First timer...many questions!

I'm booked on NCL Breakaway from NY to Bahamas on 2/19/17. It is a last minute trip with my 2 teenage daughters 17 and 18! Here are my questions:

1. Drink packages. If we don't get packages, can we still order fri is amd just pay for them at the end of the cruise, or is a package more cost effective?

2. Excursions. Do most seasoned cruisers book excursions or sightsee on their own?

3. Dinner. Would you recommend eating at the restaurants included in the price of the cruise or would you also get a dinner package?

I'm on a budget, but obviously want to enjoy the trip and. It have to worry about every dollar I'm spending! Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!

You have paid for three meals (or more) a day. Don't buy a meal package until you have tried all of the included venues. Unless you drink A LOT, a drink package is not worth it. There is coffee, tea, water, possibly lemonade available free in the buffet area all day.

Most seasoned cruisers do not book excursions, but a first timer might want to. Great Stirrup Cay is a private island, a beach day with picnic. Port Canaveral....is a problem because there is not a lot to do other than a wasted trip to Disney to stand in lines - or a trip to the Kennedy Space Center. Visit the Ports of Call boards here for other ideas. EM

I'm booked on NCL Breakaway from NY to Bahamas on 2/19/17. It is a last minute trip with my 2 teenage daughters 17 and 18! Here are my questions:

 

1. Drink packages. If we don't get packages, can we still order fri is amd just pay for them at the end of the cruise, or is a package more cost effective?

 

2. Excursions. Do most seasoned cruisers book excursions or sightsee on their own?

 

3. Dinner. Would you recommend eating at the restaurants included in the price of the cruise or would you also get a dinner package?

 

I'm on a budget, but obviously want to enjoy the trip and. It have to worry about every dollar I'm spending! Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!

1. Packages need around 6-8 drinks a day to break even, so it depends on what and how much you drink. Think about what you are likely to drink, check prices when you board and then decide. For me yes.

2. Excursions will vary by where you are going, I don't do many ship excursions, indeed not many excursions at all, preferring to do my own thing, BUT I mainly cruise ports I've been to numerous times.

3. Don't pay for meals till you've tried the free options.

The above is based on keeping the budget down, I've had a final bill as low as about $8 and as high as into the thousands it's not hard to keep it down, it's also not hard to spend up big if you let it go.

Hi daydrmblvr! I can't speak for NCL ... and I can only share my opinion/personal experience, you may decide something else works better for you ... but since you asked ;)

On the drink package question -

On RC Brilliance of the Seas ... ice, water, hot coffee (regular and decaf), hot tea, iced tea, lemonade and one fruit flavored 'sugar water' type beverage are available free of charge at a few different drink stations. Water/tea/coffee are also included with your meals in the main dining room.

(I'm guessing the 'free' drinks are similar on NCL but I can't really say.) I had read this but just was not sure exactly what would be available or when/where etc. so my travel partner and I both opted for the $8.50 per day soda package ... but I definitely could have done without it. I would have been just fine with the 'freebies' and I probably drank more ice water than anything else while on board. We both had a couple of mixed drinks/frozen drinks from the bar over the course of the cruise, but nothing that would come near making the 'alcohol' package worthwhile for us.

Excursions - if you don't plan to do one through NCL, do spend some time researching your options on-line, especially here on CC ... there may be plenty of alternatives to booking a NCL excursion ... but you'll probably have a less stressful day if you've at least researched your options before hand and/or made plans/reservations or at least know where to go. We had no problem at all booking a tour and enjoying our day in Grand Cayman with absolutely no 'prior planning' ... however Cozumel was a bit less successful ... my own fault, not blaming anyone else ... but 'next time' I will definitely have a plan in place and/or reservations made beforehand if we're visiting Cozumel.

ETA: even just to have a nice 'day at the beach' ... you'll want to know WHERE you want to go ... HOW to get there (taxi, most likely) and/or is it within walking distance ... do you need CASH for the taxi-fair (we had assumed we could use a credit card, and that was an issue) ... will there be an admission charge for the beach, etc. It's nothing to 'stress' over ... you can be go-with-the-flow ... no need to be all control-freaky ... but just having some basic info would have been majorly helpful to me.

Meals - again, its completely a personal preference kind of thing ... if dining in a specialty restaurant would be a 'treat' then it might be worthwhile for you ... but we decided not to spend $ on specialty restaurants that we could spend on the spa, drinks, shore activities, etc. Our logic was ... we can go to a great steak restaurant or sushi place, etc. any week of the year ... on the cruise there were enough 'included' dining options that we did not opt for a specialty restaurant package or visit this time. But we might 'next time' ... but for 'included' you will have several options ... on the Brilliance this included the main dining room (with a full menu and multiple choices each meal), the buffet (unlimited choices from salad, 'real food' entrees/sides, burgers/hotdogs, etc.), a pool side cafe with salads, sandwiches, soup, dessert, etc. and room service (free/included, except for certain specialty items and possibly a late-night deliver surcharge if ordering from midnight-5 am ... and a tip for the delivery which for some reason is not included as part of the pre-paid/mandatory gratuities that cover most other service staff.)

If you research your ports, you may find what interests you needs NO excursion at all!

GSC is the private beach day...if you are going there, there is NO need to book anything in advance...it's a pure and simple beach day! They do have things to spend money on, but you don't have to at all!

You can purchase ANYTHING without a "package"...you simply pay for what you want...it will be put on your account, and you settle at the end of the cruise.

I'm booked on NCL Breakaway from NY to Bahamas on 2/19/17. It is a last minute trip with my 2 teenage daughters 17 and 18! Here are my questions:

 

1. Drink packages. If we don't get packages, can we still order fri is amd just pay for them at the end of the cruise, or is a package more cost effective? while not an absolute, the general consensus is you would need to drink 5-7 per day every day to break out even. keep in mind that packages are PER PERSON and may not be shared.

 

2. Excursions. Do most seasoned cruisers book excursions or sightsee on their own? either or. some will tell you to never book an outside excursion for a variety of reasons, others are the exact opposite for different reasons. go with what you are comfy with

 

3. Dinner. Would you recommend eating at the restaurants included in the price of the cruise or would you also get a dinner package? while I have never sailed NCL and thus cannot comment on the quality or variety of the included offerings, a little splurge at a specialty would not be the end of the world.

 

I'm on a budget, but obviously want to enjoy the trip and. It have to worry about every dollar I'm spending! Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!

to decide whether a drink package is necessary, first determine if you are okay with the included stuff( reg coffee, tap water, etc) and how many glasses of wine you want at dinner.

Also ... there are a ton of 'first time' and 'what do I ...' threads, so you'll gather a lot of good tips (and conflicting information, lol) just by browsing the boards.

One I particularly enjoyed reading and adding to is titled "I wish I knew before..." - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1086757

I'm booked on NCL Breakaway from NY to Bahamas on 2/19/17. It is a last minute trip with my 2 teenage daughters 17 and 18! Here are my questions:

 

 

 

1. Drink packages. If we don't get packages, can we still order fri is amd just pay for them at the end of the cruise, or is a package more cost effective?

 

 

 

2. Excursions. Do most seasoned cruisers book excursions or sightsee on their own?

 

 

 

3. Dinner. Would you recommend eating at the restaurants included in the price of the cruise or would you also get a dinner package?

 

 

 

I'm on a budget, but obviously want to enjoy the trip and. It have to worry about every dollar I'm spending! Any advice is GREATLY appreciated!

Number 1 piece of advice is : learn how to use the CC search feature.

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If you are a big drinker, the package can be worth it. But if you just want 1-2 drinks per day, it's a waste of money. Pay as you go. You can also bring wine aboard & pay a $15 corkage fee, even if you drink it in your cabin, to save $$.

If you are otherwise a seasoned traveler you can book independent excursions for a lot less money. The benefit to booking through the cruise line is the peace of mind knowing that the ship will wait for you if your excursion is delayed getting back. The cheapest excursions often include getting off the ship & walking or taking a taxi to the nearest beach.

Don't bother about the specialty restaurants. Your post says you are from Boston -- a food city. You can get an amazing meal all the time. The included restaurants on board are fine; not amazing, but delicious. Think food at a quality, upscale wedding (even when eating the pub food). Nothing about the specialty restaurants merits paying extra. If you are getting the food package instead of the ubp it's a OK perk but don't pay extra for it especially if you are on a budget

1. Drink packages. If we don't get packages, can we still order fri is amd just pay for them at the end of the cruise, or is a package more cost effective?

Package is more cost effective if you will be drinking and not just water.

2. Excursions. Do most seasoned cruisers book excursions or sightsee on their own?

Sightsee on your own is much better considering you are on a budget. Just relax and enjoy the port of call without the scheduled tour, etc.

3. Dinner. Would you recommend eating at the restaurants included in the price of the cruise or would you also get a dinner package?

I'd eat at the restaurants included in the price of the cruise. Typically, the food is almost the same to me regardless it's buffet or restaurant style. They just make it look prettier ;-) when you pay.

I'd suggest you also check out this article on tips for the first time cruiser that I think it'll help you out on dealing with cruise and other things on board. Try not to stress out and Happy cruising! :)

http://onemagnetavisit.blogspot.com/2016/12/5-cruise-tips-for-first-timers.html

Did you not get an option to pick a perk or two? We get the UBP and dining when we book. If not then I would say skip the UBP and pay as you go. I would buy the 3 meal dining package and enjoy. Enjoy great stirrup cay. As far as the other ports I don't know if I would want to get off in those ports or enjoy the empty pool and spa areas.