When ‘Free at Sea’ is not Free at At Sea

[MoCruiseFan]

23 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

That is now it works in. the USA. Other countries exist.

A barkeep needs to fix yoru drink no mayyer what country you are in.

[KeithJenner]

2 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

A barkeep needs to fix yoru drink no mayyer what country you are in.

Wow really, you don’t say.

 

Completely irrelevant to our point of course, but thanks for pointing out that blatantly obvious point. It’s added a lot to the discussion

[KeithJenner]

In the USA (and some other countries) you get the free at sea offers and have to pay a gratuity on them. If, as an example, you don’t take the beverage or dining package then the gratuity is reduced.

 

In the UK (and some other countries) you have to pay a fee for the free at sea offers. This fee is not a gratuity. If, as an example, you don’t take the beverage or dining package then you still pay exactly the same fee, because it isn’t a gratuity.

 

If I just took free at sea for the shore excursion discount and refused the rest then I would still pay the same amount despite the barkeep not having to fix me a single drink. Because it isn’t a gratuity.

Edited October 9, 2023 by KeithJenner

[BunnyHutt]

4 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

In the USA (and some other countries) you get the free at sea offers and have to pay a gratuity on them. If, as an example, you don’t take the beverage or dining package then the gratuity is reduced.

 

In the UK (and some other countries) you have to pay a fee for the free at sea offers. This fee is not a gratuity. If, as an example, you don’t take the beverage or dining package then you still pay exactly the same fee, because it isn’t a gratuity.

 

If I just took free at sea for the shore excursion discount and refused the rest then I would still pay the same amount despite the barkeep not having to fix me a single drink. Because it isn’t a gratuity.

dumb question - does the bar/wait staff then get stiffed by those who don’t pay a service charge on the “free at sea” drink and/or restaurant item? Since your fee isn’t a gratuity?

[insidecabin]

4 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

In the USA (and some other countries) you get the free at sea offers and have to pay a gratuity on them. If, as an example, you don’t take the beverage or dining package then the gratuity is reduced.

 

In the UK (and some other countries) you have to pay a fee for the free at sea offers. This fee is not a gratuity. If, as an example, you don’t take the beverage or dining package then you still pay exactly the same fee, because it isn’t a gratuity.

 

If I just took free at sea for the shore excursion discount and refused the rest then I would still pay the same amount despite the barkeep not having to fix me a single drink. Because it isn’t a gratuity.

There is no choice it's all or nothing there is no way to decline the drinks or dining.

(Unless they return to the pick and mix free at sea)

 

UK add-on purchases all include gratuities/service/tips.

[KeithJenner]

2 hours ago, BunnyHutt said:

dumb question - does the bar/wait staff then get stiffed by those who don’t pay a service charge on the “free at sea” drink and/or restaurant item? Since your fee isn’t a gratuity?

I don’t know know what happens with the money itself (nor so I really care, that is a matter for NCL and their staff).

 

Very possibly it is dealt with in a similar way to the amounts paid in other countries. I’m not arguing about what happens to the money, just that in the US it is clearly stated as being a gratuity and the cost is based on a known percentage of the package costs, whereas in the UK it is a fixed fee, based on the length of the cruise and that it is not anywhere referred to as a gratuity.

 

 

Edited October 10, 2023 by KeithJenner

[KeithJenner]

2 hours ago, insidecabin said:

There is no choice it's all or nothing there is no way to decline the drinks or dining.

(Unless they return to the pick and mix free at sea)

 

UK add-on purchases all include gratuities/service/tips.

Ok, I thought you could still decline individual items, but it seems not (online at least).

 

Its a bit of a moot point anyway because as we pay the fee rather than gratuities on the individual item there I no saving in declining anything. The only issue would be someone who would get value from the other three items (fairly unlikely in itself) and specifically doesn’t want the beverage package. I wonder whether you can get it removed if you call?

 

 

[KeithJenner]

Anyway, I seem to be arguing something that I don’t really care much about now, so I’ll quietly withdraw from this bit of the discussion. We pay a fee, some people pay the gratuity. I can’t say I really care much about it.

 

I only really entered this discussion in reaction to the post that seemed to be disputing the terms in the UK with reference to those in the US.

[joandy2425]

On 10/7/2023 at 7:38 PM, PollyMurg said:

Interesting!

I wonder if anyone will make any comment on the spelling mistake made by Captain Hoydal 🤦‍♀️

 

We were on the Epic, the same itinerary I think, the week before......I wonder if we'll have our VAT charges refunded??

[cruiser2015]

13 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

In the USA (and some other countries) you get the free at sea offers and have to pay a gratuity on them. If, as an example, you don’t take the beverage or dining package then the gratuity is reduced.

 

In the UK (and some other countries) you have to pay a fee for the free at sea offers. This fee is not a gratuity. If, as an example, you don’t take the beverage or dining package then you still pay exactly the same fee, because it isn’t a gratuity.

 

If I just took free at sea for the shore excursion discount and refused the rest then I would still pay the same amount despite the barkeep not having to fix me a single drink. Because it isn’t a gratuity.

I couldn't resist throwing my two cents (plain) into this pot.

While no one (who has posted here) knows why the fee structure is done differently for UK vs. US passengers, or exactly how the funds are utilized, at least for the UK passengers (due to the different description of the charge), logically I see this: On the same ship, related to the same FAS package, it seems likely that all of the funds, regardless of country of origin, are distributed the same way.

Of course, this is pure speculation, but most things have a reason and flow to them. For fees paid by two passengers, sitting next to each other in a ship's bar, to have fees applied differently, to "stiif" that bartender on one vs. the other is totally obtuse.

Just sayin'.

[Asawi]

I have absolutely no clue how money is distributed and don't have an opinion about it either. Just thought I'd chime in on the difference between FAS in UK/EU and USA.

It feels like we (EU) basically pays what US guests pay for drinks gratuities. (Around the same amount). However, unlike our US cousins we cannot opt out of just the drinks package, as has been mentioned. I would really like that! I don't drink much so paying per drink (soda) would be fine if I could get the other parts "for free" (fully understanding that "for free" actually means "included in the price").

But hey, that's not how it is, so I can sit here and wish or just deal with reality. Reality it is then...

(Do US guests pay gratuities for the special dinners as well? If so I guess we get a slightly better deal for the whole shabang.)

Edited October 10, 2023 by Asawi

[KeithJenner]

9 minutes ago, Asawi said:

 

(Do US guests pay gratuities for the special dinners as well? If so I guess we get a slightly better deal for the whole shabang.)

Yes they do

[Marga.Anders]

I have been reading this topic and find it very confusing. I am from Europe and about to book a Escape cruise from Italy to Spain. 

We normally book via a website in the USA because they usually have better deals and more flexible change rules. 

For this cruise booking via Ncl in my own country or via the US website is almost the same price. 

So purely for the Free at Sea : does it matter in what country I book? 

[KeithJenner]

14 hours ago, Marga.Anders said:

So purely for the Free at Sea : does it matter in what country I book? 

Generally, not really. The fee for free at sea in Europe is generally fairly similar to the gratuities paid in the US. It is something to take into account when deciding where to book (as part of the total cost), but it’s unlikely to be the thing that makes the difference and if so then it would be very marginal.

 

The biggest difference would be if you want the free at sea benefits except for the beverage package, as the US has the option to refuse the beverage package and avoid its cost.

 

The other factor is that there are occasional offers where free at sea is cheaper, usually half price. This could mean that it makes more of a difference.

 

Basically, just price it in when comparing costs.

[cruiser2015]

59 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

Generally, not really. The fee for free at sea in Europe is generally fairly similar to the gratuities paid in the US. It is something to take into account when deciding where to book (as part of the total cost), but it’s unlikely to be the thing that makes the difference and if so then it would be very marginal.

 

The biggest difference would be if you want the free at sea benefits except for the beverage package, as the US has the option to refuse the beverage package and avoid its cost.

 

The other factor is that there are occasional offers where free at sea is cheaper, usually half price. This could mean that it makes more of a difference.

 

Basically, just price it in when comparing costs.

If someone in Europe books through the U.S, wouldn't they have to del with possible foreign exchange fees or possible poor exchange rates? Since that covers the entire cruise price it could be a tidy sum.

[KeithJenner]

7 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

If someone in Europe books through the U.S, wouldn't they have to del with possible foreign exchange fees or possible poor exchange rates? Since that covers the entire cruise price it could be a tidy sum.

These are all things to consider.

 

Foreign exchange fees are fairly easy to avoid, but exchange rate movements can be a big issue. They are one of the reasons why I don’t book via the US, as final payment will usually be more than a year away so the exchange rate can significantly affect the cost. For people who book closer to sail date it is less of an issue and can be avoided totally by just making final payment.

[RocketMan275]

9 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

These are all things to consider.

 

Foreign exchange fees are fairly easy to avoid, but exchange rate movements can be a big issue. They are one of the reasons why I don’t book via the US, as final payment will usually be more than a year away so the exchange rate can significantly affect the cost. For people who book closer to sail date it is less of an issue and can be avoided totally by just making final payment.

Final payment in the US (you did say booking via US) is 120 days out.

[KeithJenner]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

Final payment in the US (you did say booking via US) is 120 days out.

Yeah, so if you book fairly close to sail date then you will be making the payment soon after booking so there is less risk on exchange differences.

 

I tend to book a year or two in advance, so would need to make payment very early in order to guarantee the final cost.

[RocketMan275]

1 minute ago, KeithJenner said:

Yeah, so if you book fairly close to sail date then you will be making the payment soon after booking so there is less risk on exchange differences.

 

I tend to book a year or two in advance, so would need to make payment very early in order to guarantee the final cost.

So do I.   My next cruise is Feb 2024 which I booked in Apr 2023.  Final payment was last week.  Final cost was guaranteed from the date of booking.  

[ontheweb]

10 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

So do I.   My next cruise is Feb 2024 which I booked in Apr 2023.  Final payment was last week.  Final cost was guaranteed from the date of booking.  

Yes, price is guaranteed. We booked the Prima cruise we were on in this past August almost 2 years ago. Our price did not change. (I did ask our TA a few times to check for any price drop.) The only thing that was added to our charges was when I decided to pay the DSC in advance as we were given the option to pay the rate that was in effect when we booked instead of the new rate if we paid in advance.

[KeithJenner]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

So do I.   My next cruise is Feb 2024 which I booked in Apr 2023.  Final payment was last week.  Final cost was guaranteed from the date of booking.  

You are missing the point.

 

The question I was asked was how current fluctuations affect Europeans booking via the US. The price in dollars is guaranteed, but how many pounds (or Euros for those in the EU) I will need to pay that bill could change significantly in that time (especially when governments keep doing crazy things).

 

If I book in the UK then I don't need to worry about that, so the cost to me is more predictable. It its a factor that people should take into account if booking via different offices.

[RocketMan275]

2 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Yeah, so if you book fairly close to sail date then you will be making the payment soon after booking so there is less risk on exchange differences.

 

I tend to book a year or two in advance, so would need to make payment very early in order to guarantee the final cost.

 

41 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

You are missing the point.

 

The question I was asked was how current fluctuations affect Europeans booking via the US. The price in dollars is guaranteed, but how many pounds (or Euros for those in the EU) I will need to pay that bill could change significantly in that time (especially when governments keep doing crazy things).

 

If I book in the UK then I don't need to worry about that, so the cost to me is more predictable. It its a factor that people should take into account if booking via different offices.

I was questioning your statement that final payment might be due a year or two in advance of the sail date?  Is this a peculiarity of European bookings?

[KeithJenner]

24 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

I was questioning your statement that final payment might be due a year or two in advance of the sail date?  Is this a peculiarity of European bookings?

No, I didn't say that our final payment date may be due that far out. I said that CHOOSING to pay it early would avoid the risk of the exchange rate making that payment more expensive in our local currency.

[RocketMan275]

21 minutes ago, KeithJenner said:

No, I didn't say that our final payment date may be due that far out. I said that CHOOSING to pay it early would avoid the risk of the exchange rate making that payment more expensive in our local currency.

OK, sorry about my misunderstanding

[ontheweb]

4 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

No, I didn't say that our final payment date may be due that far out. I said that CHOOSING to pay it early would avoid the risk of the exchange rate making that payment more expensive in our local currency.

Isn't it just as likely that the exchange rate will make it less expensive than to make it more expensive?