refund on gratuity on drink beverage

[DoctorBee]

Hi, We booked a New England cruise with NCL in May 2020, It came with a premium drink package and all other free at sea package.  I tried so many times to refuse the drink package because we don't drink but all the cruise next adviser could tell me was, I can't change the system, and if she removes the drink package, all others get removed as well.   Now the drink package, although free, comes with a $238 gratuity.  Tried haggling for the unlimited wifi instead but to no avail.  We REALLY don't drink.  What we plan on doing is really not to consume and drinks on this package and refund the gratuity towards the end of the cruise.(Everytime you consume anything gets swiped on the card anyway, right?)  Is this possible and has this been done before? How do I refund this?  Thank you for any inputs you may have.

[erdoran]

you can absolutely refuse the drink package.  If you get on the ship afaik you are stuck.  Call back and if you get the same nonsense ask for a supervisor and say you want to decline the drink package and you want the $238 credited back.  

[paul929207]

Since the package is included at no charge to you, if you manage to get rid of it, you will not get anything back for the gratuities. 

[Nebr.cruiser]

We like NCL, especially their newer ships, but it is very frustrating to not be able to take advantage of the 4 for free offers since we don't really drink either.  I am not paying all the extra gratuity for what would probably be no more than a few soft drinks and waters (if water is even included.)  Normally neither one of us even drink pop, so it would be water and maybe some coffee (if included) for me.

 

I wish there was some alternative, like free stateroom gratuities, but obviously they make more money by doing it this way.  I don't mind the quite small extra tips for the dining package as we actually use and enjoy that.

[LHT28]

ask on the NCL  forum

you may get a more informed  answer  it has probably been discussed before

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/64-norwegian-cruise-line/

[njhorseman]

6 hours ago, DoctorBee said:

Hi, We booked a New England cruise with NCL in May 2020, It came with a premium drink package and all other free at sea package.  I tried so many times to refuse the drink package because we don't drink but all the cruise next adviser could tell me was, I can't change the system, and if she removes the drink package, all others get removed as well.   Now the drink package, although free, comes with a $238 gratuity.  Tried haggling for the unlimited wifi instead but to no avail.  We REALLY don't drink.  What we plan on doing is really not to consume and drinks on this package and refund the gratuity towards the end of the cruise.(Everytime you consume anything gets swiped on the card anyway, right?)  Is this possible and has this been done before? How do I refund this?  Thank you for any inputs you may have.

 

 

We are frequent cruisers on NCL and drink very little so the cost of gratuities is more than we would spend on beverages. As a result we always reject the drink package, but we keep whatever other "Free At Sea" perks we're entitled to. The way that works depends on the type of cabin you have.  Under the current rules of the program if you're in a suite or the Haven you can reject the drink package and keep all the other perks. If you're in a balcony or mini suite you have the choice of "take all perks" or if you reject the drink package you then can have only two of the three remaining perks of WiFi, shore excursion credit or dining package. An  ocean view is only gets a maximum of two perks, an inside cabin or studio one,  so you never would have been offered the "take all" .

 

Note: I see you reside in Asia. Sometimes the rules for these promotions can vary depending on your country of residence. What I've stated above is hoe the program works for the US and Canada . The rules could be different elsewhere.

Edited August 9, 2019 by njhorseman

[marco]

Gee...if was "pay as you go" and the gratuity is $238  if the gratuity is 15%,  you'd have to purchase a little more than $1550  of drinks to have to pay a $238 gratuity.  That'a a lot'a drinkin'!

Edited August 9, 2019 by marco

[sanger727]

Your plan won’t work. The gratuities on the drink package promo are mandatory and there’s no system to refund them if you don’t use the package. I don’t know about whether or not there’s actually a way to refuse it ahead of time. You can certainly decline the promo and get no free at sea items. If they insistent that it’s take everything or take nothing, evaluate what you are getting and whether or not that’s worth the cost of the drink package gratuity.

[taglovestocruise]

Is part of the gratuity for the dining package as well.  Just decline everything and pay as you go. 

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, sanger727 said:

Your plan won’t work. The gratuities on the drink package promo are mandatory and there’s no system to refund them if you don’t use the package. I don’t know about whether or not there’s actually a way to refuse it ahead of time. You can certainly decline the promo and get no free at sea items. If they insistent that it’s take everything or take nothing, evaluate what you are getting and whether or not that’s worth the cost of the drink package gratuity.

As I've already  said a couple of posts back., at least in the US and Canada you can reject the beverage package and retain the other promos you may be entitled to. We have done this on all our NCL cruises taken since the "Free at Sea" promo has been in place and our numerous future cruises, which extend from 2019 through 2021 are all booked this way.

[njhorseman]

55 minutes ago, taglovestocruise said:

Is part of the gratuity for the dining package as well.  Just decline everything and pay as you go. 

The total dining package gratuity is very small compared to the beverage package gratuity so if you're interested in the dining package it's going to be much cheaper to accept the package and pay the gratuity rather than pay for specialty restaurant dinners directly, which can be very expensive .

 

The math is very simple. What makes the beverage package gratuity so high is that NCL values it at $99 per person per day, while the standard 3 meal dining package offered as part of a 7 night cruise is only valued at $33 per person per specialty meal.

[njhorseman]

1 hour ago, marco said:

Gee...if was "pay as you go" and the gratuity is $238  if the gratuity is 15%,  you'd have to purchase a little more than $1550  of drinks to have to pay a $238 gratuity.  That'a a lot'a drinkin'!

It's not quite that high as the gratuity is 20%, not 15%. So "only" $1190 worth of drinks to cover the $238.

[Extra Kim]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

It's not quite that high as the gratuity is 20%, not 15%. So "only" $1190 worth of drinks to cover the $238.

And then add the $99 for the "Free at sea"- promo. 

We are looking at a 20nts cruise, couldn't understand why it got so expensive until we desided not to take the "Free" at sea-promo.

[toads45froggy]

is the drink package only cover alcohol? or all beverages?

 

if you only drink water mad props to you for that.

[njhorseman]

48 minutes ago, Extra Kim said:

And then add the $99 for the "Free at sea"- promo. 

We are looking at a 20nts cruise, couldn't understand why it got so expensive until we desided not to take the "Free" at sea-promo.

No...you don't add the $99 on top of it. The $99 per day is "free", but of course implicitly included in the base cruise fare. It's the 20% gratuity that you pay. 

 

[njhorseman]

45 minutes ago, toads45froggy said:

is the drink package only cover alcohol? or all beverages?

 

if you only drink water mad props to you for that.

It also includes soft drinks (soda). It doesn't include specialty coffees or bottled water.

[toads45froggy]

2 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

It also includes soft drinks (soda). It doesn't include specialty coffees or bottled water.

ive only done one princess and their packsage I got was all of that... just wondering thank you!

[Extra Kim]

14 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

No...you don't add the $99 on top of it. The $99 per day is "free", but of course implicitly included in the base cruise fare. It's the 20% gratuity that you pay. 

 

If you pick the "Free at sea", you pay a one time fee of 99€ at least in Sweden.

[ed01106]

If you really want to play hardball......

 

go to guest service on the ship and tell them you are dissatisfied with being charged with $238 dollar charge, and when they say they can’t change it.  tell them being they can’t adjust that you are  dissatisfied with the overall service and experience and that you have an absolute right to lower or completely refund $14 per day per person service fee....and that you demand that that fee be reduced by $239 to compensate you for your dissatisfaction.   And see how they respond.

 

That assumes your cruise is long enough to add up to that much.  Otherwise you are only looking at a partial refund.  

 

You are also sending a powerful message to the cruise line how much you disapprove of their drink package policy.

 

No I have never done this, so I don’t know if it will work.

 

 

Edited August 9, 2019 by ed01106

[Nebr.cruiser]

3 hours ago, njhorseman said:

It also includes soft drinks (soda). It doesn't include specialty coffees or bottled water.

Oh boy, really not worth it for us then.  Not a fan of pop, although once in a while I like a Coke.  I do drink a lot of water and although I only drink regular plain coffee at home, I would enjoy a specialty coffee now and then--but not in the bev. package!

 

So sometimes we don't even book with NCL because of this.  We usually get a balcony, so the other alternative is normally two free; has to be dining and internet, nothing else worth much to us, and those are pretty lame compared to the substantial OBC and/or free gratuities we get with other lines.

[zqvol]

13 hours ago, paul929207 said:

Since the package is included at no charge to you, if you manage to get rid of it, you will not get anything back for the gratuities. 

 

This is 100% wrong. If you don't get the beverage package you don't pay the gratuities on it, and if it has already been paid for it is refunded, but you must decline it before you sail, once you are on board you are stuck with whatever perks you select.

Edited August 10, 2019 by zqvol

[zqvol]

16 hours ago, DoctorBee said:

Hi, We booked a New England cruise with NCL in May 2020, It came with a premium drink package and all other free at sea package.  I tried so many times to refuse the drink package because we don't drink but all the cruise next adviser could tell me was, I can't change the system, and if she removes the drink package, all others get removed as well.   Now the drink package, although free, comes with a $238 gratuity.  Tried haggling for the unlimited wifi instead but to no avail.  We REALLY don't drink.  What we plan on doing is really not to consume and drinks on this package and refund the gratuity towards the end of the cruise.(Everytime you consume anything gets swiped on the card anyway, right?)  Is this possible and has this been done before? How do I refund this?  Thank you for any inputs you may have.

 

Call NCL  again and again you can  absolutely refuse the package and not have to pay the gratuities, in fact you can swap among any of the perks that were available when you booked. People do it all the time and it is never a problem.

 

If there is an issue it is because of your location in Asia, and there maybe  different rules, but in the US it is easy to get rid of any or all of the perks that you do not want.

[zqvol]

8 hours ago, sanger727 said:

Your plan won’t work. The gratuities on the drink package promo are mandatory and there’s no system to refund them if you don’t use the package. I don’t know about whether or not there’s actually a way to refuse it ahead of time. You can certainly decline the promo and get no free at sea items. If they insistent that it’s take everything or take nothing, evaluate what you are getting and whether or not that’s worth the cost of the drink package gratuity.

 

It can be refused. You do not have to take the drink package and if you don't they refund the gratuities.

[njhorseman]

5 hours ago, Extra Kim said:

If you pick the "Free at sea", you pay a one time fee of 99€ at least in Sweden.

Yes, well the promotions work differently in different countries.

[DoctorBee]

11 hours ago, njhorseman said:

 

 

We are frequent cruisers on NCL and drink very little so the cost of gratuities is more than we would spend on beverages. As a result we always reject the drink package, but we keep whatever other "Free At Sea" perks we're entitled to. The way that works depends on the type of cabin you have.  Under the current rules of the program if you're in a suite or the Haven you can reject the drink package and keep all the other perks. If you're in a balcony or mini suite you have the choice of "take all perks" or if you reject the drink package you then can have only two of the three remaining perks of WiFi, shore excursion credit or dining package. An  ocean view is only gets a maximum of two perks, an inside cabin or studio one,  so you never would have been offered the "take all" .

 

Note: I see you reside in Asia. Sometimes the rules for these promotions can vary depending on your country of residence. What I've stated above is hoe the program works for the US and Canada . The rules could be different elsewhere.

Hi @njhorseman thank you for your reply and to all other replies. Although yes, we are from Asia, the cruise I booked was on board and made on the last day of the cruise we just got off from. (Baltic 9days) The agent also works for Norwegian in Miami so I think the rules may have been the same

 

what do you suggest I do re drink package? Booked a mini suite so I think there aren’t enough privileges that go with it. The cruise next officer on board the ship when I booked it says system can’t be changed and agent of NCL who corresponds with me through email says if she takes out drink package, she takes out most of the perks too. So I’m confused. Thank you again