Well, you convinced me! I was seriously considering an NCL studio. (I'm a solo girl). The studios really appealed to me. On my next cruise on Carnival , I turn Gold. I promised myself that after turning Gold on Carnival, I would try another cruise line. You have convinced me! NCL, studio and free at sea, here I come!
I cruise NCL because of their solo program. Even if I do travel with family or friends, I am willing to get my own cabin. The solo program or the approach may vary slightly across the fleet depending on the coordinator of ship facilities. Do go to the meet and greet on the first or second day. Dont feel like you have to participate in everything that is planned. The studios are just the right size for me. I love having the solo cruiser lounge/living space with 24 coffee machines and snacks. Just, as always, be careful and safe.
We just did the NCL Mediterranean Cruise and got the unlimited drink package...what a great deal because we used it, probably drank too much but it was so fun haha! Thanks for your video. And we also enjoyed the two specialty dinners...Teppanyaki and Cagney's...fantastic! We would cruise with Norwegian again in a heartbeat...clean cozy cabins, great service, food, entertainment, trip of a lifetime for us.
Have cruised with Norwegian since 2020. The free at sea constantly brings us back, unparalleled value. We’ve found that buying one excursion on the ship and the other at port can also result in similar savings. Love your videos
Hi Alysa, one thing about the regular drink package up to and including $15. Right before our May sailing NCL removed Grey Goose vodka from that drink package and it was moved up to the Premium drink package. I don’t know what other liquors were removed, but I know Grand Manier was also move up to the higher drink package. It would be very informative if you could get the drink package menu say from February and compare it to May’s menu to see what alcohol was removed from the regular drink package. That was a real bummer for me.
You are very good at explaining everything in great detail. I have my first cruise on NCL booked or actually on hold. I’m still pondering on the open bar. Thank you again.
We love free at sea, The 1/2 price air is also a great value. We are a couple just saying get us there on time. Our next cruise is in two week on NCL. Love your information.
We agree with you on Le Bistro. Best meal you can get on any ship. Also when you do the flight promo, you must book the flight deviations to arrive a day or two early or stay an extra day or two more than 75 days out. Once they issue the flights they won't make changes, I just don't think you mentioned the 75 day restriction and it might be helpful to someone.
Thank you so much for this video. I booked the cruise last week and it’s my first time traveling with NCL and it’s my second cruise ever. We got the free at sea deal and I’m going with my friends in November, but since we booked it by ourselves, I didn’t know much about what was included in extra information so thank you for this video
We just booked our first cruise ever to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We will be on Encore in January! So excited! Thank you for this video, it was so helpful!
I love the Free at Sea, and now the Free at Sea Plus (since I have spent more than the $15 on drinks for wine, icewine and champagne, and I also always get unlimited internet) As for Air, my parents and my sister and her husband have used it. They had perfect flights from Montreal to Los Angeles with Air Canada, one stop in Denver on the way there, direct on the way back. I personally don't bother cause I travel solo and like to use my lounge membership rather than rushing, so I book longer connections to be safe and enjoy a drink or two at the airport.
I was also so excited when I realized the excursion credit was valid for each port! Great for traveling solo because I didn’t have to worry about the costs for addition guests.
We’re leaving for an Alaskan cruise Saturday and tried the free airfare for the first time. We got terrible flights on Southwest but we instantly canceled them for southwest credit and booked direct flights on Alaska Air for less money so it worked out great for us. Had we gotten a different airline we may not have been able to cancel for free so it’s definitely a risk. Great video!
I only cruise NCL! In two weeks, we are cruising on the Bliss to Alaska! My 36 year old son is in my cabin (a much-needed break from raising his 3 kids on his own!), and my daughter and son in law are 2 doors down in their own cabin. We got the free airfare for 2nd guest for both cabins. We all got on the same flight into Seattle, and chose seats together. However, our return flights are on different airlines at different times. Not a big deal. At least we will all get on the ship at the same time! So excited and love NCL!
Such great information. After sailing on the Breakaway from the vloggers cruise, both myself and Mark love NCL and the free at sea. I love my Sambuca on the rocks! We love Tapaneka and the Brazilian restaurant.
Thank you this was very informative. I love Free at Sea. Had it on my first cruise with the kids. I had the 3rd and 4th guest free and the unlimited soda package for the kids. The free at sea unlimited soda package was a steal with two teenagers and a tween! They drank their hearts away. lol. Their friends they made on the ship were jealous as my kids were constantly refilling their glasses. This was back in 2016. Excited I was able to get the free at sea package again for my next cruise. Your video was super helpful. Thank you!
Just booked my first Norwegian cruise! Super excited to give it a try. I usually travel with my husband, but this time it's a girls trip with my best friend! This will be my 6th cruise and my friend's first. We've got the free at sea and we're using their flight service. Nice that it's all included!!
Love NCL, they have a great relaxed atmosphere for families. We have always done the liquor package and dining. My first NCL cruise dining was the whole cruise, and my last one, the dining, was only for 3 or the 7 day cruise. I think next time I would look into wifi, especially travelling with a teenager.
We used the one person flies free program for our Encore trip through the Panama Canal. We arrived a day early and that part went great. However, NCL put us on a flight home at midnight!!! And for the price that they charged person 2, we could have flown on Southwest and had 2 pieces of luggage. We are going to Alaska in October with our daughter and, after this, all of us will be making our own flight arrangements.
My travel agent had a family that had a 14 and 12-year-old that NCL tried to split from their parents when they chose the air credit. They were flying transborder and NCL expected them to navigate this process and a flight change by themselves. Just like Alisa said it is best for only 2 people and if more are in your party book the air separately or plan on the fact that there is a good chance you will be split up for flights.
Nov 12-19th ‘23 will be our maiden voyage with NCL, we’re Diamond 💎 cruisers with RCCL & we heard about the Free At Sea promotion & wanted to try something different, so here we are! It’s 4 of us in our cabin (+2 children) & we ended up booking our own flight, as the timing & price was pretty decent. My other family members got all the perks & are flying SouthWest to LAX, but the flight back to Chicago was a pretty late flight, so the wait at the airport isn’t the greatest, but they were content in not having the “hassle” of doing anything else but paying & relaxing knowing they don’t have to go extra & beyond. 👍🏽😎 #superexcited 💃🏽💃🏽
Moderno!!!! It was amazing on the Star. Flank steak sooooo delicious. We had a Cucumber Cool and a watermelon tequila drink that was amazing this past cruise. Love NCL so far so we'll keep sailing until there is a huge issue
Thank you for this video. We are going for our first cruise on the breakaway to Europe and I was really nervous about the flights . Might be the control freak in me!! Hopefully we will get decent flights with 2 day deviation. I'm sure it will be ok .
I love my Paris at sea and I love my Norwegian I don’t travel on anything else I just can’t bring myself to leave Norwegian never had a bad trip then on a lot of them thank I am a platinum working on my next level 11 at
Hi Alysa I love the free at sea. I do enjoy the Mango Meltdowns myself I also found a bartender on our last cruise that made a mean spicy bloody mary. I am using the airfare for the first time on our cruise this Sept. so we will see. We are traveling in 2 days before and staying 2 days after. Since we are traveling with 2 other they put a not in we are traveling together (no guarantee) but they did make a note of it. Love your video and all the information. Thank you so much!
We had 3 meals included on our last NCL cruise. Loved La Cucina, Teppanyaki, and Moderno. Also used the 2nd passenger flies free promotion. With flight delays, it was cutting awfully close to all-aboard time, but we made it! Next time, we've requested an extra day both before and after the cruise.
Great job on all the info. I’m planning my cruise for NCL - POA in Hawaii for 2024. You helped me so much. I’m getting all the free at sea and the 2nd person airfare free. Can’t wait to board!! I heard a few of the restaurants were closed in 2022, but I guess they are all open again now in 2023.
Great Video, great Info. We Love NCL's Free at sea, always get a balcony now. We have 4-5 drinks each per day at the most. We normally have 3-4 specialty dinners even on 7 day cruises. Our favorites are: Ocean Grill, Teppanyaki and Cagney's Steak house. We like La Cucina but have found there aren't many traditional Italian dinners like lasagna or a Bolognese. Wifi has been inconsistent so we normally don't opt for that if it isn't included in the free at sea pkg. Thanks Again.
While we have cruised other lines (Princess, Holland America, Cunard, Disney), we usually use NCL, and the Free at Sea plays a big part of that. However, on our last cruise (a 16 day Panama Canal cruise), we crunched some numbers and decided to turn down the drinks package. We are Canadian, and with the rate of exchange, the 20% add-on worked out to be almost $900! I drink infrequently, and neither of us drink soda, so it was unlikely that we would drink that amount. We ordered as we wanted, and our drinks bill was just over $300.00 We love the Dining package, and on the last cruise actually ordered another 2 free dinners (at $25pp/dinner) - worth every penny! Thanks for the tip about the Fly free - we plan to take a Transatlantic in the fall, and had hoped to stay a further week. Now I know that's not possible - but the cost of the flights are too good to turn down! This was very helpful - thanks so much!
We just get back from our cruise trip last month (October) with my whole family and five of us in one cabin. I love NCL breakaway, we have so much fun in this cruise trip to Europe. I love the Free at Sea perks, the whole eleven days. We have six free complimentary specialty dining. And booked 3 specialty dining like Ocean blue, Cagneys and Le Bistro. Yeah unlimited drinks below $15 dollars. We have a great and wonderful experience. We do booked private excursion the same price with them. The tour guide we got they are so kind. We booked our airfare seperately. Because we got a good deal on turkish airlines. We booked our tickets two days before our embarkation and three days to stay more in Rome. God willing🙏🏻🙏🏻my kids are planning to cruise again and go with us next year.
I love NCL's Free At Sea, especially the drink package. Just keep in mind that if you pick the drink package, everyone in your room that is of drinking age has to pick the drink package.
I usually go for it. In the UK there is no extra gratuity charge. If you get Free at Sea it results in no extra cost to your bill (though I am sure we are charged for it somewhere - probably up front). I don't drink much but it can be worth it just for the excursion discount if your on a high excursion trip - it brought my Alaska excursion down to the local price.
I love the free at sea, used on the Mexican Rviera cruise March 2020 and our anniversary Greek cruise in April 2022 . We used the 2 for 1 air on the Greek cruise, flying in the day before. NCL ❤. Fave specialty dining restaurants, Moderno and Cagneys, loved O'Sheehans. Favorite drink besides a margaritas, the Pain Killer. Thanks for all you and Jason do. Love your channel ❤
I just did my 13th cruise on the Pearl out of Boston. They all have been on NCL I love the free at sea program. My favorite drink is the dark and stormy. With dark rum ginger beer and lime.
Concerning the flights. Not only are you not guaranteed a certain air cie., but you may have one or more stop instead of a direct flight. On my first cruise, I used Royal Caribbean to schedule my flights from Montreal, Canda to Amsterdam for a cruise to the Norway fjords. I decided to stay a week more in Europe after the cruise. They where able to change the flight, but instead of just changing my return flight, they restarted the whole process and I would have lost my direct flight on the way there, it would also have cost a big penalty for the change. Finally, it was just better and cheaper for me to just be a no show on the return flight and booking my own return flight a week later.
Thank you for the great tips. I've used the free at sea with select NCL Panama and Mediterranean cruises and it's a great value with the premium dinning, wifi, and free 3 & 4th passengers with my kids. I would like to add that the free premium dinning based on the number of days and cabin will help you get to taste some of the restaurants. Depending on the ship, you may be able to schedule the restaurants on the app with the cabin members or need to call to schedule dining times. The discount on the NCL excursions we really didn't use so much because I can usually get a better deal with Shore Excursion group or Viator tours and just enter the dates of the sailing, cruise lines, and ship and pretty much get a private tour for the same price as a NCL group tour without being on a bus but a private car. One of the benefits is that you get a private tour and can get to places that large tours can't get into like small villages, small city roads, and private beaches. You can also modify it based on the location and amount of time you would like to stay, eat and shop at non tourist prices. Just my two cents. My wife and I look forward to our upcoming sailing next year on NCL Dawn and will be using the free flight for the 2nd passenger. Now that you've explained it, I feel a little better about this unknown. I've already arranged the 3 days pre and post cruise to explore the cities of Rome and Barcelona and have already booked our hotels and land tours. I was wondering if you have any tips on the best travel insurance for overseas cruises / travel? Should I take the insurance offered by the cruise line or should I purchase my own? I'm looking for medical, flight, lost baggage, emergency helicopter medivac, and replacement money. I know that my credit card offers some of these already if I use it to pay for my cruise but not sure if they will cover the airfare since it's part of the cruise line free at sea? Any thoughts or tips would be appreciated.
I LOVE Norwegian and I LOVE free at sea! We're book for next year, myself my daughter and granddaughter (who will be 5) are so excited. My daughter and granddaughters first time on Norwegian and I know they're going to love it as much as I do. We're paying only $99.00 for my granddaughter for third person (PLUS gratuities, port taxes and insurance which all came out to $688). So even if they say free 3 &4 person be prepared to pay something but it's still cheaper and if you're going with friends or adult family members maybe just split the whole cost 3 or 4 ways so it works out for everyone. Happy cruising 🛳 ☺️
We have not sailed on NCL yet, but will have to consider the Free At Sea program, when we do. The only part of FaS that we would not use is the Free Airfare. We drive everywhere, unless we have to travel to western USA. The Free Drink package is something that probably only I would use. My wife doesn't drink much, doesn't drink soda/cola, but does like her coffee and bottled water.
Great video. Great info. We always use the drink package, we think it is worth it. We have been cruising NCL for 10 years. We have only sailed on NCL. We haven't used the free airfare yet. We have the option to use it for our cruise on the Epic in 2025 for 10 night Greek Isles & Rome. I am a little scared to use it. Not sure if we want to do it or not. We love following you on all your travels .
We did NCL last October with Free at Sea but there were a few limitations. That doesn't mean it's not a good value. I think there was a limit of 15 drinks. Of course, the probability of having that many is very slim. But, I can't remember anything that was over $15. Maybe a somewhat aged scotch or something. Also, we could get bottles of wine in the dining rooms if it was from the left, upper side of the wine list. The buffet area had soda drinks and a water dispenser. Water WAS included on ours. OH, and how I get the whiskey thing! Even the sweetest of bourbons is a deal breaker. I used to like SoCo and I thought that it was whiskey based. But I found out later it was basically a vodkaesque liqueur that had been flavored with all sorts of things - hardly the original. A few years ago, the company that bought out the company that made SoCo went back to the whiskey base. I thought my taste buds had changed. But when I found out the truth it all made sense. YUK! We had a 10 day so we had TWO specialty dining nights AND we could choose! We also did the French and the Teppanki - I woudln't call it 'All you can eat - you can't get seconds - but if you have been to a Benihaaiesqe restaurant, it's THAT. Soup OR salad (I THINK), Asian style fried rice, appetizer shrimp, veggies and your main protein PLUS dessert So you won't leave hungry! I tried to order in French and the waiter looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. Well, I WAS! She's right, it's shore excursion credit, but THAT pretty much paid for the package! WE had 9 sked port days! Use your airplane mode! Check with your carrier to see about international data. ATT back then (things change, so I don't know today) had a $10 per day AS YOU USE IT program. We used it on 2 different days (I forget why) but otherwise, we were in airplane mode. The NCL app works in airplane mode. When I was on my laptop, I had to remember to close the wi-fi if I wasn't on FB Or email. They have discounts on the FaS package if you buy it 2 or 3 or - WELL, it varies - prior to the cruise. we got ours for $59/day. I may have missed if she mentioned it, but you can't buy just one unless you're a single in the cabin. EVERYONE over 18/21 (depends on departure/arrival) in the cabin has to buy it. So if you have a 100% tea-totaler in the cabin, you might want to rethink it. Four adults in one cabin? I just can't...can't...speechless. The Beevis and Butthead in me goes straight to 'swingers'! I have this to say about the airfare. We did a Med cruise and we flew to Spain to visit relations. The air ONLY applies for US departures. AND as an elite flyer on AA, I don't want the cruise line to pick my airline - I NEED 100% control of my flights.
I been assigned both Alaskan and American Airlines by Norwegian and luckily ALWAYS have been direct flights (Orange County to Seattle and also San Diego to JFK) Love Norwegian Cruise Lines. Become Ambassador this December 2023 finally after 35 cruises with them.
I like NCL but it was a learning curve when you start. The program has a lot to digest and understand. Yet, I like to pay for everything up front so I can relax. Im am happy so far with the flight program but you are correct, you have to give up control and wait until thry are booked around 60 dsys before. However, once NCL books your flights, you can pull them into your airline account, switch seats, and possibly upgrade your seat at additional cost. So you regain some control but if you are a specific airline/class of seat person, its not for you. I normally wait to book my hotel until I get my flight information. Or sometimes book one that has free cancelation if I need to change it. For instance, I am not sure if Id be booked on an early flight to have some time to explore on the day before the cruise. So I get something close to the airport and then switch to closer to the cruise terminal depending on the port city if I am scheduled to land earlier. If it is shouldrr season, Ill wait but summer season makes me more anxious about not getting hotel that I want.
You need to explain free at sea plus. This is the best upgrade in cruising. Top shelf liquor, bottles of wine at dinner, 2 extra specialty meals, additional $50 shore excursion for 2nd person. Unlimited wifi, unlimited starbucks, fresh squeezed jucie, and bottled and premium water. This pays for itself.
Hi, do you get water delivered to your cabin on arrival with the free at sea plus upgrade? If, yes how many? And how does the unlimited water work? Is it delivered to your cabin daily? Thanks!
We came in three days before. As long as we booked the hotel with them, they did the flight arrangements. All was perfect, but we were booked on Southwest and we did not want Southwest. We could not change. One leg was Alaska, and we were able to upgrade to premium seating thru Alaska after we got our flight information from NCL. 🎉
Booked NCL Breakaway for March 2024. Studio cabin. Thank you for all your help. I need to get with you for the future travels. As I enjoy traveling. Being I am one of those truck drivers Jason does not like😂. Jk.
Love the Free at Sea!! On our most recent cruise on the Prima we splurged and upgrades to the FAS Plus and absolutely loved everything. May be hard to not have that again.
i'm a big water drinker (just like to stay hydrated), but dont wanna spend 6.50 for a carton of water, what's the best way to get water? can i carry my own in my personal water bottle...Are there water fountains i can fill it from?
We're cruising on the Bliss in April and I think that the Free At Sea will be beneficial for our wants. My wife loves her wine and I am a soda drinker so the drinks and specialty dining should be worth it for us. I also drink a lot of coffee and thought about upgrading to Free At Sea Plus or purchasing the Starbucks package, but in the end I don't think I drink that much coffee or top shelf alcohol to justify it. I could really care less about the internet and shore excursion credits. Probably won't use either. We've never cruised NCL so we will see how it goes. I would never let someone else book my flights. I am very particular about my airline, seats, and times. We chose Teppanyaki and Ocean Blue for our specialty dining. Can't of wrong with Hibachi and we love good seafood.
Some lines are more "all inclusive" than others. THe big thing that is not part of "free at sea" is the daily gratuity or service charge. That doesn't make the package good or bad, just harder to compare to other lines. And you do need to compare the cruise cost with the package to the cost without it, One really nice thing about NCL's package is that if you order a drink over $15, you pay only the difference; on some lines, if you go above package rate, the package doesn't apply and you pay the full cost!
Great video on free at sea. You explained it perfectly. Im traveling next year on ncl. Looking so forward to it. Question, is cruise insurance a good idea?
As a part time solo cruiser I find NCL to feel like a piecemeal cruise even with the Free at Sea. There are too many exceptions to the Free at Sea that it doesn't feel free to me. Every NCL ship (really any cruise ship) I've been on drinking the tap water is not good and the fact that I still have to pay for bottled water even when I have Free at Sea is frustrating. With my last cruise I went to a more upscale line that really does have all inclusive fares and found that the price difference between some of the upscale lines versus lines like NCL are not nearly as much as I thought. Between the single supplement and the extra costs like bottled water on NCL or paying the difference on a higher priced drink the costs for me were fairly close.
All good things and love your channel!!! But it would be great that if you don’t drink at all , you could have extra specialty dining instead . Realistically, if NCL is willing to give you a chance to select all 4 things …. I would Think that for each one you don’t choose you could double or triple up on one you would Choose. Furthermore , I wish they would Have an option for discounted or free every evening specialty dining. Now THAT I would Do!!
Wow I just booked a cruise today and they did not explain the gratuities at all! I kept asking…well this doesn’t sound free. He never mentioned what the fees were for…for the drink and dining free items. It all makes sense now!
Was a Princess cruiser but have come to really like NCL. The drink package is a great value. I don't drink heavily but yeah, it's holiday time on a ship soprosecco by the pool, wine before and with dinner, the afternoon trivia quiz cocktail. That adds up and I don't worry about the drink by drink costs with the package. I don't drink tequila ordinarily and I'm really picky about a Margarita but my go to cocktail on Norwegian is their Margarita, rocks. Not blended. I don't know why it's sooo good but Princess your margs are awful. You could rip a page from Norwegians book.
Free at sea is an even better deal as a solo cruiser! You get the $50 excursion credit to yourself, and they usually still offer the discount airfare even though there isn’t a second person
There is a group of us cruising Europe in November..We did the 2nd person flies free...This is scaring us because we never did this before and wondering how many stops, how long layovers etc.....There are 10 of us..hopefully we all get on the same flight....
We have used their flights several times. We are flying next week Phoenix to Reykjavik and flying home from London at the end of the cruise. We are happy with our flights and have one layover each way. Keep in mind, They will only guarantee people in the same cabin to be on the same flights, so with 10 people you will likely end up with at least some on different flights/airlines than others. I've seen people make the mistake of booking 85 year old grandma in a cabin with 3 year old toddler and they get different flights then the parents in a different room. Just something to think about. If you're ok with the possibility of different flights for people in different cabins, it can be a great savings. Also if you want to fly in a day or two early or fly home a day or two after the cruise, you can schedule that with NCL. They call it a Flight Deviation and has to be scheduled more than 75 days pre cruise. Call them on day 74 and they won't do it for you. I would highly recommend flying in at least 1 day early to allow for any flight delays etc. Have Fun!!!
Just make sure you ask for a deviation to arrive 1-2 days early to make sure you don't miss the ship. You must ask for the flight deviation at least 75 days before your cruise.
Our only experience with NCL was on the Breakaway for the Vlogger Extravaganza cruise. I was not super impressed but felt their all inclusive definitely is a good value and we will try NCL again just a different ship. We must’ve had a bad experience at Le Bistro it was our least favorite restaurant we tried, the food and service the night we were there was not impressive at all. We loved Tepanyaki and Oceans Blue. We usually agree with you & Jason on your food tastes so maybe we need to try Le Bistro again on a different NCL ship 😊
There are self serve water stations in the buffet, or you can go to any bar and ask for a glass of water, or soda water, just not bottled/carton water. Also the water in your cabin is all R.O. water and is great quality. Most people prefer it to the cartons of water you can buy.
Thanks for the breakdown. We’re actually doing our first NCL cruise in September. So this may be a silly question but what the heck. We have the regular free at sea and I’ve heard people say with the drink package you still have to pay gratuities for each drink, is that true?
Hi, great video! I just booked a "free at sea" transatlantic with an NCL agent. I asked (several times!) if there would be gratuities added to the "free" drinks and "free" specialty restaurants, and he assured me there would not. I've been finding info that's contrary to what he told me. Who's right??
I think the NCl's whole package approach is good. I like paying for as much as I can in advance. I love/hate the air/sea program. I love the prices. I love that there is some possible flexibility when it comes to booking through the cruise should something happen. However, if you are beholden to a specific airline and enjoy a specific higher class of seat and not wiilling to wait until about 60 days prior to sailing to be informed of your flights plus take the risk of not being able to sit together, then it is not for you. I price compare and have found that the cruiseline does offer a better deal. I also dont HAVE to sit with my party, the plane is not that big and you are going to the same place. You can import your booking into your skymiles or whatever airline account and you can either pay for a small upgrade and switch seats if you do it right away. This helps if you want to sit together. I have not been able to pay for an upgrade to business/first from economy. Most I've be able to upgrade was comfort plus or paid extra for a preferred seat. NCL does have a special number if you want special airline accomodations. I do not know how it works but I'd call before you book your cruise to get the details of that.
Well, you convinced me! I was seriously considering an NCL studio. (I'm a solo girl). The studios really appealed to me. On my next cruise on Carnival , I turn Gold. I promised myself that after turning Gold on Carnival, I would try another cruise line. You have convinced me! NCL, studio and free at sea, here I come!
I did it in April I had a blast!!!! Do it ❤
I cruise NCL because of their solo program. Even if I do travel with family or friends, I am willing to get my own cabin. The solo program or the approach may vary slightly across the fleet depending on the coordinator of ship facilities. Do go to the meet and greet on the first or second day. Dont feel like you have to participate in everything that is planned. The studios are just the right size for me. I love having the solo cruiser lounge/living space with 24 coffee machines and snacks. Just, as always, be careful and safe.
Even without the Studio you can often get good prices as a Solo without massive cabin markups
I am looking into a studio as well! Hopefully, Spring of 2024 I will do New England and Canada in a solo cabin!
Check the price, sometimes the single supplement is still a better rate getting a regular cabin.
I watched 5 videos, before yours, to find out about Free at Sea and none of them made it as clear as you did….THANK YOU! Great content
@@itsregina2041 thank you for this ❤️
Love free at sea! We don't drink a lot, but love that we don't have to worry about another expense.
We just did the NCL Mediterranean Cruise and got the unlimited drink package...what a great deal because we used it, probably drank too much but it was so fun haha! Thanks for your video. And we also enjoyed the two specialty dinners...Teppanyaki and Cagney's...fantastic! We would cruise with Norwegian again in a heartbeat...clean cozy cabins, great service, food, entertainment, trip of a lifetime for us.
Have cruised with Norwegian since 2020. The free at sea constantly brings us back, unparalleled value. We’ve found that buying one excursion on the ship and the other at port can also result in similar savings. Love your videos
Hi Alysa, one thing about the regular drink package up to and including $15. Right before our May sailing NCL removed Grey Goose vodka from that drink package and it was moved up to the Premium drink package. I don’t know what other liquors were removed, but I know Grand Manier was also move up to the higher drink package. It would be very informative if you could get the drink package menu say from February and compare it to May’s menu to see what alcohol was removed from the regular drink package. That was a real bummer for me.
I love Irish Coffee on the balcony in Glacier Bay!
You are very good at explaining everything in great detail. I have my first cruise on NCL booked or actually on hold. I’m still pondering on the open bar. Thank you again.
We love free at sea, The 1/2 price air is also a great value. We are a couple just saying get us there on time. Our next cruise is in two week on NCL. Love your information.
We agree with you on Le Bistro. Best meal you can get on any ship. Also when you do the flight promo, you must book the flight deviations to arrive a day or two early or stay an extra day or two more than 75 days out. Once they issue the flights they won't make changes, I just don't think you mentioned the 75 day restriction and it might be helpful to someone.
Thank you so much for this video. I booked the cruise last week and it’s my first time traveling with NCL and it’s my second cruise ever. We got the free at sea deal and I’m going with my friends in November, but since we booked it by ourselves, I didn’t know much about what was included in extra information so thank you for this video
I agree, Le Bistro served me a steak that I bragged about the entire cruise. From the french onion soup to the escargot…delicious!
We just booked our first cruise ever to celebrate our 20th anniversary. We will be on Encore in January! So excited! Thank you for this video, it was so helpful!
I love the Free at Sea, and now the Free at Sea Plus (since I have spent more than the $15 on drinks for wine, icewine and champagne, and I also always get unlimited internet)
As for Air, my parents and my sister and her husband have used it. They had perfect flights from Montreal to Los Angeles with Air Canada, one stop in Denver on the way there, direct on the way back. I personally don't bother cause I travel solo and like to use my lounge membership rather than rushing, so I book longer connections to be safe and enjoy a drink or two at the airport.
I was also so excited when I realized the excursion credit was valid for each port! Great for traveling solo because I didn’t have to worry about the costs for addition guests.
This is a great informative video! I love the Free At Sea! I think for me it is a great value. 😎
Love the free at sea and NCL! Moderno has been a favorite and always have to grab a mudslide or 2…or 3 during the cruise!
We’re leaving for an Alaskan cruise Saturday and tried the free airfare for the first time. We got terrible flights on Southwest but we instantly canceled them for southwest credit and booked direct flights on Alaska Air for less money so it worked out great for us.
Had we gotten a different airline we may not have been able to cancel for free so it’s definitely a risk.
Great video!
You need to be careful with NCL if traveling as a family , sometimes they split up families on different flights
We are cruising NCL to Alaska in 2025 & are using the airfare perk. Hoping ours work out!
We used the NCL flights round trip from Indianapolis to LA. We had American westbound and Southwest eastbound.
As for the FREE AIRFARE, I always see that NCL charges about double for Guest1 versus what I can find for airfare myself.
I only cruise NCL! In two weeks, we are cruising on the Bliss to Alaska! My 36 year old son is in my cabin (a much-needed break from raising his 3 kids on his own!), and my daughter and son in law are 2 doors down in their own cabin. We got the free airfare for 2nd guest for both cabins. We all got on the same flight into Seattle, and chose seats together. However, our return flights are on different airlines at different times. Not a big deal. At least we will all get on the ship at the same time! So excited and love NCL!
Thanks for this video!!! Free at sea as a solo traveler works for me 👍👍
Such great information. After sailing on the Breakaway from the vloggers cruise, both myself and Mark love NCL and the free at sea. I love my Sambuca on the rocks! We love Tapaneka and the Brazilian restaurant.
Thank you this was very informative. I love Free at Sea. Had it on my first cruise with the kids. I had the 3rd and 4th guest free and the unlimited soda package for the kids. The free at sea unlimited soda package was a steal with two teenagers and a tween! They drank their hearts away. lol. Their friends they made on the ship were jealous as my kids were constantly refilling their glasses. This was back in 2016. Excited I was able to get the free at sea package again for my next cruise. Your video was super helpful. Thank you!
Just booked my first Norwegian cruise! Super excited to give it a try. I usually travel with my husband, but this time it's a girls trip with my best friend! This will be my 6th cruise and my friend's first. We've got the free at sea and we're using their flight service. Nice that it's all included!!
I am doing my first NCL this year also
Love NCL, they have a great relaxed atmosphere for families. We have always done the liquor package and dining. My first NCL cruise dining was the whole cruise, and my last one, the dining, was only for 3 or the 7 day cruise. I think next time I would look into wifi, especially travelling with a teenager.
We used the one person flies free program for our Encore trip through the Panama Canal. We arrived a day early and that part went great. However, NCL put us on a flight home at midnight!!! And for the price that they charged person 2, we could have flown on Southwest and had 2 pieces of luggage. We are going to Alaska in October with our daughter and, after this, all of us will be making our own flight arrangements.
I haven't gone on a cruise with NCL yet, but I will definitely take advantage of this program when I do!!
Super helpful video, thank you. My husband and I are going on our first cruise ever, good information to know ahead of time.
My travel agent had a family that had a 14 and 12-year-old that NCL tried to split from their parents when they chose the air credit. They were flying transborder and NCL expected them to navigate this process and a flight change by themselves. Just like Alisa said it is best for only 2 people and if more are in your party book the air separately or plan on the fact that there is a good chance you will be split up for flights.
Nov 12-19th ‘23 will be our maiden voyage with NCL, we’re Diamond 💎 cruisers with RCCL & we heard about the Free At Sea promotion & wanted to try something different, so here we are! It’s 4 of us in our cabin (+2 children) & we ended up booking our own flight, as the timing & price was pretty decent.
My other family members got all the perks & are flying SouthWest to LAX, but the flight back to Chicago was a pretty late flight, so the wait at the airport isn’t the greatest, but they were content in not having the “hassle” of doing anything else but paying & relaxing knowing they don’t have to go extra & beyond. 👍🏽😎
#superexcited 💃🏽💃🏽
Moderno!!!! It was amazing on the Star. Flank steak sooooo delicious. We had a Cucumber Cool and a watermelon tequila drink that was amazing this past cruise. Love NCL so far so we'll keep sailing until there is a huge issue
Thank you for this video. We are going for our first cruise on the breakaway to Europe and I was really nervous about the flights . Might be the control freak in me!! Hopefully we will get decent flights with 2 day deviation. I'm sure it will be ok .
I love my Paris at sea and I love my Norwegian I don’t travel on anything else I just can’t bring myself to leave Norwegian never had a bad trip then on a lot of them thank I am a platinum working on my next level 11 at
That’s supposed to be loving it
Nice!!!!
Hi Alysa I love the free at sea. I do enjoy the Mango Meltdowns myself I also found a bartender on our last cruise that made a mean spicy bloody mary. I am using the airfare for the first time on our cruise this Sept. so we will see. We are traveling in 2 days before and staying 2 days after. Since we are traveling with 2 other they put a not in we are traveling together (no guarantee) but they did make a note of it. Love your video and all the information. Thank you so much!
Yes me too and he was the bartender in the Garden Cafe on the Star, loved Allan!!!!!!
We had 3 meals included on our last NCL cruise. Loved La Cucina, Teppanyaki, and Moderno. Also used the 2nd passenger flies free promotion. With flight delays, it was cutting awfully close to all-aboard time, but we made it! Next time, we've requested an extra day both before and after the cruise.
This is the information that I was searching for. Thank you so much! Great video.
Great job on all the info. I’m planning my cruise for NCL - POA in Hawaii for 2024. You helped me so much. I’m getting all the free at sea and the 2nd person airfare free. Can’t wait to board!! I heard a few of the restaurants were closed in 2022, but I guess they are all open again now in 2023.
Appreciated your previous cruise line comparison video that also highlighted how the free at sea compared to other cruise lines
Great Video, great Info. We Love NCL's Free at sea, always get a balcony now. We have 4-5 drinks each per day at the most. We normally have 3-4 specialty dinners even on 7 day cruises. Our favorites are: Ocean Grill, Teppanyaki and Cagney's Steak house. We like La Cucina but have found there aren't many traditional Italian dinners like lasagna or a Bolognese. Wifi has been inconsistent so we normally don't opt for that if it isn't included in the free at sea pkg. Thanks Again.
While we have cruised other lines (Princess, Holland America, Cunard, Disney), we usually use NCL, and the Free at Sea plays a big part of that. However, on our last cruise (a 16 day Panama Canal cruise), we crunched some numbers and decided to turn down the drinks package. We are Canadian, and with the rate of exchange, the 20% add-on worked out to be almost $900! I drink infrequently, and neither of us drink soda, so it was unlikely that we would drink that amount. We ordered as we wanted, and our drinks bill was just over $300.00 We love the Dining package, and on the last cruise actually ordered another 2 free dinners (at $25pp/dinner) - worth every penny! Thanks for the tip about the Fly free - we plan to take a Transatlantic in the fall, and had hoped to stay a further week. Now I know that's not possible - but the cost of the flights are too good to turn down! This was very helpful - thanks so much!
Of course this lady admits that she likes NCL and of course is pushing them with this free advice, it is not free you pay for it so completely untrue.
Ok, Now I want to look into a Norwegian cruise! Thank you for all that good information!
We just get back from our cruise trip last month (October) with my whole family and five of us in one cabin. I love NCL breakaway, we have so much fun in this cruise trip to Europe. I love the Free at Sea perks, the whole eleven days. We have six free complimentary specialty dining. And booked 3 specialty dining like Ocean blue, Cagneys and Le Bistro. Yeah unlimited drinks below $15 dollars. We have a great and wonderful experience. We do booked private excursion the same price with them. The tour guide we got they are so kind. We booked our airfare seperately. Because we got a good deal on turkish airlines. We booked our tickets two days before our embarkation and three days to stay more in Rome.
God willing🙏🏻🙏🏻my kids are planning to cruise again and go with us next year.
Thank you so much I have learned a lot and they will be my next cruise next October.
I love NCL's Free At Sea, especially the drink package. Just keep in mind that if you pick the drink package, everyone in your room that is of drinking age has to pick the drink package.
I usually go for it. In the UK there is no extra gratuity charge. If you get Free at Sea it results in no extra cost to your bill (though I am sure we are charged for it somewhere - probably up front).
I don't drink much but it can be worth it just for the excursion discount if your on a high excursion trip - it brought my Alaska excursion down to the local price.
Thank-u for posting. I am planning a Panama canal cruise on the Jade in 2026. This is great!!!
Love Norwegian! Love Cagney’s and the Painkiller.
I love the free at sea, used on the Mexican Rviera cruise March 2020 and our anniversary Greek cruise in April 2022 . We used the 2 for 1 air on the Greek cruise, flying in the day before. NCL ❤. Fave specialty dining restaurants, Moderno and Cagneys, loved O'Sheehans. Favorite drink besides a margaritas, the Pain Killer. Thanks for all you and Jason do. Love your channel ❤
I just did my 13th cruise on the Pearl out of Boston. They all have been on NCL
I love the free at sea program. My favorite drink is the dark and stormy. With dark rum ginger beer and lime.
Love the Mango Melt down
Le Bistro and Food Republic! 🙌🏻 …and we opted out of Drink Package 🍻 and just paid for the couple beverages we had. It was perfect!
I loved to get different kinds of mojito from the mojito bar.
Concerning the flights. Not only are you not guaranteed a certain air cie., but you may have one or more stop instead of a direct flight. On my first cruise, I used Royal Caribbean to schedule my flights from Montreal, Canda to Amsterdam for a cruise to the Norway fjords. I decided to stay a week more in Europe after the cruise. They where able to change the flight, but instead of just changing my return flight, they restarted the whole process and I would have lost my direct flight on the way there, it would also have cost a big penalty for the change. Finally, it was just better and cheaper for me to just be a no show on the return flight and booking my own return flight a week later.
Thank you for the great tips. I've used the free at sea with select NCL Panama and Mediterranean cruises and it's a great value with the premium dinning, wifi, and free 3 & 4th passengers with my kids. I would like to add that the free premium dinning based on the number of days and cabin will help you get to taste some of the restaurants. Depending on the ship, you may be able to schedule the restaurants on the app with the cabin members or need to call to schedule dining times.
The discount on the NCL excursions we really didn't use so much because I can usually get a better deal with Shore Excursion group or Viator tours and just enter the dates of the sailing, cruise lines, and ship and pretty much get a private tour for the same price as a NCL group tour without being on a bus but a private car. One of the benefits is that you get a private tour and can get to places that large tours can't get into like small villages, small city roads, and private beaches. You can also modify it based on the location and amount of time you would like to stay, eat and shop at non tourist prices. Just my two cents.
My wife and I look forward to our upcoming sailing next year on NCL Dawn and will be using the free flight for the 2nd passenger. Now that you've explained it, I feel a little better about this unknown. I've already arranged the 3 days pre and post cruise to explore the cities of Rome and Barcelona and have already booked our hotels and land tours.
I was wondering if you have any tips on the best travel insurance for overseas cruises / travel? Should I take the insurance offered by the cruise line or should I purchase my own? I'm looking for medical, flight, lost baggage, emergency helicopter medivac, and replacement money. I know that my credit card offers some of these already if I use it to pay for my cruise but not sure if they will cover the airfare since it's part of the cruise line free at sea? Any thoughts or tips would be appreciated.
I use Travel Insured for myself and my travel agency clients.
I LOVE Norwegian and I LOVE free at sea! We're book for next year, myself my daughter and granddaughter (who will be 5) are so excited. My daughter and granddaughters first time on Norwegian and I know they're going to love it as much as I do. We're paying only $99.00 for my granddaughter for third person (PLUS gratuities, port taxes and insurance which all came out to $688). So even if they say free 3 &4 person be prepared to pay something but it's still cheaper and if you're going with friends or adult family members maybe just split the whole cost 3 or 4 ways so it works out for everyone. Happy cruising 🛳 ☺️
We have not sailed on NCL yet, but will have to consider the Free At Sea program, when we do. The only part of FaS that we would not use is the Free Airfare. We drive everywhere, unless we have to travel to western USA. The Free Drink package is something that probably only I would use. My wife doesn't drink much, doesn't drink soda/cola, but does like her coffee and bottled water.
Great video. Great info. We always use the drink package, we think it is worth it. We have been cruising NCL for 10 years. We have only sailed on NCL. We haven't used the free airfare yet. We have the option to use it for our cruise on the Epic in 2025 for 10 night Greek Isles & Rome. I am a little scared to use it. Not sure if we want to do it or not.
We love following you on all your travels .
Very informative , Thank you. Seems a great deal and sounds like it makes the cruise a more of a pleasure for all parties.
We did NCL last October with Free at Sea but there were a few limitations. That doesn't mean it's not a good value. I think there was a limit of 15 drinks. Of course, the probability of having that many is very slim. But, I can't remember anything that was over $15. Maybe a somewhat aged scotch or something. Also, we could get bottles of wine in the dining rooms if it was from the left, upper side of the wine list. The buffet area had soda drinks and a water dispenser. Water WAS included on ours.
OH, and how I get the whiskey thing! Even the sweetest of bourbons is a deal breaker. I used to like SoCo and I thought that it was whiskey based. But I found out later it was basically a vodkaesque liqueur that had been flavored with all sorts of things - hardly the original. A few years ago, the company that bought out the company that made SoCo went back to the whiskey base. I thought my taste buds had changed. But when I found out the truth it all made sense. YUK!
We had a 10 day so we had TWO specialty dining nights AND we could choose! We also did the French and the Teppanki - I woudln't call it 'All you can eat - you can't get seconds - but if you have been to a Benihaaiesqe restaurant, it's THAT. Soup OR salad (I THINK), Asian style fried rice, appetizer shrimp, veggies and your main protein PLUS dessert So you won't leave hungry! I tried to order in French and the waiter looked at me like I was speaking a foreign language. Well, I WAS!
She's right, it's shore excursion credit, but THAT pretty much paid for the package! WE had 9 sked port days!
Use your airplane mode! Check with your carrier to see about international data. ATT back then (things change, so I don't know today) had a $10 per day AS YOU USE IT program. We used it on 2 different days (I forget why) but otherwise, we were in airplane mode. The NCL app works in airplane mode. When I was on my laptop, I had to remember to close the wi-fi if I wasn't on FB Or email.
They have discounts on the FaS package if you buy it 2 or 3 or - WELL, it varies - prior to the cruise. we got ours for $59/day.
I may have missed if she mentioned it, but you can't buy just one unless you're a single in the cabin. EVERYONE over 18/21 (depends on departure/arrival) in the cabin has to buy it. So if you have a 100% tea-totaler in the cabin, you might want to rethink it.
Four adults in one cabin? I just can't...can't...speechless. The Beevis and Butthead in me goes straight to 'swingers'!
I have this to say about the airfare. We did a Med cruise and we flew to Spain to visit relations. The air ONLY applies for US departures. AND as an elite flyer on AA, I don't want the cruise line to pick my airline - I NEED 100% control of my flights.
I been assigned both Alaskan and American Airlines by Norwegian and luckily ALWAYS have been direct flights (Orange County to Seattle and also San Diego to JFK) Love Norwegian Cruise Lines. Become Ambassador this December 2023 finally after 35 cruises with them.
Nice!!! I just earned 3 extra points per night on our 10 day cruise so we moved from bronze to gold.....we plan to keep on climbing!
@@mewarner84 CONGRATULATIONS!!! Keep on cruising Norwegian and moving up that Latitudes Rewards ladder!
I've never been on a cruise in my life, and have found your page to be very informative. Thank you.
😢
I don't save money with the standard drink package at the same time I don't have to penny pinch, I like it!!!
If you book the pre cruise hotel with NCL, you can deviate 3 days 😊
You can but I always find the hotels through any cruise line at a much higher price.
I like NCL but it was a learning curve when you start. The program has a lot to digest and understand. Yet, I like to pay for everything up front so I can relax. Im am happy so far with the flight program but you are correct, you have to give up control and wait until thry are booked around 60 dsys before. However, once NCL books your flights, you can pull them into your airline account, switch seats, and possibly upgrade your seat at additional cost. So you regain some control but if you are a specific airline/class of seat person, its not for you. I normally wait to book my hotel until I get my flight information. Or sometimes book one that has free cancelation if I need to change it. For instance, I am not sure if Id be booked on an early flight to have some time to explore on the day before the cruise. So I get something close to the airport and then switch to closer to the cruise terminal depending on the port city if I am scheduled to land earlier. If it is shouldrr season, Ill wait but summer season makes me more anxious about not getting hotel that I want.
You need to explain free at sea plus. This is the best upgrade in cruising. Top shelf liquor, bottles of wine at dinner, 2 extra specialty meals, additional $50 shore excursion for 2nd person. Unlimited wifi, unlimited starbucks, fresh squeezed jucie, and bottled and premium water. This pays for itself.
We did that on our last cruise, we also like taking lots of bottle water to help with the hangovers 😅
Agreed!!!! We had a bottle of the Veuve Cliquot champagne with dinner every single night at no extra charge!!! 🥂
Hi, do you get water delivered to your cabin on arrival with the free at sea plus upgrade? If, yes how many? And how does the unlimited water work? Is it delivered to your cabin daily? Thanks!
My one and only cruise on NCL was so bad I have not done another . But wondering if it’s similar to the have everything’ package that HAL does.
We came in three days before. As long as we booked the hotel with them, they did the flight arrangements. All was perfect, but we were booked on Southwest and we did not want Southwest. We could not change. One leg was Alaska, and we were able to upgrade to premium seating thru Alaska after we got our flight information from NCL. 🎉
I was able to do the flight deviation to arrive 2 days early and select my own hotel.
I like that you only have the one bill. Passing on to my Neice.
Booked NCL Breakaway for March 2024. Studio cabin. Thank you for all your help. I need to get with you for the future travels. As I enjoy traveling. Being I am one of those truck drivers Jason does not like😂. Jk.
Haha! You guys just kill us when we are driving next to you in the RV! But thank you for what you do!
Love the Free at Sea!! On our most recent cruise on the Prima we splurged and upgrades to the FAS Plus and absolutely loved everything. May be hard to not have that again.
i'm a big water drinker (just like to stay hydrated), but dont wanna spend 6.50 for a carton of water, what's the best way to get water? can i carry my own in my personal water bottle...Are there water fountains i can fill it from?
I agree with Jason, probably the best steak I’ve ever had was at Le Bistro
We're cruising on the Bliss in April and I think that the Free At Sea will be beneficial for our wants. My wife loves her wine and I am a soda drinker so the drinks and specialty dining should be worth it for us. I also drink a lot of coffee and thought about upgrading to Free At Sea Plus or purchasing the Starbucks package, but in the end I don't think I drink that much coffee or top shelf alcohol to justify it. I could really care less about the internet and shore excursion credits. Probably won't use either. We've never cruised NCL so we will see how it goes. I would never let someone else book my flights. I am very particular about my airline, seats, and times. We chose Teppanyaki and Ocean Blue for our specialty dining. Can't of wrong with Hibachi and we love good seafood.
We love free at sea. Love the sugarcane Mojito bar.
Some lines are more "all inclusive" than others. THe big thing that is not part of "free at sea" is the daily gratuity or service charge. That doesn't make the package good or bad, just harder to compare to other lines. And you do need to compare the cruise cost with the package to the cost without it, One really nice thing about NCL's package is that if you order a drink over $15, you pay only the difference; on some lines, if you go above package rate, the package doesn't apply and you pay the full cost!
😯🥰 great information 🤔👍 Thanks for sharing 🤗⚓️🚢😀
Great video on free at sea. You explained it perfectly. Im traveling next year on ncl. Looking so forward to it. Question, is cruise insurance a good idea?
As a part time solo cruiser I find NCL to feel like a piecemeal cruise even with the Free at Sea. There are too many exceptions to the Free at Sea that it doesn't feel free to me. Every NCL ship (really any cruise ship) I've been on drinking the tap water is not good and the fact that I still have to pay for bottled water even when I have Free at Sea is frustrating. With my last cruise I went to a more upscale line that really does have all inclusive fares and found that the price difference between some of the upscale lines versus lines like NCL are not nearly as much as I thought. Between the single supplement and the extra costs like bottled water on NCL or paying the difference on a higher priced drink the costs for me were fairly close.
We had the free at sea for the Getaway group cruise in 2020
Very much worth getting.
12 x NCL cruisers its the best!
The only time I paid an upcharge for a drink it's been the espresso martini at like $18 so a $3 upcharge and worth every penny!
Those espresso martinis at Gatsby's on the Star were everything!!! We paid the upcharge and it was worth it!!!
All good things and love your channel!!! But it would be great that if you don’t drink at all , you could have extra specialty dining instead . Realistically, if NCL is willing to give you a chance to select all 4 things …. I would
Think that for each one you don’t choose you could double or triple up on one you would
Choose. Furthermore , I wish they would
Have an option for discounted or free every evening specialty dining. Now THAT I would
Do!!
Wow I just booked a cruise today and they did not explain the gratuities at all! I kept asking…well this doesn’t sound free. He never mentioned what the fees were for…for the drink and dining free items. It all makes sense now!
Was a Princess cruiser but have come to really like NCL. The drink package is a great value. I don't drink heavily but yeah, it's holiday time on a ship soprosecco by the pool, wine before and with dinner, the afternoon trivia quiz cocktail. That adds up and I don't worry about the drink by drink costs with the package. I don't drink tequila ordinarily and I'm really picky about a Margarita but my go to cocktail on Norwegian is their Margarita, rocks. Not blended. I don't know why it's sooo good but Princess your margs are awful. You could rip a page from Norwegians book.
Free at sea is an even better deal as a solo cruiser! You get the $50 excursion credit to yourself, and they usually still offer the discount airfare even though there isn’t a second person
50% airfare
There is a group of us cruising Europe in November..We did the 2nd person flies free...This is scaring us because we never did this before and wondering how many stops, how long layovers etc.....There are 10 of us..hopefully we all get on the same flight....
We have used their flights several times. We are flying next week Phoenix to Reykjavik and flying home from London at the end of the cruise. We are happy with our flights and have one layover each way. Keep in mind, They will only guarantee people in the same cabin to be on the same flights, so with 10 people you will likely end up with at least some on different flights/airlines than others. I've seen people make the mistake of booking 85 year old grandma in a cabin with 3 year old toddler and they get different flights then the parents in a different room. Just something to think about. If you're ok with the possibility of different flights for people in different cabins, it can be a great savings. Also if you want to fly in a day or two early or fly home a day or two after the cruise, you can schedule that with NCL. They call it a Flight Deviation and has to be scheduled more than 75 days pre cruise. Call them on day 74 and they won't do it for you. I would highly recommend flying in at least 1 day early to allow for any flight delays etc. Have Fun!!!
Just make sure you ask for a deviation to arrive 1-2 days early to make sure you don't miss the ship. You must ask for the flight deviation at least 75 days before your cruise.
Our only experience with NCL was on the Breakaway for the Vlogger Extravaganza cruise. I was not super impressed but felt their all inclusive definitely is a good value and we will try NCL again just a different ship. We must’ve had a bad experience at Le Bistro it was our least favorite restaurant we tried, the food and service the night we were there was not impressive at all. We loved Tepanyaki and Oceans Blue. We usually agree with you & Jason on your food tastes so maybe we need to try Le Bistro again on a different NCL ship 😊
Quick question. Since water is not included like water bottles, do they have stations where you can fill your own water bottle or container?
There are self serve water stations in the buffet, or you can go to any bar and ask for a glass of water, or soda water, just not bottled/carton water. Also the water in your cabin is all R.O. water and is great quality. Most people prefer it to the cartons of water you can buy.
Thanks for the breakdown. We’re actually doing our first NCL cruise in September. So this may be a silly question but what the heck. We have the regular free at sea and I’ve heard people say with the drink package you still have to pay gratuities for each drink, is that true?
This may sound crazy but sometimes I like a virgin pina colada. Do you think they will do that with the drink package?
Have you done a video on Travel insurance options?
Do Frozen Drinks Come With The Alcohol Package? Is It Okay If We Bring Along Our 24 OZ Tervis Cup On The Cruise? 🤔🤔
Never been on NCL but you’ve convinced me!!! When are you guys going back to Hawaii?
Not sure but we definitely want to go back!!
In short, yes, it’s worth it.
Worth what? She says it is free but obviously, it is not just another gimmick.
Obrigada pelo vídeo I’m from Brazil
Hi, great video! I just booked a "free at sea" transatlantic with an NCL agent. I asked (several times!) if there would be gratuities added to the "free" drinks and "free" specialty restaurants, and he assured me there would not. I've been finding info that's contrary to what he told me. Who's right??
Keep in mind I had a very strange flight last March, where the booked me from Moncton NB to Panama via AMSTERDAM!
I think the NCl's whole package approach is good. I like paying for as much as I can in advance. I love/hate the air/sea program. I love the prices. I love that there is some possible flexibility when it comes to booking through the cruise should something happen. However, if you are beholden to a specific airline and enjoy a specific higher class of seat and not wiilling to wait until about 60 days prior to sailing to be informed of your flights plus take the risk of not being able to sit together, then it is not for you. I price compare and have found that the cruiseline does offer a better deal. I also dont HAVE to sit with my party, the plane is not that big and you are going to the same place. You can import your booking into your skymiles or whatever airline account and you can either pay for a small upgrade and switch seats if you do it right away. This helps if you want to sit together. I have not been able to pay for an upgrade to business/first from economy. Most I've be able to upgrade was comfort plus or paid extra for a preferred seat. NCL does have a special number if you want special airline accomodations. I do not know how it works but I'd call before you book your cruise to get the details of that.
Great info. Thanks for sharing