SteveH2508

I know that - another poster from US was trying to imply that something had changed in the UK laws.

This post on the P&O board links to the relevant? HMRC guidance. https://boards.cruisecritic.co.uk/topic/2936952-no-alcohol-in-uk-ports/#comment-65381810 Section 3, particularly 3.15 seem to be the applicable parts. Obviously this is not relevant to the Italy and Spain scenarios, though itineraries including those ports and UK ports are relevant.

My bold - the irony is strong here...

If you have a private transfer you should be able to ask them to go via a supermarket to stock up. I think there is a Marks and Spencer in Southampton, who will have a decent selection. In the UK one can buy booze easily (on land anyway😉).

So you have taken on board (excuse the pun) the problem, and are going to take steps to mitigate any issues. Good for you. Knowledge is power. I would suggest that you also pack a dose of cynicism, because there will likely be other issues to deal with on your cruise.

The way this is panning out, would they dare stop you? (posted tongue-in-cheek)

For our UK readers - https://uk.trustpilot.com/review/www.ncl.com Not a good read even before this fiasco.

Lots of social media exposure - think Bud Light.😉

My first eight cruises were with NCL. Unfortunately, their ethos and general service/attitude has dropped since then. The furore over the current lack of drinks service in UK ports and NCL's 'evasiveness' are evidence of that.

We are experienced cruisers, having sailed with lots of different lines. we booked an Ambassador cruise in March to Iceland. We then booked the next cruise whilst on board. We have now booked another cruise in June (North Cape and Spitzbergen). They are good value for money - if you find you don't like it you will not have spent a great deal of money. Go for it - you will have a blast! Be warned, cruising can be addictive.

I think the evidence is beyond reasonable doubt that this is an NCL specific issue.

I am Platinum on NCL, 9 cruises (DW has done 11), so I think I have some reasonable experience of NCL. When Del Rio took over, the decline in their standards (and honesty) started. DW did a cruise last November in the Med and came back saying 'never again - they have lost the plot'. If they cannot even sort out being able to serve drinks in ports, where they did so in the past, they have some major systemic issues to address. It would be wrong not to highlight these issues so other readers can make better informed decisions as to who to book with.

Has this problem occurred in Oceania or Regent Seven Seas (who are both part of NCLH group)? Thought not. Despite your desperate best efforts, NCL have either dropped the ball admin-wise or made a deliberate decision to not pay for the correct licence. The UK Licensing laws have not changed in the last 10 years at least (leaving the EU has had no bearing on our domestic licensing laws BTW). NCL have sailed from UK ports for at least 15 years (I did my first cruise on NCL out of Dover and my second was out of Southampton). They know perfectly well what the rules are. My 'bovine excrement' detector went off the scale from that reported NCL officer's statement at the M&G. Their position is indefensible.

NCL have departed from Southampton (and Dover) on and off for at least the last 15 years! I think they should know the rules and paperwork by now.

Lengthy discussion of this issue here It seems to be exclusively an NCL issue.

London Tilbury is subject to the same laws as Southampton. We boarded Ambassador Ambience last month at Tilbury and drinks were freely available. Ambassador even do overnight dinner and show bookings where they never leave the pier. NCL have sailed out of UK ports for years, they should know the rules. NCL have either c**ked up their paperwork or are refusing to pay some licence fee somewhere. As shown upthread, they have previous form for this.

I have some of the dinner menus as pdfs from our last 2 Ambassador cruises if anyone is interested.

£100 pppd was for a Premium Oceanview on Ambassador, but that included their top drinks package and gratuities. The P&O drinks package is not really a value proposition to us (and we both like a drink!). To be fair, there was a small discount because we booked on board for a last minute fare, but the deals are definitely there to be had. We found the atmosphere on board to be very good as well.

I live in Central London so Tilbury is easy, especially with the coach from Victoria coach station.😀 I guess 'our friends in the North' (and West) could now start looking at Ambassador Ambition as well.

Pricewise, we have snagged some very good deals. £100 pppd including drinks and gratuities for 11 days round Britain at Easter. We are doing Norway and North Cape next month for about £150 pppd inclusive. Their solo prices do seem high though (possibly because they market some cabins as solo?). Food is better on Ambassador, entertainment is better. They seem to have mainly sorted the 'hardware problems' on Ambience. I think you may be missing something.

My bold - Fred Olsen, Saga and Ambassador are nipping at P&O's heels (well biting big chunks I would surmise) for the smaller ship, adult only market. I have done 2 Ambassador cruises with a third one coming up. In most areas, especially value for money, they are beating P&O hands down at the moment.

42 days, London (Tilbury) to the Amazon and back.

If they are anything like the cross channel DFDS ferries, I would almost rather swim. The food was worse than anything the Army ever served me up - the only saving grace was it being complimentary, due to delays at Dover.

I doubt it - the 'dress-downers' stuck out more than the 'dress-uppers', not that I took much notice really. I was too busy getting value from my drinks package!😁

One or two smart days per week, however compliance with the 'smart' dress code seemed to be a lot less. I only wore a jacket once to a smart night and had no issues.