No Alcohol in any UK ports - what! 😱

[ollienbertsmum]

Just now, KeithJenner said:

Were you not able to bring wine onboard? As far as I am aware NCL are still allowing people to bring wine onboard with a corkage fee (only payable if you don’t have a beverage package). Was your experience different?

 

Maybe you are talking about different drinks. That would be an issue as they only allow wine to be brought onboard.

 

Ah Keith I only saw bottles being taken for storage on embarkation and at several ports.  I actually didn’t know that you could take your own wine on board on a NCL ship. 

 

I did have a package - I meant that IF you had no package it would have been good to have warning.   I think it is poor of NCL to get into this situation.  

[Greener123]

 

this was from Naples today… sounds a bit odd.

 

it seems like someone at NCL has misunderstood the laws around duty free, it doesn’t extend to bars but the sale of bottles in the shops. They’re going to the extreme of stopping everything when they clearly don’t need to. 

[ollienbertsmum]

7 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

We’re they not allowed to bring wine and pay corkage?

As I said to Keith I do not know the NCL policy.  My gripe is that the cruiseline does not warn people ahead of time.  Of course they would not want to - it just seems so ‘meh’ to get on to a ship and be told ‘sorry no drinks this evening’.  

[KeithJenner]

4 minutes ago, ollienbertsmum said:

 

Ah Keith I only saw bottles being taken for storage on embarkation and at several ports.  I actually didn’t know that you could take your own wine on board on a NCL ship. 

 

I did have a package - I meant that IF you had no package it would have been good to have warning.   I think it is poor of NCL to get into this situation.  

Ok, thanks for clearing that up, you had me worried that they had changed something else. 🙂

 

Yeah, taking bottles on is an option for people without the package. Not ideal for people to have to worry about that sort of thing though.

[ollienbertsmum]

2 minutes ago, Greener123 said:

 

this was from Naples today… sounds a bit odd.

 

it seems like someone at NCL has misunderstood the laws around duty free, it doesn’t extend to bars but the sale of bottles in the shops. They’re going to the extreme of stopping everything when they clearly don’t need to. 

 

So it was slightly different in Trieste last week.  Trieste is also an Italian port !!!!

[KeithJenner]

4 minutes ago, Greener123 said:

 

this was from Naples today… sounds a bit odd.

 

it seems like someone at NCL has misunderstood the laws around duty free, it doesn’t extend to bars but the sale of bottles in the shops. They’re going to the extreme of stopping everything when they clearly don’t need to. 

That was an early theory last year, but I don’t think that’s the case. You never know though.

[KeithJenner]

22 minutes ago, Greener123 said:

 

this was from Naples today… sounds a bit odd.

 

it seems like someone at NCL has misunderstood the laws around duty free, it doesn’t extend to bars but the sale of bottles in the shops. They’re going to the extreme of stopping everything when they clearly don’t need to. 

What ship? The Breakaway is in Naples today isn’t it?

 

Edit - the sign says Breakaway, ignore the question. 🙂

Edited May 13, 2023 by KeithJenner

[casofilia]

Very interesting statement, totally different in wording from the ones we had on the Gem but probably with the same intent.

 

As an aside did anyone have a "problem" with the casino?   On our cruise it had to close from Livorno to Civitavecchia.

[Travelling2Some]

5 hours ago, Norwayfan1 said:

 

If NCL simply had to pay a fee of some sort, they have now had time to do so (unless they decided not to use wire transfer, and sent the fees by pigeon carrier instead).

 

If legislation genuinely prevented alcohol service in some way, I'd expect NCL to be able to quote that legislation in a proper explanation. Vague 'nothing to do with us' statements are just an insult to their passengers' intelligence, in my view.

 

NCL had no problem with insulting our intelligence on our recent Panama Canal cruise.  They assured us that their substitution of Acapulco in place of Costa Rica on our itinerary was done out of an "abundant concern for our safety".  For those who don't know, Acapulco is a Level 4 - Do NOT travel advisory from both the US and Canadian State Departments.  The switch was, of course, made shortly after final payment.

[flamingo_fancies]

This is what the southampton port agent had to say on the matter. To me it seems as if after all their years of cruising in the UK NCL have now decided to not pay the Duty and VAT on their alcohol served at their bars whilst in UK waters, so now it can't be served.

[insidecabin]

On 5/13/2023 at 2:29 AM, Panhandle Couple said:

And at the end of the day, 4 hours is about 1.3% of the entire time of a 10 day cruise.

 

 

It was over 9 hours for those that boarded early.

 

Ship was over 1 hour late leaving(past 5pm) It takes more than 2 hours to leave Southampton through the Solent  then the ship stayed close to the Isle of Wight.

 

Bars opens at 9pm.

 

[insidecabin]

15 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Yeah, I think I've mentioned somewhere on this thread that I think this is an NCL issue (in my opinion, others may disagree). 🙂

Yep surprising that some people think because there are no reports from other lines of drink ban  it's more likely to be because no one can be bothered to report rather than it is not happening.

 

Got plenty of reports on sites I use from people I know saying drinking as normal out of Southampton in the last week, Celebrity Princess and MSC.

 

 

[Greener123]

1 hour ago, flamingo_fancies said:

This is what the southampton port agent had to say on the matter. To me it seems as if after all their years of cruising in the UK NCL have now decided to not pay the Duty and VAT on their alcohol served at their bars whilst in UK waters, so now it can't be served.

Obviously the port agent are going to know the rules… but I’d be surprised that the other lines are just eating that cost since none of them charge any extra taxes while in UK ports - and why would Belfast have been different? 
 

MSC are much cheaper than the other lines and aren’t shy in charging extras yet they don’t when the drinks are free flowing in Southampton. 
 

Why can’t NCL be open and honest and just admit they’re too cheap to pay some extra taxes so everyone else has to miss out

[rattla]

Will be interesting to see how this develops.  I’m also cruising from the U.K. later this summer and will be a bit crap if the whole first day and last day you can’t use your drinks package for alcoholic drinks.

I don’t drink much but like a cocktail on a cruise and basically the whole last day would be out as in Portland from about 1pm to 8pm last night (it then only goes to Southampton so will it even leave U.K. waters? 🤷‍♂️),

also the first night don’t leave UK till after 5, but as some have said you don’t get out past Isle of Wight etc till maybe 8-9pm ?  So both first and last day basically no alcoholic drinks?

Edited May 14, 2023 by rattla

[rattla]

I’ve contacted them to ask for clarity on the situation and to see if this will be resolved for future sailings.  May be good if others do the same to apply the pressure a little 😊

highly suspecting it’s them cutting corners and costs.

[belchro22]

3 minutes ago, rattla said:

I’ve contacted them to ask for clarity on the situation and to see if this will be resolved for future sailings.

Could you please post the email where we can also contact them?

[flamingo_fancies]

51 minutes ago, Greener123 said:

Obviously the port agent are going to know the rules… but I’d be surprised that the other lines are just eating that cost since none of them charge any extra taxes while in UK ports - and why would Belfast have been different? 
 

MSC are much cheaper than the other lines and aren’t shy in charging extras yet they don’t when the drinks are free flowing in Southampton. 
 

Why can’t NCL be open and honest and just admit they’re too cheap to pay some extra taxes so everyone else has to miss out

But will it be different in Belfast? The Star hasn't arrived there yet. From what the port agent is saying I would expect the bars to be closed again in Belfast. They were closed again yesterday for the Dawn in Portland.

[rattla]

1 minute ago, belchro22 said:

Could you please post the email where we can also contact them?

https://www.ncl.com/uk/en/about-ncl/contact-us#
 

I used the email link under pre-cruise guest services.

[rattla]

Also going to ask some of the British social media cruise bloggers to see if they can (or are willing to) try to find out anything, as I’m sure they have contacts.

That would be a good way to get a bit of attention on this 😊

[flamingo_fancies]

3 minutes ago, belchro22 said:

Could you please post the email where we can also contact them?

Not sure where you are based but being in the uk I contacted

 

euguestservices@ncl.com

 

Awaiting their reply

[cygnets]

Just boarded the Dawn for the May 14-24 cruise and the no alcohol restriction is still in effect. 

[insidecabin]

Just now, cygnets said:

Just boarded the Dawn for the May 14-24 cruise and the no alcohol restriction is still in effect. 

That blows the lack of notice story out the water.

[cygnets]

2 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

That blows the lack of notice story out the water.

[flamingo_fancies]

2 minutes ago, insidecabin said:

That blows the lack of notice story out the water.

Especially as it is the Dawn's second docking at Southampton in a 10 day period. It has nothing to do with lack of notice. NCL have been sailing in uk waters for years they know the laws on VAT and duty they have made the choice not to pay it.

[flamingo_fancies]

8 minutes ago, cygnets said:

Just boarded the Dawn for the May 14-24 cruise and the no alcohol restriction is still in effect. 

I would be questioning the General Manager and the Food & Beverage  Manager why this is restriction is in place. See if they come back with "the port athority only gave us  2 days notice on a fee that needed to be paid and there wasn't enough time" narrative, which seems to be the company line on the star.