Service fee, delivery fee or gratuity for liquor delivered?

[Tennessee Rose]

On ‎7‎/‎8‎/‎2019 at 10:55 PM, Organized Chaos said:

 

There's also a deliver fee (18% for each item) charged for items delivered from the onboard Fun Shops.

 

YES! Last cruise, my roomie had pre-ordered a couple of bottles of rum and some sodas to be delivered from the Fun Shops to our cabin upon arrival. There was a $30 delivery charge we didn't have a clue about, or would not have bought it. Won't ever do that again.

[Organized Chaos]

6 hours ago, Tennessee Rose said:

YES! Last cruise, my roomie had pre-ordered a couple of bottles of rum and some sodas to be delivered from the Fun Shops to our cabin upon arrival. There was a $30 delivery charge we didn't have a clue about, or would not have bought it. Won't ever do that again.

 

It's something they just started in the last few months or so. What I don't like about it is that it's 18% of EACH item, even if multiple items are delivered at the same time. Just my opinion, but if they're delivering, let's say, two things at once, I think we should only have to pay one delivery fee.

[BlerkOne]

On 7/9/2019 at 7:55 AM, Chervil said:

And why would you expect a break just because you don't live here?
I don't know of anywhere in the country that gives you a free pass on stuff just because you're not from there.

As far as having to pay a couple of bucks for a bottle of liquor, if that is such a huge, draconian deal for you then don't sail from Texas. Simple.

 

While many states like to put a tax burden or tourists, Texas goes an extra mile with cruisers. I don't know of any other state that does that.

 

I don't need alcohol to have a good time, so rarely purchase in the first place, and certainly not if cruising from Texas. Simple! But as this is Cruise Critic, and the absurd law is specifically to stick it to cruisers, it is certainly fair game.

[BlerkOne]

On 7/9/2019 at 6:35 PM, coevan said:

I think Draconian is the wrong word, antiquated would be more appropriate. Like Colorado's Blue Laws

 

Perhaps, except the liquor tax is relatively new. It is not like the good old days where you had to pay for membership in a "club" to BYOB to a Texas restaurant. I think those days are long gone.

[BlerkOne]

On 7/9/2019 at 8:32 PM, MICMAN said:

 So, will Carnival charge me 18% gratuity for a bottle of liquor I purchase in their fun shop onboard and will they charge me a delivery fee to bring it to my cabin on the last night of my cruise? And what about the liquor that I purchased in a port and Carnival holds for safe keeping?

 

 

No. No duty, or tax, or delivery fee.

 

If you order the same through room service, for consumption in your cabin during the cruise, the price of the liquor will be the same as if you pre-ordered before the cruise. Room service will add an 18% service charge, which is the same amount as the 18% delivery fee if ordered pre-cruise. The only difference is you might be charged local tax if you pre-ordered.

[BlerkOne]

On 7/9/2019 at 6:40 PM, Amadawn1 said:

We are sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale in Sept. and Galveston in Dec.  I purchased the exact same two bottles of liquor and a 12 pack of waters for our stateroom for both sailings.  You can't get the bottles delivered until the second day out of Galveston.  We were charged $32.31 (18% service chg/gratuity) for each order.  However, we were charged $12.25 TAX out of Ft. Lauderdale and zero tax out of Galveston.  So I figure I can use that saved tax to apply to drinks purchased the first night of the cruise, when the individual drinks are still taxed before reaching international waters.  Win win.

 

You can select delivery day and time when you order. If you had selected to have the liquor delivered after the ship had left port in Ft Lauderdale (perhaps even the first night - not an option in Galveston), you should not have been charged the $12.25 tax, so the price would be the same as Galveston, and the bottle might still be in your cabin at embarkation. I think that is a bigger Win!

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

It's something they just started in the last few months or so. What I don't like about it is that it's 18% of EACH item, even if multiple items are delivered at the same time. Just my opinion, but if they're delivering, let's say, two things at once, I think we should only have to pay one delivery fee.

 

The net result is ordering liquor online or after your board through room service costs you the same. It might stll be cheaper to order on the ship, if local taxes are collected on advance orders. One exception are the 6 packs of soda, which has a special price online that room service doesn't match.

[Chervil]

8 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

 

While many states like to put a tax burden or tourists, Texas goes an extra mile with cruisers. I don't know of any other state that does that.

 

I don't need alcohol to have a good time, so rarely purchase in the first place, and certainly not if cruising from Texas. Simple! But as this is Cruise Critic, and the absurd law is specifically to stick it to cruisers, it is certainly fair game.

The "absurd" law applies to anyone coming through customs, which includes international flights where your final destination is Texas, so no, despite your insistence that the state is somehow out to "specifically stick it to cruisers", you're wrong.

And since it only applies to ALL alcohol brought into the country, then as you said it only affects you if you bring something back.
Period.
If they were looking to "stick it to cruisers" I'm sure they are smart and creative enough to find a way to craft a law to make sure all cruisers were affected. Not just a small minority.

If you "rarely purchase in the first place", then why are you so upset with this particular law that costs literally a few bucks (compared to the cruise you spent hundreds on)?

 

8 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

 

Perhaps, except the liquor tax is relatively new. It is not like the good old days where you had to pay for membership in a "club" to BYOB to a Texas restaurant. I think those days are long gone.

"Relatively new" in the sense that they started taxing liquor in 1935, when the TABC was formed (formerly known as the TLCB).
Since then Texas has always had a tax on liqour.

As far as the "club memberships" for BYOB, there are still 13 completely dry counties in Texas where you could possibly find such a place. However they are getting few and far between.

[BlerkOne]

52 minutes ago, Chervil said:

 

 

"Relatively new" in the sense that they started taxing liquor in 1935, when the TABC was formed (formerly known as the TLCB).
Since then Texas has always had a tax on liqour.
 

 

I'm pretty sure that Texas has not been sticking it to cruisers since 1935, as I have cruised from Galveston both before and after Texas started collecting liquor taxes at the cruise port. Looks like that was Jan 2014.

 

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2014/09/articles/taxes/its-always-bigger-in-texas-cruise-passengers-taxed-on-cruise-booze/

[Chervil]

1 hour ago, BlerkOne said:

 

I'm pretty sure that Texas has not been sticking it to cruisers since 1935, as I have cruised from Galveston both before and after Texas started collecting liquor taxes at the cruise port. Looks like that was Jan 2014.

 

https://www.cruiselawnews.com/2014/09/articles/taxes/its-always-bigger-in-texas-cruise-passengers-taxed-on-cruise-booze/

Ah! My Mistake!
I know they have been collecting taxes on liquor since 1935.
I had looked for that information on when they starting taxing liquor on cruises on the TACB website but didn't find it.
 

"Sticking it to cruisers".
That's cute.
Boy that couple of bucks really gets under your skin doesn't it?

[Organized Chaos]

13 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

 

The net result is ordering liquor online or after your board through room service costs you the same. It might stll be cheaper to order on the ship, if local taxes are collected on advance orders. One exception are the 6 packs of soda, which has a special price online that room service doesn't match.

 

The net result, as you put it, might be the same now, but it wasn't the same before Carnival's recent implementation of the 18% per item delivery fee on pre-purchased items.

 

1 hour ago, Chervil said:

"Sticking it to cruisers".
That's cute.
Boy that couple of bucks really gets under your skin doesn't it?

 

If paying a few bucks to bring liquor into the state of Texas is the only complaint someone can muster up, I'd say you're doing pretty good, especially considering the tax reaming some states do to their residents (I know this from experience).

[BlerkOne]

3 hours ago, Chervil said:

"Sticking it to cruisers".
That's cute.
Boy that couple of bucks really gets under your skin doesn't it?

 

As mentioned, it really has no impact on me. I guess if you criticize Carnival OR Texas, people jump all over you. Such thin skin some have.

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

The net result, as you put it, might be the same now, but it wasn't the same before Carnival's recent implementation of the 18% per item delivery fee on pre-purchased items.

 

 

 

The fact is, and may still be true, you could order from the online Fun Shops to be delivered to your stateroom, from your stateroom after the cruise had begun. It was a way cruisers could stick it to Carnival and bypass the service charge room service would add to orders.

 

The 18% matches the onboard gratuity of 18%. Before that, it was 15%. Carnival has been charging a delivery fee for a while.

[Amadawn1]

16 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

 

You can select delivery day and time when you order. If you had selected to have the liquor delivered after the ship had left port in Ft Lauderdale (perhaps even the first night - not an option in Galveston), you should not have been charged the $12.25 tax, so the price would be the same as Galveston, and the bottle might still be in your cabin at embarkation. I think that is a bigger Win!

Thank you for that excellent info!  I will definitely try that on our next sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale.

[BlerkOne]

53 minutes ago, Amadawn1 said:

Thank you for that excellent info!  I will definitely try that on our next sailing out of Ft. Lauderdale.

You're welcome. Just play around with the delivery date and time until you find the best match for you, before actually placing the order.

[Chervil]

5 hours ago, BlerkOne said:

 

As mentioned, it really has no impact on me. I guess if you criticize Carnival OR Texas, people jump all over you. Such thin skin some have.

Not at all!

It's when people become overly dramatic about trivial matters that you can't help but call them out on it.
"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!"

I find it hilarious, that's all!

[Chervil]

7 hours ago, Organized Chaos said:

 

The net result, as you put it, might be the same now, but it wasn't the same before Carnival's recent implementation of the 18% per item delivery fee on pre-purchased items.

 

 

If paying a few bucks to bring liquor into the state of Texas is the only complaint someone can muster up, I'd say you're doing pretty good, especially considering the tax reaming some states do to their residents (I know this from experience).

True that!

Also, I had nearly talked myself into ordering a bottle of liquor before our last cruise, but when I saw the 18% and then a delivery fee, I noped right away from it.
While we do drink, it is only one or two a day.
And since 3 of those days are port days, we can just drink on land (and pick up a few bottles to pay tax on when we get home!)
 

[BlerkOne]

1 hour ago, Chervil said:

Not at all!

It's when people become overly dramatic about trivial matters that you can't help but call them out on it.
"Help! Help! I'm being repressed!"

I find it hilarious, that's all!

 

You're entitled to your spin.

[moondog73]

In April we did not fill out a customs card.  We were told it is all verbal now.  The agent merely asked if we had any apples, oranges or bananas from the ship.  Of course we said "No".  They didn't ask if I had 13 bottles of rum.   I would have answered "Yes".