free drinks really free?

[ldubs]

On 4/18/2022 at 6:11 AM, leaveitallbehind said:

Most beverage packages I am aware of have a gratuity built into, or as an add on, to the package price. 

 

The beverages provided at no charge by way of vouchers with RCCL for their Diamond and higher tier Crown and Anchor members, however, do not attach a gratuity to the voucher.  Any gratuity for these beverages when served is at the discretion of the passenger.  But this obviously is a perk associated with the loyalty program and not part of a beverage package.

 

I was thinking the same thing about the free drinks we receive on a couple of cruise lines by virtue of our 'frequent cruiser' status.  No gratuities are attached.  And fortunately for us, those freebies are more than we want to drink in a day so no need for any other alcohol purchases.   I guess it pays to be a lightweight drinker.  Haha

[leaveitallbehind]

55 minutes ago, ldubs said:

 

I was thinking the same thing about the free drinks we receive on a couple of cruise lines by virtue of our 'frequent cruiser' status.  No gratuities are attached.  And fortunately for us, those freebies are more than we want to drink in a day so no need for any other alcohol purchases.   I guess it pays to be a lightweight drinker.  Haha

Yep! I realize that this is a bit off topic because those drinks for us truly are free, but I agree that the vouchers we receive typically cover our daily requirements and saves us a lot on that cost of cruising!  But even though they are free to us, and as gratuities are not attached, since the bartenders are still working and serving them to us, we always add a cash gratuity with each drink. 🙂

[Gwendy]

Nothing is ever free. In Australia we don’t pay gratuities.  They are included in our cruise fare.  I have often heard people talk about free gratuities, no such thing the fare has been structured to include this cost.

[HowardK]

I remember 4 years ago I upgraded the week before my Studio to  Balcony- it was $50 to upgrade for the room and then yes! another $20! to upgrade my "free " drinks package because the cost for the gratuities increased from the time of original booking from $100 to $120!.

 

*Note this does not include the extra $296 that came out of my HSA for my urgent care visit when I returned home due to having not enough sleep, drama, and the drink package on my cruise.

 

If i eventually return to sea, I will take the drink package with a grain of salt and just focus on the cruise.

[complawyer]

all the alleged "free" goodies come with extra charges. the drinks add gratuities, the food package adds gratuities, but i think the most outrageous is the "free" shore excursions.  im not complaining, but you only get $50 off on any excursion, and thats just for one. while $50 is better than a poke inthe eye, when you're looking at excursions that run $200-$300 or more per person, getting only $50 when the add clearly states FREE EXCURSIONS! is clearly b.s.

[Sailing12Away]

Regardless of whether it is really 'free' or not, just think of it as getting unlimited drinks that cost $15 or less for the cost of ~$20/person/day. So depending on what your drink of choice is, if you consume 2-3 drinks per day you break even or get ahead. 

 

On RCC we had to pay $60 for such a service, the max price was only $13 with much less options in that price range. With NCL if your drink is over the limit (espresso martini), you pay the difference. On RCC, we paid the full price.

 

For us, NCL is still a win.

[complawyer]

all depends on how much drinking you do per day. and remember all people in the cabin are required to get the package. so if your cabin mate (ie. my wife) who doesnt drink very much/if at all has to get t his package, it's not such a great deal after all.

 

usually, im not a big drinker. if at a mexican restaurant, i might have a margarita or mojito, if a steakhouse, a chivas before the meal and a glass of port after, but those are few and far between.

 

we were lucky enough to be in a haven suite, and the butler was nice enough to bring me cans of pepsi, or a couple of bottles of heineken at no charge, and some of the waiters got me a cappuccino also for free, not bragging, just lucky i guess.

 

of course,however, they were tipped accordingly

 

i find i drink much more on board a cruise ship, just because its (free)

[tampadee]

On 4/19/2022 at 8:13 PM, hallux said:

Except it's NOT added to the on-board account.  It's added to the fare when you go to complete the booking.  And it's not really "in fine print", it's detailed out...

 

Here's the breakdown on a Norwegian Pearl cruise to Bermuda on May 6, balcony room with all perks selected.  If you pay attention to what you're doing it's right in front of you.  Selected for 2 people, 7 days, a little less than $20 pppd...

$277.20 for gratuities seems really expensive to me for one week.

[hallux]

1 minute ago, tampadee said:

$277.20 for gratuities seems really expensive to me for one week.

That's for 2 people.  The package is $99 pppd, but with the Free At Sea it's comped and you just pay the 20% gratuities on the retail price, $19.80 pppd.  $138.60 pp for 7 days, $277.20 for two...

[JustAPilot]

I had a good laugh with someone posting about the free cruise casino. I always want to face palm when I read the posts here about getting “free” cruises by gambling at the casino and thinking your actually beating the odds and getting a real free cruise. 😂

[WindinmySails]

Kind of related.....what are the difference between the free at sea drink package and the one they are now trying to sell me. 

 

[JGmf]

On 4/18/2022 at 9:01 AM, Joebucks said:

Free drink packages like on NCL raise the rate vs not having them "free" and then charge you a hefty gratuity. All in comparison of "well it would cost more out of pocket". Where the average person would not have spent that much out of pocket.

 

This is flat wrong.  The average person will pay more out of pocket.

 

Pay at you go drinks on NCL run around $10-$13 each.  The gratuity is about $20/pp/day. 

 

Don't drink 1 or fewer drinks per day? Opt out of the "free drinks", it's not for you.

 

Drink more than 2, then pay the gratuity. 

 

No brainer.

 

[ggTexasGal]

10 minutes ago, WindinmySails said:

Kind of related.....what are the difference between the free at sea drink package and the one they are now trying to sell me. 

Take a look at this link:

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/premium-plus-beverage-package.pdf

[ggTexasGal]

3 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

Take a look at this link:

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/premium-plus-beverage-package.pdf

Please remember - - there are some supply chain issues.  Also note NCL disclaimer "Subject to Change"!

[Deesquared]

Oh this note, if you are booking with NCL but are not a drinker, be sure to UN-CLICK the "Free Drinks" perk when you book. If not, you will still be charged the gratuities even if you never order a drink.  I'm glad I noticed it, as it saved me ~$250 on a recent cruise. 

It's quite sneaky how they add it to the fare. 

 

[RD64]

Economics 101 - first day of class for the last thirty years, I always start with a classic article - “There’s No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.”

 

[complawyer]

deesquared, when doing your final booking, isnt it incumbent on you to check the pricing? you can opt out of the dinner package also

[susiesan]

On 4/17/2022 at 6:12 PM, CruiserBruce said:

No, all cruise lines don't charge extra for tips on "free drinks". Holland America and Princess don't.

Neither does Celebrity.

[Two Wheels Only]

52 minutes ago, Deesquared said:

It's quite sneaky how they add it to the fare.

 

When NCL doesn't automatically add it and makes people select it, those who didn't will get onto the ship thinking that they have it. After a while, they notice the charges on their account and march to Guest Services. The guest is then told "...sorry, you were supposed to select it when you booked..." and the guest will have to pay a la carte for their drinks.

 

After the cruise, that same person will claim that it's sneaky for NCL to not automatically select the PBP.

 

Either way, the guest should know what they are paying for before making a down payment.

 

As for being "free", the toilet paper in the stateroom isn't free, either.

[ChiefMateJRK]

Why do people try to make this about "right" and "wrong."  It's just business, and the vast majority of cruisers have no problem understanding the charges and making the decisions that are right for them.  God bless America.  The rest are just a bunch of whiney kids who don't want their bottle (or want it but don't want to pay the fair/fare asking price).

[BirdTravels]

On 4/18/2022 at 7:09 AM, DirtyDawg said:

Are you saying that all those 'free' cruises people get for betting huge sums in the the casinos aren't really FREE? 😱

 

Sometimes I really wish I had some of that swamp land in Florida left to sell. 😉

 

Not sure about post restart tends. Pre pandemic, cruises were running up to 25% casino guests. Every 4th adult you see in the hall are traveling at a reduced or comped room. Our cruise last week hat about 11% casino guests. 

[RocketMan275]

On 4/17/2022 at 5:19 PM, nmd18 said:

I booked a cruise that offered "free" extras, including free drinks.  However, in the fine print, they require prepaid gratuities for the free drinks amounting to $20 per day per person.  Do all cruise lines offering this free drink perk require drink gratuity prepayment?

Nothing is ever 'free'.  If you're not charged for it, then it is included in some other part of the price.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, RD64 said:

Economics 101 - first day of class for the last thirty years, I always start with a classic article - “There’s No Such Thing As A Free Lunch.”

 

Commonly stated as: "There ain't no such thing as  a free lunch".   'TANSTAAFL'  popularized by Lazarus Long, a character by Robert Heinlein. 

Edited April 23, 2022 by RocketMan275

[DirtyDawg]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Not sure about post restart tends. Pre pandemic, cruises were running up to 25% casino guests. Every 4th adult you see in the hall are traveling at a reduced or comped room. Our cruise last week hat about 11% casino guests. 

WOW! That some big numbers. I guess cruise lines' casinos are more profitable than I thought. 

 

Maybe somebody who busted out owning a land based casino should be buying up a cruise line. 😉

[deliver42]

All the cruise lines include the drink package gratuities in their prices. There is no cruise line that only charges $20.00 per day for a drink package. With NCL, the price is included with the free at Aea, so they add the gratuities, Either way you pay. It's just a matter of semantics.