Ultra Beverage Program is a Ripoff

Moderation is the key:

 

How much does one drink at home? Certainly not nearly $100.00 a day? (at least not in our house)

I'm not at home.

When I'm home, I usually drink 1 or 2 beers per day. However, when on a cruise, I drink cocktails, mixed drinks, and beer. Do I drink 12 or 15? No, but I'm on a cruise, and not driving. I want to enjoy myself without worrying about my final bill.At around $200.00 for 2 people, I believe that the package perk price is more than fair.As for drink prices, I live in Florida, and if you are in a decent restaurant, the prices are very comparable to cruise ship prices.

They talk about throwing in dining, beverages, internet, excursion, etc as a freebie or a choice of several.

 

But the beverage fee at $89/day, which they calculate service charges on, is a absolute joke. Well over $30/day more than what Carnival and Princess charge per day. plus they add 20% gratuity (other line add 18%) as a service charge. So in essence you pay $60/pp extra in gratuity/service fees for the bloated beverage per diem price. Sad thing is the program is no where near as inclusive as Carnivals.... As I've learned...nothing comes for free. Another example of Norwegian finding away to nickle/dime and over price their so called freebies!!

just a couple of comments on your post: 1-it is $89 if it isn't part of the perks you are offered or promo whatever you call it. Yes it is free except for the gratuities And second you talk about one being more inclusive: Carnival might offer other things like coffee and water but they also have a limit of 15 drinks a day. That is a big difference when NCL and other lines have no limit. I do agree, it makes no sense NCL does not include specialty coffe. As for the free drinks, I can guarantee you since the UBP became a perk I final statement on disembakation day has dropped by about 75% and we are not heavy drinkers.

Many forgot to mention that you must pay a higher booking rate to qualify for the "FREEBIES".

that is true, but that is where the choice comes in; do you want an all inclusive cruise or do you want to pay each item separately?

Oh and for those who, like the OP are saying the service charge or gratuity, whatever is 20% on NCL,don't kid yourself the other lines will raise theirs any day now.

I'm not at home.

We'd rather be at home planning our next cruise with the money we saved by NOT buying the drink package on our previous cruise .

:D :D

We'd rather be at home planning our next cruise with the money we saved by NOT buying the drink package on our previous cruise .

:D :D

Congrats I guess. I am planning my next cruise and I enjoyed the drink package on the last cruise and will on the next.

Congrats I guess. I am planning my next cruise and I enjoyed the drink package on the last cruise and will on the next.

We wish you many, many happy cruises.

Ship Ahoy!

;) ;)

I still wish they would just charge the gratuities for the drinks you actually consumed instead of 20% of whatever amount they decide the package is worth. That way even if you only drank 1 drink a day it would still be a worthwhile perk to take and nobody could complain that it’s “not really free”. There would definitely still be people complaining that there’s automatic tips added to their drinks though.

Now THIS makes sense....even to a light drinker like me. However, the current promo is just a revenue maker.

I still wish they would just charge the gratuities for the drinks you actually consumed instead of 20% of whatever amount they decide the package is worth. That way even if you only drank 1 drink a day it would still be a worthwhile perk to take and nobody could complain that it’s “not really free”. There would definitely still be people complaining that there’s automatic tips added to their drinks though.

There will always be complainers - I wish people would not select the beverage package -- they do offer other options so you don't have to select the beverage package. You can certainly order, pay the drink price and the gratuity for it as you go as you would on land. I don't understand why people balk at this -- the normal tip for servers on land is currently 20%. NCL also runs specials for free gratuities. We happen to like it and use it. I do think it should include at least water though.

Something people need to realize. We know that many people take it as a free promo. Which means that NCL gets to write it off on taxes as marketing expenses. More the package costs? More writeoffs. Plus they can still increase the fare to boost revenue AND sell some for cash.

But its not a rip-off. The terms and conditions are clear and its not required.

I still wish they would just charge the gratuities for the drinks you actually consumed instead of 20% of whatever amount they decide the package is worth. That way even if you only drank 1 drink a day it would still be a worthwhile perk to take and nobody could complain that it’s “not really free”. There would definitely still be people complaining that there’s automatic tips added to their drinks though.

If NCL did it that way, people would complain about the actual nickels and dimes being removed from their on-board account daily. Imagine seeing "-$1.99, -$2.39..." for every drink that you consume every day.

It's better to just pay the $124.60 before you board and not have to worry about anything being deducted from your account...unless you order something more than $15 or have to pay tax while in port.

 

It's better to just pay the $124.60 before you board and not have to worry about anything being deducted from your account...unless you order something more than $15 or have to pay tax while in port.

It’s easier to just pay the 124.60 and not have to worry. It’s definitely not better for the people that don’t drink 90 dollars a day worth cost wise. I personally don’t care how they do it as long as I feel the overall value is worth it. I still think it makes more sense to pay the gratuities based on the services you actually use though.

Many forgot to mention that you must pay a higher booking rate to qualify for the "FREEBIES".

Sometimes, it really depends on the ship. I'm on Epic next month and am spending a grand total of $141 dollars a day for unlimited food, beverages, entertainment, transportation, taxes, and gratuities. To me that is an amazing deal.

As a person who has perhaps one glass of wine a month, the UDP is not worthwhile and especially costly to me as I usually only go on longer cruises (14 days+).I did the math for our next spring TA cruise and we decided to NOT take all of the freebies and just go with a GTY oceanview. The room was assigned within a few days and is a nice full window room in a good location and worth more than two times our GTY cost.

As a Platinum member, I get two free specialty dinners and a bottle of wine and a bottle of sparkling wine. So, I can have an occasional glass of wine if I want. A win-win for those of us who don't drink much.

Just do the math and know thyself.

Sometimes, it really depends on the ship. I'm on Epic next month and am spending a grand total of $141 dollars a day for unlimited food, beverages, entertainment, transportation, taxes, and gratuities. To me that is an amazing deal.

The word UNLIMITED is open for dispute if you check the terms and conditions of what you are buying.

Maybe not so amazing!!!

The word UNLIMITED is open for dispute if you check the terms and conditions of what you are buying.

 

Maybe not so amazing!!!

Checking those terms and conditions would also reveal that the word is ULTIMATE, not unlimited. Kinda makes the whole dispute over "unlimited" meaningless. ;p

I do NOT want to even be CLOSE to anybody who actually goes on a 7-night cruise and actually drinks 15 drinks every single day. I rather doubt the majority of people who either get the UBP as a perk or pay for it completely actually drink that much. They'll come here and swear they are getting their money's worth because they "like the specialty colored water" (aka coffee) and I'm sure the company loves them.

15 drinks is not that hard to do in a day. If it were, then Carnival would not have a reason to implement such a restriction. I️ think you underestimate how many people will reach 15. Consider a couple mimosas/bloodys at breakfast, beers at the pool in the afternoon, a couple of glasses of wine with dinner, a drink or two at a show, and then some drinks while gambling. It adds up quick. And with them spread out throughout the day you wouldn’t even be drunk because your body metabolizes about a drink per hour.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

The word UNLIMITED is open for dispute if you check the terms and conditions of what you are buying.

 

 

 

Maybe not so amazing!!!

Can you please explain what would be open for dispute?

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

AI did the math for our next spring TA cruise and we decided to NOT take all of the freebies and just go with a GTY oceanview.

I'm doing the same thing on my January cruise. The cost difference between GTY and the rate with all 5 add-ons was about $1,000 (going solo this time). I use my NCL credit card on the cruise fare and get about $50 in OBC.

But we traveled on an 11 day cruise last year and selected the drink package and had a wonderful all-inclusive cruise. I'm not that big a drinker. But I'm on vacation, so for a week or so, the blood alcohol level can be elevated. Typically a beer with lunch, maybe a drink at poolside, one with dinner. Some sodas thrown in in warmer climes. And I am responsible; I don't volunteer to man the helm.

The "I only have one or two a day at home" isn't the issue, it's what would you ENJOY doing on a cruise?

I actually checked the promotions terms and conditions. This is the verbatim title heading for the one in question.

Ultimate Beverage Package (Unlimited Open Bar):

The person who used the word "unlimited" may have been referring to the food/buffet...

Sometimes, it really depends on the ship. I'm on Epic next month and am spending a grand total of $141 dollars a day for unlimited food, beverages, entertainment, transportation, taxes, and gratuities. To me that is an amazing deal.

I just don’t get the consternation that some have over the UBP and the cost...it’s cut and dried...either you buy it and pay the gratuities or you get it as a perk and pay the gratuities only...yet, some folks continue to rail about it.

The word UNLIMITED is open for dispute if you check the terms and conditions of what you are buying.

 

Maybe not so amazing!!!

This isn't my first cruise nor is NCL the only cruise line I have been on. I'm familiar and $140 a day for all that is included would be a steal for any vacation. Most decent hotels that may or may not serve you a continental breakfast are more expensive than that.

Let's put it another way. The advertised cost of the UBP is $623 plus $112.14 for the tips on that for a total of $735.14. Add in the daily service fee of $94.50 and the taxes of approximately $100 and you get a cost of $929.64 or $132.80 per day all in. At that math, my $141 per day price is a screaming deal.

Thanks for your concern though.

Can you please explain what would be open for dispute?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I don't need to explain. NCL DOES THAT WITH THE TERM "RESTRICTIONS APPLY"

Read that and you will understand.

I just don’t get the consternation that some have over the UBP and the cost...it’s cut and dried...either you buy it and pay the gratuities or you get it as a perk and pay the gratuities only...yet, some folks continue to rail about it.

Agree. People either CHOOSE to pay for UBP or they CHOOSE to select UBP as a bonus option when they book. Either way, they are CHOOSING to accept something that has very clear terms and conditions. I think people that voluntarily CHOOSE UBP should also CHOOSE to stop whining about documented, established terms and costs. I have yet to hear of anyone that has been forced to take UBP and then had their precious gratuity money ripped from their hands against their will.

If you do not like UBP, don't CHOOSE it.