Purchase Norwegian's Priority Access?

[gigito2]

Greetings all.  We're new to NCL & I was wondering if anyone here can recommend (or not ) the Priority Access for $179/cabin. 

I've read some threads blasting the embarkation/disembarkation process and others that reported a decent experience. 

I tried doing a search, but nothing pertinent came up.  Any suggestions?  Thank you.

[Greek Boss]

I personally just think it was another way for NCL to get some extra cash out of the new passengers. It does have some perks like the free room service breakfast for food like omelets which otherwise get charged, and priority tendering at ports when available, but I wouldn't recommend it. At the end of the day I just don't think it is worth the price. It will give you a $50 spa credit but half the time you will likely get onboard credits anyway that you can use towards it. If you have cruised on any other line before, boarding will be just like that. 

[gigito2]

Thank you for the input, Greek Boss!

[NutsAboutGolf]

Simple answer is do you see the value in it.  If you know you have many tender ports, plan on using the spa credit and enjoy hot breakfasts being delivered, I say go for it.  Embarkment process is mainly about avoiding the long line waiting to go through security, yet some people could be arriving late and would most likely not encounter a long line.  For disembarkment, I stayed in the cabin until 8am, got breakfast in the MDR and then walked off the ship which didn't have any lines at all.

Edited December 2, 2019 by NutsAboutGolf

[gigito2]

Thanks, NutsAboutGolf.  Your exit plan sounds great.

Am I reading your post correctly in that those embarking later will  usually avoid the long lines? 

I was looking into this because of some of the posts I read indicating that both embarkation & disembarkation were chaotic with little or no regard to times indicated on boarding passes and little clear direction at the start of the process.  

[Greek Boss]

6 minutes ago, gigito2 said:

Thanks, NutsAboutGolf.  Your exit plan sounds great.

Am I reading your post correctly in that those embarking later will  usually avoid the long lines? 

I was looking into this because of some of the posts I read indicating that both embarkation & disembarkation were chaotic with little or no regard to times indicated on boarding passes and little clear direction at the start of the process.  

It really depends on a lot of factors but typically when you are doing online check-in, NCL gives you a list of available times to arrive at the pier. Boarding usually begins at noon. We usually set our arrival time for an hour or so prior just to be in the terminal ready to board. Majority of people do tend to arrive prior to noon so if there are any lines they do tend to die down after that. I will say that with the exception of one time (leaving out of New York, right after Thanksgiving in 2017), we never really have had anything chaotic in regards to lines at the terminal. When they open the Gangway up for boarding, it typically does become a little congested, but they try calling people in groups to board. 

[gigito2]

Thanks again, Greek Boss.  That really puts my mind at ease.

[NutsAboutGolf]

1 hour ago, gigito2 said:

Thanks, NutsAboutGolf.  Your exit plan sounds great.

Am I reading your post correctly in that those embarking later will  usually avoid the long lines? 

I was looking into this because of some of the posts I read indicating that both embarkation & disembarkation were chaotic with little or no regard to times indicated on boarding passes and little clear direction at the start of the process.  

 

There are so many factors including researching the terminal itself.  Generally speaking, if you try to arrive an hour before the cruise checkin, there's no line.  By no means would I call my embarkment experiences chaotic, but I've had long waits in my two NCLs cruises which each took 90mins to get on.  For PoA in 2016, I had a penthouse with priority but they forced everyone to wait in the single security line.  Once through security, there were priority check in desks, but they only had 4 priority desks open while nearly 20 regular check in desks for everyone else.  I'm guessing the majority of regular check passengers do not have any requests at check in but passengers with priority in front of me must have had some requests as the priority line was moving incredible slow.  Once that's done, while regular passengers go onto the gangway, we went over to a lounge to wait for someone to escort on, all that took time.  Perhaps some of this has changed since 2016 but bottom line was priority added time to board the ship, only value from that perk was being escorted on the ship as there wasn't any tender ports as Kona was cancelled.

 

I was on the NCL Epic for its first West Med 2019 cruise after its TA cruise out of Barcelona this past May.  They made everyone get off the ship including the crew to clear customs which created a huge line.  However unlike with Honolulu, they did have a separate priority line pre-security in Barcelona but I was only in a mini-suite so didn't have priority.

Edited December 2, 2019 by NutsAboutGolf

[gigito2]

Thanks again NutsAboutGolf.  I very much appreciate the info and will definitely research the terminal.

Sorry about the 2 experiences noted above.

I've decided to forego the Priority check in....

[complawyer]

personally, i think its a waste of money. if you book a suite or haven, or are platinum,platinum plus you get priority embarkation anyway. if not any of these, you may get on the ship quicker, but all that means is that you wont have to wait a long timefor the buffet or a chair by the pool.  ,your room probably wont be ready until after 2, most sailings are after 5:00 op.m.,so really what's the hurry. save the bucks, i'm sure ncl will find some other way to separate you from your money.. bank on it

[solle1]

On 12/2/2019 at 12:27 PM, gigito2 said:

Greetings all.  We're new to NCL & I was wondering if anyone here can recommend (or not ) the Priority Access for $179/cabin. 

I've read some threads blasting the embarkation/disembarkation process and others that reported a decent experience. 

I tried doing a search, but nothing pertinent came up.  Any suggestions?  Thank you.

It may have a value for an experimental individual that believes vacations are not only about fun but also you may want to be someone else for a couple days .

[novanoto]

My wife and I recently purchased it for our Encore sailing last month and we would probably buy it again. We got on with the Platinum/Ambassador people and were actually in front of them. This mattered to us because we wanted to ensure we got Vibe passes. We also utilized the free room service breakfast on three occasions, the priority tender in Great Stirrup Cay, the $50 spa discount (can't be combined with any other promo and must be used on a body or facial treatment, ie massage or facial), and for disembarkation, we were allowed to leave as early as we wanted. So overall, for us, it was worth it. 

[RedwingHockeyFan]

I'm not sure about other ports but at Port Canaveral they have done away with embarkation times and basically just state on the Edocs that boarding starts at 12 so don't show up before 11.  We got to the port at 11:45 and were on the ship by 12:15.  We carried our luggage off the ship at 8:30 and were to MCO by 9:45.