Is the free at sea really a good deal???

[crazyboutdisney]

So we got back a few weeks ago from our first cruise with NCL, on the Getway and LOVED it!!! We normally cruise with carnival and nothing against them but NCL seemed to be a step above. Still like Carnival though :)

Anyway, we had booked through a travel agent with a private group so we never saw the breakdown of the cruise cost. We are now looking at going next year and we noticed when you add the "free" items such as the UBP they add a $250 service fee:confused::confused::confused:. So this has us thinking is this really a good deal?? Being new to NCL I thought I would ask opinions. Thank you!!!!

[ColeThornton]

Do the math to see if the plans work for you. For most people it's a no-brainer good deal.

[SanFranCruzer]

I'm watching the replies. great question!

[BostonGal35]

we find it worth it.

the booze for a 7 day sail comes out to around $100 per person. we easily drink that the first day. its nice to not have to worry about our onboard bill.

 

we then usually pick wifi or shorex because there is no gratuity charged for those. we dont find the specialty dining worth it as we get 2 free meals as platinum members.

[candigirl41]

We got the UBP last time we cruised and for the price of just the gratuity it was worth it to us. One glass of wine with gratuity is around $10-$12. It just depends on which perks you choose and if you feel it is worth it to you. I went on Carnival last November and paid for the drink package which was $402.00. The price of the cruise was the same as the 9 day we are going on this coming Friday. So definitely worth it to just pay gratuity.

 

Candi

[PTC DAWG]

The math is easy, it's a screaming deal for my Bride and I.

[adjensen]

I have always gotten the UBP (apart from one time on the Sky, which is all-inclusive,) since switching to NCL in 2016, and it's probably the biggest reason that we stick with Norwegian. I can't believe that people actually pay the $90/pp/pd because they didn't get the Free at Sea promotion somehow, but they do, I met a couple last week on the Escape.

 

If you don't drink, or you're a really light drinker (like two drinks or less a day,) it might not make sense, for everyone else, the cost of drinks quickly adds up to the $20 a day or whatever the gratuities divides down into.

 

On the rare occasion that we cruise on Carnival (we have friends that are platinum and only cruise Carnival,) we don't buy the Cheers package, as that's about $700 + tips for a seven day cruise and we never spend that much out of pocket for drinks.

[crazyboutdisney]

To me it sounded like a great deal but then I noticed the $250 service fee. And if you drink conservatively 6 drinks a day at $10.50 for 7 days times 2 people wouldn’t that also add around $160 in gratuity?

On carnival we don’t go all crazy because we are paying for it. We did this time and we didn’t have to pay gratuity because that was part of our group deal Now I just don’t know. The $250 makes it seem a lot less “free”

[crazyboutdisney]

I have always gotten the UBP (apart from one time on the Sky, which is all-inclusive,) since switching to NCL in 2016, and it's probably the biggest reason that we stick with Norwegian. I can't believe that people actually pay the $90/pp/pd because they didn't get the Free at Sea promotion somehow, but they do, I met a couple last week on the Escape.

 

If you don't drink, or you're a really light drinker (like two drinks or less a day,) it might not make sense, for everyone else, the cost of drinks quickly adds up to the $20 a day or whatever the gratuities divides down into.

 

On the rare occasion that we cruise on Carnival (we have friends that are platinum and only cruise Carnival,) we don't buy the Cheers package, as that's about $700 + tips for a seven day cruise and we never spend that much out of pocket for drinks.

What is the $90 pp/pd??

[adjensen]

What is the $90 pp/pd??

 

If you pay out of pocket, the Ultimate Beverage Package is $90 per person, per day (so, two people in a cabin for seven day cruise would be $1,260 + gratuities)

[Two Wheels Only]

If you were on a cruise and someone said "You can have as many $15 drinks that you want for $17.80 per day", would that be a good deal?

[PTC DAWG]

If you were on a cruise and someone said "You can have as many $15 drinks that you want for $17.80 per day", would that be a good deal?

 

Exactly, I wonder why folks like to complicate this so much...

[crazyboutdisney]

If you were on a cruise and someone said "You can have as many $15 drinks that you want for $17.80 per day", would that be a good deal?

Plus 18% of your drinks. Not trying to complicate it. Just trying to understand what is the best deal without a lot of add ons. Gratuity does add up and we budget for our cruises.

[ray98]

It has always been a good deal for us just paying the gratuity as the fare itself is usually comparable to similar sailing on other lines. There we had to pay the package price plus the gratuity. $250 for 2 may seem expensive until you realize it is $800ish on Carnival.

[Two Wheels Only]

Plus 18% of your drinks. Not trying to complicate it. Just trying to understand what is the best deal without a lot of add ons. Gratuity does add up and we budget for our cruises.

 

No, the $17.80pppd is all that is required. It is 20% of the purchase price of the UBP. You do not have to pay anything extra no matter how many drinks you have (excluding a possible state tax while in port).

 

You can "tip" but it is not required.

[ColinIllinois]

;)

Plus 18% of your drinks. Not trying to complicate it. Just trying to understand what is the best deal without a lot of add ons. Gratuity does add up and we budget for our cruises.

 

 

Apologies if I am misunderstanding you, but once you pay the gratuities up front before your cruise there is no more gratuity charge when you actually get your drinks.

[CPT Trips]

To me it sounded like a great deal but then I noticed the $250 service fee. And if you drink conservatively 6 drinks a day at $10.50 for 7 days times 2 people wouldn’t that also add around $160 in gratuity?

On carnival we don’t go all crazy because we are paying for it. We did this time and we didn’t have to pay gratuity because that was part of our group deal Now I just don’t know. The $250 makes it seem a lot less “free”

 

There's no question, unless you don't drink at all, it's a good deal. The "gratuity" you are required to pay for the "free" drinks package is about $18 per day. If you drink just one $15 plus service charge drink, you break even.

[crazyboutdisney]

;)

 

 

Apologies if I am misunderstanding you, but once you pay the gratuities up front before your cruise there is no more gratuity charge when you actually get your drinks.

You don’t??? Then I misunderstood. One of the things they pitched for our private group was no drink gratuity. I just assumed they charged it otherwise.

[Two Wheels Only]

You don’t??? Then I misunderstood. One of the things they pitched for our private group was no drink gratuity. I just assumed they charged it otherwise.

 

With the UBP, the service charge is for the package, not per drink.

A person getting 2 drinks per day pays the same amount as someone getting 50 drinks per day if they both have the UBP.

[chapo31]

It's a NO BRAINER. Even if you are a moderate drinker and only have 4-5 drinks per day.

 

Let's say it's 4 - a couple glasses of wine with dinner and maybe a couple afterwards. The gratuity for the package on a 7 day is just under $125 per person. So for moderate drinkers - $4-5 per drink. You can't beat that.

[crazyboutdisney]

With the UBP, the service charge is for the package, not per drink.

A person getting 2 drinks per day pays the same amount as someone getting 50 drinks per day if they both have the UBP.

Ok that’s makes more sense. So basically you are paying a flat gratuity. Well that’s makes it seem like a better deal!! Lol I was like wait you are charging me $250 and gratuity lol

[crazyboutdisney]

So the travel agent is making us think we are getting a better deal than we are 🤔 Interesting lol

[ColinIllinois]

And that's why everyone should read the Terms and Conditions of the offers! ;)

[crazyboutdisney]

Another question not related to this but you all seem to be seasoned NCL cruisers. If we book and a lower rate comes along can we request a credit? And is the free at sea the only promo they run??

[tallnthensome]

I'm taking a 15 day Panama Canal cruise in 2019 and the service charge is around $500 for the UBP for 15 days. This would cost me around $1900 for Cheers on Carnival or Royal Caribbean. It was a deciding factor to book WITH NCL because of it .....