What you NEED TO KNOW about Free at Sea Perks on Norwegian Cruise Line (2023 Update)
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 มิ.ย. 2024
- It's impossible to ignore Norwegian Cruise Line's Free at Sea promotions, but are they really free and will you really use them? I'll share all of the things you need to know about Free at Sea, including the fine print to make the most of these offers. Stick around to the end for a bonus tip about how to maximize these promotions on Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL).
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CHAPTERS
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0:00 Intro
0:40 Who gets Free at Sea promotions?
2:37 Free Flights
4:41 $50 Shore Excursion Credit
6:23 Premium Beverage Package (Open Bar)
7:24 Specialty Dining
8:10 Free Wifi
9:55 Bonus Tip
LINKS & RESOURCES
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NCL Free at Sea Terms and Conditions - www.ncl.com/ca/en/about/terms...
SOCIAL
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Watch next 🎬: Is it REALLY FREE? Norwegian Cruise Line's Premium Beverage Package Perk (open bar)
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I'm so confused, The cruise I'm looking at: Just Cruise Price = €669 , If I add the Free At Sea it's €868. Will I have to still pay 20% extra on top of that €868 price?
Hey, Grant, just got off the Breakaway earlier this month. Thought you might be interested in the fact that MANY drinks have gone up in price and are no longer at the $15 price point where they are included in the regular drink package. Almost all of the martinis at the martini bar are at least $17+. You can still order those drinks and NCL will just charge you for the difference in price PLUS a 20% gratuity on that difference. Also the $20 per person per day added on "gratuity" is now called a "service fee" and there is no option to have it removed if you rather to give gratuities to staff personally. Another tip - not all "on board credits" can be used in the casino or for gratuities (aka mandatory service fees)... check early to make sure you know what you can and can't use that credit on so you're not at the end of your cruise with NON-REFUNDABLE on board credit that you didn't use. Another thing that bothered me was that, with my specialty dining in the steak house I was so full that I wanted to take my dessert (cheesecake) back to my room to eat later.... NOPE, not allowed. Why? And, be prepared, If you use any on board credit from your account in the casino, they will charge you a 3% "convenience fee" for moving that money out of your on board account into a casino account... I loved NCL for years but they are starting to nickel and dime me into changing my loyalty.
Grant I found this episode, my first of yours, so excellent that I stopped watching on my phone and turned on the tv to watch. Very, very well done Grant! Thank you!
I’m a new cruiser, having been on only one a few weeks ago with RCI. Turned out to be a booze cruise but no matter. I wanted to know if I liked cruising and the answer is absolutely yes!!
Now, in two weeks, I am doing an NCL 9 dayer out of Miami on Sky. My RCI cruise was on their oldest boat and Sky seems to qualify. I love the size of the boat.
I’ve been a mariner all of my adult life and have bought bigger and bigger boats seeking the feel I got 30 minutes in to the RCI cruise. Eureka!
I’ve subscribed to your channel because my research about lifestyle aboard NCL boats seems to be my style and you are devoting yourself to sharing your knowledge about NCL. So thanks Grant!! I wish for great success to you and your channel!
Thank you so much! We started cruising with NCL in 2016. We cruise with the Latitude program!
Grant, thanks for all of your great tips. We’ve been sailing off and on with NCL for at least a decade, and don’t always stay on top of😊 the changes. Thanks so much for sharing all of your wisdom! 😊
Very helpful in learning all the intricacies of cruising on Norwegian. Great hints on getting the many offers and promotions.
Hi James 👋 Thanks so much for your comment. I'm so happy that it's been helpful! There's lots to know but I certainly have fun sharing what I've learned over the years! Do you have a cruise lined up or are you still dreaming? 😊
Avoid relying upon the cruise line from booking your airfare. Too much stress for minor savings especially when they keep adding connections to save a buck. They don't guarantee you to make the ship is the big one.
Awesome tips! Thank you, Grant 💯
Hi Kimberly 👋 You're most welcome!! I hope you're having a beautiful day!!
You always pack more info into your videos than any others. Thanks!
Just booked a solo studio. The tip on looking out for the room bid opportunity was appreciated
Great video as always Grant, your editing is top notch. Great tips for sure! We're doing the Breakaway out of NO for New Year's, can't wait! First time doing a New Year's cruise. Keep up the good work!
Hi Clocked Out Travels 👋 Thank you so much for the kind words. It's alot of work and love that goes into each video, I don't often get comments on my editing, so I really appreciate it, I've been working to try and get better. My early videos are a bit rough 😜 I hope that you're having an amazing day!!
Thanks Grant .. tips r helpful … MUCH APPRECIATED ❤❤❤
Hi Darlene 👋 thanks as always for your love and support. You’re the best!! 🫶
Thanks Grant! Always great information.
Thanks Scott 🫶 So do you have you next cruise lined up yet?
@@CruisewithGrant We do. This year, I am on sabbatical. This means we have a cruised planned for every month this year. On Sunday, we leave from Long Beach for 2 weeks on the Carnival Miracle for Alaska. Every Cruise this year is on Carnival because they are providing us amazing deals, but we still have future cruise credit with NCL - so, that is planned for next year. We are looking for a March 2024 from South Korea to Japan with NCL.
Thanks Grant. Lots of good information.
HI Diane 👋 Apologies for the delay in responding. You are the most welcome! Do you have any cruises planned?
Great info!!
Hi D 👋 Thank you so much!
Thanks Grant for your information. I'm a Norwegian cruiser also. I would love to see more videos from you😊
Hi Felicia 👋 Thanks for watching and for your comment! More good stuff is on the way, hope you'll stay tuned! Have a super day
We've Beemon 20 cruises (NCL, Celebrity, RCCL, Carnival, HAL, Cunard, and Princess) and I think NCL offers the Best Bang for the Buck.
Hope you can do a deep dive into everything included with Haven's top suites. Not much 2023 - 2024 info out there.
Thank you for all the great info you've posted, it really helps!
That internet logging out thing gets a lot of people! I thought I had logged out once at the beginning of a cruise. I think it was the second day and I went to the internet desk to figure it out. I started explaining and the crew member just stopped me and reset it back to 150 minutes. I guess it probably happens to a lot of people. They must get tired and just reset it if you accidentally do this
I've had to have mine reset in the past too.
Their internet is terrible. I'll find out if it's any better in November.
Did this also on the Prima. Guest services reset with no issue.
Happened to us first day….staff reset, but we never used it again
Certainly got me😂 I’ll also avoid the onboard computers, too!
Thanks for the Internet tip on logging off. Hope I remember to do that!
Hi Yolanda 👋 You're most welcome! I've heard that folks who have "ooops" and forgot to turn it off have been able to ask super nicely a the internet manager's desk and get some minutes put back. Good to know, just in case 😉
For a solo cruiser, the flight is half off their standard price. So if you do a mock booking for one person and it shows the airfare as $500, then a 2 person booking would show $1,000 total air.
It is a technicality, I guess, but it really isn't BOGO, but rather 50% the first 2
On a Hawaii cruise and all this really really helped!!
Hi there 👋 Thanks so much for your comment I'm so thrilled to hear that the video was helpful. I hope you're having an amazing time in Hawaii! Are you sailing on Pride of America?
Thank you for this information. We only sailed with Royal and feeling overwhelmed with NCL.
SAME. my first NCL cruise in May and I feel so confused lol
I did the same thing with forgetting to log out of the WiFi and used up all the minutes by mistake. Good tips!
Hi Pamela 👋 Seems like this is a common mistake! All we can do is share the love so people don't do the same thing 🤭
The additional information I found out regarding the free airfare for the second passenger has additional requirements. Both passengers must fly out of the same airport since the 1st passenger must also book the airfare thru NCL. So frustrating since my travel companion & I live in different states.
I just got back from my cruise (it was fantastic btw) the internet tip is a great one I almost panicked when I realized I had not logged off with that said it ended up being a non issue for me because I had upgraded to the free at sea plus and did the additional streaming internet which was an additional cost on top of the free at sea plus. I did it because I technically still had classes while on the cruise and wanted to be safe. I'm not sure that the additional cost just for that would be worth it if you don't need it for work or school though since it was terrible slow when it came to videos so you couldn't really stream very much.
Hi Justus 👋 you’d did it, first cruise in the books! And look at you already paying it forward with all of the tips 🙌 Thanks for sharing!!
Love your videos! Thanks so much! God bless you and all your loved ones!
Hi Sharon 👋 aren’t you the sweetest! Thank you so much for your kind words! It’s lovely folks like you who make this all worthwhile! Sending a big virtual hug your way 🤗🫶
I'm glad I can upgrade just dining, we don't drink enough to make free at sea plus worth our while
We didn’t find out our actual flight info until 10 days before our sail date because NCL messed up our flights and it took them months to correct it. It was a pain. I’d strongly advise booking your own flights.
Hi Jessica 👋 Thanks so much for sharing your experience, it seems to be the general theme that I've heard about booking flights with the cruise line. Definitely sounds like there is more flexibility and piece of mind doing this part on your own.
Going on my first NCL-Encore cruise in about a week. Thanks for the tips! Do you have a video on packing tips for 7 days? We are usually AI ppl, so this seems like my only challenge, as far as clothing, mainly
Hi Grant, I love your reviews on NCL! I love a good hot dog so I will be at the local late night aboard The NCL Prima in Oct. Thanks for the heads up! I prefer the muster drill on my android, or via t,v,,
Hi Jazzey West 👋 Thank you so much! It's easy to do when there's something you really enjoy! Lucky you getting to experience the Prima! I'm looking forward to having a chance to get on one of the new ships at some point. Please be sure to have a hot dog for me!
We have been cruising exclusively with NCL since they started the FAS, 2 specialty meals and the beverage package are the parts we enjoy.. If they ever, discontinue the FAS, I think most of their customers will start shopping around.
You can use the flight perk and only fly one way if you want. Friend and I did a Panama Canal cruise and did the flights from LA back to Miami, where the cruise started. We drove to the Miami port to start the cruise. However in the end it was Big mess!!! NCL booked us to fly out at 9:45am when the ship docked at 8am!!!! I called and called and called the department that does the air bookings. Everyone agreed that it would not work but they NEVER fixed it. I called from the day I got the flight info until the day before I left for the cruise. I even got my contact at NCL to try and get it fixed. The cruise was leaving on a Sunday and they told my rep they would fix it by Monday.......gee we would already be on the cruise!!!! Really!!!! We ended up booking our own flights back to Miami right before we got on the ship...... and did not get our money back from NCL's mess-up.
Hi Violetcat 👋 I'm so sorry to hear about the mess with your bookings, that sounds super frustrating. I've certainly heard many similar stories with booking airfare through the cruise line. While I haven't tried it yet myself it doesn't seem like a leap that I'm quite ready to make. I'd rather know that everything is sorted out so I can be more relaxed when I travel.
Love your videos! Thank you. Can you opt out of the free air fare?
Hi Lori 👋 Thanks so much, I'm so happy you're enjoying! The free air fare is totally optional so even if it's available you have no obligation. Unlike some of the other perks you don't have to opt out, you just don't take them up on the offer. Hope this helps!
We did the flight on a recent NCL cruise in Australia and like others have said, it was quite stressful not knowing until 30 days out the flight info. This was especially hard because it was such a long complex flight. And in addition to not being able to make changes, you have no control over the airline or timing. You can plan on extra days, but the actual arrival/departure times are out of your hands, which can be frustrating too. I have booked a Hawaii cruise with NCL and did not opt for the free airfare due to this last experience.
Hi Garrett 👋 Thank you so much for sharing your experience. I certainly agree coordinating all of the details when traveling is alot (read it stresses me out alot) and so anything that helps to keep me organized is what I usually go for. Sounds like making your own arrangements is the right way to go, at least for folks like us. Also, a Hawaiian cruise sounds amazing! Are you sailing on Pride of America?
@@CruisewithGrant that’s the one! Going for my honeymoon so excited!
@@wedge8874 congratulations 🎉 that’s so exciting! I hope you have a wonderful time! 🛳️
Great video. Thank you. On my 2024 new year 7 day cruise on the Prima. NCL only gave me 1 dining. The tip was $10 dollars. In 2022 I got 2 dining.
2024 is next year. How do you know how much the tip will be?
Ncl will tell you how much the tip will cost. Drinks and dining so you can decide to get it or not.
The wifi time gets rounded down as you use it. As an example if you logout with 41 minutes and 59 seconds, the next time you login it will be at 41 minutes. Logging in and out to conserve the 150 minutes can actually burn some of your time because of the rounding down.
Thank you Grant for your always so clear information! I upgraded my wifi on the Norwegian Joy beginning of this month. The connection was so bad, I regret I did the upgrade. It was a waste of my money. Lesson learned.
Hi Andy 👋 you're so welcome! Thanks for the kind words and feedback, I always to try to make things easy to follow (explain it the same way I'd want things shared with me). Sorry to hear that the wifi didn't work out. I've heard it can be quite hit or miss depending on where you're sailing / satellite connections. Any upcoming trips planned for you?
@@CruisewithGrant yes.. december 2024. On the Norwegian Pearl!
Hi Grant! I LOVE your videos, because unlike others that explain NCL, yours seem to me to be the best and easiest to understand. Now, I have a flights question. I booked and NCL cruise for December 2023. My booking was done with a third party, and not directly with NCL. Does that mean, so far as you know, that I cannot qualify for the free flight package with my booking? I have been surfing the cruise line site to find the specific details, but nothing really seems to explain this detail. Thanks!
Hi, if you book through NCL for flights, it is 3rd party bookings (through the airline). However the promotion is still valid with NCL. Please note: If there are any issues with flights, it gets resolved through the airline and not with NCL. Hope this helps
ONE QUESTION : I LOVE LISTENING TO MY MUSIC , CAN I LISTEN TO PANDORA WHILE ON THE SHIP , OR IS THAT PART OF THE WI-FI PROGRAM ? WE LEAVE IN MAY , THAT WOULD MAKE MY TRAVELS A LOT BETTER . THATNK YOU IN ADVANCED .
We just canceled our NCL cruise after finding out about the flight issues. Not dealing with that.
I bought my airline tickets thru Norwegian last Christmas for my cruise. The night before flight canceled. Unable to reach anyone from Norwegian travel. American airlines could not get me and my daughter a flight before cruise departure. My family already in Miami waiting. Had to book a new flight from another airport to Ft Lauderdale. $1300 1 way for the 2 of us. Our luggage went from Boston to Miami while we were on standby. Had to go from Ft Lauderdale to Miami for luggage. I had bought travel insurance thru Norwegian who denied my claim for refund and never got reimbursed for canceled flight or flight we had to purchase 😢
Oh my god that's terrible! Did they ever make it up to you?
Will I got my air confirmation 90 days before my cruise. Work out good
if you are not a big drinker, pass on drink package or look at break even per day drinking.
I would really like to know how much to did bid when you were trying to upgrade. Fair, good, excellent?
Thanks Grant. Making first ever cruise April 30 to Alaska onboard NCL Bliss. We have the Free at Sea promotions; however, we did not use the airfare because we live 45 mins from the embarkation port. Would have been nice if NCL gave us another perk instead. Looking forward to seeing Alaska in a few weeks.
Hi David 👋 thanks for your comment. Wow! 45 minutes from the port, I’m not sure that I’d be able to deal with that temptation 😜 Have a wonderful cruise on the Bliss, it’s just around the corner 🙌
My mom and I are gonna be on there too! I'm so excited!! Coming from OK!
14 day NCL Prima $1329 pp/pd.. actual cost $4409.84 per couple, taxes, service tips and $610.40 for basic drink package. Cruising is FUN but it is a cash cow. Be careful, relax and destress. If you fly to port you will have to add flights, hotel, transfers to above. If you fly southwest 2 bags fly free.
is the free drink package not covered or did they not offer it when u booked
can you fly in a day before the cruise leaving? never sailed on NCL before .
Is it possible to upgrade your airfare? I keep getting the run around when i call Norwegian and basically got denied from air line bc i ordered through 3rd party. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. TY
How much did you bid to get the room upgrade?
The free wifi also gives you a discount if you upgrade to premium or unlimited wifi. You only pay the difference.
I was on the Prima at the beginning of this month. My sister was debating whether or not to get the unlimited wifi and decided she didn't want to spend the money. The first time I logged in to my free 150 minutes, it offered me an upgrade to unlimited for around $79 so I did that. My sister then checked her app and it was still going to charge her full price. I'm not sure why I got the offer and she didn't; she actually booked the cruise. It didn't matter, we ended up sharing mine.
I booked a last-minute cruise without reading the fine print. Now NCL says this only applies to cruises paid for 110 days before the cruise.
Cruising in 2024 on NCL, don’t drink except sodas and water so was going to get the beverage package you get with free at sea. Is that good, or choices? Also worth paying the $199 to upgrade you internet to unlimited? Lastly, anyone every get the thermal spa pass? Good or no? Thanks everyone!
What are the pros and cons of the NCL “Sailaway” category?
Again not Grant 😂, but the only advantage is a cheaper fare. They are guarantees only so you could wind up anywhere (obstructed view, in a noisy area), and they come with no Free at Sea perks.
If you want to pick your stateroom, that will be a bit more expensive. If you don't want the beverage or dining package, you can always opt of those so you're not paying gratuities.
I’m 80 days out from my first ever cruise An 11-day Norwegian cruise. Traveling alone with friends. They would not do my plane ticket at all. I had to book my own air. Pissed me off.
Is it better to book your own flight if let the cruise line do it for u
We're going on our 7th ncl cruise may24. I wont ever use ncl flight Bogo again. We are coming in 2 days early so have time if flights are delayed. Leaving they have us on an 11pm flight. So we'll be dropped off at the airport in the am.
I never fully use the drink package we liked the pre-dinner expresso martini and had to pay the upcharge.
When we use our free specialty meal did we prepay the tip? Or do we need to pay that?
Can you do a video about how to log on and log off of your internet for the free at sea promotion
Hi Tonya 👋 Thanks for the comment. It is super easy, and probably wouldn't make for a very interesting video. You can totally pick up a "how to" at the front desk that walks you step by step through, or the Internet Manager is also there to support you. You can do it! 🙌
I have a couple of question's about your cabin upgrade.
1. Did you have to pay double your bid as you upgraded from a solo cabin?
2. Were you still able to access the solo lounge area so you could connect with other solo travellers?
Hi there 👋 Thanks for your comment. I'll do my best to answer your questions.
1) The upgrades are always based on double occupancy so if you bid $100 you'll have to pay $200. Same goes if you're bidding as a solo, it's something to keep in mind
2) I've talked quite a bit more about solo travelling, including about the question above, in another video, I've linked that one below. I hope it helps 😊
th-cam.com/video/8gYCSNywW4U/w-d-xo.html
I hope that you're having a super day!
@@CruisewithGrant thank you :)
Free at Sea is what got me to try NCL. I would do it again if all the perks were offered!
So they book your l flights and Tansportations, and if the flight doesnt make it on time, the ship pulls off, and they keep your money? lose all the money for the Cruise trip? What do you mean "not guaranteed". Thanks
Do you know how many days before your cruise will NCL offer upgrades. Just want to make sure to start looking.
Hi Brian 👋 thanks for your comment. The window for the upgrade can vary and most importantly not everyone will be invited to bid on an upgrade every time; NCL isn't full clear on how they decide who gets to bid, but it sounds like priority is on returning cruisers. In my experience I've received the invite to big between 30 and 60 days out, it has varied slightly cruise to cruise. I hope that this is a helpful starting point!
Link to upgrade terms and conditions: www.ncl.com/ca/en/content/upgrade-advantage-terms
Although I am Platinum your reviews still teach me things. Question: I called to reserve my specialty dining using the Platinum status. May I change this reservation to a Free At Sea reservation? Do I need to call NCL? My TA must make the Free At Sea reservations and things have gotten confusing.
Hi Elizabeth 👋 Thanks for your kind words. I feel the same, always learning something new. You should be able to make reservations in advance of your cruise through the website or NCL app, you don't need to indicate when you reserve if you'll be using Free at Sea or not, you can do that when you check in at the restaurant on board. Hope that this is helpful! Have a beautiful day!!
Hi Grant,
Thank you for this great video. I didn’t get free at sea package because I don’t drink any beverages except water or soda. Will they have free soda at the buffet? Like fountain soda?😊
Hi Min Choi 👋 You're most welcome, I hope it was helpful. Unfortunately there aren't free sodas included with your cruise, they do have machines where you'll find unsweetened ice tea and other fruit beverages as well as coffee. If you have you heart set on soda you can purchase a soda package that usually runs about 10USD / day of your cruise. You can also pay to buy one soda at a time if you're not sure you'll drink that much. I hope that this helps!
@@CruisewithGrant Thank you so much Grant! I really appreciate your response and awesome video!
Thanks for this but I highly advise against taking the free airfare; read the fine print - you have almost no recourse. We asked for customized pricing to keep from red eyes back with our 80 year old parents and requested they fly on same flight with either us or our young adult kids - that added $1000 a ticket; they told me if we did our own they would reimburse us $500 per ticket- but still hadn't provided me (74 days out btw) with what our actual flights would be, so by that time, it was too late to make decent flights; they also give you the worst flights (we have a red eye home), tight connections, and if you have any problems, you need to talk to their (NCL in house) air department because the airline can't make changes. So after asking 5 time, the elderly are on a 2 separate flights (oh did I mention when we added my mom to my MIL cabin, they told me I had to ask for the 2-1 airfare, claimed I didn't and refused to let me hear my phone calls to them?) leaving from same airport as us but different times, getting in to airport then trying to navigate to the hotel (no, they aren't great with logistics). Grant you give great advice, but I suggest book your own flights - go a day ahead. The stress I have had and the hours (probably 10) that I have spent on the phone with people telling me more has made me question this cruise line and dread the trip of a lifetime I had planned for my family to go to Alaska
Maybe it helps someone else with a cruise leaving from Europe and they are based in the EU. I just called NCL and was told that these extra gratuities for the drinks in the Free at Sea package are not applicable for any sailing which don't include Spain. If you are sailing from Spain, or if you have stop in Spain, it seems like the gratuity situation will be more like those for cruises leaving from the US.
I am not sure if this changes if you are with a US based address yet still sailing out of Europe.
Yes, i couldn't believe it... Spain charging VAT on the value of each drink while you're in Spanish waters. And also some nonsense that if your cruise doesn't port in a non-EU country, Spain charges VAT on the entire length of your cruise. You better hope your cruise stops in the UK to get some relief.
Surely this will wind up hurting them to a certain degree. I know many see it as a few extra dollars. Not me. I have no intention of paying a VAT for something i do not benefit from. They need a way for non-EU citizens to recover those fees.
We cruise NCL once a year or more and take advantage of the flight discounts. You don’t have to fly in and out of the same port. NCL will fly you to the embarkation city and fly you home from your destination city.
Hi Sharon 👋 Thanks for sharin 😜 I think we're totally on the same page, in the video I meant that your "home" City needs to be the same place you're leaving from and returning too. I certainly hope that the ports can be different, can you imagine!! Hope you're having a beautiful day!
This is correct! We have a cruise booked where the embarkation and disembarkation ports are in 2 different cities, and have the 2nd guest flies free perk. So NCL will fly you in and out, no problem. The 3rd guest in our room is also flying at the same time.
That said, even though there are direct flights available, we did not get booked on those and instead will have a stop over on the way and back. It's the luck of the draw, but we did get our flight info more than 3 months in advance.
Also, I had to call the airline to get my Frequent Flyer account added to the booking as NCL will not do that since they will not know what flights they are able to book. It's a pain because my reservation was made by a US travel agent (I'm Canadian) and I couldn't access the US reservation on the Air Canada site. Sadly, I had to call Air Canada's Customer Service line and it took forever to connect. At least now, it's done.
Cheers!
I took NCL fligts from USA to London with one stop (in NYC) and flew home from Copenhagen to USA
You should host a meet and greet cruise!
Family of 4
3 adults 1 child
2 drinkers not crazy drinkers
Inside cabin
What do you recommend we get Free at Sea?
We got screwed out of the "free air" promo because we did not book at least 75 days ahead. Why they have this rule escapes me. Our inadvertent "mistake" cost us about $2000! Dont know why they have this "rule". NOT HAPPY (and we are Platinum Latitudes)
By the way I am a Silver Latitudes member, very disappointed with Norwegian for not making good on lost $$
Didn't know you could add extra specialty dining at a discount. That would have come in handy on my recent cruise!
Usually there is a discount on the add on dining before the cruise. Don't wait until you get on board!
Hi Grant! My favorite of the FAS promos is the WIFI and Specialty dining. I usually opt out of the beverage package, as I'm not a huge drinker. Also, my next cruise will be in a studio cabin, and I am looking to test out the lounge area. Hope you are having a wonderful day, sending a sunny smile your direction! 🌞🌞
Hi Lee Ann 👋 You are just always the biggest ray of sunshine! Thanks for your comment; me too on the drinks package. I sometimes will get the soda package, but I've found even then I have to drink $15 a day in soda which is alot. Can't wait to hear about your studio lounge experience! Wishing you a sunny and beautiful day too! 🫶
Can you explain how to bid on upgrades and what you should be bidding?
I'm not Grant 😅, but i do have lots of experience with this. If your fare is eligible (some aren't), you'll get an email inviting you to bid (you can also use the room upgrade feature on the app where it will have you put in your reservation number and you can bid for an upgrade there.)
There will be a slider with a min through max bid. Bid what you want and pay no attention to where you are on the slider. Don't think, well, I'm only bidding the minimum, maybe i have a better chance if i start where the initial slider was parked in the middle. Don't fall for that. Also be aware that whatever you bid is x2. So if you bid $250, know that's a total of $500.
And i cannot emphasize this enough: before you bid, always, always check current pricing on the stateroom you are bidding up to. Oftentimes, you can upgrade outright and pick your own stateroom more cheaply than bidding. When you bid, you get the stateroom they assign to you. When you upgrade outright, you can pick your stateroom in the new category.
Caveats: if you booked with a particularly good promo, and the promos are now different and less advantageous, you may not want to upgrade outright. If you upgrade outright, you switch to current promos. Alternatively, if the perks are better or the same, it probably makes sense to upgrade outright rather than bid.
Here are 2 examples to illustrate my point.
1) We had friends in a Courtyard Haven Penthouse. They bid on a 2BR Haven Courtyard stateroom for $1200pp, so $2400. Their bid was immediately accepted. Why? Because calling to upgrade outright would have only been $1000 total. Once your bid is accepted, it's final.
2) We recently booked an Owner's Suite in the Haven. The min bid for a Deluxe Owner's suite was $800pp, which i thought was crazy high. As prices dropped, the min bid did not drop. I called my TA who was able to upgrade us for $745 total AND since his agency had a special with NCL at the time of our upgrade, he threw in free daily services charges worth $350 for the 2 of us for a week. In that case, keeping on top of pricing saved us a min of $1205 instead of bidding the min bid that we may not have won.
Here's another tidbit that's not often talked about, and i have first-hand experience with this as well: if you see your bid "processing," stay out of your reservation to allow the agents to actually process your upgrade. I made the mistake of stalking my reservation by being logged into it on the NCL site to see what our room number would be. Eventually, NCL gave up and our bid went from processing to "expired," and we didn't get the upgrade.
Hope that helps, or maybe it was way more than you wanted or needed!
@@marylamb7897 That was exactly what we were looking for! Thank you! I wasn't sure if there was an upgrade to our Haven Suite.
@@StowawayDuckDuck Good luck! I hope you get the upgrade you're looking for!
38 days before my cruise and I still don't have my flight info. I joined a few discussion groups for this cruise online and a ton of people go the info weeks ago. Not sure what the hold up is with mine.
Talk to NCL. I don’t cruise for another 90+ days but I have my flight details and my hotel details. I asked.
Will the drink package be the same price if you don't buy it at time of booking?
Hi sportMike87 👋 If you are eligible for Free at Sea I'm not sure if it can be added back later if you've declined the offer. This would be a great question to ask a travel agent or NCL cruise consultant. If you get the promo with Free at Sea you're only paying for the gratuities so not the actual price of the package (gratuities are 20% of the value of the package). The actual cost of the package without this promotion is over $100USD per day. I hope this is helpful
Something to know about the $50 shore credit.....if you get a discount with your Latitudes level. They will first take the $50 off and only give you the discount on the rest of the cost. You do not get a discount on the whole cost of the excursion with the way they calculate it.
Hi Violetcat 👋 Thanks so much for adding this additional detail!
Hi Grant!
You still have to pay the gratuity on each free at sea item, so it’s not really free.
I bid on a bolcony cabin going only $50 higher. Do I even have a chance of getting it. I'm 24 days from my cruise sailing date.
Did you win the bid
I just got an email to bid for a higher classroom. It gives an amount and says per person. For example, $50 per person. Do they mean per day?
Hi David 👋 Thanks for the question, if you bid the amount is per person (if you're travelling solo you pay double); the amount is for the entire cruise so you just pay once. Hope this helps
Question for you: With my first cruise in March I get the free 75min (5 day cruise). But I keep hearing/reading about using the NCL app. Does that count towards my min? also, I've read something about calling/texting people on the cruise? Have you talked about those two things specifically or can you direct me to a source that explains it? It's really the only thing I'm genuinely confused about.
Hi Rachael 👋 You can use the NCL app, but it doesn't count towards your minutes (Yay!). The calling / texting features through the app do have an associated cost as well. I hope this helps to clear things up.
Perfect! Thanks so much. That was super helpful! Your videos are really putting my mind at ease.
We are trying NCL for the first time this upcoming June. We opted in to the BOGO airfare option. As a preplanner, and a bit of a control freak 😊, the waiting for our flight information is driving me nuts😂. We live 2 miles from an airport, but it's not on their list, so we have to drive over 2 hours to the next approved airport. That's the main reason I'm worried. Not knowing the flight information and wondering if we should get a hotel the night before or just drive to the airport. It all depends on the flight times.
Looking forward to the cruise, though. We'll be on the Prima sailing from Reykjavik around Iceland to Norway, down to Amsterdam, Brussels and over to London. We're spending a couple of days before and after the cruise in those shoulder cities too.
If we don't use excursion credits up, can we apply them as On Board Credit? Like in the Casino?
FAS credits are not transferable.
@@huffdaddi thanks, I was hoping. Lol😎
Hi Rick 👋 Thanks for sharing, sounds like you're experiencing the same waiting game that many folks have told me about. Hopefully you get your details soon! As Jim mentioned unfortunately all of the perks have no monetary value so if you don't use em, you lose them, unfortunately no transfers or refunds. Hope you can make good use of what you've got included with your cruise. Enjoy the Prima!! I'm very jealous!! 😜
@@CruisewithGrant thanks for the info and well wishes.
@@rickthibodeau9172how was the experience?
I am scheduled as a solo cruiser (in a solo suite) on the Bliss May 13th to Alaska (26 more days!). I bid on a balcony upgrade 2 months ago, but the status still shows "pending". When do you usually find out if your bid was accepted or not?
Hi GC 👋 Looks like we had the game plan 😜 I didn't get a notice that my bid had been accepted until I was on board (same goes with my failed big on my last cruise), so it may be right down to the wire. It certainly depends on how full the ship is. If you check your cruise on the NCL website and see the room category you're looking at is sold out it may give you a sense of whether an upgrade is likely. Hope this helps! Fingers crossed for you
You must let Norweign know if you want to come in a day early and document it. I ask for a day before. They booked same day of sailing. Stressful. Returning was a midnight flight day we arrived back into Port. So we get to airport 9:15 am flight at midnight. We were 20 + getting home. Very aggravating and exhausting. A group of 3 couples were traveling together. Each couple was put know separately airlines going but all on the same one coming back.
Flights with Norweign need alot of work
I am having the same experience. HORRIBLE. They absolutely have the ability to put people together but will not. After asking for our elderly parents to be with us, they said they couldn't but realized they changed that rule after we booked, so grandfathered us in. But still. made a mistake, put us with our young adult kids, and denied that I asked. Refused to let me listen to my calls to them, where I asked and reiterated several times that grandmas needed to be matched with one of us. So sorry this happened to you. I hope at least the cruise was good. This experience has soured me maybe forever to NCL and I used to refer lots of people to try them
If you upgrade from a solo studio cabin to a balcony, do you still get access to the studio lounge?
Hi Keisha 👋 great question. If you change cabin types you no longer get access to the lounge, it’s tied to the studio cabin type vs being a solo traveller.
@@CruisewithGrant thank you
Question Grant. If you are a first time cruiser (like I am) on NCL, can you still try to bid on an upgrade or do you need at least Bronze status? I keep trying and it says my reservation # isn't found, but I'm all checked in and have my paperwork ready. Your channel is very informative.
Hi CollegeTom 👋 I'm so sorry for the delay in getting back to you. Still playing a bit of catch up following my trip. So from what I've learned they don't invite everyone on the cruise to bid on an upgrade, and even those that they do, they don't always invite you to bid on the same range of rooms. For example if I'm in an inside sometimes I get invited to bid on an Oceanview and Balcony, other times I get invited to big on a Spa Balcony or Club Balcony. Don't quote me on it, but I have heard that upgrade bids are focussed on people who have taken a cruise before. But please do let me know if you get invited to bid! I'm always keen to hear about other people's experiences.
@@CruisewithGrant hi Grant, I did get an invite to upgrade but it's double occupancy (so whatever I bid they doubled, even though I sailed solo) and I would have lost all my perks (free at sea, excursion & dining credits, etc...), so it wasn't worth it. Thank you for you reply. The Getaway was a little too big and WAY to crowded for me. Any suggestions for smaller NCL vessels, primarily out of Florida. TIA.
@@CollegeTom Thanks for the update. Just a note that if you do ever want to bid on an upgrade you won't lose your Free at Sea perks, they just won't give you any extras e.g. if you upgrade to a balcony you'll keep the ones you had before. I'm sorry that the Getaway wasn't your cup of tea. I know others that's don't care for the bigger ships. i personally really like the Jewel class ships (Jade, Gem, Pearl and of course Jewel); they may be worth checking out if your'e looking for something a bit more intimate.
@@CruisewithGrant Yeah, I'm old, I fell & hurt myself and my cabin all the way forward. I spent 2 of the 5 nights in bed, because it was too far to walk (aft) to get food. A smaller ship with fewer people is more my speed. But I found your videos very informative.
@@CollegeTom I’m so sorry to hear that! That doesn’t sound very nice at all. I hope that you’re okay and have time to rest and recover. Please take good care of yourself
Such a handsome man ❤
I removed the beverage pkg, does that affect the specialty dining? Would I be charged if I get a non-alcoholic beverage during my specialty dining perk?
Hi Keisha 👋 I'm sorry for the delay in responding. The perks should be separate so that you can keep the dining and not the beverage package. If you get non-alcoholic drinks that are not included with the base cruise e.g. water, coffee, tea, etc. you would be charged if you order during specialty dining. Hope this helps!
@@CruisewithGrant thanks Grant!
Nothing is free on a cruise ship !
Biggest problem with cruisers they believe things are free
Tu est Canadianus.
When the bars are closed most of the time and when the they are open the bars are understaffed, the drink package (part of "Free at Sea") is a real rip off!!! You can't even easily get a soda. Not happy with the "Free at Sea" package we purchased.
Not sure where you had that issue. I never have. NCL cruise #5 this weekend
@@brettparnell8254 I'm so confused, The cruise I'm looking at: For Just Cruise Price = €669 , If I add the Free At Sea it's €868. Will I have to still pay 20% extra on top of that €868 price? I've never cruised before , will be first time.
I’ve never had that issue!!!
**DOUBLE your free internet hack** If one person turns on thier hotspot
Cruised 5/21-5/28 the joy to NYC-Bermuda the cruise was a terrible experience completely disorganized and pourly run. Its been 5 months and they still owe us 3,500$ in refunds from group deposites and booking credits. From the very start the boarding experience was chaos. Just mobs of people being told the wrong information over and over. People being yelled at by staff for doing things other staff members told them to do. No organized line systems or anything. The food was not good at all. One of the main reasons we book Norwegian. The food at the buffet was mostly over cooked or mushy, a few people even got sick from the buffet. The main restaurants were not much better and only open form 12-1:30 for lunch. The specialty dinning was never available due to the fact people were making multiple reservations for the same day and then canceling the ones they don't want last minute. No regulation at all. We were never able to book things as a group. The one dinner we were able to book ahead of time, when we showed up they didn't know anything about our reservation. They told us we could only sit in tables of 8 and there were clearly other groups with tables of 12. All the tables were suppose to be together but they were separated by massive pillars and walls completely isolating 3 of the tables all together. The laser tag was only open for 2 hours per day and weather permitting. When I tried to book the group they said they needed the room number and the fact that I booked as a group didnt mean anything. I explained I was the group leader and asked for a list of the rooms in my group and they told me thats private information. They said they couldn't accommodate us at the go karts either. But doesn't seem like we missed out sine an electric shopping cart moves faster. The entertainment was really bad. Footloose felt like a high-school production. Most people were falling asleep or walking out after 20 minutes. They messed up several people's reservations in my group and kept sending them to talk to different people but no one ended up helping them. Several people told me I was gonna have a butler and when I went to set it up I was basically laughed at and told I only get a concierge. The "Concierge" that I was assigned was barley available and when they were they would direct me to talk to someone else. I talked to so many long time Norwegian cruisers and they said it was hands down the worst cruise they have ever been on. Some of them have been on more than 30 cruises. Even the staff was apologizing for how crappy it was. This was our wedding cruise. I am so embarrassed. I told all my people how great and fun it was going to be. I told the how great the food was going to be. I told them how great the entertainment was going to be. I told them all the stuff I was told and it was a lie. The ship was not intended to be a family cruise ship. Nor was is designed for that level of open water. The ride was so turbulent. It was designed to be a gambling boat. It is nothing more than a slightly refurbished casino boat with a few pourly thought out and designed "family fun features". We really feel scamed, cheated and lied to about this cruise it was definitely not as advertised. And we are not the only ones there are thousands of people on social media with similar or worse complaints.
doesn't sound good value
After what NCL did to that NC family, I hope that they go out of business. NCL screwed that family out of $58,000.