to you...maybe they just made it up for attention. 🙄

TBH, nobody here is trying to draw that conclusion...the OP is the one that made the "fleetwide policy" claim outright.

We've already got confirmation from both the Regional VP of Fleet Hotel Operations and from the Fleet Beverage Manager confirming that the reported ban on mixed/layered shots is untrue. Not understanding why we need further "verification"...🙄 @Sthrngary is correct...if this were true, there would be many threads of people upset about it...not to mention that other cruise sites & blogs would be reporting it as well. Yet all we have is one person making a claim and hearsay evidence from another.

Interesting. If I may, my initial impression. You are lacking, in your words, "the excitement of cruising". Your concerns, however, seem to focus on watching television, watching movies, and being on the Internet. These are things that you can very much do at home...or on any given land vacation. Perhaps consider that the lack of "the excitement of cruising" comes because cruising is being reduced to being the same daily routine of television, movies, and the Internet. We vacation to "get away" from the same old same old...not to duplicate it at sea. Consider less television, movies, and Internet and substitute more cruising and see if that "excitement" doesn't return. It just sounds to me like you need to get out of your comfort zone.

Because, of course, you would stick Guest A with the entire bill. 🙄

It is marketing...and you have to look at the offer instead of "what it was before". I could have a $1000 cabin. Guest A $500 + Guest B $500. Market that cabin at "50% off" Guest A $250 + Guest B $250 Market that cabin at "2nd Guest sails FREE" Guest A $500 + Guest B $0 Which "sale" is better/legit?

As you can see, the thread continues, and people's panties are still in a twist. And you thought the definitive answer would ruin the thread. 😏

15 Cruises on Carnival is impressive. From your perspective, what is Carnival now lacking that is making you consider other options? IOW, what are you hoping to find in NCL that Carnival has failed to deliver for you?

I think what it really proves is how gullible people are and how quickly they will pile on and believe anything negative about a cruise line...no proof or verification of any sort required. Because people often misquote, misrepresent, and misunderstand...especially when they can get attention from it. To show how easily this happens, just go back one page in this thread where someone was ready to believe that they couldn't get any type of mixed drink....