Drink Promotion...Again

[mianmike]

The fixed amount gratuity service fee on a 14 day cruise is $23 a day. That amount would equate to two persons drinking $130 worth of drinks each day, every day of the cruise. At an average price of mixed drinks, that would be about 6 to 7 drinks each, each day. We consume about half that amount. So NCL collects about twice the gratuity amount we would normally pay. Realizing some folks will far, far, far exceed our drinking amount, then your mileage may vary. Even with our amount of drinking, the promotional package is certainly a good deal. However, advertising it as free....it ain't.

 

Agree. It's basically free for the heavy drinker and party animals, but for folks like my wife and me it still may be a good deal if we plan to drink every day, but no where close to free.

 

My problem is with this universal trend to add stealth fees to everything. It's not just the cruise lines, it seems everyone is doing it except a few companies like Southwest airlines. I wish someone would develop a website that would ask you a few questions about your habits and needs and then calculate all the fees and add to the final price quote when you are comparing cruises, hotels or airfares.

[Demonyte]

We consume about half that amount. So NCL collects about twice the gratuity amount we would normally pay.

 

 

With the package you can also collect twice the amount of drinks that you would normally pay - without paying anything extra.

 

Nobody is forcing you to get the package and if you think that the charges attached to it are too much, select a different perk.

[Moby0215]

The fixed amount gratuity service fee on a 14 day cruise is $23 a day. That amount would equate to two persons drinking $130 worth of drinks each day, every day of the cruise. At an average price of mixed drinks, that would be about 6 to 7 drinks each, each day. We consume about half that amount. So NCL collects about twice the gratuity amount we would normally pay. Realizing some folks will far, far, far exceed our drinking amount, then your mileage may vary. Even with our amount of drinking, the promotional package is certainly a good deal. However, advertising it as free....it ain't.

 

 

Whether or not your drinking habits make it worth it to you or anyone else does not change the fact that the package is free! Why is that so hard to understand? Please read my previous post with the comparison to having a coupon at a restaurant.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Moby0215]

Agree. It's basically free for the heavy drinker and party animals, but for folks like my wife and me it still may be a good deal if we plan to drink every day, but no where close to free.

 

 

 

My problem is with this universal trend to add stealth fees to everything. It's not just the cruise lines, it seems everyone is doing it except a few companies like Southwest airlines. I wish someone would develop a website that would ask you a few questions about your habits and needs and then calculate all the fees and add to the final price quote when you are comparing cruises, hotels or airfares.

 

 

It's not a stealth fee. It is the auto gratuity. No ones trying to hide it.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[roger001]

Whether or not your drinking habits make it worth it to you or anyone else does not change the fact that the package is free! Why is that so hard to understand? Please read my previous post with the comparison to having a coupon at a restaurant.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Recon I'm just dumber than dirt, struggling to make it through another day. Don't know how I made it this far.

[cliffd64]

The fixed amount gratuity service fee on a 14 day cruise is $23 a day. That amount would equate to two persons drinking $130 worth of drinks each day, every day of the cruise. At an average price of mixed drinks, that would be about 6 to 7 drinks each, each day. We consume about half that amount. So NCL collects about twice the gratuity amount we would normally pay. Realizing some folks will far, far, far exceed our drinking amount, then your mileage may vary. Even with our amount of drinking, the promotional package is certainly a good deal. However, advertising it as free....it ain't.

 

OK, so let's do your math... lets say you each only drink 3.5 drinks a day at an average price of conservatively 8 dollars, plus gratuity. That equates to 56 a day plus gratuity, or roughly 66 dollars a day, times 14 = 924.00

 

That would be your estimated bar tab. So... even though you have to pay the 322 for the gratuity, you are still getting over 600 dollars as a benefit from this package even with your meager consumption... You'd get more benefit simply by adding a few more drinks that you wouldn't have to worry about. The advertising is correct... you are getting the drinks for free, just not the gratuity or taxes. When they offered this as a promo the first time, those of us who grabbed it were extremely fortunate because they soon realized the mistake and now you have to pay for the gratuities.

[roger001]

OK, so let's do your math... lets say you each only drink 3.5 drinks a day at an average price of conservatively 8 dollars, plus gratuity. That equates to 56 a day plus gratuity, or roughly 66 dollars a day, times 14 = 924.00

 

That would be your estimated bar tab. So... even though you have to pay the 322 for the gratuity, you are still getting over 600 dollars as a benefit from this package even with your meager consumption... You'd get more benefit simply by adding a few more drinks that you wouldn't have to worry about. The advertising is correct... you are getting the drinks for free, just not the gratuity or taxes. When they offered this as a promo the first time, those of us who grabbed it were extremely fortunate because they soon realized the mistake and now you have to pay for the gratuities.

 

 

Hmmmmm....there seems to be some part of my previous post, that part where I say, "I realize it is still a GOOD DEAL" even with our small amount of drinking, that just doesn't come through on everyone's reading of the post....I guess. Hmmmm.

[missintuitive]

Service Charge/Gratuity/Tip...Whatever you want to call it...Needs to be paid whether or not the actual package is free or not. Do you just expect the bartender to work for free??? Whether or not you believe that the money actually goes to the bartenders is irrelevant to the fact that you still need to pay the tip. I don't get how you people cannot see that the package and the gratuities are 2 separate items and the package can be free but the gratuities are not. It boils down to if you don't think it is a good deal to only have to pay the 18% for all you can drink then you would be better suited to pick a different promo.

 

 

Huh? I purchased a cruise earlier this year and the gratuities on the UBP were included. Not only that, the DSC was included for the first two ppl in the room. I don't assume that the bartenders or stewards are not getting paid. It's just that NCL is remitting the fee directly to staff as a part of doing business. Marketing items for free leads to more profit which means that a certain portion of the increased profit can be used for service fees for crew. Simple business. I didn't "pick" a perk for my next sailing. I am sailing in a suite and received all perks...which included all gratuities and fees. As another poster described, it's a good deal but definitely not free.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Moby0215]

Huh? I purchased a cruise earlier this year and the gratuities on the UBP were included. Not only that, the DSC was included for the first two ppl in the room. I don't assume that the bartenders or stewards are not getting paid. It's just that NCL is remitting the fee directly to staff as a part of doing business. Marketing items for free leads to more profit which means that a certain portion of the increased profit can be used for service fees for crew. Simple business. I didn't "pick" a perk for my next sailing. I am sailing in a suite and received all perks...which included all gratuities and fees. As another poster described, it's a good deal but definitely not free.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

There was a promo a while ago that had free UBP and free gratuity but just because they don't offer that anymore does not mean that it is fair to say that they don't offer free UBP. It most certainly is. Suites are different, they get all promos. I can't help it if any of you can't see that the package and the gratuity are two separate items.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[missintuitive]

And I can't help you if you disagree with simple math and business. It was a business decision for NCL to start charging gratuity on the package. They have the option of including it or not. It was truly free when they first started offering the promos and then they phased the free out. Oh well...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Moby0215]

And I can't help you if you disagree with simple math and business. It was a business decision for NCL to start charging gratuity on the package. They have the option of including it or not. It was truly free when they first started offering the promos and then they phased the free out. Oh well...

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Disagree with simple math? Ummm how about No. I am a mathematician. I guarantee you I know exactly how math and business work. They did not "start charging" gratuity on the package. They have always charged the gratuity on the package. There just happened to have been a promo at one point in time where they gave you both as a perk. I will say it one more time and then I am done. If you go to a restaurant with a coupon for a free meal would you not expect to pay a tip? The meal was still free. I understand that you think that just because you are pulling money out of your pocket why you would wrongly think that it wasn't free but I assure you that the line item on the bill will be $0.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[missintuitive]

Well we'll have to disagree amongst mathematicians. For NCL it was a business decision to stop including the gratuities (remember 0*0=0) There is no distinction between how NCL advertised when the package was truly free vs free* free. They did not call the gratuities on the UBP Or UDP a separate perk. If I go to a restaurant with a coupon, I would not expect an auto tip/service charge. Many people would be turned off by a free meal with a service charge. I would tip freely and it wouldn't be mandatory. This works perfectly for me as I am a good tipper anyway.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Moby0215]

Well we'll have to disagree amongst mathematicians. For NCL it was a business decision to stop including the gratuities (remember 0*0=0) There is no distinction between how NCL advertised when the package was truly free vs free* free. They did not call the gratuities on the UBP Or UDP a separate perk. If I go to a restaurant with a coupon, I would not expect an auto tip/service charge. Many people would be turned off by a free meal with a service charge. I would tip freely and it wouldn't be mandatory. This works perfectly for me as I am a good tipper anyway.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

Auto tip or not, it is standard protocol and does not negate the fact that the item was still free. And 18% for some people is actually cheap as many people would normally tip more than that. Which is why I always give extra cash to the bartenders. Your 0*0 metaphor has no merit for the fact that we do not have a number of items times a price of item scenario. What we have is 1 package times $0 = $0 and a completely separate item of $64 times number of days times .18 for gratuity. We obviously disagree and that is fine but it doesn't change that fact that one just need not pick the UBP of one does not want to.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hawkeyetlse]

I'm pretty sure you all agree about the math, which is indeed mind-numbingly simple. But this statement from above shows a somewhat weaker grasp of basic marketing:

I think that saying that customers receive 85% off of the price of the regular drink package is just as effective as claiming that it's free*.

 

The fact that they continued to advertise the UBP as "free" on the front page of the promotion, while changing the fine print, does make this a stealth fee, and they do try to hide it. They're not shouting it from the rooftops, in any case. Which is also basic marketing, after all.

 

The thing is, many of us found out about this stealth fee back in June when the promo was modified, but new people find out about it every day (hence the constant new threads). And reactions vary, but I don't think anyone jumps for joy or even thinks "well, obviously" when they see it for the first time. It's something you only find out in the small print, or when you click through to the end of a mock booking, and it is not a nice surprise. But you can either get over it and try to move on, or let that weird vein in your neck throb harder and harder and :mad::mad::mad:. And this forum is driven by the throbbing :mad:'s, and by those who see a weird vein and can't resist poking it. :D

[Moby0215]

I'm pretty sure you all agree about the math, which is indeed mind-numbingly simple. But this statement from above shows a somewhat weaker grasp of basic marketing:

 

 

The fact that they continued to advertise the UBP as "free" on the front page of the promotion, while changing the fine print, does make this a stealth fee, and they do try to hide it. They're not shouting it from the rooftops, in any case. Which is also basic marketing, after all.

 

The thing is, many of us found out about this stealth fee back in June when the promo was modified, but new people find out about it every day (hence the constant new threads). And reactions vary, but I don't think anyone jumps for joy or even thinks "well, obviously" when they see it for the first time. It's something you only find out in the small print, or when you click through to the end of a mock booking, and it is not a nice surprise. But you can either get over it and try to move on, or let that weird vein in your neck throb harder and harder and :mad::mad::mad:. And this forum is driven by the throbbing :mad:'s, and by those who see a weird vein and can't resist poking it. :D

 

 

Yes, my statement of them not hiding it does come from the fact that it is listed on the screen of a mock booking as a line item, just the same as the port taxes and other fees. But I guess some people would call those hidden fees as well. I guess I am just more of a realist when it comes to how this stuff works.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[missintuitive]

I'm pretty sure you all agree about the math, which is indeed mind-numbingly simple. But this statement from above shows a somewhat weaker grasp of basic marketing:

 

 

The fact that they continued to advertise the UBP as "free" on the front page of the promotion, while changing the fine print, does make this a stealth fee, and they do try to hide it. They're not shouting it from the rooftops, in any case. Which is also basic marketing, after all.

 

The thing is, many of us found out about this stealth fee back in June when the promo was modified, but new people find out about it every day (hence the constant new threads). And reactions vary, but I don't think anyone jumps for joy or even thinks "well, obviously" when they see it for the first time. It's something you only find out in the small print, or when you click through to the end of a mock booking, and it is not a nice surprise. But you can either get over it and try to move on, or let that weird vein in your neck throb harder and harder and :mad::mad::mad:. And this forum is driven by the throbbing :mad:'s, and by those who see a weird vein and can't resist poking it. :D

 

 

I'm generally turned off by hidden fees. period. But on the other hand, at this point, for this cruise, I'm just poking the vein on the board[emoji23][emoji23]. It's really not that serious. All my gratuities and service charges are covered. But, I don't think I would pay the $80 if I had to bc traveling with a non-drinker would make it $160 for me (which isn't free by a long stretch). I have never consumed $160 worth of alcohol on a boat. That's just MY personal experience.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hawkeyetlse]

Yes, my statement of them not hiding it does come from the fact that it is listed on the screen of a mock booking as a line item, just the same as the port taxes and other fees. But I guess some people would call those hidden fees as well. I guess I am just more of a realist when it comes to how this stuff works.

More of a realist, and/or maybe just an American… It is simply illegal to slip in taxes/fees like that in much of the rest of the world. This is why NCL UK and NCL EU only quote tax-inclusive cruise fares. And why the Freestyle Choice UBP/SDP perk in those offices still includes the 18% auto-gratuity. And why Europeans on these boards get so worked up when NCL occasionally charges local VAT on board: you cannot advertise tax-free prices and then add the tax at checkout. But this is like a whole way of life in the US… :D Edited October 20, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

[Moby0215]

More of a realist, and/or maybe just an American… It is simply illegal to slip in taxes/fees like that in much of the rest of the world. This is why NCL UK and NCL EU only quote tax-inclusive cruise fares. And why the Freestyle Choice UBP/SDP perk in those offices still includes the 18% auto-gratuity. And why Europeans on these boards get so worked up when NCL occasionally charges local VAT on board: you cannot advertise tax-free prices and then add the tax at checkout. But this is like a whole way of life in the US… :D

 

 

Yes I am American. Not sure what that has to do with anything the thread is about. That would be why they have separate websites for different regions vs just having one site with multiple languages I suppose. Not sure what the problem is if you are able to book via your own regions site? In the end does your site save you money? Well then it is a win win situation.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[maywell]

More of a realist, and/or maybe just an American… It is simply illegal to slip in taxes/fees like that in much of the rest of the world. This is why NCL UK and NCL EU only quote tax-inclusive cruise fares. And why the Freestyle Choice UBP/SDP perk in those offices still includes the 18% auto-gratuity. And why Europeans on these boards get so worked up when NCL occasionally charges local VAT on board: you cannot advertise tax-free prices and then add the tax at checkout. But this is like a whole way of life in the US… :D

 

Its not slipped in, if its shown before you click "accept" - that's call "pay attention", lol. That how bunch people on both sides of the pond are getting upset - they don't bother seeing the service charge when booking online or over the phone nor the asterisk * that in the promo; especially online where the T&C is all the way at the bottom that contains the amount of service fee charges for X number of nights of the drink and dining promos.

 

Or maybe I've seen too many 'free' with a catch before and just know better. Guess that's what I get for living in NYC since I was a baby, lol.

Edited October 20, 2015 by maywell

[DMH15]

You are wrong in your rationale. It is absolutely free. Similar to if you had a coupon for a free meal from a restaurant. You go to said restaurant, sit down, are waited on, check comes, price is zero, but you still have to tip your waitress. Same concept here.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

 

 

Ding ding ding give the poster a prize. They are correct.

 

I was told by a very reliable source that when the package was first offered you did not have to pay a service charge and people were not tipping. So guess what? NCL decided to charge it up front. Wonder why?

[maywell]

Ding ding ding give the poster a prize. They are correct.

 

I was told by a very reliable source that when the package was first offered you did not have to pay a service charge and people were not tipping. So guess what? NCL decided to charge it up front. Wonder why?

 

1) to make sure their bartenders are getting 'paid' and 2) can't really stated it because it will blow up the thread for telling the plain Un-PC truth as it is....The nicest way I can say it is - its weeds alot people out that don't want to pay upfront, while keeping others that don't mind at all.

Edited October 20, 2015 by maywell

[DMH15]

1) to make sure their bartenders are getting 'paid' and 2) can't really stated it because it will blow up the thread for telling the plain Un-PC truth as it is....The nicest way I can say it is - its weeds alot people out that don't want to pay upfront, while keeping others that don't mind at all.

 

 

Wonder why? Was rhetorical. Of course I know. I would never complain about it. Or DSC.

[LrgPizza]

I think they should go back to old promos where you might get $25pp if you were lucky and timed it right. Then all the bitching about how the current promos aren't good enough would end. The sense of entitlement is astounding.

 

I hear all the time that the promo isn't as good as it used to be. Well, it's better than nothing. There's no rule that says the promos always have to get better or even stay the same.

[hawkeyetlse]

I was told by a very reliable source that when the package was first offered you did not have to pay a service charge and people were not tipping.

When the UBP perk was first offered, NCL said they were paying the tips for you, 15% according to the promo terms at the time, so it is unsurprising and wholly unobjectionable if people weren't tipping on top of that. It's like the restaurant coupon scenario, only this time the coupon says "redeemable for a free meal plus a standard tip for your server". You are certainly free to tip more, but it's totally OK not to double tip. Maybe your reliable source can tell us if NCL is actually paying the tips for the hundreds of thousands of free UBPs booked between December and June, for cruises through 2017.

 

They have also offered free DSC as a booking perk a couple of times this year. I understand that to mean that NCL pays the corresponding amount into the DSC fund on behalf of passengers 1 & 2. Do they actually? Who knows. But if someone chooses this perk, and is told that their DSC is covered, it's perfectly fine if, once on board, they give their cabin steward $0, and every restaurant server $0, and all the crucial behind-the-scenes team members that the never see $0…

 

To get back to the UBP, the current terms now say that you have to pay the 18% yourself, and that's fine, too. Ever since June, someone else has discovered this every few days and gotten upset about it and needed to post it here, but the terms are the terms. Take it or leave it. Why did the terms change in June? Ask NCL, but to me it's clear it was simply to save money on the promo going forward. It is certainly unfair to blame it on the early 2015 passengers for not stepping up to the plate and double-tipping!

Edited October 20, 2015 by hawkeyetlse

[maywell]

Wonder why? Was rhetorical. Of course I know. I would never complain about it. Or DSC.

 

Considering that some people actually whined about free DSC as a promo - feels pretty dumb to complain about it in hindsight with the 'free' drink promo currently going on. Especially regarding that, not using the specialty dining promo, not going to use the shore excursion credit, free wifi minutes and the new refund policy - bet, some people would love to have that DSC paid free of charge now, lol. Just saying....