Cruise ship passangers were shocked by drink tax in Spain

Vacationing on a cruise ship is the ultimate in luxury, and it's also a great way to relax and satisfy all your travel needs and aspirations on one giant ship.

That's why passengers of the Spanish Norwegian Cruise Line were outraged to discover that their all-inclusive package contained a catch, Euronews reports.

Guests who paid hundreds of euros for NCL's "Free at Sea" offer, which includes unlimited drinks and Wi-Fi, have now discovered that they will have to pay a tax on drinks while in Spain.

Why did this happen?

Spain charges 10 percent VAT on food and beverages consumed on land. As it turned out, it does it on water too.

Thus, NCL is essentially passing this cost on to passengers after a policy change in the spring of 2023.

"With the start of our European season earlier this year, we were informed that guests would be charged additional VAT on certain voyages," an NCL spokesperson said.