Thanks for the video. I'm a loyal guest to NCL and since free at sea promotion was offered first a long time ago, we always have booked it. For me, either cruising solo or with family/friends, free at sea package is a great value. Btw for me when cruising as solo traveller NCL does a great job - overall it is pioneer of solo cruising and has great deals.
I have sailed many times on NCL using both “Free at Sea” and “Free at Sea Plus” and I can attest that with both of these packages, the “flow” water carton bottles are included when obtained at the bars. One must sign a slip when getting these carton bottles but they’re not charged. Also, and this is particularly important with Cruises in both Hawaii and certain European waters, alcoholic beverages are subject to liquor taxes depending on where the ship is sailing. With Hawaii, if the Ship is docked in a Hawaiian Port at the time of an alcoholic drink purchase, a mandatory liquor tax is charged regardless of the drink package entitlements.
The taxes charged when in certain ports or within certain areas are going to be for ALL lines, just to be clear.. Has nothing to do with NCL. I still don't 100% buy that the flow cartons are included. I guess I'll check that out in December.
Free at Sea is the best deal. Imagine traveling with a group of 4 and paying an additional 259 per person for the Free at Sea Plus package for "water". Sure the Plus packages also includes top shelf liquor which 99% of people don't drink or care about and Starbucks coffee, but water is the main thing. You can prepay for 6,12, or 24 liter water bottles to be delivered to your room with 12 liter being 35 dollars which will be more than enough to last your entire trip for most groups of 4. Basically, your adding the water package for 9 dollars a person instead of 259.
This is my first time sailing with NCL and this video was incredibly helpful. Thank you. I’ve watched it two times already. I’m sure I’ll watch it a couple more times.
The $20 daily gratuity term - minute 10:30 - is not correct. NCL calls it daily service charge per person. It will be automatically charged to onboard account, but can also be prepaid before cruise. Note: All major cruise lines do have this daily kind of fee. Only amount may be different.
I upgraded to free at sea plus for $249. I get bottled water (which was my main reason), unlimited Starbucks, unlimited WiFi (which was my second reason), unlimited drinks… top shelf, 2 more specialty (3 total because I’m traveling solo)… I did not get any extra shore excursion credit.
This is for a 7 day cruise in a solo studio cabin. Idk… I felt like it was worth the extra $249 for the bottled water and the WiFi. The Starbucks is a plus… I don’t drink coffee but I love their refreshers!!!
I also got the free at sea plus mainly for the water. $250 for unlimited hard and soft beverages is a steal. I didn’t get the WiFi, but I got $50 off an excursion in each port and 4 specialty dining meals. I’m not cruising until 2026, but I’m so excited about the solo cabin. Cruising solo and out of local ports, the reduced or free stuff for a second traveler doesn’t help me, but I think most people could benefit from that as well.
The free at sea is a heck of a lot cheaper than say RC drink package. For 3 of us this December on NCL for a week, the "free" beverage package will cost us $457 in gratuities. That's $150 / person.. That equals out to around $22 per person per day.. If you drink 2 drinks a day, it is worth it. My wife and I are going on a 4 night cruise with RC in april, and right now, for just the 2 of us, with tips and all, the drinks package is about $650. Probably not going to be worth it. So $450 for 3 for 7 days, or $650 for 2 for 4 days.. Plus it (ncl) does include 150 minutes of wifi for 1st 2 guests. Where we are in a club balcony for the first 2 guests, we also get 2 specialty dining each. The gratuities on that is $40 for 2 of us.. so $10 per special meal. And those that are saying "OH NCL is nickel and diming you to death" no they arent.. You do NOT have to take the free at sea stuff. You can happily pay per drink like every where else. You dont have to take the special dining etc etc. So please stop with the nickel and diming crap.. It's getting old.
@@Eatsleepcruise1 100%! Of course I guess we COULD look at it as nickel and diming if you call prices on other cruise lines 5 dollar and 10 dollaring lol..
What’s the significance of the retail value of the drink package? Do they reduce my fare by $763 pp if we opt out of the drink package? I’d be hard pressed to drink 763 plus 150+ in gratuity on a 7 day cruise.
having planned our first trip with NCL after some cruises with MSC this video was extremely helpful, thank you very much! As for the flight package I can only tell that the for flight from Germany to Buenos Aires they offered the non-stop flight as the first option at a very reasonable price!
@@Eatsleepcruise1 we start with Norwegian Star in January 2025 from Buenos Aires down south Ushuaia and via Elephant Island and the Falklands back to Buenos Aires. We’re offered an additional package for two nights in Buenos Aires including transfers by NCL, a service we never got in ten cruises with MSC.
The NCL airline bookings were great. We saved over 50% per ticket using NCL to book our plane tickets. Went to Asia with one stop going there and two stops back. Going to South Korea/Japan, one stop each way. Considering the savings on the plane tickets, fine with me.
Just did the Hawaii Cruise, with the Airline portion provided by Norwegian. Yep, they did select the flights rather late and were not very convenient time. We had a large layover returning and ended up spending 28 hours on the road to get home. It was pretty brutal. Going out was not much better and we had weird layover locations. We did manage to get upgrades ourselves going direct to the airline. The setup also included the transportation vouchers for airport to hotel, hotel to cruise, cruise to airport. The 3rd party support was HORRIBLE when we got there. Very disorganized and it took a very long time to get to our hotel. The NCL stuff at the ship was GREAT though. They were WELL organized and efficient.
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Pride of America; that's one cruise we want to do one day. I'm sorry to hear the free airfare promotion was not ideal. Do you have another cruise booked?
@@Eatsleepcruise1 The Hawaii cruise was really nice. The Maui stop was ok, but the rest were amazing, especially Kauai. Yes, we are booked for another different cruise, and I will follow your lead and book my own flights. The rest of the support from NCL is really good IMHO. But the bargain shopping they must do on flights can be a real low point.
I agree with all you listed. Especially, the summation of the "second guest fly free". I have found that you can pay "full price" for two people and make MUCH better arrangements (i.e. reasonable times and direct flights) !. However, we fly to port town the day before so it might cost a little more in the long run in money and time (we are retired and have access to "companion" perks on Delta.
NCL’s Free at Sea program doesn’t seem very free to me. How about “Some Stuff is free, but you will have to Pay Additional Amounts above the limit - plus Gratuities at Sea” program?
The one or two meals for free in specialty dining is about the same per person per meal as Royal Carribean, my average per meal averages just under 20$ each abg
@@DB-zp9un if the gratuities were not included, or revealed, in the price. I am not familiar with all this compelled tipping. Have cash to tip,as I go along, not prepared to,tip,for 14 days for something I bought. These extras should be revealed to assist in Decision making when selecting your cruise etc. I opted for a complete package, knowing that I would not have drink many days, my choice, yet to pay extra for every day is a shock.
It's pathetic! No wonder virgin is the best cruiseliner in the world right now. I mean literally - what the fcuk is this Bullshit. The instructions to build IKEA furniture are easier to understand than this! Ncl - you're crap
Thanks so much for the video 🙏🏽. The 150 minutes each, are there stipulations on this such as do we have to use our phones one at a time or can we both use at same time?
Great video, very thorough. In the past we have used the flying perk when it was free 2nd guest and we are flying across the country to take the cruise.
The 1 free dining . Is it once off. Or 1 everyday. We don't drink alcohol but love specialty coffee bottled water, smoothies, and juices. What the best way to get the best deal on this.
The one free dining is for the entire cruise. Unfortunately, NCL does not offer a non-alcoholic beverage package covering those items. So, you are better off paying a la carte. What ship are you sailing on?
The Free at Sea drink package adds up to about $22 a day in gratuities. If you only have two drinks a day, it's not worth it. I found that the "low ball" airfare program is hardly worth it. You get the cheapest seats, at the worst times, with the cheapest airlines, with no upgrades. In 5 days, I'm flying for 3-1/2 hours, out to Seattle, for an Alaska cruise. 3-1/2 hours is a long time to spend in NCL provided, basic economy, when you are over six feet tall. Instead, I got a great deal to fly out First Class on Delta. I decided to hold off paying for the mandatory gratuities until after the cruise was over because I learned that if any of your excursions have to be cancelled, you are reimbursed with future cruise credit. This way, I can apply the credit to gratuities. PS. I also have a three week Canal cruise with NCL booked for October, 2024. I also deleted their reduced fare airflight deal and used miles to book a United First Class ticket, on the way out.
@billkallas @all The around $22 is per person in cabin per day - so in total around $150 for 7 days cruise per person and this $150 are charged with booking ($300 at double occupancy) and then there is nothing else to pay on board. You are right, with just 2 drinks (depends on price of each) package might not be worth it. But consider, with each price of drink (no matter, if alcohol or not) in bars/restaurants, there comes an additional 20% gratuity on top.
The information on the app about the cost of shore excursions when you have Free at Sea is misleading because the price advertised has automatically deducted the first $50 free from the advertised price of the shore excursion. So if you are assuming that $50 will be deducted from the price advertised think again - it has already been done!!
Free is Free. Free excursion only means a 49$ limit. Free WiFi is limited. Gratuities are added to drink package as well. This is basically deceptive and false advertising.
We just did our first NCL Cruise to the Mediterranean for the last 2 weeks and we thought they were horrible Money rubbers. We paid for the free at Sea package, we also upgraded the internet... and yet we still had to pay 48.00 for cases of water you can get at home for 3 bucks. we don't drink alcohol so we didn't need that. Starbucks was not included. every port they pulled you into was so far away from anything you had to buy an Excursion or at least a bus pass to town. all of the activities for the kids were more money. the swimming pool was miniscule and all the drunks were hanging around it because of the bar so my granddaughter hated it. it was just awful. 😢 every time you turned around they were wanting more money and more gratuity and it ended up making this trip hugely more expensive than any other cruise I've been on in 20 years
@@robinadams6614 As well gratuity (or service fee) with shopping/dining/activities/spa etc - you have these costs with all major cruise lines. Btw you find all information about costs onboard on website also in FAQ. Btw you found on all ships quiet zones. Usually the main pool area is highly frequented with all major cruise lines.
Many thanks for this video! I have automatically been assigned the basic free at sea package. Question 1: Does this mean I can have unlimited drinks under $15 every day or drinks to the total of $15 per day? Question 2: Will I pay the same total gratuities on my drinks at the end of the cruise if I drink one drink a day or two drinks a day? Question 3: Re if I have paid upfront for gratuities, is it expected to tip extras during/end of the cruise?
Karen, UNLIMITED drinks every day! We drink a lot on vacation so it’s really worth it. Gratuities are one price no matter how much you drink. The only person we tip with cash is the person who takes care of our room all week, it’s well worth it. Hope this helps💙
As I'm loyal guest to Norwegian Cruise Line here information: Question 1: You can drink as much as you want with unlimited drink package - each drink up to 15$ is included. If you book drink package within free at sea promotion you only have to pay gratuity within booking process. Onboard there is nothing to pay. Question 2: If you don't have drink package, you have to pay for each drink + gratuity for each drink. Both is charged to your onboard account and settlement of onboard account is at the end of cruise. Question 3: If you have prepaid the daily service charge, it's on your own discretion whether you give additional tip dedicated to staff you would like to thank for. Note: Most of drinks on bar menu are up to 15$. Hope, this information is useful.
@@monikaliebold4225 I hope you don’t mind me asking a question as well, since you’re a NCL loyal guest… Our last cruise was in 2018 to Bermuda & I don’t remember paying automatic gratuities on our “free at sea unlimited drink package”🤔. My question is: Have they always had automatic gratuities on alcohol package AND what about automatic gratuities in general (steward taking care of our room)? I remember handing our room steward $150 in beginning of cruise & then another $150 at end cuz they were GREAT!! This was over 5yrs ago & unfortunately my memory is shot from being disabled. They all DEFINITELY deserve gratuities!! If you did sail back then, I would really appreciate your knowledge regarding this. Thank you so much 😊
@@nicolewiltsey7793 When booking drink package within free at sea promotion gratuity for drink package was (is) automatically charged within booking process (you can find this amount on confirmation of booking/reservation). Onboard there was (is) then nothing to pay regarding drinks within drink package. Daily service charge (has nothing to do with gratuity for drinks) was (is) always automatically charged to onboard account (per person). Meanwhile daily service charge can be prepaid within booking account of guest before embarkation. Additional tips onboard (gratuities) were (are) on your own discretion. Hope, this information helps.
Glad you found the video helpful. Yes, frozen cocktails are included in the free-at-sea drink package. Which ship are you sailing on for your upcoming cruise?
The fair doesn’t go up, they do put the gratuities onto you cart to check out. I don’t drink alcohol, but the drinks package is still a great deal because I drink a lot of soda and juice. I also like the Virgin cocktails.
@@ReeceS6419 you are wrong.. If you want to enjoy the dining in the main dining room and the local / osheehans / the buffet and are good with what drinks are available for free ie: water, coffee, machine juices at the buffet you do not need to spend one more dime. I really dont know where people are coming up with "nickel and diming you to death" You dont have to take any extra.
hi, i was wondering if im 18 years old and our cruise is transatlantic in Europe if i could also have the drink package, It said that we must be 21 but in Europe, the minimum age for alcohol is 18. So could i buy drinks onboard and can i have the drink package too ?
Yep, when cruising with family/friends The Haven - Garden Villa and/or Deluxe Owner's Suite are just amazing. When cruising as solo traveller, solo studio (incl solo lounge) is a must have.
How does the drink package work on kids? If my husband and I upgrade to unlimited drink plus that includes Starbucks and juice, do my children need to paurchase this upgrade also? They are both under 12, no alcohol and caffeine drink for them, so do they stay in Soda package?
We are sailing on our first cruise Pride of America 😊 for Christmas in Hawaii with the four of us. We selected the Free at sea offers and took the airfare bogo offer. We chose a balcony room for us and interior room for our kids 21&17. So we are learning what to do prior to the trip to get the most enjoyable experience.
Hi. I am cruising for first time on NCL and when I booked my cruise it had the free at sea with 150 minutes free wi fi. I just noticed that the current promotion has a wi fi package that says- save up to $200 of an internet package. Does anyone know what this means? I understand the 150 minutes free but no idea how to quantify the cost of this other package lingo. TYIA
We have sailed NCL exclusively since they came out with the FAS promo. We are now platinum, soon to be Saphire, so we get 2 free specialty meals and 2 for being platinum. If NCL ever drops the FAS promo, we would start shopping other cruise lines. Prior to FAS we just stayed away from the drinks on the ship, just too expensive for us, but now having a few cocktails has become part of the experience for us. I get that there is no such thing as free, and understand how the promotion works. By the time you pay the daily service charge, drinks package tips, tips on the specialty dining, That expense exceeds $600 for a 7day cruise for two. We get this and consider that as part of the deal, I think sometimes people don't do the research and get surprised.
@@berniekirk1397 hallo, saw your remark and the situation I find myself is, that I am not American, I do not come from an obvious tipping culture. No need for that because correct wages are paid. Tipping is done on an appreciative basis as extra thanks. Where I love those extras would be mentioned up front as they constitute part of the costs of the product. It is not lack,of research as,such because if you do not know that this situation is there how do you know what questions to ask. Be well.
How does unlimited drinking package work for family with young children? Will they be charged the same amount of gratuities as 20% of the package value? Apparently they don’t drink alcohol so it seems like a bad value if they can’t opt out and just pay gratuity based on soda package.
Unlimited drink package is only for adults. You can opt out at booking. There is unlimited soda package onboard available, 20% gratuity (value of soda package). But there are lemonade/squash/water/icetea dispenser at buffet. Just bring own bottle and refill as much as you like without cost.
There was an odd reference to wine at dinner. Is wine by the glass at dinner included in the $109 package? I see that it includes 20% off wine by the bottle, but am specifically concerned about by the glass at dinner.
You can get free plain (tap) water during any dining service, from multiple water dispensers in the buffet areas , or from any bar. The tap water on the ship has been purified and is completely safe to drink, so you can fill your glass in your stateroom as well.
@@julieduke1317we called down and asked if we could use the water in the bathroom sink to make coffee and they told us it was not purified and they would recommend that we not use it and that we buy water for that. 🙄
This is very expensive and it seems after you have paid for your cruise, what you get is very basic. I am going soon and I already regret booking with this cruise line.
You only pay gratuities on drinks and dining if you don't opt out, but it is worth the money. If you want an all inclusive cruise, go on Viking, maybe $500 a DAY.
To explain for others: $300 are gratuity for two guests normally for a 7 day cruise. So $150 per person means $21.43 per day for unlimited drinks on board and nothing else to pay. If you don't have this package, you have to pay on board for each drink plus 20% gratuity for each drink. If you don't want having booked drink package, just remove checkmark for drink package at booking procedure online or tell travel agent.
To all these cruise lines. Free packages any packages , taxes , gratuity. You can drink here there for this much or that much. Just STOP confusing customers. Your trying to fool people like hell and the trip we plan for x amount of dollars freaking double or triple. Not right with these cruise companies. Makes me that’s never taken a cruise not do it at all. I am trying to get as much info on cruise but all I hear and see it’s enough to never take one. Just make it simple include it or not but stop confusing. I have a week were I was thinking about a cruise but it just seems like a rip off. You see the sea in mini day cruise and it’s all the same. Your in the middle of no where. It’s the same when your not allowed to do anything on the cruise because it’s not included you have to pay extra on everything. It’s ridiculous.
I think the Free At Sea is very misleading. Excursions are definitely not free. $50.00 off one guests. Where is an excursion that costs $50.00? Free Wii again is not free. You’re limited on how many minutes. It would take me 3-4 minutes just to log on. I feel NCL still nickels and dime you to death!
Last November I was on a cruise to Mexican Riviera last year and there were about 6 excursions around 50-60$ - so as I'm mostly solo traveller when cruising, it was really a great value. And with WiFi it took me only at first login/logout a bit longer to create/confirm password, but then it was just seconds for login/logout (with saved password on phone). And speed was fast - both on Bliss (November) and Spirit (November/December) - depends where you are on ship (for max speed watch out for the small router boxes on ceilings/walls).
NCL free at sea is totally misleading! Just back from NCL Spirit Double charge $40/pp fees and others cruise line $16/pp or $18/pp Services are lower standard compared others lines.
@@masonzhang7635Even when you book special promotions or standard fares with other major cruise lines, this additional daily service charge (NCL 20$ per person per day, not per cabin) is applied to onboard account with nearly all lines. Only amount or term is different. If you read terms and conditions of free at sea promotion when booking, you can see exactly, what's included in this promotion. You find also information about daily service charge in FAQ and cruise contract. And you can also find information about daily service charge within your reservation number and you even can pay this charge before sail date. So, you are completely informed before your cruise. Btw after coming back on cruising, a lot of major cruise lines have lowered service standards (for example steward attendants service just once a day). They all do still suffer from shutdown. Note: Spirit is the smallest ship of NCL's fleet. You simply cannot have same ship fitting and things to experience like you have on larger or mega ships.
it is very clearly explained on their site. The excursion one is more of a "bonus" discount, never was meant to be free excursions. And again, you do not have to take the free at sea stuff.. You can opt out and not pay anything "extra" and have plenty of food and normal beverages ie: water coffee milk juices at buffet etc etc.
@@masonzhang7635 well if you got double charged, then you need to make sure that gets taken care of. Other than that it's shown how much the daily charges are.
it's not.. this video makes it sounds hard. Do you like to have adult beverages? yes? more than 2 per day? yes? get the free at sea. It's really that easy.
@@Eatsleepcruise1 Yes. I just booked a 15 night jaunt in a solo balcony from Miami to L.A. through the Panama canal on NCL Joy. Many, many firsts. The ship, the stateroom type, the port, the works. And it's double latitudes points, so I'll be platinum at the finish. I like the change that is giving me access to premium whiskies, but I'm pretty miffed that I'll still only get 150 minutes of basic internet. (I'm disabled and use the internet as a resource.)
You should probably delete this video, because NCL eliminated Free At Sea, effective Oct 1st, 2024. Folks, search for MORE AT SEA, and you'll see the new program(it's going to cost you more). :(
Thanks so much for the video 🙏🏽. The 150 minutes each, are there stipulations on this such as do we have to use our phones one at a time or can we both use at same time?
Thanks for the video. I'm a loyal guest to NCL and since free at sea promotion was offered first a long time ago, we always have booked it. For me, either cruising solo or with family/friends, free at sea package is a great value. Btw for me when cruising as solo traveller NCL does a great job - overall it is pioneer of solo cruising and has great deals.
@@monikaliebold4225 agree. The + think gives you free Starbucks. And with two $100 off excursions. But feel xcursions gone up
I have sailed many times on NCL using both “Free at Sea” and “Free at Sea Plus” and I can attest that with both of these packages, the “flow” water carton bottles are included when obtained at the bars. One must sign a slip when getting these carton bottles but they’re not charged. Also, and this is particularly important with Cruises in both Hawaii and certain European waters, alcoholic beverages are subject to liquor taxes depending on where the ship is sailing. With Hawaii, if the Ship is docked in a Hawaiian Port at the time of an alcoholic drink purchase, a mandatory liquor tax is charged regardless of the drink package entitlements.
The taxes charged when in certain ports or within certain areas are going to be for ALL lines, just to be clear.. Has nothing to do with NCL. I still don't 100% buy that the flow cartons are included. I guess I'll check that out in December.
Free at Sea is the best deal. Imagine traveling with a group of 4 and paying an additional 259 per person for the Free at Sea Plus package for "water". Sure the Plus packages also includes top shelf liquor which 99% of people don't drink or care about and Starbucks coffee, but water is the main thing.
You can prepay for 6,12, or 24 liter water bottles to be delivered to your room with 12 liter being 35 dollars which will be more than enough to last your entire trip for most groups of 4.
Basically, your adding the water package for 9 dollars a person instead of 259.
This is my first time sailing with NCL and this video was incredibly helpful. Thank you. I’ve watched it two times already. I’m sure I’ll watch it a couple more times.
Glad it was helpful. Which ship are you sailing on?
The $20 daily gratuity term - minute 10:30 - is not correct. NCL calls it daily service charge per person. It will be automatically charged to onboard account, but can also be prepaid before cruise.
Note: All major cruise lines do have this daily kind of fee. Only amount may be different.
I upgraded to free at sea plus for $249. I get bottled water (which was my main reason), unlimited Starbucks, unlimited WiFi (which was my second reason), unlimited drinks… top shelf, 2 more specialty (3 total because I’m traveling solo)… I did not get any extra shore excursion credit.
That is on the NCL Epic in November.
This is for a 7 day cruise in a solo studio cabin. Idk… I felt like it was worth the extra $249 for the bottled water and the WiFi. The Starbucks is a plus… I don’t drink coffee but I love their refreshers!!!
I also got the free at sea plus mainly for the water. $250 for unlimited hard and soft beverages is a steal. I didn’t get the WiFi, but I got $50 off an excursion in each port and 4 specialty dining meals. I’m not cruising until 2026, but I’m so excited about the solo cabin.
Cruising solo and out of local ports, the reduced or free stuff for a second traveler doesn’t help me, but I think most people could benefit from that as well.
Me too. Had to upgrade just to get bottled water and unlimited wifi. I had never heard of a drink package that didn't include bottled water.
Does the unlimited WI-FI include streaming?
The free at sea is a heck of a lot cheaper than say RC drink package. For 3 of us this December on NCL for a week, the "free" beverage package will cost us $457 in gratuities. That's $150 / person.. That equals out to around $22 per person per day.. If you drink 2 drinks a day, it is worth it. My wife and I are going on a 4 night cruise with RC in april, and right now, for just the 2 of us, with tips and all, the drinks package is about $650. Probably not going to be worth it. So $450 for 3 for 7 days, or $650 for 2 for 4 days.. Plus it (ncl) does include 150 minutes of wifi for 1st 2 guests. Where we are in a club balcony for the first 2 guests, we also get 2 specialty dining each. The gratuities on that is $40 for 2 of us.. so $10 per special meal. And those that are saying "OH NCL is nickel and diming you to death" no they arent.. You do NOT have to take the free at sea stuff. You can happily pay per drink like every where else. You dont have to take the special dining etc etc. So please stop with the nickel and diming crap.. It's getting old.
Yes it is. That’s why we still think it’s a great value. Thanks for watching.
@@Eatsleepcruise1 100%! Of course I guess we COULD look at it as nickel and diming if you call prices on other cruise lines 5 dollar and 10 dollaring lol..
What’s the significance of the retail value of the drink package? Do they reduce my fare by $763 pp if we opt out of the drink package? I’d be hard pressed to drink 763 plus 150+ in gratuity on a 7 day cruise.
@@LarrySchmitt-n2q why would they discount your fare? They aren’t charging you $700 dunno where you’re getting that
having planned our first trip with NCL after some cruises with MSC this video was extremely helpful, thank you very much! As for the flight package I can only tell that the for flight from Germany to Buenos Aires they offered the non-stop flight as the first option at a very reasonable price!
That’s great to hear. What ship and itinerary?
@@Eatsleepcruise1 we start with Norwegian Star in January 2025 from Buenos Aires down south Ushuaia and via Elephant Island and the Falklands back to Buenos Aires. We’re offered an additional package for two nights in Buenos Aires including transfers by NCL, a service we never got in ten cruises with MSC.
The NCL airline bookings were great. We saved over 50% per ticket using NCL to book our plane tickets. Went to Asia with one stop going there and two stops back. Going to South Korea/Japan, one stop each way. Considering the savings on the plane tickets, fine with me.
Glad to hear you had success with the NCL air deals. We haven't taken advantage of them as we prefer to book our own travels. When is the next cruise?
Very thorough...great job! 👍
Just did the Hawaii Cruise, with the Airline portion provided by Norwegian. Yep, they did select the flights rather late and were not very convenient time. We had a large layover returning and ended up spending 28 hours on the road to get home. It was pretty brutal. Going out was not much better and we had weird layover locations. We did manage to get upgrades ourselves going direct to the airline. The setup also included the transportation vouchers for airport to hotel, hotel to cruise, cruise to airport. The 3rd party support was HORRIBLE when we got there. Very disorganized and it took a very long time to get to our hotel. The NCL stuff at the ship was GREAT though. They were WELL organized and efficient.
I'm glad to hear you enjoyed Pride of America; that's one cruise we want to do one day. I'm sorry to hear the free airfare promotion was not ideal. Do you have another cruise booked?
@@Eatsleepcruise1 The Hawaii cruise was really nice. The Maui stop was ok, but the rest were amazing, especially Kauai. Yes, we are booked for another different cruise, and I will follow your lead and book my own flights. The rest of the support from NCL is really good IMHO. But the bargain shopping they must do on flights can be a real low point.
I agree with all you listed. Especially, the summation of the "second guest fly free". I have found that you can pay "full price" for two people and make MUCH better arrangements (i.e. reasonable times and direct flights) !. However, we fly to port town the day before so it might cost a little more in the long run in money and time (we are retired and have access to "companion" perks on Delta.
It does depend the itinerary and departure city. What has been your favorite NCL cruise?
Very informative
Free at sea + includes top shelf and Starbucks. May include water in boxes.
Yes and yes. Did you upgrade on your last cruise?
NCL’s Free at Sea program doesn’t seem very free to me. How about “Some Stuff is free, but you will have to Pay Additional Amounts above the limit - plus Gratuities at Sea” program?
I agree!
you dont have to take it and you are only paying tips on the price it would have cost you if you bought the package.
The one or two meals for free in specialty dining is about the same per person per meal as Royal Carribean, my average per meal averages just under 20$ each abg
you are about $10 per meal per person with the free at sea for special dining. So about 1/2 it sounds like.
This is a very complicated promotion in my opinion.
it's not. If you like to drink more than 2 drinks a day, take the free at sea.. If you dont, dont take it.
It sounds awful I am not at all happy. Have been mislead in my booking. Fourteen days of nastiness coming for me.
@@rosemaryetherington8518 what was misleading?
@@DB-zp9un if the gratuities were not included, or revealed, in the price. I am not familiar with all this compelled tipping. Have cash to tip,as I go along, not prepared to,tip,for 14 days for something I bought. These extras should be revealed to assist in Decision making when selecting your cruise etc. I opted for a complete package, knowing that I would not have drink many days, my choice, yet to pay extra for every day is a shock.
It's pathetic! No wonder virgin is the best cruiseliner in the world right now. I mean literally - what the fcuk is this Bullshit. The instructions to build IKEA furniture are easier to understand than this! Ncl - you're crap
Thanks so much for the video 🙏🏽. The 150 minutes each, are there stipulations on this such as do we have to use our phones one at a time or can we both use at same time?
Great video, very thorough. In the past we have used the flying perk when it was free 2nd guest and we are flying across the country to take the cruise.
The 1 free dining . Is it once off. Or 1 everyday. We don't drink alcohol but love specialty coffee bottled water, smoothies, and juices. What the best way to get the best deal on this.
The one free dining is for the entire cruise. Unfortunately, NCL does not offer a non-alcoholic beverage package covering those items. So, you are better off paying a la carte. What ship are you sailing on?
The Free at Sea drink package adds up to about $22 a day in gratuities. If you only have two drinks a day, it's not worth it. I found that the "low ball" airfare program is hardly worth it. You get the cheapest seats, at the worst times, with the cheapest airlines, with no upgrades. In 5 days, I'm flying for 3-1/2 hours, out to Seattle, for an Alaska cruise. 3-1/2 hours is a long time to spend in NCL provided, basic economy, when you are over six feet tall. Instead, I got a great deal to fly out First Class on Delta. I decided to hold off paying for the mandatory gratuities until after the cruise was over because I learned that if any of your excursions have to be cancelled, you are reimbursed with future cruise credit. This way, I can apply the credit to gratuities.
PS. I also have a three week Canal cruise with NCL booked for October, 2024. I also deleted their reduced fare airflight deal and used miles to book a United First Class ticket, on the way out.
@billkallas @all
The around $22 is per person in cabin per day - so in total around $150 for 7 days cruise per person and this $150 are charged with booking ($300 at double occupancy) and then there is nothing else to pay on board.
You are right, with just 2 drinks (depends on price of each) package might not be worth it.
But consider, with each price of drink (no matter, if alcohol or not) in bars/restaurants, there comes an additional 20% gratuity on top.
I would say if you have drinks a day, on a consistent basis for all of your guests, it WOULD be worth it, barely.
The information on the app about the cost of shore excursions when you have Free at Sea is misleading because the price advertised has automatically deducted the first $50 free from the advertised price of the shore excursion. So if you are assuming that $50 will be deducted from the price advertised think again - it has already been done!!
Free is Free. Free excursion only means a 49$ limit. Free WiFi is limited. Gratuities are added to drink package as well. This is basically deceptive and false advertising.
I would like too work on board nowegien
I'm cruising for the first time next week. I have the FAS pkg and prepaid the gratuities. Will I need to tip any particular cruise employees?
We just did our first NCL Cruise to the Mediterranean for the last 2 weeks and we thought they were horrible Money rubbers. We paid for the free at Sea package, we also upgraded the internet... and yet we still had to pay 48.00 for cases of water you can get at home for 3 bucks. we don't drink alcohol so we didn't need that. Starbucks was not included. every port they pulled you into was so far away from anything you had to buy an Excursion or at least a bus pass to town. all of the activities for the kids were more money. the swimming pool was miniscule and all the drunks were hanging around it because of the bar so my granddaughter hated it. it was just awful. 😢 every time you turned around they were wanting more money and more gratuity and it ended up making this trip hugely more expensive than any other cruise I've been on in 20 years
@@robinadams6614 As well gratuity (or service fee) with shopping/dining/activities/spa etc - you have these costs with all major cruise lines. Btw you find all information about costs onboard on website also in FAQ. Btw you found on all ships quiet zones. Usually the main pool area is highly frequented with all major cruise lines.
Many thanks for this video! I have automatically been assigned the basic free at sea package. Question 1: Does this mean I can have unlimited drinks under $15 every day or drinks to the total of $15 per day? Question 2: Will I pay the same total gratuities on my drinks at the end of the cruise if I drink one drink a day or two drinks a day? Question 3: Re if I have paid upfront for gratuities, is it expected to tip extras during/end of the cruise?
Karen, UNLIMITED drinks every day! We drink a lot on vacation so it’s really worth it. Gratuities are one price no matter how much you drink. The only person we tip with cash is the person who takes care of our room all week, it’s well worth it. Hope this helps💙
As I'm loyal guest to Norwegian Cruise Line here information:
Question 1: You can drink as much as you want with unlimited drink package - each drink up to 15$ is included. If you book drink package within free at sea promotion you only have to pay gratuity within booking process. Onboard there is nothing to pay.
Question 2: If you don't have drink package, you have to pay for each drink + gratuity for each drink. Both is charged to your onboard account and settlement of onboard account is at the end of cruise.
Question 3: If you have prepaid the daily service charge, it's on your own discretion whether you give additional tip dedicated to staff you would like to thank for.
Note: Most of drinks on bar menu are up to 15$. Hope, this information is useful.
@@monikaliebold4225 I hope you don’t mind me asking a question as well, since you’re a NCL loyal guest… Our last cruise was in 2018 to Bermuda & I don’t remember paying automatic gratuities on our “free at sea unlimited drink package”🤔. My question is: Have they always had automatic gratuities on alcohol package AND what about automatic gratuities in general (steward taking care of our room)? I remember handing our room steward $150 in beginning of cruise & then another $150 at end cuz they were GREAT!! This was over 5yrs ago & unfortunately my memory is shot from being disabled. They all DEFINITELY deserve gratuities!! If you did sail back then, I would really appreciate your knowledge regarding this. Thank you so much 😊
@@nicolewiltsey7793 When booking drink package within free at sea promotion gratuity for drink package was (is) automatically charged within booking process (you can find this amount on confirmation of booking/reservation). Onboard there was (is) then nothing to pay regarding drinks within drink package.
Daily service charge (has nothing to do with gratuity for drinks) was (is) always automatically charged to onboard account (per person). Meanwhile daily service charge can be prepaid within booking account of guest before embarkation. Additional tips onboard (gratuities) were (are) on your own discretion. Hope, this information helps.
Hi
Great video was curious are frozen drinks available on the free at see drink package ?? Thank you !!
Glad you found the video helpful. Yes, frozen cocktails are included in the free-at-sea drink package. Which ship are you sailing on for your upcoming cruise?
@@Eatsleepcruise1 wife and I are going on the Epic in November…thanks for responding greatly appreciated 😄
On Prima May 2025. Free at sea is name of package not free but yes worth while
Free is misleading as most are not technically free as when you select them, the fairs go up... that's not free!
I've heard they nickel and dime you to death. We were told to be prepared to spend lots of money.
So true.
The fair doesn’t go up, they do put the gratuities onto you cart to check out. I don’t drink alcohol, but the drinks package is still a great deal because I drink a lot of soda and juice. I also like the Virgin cocktails.
@@ReeceS6419 you are wrong.. If you want to enjoy the dining in the main dining room and the local / osheehans / the buffet and are good with what drinks are available for free ie: water, coffee, machine juices at the buffet you do not need to spend one more dime. I really dont know where people are coming up with "nickel and diming you to death" You dont have to take any extra.
@@DB-zp9un Thank you. We have no experience with cruises, so the negative feedback was concerning.
hi, i was wondering if im 18 years old and our cruise is transatlantic in Europe if i could also have the drink package, It said that we must be 21 but in Europe, the minimum age for alcohol is 18. So could i buy drinks onboard and can i have the drink package too ?
NCL suite/haven best way to sail!
Yep, when cruising with family/friends The Haven - Garden Villa and/or Deluxe Owner's Suite are just amazing. When cruising as solo traveller, solo studio (incl solo lounge) is a must have.
How does the drink package work on kids?
If my husband and I upgrade to unlimited drink plus that includes Starbucks and juice, do my children need to paurchase this upgrade also? They are both under 12, no alcohol and caffeine drink for them, so do they stay in Soda package?
I heard free at see drinking package had added cartons of water that will be delivered to your room the first day this is something new is that true?
The cartons are an additional charge. I just purchased 48 half liter cartons for about $55 for our Mar25 cruise. It's listed on their website.
Do we pay 20% on the two specialty meals on the free at sea? Do we pay gratuities on the unlimited drink package (under $15)?
We are sailing on our first cruise Pride of America 😊 for Christmas in Hawaii with the four of us. We selected the Free at sea offers and took the airfare bogo offer. We chose a balcony room for us and interior room for our kids 21&17. So we are learning what to do prior to the trip to get the most enjoyable experience.
Have a great trip. Let us know if you have any questions. Hawaii is amazing. You’ll love it.
What is murder mystery launches ? That’s supposed to be a game also. Hope somebody answered me.
NCL needsto get it monetary head screwed on properly to garner a comeback.
Hi. I am cruising for first time on NCL and when I booked my cruise it had the free at sea with 150 minutes free wi fi. I just noticed that the current promotion has a wi fi package that says- save up to $200 of an internet package. Does anyone know what this means? I understand the 150 minutes free but no idea how to quantify the cost of this other package lingo. TYIA
The Word free means free feeling, ot free as in money value!
Correct , a free feeling while at sea.
We have sailed NCL exclusively since they came out with the FAS promo. We are now platinum, soon to be Saphire, so we get 2 free specialty meals and 2 for being platinum. If NCL ever drops the FAS promo, we would start shopping other cruise lines. Prior to FAS we just stayed away from the drinks on the ship, just too expensive for us, but now having a few cocktails has become part of the experience for us. I get that there is no such thing as free, and understand how the promotion works. By the time you pay the daily service charge, drinks package tips, tips on the specialty dining, That expense exceeds $600 for a 7day cruise for two. We get this and consider that as part of the deal, I think sometimes people don't do the research and get surprised.
@@berniekirk1397 hallo, saw your remark and the situation I find myself is, that I am not American, I do not come from an obvious tipping culture. No need for that because correct wages are paid. Tipping is done on an appreciative basis as extra thanks. Where I love those extras would be mentioned up front as they constitute part of the costs of the product. It is not lack,of research as,such because if you do not know that this situation is there how do you know what questions to ask. Be well.
is there regular coffee on the ship thats not Starburnts?
Yes, there is brewed coffee in the buffet and the pub. But if you want espresso based drinks, Starbucks is your only bet.
There is coffee but it tasted like dish water it was so bad none of the three of us could drink it😢
Free at sea plus upgrade for the 3rd person. Seems like they get nothing but better drinks??
Correct, but it should also be "cheaper" than the other 2.. Just like specialty dining and stuff, only 1st 2 get it included.
How does unlimited drinking package work for family with young children? Will they be charged the same amount of gratuities as 20% of the package value? Apparently they don’t drink alcohol so it seems like a bad value if they can’t opt out and just pay gratuity based on soda package.
Unlimited drink package is only for adults. You can opt out at booking. There is unlimited soda package onboard available, 20% gratuity (value of soda package). But there are lemonade/squash/water/icetea dispenser at buffet. Just bring own bottle and refill as much as you like without cost.
There was an odd reference to wine at dinner. Is wine by the glass at dinner included in the $109 package? I see that it includes 20% off wine by the bottle, but am specifically concerned about by the glass at dinner.
Wine by glass are included in the standard drink package.
@@Eatsleepcruise1 thanks....it just wqsn't clear if that included in the dining rooms.
Hi. May i check if i can get free plain water during meal times or at water dispensers during the cruise in Norwegian Jade? TQ
You can get free plain (tap) water during any dining service, from multiple water dispensers in the buffet areas , or from any bar. The tap water on the ship has been purified and is completely safe to drink, so you can fill your glass in your stateroom as well.
@@julieduke1317 TQ v much for yr reply
@@julieduke1317we called down and asked if we could use the water in the bathroom sink to make coffee and they told us it was not purified and they would recommend that we not use it and that we buy water for that. 🙄
Excursions have gone up. About $250 for lot on prima
Good to know. Did you just sail on Prima?
So… I get $50 off excursions at every port? I thought it was just $50 off total.
Yes
Yup every port. 😊
We thought the same thing. Maybe the reservationist talked too fast through that part.🤷🏼♀️
Thanks!
Every port and every excursion you do.
This is very expensive and it seems after you have paid for your cruise, what you get is very basic. I am going soon and I already regret booking with this cruise line.
You only pay gratuities on drinks and dining if you don't opt out, but it is worth the money. If you want an all inclusive cruise, go on Viking, maybe $500 a DAY.
Have you freaking priced a royal drinks package? THEN come back and tell me how expensive the free at sea is... Go ahead, I'll wait right here.
We hated it. Ended up being very expensive.
@@robinadams6614 explain…
They add about $300 to your tab for gratuities if you get the "Free at Sea" package....that's pretty annoying.
To explain for others:
$300 are gratuity for two guests normally for a 7 day cruise. So $150 per person means $21.43 per day for unlimited drinks on board and nothing else to pay.
If you don't have this package, you have to pay on board for each drink plus 20% gratuity for each drink.
If you don't want having booked drink package, just remove checkmark for drink package at booking procedure online or tell travel agent.
Nothing is free. They roll it into the price.
To all these cruise lines. Free packages any packages , taxes , gratuity. You can drink here there for this much or that much. Just STOP confusing customers. Your trying to fool people like hell and the trip we plan for x amount of dollars freaking double or triple. Not right with these cruise companies. Makes me that’s never taken a cruise not do it at all. I am trying to get as much info on cruise but all I hear and see it’s enough to never take one. Just make it simple include it or not but stop confusing. I have a week were I was thinking about a cruise but it just seems like a rip off. You see the sea in mini day cruise and it’s all the same. Your in the middle of no where. It’s the same when your not allowed to do anything on the cruise because it’s not included you have to pay extra on everything. It’s ridiculous.
Hi it's also our first time . This us very confusing as we want to budget. We pay for the cruise now all these extras.
I think the Free At Sea is very misleading. Excursions are definitely not free. $50.00 off one guests. Where is an excursion that costs $50.00? Free Wii again is not free. You’re limited on how many minutes. It would take me 3-4 minutes just to log on. I feel NCL still nickels and dime you to death!
Last November I was on a cruise to Mexican Riviera last year and there were about 6 excursions around 50-60$ - so as I'm mostly solo traveller when cruising, it was really a great value.
And with WiFi it took me only at first login/logout a bit longer to create/confirm password, but then it was just seconds for login/logout (with saved password on phone). And speed was fast - both on Bliss (November) and Spirit (November/December) - depends where you are on ship (for max speed watch out for the small router boxes on ceilings/walls).
NCL free at sea is totally misleading!
Just back from NCL Spirit
Double charge $40/pp fees and others cruise line $16/pp or $18/pp
Services are lower standard compared others lines.
@@masonzhang7635Even when you book special promotions or standard fares with other major cruise lines, this additional daily service charge (NCL 20$ per person per day, not per cabin) is applied to onboard account with nearly all lines. Only amount or term is different. If you read terms and conditions of free at sea promotion when booking, you can see exactly, what's included in this promotion. You find also information about daily service charge in FAQ and cruise contract. And you can also find information about daily service charge within your reservation number and you even can pay this charge before sail date. So, you are completely informed before your cruise.
Btw after coming back on cruising, a lot of major cruise lines have lowered service standards (for example steward attendants service just once a day). They all do still suffer from shutdown.
Note: Spirit is the smallest ship of NCL's fleet. You simply cannot have same ship fitting and things to experience like you have on larger or mega ships.
it is very clearly explained on their site. The excursion one is more of a "bonus" discount, never was meant to be free excursions. And again, you do not have to take the free at sea stuff.. You can opt out and not pay anything "extra" and have plenty of food and normal beverages ie: water coffee milk juices at buffet etc etc.
@@masonzhang7635 well if you got double charged, then you need to make sure that gets taken care of. Other than that it's shown how much the daily charges are.
Norwegian breakaway
Nothing is free. It is included or not.
The airfares were the weakest performers and most of the flights were canceled
Free??? Absolutely misleading use of the word! Crafty sales technique to siphon money from you.
Then dont take it lol.
The word should be complimentary
@@morenocharade No, because that would confuse people with what is truly complimentary on a cruise..
This cruise line sounds very complicated. No thanks !
it's not.. this video makes it sounds hard. Do you like to have adult beverages? yes? more than 2 per day? yes? get the free at sea. It's really that easy.
This is such a confusing video and I'm going on my third NCL cruise!
Talk too me
Lopez Michelle Moore Frank Thomas Christopher
😳
This didn't age well.
Just means we have to make another video! Stay tuned! You sailing on NCL soon?
@@Eatsleepcruise1 Yes. I just booked a 15 night jaunt in a solo balcony from Miami to L.A. through the Panama canal on NCL Joy. Many, many firsts. The ship, the stateroom type, the port, the works. And it's double latitudes points, so I'll be platinum at the finish. I like the change that is giving me access to premium whiskies, but I'm pretty miffed that I'll still only get 150 minutes of basic internet. (I'm disabled and use the internet as a resource.)
You should probably delete this video, because NCL eliminated Free At Sea, effective Oct 1st, 2024. Folks, search for MORE AT SEA, and you'll see the new program(it's going to cost you more). :(
Thanks so much for the video 🙏🏽. The 150 minutes each, are there stipulations on this such as do we have to use our phones one at a time or can we both use at same time?