It does appear that there is a great divide between British and European/US culture when it comes to drinks purchases on cruise ships. Time and again I am involved in discussion about the service charge / tax payable on top of drinks on US/European ships. I have to say that if the drinks prices were not so expensive, most of us would not wory too much about the extra charges. But when we are seeing such huge differences in for example a bottle of beer - some cruise lines are opening themselves up to criticism. I am sure this debate will continue and we must also not forget that currency fluctuations can also make a difference to the costs..but not always that much!