Upgrading to a Premium Drink Package & VAT tax ???

[Goodtime Cruizin]

Our cruise is a 12 day British Isle cruise that sails from Amsterdam. We are definitely going to upgrade our drink packages from a Classic to Premium. We're trying to figure out if we should upgrade through the Cruise Planner pre-cruise in an effort to save from paying a VAT tax if we waited to upgrade while on board.  Can anyone help w/ this?

[jelayne]

Netherlands has a 21% VAT .  We upgraded before the cruise. 

[Auntiemomo]

Since you are visiting a non-EU port (Northern Ireland) you don't have to pay any VAT.  You only pay VAT if you sail out of Barcelona (Spanish) and in Barcelona waters or if you have a European cruise that visits all EU countries.  

[Goodtime Cruizin]

2 hours ago, Auntiemomo said:

Since you are visiting a non-EU port (Northern Ireland) you don't have to pay any VAT.  You only pay VAT if you sail out of Barcelona (Spanish) and in Barcelona waters or if you have a European cruise that visits all EU countries.  

 

We leave from Amsterdam... would the VAT tax apply?

[Auntiemomo]

34 minutes ago, Goodtime Cruizin said:

 

We leave from Amsterdam... would the VAT tax apply?

In my experience, if you sign up while in port, you would have to pay the VAT.   If you pay for a drink at the bar prior to getting underway, you pay for the gratuity + the VAT.  When upgrading, they usually sign you up, but don't ring in the purchase until  you leave port.  Ask to double check how they do it.   Same for leaving from a U.S. port.  They ring it up after you leave so you don't have to pay the State tax.  If you get a drink and pay for it prior to pulling out from a U.S. port, i.e. Florida, you pay the gratuity + the State tax.

 

We usually wait to sign up with our Sommelier.  The person who you sign up with gets to keep all the Gratuity of the upgrade, so he normally takes good care of us throughout the cruise, including some upgraded wines.  If you frequent the martini bar or the Sunset Bar, sign up with one of them as they will remember throughout the cruise.  

 

 

[Goodtime Cruizin]

17 minutes ago, Auntiemomo said:

In my experience, if you sign up while in port, you would have to pay the VAT.   If you pay for a drink at the bar prior to getting underway, you pay for the gratuity + the VAT.  When upgrading, they usually sign you up, but don't ring in the purchase until  you leave port.  Ask to double check how they do it.   Same for leaving from a U.S. port.  They ring it up after you leave so you don't have to pay the State tax.  If you get a drink and pay for it prior to pulling out from a U.S. port, i.e. Florida, you pay the gratuity + the State tax.

 

We usually wait to sign up with our Sommelier.  The person who you sign up with gets to keep all the Gratuity of the upgrade, so he normally takes good care of us throughout the cruise, including some upgraded wines.  If you frequent the martini bar or the Sunset Bar, sign up with one of them as they will remember throughout the cruise.  

 

 

 

Very nice. Thank you. 

[LGW59]

On 9/19/2020 at 12:14 PM, Goodtime Cruizin said:

Our cruise is a 12 day British Isle cruise that sails from Amsterdam. We are definitely going to upgrade our drink packages from a Classic to Premium. We're trying to figure out if we should upgrade through the Cruise Planner pre-cruise in an effort to save from paying a VAT tax if we waited to upgrade while on board.  Can anyone help w/ this?

If you bring a bottle of wine on board the first day, do that.  The second day, go to one of the bars (bartender gets a commission) and buy the premium package, it will be a bit less $ than you would pay now and no VAT tax added.

[LGW59]

On 9/19/2020 at 4:06 PM, Goodtime Cruizin said:

 

Very nice. Thank you. 

All correct except Florida has no state tax...

[Auntiemomo]

13 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

All correct except Florida has no state tax...

Florida has no state income tax, but I believe they do have a sales tax because I was charged purchasing my drinks while in port.  Several years ago a friend from Florida who we were sailing with created a tab at the Sunset Bar prior to sailaway and cashed out after we left port to avoid paying the sales tax.  I always remembered that, especially when sailing without the beverage package.  

[Fouremco]

53 minutes ago, LGW59 said:

All correct except Florida has no state tax...

Florida's general sales tax of 6% also applies to the purchase of liquor. Liquor vendors are responsible for paying a state excise tax of $6.50 per gallon, plus Federal excise taxes, for all liquor sold.

 

https://www.salestaxhandbook.com/florida/alcohol

[Manchester is blue]

We have a classic drink package for our cruise around New Zealand, cruising out of Sydney in October next year.  We were looking to upgrade this to  a premium drinks package. 
Reading through this thread it would seem that I should upgrade once we have left port in order to avoid any Australia taxes,....is this correct, or have I miss understood?.

 

 

Edited September 21, 2020 by Manchester is blue
Miss spelled

[Auntiemomo]

30 minutes ago, Manchester is blue said:

We have a classic drink package for our cruise around New Zealand, cruising out of Sydney in October next year.  We were looking to upgrade this to  a premium drinks package. 
Reading through this thread it would seem that I should upgrade once we have left port in order to avoid any Australia taxes,....is this correct, or have I miss understood?.

 

 

Not sure how it works Down Under.  We cruised on Solstice which left out of Auckland in 2018, and I upgraded with my Sommelier once I got on board, and I don't believe I paid any tax, just the standard gratuity.  I did ask if they had any specials for upgrading, and I got a 30% discount (or around that).  You should ask once you get on board as they should know about the tax situation (may ring it up after they leave port), and ask for any special upgrade discounts that are not advertised.  

[Manchester is blue]

23 hours ago, Auntiemomo said:

Not sure how it works Down Under.  We cruised on Solstice which left out of Auckland in 2018, and I upgraded with my Sommelier once I got on board, and I don't believe I paid any tax, just the standard gratuity.  I did ask if they had any specials for upgrading, and I got a 30% discount (or around that).  You should ask once you get on board as they should know about the tax situation (may ring it up after they leave port), and ask for any special upgrade discounts that are not advertised.  

Thanks Auntiemomo,..never heard of the special upgrade discount schemes, but this is a helpful tip.

cheers