Free Promos are Not Free

[KeithJenner]

$15 or less. If over you pay the difference. Hope this is right because we have this for one of our perks on our next cruise

 

Yes, the post you quoted was referring to the HAL package. On NCL it is $15.

[jessMN74]

Does anyone know if you can change your promo picks on a cruise that you already booked?

[mizLORInj]

I agree with the OP that it is not FREE and should not be advertised in caps as such. Yes, the fine print is there, but they are deceptive in advertising a FREE perk where you pay the grats. of 20%! Thanks for making us pay 20% (vs. 15 or 18%). I do not like that NCL does this, but they're not going to stop as it's an income stream.

 

Whether it is worth even the 20% gratuity cost is up to each person. For some it probably isn't.

[beerman2]

I agree with the OP that it is not FREE and should not be advertised in caps as such. Yes, the fine print is there, but they are deceptive in advertising a FREE perk where you pay the grats. of 20%! Thanks for making us pay 20% (vs. 15 or 18%). I do not like that NCL does this, but they're not going to stop as it's an income stream.

 

Whether it is worth even the 20% gratuity cost is up to each person. For some it probably isn't.

Whether we agree or not doesn't matter, as it IS working for NCL.

 

Game shows say the contestants just won a Car. They sure did AFTER they pay the taxes on their winnings.

 

Nothing is ever totally free, never has been never will.

[Lovincruisin1321]

The bartenders and bar backs including wait staff work really hard. Who do you think is going to tip them?? I always ask when there is a Promo if gratuities are included (knowing probably not).

 

No need to be so upset.

 

 

 

As former NCL cruisers DH and I were open to trying NCL again. When attempting to book a 5-day cruise out of Tampa I selected the Free Drinks promo. Imagine my surprise when the total cruise cost amount included a $178 service charge for the "Free Drinks." What is free about that? I chatted with a NCL rep and was told the service charge is the 20% gratuities for the free drinks! Free drinks should include the gratuities or it isn't really free. No thanks, we'll stick to Carnival and Holland America where there aren't service charges for "free" promos. By the way, their drink gratuities are 15%, not 20%.

[Mike_DeA]

Does anyone know if you can change your promo picks on a cruise that you already booked?

Yes, you can. You (or your TA if you have one) need to call in though, you can't do it online.

[molole]

The problem is NCL bundles those “free” offers with the ability to select your own cabin. Nowadays I can’t select my own cabin unless I pay for the “free” stuff I don’t want.

 

That’s exactly why it’s been forever since the last time I cruised with NCL.

[Rafa]

The problem is NCL bundles those “free” offers with the ability to select your own cabin. Nowadays I can’t select my own cabin unless I pay for the “free” stuff I don’t want.

 

That’s exactly why it’s been forever since the last time I cruised with NCL.

 

You are correct, you pay more to be able to select a cabin, in my case NCL wanted an additional $179pp for that opportunity but then I could also select a "free" stuff, so the UBP had a service charge of $195. So for $374pp I can choose from a limited number of staterooms and have the UBP.

 

Uhm... not worth it for me.

[drsel]

You are correct, you pay more to be able to select a cabin, in my case NCL wanted an additional $179pp for that opportunity but then I could also select a "free" stuff, so the UBP had a service charge of $195. So for $374pp I can choose from a limited number of staterooms and have the UBP.

 

Uhm... not worth it for me.

If everyone feels it's not worth it, how come NCL manages to sell their cabins and prices aren't falling?

[Rafa]

"You are correct, you pay more to be able to select a cabin, in my case NCL wanted an additional $179pp for that opportunity but then I could also select a "free" stuff, so the UBP had a service charge of $195. So for $374pp I can choose from a limited number of staterooms and have the UBP.

 

Uhm... not worth it for me."

 

If everyone feels it's not worth it, how come NCL manages to sell their cabins and prices aren't falling?

 

You may want to read my post again.

 

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[Tatka]

You pay little bit more for a cabin (in our case for upcoming cruise it is actually the same) and you get package for very low price. That's why many people use it.

[molole]

You are correct, you pay more to be able to select a cabin, in my case NCL wanted an additional $179pp for that opportunity but then I could also select a "free" stuff, so the UBP had a service charge of $195. So for $374pp I can choose from a limited number of staterooms and have the UBP.

 

Uhm... not worth it for me.

 

Very true.

 

I wouldn’t be surprised some people just want to select their own cabin and have no other choice but to pay for the “free” stuff in order to do that.

 

 

If it wasn’t effectively bundled with the ability to select your own cabin it wouldn’t have as many customers.

[graphicguy]

I like NCL. I feel their "perks" add real value for me. The UBP in particular is a great perk.

 

Debate if not including the tips is really a free perk, or not. But, it's still a good deal for those of us who use it. By the time I have a couple of beers sitting around the pool, maybe a soft drink during the day, to having a couple glasses of wine with dinner, to having a couple of late night cocktails before heading back to the cabin for the evening, I come out way ahead vs paying as I go, or buying the UBP outright (which I'm going to have to pay for tips, anyway).

 

Just saw some posts over on the Carnival and Holland America threads stating their drink package has a 15 drink maximum. At first blush, I thought..."no way I'd drink 15 drinks/day". However, what I didn't know was if you have something like a Long Island Iced Tea, that has a shot of Tequila, a shot of vodka, a shot of rum, a shot of gin, a shot of triple sec, and a splash of cola, they count all the shots as one drink. So, a Long Island iced tea does not count as one drink. It counts as 6 drinks. If you get a soft drink, that counts towards the 15 drink limit. Jack and Coke counts as 2 drinks.

 

I didn't know this, and had never thought of it, as I haven't sailed either Carnival or Holland America in a while.

 

So, is their 15 drink maximum deceptive? Is the UBP deceptive (they tell you tips are not included)?

[PTC DAWG]

Very true.

 

I wouldn’t be surprised some people just want to select their own cabin and have no other choice but to pay for the “free” stuff in order to do that.

 

 

If it wasn’t effectively bundled with the ability to select your own cabin it wouldn’t have as many customers.

 

Do the internet or excursion credits have "gratuities" attached? I don't recall ever seeing that....I also believe you can "opt out" of any upgrade you don't want with no penalty.

[PTC DAWG]

I will say that I don't think Carnival counts cokes etc as a drink....I could be wrong...I've never sailed Carnival...my neighbor has, and he's never mentioned it. He has hit the 15 count a few times...it's pretty easy to do if you start early in the AM.

[molole]

Do the internet or excursion credits have "gratuities" attached? I don't recall ever seeing that....I also believe you can "opt out" of any upgrade you don't want with no penalty.

 

The lowest “free” at sea option costs more than $200 pp for my cruise and that is the only way for me to select a cabin. Unless I can opt out the option with a credit of the internet package value of $125, it is effectively a bundle sale.

[graphicguy]

Do the internet or excursion credits have "gratuities" attached? I don't recall ever seeing that....I also believe you can "opt out" of any upgrade you don't want with no penalty.

Haven't checked, but I don't think they do as those are services that don't require any sort of waitstaff to use.

 

I looked really quick at my upcoming sailing on Sept 9. You can get a solo cabin for around $900 and have $75 OBC as well as one perk thrown in. An inside for a couple prices out to $1,200, but you get two perks and $200 OBC (if you're a Latitudes member).

 

Either one you can choose your own cabin.

 

That doesn't sound bad at all to me.

[4774Papa]

If a Long Island Ice Tea has all those shots, I can see it counting as six. If I had one, I would probably be done for the day. If I had more, my liver would revolt and fire me.

[BNBR]

If everyone feels it's not worth it, how come NCL manages to sell their cabins and prices aren't falling?

 

Excellent marketing.

[BNBR]

Just saw some posts over on the Carnival and Holland America threads stating their drink package has a 15 drink maximum. At first blush, I thought..."no way I'd drink 15 drinks/day". However, what I didn't know was if you have something like a Long Island Iced Tea, that has a shot of Tequila, a shot of vodka, a shot of rum, a shot of gin, a shot of triple sec, and a splash of cola, they count all the shots as one drink. So, a Long Island iced tea does not count as one drink. It counts as 6 drinks. If you get a soft drink, that counts towards the 15 drink limit. Jack and Coke counts as 2 drinks.

 

I didn't know this, and had never thought of it, as I haven't sailed either Carnival or Holland America in a while.

 

So, is their 15 drink maximum deceptive? Is the UBP deceptive (they tell you tips are not included)?

 

This is completely untrue. Considering I had 5 long islands in a single day along with plenty of other drinks on a Carnival cruise even when they had the 15 limit.

 

Could you point me to the thread that discusses this? Soft drinks do NOT count towards the limit, either. Your information is really, really far off here. You can get all the soft drinks, coffee drinks, and bottled water that you want, it doesn't count towards the limit.

Edited August 14, 2018 by BNBR

[BNBR]

I will say that I don't think Carnival counts cokes etc as a drink....I could be wrong...I've never sailed Carnival...my neighbor has, and he's never mentioned it. He has hit the 15 count a few times...it's pretty easy to do if you start early in the AM.

 

They don't count, and Carnival also doesn't count a long island as 6 drinks, lol.

[spanishguy1970]

I never take the drink package because if anything i may have one or two cocktails here and there so it does not make any sense for me to pay for the gratuities. If you are not a drinker this package does not work for you. Good luck:cool:

[Jana60]

I like NCL. I feel their "perks" add real value for me. The UBP in particular is a great perk.

 

 

 

Debate if not including the tips is really a free perk, or not. But, it's still a good deal for those of us who use it. By the time I have a couple of beers sitting around the pool, maybe a soft drink during the day, to having a couple glasses of wine with dinner, to having a couple of late night cocktails before heading back to the cabin for the evening, I come out way ahead vs paying as I go, or buying the UBP outright (which I'm going to have to pay for tips, anyway).

 

 

 

Just saw some posts over on the Carnival and Holland America threads stating their drink package has a 15 drink maximum. At first blush, I thought..."no way I'd drink 15 drinks/day". However, what I didn't know was if you have something like a Long Island Iced Tea, that has a shot of Tequila, a shot of vodka, a shot of rum, a shot of gin, a shot of triple sec, and a splash of cola, they count all the shots as one drink. So, a Long Island iced tea does not count as one drink. It counts as 6 drinks. If you get a soft drink, that counts towards the 15 drink limit. Jack and Coke counts as 2 drinks.

 

 

 

I didn't know this, and had never thought of it, as I haven't sailed either Carnival or Holland America in a while.

 

 

 

So, is their 15 drink maximum deceptive? Is the UBP deceptive (they tell you tips are not included)?

 

 

 

At Carnival the one time I purchased their package:

no matter how much alcohol is in the glass each drink that contains alcohol counts as 1 drink. Sodas and juice do not count towards maximum. Long island teas at Carnival are in a very large glass and are very strong! If a heavy drinker is down to his last drink and wants it to really kick butt, he should order their long island tea!

 

 

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[Rafa]

The lowest “free” at sea option costs more than $200 pp for my cruise and that is the only way for me to select a cabin. Unless I can opt out the option with a credit of the internet package value of $125, it is effectively a bundle sale.

 

Well said, it is a "bundle sale". And like someone else said: it is an "excellent marketing" strategy by NCL, but in my case after doing the math, it just doesn't add up/work for me.

[graphicguy]

At Carnival the one time I purchased their package:

no matter how much alcohol is in the glass each drink that contains alcohol counts as 1 drink. Sodas and juice do not count towards maximum. Long island teas at Carnival are in a very large glass and are very strong! If a heavy drinker is down to his last drink and wants it to really kick butt, he should order their long island tea!

 

 

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OK....sounds like they were confused, then.

 

Thx for the clarification!