Is NCL back to adding the 10% VAT to all Free at Sea "purchases" while in Spanish waters?

[CruisingSince1982]

More confusion on this issue, since folks sailing from Italy have not received notice of this. Is NCL back to adding the 10% VAT to the free at sea drink and meals while in spanish waters? I knew they were doing it on cruises departing from Barcelona, but are they now also doing it on sailings departing from Italy? While taxes being adding to drinks while in port is not new, a VAT being applied to a meal that is already paid for is, so just curious if this is happening again. Thanks!

 

[KeithJenner]

Have you heard anything too suggest that they are?

 

I've not heard anything myself this year. The only recent data point that I have is that we weren't charged any tax anywhere on our Lisbon to Rome itinerary recently.

 

Also, remember that what happened this week doesn't mean that the same will happen next week, or even on a different ship at the same time.

Edited May 12 by KeithJenner

[CruisingSince1982]

2 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Have you heard anything too suggest that they are?

 

I've not heard anything myself this year. The only recent data point that I have is that we weren't charged any tax anywhere on our Lisbon to Rome itinerary recently.

 

Also, remember that what happened this week doesn't mean that the same will happen next week, or even on a different ship at the same time.

Yes, someone posted a picture of the signs at the bars stating VAT would be added for ports and waters in France and Spain, but it was a cruise originating from Barcelona. Just wondering if the reverse route, originating from Italy, would incur the same charges. 

[schmoopie17]

Oh, goodie. Just in time for our upcoming cruise from Italy to Spain and France.

 

In 2022 we had four stops in Spain and we were charged drink taxes in every Spain port.

 

Hoping to avoid them this time around...but not counting on it. As mentioned, this seems to be a fluctuating thing and there's no guarantee of anything at this point.

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

Oh, goodie. Just in time for our upcoming cruise from Italy to Spain and France.

 

In 2022 we had four stops in Spain and we were charged drink taxes in every Spain port.

 

Hoping to avoid them this time around...but not counting on it. As mentioned, this seems to be a fluctuating thing and there's no guarantee of anything at this point.

It's a European Port thing.  We saw it last October on my Epic Mediterranean cruise.  Any EU port that charged VAT was passed on.  Not sure any way around it as it's a tax charged by the port, not NCL.

 

Kind of like the port charges sailing out of NYC.  While in port, the city levies the same tax as they do on land based bars and restaurants.

 

 

 

 

[GLYNAGP]

I've just returned from 10 days on Norwegian Dawn,  Rome to Barcelona all EU ports  . I can confirm No tax was added to any drinks thoughout the Cruise. 

 

There maybe be  different criteria for different itineraries but non was added during my trip 

 

[CruiseMH]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

It's a European Port thing.  We saw it last October on my Epic Mediterranean cruise.  Any EU port that charged VAT was passed on.  Not sure any way around it as it's a tax charged by the port, not NCL.

 

 

Then why has it only been on some cruises and some cruise lines and not all cruises and all cruise lines ?

[DCGuy64]

22 hours ago, CruisingSince1982 said:

More confusion on this issue, since folks sailing from Italy have not received notice of this. Is NCL back to adding the 10% VAT to the free at sea drink and meals while in spanish waters? I knew they were doing it on cruises departing from Barcelona, but are they now also doing it on sailings departing from Italy? While taxes being adding to drinks while in port is not new, a VAT being applied to a meal that is already paid for is, so just curious if this is happening again. Thanks!

 

I sure hope so, it means another 30-40 pp of posts like last time, LOL. .

[DCGuy64]

41 minutes ago, CruiseMH said:

 

Then why has it only been on some cruises and some cruise lines and not all cruises and all cruise lines ?

Who knows? Could depend on a multitude of factors.

[graphicguy]

43 minutes ago, CruiseMH said:

 

Then why has it only been on some cruises and some cruise lines and not all cruises and all cruise lines ?

NCL is known for breaking out the different charges incurred.  Other cruise lines bake it into their fares.  

 

Some don’t want to see the different components of what they’re being charged and why.  Nothing wrong with that.

 

I want to see it broken out to see what I’m being charged.  Again, the VAT is charged by European countries, not NCL!

 

1 hour ago, GLYNAGP said:

I've just returned from 10 days on Norwegian Dawn,  Rome to Barcelona all EU ports  . I can confirm No tax was added to any drinks thoughout the Cruise. 

 

There maybe be  different criteria for different itineraries but non was added during my trip 

 

Same on my Epic Mediterranean cruise.  They had a sign stating Spain charged a VAT on drinks, but then refunded us for the VAT!

Edited May 13 by graphicguy

[CruiseMH]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

NCL is known for breaking out the different charges incurred.  Other cruise lines bake it into their fares. 

Some don’t want to see the different components of what they’re being charged and why.  Nothing wrong with that.

I want to see it broken out to see what I’m being charged.  Again, the VAT is charged by European countries, not NCL!

 

 

I live in the EU and i can tell you that there have not been any significant changes to the VAT laws in the EU during the last years. So why did NCL add them to their sales for just a period of time ? This must have to do something with NCL.

the VAT itself is of course a thing of each european country/port but the way it is handled is a NCL thing.

 

[graphicguy]

4 minutes ago, CruiseMH said:

 

I live in the EU and i can tell you that there have not been any significant changes to the VAT laws in the EU during the last years. So why did NCL add them to their sales for just a period of time ? This must have to do something with NCL.

the VAT itself is of course a thing of each european country/port but the way it is handled is a NCL thing.

 

Correct!  

 

Some cruise lines add the VAT into the fare.  NCL breaks it out.  They ate the VAT on my cruise.  But, I don't sail the Mediterranean that often.  From my understanding, when I cruised in October, there was some sort of "law change" regarding VAT and how it was changed and collected by the Spanish ports.  That change caused quite a bit of heated discussion.

 

It's a pass through charge by NCL.  They just happen to show it whereas the other cruise lines just add it into their fares and don't break it out seperately.  I know MSC just adds it ti other fares instead of making it another line item. That's been my experience.  

[DCGuy64]

29 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

It's a pass through charge by NCL.  They just happen to show it whereas the other cruise lines just add it into their fares and don't break it out separately.  I know MSC just adds it ti other fares instead of making it another line item.

Exactly. Celebrity is among those who eat the cost. I'm fairly sure the higher priced lines like Oceania, Viking, Regent, etc. do, too. Personally, I'd rather pay less overall for my cruise than have the "baked in" price be much higher, but that's just me. Other people don't mind paying a lot more as long as they don't have to see these extra fees.

[graphicguy]

53 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Exactly. Celebrity is among those who eat the cost. I'm fairly sure the higher priced lines like Oceania, Viking, Regent, etc. do, too. Personally, I'd rather pay less overall for my cruise than have the "baked in" price be much higher, but that's just me. Other people don't mind paying a lot more as long as they don't have to see these extra fees.

Yeah…we’ve been through this over and over.  It’s a tax.  It’s levied by the locality (in this case, Spain).  As you say, the cruise lines have to charge it, as such.

 

How they do or don’t account for it is up to the cruise line.  Add it to the fare, or show it as a line item (as NCL does).

 

[DCGuy64]

14 hours ago, graphicguy said:

How they do or don’t account for it is up to the cruise line.  Add it to the fare, or show it as a line item (as NCL does).

And yet, every single time this comes up, somebody (or several somebodies) comes up with some variation of this argument: "Why is NCL the only one doing this? None of the other lines are. NCL must be at fault." I realize I can't stop people from saying this, but it gets tiresome after a while.

[PartyPlannerLady]

VATs are not added by the cruise line.  They are added by the governing body in qiesrion.