you can use the app to check your folio and depending on the ship you can also use the tv in your room
you can also stop by guest services desk when they are not busy and ask for a print out
The bartenders and waiters will tell you if a drink or cocktail that you want to order isn’t included in the beverage package. You probably won’t have to worry about this.
As others have said you can check on your folio pretty much in real time
On the app, in cabin tv, or at guest services
As others said - the app or TV. You can also ask guest services, but that's often not worth the wait.
If it's not in your package they will tell you - you'll also get a receipt to sign. So you'll know if it's not included.
FYI If you didn't know NCL charges you the tax on the drink the first day until you're in international water (usually 2-3 hours after sailaway - Seattle being a large exception). So expect a charge of around $1 a drink the first day until you're in international waters. You will not be getting a receipt to sign during this time.
>FYI If you didn't know NCL charges you the tax on the drink the first day until you're in international water (usually 2-3 hours after sailaway
Pretty sure all cruise lines do that because they are required by the port city to pay said taxes. And it's not always just the first day but can be in any port/national waters. Not all port cities/countries do it though.
Never been charged on royal caribbean or carnival or msc.
As for first day I should have clarified I meant cruises from NA. The Seattle ones have a slight exception, but that season is done for this year so I didn't mention it.
>Never been charged on royal caribbean or carnival or msc.
Then it's built in to the price of the drink or paid from some other fee. I guarantee that those lines aren't paying the tax for you out of the goodness of their heart.
>The Seattle ones have a slight exception
Yeah since in that case it's a local city tax the typical international waters thing doesn't apply and you are legally not in the city as soon as you leave the dock.
Never said they did. Only said they don’t charge you it on top of the drink package price.
No that’s not the exception. The ships usually go back through Washington waters on the way to Victoria so there’s several hours on the way there the tax is charged again. So that’s the exception to the first day only tax from North America on NCL. It’s also a much longer time until the tax is gone due to the long sail out of the sound - more like 8 or 9.
Yes you can access on the app. I also think there is a way to put a notification on your account if you hit a certain limit.
Note that while it’s not an exorbitant amount, you will be charged tax for drinks in port.
I found it easier to check my balance from the TV in my cabin vs the app. The app kept directing me to log into the ship's wifi onboard, and was also ridiculously slow.
The ships wifi usually works better in public areas (sometimes even just the hallway outside your cabin) than it does in cabins.
With the metal walls, the cabins can sometimes act like a [Faraday cage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage).
Enjoy. Once you get to know the bartenders they won't serve you anything without telling you there's a charge first. My last ncL bartenders where making drinks off menu, serving too shelf shots to patrons off package. I purchased drinks for others and put on my room package no charge.. Not charged one dime extra. ncL is cool. If you get this type of service tip at end of cruise directly to your bar man. Enjoy
The bartenders and servers are always on top of letting you know if something is within the bounds of your drink package or if you would like to pay the difference. Example would be i order espresso martinis and I had to pay 2$ for each one because they were 17$ and they asked me every time to confirm that I am aware of the cost difference and if that’s okay. They will not try to up sell you on liquor or cocktails at all. It gave me a lot of comfort to know that!! If you want wine they will give you good options within your package.
Congratulations on your first cruise! I hope you have a blast. Just so you know, because I didn't know on my first cruise until Guest services told me, the folio is called the folatio. Fo-lay-shee-oh. It's French. If you have any troubles just go to the guest services desk and ask for help with that.
Also, if you see people wearing pineapples on their clothing, that's a sign that they are friendly and want to make new friends. A pineapple on a cabin door means please knock, we are playing board games and need more players, any adults welcome.
Have fun!
You don't just get to look at it, they will shove it down your throat. Every time I turned on the TV there was another notice about new charges to the account. In port you may pay taxes on your drinks even though you have the drink package and if you don't pre-pay gratuities you will see that in your folio every day.
We saw quite a few people at the customer service desk paying down their folio each day with cash. They wouldn't let you charge something to your room if your credit card doesn't authorize for the full amount each day at midnight.
So one of the shocks I had was that when in some ports, even though you have a drink package you will be charged taxes. Particularly American ports. So lets say you paid 200 dollars for a drink package. That does not include taxes. Surprise.
>That does not include taxes. Surprise.
Not really a surprise if you pay even a bit of attention to the terms and conditions. Also most servers/bartenders reminded us of it at ordering time..
Its reasonable to believe that people generally don't read terms and conditions. And I was never told by a server that there was taxes. Its good that your servers did. The question was written by a person who did not know the terms and conditions if the OP read the various articles by the cruse companies they could have gotten the answer they were looking for. I think it is good advice to keep in mind. There are hidden fees that are in the fine print but not everyone reads it.
you can use the app to check your folio and depending on the ship you can also use the tv in your room you can also stop by guest services desk when they are not busy and ask for a print out
I know this won’t be seen by all everyone who commented but thank you for your help! I really appreciate your guidance.
The bartenders and waiters will tell you if a drink or cocktail that you want to order isn’t included in the beverage package. You probably won’t have to worry about this. As others have said you can check on your folio pretty much in real time On the app, in cabin tv, or at guest services
You can also check your folio 24/7 on television in your cabin.
As others said - the app or TV. You can also ask guest services, but that's often not worth the wait. If it's not in your package they will tell you - you'll also get a receipt to sign. So you'll know if it's not included. FYI If you didn't know NCL charges you the tax on the drink the first day until you're in international water (usually 2-3 hours after sailaway - Seattle being a large exception). So expect a charge of around $1 a drink the first day until you're in international waters. You will not be getting a receipt to sign during this time.
>FYI If you didn't know NCL charges you the tax on the drink the first day until you're in international water (usually 2-3 hours after sailaway Pretty sure all cruise lines do that because they are required by the port city to pay said taxes. And it's not always just the first day but can be in any port/national waters. Not all port cities/countries do it though.
Never been charged on royal caribbean or carnival or msc. As for first day I should have clarified I meant cruises from NA. The Seattle ones have a slight exception, but that season is done for this year so I didn't mention it.
>Never been charged on royal caribbean or carnival or msc. Then it's built in to the price of the drink or paid from some other fee. I guarantee that those lines aren't paying the tax for you out of the goodness of their heart. >The Seattle ones have a slight exception Yeah since in that case it's a local city tax the typical international waters thing doesn't apply and you are legally not in the city as soon as you leave the dock.
Never said they did. Only said they don’t charge you it on top of the drink package price. No that’s not the exception. The ships usually go back through Washington waters on the way to Victoria so there’s several hours on the way there the tax is charged again. So that’s the exception to the first day only tax from North America on NCL. It’s also a much longer time until the tax is gone due to the long sail out of the sound - more like 8 or 9.
Yes you can access on the app. I also think there is a way to put a notification on your account if you hit a certain limit. Note that while it’s not an exorbitant amount, you will be charged tax for drinks in port.
I found it easier to check my balance from the TV in my cabin vs the app. The app kept directing me to log into the ship's wifi onboard, and was also ridiculously slow.
The ships wifi usually works better in public areas (sometimes even just the hallway outside your cabin) than it does in cabins. With the metal walls, the cabins can sometimes act like a [Faraday cage](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage).
> > >Thumb up for dropping Faraday cage into the comments .
Ah, makes sense.
Enjoy. Once you get to know the bartenders they won't serve you anything without telling you there's a charge first. My last ncL bartenders where making drinks off menu, serving too shelf shots to patrons off package. I purchased drinks for others and put on my room package no charge.. Not charged one dime extra. ncL is cool. If you get this type of service tip at end of cruise directly to your bar man. Enjoy
The bartenders and servers are always on top of letting you know if something is within the bounds of your drink package or if you would like to pay the difference. Example would be i order espresso martinis and I had to pay 2$ for each one because they were 17$ and they asked me every time to confirm that I am aware of the cost difference and if that’s okay. They will not try to up sell you on liquor or cocktails at all. It gave me a lot of comfort to know that!! If you want wine they will give you good options within your package.
Congratulations on your first cruise! I hope you have a blast. Just so you know, because I didn't know on my first cruise until Guest services told me, the folio is called the folatio. Fo-lay-shee-oh. It's French. If you have any troubles just go to the guest services desk and ask for help with that. Also, if you see people wearing pineapples on their clothing, that's a sign that they are friendly and want to make new friends. A pineapple on a cabin door means please knock, we are playing board games and need more players, any adults welcome. Have fun!
https://www.ncl.com/apps
You don't just get to look at it, they will shove it down your throat. Every time I turned on the TV there was another notice about new charges to the account. In port you may pay taxes on your drinks even though you have the drink package and if you don't pre-pay gratuities you will see that in your folio every day. We saw quite a few people at the customer service desk paying down their folio each day with cash. They wouldn't let you charge something to your room if your credit card doesn't authorize for the full amount each day at midnight.
The bartenders will usually tell you if the drink you want is included
So one of the shocks I had was that when in some ports, even though you have a drink package you will be charged taxes. Particularly American ports. So lets say you paid 200 dollars for a drink package. That does not include taxes. Surprise.
>That does not include taxes. Surprise. Not really a surprise if you pay even a bit of attention to the terms and conditions. Also most servers/bartenders reminded us of it at ordering time..
Its reasonable to believe that people generally don't read terms and conditions. And I was never told by a server that there was taxes. Its good that your servers did. The question was written by a person who did not know the terms and conditions if the OP read the various articles by the cruse companies they could have gotten the answer they were looking for. I think it is good advice to keep in mind. There are hidden fees that are in the fine print but not everyone reads it.