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.

On 10/3/2023 at 9:10 AM, JimMaCruise said:

On the epic now and it's a bit worse than expected. 

Vat on the cruise, the whole cruise and nothing but the cruise 🙄

 

20% on all shop items and alcoholic beverages

10% on all non alcoholic beverages and food (a la carte items and specialty dining)

We have some obc that we planned to use in starbucks, but we'll need it for the vat instead.

We received the info on paper during check-in and it's mentioned in the daily.

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 :(

Whether this form is issued onboard is another issue.

That's why the current UK promotions are premium all inclusive at double the price it was 18 months ago or the cruise only price with no extras but gratuities included.

The cruise we have been looking at is £800 here in the UK...that's cruise only....its not too long ago you would get all the benefits for that price.

Just been on the phone to NCL UK. They said they have adopted the policy which has been implemented in the USA quite a while ago. Hence the promo offering free gratuities in UK.

So........nearly 5000 people a week go on this ship.

And no one has purchased this package ?

I'm surprised they still run it lol :D

Hi folks

Has anyone purchased this package prior to the cruise?

What I have been told is you get a book of 14 vouchers and you hand one over every time you order a beer at the bar.

What I need to know is, can you get a bottle of cider with these vouchers or is it strictly %100 beer only.

Does anyone have any experience with this package ?

Any feedback would be appreciated.

The Adriatic coast and the Med are more port intensive with more things to see when you are out and about

So if you are into cruising I would see both as its good to change itinaries every year.

Glad you enjoyed the review.

Bill

Hi Alegeeter,

That is a tough one....as we enjoyed both itineries.

The fjord cruise...we had a balcany.... And sat there outside having a few drinks and admiring the natural beauty

Hi cpcanuck

When we did the check in at the pierside and received our cards.......I noticed the + J + C.....they didn't know what it meant either..... As these are local staff who are working the pier just to get us on the ship.

Once onboard, I enquired at the first bar I came to, and the bartender explained it to me.

It wasn't something we had asked for....it was just there on the card......and there wasn't any additional payments either.

Bill

That's correct....no vat added

Almost forgot.....you will have to stick to drinks up to the value of $15....which is most of the drinks anyway.

Bill

Hi Hastley

Yes we both had the UBP....

When you order a drink.... The bartender takes your key card and swipes it......there are no additional charges.....sometimes they just had a look at the card.......on the card, its printed UBP + J + C....

J is for juices and C is for Coffee.

What I do know is people from the UK who have this package don't have to pay the service charge.....but people who book from the USA have to pay the %18 service charge of the total value of the package...which I believe is about $98 per person.....that also applies to the dining packages as well.

UK passengers who get the dining package for free don't pay the %18.... But if they don't get a free dining package and order it themselves.... They do pay the %18 service charge......

Yes I know it can be a little confusing.... And I'm sure someone will come along and correct me if I'm wrong.

Bill

Hi John....Our next cruise is the 15th Dec out of Barcelona to Barcelona on MSC Meraviglia to 22nd Dec.

We just wanted to see what the mega ships are like. We have one night pre cruise in the city.

I'm a big sports fan and went to many games with my then partner to Wrigley field.

We also went to the opening night of the bulls new stadium when they played their first game...I think it was called the united centre then but I may be wrong.

We didn't get in to nearly half time as the scalpers were still charging $200 a ticket.

I think I paid about $300 for the both of us to get in..... I had more money in them days lol .

I also spent about 14 years in Miami...following the Heat, Marlins and Panthers....Bill

Hi John and Sally,

Glad you enjoyed....Thank you for the kind words and I'm sure you will enjoy the Star next year.

Hope you have a wonderful time on the Spirit next month.

What part of Chicago are you at, I lived in the Lincoln park area for 1 year. It was the year Michael Jordon tried to make it as a baseball player for the white sox and the Football world cup was on...I even took in a few games at soldier Field and used to go drinking at Kingston Mines Jazz and Blues club.....a great city....and great memories.

Bill