Ethical Question- Beverage Package

[Cras108er]

Was having a philosophical discussion with a friend. We came to different conclusions. Decided to post it here. If I buy a beverage package that allows me to consume up to 15 drinks a day, and a provide a drink or more to my friend, is that dishonest? What if in total, we only consume say ten drinks? Why is it okay for the cruise line to "overcharge" me for the 3-5 drinks I do consume. Didn't I pay for 15? Should t I be allowed to do anything with the fifteen drinks I wish?

[luvscruising2007]

In my opinion it is unethical.

[leaveitallbehind]

The drink packages I am aware of do not limit the total amount of drinks per day, so in that case the point would be moot in terms of any "overcharging" debate. And in that case as well, to use your terms, IMO sharing would be unethical.

 

I would interpret the fee charged as a flat fee - not a per drink total. And there would typically be a "break even" based on the overall charge. In some cases, if you do not drink a lot, you may lose out as the package may not be worthwhile. If you do drink a lot, you come out ahead.

 

As to any "overcharging" if you don't drink a lot, the way to avoid that is to not buy the package. By the same logic, should they then charge you extra if you drink more?

 

Lastly, as the packages are sold individually, they should be consumed that way as well. Sharing would be dishonest as a result. You either purchase a package because you feel you would benefit by the total you spend, or you don't purchase it in the first place because you feel you would not.

 

And BTW - 15 drinks per day is a lot to consume IMO......:rolleyes:

[lucymorgan]

If the terms and conditions say it is not allowed to share drinks, it is unethical to do so. You are effectively signing a contract - a deal between two parties. If you don't think you will get the value, don't sign on.

[fishywood]

The daily limit is of no relevance. In fact the cash value of the plan is usually eclipsed well before the arbitrary number of 15 drinks. You are not prepaying specifically for a fixed amount nor are you being "overcharged" if you do not consume all of said arbitrary amount on one or more days. If your only way of wrapping your head around whether or not the plan is a good buy for you is whether or not you meet a certain daily goal, then the plan is really not for you. It is for those who appreciate the convenience of prepaying and not having any further charges to pay after disembarkation--and buying the plan for each person who wishes is a must. Sharing is unethical. Period.

 

As as to those daily limits: correct me if I'm wrong, and this may not apply to every cruise line, but aren't you still able to use the plan for non-alcoholic beverages the remainder of the day even after you have reached the 15 (or whatever the number is) drink limit? If so then there really is no cap on the redemption value of the plan.

[Flatbush Flyer]

Was having a philosophical discussion with a friend. We came to different conclusions. Decided to post it here. If I buy a beverage package that allows me to consume up to 15 drinks a day, and a provide a drink or more to my friend, is that dishonest? What if in total, we only consume say ten drinks? Why is it okay for the cruise line to "overcharge" me for the 3-5 drinks I do consume. Didn't I pay for 15? Should t I be allowed to do anything with the fifteen drinks I wish?

 

 

Don't be ridiculous. You already know the answer.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Elaine5715]

The drink package is per person and a limit of 15 drinks per day. You aren't paying for 15 drinks a day. Yes, it is unethical. Here"s a hint, anything you ask if it's unethical, it is.

[Cras108er]

The drink package is per person and a limit of 15 drinks per day. You aren't paying for 15 drinks a day. Yes, it is unethical. Here"s a hint, anything you ask if it's unethical, it is.

 

Just so you know, that made absolutely no sense. You bought a package with a limit of 15 drinks per day, but you aren't paying for 15 drinks a day? So, what am I paying for then? Just so you know I actually fell on the other side of this discussion (that it is unethical) but it's not nearly as black and white as you are making it out to be. Why are we as consumers often more interested in looking out for the interests of big businesses, than our own.

 

Why is it unethical for the consumer to get the full value of what they are paying for, but it is not unethical for the corporation to charge full price for something for which The consumer only get partial value. Isn't it two sides of the same coin? I get the whole idea of a contract, but that does not necessarily make it equitable or ethical. As I said, this is more of a philosophical discussion.

 

Personally, I would never buy the package, because there is no way I would/could ever consume 15 drinks a day. On the other hand, I might purchase the package if I could buy it for my spouse and I. We still would not consume the full complement of drinks, but together we'd be closer to the break even point. What difference does it make if the ten hypothetical drinks was purchased by one person or two. The net effect is the same, right?

Edited February 4, 2017 by Cras108er

[fishywood]

Personally, I would never buy the package, because there is no way I would/could ever consume 15 drinks a day. On the other hand, I might purchase the package if I could buy it for my spouse and I. We still would not consume the full complement of drinks, but together we'd be closer to the break even point. What difference does it make if the ten hypothetical drinks was purchased by one person or two. The net effect is the same, right?

 

Again there is no such thing as "the full complement of drinks". The question of whether or not purchasing the AIBP is a good value for you is whether or not the individual cost of the drinks you (and you alone) would purchase over the course of the cruise equals the entire cost of the plan. The number of drinks is immaterial to the point of irrelevance. And according to your signature your next cruise in on Coral Princess. Which renders your original hypothetical moot as Princess does not impose any maximum number limit on drinks ordered per day. So does that answer the ethics of sharing--more specifically the lack of--for you?

[donaldsc]

You knew the answer to the question before you wrote you message or you would not have bothered to write it. Yes - it is not ethical.

 

DON

[sfaaa]

To OP - learn to read a contract and don't say I Accept if you disagree with the terms or have no intention to honor it.

[sparks1093]

Was having a philosophical discussion with a friend. We came to different conclusions. Decided to post it here. If I buy a beverage package that allows me to consume up to 15 drinks a day, and a provide a drink or more to my friend, is that dishonest? What if in total, we only consume say ten drinks? Why is it okay for the cruise line to "overcharge" me for the 3-5 drinks I do consume. Didn't I pay for 15? Should t I be allowed to do anything with the fifteen drinks I wish?

 

You didn't pay for 15 drinks, you paid for up to 15 drinks. Think about it in terms of an all you can eat buffet. It's all you can eat, not all you and a friend can eat. Some packages on some cruise lines do not have a daily limit and it would be just as much a violation of the rules to share that package as it would to share the one with the daily limit.

 

As for "overcharging" you, the cruise line offers a product at a specified price and you choose to buy it, or not. It would be like walking into a store and saying "these pants are only worth half of what they are charging so I'll pay for one and take another to even things out".

[DirtyDawg]

You didn't pay for 15 drinks, you paid for up to 15 drinks.

 

Unfortunately a fair number of people interpret the limit as 'you paid for 15 drinks'. I'm not sure if it's poor math or poor reading comprehension but it happens. And their math and/or reading comprehension doesn't get any better as they use the package. :o

[Pyrate13]

"big business" is not taking advantage of anyone. The business offers a product, if you find it has value to you then purchase it, if you think it's taking advantage or you do not see value, pass on it. If you disagree with the agreed on contract, you are free to pass on it. No one forces you to buy anything. Pretty simple.

So as others have said, not ethical to purchase the agreed on package and then decide you don't have to abide by it.

[leaveitallbehind]

"big business" is not taking advantage of anyone. The business offers a product, if you find it has value to you then purchase it, if you think it's taking advantage or you do not see value, pass on it. If you disagree with the agreed on contract, you are free to pass on it. No one forces you to buy anything. Pretty simple.

So as others have said, not ethical to purchase the agreed on package and then decide you don't have to abide by it.

 

Very well said. You have the option to purchase, or not purchase, a product based on the terms of the offer - not to purchase the product under your terms. The ethics don't lie with the terms of the offer but with the question of how the individual wishes to ignore them. As stated, don't like the terms, don't buy the product.

 

And most beverage premium packages I am aware of typically are priced at around $65 per person per day. Based on a rough combined average of all offered beverages at about $8 - $9 per drink, that brings the break-even to about 7-8 drinks per day. So a "cap" of 15 would be pretty generous under those assumptions and would cost about double the package price if purchased individually. I fail to see the argument.

[mafig]

The only cruise line that I'm aware of that has the 15 drink limit is Carnival.

 

The cruise lines are not new to this, nor are they new to people trying to get one over on them. If caught, the beverage package is cancelled and you will be charged for all drinks consumed.

[capriccio]

OP - I'm not going to pile on you for asking a question that you already knew the answer to but if you are cruising on Princess I can share our recent (31 days in December and January) experience with the drink package. Those passengers with the package have a sticker on their cruise card and are allowed to order one drink at a time and must sign for it. The wait staff in the bars will pick up on shared drinks right away.

 

There was an interesting thread (http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2403960) on the Princess board about this very issue that included these two postings:

 

Be aware that Princess doesn't allow sharing of the package. If you are caught sharing you will lose the package and be charged for every drink you had and all future drinks.

 

Charged for every drink you had...........

 

another poster asked "how did you know this?"

 

Because I've witnessed it a few times, usually it's a couple sharing a package, although once it was a family with father sharing drinks with an underage son. Bartenders catch on, then call security, security watches it happen, then escorts the couple to guest services and have the package rescinded and drinks charged to account. The couple on my last sailing returned to the bar later on, complained about the charges being put on their account, then berated the bartender for "telling on" them - until security escorted them to their cabin for the rest of the evening....

[Nic6318]

Was having a philosophical discussion with a friend. We came to different conclusions. Decided to post it here. If I buy a beverage package that allows me to consume up to 15 drinks a day, and a provide a drink or more to my friend, is that dishonest? What if in total, we only consume say ten drinks? Why is it okay for the cruise line to "overcharge" me for the 3-5 drinks I do consume. Didn't I pay for 15? Should t I be allowed to do anything with the fifteen drinks I wish?

 

Hi there

 

The answer is that you didn't pay for 15 drinks.

 

It is easy enough to demonstrate that you didn't, because if you had the cruise line would be happy to give you 15 drinks and you could do with them as you please. Also, you would not be asking this question which has been repeated many times now.

 

Think about it...I didn't buy a package...I buy 15 drinks...I can do with them as I please. I can buy more drinks if I want.

 

You buy a package...with it's rules...see the difference...you didn't buy 15 drinks. You have to come online to determine if it is ok to break the rules. The reason they put the rules in place is because they know some people are always trying to take advantage of a situation. Whether it's called stealing, cheating, scheming, it doesn't really matter. If you have to ask you really know better. If you want to buy 15 drinks, then buy 15 drinks.

 

hope this helps

[sail7seas]

I would not share drinks from a bevrfage package. You friend should get his/her own package, or buy their own drinks IMO.

[Cras108er]

I withdraw my question. My only experience with the package was on a Carnival ship, where there is a specific limit, and everyone in the cabin over the age of 21 is required to purchase it. Some fellow passengers had purchased it, so I didn't even have direct experience with it. I was just a casual observer. I wrongly assumed that the break even point was at or near 15 drinks.

 

My argument was from the perspective that, if one purchases a certain quantity of drinks that one should be free to do with those drinks as they choose. As I said earlier, I questioned why it made a difference if those drinks were consumed by one person or two people. The net effect would be the same. It felt like the Cruiseline had unfairly stacked the deck in their favor.

 

I just looked at the [Carnival] package again [as well as packages from other Lines], and realize the break even point is MUCH MUCH lower - more like 5-6 alcoholic drinks, and includes a multitude of nonalcoholic beverages too.

 

Based on that math, I no longer see the counter argument as an equally valid perspective.

[cb at sea]

Yes...Carnival does limit you to 15 alcoholic drinks per day on the package. They are the ONLY ones who do that.

 

A package is PER PERSON...so that's how it should be used.

 

A drink card is a different matter....that IS for a set amount at a set price. You may share that.

[Hlitner]

In a legal sense, it is not only unethical....but is breaking a contract. When you purchase a drink package you actually enter into a contractual relationship where you receive a package in consideration for your payment. Like any contract, this relationship comes with provisions/rules. In theory, once you violate the rules the cruise line would be within their rights to suspend the package and arguably keep your entire payment. It is not much different then your cruise contract (nobody ever reads the fine print) which gives the cruise line the right to toss you off a cruise (without any refund) for breaking the rules.

 

Hank

[Cras108er]

In a legal sense, it is not only unethical....but is breaking a contract. When you purchase a drink package you actually enter into a contractual relationship where you receive a package in consideration for your payment. Like any contract, this relationship comes with provisions/rules. In theory, once you violate the rules the cruise line would be within their rights to suspend the package and arguably keep your entire payment. It is not much different then your cruise contract (nobody ever reads the fine print) which gives the cruise line the right to toss you off a cruise (without any refund) for breaking the rules.

 

Hank

 

The visual on this is "disturbing." lol

[Wheatie59]

Don't be ridiculous. You already know the answer.

 

Hear, hear.

[leaveitallbehind]

I withdraw my question.

 

Based on that math, I no longer see the counter argument as an equally valid perspective.

 

While I applaud you for withdrawing the question, I feel you still completely miss the point of this. It is not a matter of how the math works out to support an argument for sharing. Its in understanding that if you purchase a package, by doing so you are agreeing to the terms and conditions of that purchase which restrict your ability to share.

 

Ignoring that or trying to support an argument based on some contrived math regarding the value of the product purchased is where you become unethical. Forget the math - if you agree to purchase the product you are agreeing not to share. To do otherwise is dishonest and unethical - period.