Sharing drinks on NCL

[havoc315]

3 minutes ago, Asawi said:

I just want to point out that I am in no way suggesting this sharing would be OK. It IS against the rules and I have no problem followong this rule. I am just trying ti interpret what's going on. (And how come person 3 doesn¨t have a drinks package.)

As you point out, if thousands of passengers across the whole fleet did this it would probably have the effect of raised prices. But maybe that's not such a plausible scenario with the majority of passengers sailing with US rules and therefor all (or non) of the adults in the room having the drinks package. Still breaking the rules though. And I do not think that should be done.

1. It’s not a widespread issue. As you suggest, typically everyone in the cabin will have the package. 
2. if it was a widespread issue, NCL could easily clamp down by not letting people take 2 drinks at a time, by instructing bartenders to swipe every card. 
3. NCL truly doesn’t care if someone occasionally shares a beverage. If they cared, they could easily prevent it, as above. Just like cops aren’t going to typically give you a ticket for driving 56 in a 55mph.  NCL certainly doesn’t want 1 person getting the package, and then collecting 20 drinks for their friends. Just as the cop will ticket you for going 20 miles over the speed limit. 
4. the “price” of the drink package is a fiction. Can look at it as if it’s built into the cruise fare, and then NCL lies and says they are giving it away for free. Regardless, the price is a fiction number. 
5. last hypothetical. A single guy meets a woman at the NCL bar, they start flirting. He asks her what she is drinking, she says red wine. Doesn’t ask her if she is on the drink package. Walks up to the bartender, “2 glasses of red wine please.” Bartender swipes the card, pours 2 glasses of wine. 
Anybody really think the guests stole the glass of wine?!?  

There is some common sense here. It’s ultimately the discretion of NCL. I will not endorse lying to the bartender, or sneaking around secretly.  But 2 people ask NCL for 2 drinks, NCL chooses to swipe just 1 card, the 2 people openly consume the 2 drinks. It’s up to NCL, whether they want to check the cards, or whether NCL wants to say, “don’t really care if you’re going 56 in a 55.”

 

 

[dmwnc1959]

Just now, AlmiranteChurruca said:

 

Indeed! Bless you too! Happy? 😅

After SIX pages, yes. Maybe we can all put this behind us until the next time someone asks the same question. I give it a week.

 

😎

[AlmiranteChurruca]

5 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

After SIX pages, yes. Maybe we can all put this behind us until the next time someone asks the same question. I give it a week.

 

😎

 

Well, I guess nobody ever forced you to read all six of them! 🤪 I tell you, I will be mesmerized if that next poster/potential future thief/whatever is from Spain too! Speak about reputation! 😆😆😆

[DCGuy64]

9 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

1. It’s not a widespread issue. As you suggest, typically everyone in the cabin will have the package. 
2. if it was a widespread issue, NCL could easily clamp down by not letting people take 2 drinks at a time, by instructing bartenders to swipe every card. 
3. NCL truly doesn’t care if someone occasionally shares a beverage. If they cared, they could easily prevent it, as above. Just like cops aren’t going to typically give you a ticket for driving 56 in a 55mph.  NCL certainly doesn’t want 1 person getting the package, and then collecting 20 drinks for their friends. Just as the cop will ticket you for going 20 miles over the speed limit. 
4. the “price” of the drink package is a fiction. Can look at it as if it’s built into the cruise fare, and then NCL lies and says they are giving it away for free. Regardless, the price is a fiction number. 
5. last hypothetical. A single guy meets a woman at the NCL bar, they start flirting. He asks her what she is drinking, she says red wine. Doesn’t ask her if she is on the drink package. Walks up to the bartender, “2 glasses of red wine please.” Bartender swipes the card, pours 2 glasses of wine. 
Anybody really think the guests stole the glass of wine?!?  

There is some common sense here. It’s ultimately the discretion of NCL. I will not endorse lying to the bartender, or sneaking around secretly.  But 2 people ask NCL for 2 drinks, NCL chooses to swipe just 1 card, the 2 people openly consume the 2 drinks. It’s up to NCL, whether they want to check the cards, or whether NCL wants to say, “don’t really care if you’re going 56 in a 55.”

 

 

Exactly. My wife and I always both have the drinks package, although, to be fair, she drinks VERY little. (Like maybe 2 drinks per day). Nonetheless, when I go up to order us drinks, I usually bring both her card and mine. The bartender, 99.9% of the time, just takes my card and rings them both up. I do not typically order more than 1 drink at a time (for each of us, that is). I have never shared a drink with someone who wasn't on the package. I know the rules. But given how two people can have the package and barely make a dent in it, I am not too bothered by OP's scenario. Like many things other people choose to do on cruises, it's none of my business.

Edited February 13 by DCGuy64

[AlmiranteChurruca]

8 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

1. It’s not a widespread issue. As you suggest, typically everyone in the cabin will have the package. 
2. if it was a widespread issue, NCL could easily clamp down by not letting people take 2 drinks at a time, by instructing bartenders to swipe every card. 
3. NCL truly doesn’t care if someone occasionally shares a beverage. If they cared, they could easily prevent it, as above. Just like cops aren’t going to typically give you a ticket for driving 56 in a 55mph.  NCL certainly doesn’t want 1 person getting the package, and then collecting 20 drinks for their friends. Just as the cop will ticket you for going 20 miles over the speed limit. 
4. the “price” of the drink package is a fiction. Can look at it as if it’s built into the cruise fare, and then NCL lies and says they are giving it away for free. Regardless, the price is a fiction number. 
5. last hypothetical. A single guy meets a woman at the NCL bar, they start flirting. He asks her what she is drinking, she says red wine. Doesn’t ask her if she is on the drink package. Walks up to the bartender, “2 glasses of red wine please.” Bartender swipes the card, pours 2 glasses of wine. 
Anybody really think the guests stole the glass of wine?!?  

There is some common sense here. It’s ultimately the discretion of NCL. I will not endorse lying to the bartender, or sneaking around secretly.  But 2 people ask NCL for 2 drinks, NCL chooses to swipe just 1 card, the 2 people openly consume the 2 drinks. It’s up to NCL, whether they want to check the cards, or whether NCL wants to say, “don’t really care if you’re going 56 in a 55.”

 

 

 

I LOVED that last hypothetical. Such a thing has never ever happened to me and I have cruised solo like a zillion times. Not just a potential criminal, but a loser too! Next time you hear about somebody intentionally jumping overboard from an NCL vessel rest assured it is me. Cannot stand this life of misery. 😆

[seemoreroyals]

What about the couple where one drinks alcohol and the other one doesn't?  Is NCL cheating that couple by making them both buy the drink package? 

 

It goes both ways.  In the grander scheme of things NCL has it all baked into the numbers.  

[dmwnc1959]

1 minute ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

 

Well, I guess nobody ever forced you to read all six of them! 🤪 I tell you, I will be mesmerized if that next poster/potential future thief/whatever is from Spain too! Speak about reputation! 😆😆😆

Didn’t say I actually READ all six pages  - I’m not that desperate, I skipped a crap load of this drivel.

It doesn’t matter where the next poster is from, it’s still against NCL’s rules, and that’s the one fact that’s indisputable. 

 

And how can you go away if we keep replying.
 

“And now I officially call this a dead horse from my side.”

 

🤣 

[Two Wheels Only]

4 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

It’s not a widespread issue. As you suggest, typically everyone in the cabin will have the package.

 

NOW, it is all adults in the stateroom. It used to be only guests 1&2. Why do you think NCL changed it to all adults? 

 

6 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

if it was a widespread issue, NCL could easily clamp down by not letting people take 2 drinks at a time, by instructing bartenders to swipe every card. 

 

NCL has gone back and forth between 1 per transaction and 2 per transaction. NCL must have figured that a high enough percentage of guests were honest vs. the percentage who were not. 

 

8 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

the “price” of the drink package is a fiction. Can look at it as if it’s built into the cruise fare, and then NCL lies and says they are giving it away for free. Regardless, the price is a fiction number. 

 

The price does have an impact on the total paid by the guest as a "service charge". When it was $59pppd and 15%, the promo service charge was $61.95 per person for a typical 7 day cruise. The same at today's prices would be $152.60 per person. 

[AlmiranteChurruca]

1 minute ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Didn’t say I actually READ all six pages  - I’m not that desperate, I skipped a crap load of this drivel.

It doesn’t matter where the next poster is from, it’s still against NCL’s rules, and that’s the one fact that’s indisputable. 

 

And how can you go away if we keep replying.
 

“And now I officially call this a dead horse from my side.”

 

🤣

 

 And now FOR REAL: ☠️🐴☠️ 

 

😆😂😆

[Two Wheels Only]

1 minute ago, seemoreroyals said:

What about the couple where one drinks alcohol and the other one doesn't?  Is NCL cheating that couple by making them both buy the drink package? 

 

It goes both ways.  In the grander scheme of things NCL has it all baked into the numbers.  

 

Nobody is "made" to buy anything. It is a choice. The alternative (that many take) is to pay for drinks à la carte. If the one drinker downs enough, taking the package for both is the better deal. If the one drinker only has 1 per day, going à la carte is the better deal. 

[havoc315]

6 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

NOW, it is all adults in the stateroom. It used to be only guests 1&2. Why do you think NCL changed it to all adults? 

 

 

NCL has gone back and forth between 1 per transaction and 2 per transaction. NCL must have figured that a high enough percentage of guests were honest vs. the percentage who were not. 

 

 

The price does have an impact on the total paid by the guest as a "service charge". When it was $59pppd and 15%, the promo service charge was $61.95 per person for a typical 7 day cruise. The same at today's prices would be $152.60 per person. 

So you really believe that guests are averaging $109 worth of beverages every day?

 

In a weeklong cruise, you really think the average guest is having 65 to 75 drinks?

 

 

[ItsWani]

So, technically the NCL staff made me and my mates into criminals. 

 

Can you imagine, they would often give us three drinks with just one card. 😰

And straight up refused charging the card that did not have the drink package.

[graphicguy]

24 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

 

Technically, the handing over would be a violation of the terms of your package....

 

"Packages may not be shared and are non-transferable and non-refundable."

 

 

As my late Father used to tell me when I was young and tried to bend the rules....

 

"If you were Hugh Hefner you'd be rich, but you're not!"

 

You can't share drinks, no matter how you twist it..spin it....wish for it.

[Menocchio]

52 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

The act of sharing makes it easier for NCL to justify raising prices.

No it doesn't. That's what they might say, but if they didn't have that excuse they'd find another PR spin. (Probably something about inflation or supply lines) Profit is its own justification. They will raise prices as often and as high as they can.

 

If lots of people "stole" they would raise prices to as much as their customers would tolerate. If no one "stole" they would raise prices to the exact same price. Because that's how profit-seeking businesses operate. 

 

We all know that there are ways to save money on cruising. Don't gamble. Don't shop on the ship. Don't use specialty dining. Don't use the cruise line's port excursions. Don't go to the spa. Seek out fares at deep discounts. Don't buy a drinks package unless you're really going to drink enough to save money on it (which you probably aren't), and maybe drink less/not at all. Someone who did some or all of that would cut into the profit of the cruise line substantially. Which they'd seek to make up, maybe by eliminating some of the tricks our thrifty cruiser used or maybe on the back of a less clued-in customer. 

 

But we have no problem with that, because the cruise line said everything our discount cruiser did was allowed (until it wasn't). I don't think there's any moral problem with actually bending the rules where and when they are not enforced, because the result will be the same. 

[Asawi]

5 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

So you really believe that guests are averaging $109 worth of beverages every day?

 

In a weeklong cruise, you really think the average guest is having 65 to 75 drinks?

 

 

LOL! Just thinking about the worries that there would be a drink cap, "only" allowing 15 drinks/day. 15 alcoholic drinks and I would be REALLY drunk. If concious...

[mjkacmom]

1 hour ago, Asawi said:

Of course the person could do that! But they may not  want to because of the cost. Sharing would be less expensive/free. 

Stealing is always cheaper that purchasing.

[Two Wheels Only]

11 minutes ago, havoc315 said:

So you really believe that guests are averaging $109 worth of beverages every day?

 

In a weeklong cruise, you really think the average guest is having 65 to 75 drinks?

 

 

 

No, the point is that NCL can continue to raise that price because the service charge will continue to rise with it. NCL also has the added benefit of claiming that they are giving you something and "saving" you $763 pp per cruise. 

 

NCL used to only add that service charge to guests 1&2. Now, it is added to every adult in the stateroom. In most cases (not what the OP has), guests 3&4 have a package so guests 1&2 are no longer sharing anything with guests 3&4. 

[UKstages]

8 hours ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

OP here. Let us imagine a different scenario.

 

probably best if you consult an ethicist... or a member of the cloth.

 

you keep trying to rationalize your behavior by "the end result," or by how much product is poured or consumed when all is said and done. you somehow erroneously believe that there will have been "no harm, no foul"  if - regardless of who drinks what or who orders what - the same number or dollar value of beverages is consumed.

 

but that's not the way NCL's beverage packages are sold and that's not the way they work. it is of paramount concern to NCL who does the ordering and who does the drinking. if they can't have some reasonable semblance of control over how their product is purchased and consumed, their entire ecosystem tumbles. and prices, inevitably, will rise. so, you're not just stealing from NCL, you're stealing from all of us.

 

their ship, their rules.

 

you're like a kid who doesn't do his homework and then tries to convince a bunch of other kids in the schoolyard that it's OK. the only thing that matters in that scenario is what the teacher says. here, the "teacher" is NCL. will they send you to detention or give you a gold star? 

 

it's anybody's guess. but everybody - including you - agrees that you should have done your darn homework. nobody - including you - is disputing that what you intend to do is against NCL's policy and the terms you agree to when you agree to sail. everything else is ... noise.

 

4 hours ago, seemoreroyals said:

I am suggesting than there is at least a possibility that this sharing that everyone seems to be so upset about is already baked into the pricing.  And that we should not be so quick to judge the OP.

 

do NCL's rules for the EU allow sharing of drink packages? if not, then this rationale has no merit, regardless of what a purchaser believes is "baked into" the price.

 

58 minutes ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

And I thought this thread was a dead horse 24 hours ago...😆

 

you contributed to it with a "different" scenario seven hours ago.

 

 

 

[havoc315]

5 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

No, the point is that NCL can continue to raise that price because the service charge will continue to rise with it. NCL also has the added benefit of claiming that they are giving you something and "saving" you $763 pp per cruise. 

 

NCL used to only add that service charge to guests 1&2. Now, it is added to every adult in the stateroom. In most cases (not what the OP has), guests 3&4 have a package so guests 1&2 are no longer sharing anything with guests 3&4. 

1.  NCL will charge the maximum they can, regardless. 
2.  Once again, it is NCL’s discretion… and they give their bartenders the discretion. 

[seemoreroyals]

2 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

 

 

do NCL's rules for the EU allow sharing of drink packages? if not, then this rationale has no merit, regardless of what a purchaser believes is "baked into" the price.

 

Maybe they do.  

 

[UKstages]

Just now, havoc315 said:

Once again, it is NCL’s discretion… and they give their bartenders the discretion.

 

it's been said many times, many ways throughout this discussion... NCL apparently gives their bartenders discretion, yes. but they do not give their bartenders discretion to deceive on the part of their guests.

 

if the OP says "hey, i want to get two drinks, one for me and one for my friend." and the bartender chooses to fulfill that order, there is no problem whatsoever. but that's not what would be happening here. the OP intends to deceive and make it appear as if the drinks are for one person, the

cardholder. 

 

2 minutes ago, seemoreroyals said:

Maybe they do. 

 

maybe?

 

no, in fact, they don't.

 

it's been confirmed for us several times within this thread by EU residents. sharing is not permitted.

[bkrickles1]

1 hour ago, AlmiranteChurruca said:

 

I bet you have read my post, but have you tried to really understand it or at least find the logic behind it? 

I have read all of your posts and I have pretty good reading comprehension, so I didn't have to try very hard to understand that you're looking for a way for your cabin buddy to cheat the system and steal some drinks. 

Any other description of it, is just semantics!!

[Two Wheels Only]

44 minutes ago, Menocchio said:

Someone who did some or all of that would cut into the profit of the cruise line substantially. Which they'd seek to make up, maybe by eliminating some of the tricks our thrifty cruiser used or maybe on the back of a less clued-in customer. 

 

Those same "thrifty" cruisers are the first to complain when prices go up. 

 

Maybe the solution is for ALL adults to have a drink package, add that cost into the base fare, and there will no longer be sharing. Is that what thrifty cruisers want?

 

 

Edited February 13 by Two Wheels Only

[dmwnc1959]

PAGE 7 

[david_sobe]

Does not every adult in the cabin need to have the drinks package these days?  I just booked a cruise and that part changed since my last cruise in 2020.  So I was confused with the OP saying 3 adults in one cabin and only 2 of them have the drink package.