Please Help Ultimate Beverage Lets Get Fact

[Garnett-Devon]

I don't even see Boddingtons as being available on the ship let alone being part of the UBP. But the list I have may not be complete.

 

It is on the list that you posted but it is not in yellow so not part of the UBP.

 

Garnett

[Monalis]

It is on the list that you posted but it is not in yellow so not part of the UBP.

 

Garnett

 

Oh ok, I must have missed it, thank you for pointing it out. So its available, just not included in the UBP. :rolleyes:

[KeithJenner]

Oh ok, I must have missed it, thank you for pointing it out. So its available, just not included in the UBP. :rolleyes:

 

From memory, Boddingtons is only available in cans, and I'm not sure that any of the canned beers are included in the UBP. For example, you can get Guinness in bottles or cans, and only the bottles were included.

 

Things may have changed since I last looked at it though.

 

 

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[js]

My dh and I used the package last July on the Breakaway and came out ahead a little over $200, with the receipts I remembered to save. I tried new drinks and it was great!

We plan on purchasing the package next year in August on the Breakaway but so hoped I could purchase for my March 3 cruise on the Sky but I guess Spring Break they think is worse than summer?

Oh well. I would love for the package to be able to be purchased all year long.

Anyone ever hear any mumblings that it may be one day?

[CP Tech]

Does anyone know if the buckets are included? Lets say the SO and I are both on the UBP. We both drink the same thing so can we still just get buckets or is it 1 drink at a time kind of thing?

[Demonyte]

Does anyone know if the buckets are included? Lets say the SO and I are both on the UBP. We both drink the same thing so can we still just get buckets or is it 1 drink at a time kind of thing?

 

One drink per person at a time.

[CP Tech]

Thanks for the quick reply.

 

After I posted I found it on the NCL site. Probably won't make much sense for us as we will have an under 21 year old with us who doesn't drink a lot of pop so in the long run, it'll be cheaper for us to not do the UBP.

 

Thanks for the help.

[sbrocket52]

I've got a couple questions that I haven't seen answers for in this thread:

 

1. It looks like you can buy the UBP up until the 2nd day of the cruise. If you buy it on the 2nd day, does it retroactively cover eligible drinks from your 1st day? If it doesn't, do you still have to pay for the 1st day or do you instead pay for 6 days (for an otherwise 7 day cruise)?

 

2. When should the UBP be purchased to avoid state tax? If it's prepurchased is Florida (or your own state) sales tax included? I've seen that if you wait until the ship is out a ways off the coast sales tax is not included, but if you buy it immediately after boarding it is.

 

Thanks!

[triptolemus]

#1 - I have no personal experience with this but have read here that if the UBP is purchased on day 2, it is retroactive. I would suggest asking NCL but I think they would have no clue on this one.

 

#2 - I pre-ordered the UBP weeks before boarding and was not charged any tax. Just like anything else on board, tax is charged when the ship is within US (or whatever) waters. When the ships are in New Orleans and surrounding US waters, you can add the 9% sales tax to most of your onboard purchases until the ship gets out to sea.

[sbrocket52]

#1 - I have no personal experience with this but have read here that if the UBP is purchased on day 2, it is retroactive. I would suggest asking NCL but I think they would have no clue on this one.

 

I've tried asking them the first question and didn't get a response, but I'll try again and report back if I get a straight answer. Thanks for clarifying the second question.

[kato92]

I've tried asking them the first question and didn't get a response, but I'll try again and report back if I get a straight answer. Thanks for clarifying the second question.

 

It is retroactive if purchased on the 2nd day

[sbrocket52]

It is retroactive if purchased on the 2nd day

 

Great! That definitely sounds like the way to go since I'm still unsure about getting it and we're new to cruising. Thanks!

[hawkeyetlse]

It is retroactive if purchased on the 2nd day

Do you know that from personal experience? Demonyte made a good point above (#402) that for all NCL knows, you could have spent the first day buying drinks for other people. It seems unlikely that all of those would be removed from your account if you purchased the UBP on Day 2. If so, it sounds like a great way to make friends on Day 1… :p

[sbrocket52]

Do you know that from personal experience? Demonyte made a good point above (#402) that for all NCL knows, you could have spent the first day buying drinks for other people. It seems unlikely that all of those would be removed from your account if you purchased the UBP on Day 2. If so, it sounds like a great way to make friends on Day 1… :p

 

What's to stop you from doing that anyway, other than a bartender or waiter or someone noticing you doing it? Allowing it for the already partial Day 1 doesn't seem like a huge risk for them to take, but I've still got an email into NCL to hopefully get some written confirmation.

[hawkeyetlse]

What's to stop you from doing that anyway, other than a bartender or waiter or someone noticing you doing it?

I think that's exactly what's stopping you. People might think the sticker is there to get them their "free" drinks, but in fact I believe its function is primarily restrictive: it tells the bar staff "only serve this guy one drink at a time, and make sure he drinks it himself". If you didn't have the sticker on the first day, you weren't being properly monitored/restricted.

 

On the other hand, it would be really crummy of NCL to make you pay for the first day of the UBP retroactively, and then charge you for all your drinks on top of that. Anyway, it would be great to hear from people who have been in this situation recently.

 

Edit: Just noticed that SpicyI's message above quotes an "official" answer from an NCL staff member: "No any drinks that are purchased before would not go under the UBP." (source)

Edited November 29, 2013 by hawkeyetlse

[sbrocket52]

On the other hand, it would be really crummy of NCL to make you pay for the first day of the UBP retroactively, and then charge you for all your drinks on top of that.

 

Right. I would be fine with no retroactive coverage as long as I wouldn't have to pay for Day 1...in fact I'd probably prefer that to paying for all 7 days since you aren't on the ship all of embarkation day.

 

Would be good to hear if someone has done this themselves, I agree.

[wilson2579]

I am sure you have to pay for all the days you are on the cruise, even if you do not buy it until the 2nd day.:mad:

[kato92]

I am sure you have to pay for all the days you are on the cruise, even if you do not buy it until the 2nd day.:mad:

 

Which is why it is retroactive:rolleyes:

[Monalis]

#1 - I have no personal experience with this but have read here that if the UBP is purchased on day 2, it is retroactive. I would suggest asking NCL but I think they would have no clue on this one.

 

#2 - I pre-ordered the UBP weeks before boarding and was not charged any tax. Just like anything else on board, tax is charged when the ship is within US (or whatever) waters. When the ships are in New Orleans and surrounding US waters, you can add the 9% sales tax to most of your onboard purchases until the ship gets out to sea.

 

Looks like #1 has been answered kind of, so I won't answer that...

 

But for #2, you won't be charged state sales tax for the UBP even if purchased on the ship as soon as you embark. What some people have stated/experienced is that you "may" be charged tax for the drinks that are ordered before you get to international waters. If you are sailing out of Texas or Spain that is a completely different story though.

[sbrocket52]

Just got a very interesting response to my first question from my PCC, as to whether purchasing the second day would retroactively cover first day drink purchases.

 

No, it would not. The package would begin the day it is purchased so you would only be charged for the 6 days of the cruise instead of the 7.

 

I think I actually prefer that than paying $49/pp/day for embarkation day. I've got it in writing from NCL now so hopefully I could make that stick if people on the ship had a different interpretation. However, it does seem to be very different from what people here we're suggesting. Perhaps this is a matter of continued NCL inconsistency? It would be good if someone else could get a secondary confirmation.

[hawkeyetlse]

I've got it in writing from NCL now so hopefully I could make that stick if people on the ship had a different interpretation.

This sounds like something that if you insist long and loudly enough, they'll probably give in. I mean, making you pay double for the first day (retroactive UBP + the price of your drinks) is plainly unfair, and I doubt that the people at the front desk would think that gouging you for an extra $50 or whatever would be worth losing you as a customer forever (plus all the justifiably negative reviews you might post all over the web once you get home).

 

Still, if you're really not sure how much you're going to drink from the moment you get on the ship, and if they give you a lot of push back about buying the UBP on Day 2, I would just forget about it and take advantage of the other, more flexible drink offers (wine packages, 2-for-1 specials, beer buckets, etc.). Some people now report that you can buy bottles on board for $80-$100/liter. 7 days on the UBP would cost $340; if I didn't take that, I could buy 3-4 liters of my favorite spirits, which would actually kill me if drank all that in one week. For me, the UBP is all about convenience (works in all restaurants and bars) and variety (lots of drinks to try), and not about saving money. If for any reason you can't commit to the UBP, there are plenty of other ways to get your drink on during the cruise for the same, or less, money.

[sbrocket52]

This sounds like something that if you insist long and loudly enough, they'll probably give in. I mean, making you pay double for the first day (retroactive UBP + the price of your drinks) is plainly unfair, and I doubt that the people at the front desk would think that gouging you for an extra $50 or whatever would be worth losing you as a customer forever (plus all the justifiably negative reviews you might post all over the web once you get home).

 

Still, if you're really not sure how much you're going to drink from the moment you get on the ship, and if they give you a lot of push back about buying the UBP on Day 2, I would just forget about it and take advantage of the other, more flexible drink offers (wine packages, 2-for-1 specials, beer buckets, etc.). Some people now report that you can buy bottles on board for $80-$100/liter. 7 days on the UBP would cost $340; if I didn't take that, I could buy 3-4 liters of my favorite spirits, which would actually kill me if drank all that in one week. For me, the UBP is all about convenience (works in all restaurants and bars) and variety (lots of drinks to try), and not about saving money. If for any reason you can't commit to the UBP, there are plenty of other ways to get your drink on during the cruise for the same, or less, money.

 

Just got back from our cruise, and unfortunately you haven't been correct (yet, hopefully that will change). Despite the email from my PCC, who currently has another email into him asking what he can do about it, I was charged for 7 days of UBP despite buying on Day 2. It wasn't clear whether the package would cover drink purchases from Day 1 since I didn't make any drink purchases on Day 1.

 

I talked to the Guest Services/Onboard Credit desk on the ship and the woman there simply insisted that the package wasn't splittable, that purchasing it on the 2nd day didn't matter, and that my PCC was wrong but did nothing more for me other than give me the card for US Guest Relations and pass me off to them. :mad:

[hawkeyetlse]

Just got back from our cruise, and unfortunately you haven't been correct (yet, hopefully that will change).

What I meant was that if you got double-charged for the first day, Guest Services onboard would probably be willing to consider doing something. Your situation was different, and I don't really see them making an exception for you and refunding the first day. I haven't heard of them doing that for anyone.

[bostongal965]

We had ordered a couple drinks before we bought the package later in the afternoon of the first day. We WERE charged for the drinks we had before we bought the package. On the flip side, I didn't ask anyone about removing those charges, either.

 

The package was okay - I doubt I would do it for a seven day cruise (I can't keep up that pace for seven full days, lol :eek:). For a 3 or 4 day cruise I would probably do it again, depending on what my plans for excursions would be. I didn't like having to wear the wrist band (though I understand why they did it).

[bowbiter]

We had ordered a couple drinks before we bought the package later in the afternoon of the first day. We WERE charged for the drinks we had before we bought the package. On the flip side, I didn't ask anyone about removing those charges, either.

 

The package was okay - I doubt I would do it for a seven day cruise (I can't keep up that pace for seven full days, lol :eek:). For a 3 or 4 day cruise I would probably do it again, depending on what my plans for excursions would be. I didn't like having to wear the wrist band (though I understand why they did it).

 

We bought drinks before purchasing the package too. We gave in after spending $50 in a few hours :-p (Mudslides and mixed drinks add up quickly.) those charges did not show up but I did check on it the day after.

 

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