The Price of "Free"

[Dany6]

Personally I was happy to pay the $128 gratuity on the beverage package for 2 people on our 4 day cruise.... If we had to pay for the package itself, it would've cost us $840!!! And on other cruise lines has cost us around $500.

Edited January 29, 2018 by Dany6

[sfaaa]

It is only deceptive if you don't bother to read the fine print and check the I Agree button or box with your eyes closed. So who's to blame? I seriously doubt NCL will miss you for walking out.

[maggie cruises]

The drink package is free: not costing or charging anything. The tips are not free and the bar tips have never been included in the daily service charge. Pretty easy concept and nothing to decipher that I can tell.

 

 

 

Yes you are correct but where does it say anywhere in this wide world that you must ever tip? You will not go to jail if you don't tip a land based waiter or bartender will you? Do they garnish your paycheck if you choose not to tip? Nope.

 

Do restaurants and bars have signs saying you are required to tip? Nope at least not if you are a group of less than 6 people

 

Let's say you order a drink at a bar...on land...is there a law a rule a requirement to tip? Nope

 

But with the "free" ncl drink package you are required to tip and can't remove it can you? Yup

 

So since ncl mandates you must tip the drink package is in fact not free..really no way to argue this point is there? If there is an argument I'd like to hear it but please no hard working bartender sob stories about them not being part of the dsc. The only way the drink package is free is if ncl does not force you to tip but rather left it up to the individual pax. But it does force you so therefore not free. Key words are..force and mandates btw

 

Honest advertising would go something like this....

 

All you can drink on ncl for just the price of what you would pay in tips....but I'm in lala land I know. Lol

 

 

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[smplybcause]

It states right in the advertising the rules of the free perks. And every other major cruise line that I know has the mandatory tip on drink, spa, and specialty restaurants.

 

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[fshagan]

I just booked with NCL. If you are new to cruising, or even if you aren't, you might want to know that all the "Free at Sea" options are not actually free. On a one week cruise we were asked to pay $155 per person in service charges if we chose the beverage package. This, they said, was to cover "tips", but was in addition to the traditional service charge that is added every day. We sailed with Norwegian a couple of years ago and got the beverage package,which was at that time actually free. I do not like their deceptive marketing and very nearly walked out on the travel agent when I heard about it. :mad:

 

All cruise lines have "gotchas" if you aren't aware of their policies. NCL has a few of these, and this is one that they can get away with in the US and Canada. In some other countries they cannot use the word "free" if they are going to assess any kind of fee or gratuity on the retail price of the thing being given (the UK has a law against this, for instance).

 

People who are used to this will say it's a pretty good discount on the package ... 80% off the non-tipped price... so it's worth it to them. They will defend NCL, even though it is a piece of slick marketing, with the idea that it's still a good deal. For someone who has more than 3 or 4 drinks a day it is a good deal.

 

NCL does make it clear you are paying the gratuity when you are making the booking online. It's pretty hard to miss because it's recapped on the right side of the screen.

 

If you were sitting across from a TA they should have advised you up front .... "You can choose 2 of these free offers with your booking, but two of them, the dining plan and beverage plan, do charge you the gratuity cost". If the TA didn't do that, don't go back. They are paid to know that. You can then easily choose one of the other promos that won't cost you anything. Or opt for the no promo, NCL Sailaway price if available on your cruise.

 

We don't drink enough to make the 80% discount on the package worthwhile, as we may have a drink a day. So we never take that one. But we will take the dining plan because I think it's something like $16 for three meals.

 

I don't think any other cruise line has a promo like this and then charges the gratuity that would go with it if you paid for it. At least not yet. Celebrity does increase the fare price for each promo, so you pay for it in the fare. That may be more transparent as it's part of their pricing, laid out side by side, as "Go", "Go Better" and "Go Best" or something like that.

[CruiseGal999]

I just booked with NCL. If you are new to cruising, or even if you aren't, you might want to know that all the "Free at Sea" options are not actually free. On a one week cruise we were asked to pay $155 per person in service charges if we chose the beverage package. This, they said, was to cover "tips", but was in addition to the traditional service charge that is added every day. We sailed with Norwegian a couple of years ago and got the beverage package,which was at that time actually free. I do not like their deceptive marketing and very nearly walked out on the travel agent when I heard about it. :mad:

 

You know that your daily service charges/tips/gratuities/etc. do not go to bar tenders. If you do NOT have the bev. pkg., then you would pay for the drink AND tip on the drink. Right? So, what's the difference? And why the whining?

[CruiseGal999]

You didn't have to tip in the restaurant. The cruise was not free. You don't book a hotel and get an extra bill for tourism tax, that is supposed to be in the bill. The same for port fees, why should a customer even know they exists? That's like a cabdriver charging extra because he parked in an expensive parking lot. You are all experienced cruisers, but most people I know are not. To them, all these extra bills would certainly be a surprise.

 

It IS a separate line item ON the hotel bill ... there is usually state, city and hospitality taxes listed.

[DMH15]

I used a free meal voucher at a restaurant last week that I received for a prior service delay. I was still responsible for the tip.

 

So....my meal was free anyway you look at it.

 

I have also won a free cruise in the past. I still paid taxes and port fees.

 

My cruise was still free.

 

 

 

Remember Oprah and her "you get a car, you get a car"...

 

 

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[jeffregpuck]

I both agree and disagree regarding this post. The UBP "perk" is not truly free because you have to pay for the gratuities, and according to these boards, if you want good bar service, you still need to tip the servers and/or bartenders an extra $1-2 per drink.

 

I've been sailing for years with NCL, since before this perk was common (they've been running this promotion pretty much non-stop for at least 3-4 years). When I sailed in 2015 to Alaska, this was truly "free" as the gratuities were paid by the cruise line. We didn't pay "extra" for the gratuities, as they were paid by the cruiseline. The next cruise was to New England and we paid for gratuities up front when we booked the cruise, and at that time I believe the Per Day UBP was $59 per day, so our gratuities were about $75 per person. Still acceptable to me because I will drink that much easily.

 

We are currently booked to Alaska for 2018, and we must have booked when the UBP was $79 per day, before the UBP went to $89 per day, so our gratuities are $99 for the 7 nights. Starting to push it, but still acceptable. In these few years, we have seen the daily charge go from $59 per day to $89 per day (A fee I would NEVER pay because I would never drink that much)...and the price per drink go from an average of $9.00 a drink to about $15 per drink, so yes I think that the line is inflating this per day and per day drink fee (compared to other lines) in order to collect more gratuities.

 

I guess my point is...the UBP gratuities are still worth it because we can drink about $100 each a week worth of drinks, so it is still a deal. And we can order without worrying about the cost. However, if I were paying for drinks (like I recently did on a Disney Cruise) we would only drink 1-2 drinks a day each, because I refuse to spend that much money on alcohol.

 

It's all relative, and it's about choices, and about what is the best deal for you and your family.

 

The only truly "free" perks are the shore excursion credits, internet package, and (when offered) the Daily Service Charge coverage.

[rmurray847]

For someone who has more than 3 or 4 drinks a day it is a good deal.

 

.

Actually, it's a pretty good deal if you have 2 drinks a day (easy to do). A drink will usually run AT LEAST $10 (beer and a few wines might by $8 or $9). At $10 per, plus $2 for auto gratuity...you'll be $24 for two drinks. The package is $17.60 per day. Yes, it's always a bitter pill to swallow at first (we're about to do a 12 day Transatlantic, so the "free" beverage package for two folks really ads up!) because you're paying it all at once. But when I walk off the ship with only a small invoice, because my drinks were pre-paid...that's an okay feeling too!

[adam_s_allen]

You know that your daily service charges/tips/gratuities/etc. do not go to bar tenders. If you do NOT have the bev. pkg., then you would pay for the drink AND tip on the drink. Right? So, what's the difference? And why the whining?

 

I think the difference is most people would maybe tip $1 per drink which seems like the norm (although for just a beer that seems high) but am I going to drink 120 drinks on a cruise?

[CruiseGal999]

Remember Oprah and her "you get a car, you get a car"...

 

 

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:'):') Perfect analogy ....

[CruiseGal999]

I think the difference is most people would maybe tip $1 per drink which seems like the norm (although for just a beer that seems high) but am I going to drink 120 drinks on a cruise?

 

What does 120 drinks have to do with a free bev. package? And again, if you, the cruiser do NOT have the free drink pkg. the cruise ship automatically adds tip to each drink. Tipping is NOT in your, the cruiser's hands. Unless you remove ALL daily gratuities/DSC/ tips/whatever each line calls it. Then tipping is in your control.

[maggie cruises]

I both agree and disagree regarding this post. The UBP "perk" is not truly free because you have to pay for the gratuities, and according to these boards, if you want good bar service, you still need to tip the servers and/or bartenders an extra $1-2 per drink.

 

 

 

I've been sailing for years with NCL, since before this perk was common (they've been running this promotion pretty much non-stop for at least 3-4 years). When I sailed in 2015 to Alaska, this was truly "free" as the gratuities were paid by the cruise line. We didn't pay "extra" for the gratuities, as they were paid by the cruiseline. The next cruise was to New England and we paid for gratuities up front when we booked the cruise, and at that time I believe the Per Day UBP was $59 per day, so our gratuities were about $75 per person. Still acceptable to me because I will drink that much easily.

 

 

 

We are currently booked to Alaska for 2018, and we must have booked when the UBP was $79 per day, before the UBP went to $89 per day, so our gratuities are $99 for the 7 nights. Starting to push it, but still acceptable. In these few years, we have seen the daily charge go from $59 per day to $89 per day (A fee I would NEVER pay because I would never drink that much)...and the price per drink go from an average of $9.00 a drink to about $15 per drink, so yes I think that the line is inflating this per day and per day drink fee (compared to other lines) in order to collect more gratuities.

 

 

 

I guess my point is...the UBP gratuities are still worth it because we can drink about $100 each a week worth of drinks, so it is still a deal. And we can order without worrying about the cost. However, if I were paying for drinks (like I recently did on a Disney Cruise) we would only drink 1-2 drinks a day each, because I refuse to spend that much money on alcohol.

 

 

 

It's all relative, and it's about choices, and about what is the best deal for you and your family.

 

 

 

The only truly "free" perks are the shore excursion credits, internet package, and (when offered) the Daily Service Charge coverage.

 

 

 

Nah the shore excursion credits are a rip off as well for several reasons...

 

1. It forces you to take excursions you may not usually take nor want to take

 

2. Which means you more than likely bring your entire family with you and need to pay for them

 

 

This is brilliant for the cruise line because by throwing you a $50 bone they have made probably $150 in profit on a family of 4

 

That is the real beauty of the shore excursion credit to ncl

 

I'm a long time cruiser with a head for numbers and a photographic memory and guess what? In short order ncl raised the prices of their excursions significantly when they started with the free shore excursion deal. This I know as I was following shore excursion prices on ncl

 

My guess is that this perk is worth a mere $20 per port and nowhere near $50

 

So perhaps a $60 or $80 benefit for a 3/4 port typical cruise

 

But let's not forget how much out of pocket it's costing the cruiser in excursion bookings to get this "benefit"

 

lol I always take the free wifi perk

 

 

 

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[AmazedByCruising]

It IS a separate line item ON the hotel bill ... there is usually state, city and hospitality taxes listed.

 

It seems that was a really bad example. :confused:

 

Our (Dutch) Advertisment Board or whatever it's called in English says "Free must literally mean free", except for the fact that you may have to pay postage to claim it, a phonecall, similar costs. Handling fee is not allowed. I thought such rules were pretty normal around the world, and I especially was expecting US laws to be even more strict.

[smplybcause]

What does 120 drinks have to do with a free bev. package? And again, if you, the cruiser do NOT have the free drink pkg. the cruise ship automatically adds tip to each drink. Tipping is NOT in your, the cruiser's hands. Unless you remove ALL daily gratuities/DSC/ tips/whatever each line calls it. Then tipping is in your control.

They're trying to say that because they would normally tip $1 a drink they'd have you drink 120 drinks to break even on the gratuities. I'm assuming they're trying to use it to protest the gratuity amount by forgetting the cost of those drinks they'd tip one buck for. But, like you said it's also false in that with the auto grat on drinks they'd be paying $2-3 of gratuity if they bought the drink outside of a package. Which makes their weird not really true breakeven point more like 40 drinks.

 

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[mugtech]

Nah the shore excursion credits are a rip off as well for several reasons...

 

1. It forces you to take excursions you may not usually take nor want to take

 

2. Which means you more than likely bring your entire family with you and need to pay for them

 

 

This is brilliant for the cruise line because by throwing you a $50 bone they have made probably $150 in profit on a family of 4

 

That is the real beauty of the shore excursion credit to ncl

 

I'm a long time cruiser with a head for numbers and a photographic memory and guess what? In short order ncl raised the prices of their excursions significantly when they started with the free shore excursion deal. This I know as I was following shore excursion prices on ncl

 

My guess is that this perk is worth a mere $20 per port and nowhere near $50

 

So perhaps a $60 or $80 benefit for a 3/4 port typical cruise

 

But let's not forget how much out of pocket it's costing the cruiser in excursion bookings to get this "benefit"

 

lol I always take the free wifi perk

 

 

 

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Or you could do the excursions on your own, not required to book through NCL.

[mugtech]

Nothing deceptive at all. You should always fully understand the cost of what you are booking. I think that your TA did an excellent job at advising you of the cost. The way the promotion works is clearly documented on the NCL web site.

 

When you booked your cruise, you also are agreeing to pay the Daily Service Charge on top of the cruise price. Again, you need to understand what is involved with your purchase.

 

When you book an airline ticket, you will be charged for checked luggage (most of the time). Again, you need to understand what is involved with your purchase.

Gotta agree with Tom Waits on this one "The large print giveth and the small print taketh away." Many are concerned that life isn't fair. Perhaps I should start a thread on why do people have to pay port fees if they don't get off the ship, especially in tender ports?

[sandyh85]

I don't mean to be rude, but what was the purpose of this post?

 

You say it is for new NCL cruisers, but this has been beaten to death here many times, hence why a very basic search (or even a cursory scan of the first few pages) would reveal a dozen other threads exactly like this.

 

If you think new cruisers would benefit from this, why didn't you search it first like you believe they would?

 

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[xriva]

It seems that was a really bad example. :confused:

 

 

 

Our (Dutch) Advertisment Board or whatever it's called in English says "Free must literally mean free", except for the fact that you may have to pay postage to claim it, a phonecall, similar costs. Handling fee is not allowed. I thought such rules were pretty normal around the world, and I especially was expecting US laws to be even more strict.

 

 

If you have to pay postage, it wasn’t free - it’s a matter of degrees.

 

With hotels, you may also have “resort fees” - I’ve been amazed to find some crappy hotels were actually resorts!

 

That said, the gratuities on the various packages are at least charges for items you have chosen to use. Resort fees are for weight rooms, swimming pools, saunas and other items I will never use, especially on an overnight stay.

 

Also, I think people in the US are used to posted prices not being the final price because of our sales tax. With VAT in other countries, something that is ten euro is ten euro. (The first time I bought a CD in London, I was very confused to get a ten pound note back from a twenty. I would have handed the clerk a ten, but assumed that wasn’t enough.) Almost everywhere in the US, something that is ten dollars is slightly more than ten dollars.

 

I do think it’s slightly misleading to say “free” and then charge a service fee, especially since the fee is based on a random daily number that can be raised at any time that very few people actually pay.

 

I’m happy for the people who can pay less than twenty dollars a day for a package that has a list price of ninety, but the UBP makes no financial sense for me. I don’t even drink enough to cover the gratuities. So, we do dining or WiFi.

 

 

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[txagfan]

I know we’re five pages in, but thank you OP for this insightful post. [emoji52]

 

 

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[2hearted]

Remember also that most sailing have a guaranteed cabin or sail away price, which is usually about $100 less per person in each category. So, now your free drinks are about $250 per person. Still a good deal, but not as good as they make most people believe.

 

 

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[fshagan]

It seems that was a really bad example. :confused:

 

Our (Dutch) Advertisment Board or whatever it's called in English says "Free must literally mean free", except for the fact that you may have to pay postage to claim it, a phonecall, similar costs. Handling fee is not allowed. I thought such rules were pretty normal around the world, and I especially was expecting US laws to be even more strict.

 

Do you book NCL through Germany or the UK? I think those are the two sales offices in the EU (well, "the EU and maybe the UK"). American consumer protections are below that of the EU and UK generally, and we regularly see stores with "going out of business" sales that go on for years, "Free*" with an asterik, etc. It's why we are cynical about claims. I have heard the UK also prohibits NCL from charging a gratuity on the free promos, and that's probably one reason they went with the all-inclusive fares they now have from that office.

[ray98]

Remember also that most sailing have a guaranteed cabin or sail away price, which is usually about $100 less per person in each category. So, now your free drinks are about $250 per person. Still a good deal, but not as good as they make most people believe.

 

 

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How so? Every line charges more to pick a cabin vs a GTY assignment. NCL is no different.

[azgkrudi]

I saw this "free" thing about a year ago and I started to book a cruise on NCL's website thinking, "Great! Freebies!" Then I got to the end of the booking and saw the "Choice Promo Service Package" was added at around $300. Then you still have to pay the service charge that every guest pays. So I posted on it here basically saying "What's going on here? It's not free". And of course I got flamed by all the NCL board "experts". Shame on me...I was used to sailing on Regent and Silversea, and when they say it's free, it's free - or I should say, included in the cruise fare that's published. No extra added charges at the time of booking. I wish NCL would follow suit.