Ncl ubp

Okay, I am sailing in a few weeks and would just like some clarification on the UBP. My husband and I are not big drinkers, but since the UBP was a promotion, we are looking forward to the perk. I do not want to be charged extra fees. What is the cut-off price for beverages included in the UBP? And is it correct I will be charged port fees if we order a drink while still in the Port of Miami? How far out do we need to be to avoid these charges? Any insights on this would be appreciated. Thanks!

$15 drink limit. Anything over you will pay the difference.

https://www.ncl.com/terms/ultimate-beverage-package

Taxes will apply in certain ports. Also be aware of the 18% gratuity on the promo package.

https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/beverage-packages

Any drink $15 or less is covered by the UBP.

You are never charged port charges on drinks. You are charged sales tax when you are in ports that have local taxes. That means as soon as you are in International waters, you stop paying tax. (I've been told the registers are set to automatically stop charging tax at the time the ship should be out of tax range. I know that I saw one family argue about which photos to choose so long they ended up paying sales tax on the purchase while coming into Houston.)

You will be charged 18% of the price of what you would have paid if you bought the UBP yourself for gratuity for starters. It covers any drink $15 and under and if you want a drink that is more than that you just pay the difference. Yes there is tax to be payed depending on the port. Not sure about Miami but i know we will be paying it in NYC for our upcoming Bermuda sailing.

I booked it with the UBP promotion prior to the gratuities on the promotion, it was way back...got lucky ;)

The sale tax on the drinks while in port before international waters is really not much. in Houston it was .66 and .78 per drink. Guess which one of us had the more expensive drink.;)

The sale tax on the drinks while in port before international waters is really not much. in Houston it was .66 and .78 per drink. Guess which one of us had the more expensive drink.;)

$.66 cents and $.78 cents well that does it, I am done with NCL, I am so sick and tired of this nickel and diming, I did not budget for this extra expense and I plan on removing the whole DSC from my bill and tipping no one, I will not only cruise on Crystal cruise lines, they are so much cheaper and better then NCL.

$.66 cents and $.78 cents well that does it, I am done with NCL, I am so sick and tired of this nickel and diming, I did not budget for this extra expense and I plan on removing the whole DSC from my bill and tipping no one, I will not only cruise on Crystal cruise lines, they are so much cheaper and better then NCL.

The sales tax is from the port city. The taxes are not tips. I have read some cruise lines pay the city port tax for beverages for their customers. I am guessing you are referring to the 18% tax on the promo as to your displeasure with NCL. We each have the right to choose which cruise line we choose and what we are willing to pay for the experience.

^^

^^

 

LOL

The fact that anyone would for one second believe what I said show a lot lol, especially with the wink

Departures from Florida will pay sales tax on purchases in port and within the three mile limit. The base sales tax rate in Florida is 6% You will be charged at least that.

Miami is entitled to a Local Option Food and Beverage Tax. I do not know if they apply that to cruise ships.

Any county, as defined in s. 125.011(1), F.S., may impose two separate taxes:

A tax of 2 percent may be imposed on the sale of food, beverages, and alcoholic beverages in hotels and motels. The funds are used to promote the county and its municipalities as a destination for conventions, trade shows, and pleasure travel.

A tax of 1 percent may be imposed on the sale of food, beverages, and alcoholic beverages in certain establishments. The county must use at least 15 percent of the funds to build and operate domestic violence centers. The remainder is used to help the homeless or those about to become homeless.

Only Miami-Dade County is eligible to levy these taxes.

Just a heads up, as of 7/16 there has been a new price increase on supper premium brands. They now cost $16.95 per shot and are thus no longer fully included in the UBP. Also, many cocktail prices have also been adjusted to over $15. It used to be you had to search a bit to find drinks over $15, now the menu is full of them.

Here are a couple more menus:

Here are a couple more menus:

 

 

Thanks for posting. I still see several things that will make me happy on my cruise so not upset yet.

However, my cruise is not until 4/17 so many things can change by then.

Lynda

I can't believe some of those drinks are listed at $17.95 now, that is ridiculous.

This ticks me off. I often drink cherry pepsi in the evenings (pepsi with cherry vodka) and now i can't get it without pay extra. I am really getting ticked off with NCL!

This ticks me off. I often drink cherry pepsi in the evenings (pepsi with cherry vodka) and now i can't get it without pay extra. I am really getting ticked off with NCL!

I was really looking forward to goose l'orange. I'll have a few and pay the difference but its a really petty and cheap move by NCL.

As I mentioned in a diff thread. They raised the price of the package while raising the cap on drink prices included. Then a few months later they raise the price of the drinks thus making that $15 cap meaningless. It was a strategic and petty way to make a few extra bucks.

It won't make or break my trip and it doesn't sound like it will ruin yours either, but it certainly upsets people before they've even stepped foot on the ship.

Cruising on Epic in September. I like a few of what I call Cuba Libres, rum, coke and lime juice, especially with say Captain Morgans spiced rum. although they are not on the bar list will they be available?

Cruising on Epic in September. I like a few of what I call Cuba Libres, rum, coke and lime juice, especially with say Captain Morgans spiced rum. although they are not on the bar list will they be available?

My understanding is they'll make a drink for you if they have the items and you tell them what it is. I'd be surprised if they dont know how to make a good cuba libre.

This ticks me off. I often drink cherry pepsi in the evenings (pepsi with cherry vodka) and now i can't get it without pay extra. I am really getting ticked off with NCL!

Well it could be worse. Carnival limits the number of drinks to 15 per day and the drink price to $10 per drink. And unlike Norwegian if the drink cost more than their $10 limit you have to pay the full price of the drink not just the difference. We enjoyed the Norwegian drinks package on our cruise in March. I just wish the bars would make all of the drinks. I don't like having to go to multiple bars to find one that can make my drink. Some might say a limit of 15 drinks per day is reasonable but I like to try new drinks and I like being able to throw them out if I don't like them.

I can't believe some of those drinks are listed at $17.95 now, that is ridiculous.

.... and what makes it even worse, you can walk down to the Duty Free, and see bottles of whiskey for about the price of one drink. I bought two bottles of Kettle One for $35 (1 liters) on my last cruise (2nd was 1/2 price), but two cocktails, with gratudity, will run you well over $25 bucks for both..... So, 4 drinks, and if poured perfectly according to the recipe (which they are, because all the bartenders I saw, use either a jigger or measuring cup) will be more than 2 full liters of whiskey :(

.... and what makes it even worse, you can walk down to the Duty Free, and see bottles of whiskey for about the price of one drink. I bought two bottles of Kettle One for $35 (1 liters) on my last cruise (2nd was 1/2 price), but two cocktails, with gratudity, will run you well over $25 bucks for both..... So, 4 drinks, and if poured perfectly according to the recipe (which they are, because all the bartenders I saw, use either a jigger or measuring cup) will be more than 2 full liters of whiskey :(

Wow! I would definitely take the beverage package choice if you drink very much. At least it would decrease the price of your each drink to a little over 2 bucks.

Wow! I would definitely take the beverage package choice if you drink very much. At least it would decrease the price of your each drink to a little over 2 bucks.

I can hang with the best of them and my wife and I did the math on the UBP... We would have to drink, the both of us (since everyone in your stateroom has to purchase and/or have the UBP, not just who you choose, as long as they are of age), $80 per day, per person.. So, $160 per day to take full advantage of the package. Even for me, that was gonna be tough to do to get to $80 everyday.. The first day, yea, no problem. But by day 3 or 4, I would be really struggling... And not to mention, you want to have a good time on cruises, not be stuck in your room hungover every morning.. That's no fun!! Also, the bucket of beers, 12oz, (buy 5, get 1 free, will run you over 40 bucks). A 16oz can of Coors Light is approx $8.50

We also bought the lowest Balcony guarenteed room they had at $799 per.. and that didn't come with "Free" anything.. That's why to get the UBP, it would have been an additional $560 per person + 18% gratuidy. If we wanted to "upgrade" to get a Free perk, our room would have been $1149 per person (not $799), get the Free UBP, then also pay the 18%... So, approx 700 more for the room for both, then you get the "Free UBP".. But, you still pay the 18% gratudity (I'm pretty sure you pay the gratudity no matter if it's free or purchased separately.. Don't quote me on that tho...)

At the end of our cruise, we ran up $595 in charges for our room. That $595 included all the daily service charges ($13.50 x 7 x 2 = $189) purchase of the NCL App ($9.99), my liquor purchase on board ($35), and I brought 4 bottles of wine, so paid $60 for their corkage fees. So, just a bit over $300 for drinks, and we drank each day, and had a bottle of wine for dinner at times..

Reason I put all that out there is for you to see what I spent, so you can do the math on what you want to do if you get the "free" upgrade or pay the lowest price for the stateroom, and add on the UPB... Either way, it's a lot more then it looks on paper. I also sailed on the Gem from 23-30 July 2016.... Hope this helps you make a decision!

Well it could be worse. Carnival limits the number of drinks to 15 per day and the drink price to $10 per drink. And unlike Norwegian if the drink cost more than their $10 limit you have to pay the full price of the drink not just the difference. We enjoyed the Norwegian drinks package on our cruise in March. I just wish the bars would make all of the drinks. I don't like having to go to multiple bars to find one that can make my drink. Some might say a limit of 15 drinks per day is reasonable but I like to try new drinks and I like being able to throw them out if I don't like them.

They have changed their program now to include any drinks under $50.00 and the package also includes <gasp> bottled water, as well as milk shakes and specialty coffees. Plus the price is $49.95 per day but doesn't include 15% gratuity. $54.95 per day if bought on the ship plus the 15% gratuity.

Bill

They have changed their program now to include any drinks under $50.00 and the package also includes <gasp> bottled water, as well as milk shakes and specialty coffees. Plus the price is $49.95 per day but doesn't include 15% gratuity. $54.95 per day if bought on the ship plus the 15% gratuity.

 

Bill

But it still includes only 15 alcohol containing drinks per day? I guess that's a good deal if you drink very expensive drinks but if you want the freedom to try all the different martinis and such it's not such a great deal! I wouldn't pay $79 a day for the Norwegian drink package but the price ends up being about $35- $42 a day if you take the difference in price between the room without and room with the promo packages. Room prices are about $149 to $200 more per person plus gratuities of $100 per person with the drink promo.