Opinion: Free UNLIMITED DRINKS! not really “free”

I was going to book the Encore online and the computer wanted to add $249.20 to my unlimited drinks package as a service charge. there is no way in my wife and I are going to drink enough drinks that we would spend $249.00 in tips for drinks alone!

In my personal opinion They are being totally unreasonable, assuming I spend $12 per drink which is not the case as soft drinks and house drinks are much cheaper at 18% tip that’s $2.16 tip per drink that means that based on their $249.00 drinks service charge I would have to have 115 drinks.....not gonna happen they should stop with this free at sea promotion it’s really not free in my opinion! FREE DRINKS WOULD BE FREE DRINKS AND THEY PICK UP THE SERVICE CHARGE AS WELL - that’s what free means.

Reminds me of the old TV commercials where some salesperson offers you a free product and say it’s FREE!!! Plus $11.95 shipping and handling lol... and that’s probably what the item is worth to begin with

I know I don’t have to choose the unlimited drinks package if I don’t drink a lot but it’s the way they stick the service charge based on their estimate of what I’ll drink that aggravated me.

So buyer beware - calculate on average what you actuallly drink on vacation it’s probably cheaper to pay for your drinks and tip as you go if you only drink a glass of wine with dinner or lunch for example.

Also what do they do with the left over tips if you don’t drink as much as they Estimated? do they refund it because they overestimated the tip??? Lol I’m sure they don’t. Remember the proposed in the online summary in my case of $249 was not for the package (if it was theN Yes it would be a good deal if you’re a heavy drinker) the drinks package was free the $249 was to tip the bar staff that’s why it doesn’t add up in my mind.

I also called NCL to clarify and the booking agent confirmed that the $249.20 service charge I was seeing is in addition to the regular service charge for waiter room attendant etc...they tried to reason with me that if I just had 4 drinks per day without the package I’d spend more than the $249.20 service charge, that may be true, don’t know, but then say it’s a reduced savings drink package it’s not really free! Maybe I’m in the minority in my feeling in this but thought I’d share my thoughts.

The package is free.

The gratuity is not.

I like it. I’ve already tipped the bartender with the prepaid gratuity, and I’ve already tipped the server who brings it to me with the prepaid DSC.

The new "social media" package wouldn't work for me cause I don't have social media. But that doesn't mean I think it should be ended. Your logic and reasoning seems flawed. It's the old "I don't like it, so no one else should" mentality.. How about the HUNDREDS of THOUSANDS of people that benefit from the UBP? I guess they don't matter cause it wouldn't make financial sense for YOU to get the UBP? Silly post OP.

Yup. This is now thread 1,222,001,099 about the beverage service charge.

Don't mean to be rude but if you don't think you'll drink that much then it's simple, don't get that as a "free" perk and you will not have to pay the beverage service charge.

It's still a good value for a lot of people, myself included. Best you believe I will make full use of my package and get every penny I can out of that beverage service charge.

This thread will probably get ugly. I just hope the crew gets 100% of the money from those gratuities. I have no problem, absolutely no problem paying these gratuities but I just hope it goes to the crew, and the crew only. They work their butts off and sacrifice a lot to make our vacations great. They are extraordinary people.

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The package is free.

 

The gratuity is not.

 

I like it. I’ve already tipped the bartender with the prepaid gratuity, and I’ve already tipped the server who brings it to me with the prepaid DSC.

Yeah but how do they know I’m having so many drinks that my tip needs to be $249, for example if My wife and I have 3 drinks a day each at $14 a drink I should tip 18% or 20% which is $2.80 approx. per drink per person per day that’s $117.60 in tips for the both of us for the 7 day cruise not $249.

Where I get aggravated is that they are basing the amount of tips to be charged based on how much they think I may spend in drinks not actual cost.

What if a restaurant charged you a $25 tip for your waiter the moment you walk in the door regardless of how much your actual meal was? Then if you have a $1,000 meal you really stuck it to your waiter and short changed them but If all you had was a sandwich you way over tipped them...just saying

If you are using a Free Meal coupon at a local restaurant, I just assumed all people in the US were smart enough to know to tip their server appropriately and properly.

The same situation is with the UDP and UBP. Judging from the millions of threads, I guess I was wrong.

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Yeah but how do they know I’m having so many drinks that my tip needs to be $249, for example if My wife and I have 3 drinks a day each at $14 a drink I should tip 18% or 20% which is $2.80 approx. per drink per person per day that’s $117.60 in tips for the both of us for the 7 day cruise not $249.

 

Where I get aggravated is that they are basing the amount of tips to be charged based on how much they think I may spend in drinks not actual cost.

 

What if a restaurant charged you a $25 tip for your waiter the moment you walk in the door regardless of how much your actual meal was? Then if you have a $1,000 meal you really stuck it to your waiter and short changed them but If all you had was a sandwich you way over tipped them...just saying

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I think you may be missing the point here... They're not charging you based on what they think you will drink. They're charging you the gratuity based on the price of the beverage package, which you are not paying for... If this doesn't sound like a good deal to you, simply don't choose the UBP as your Free At Sea option...

Yeah but how do they know I’m having so many drinks that my tip needs to be $249, for example if My wife and I have 3 drinks a day each at $14 a drink I should tip 18% or 20% which is $2.80 approx. per drink per person per day that’s $117.60 in tips for the both of us for the 7 day cruise not $249.

 

Where I get aggravated is that they are basing the amount of tips to be charged based on how much they think I may spend in drinks not actual cost.

 

What if a restaurant charged you a $25 tip for your waiter the moment you walk in the door regardless of how much your actual meal was? Then if you have a $1,000 meal you really stuck it to your waiter and short changed them but If all you had was a sandwich you way over tipped them...just saying

Yeah but how do they know I’m having so many drinks that my tip needs to be $249, for example if My wife and I have 3 drinks a day each at $14 a drink I should tip 18% or 20% which is $2.80 approx. per drink per person per day that’s $117.60 in tips for the both of us for the 7 day cruise not $249.

Buy 3 drinks per person per day plus tip and tell me what it would cost after 7 days.

Compare that to the service charge.

Where I get aggravated is that they are basing the amount of tips to be charged based on how much they think I may spend in drinks not actual cost.

No, the service charge is based on the cost of the UBP ($89pppd).

Nothing is free on a cruise. But that being said the price of drinks on a cruise has rose dramatically.

$7 a beer before tip $10 for wine or a standard mix drink.

Most folks drinks more than 3 drinks a day on vacation and between 2 people $250 in service fees is around 5 drinks a day between 2 people on a 7 day cruise.

Package is well worth it to me.

Yeah but how do they know I’m having so many drinks that my tip needs to be $249, for example if My wife and I have 3 drinks a day each at $14 a drink I should tip 18% or 20% which is $2.80 approx. per drink per person per day that’s $117.60 in tips for the both of us for the 7 day cruise not $249.

 

Where I get aggravated is that they are basing the amount of tips to be charged based on how much they think I may spend in drinks not actual cost.

 

What if a restaurant charged you a $25 tip for your waiter the moment you walk in the door regardless of how much your actual meal was? Then if you have a $1,000 meal you really stuck it to your waiter and short changed them but If all you had was a sandwich you way over tipped them...just saying

Very simple solution, chose another perk and then you can tip per drink

Yeah but how do they know I’m having so many drinks that my tip needs to be $249, for example if My wife and I have 3 drinks a day each at $14 a drink I should tip 18% or 20% which is $2.80 approx. per drink per person per day that’s $117.60 in tips for the both of us for the 7 day cruise not $249.

 

Where I get aggravated is that they are basing the amount of tips to be charged based on how much they think I may spend in drinks not actual cost.

 

What if a restaurant charged you a $25 tip for your waiter the moment you walk in the door regardless of how much your actual meal was? Then if you have a $1,000 meal you really stuck it to your waiter and short changed them but If all you had was a sandwich you way over tipped them...just saying

Well, when I’m on vacation on a cruise ship, I start the day with mimosas and it only gets better as the day goes on. If I don’t drink the full value of the UBP (with gratuity) then I’m coming really damn close.

But I don’t look at it like you do. You’re looking at it strictly from a tipping perspective. I look at it from the cost of the drink perspective.

And I most definitely drink $249 worth of alcohol on a one week cruise.

My next cruise starts off with two sea days. That’s approximately 56 hours from the time I get on the ship until I hit the first port. I’m sure I’ll be over the $249 mark before that, lol.

Thanks for this info, did not know that they don't include the "tips" on the FREE drink pkg.. When we've had it on Celebrity it was totally FREE, the tips were included. :D

We are considering sailing on the Pearl out of Tampa in 2019 so this is good to know.

Thanks for this info, did not know that they don't include the "tips" on the FREE drink pkg.. When we've had it on Celebrity it was totally FREE, the tips were included. :D

I am pretty sure this was added onto your paying fare.

Example, With Celebrity you pay $399 say for an interior room but you have to have an oceanview or higher to get the beverage package. That ocean view room in order to get you that beverage package will now cost you $1099.

Depends on how much you drink. Its not that hard to have 7-8 drinks in a day and not even be drunk and reach your $249 with 2 people.

At sea day: A mimosa or bloody mary with breakfast. Lounge by the pool 3-4 hours. 3 fruity drinks. 2 Drinks at dinner. Another drink or 2 later on in the evening. That's 7. Those fruity drinks are what $30 per day (average), there are 2 of you, that makes up for that $249 pretty fast.

Since NCL stopped picking up the 'gratuity' on the drink package when booking a suite, we never select it anymore. Don't drink nearly enough to even cover the $150/week 'gratuity'. If booze is your thing, go for it. Just know free isn't really free.

The first time we had the UBP, we paid for it, plus the gratuity. The next time, it was offered as a perk, so we only had to pay the gratuity, we were thrilled.

OPINION: Do not choose the UNLIMITED DRINK PACKAGE if it does not offer you value.

Simple.

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I am pretty sure this was added onto your paying fare.

 

Example, With Celebrity you pay $399 say for an interior room but you have to have an oceanview or higher to get the beverage package. That ocean view room in order to get you that beverage package will now cost you $1099.

So does NCL. Say I book a sailaway at say $999, if I were to book the least expensive cabin, in the same category(interior, etc) that included the "free" things, that price is $1899.

OPINION: Do not choose the UNLIMITED DRINK PACKAGE if it does not offer you value.

 

Simple.

 

 

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It really is that simple. That and ALWAYS read the Terms and Conditions of the promotions that you are choosing. A few minutes reading the fine print can save you some expensive surprises.

Since NCL stopped picking up the 'gratuity' on the drink package when booking a suite, we never select it anymore. Don't drink nearly enough to even cover the $150/week 'gratuity'. If booze is your thing, go for it. Just know free isn't really free.

Exactly and to those that say just choose another package- you don’t get as good a deal.

For example the have a pick 5 deal going on now if you drink a lot you can pick all 5 packages including the drink package but if you don’t drink a lot you either get charged the $249 or you pick only 4 packages while the others get 5 perks instead of 4

Bait and switch is how I feel about it...

Ok since we’re talking about pricing, we decided to book a sail away balcony. It was $300 cheaper per person. We couldn’t get the free drink package with the sail away but we saved $600 plus the almost $300 we would have paid in tips. I know we would not spend $600 in drinks for the week. But I also know some people do, so the package is good for them. It’s all good

Book through the U.K, we don’t get charged separately for the grats but they just roll them all into the cruise price so we don’t notice them.

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[sIGH!]

Another one.............

No one is forcing you to choose the UBP as a perk. I don't care if you're entitled to 1,2......10 perks. If you don't think the UBP is a good deal, don't choose it. Call it a tip, call it a service charge, call it whatever you want.....you're only playing a game of semantics.

This is just too simple to understand to have this many threads and posts.

If you aren't going to drink much, pay as you go and tip as you go. If that's not the case, as it seems to be a wildly popular perk, then it's a good deal (as you're going to tip anyway).

I consider it like those stores that sometimes run a promo stating that they'll pay the tax on any big ticket purchase as a promo. It's a sale. They aren't calling it that, but the effect is still the same. You pay less than you would if you bought at full boat retail.