Why am I being charged for Free at Sea Gratuities

[Sailing12Away]

On 3/4/2019 at 8:34 PM, Outerdog said:

 

Give me a break. 

 

Once upon a time, most of these perks were free as in free. There was no extra cost associated with them beyond what was probably built into the fare.  Now there is extra cost associated. 

 

A $300 NCL tax does not a free perk make.

It's still a better deal than what I recently paid on RCC for their drink package.

[ged1967]

On 11/5/2021 at 11:19 PM, KeithJenner said:

We may not get charged gratuities on the free at sea offers but we do have to pay extra to get them, at an amount which is very similar, so there is little difference really.

 

In fact, our way is worse if you would, for example, like the dining package but don’t drink as you pay the same amount regardless of whether you take the drink package.

Of course there is a difference. 
 

if we in the U.K. get a free at sea deal at no charge. We pay nothing for it. 
However in the US if they get a free at sea deal with no charge they pay gratuities. 
 

obviously the final price paid will fluctuate with any free offers. Do bigger discounts really make the total cruise price cheaper? If the drinks package is free does this make the total cruise price more expensive? 
 

I look at the total cruise price & what’s included on the NCL website I then shop around and get like for like prices. If I get a good price then I book. 

 

[KeithJenner]

1 minute ago, ged1967 said:

Of course there is a difference. 
 

if we in the U.K. get a free at sea deal at no charge. We pay nothing for it. 
However in the US if they get a free at sea deal with no charge they pay gratuities. 
 

obviously the final price paid will fluctuate with any free offers. Do bigger discounts really make the total cruise price cheaper? If the drinks package is free does this make the total cruise price more expensive? 
 

I look at the total cruise price & what’s included on the NCL website I then shop around and get like for like prices. If I get a good price then I book. 

 

But we in the UK don't get a free at sea deal at no charge. We do pay something for it. In order to get the deal we need to pay an upgrade fee (£99 per person on a 7 day cruise).

 

We may not have to pay the gratuity, but neither do customers in the US have to pay the upgrade fee. There is not much difference.

 

The biggest difference, as I said, is that we have to pay the £99 to get the other offers even if we don't want the beverage package, which means that it really isn't a great deal if you just want the dining or one of the other offers,. In the US you can decline the beverage package, not pay those gratuities and still get the other offers.

[FitchburgWIFamily]

Sorry...typed up what I thought was a really good question...

 

Which I then figured out the answer to all by myself...because Math.

 

Now I can't delete my really good question.

 

So I am just editing it to be an admission that I asked before I did the math.  Sorry.

 

 

Edited August 8, 2022 by FitchburgWIFamily

[ChiefMateJRK]

(deleted - old thread)

Edited August 8, 2022 by ChiefMateJRK

[casofilia]

In New Zealand the Gratuities are actually built into the cruise fare.   If you remove either the dining or beverage package there is no decrease in fare.