Why NCL Premium PLUS Adult Drink Package?

[melissa_t]

This is a great thread and I've read the whole thing.  I've already decided to going to upgrade.  My question though, is if I wait to upgrade until I'm on board (I assume there's somewhere to do that?) can I use non-refundable OBC towards this?  Hoping someone knows.  That's the only reason I'd wait vs paying in advance...

 

Thanks!

[Named-Tawny]

5 hours ago, melissa_t said:

This is a great thread and I've read the whole thing.  I've already decided to going to upgrade.  My question though, is if I wait to upgrade until I'm on board (I assume there's somewhere to do that?) can I use non-refundable OBC towards this?  Hoping someone knows.  That's the only reason I'd wait vs paying in advance...

 

Thanks!

My understanding is that yes, once you're onboard you'll be paying for it with OBC.

[Sthrngary]

21 hours ago, melissa_t said:

This is a great thread and I've read the whole thing.  I've already decided to going to upgrade.  My question though, is if I wait to upgrade until I'm on board (I assume there's somewhere to do that?) can I use non-refundable OBC towards this?  Hoping someone knows.  That's the only reason I'd wait vs paying in advance...

 

Thanks!

I want to give the right advice to you so I am trying to remember what I did recently.  My memory is not what it used to be.  I recommend you call your Travel Agent and have them upgrade you now using your OBC.  If you booked directly, call NCL and have them do it.  Hope it all works out for you.

 

Cruise well.

[Tatertotslady]

This specific thread convinced me to try the upgrade. Here is my experience. We will upgrade again as we found it to be worth the extra money. 
 

 My husband and I tried the upgrade on the Bliss in March.  We would start the day at Starbucks to get coffee.  We’d come back to Starbucks after breakfast for herbal iced tea or other drinks like bottled water to sip on during trivia.  
 

Then we enjoyed trying the higher priced wines (me) and high end spirits (my husband) while staying hydrated with San Pelegríno at lunch, dinner and after dinner. I know the ship water is safe to drink but I’d rather drink San Pelegríno or still mineral water as it tastes better.  We did try the fresh squeezed grapefruit juice one day which was really good but it took a long time to make it. We’d sometimes get another Starbucks herbal tea (me) or Pink drink (my husband)  midday. We do not drink Starbucks on a routine basis - maybe once or twice a year as we see it as a waste of money. I’d rather brew my own coffee or drink hotel/restaurant coffee but coffee on any cruise ship is not good. We say we have $ to cruise because we don’t typically spend $ on Starbucks or other coffee places. 
 

I personally loved the NCL East and West Red Blend which was considered Premium Plus. We also liked trying all kinds of other wines we normally would have considered too expensive to try. The one thing we wish we would have figured out earlier was the bottle of wine you could choose at dinner.  It may be a high end wine not available by the glass. My husband thought it was too expensive and reluctantly agreed for the Bliss cruise. We will be on the Jewel in a few weeks and my frugal husband is looking forward to this splurge as he wants to try some more high end whiskies, cognacs and bourbons. 
 

Each person is so different but it enhanced our vacation to add this perk. We will do it again and previously thought it was a waste of money. 

[Seas2mountains]

We loved this upgrade, too. 
 

[jbcallender]

I just got a feeling that a glass of wine is going to be more than $15.  I'm already in to the beverage package on a 12  day cruise for about $500, which is JUST the service charge on the "free at sea" package.  We are not big spirits drinkers, other than a daquiri or a margarita, but we like wine.  It doesn't include bottled water and I don't think it covers even a plain starbucks coffee.  I'm expecting to be paying another couple of hundred dollars in surcharges when its all over.  Beverage is one of the most profitable revenue streams for them and they have it down to a fine science.

[renji]

On 5/17/2022 at 7:20 PM, melissa_t said:

This is a great thread and I've read the whole thing.  I've already decided to going to upgrade.  My question though, is if I wait to upgrade until I'm on board (I assume there's somewhere to do that?) can I use non-refundable OBC towards this?  Hoping someone knows.  That's the only reason I'd wait vs paying in advance...

 

Thanks!

Good question, is it more than the $30 a day to upgrade when you do it onboard

[PharGirl79]

Hi. So I got off Bliss Alaska 2 weeks ago and THOROUGHLY enjoyed the PLUS package. I was deck 8 forward, so just steps away from Cellars. Usually stopped there first thing in the morning for my first of many glasses of Veuve. Came back to try so many different wines, I lost count! Definitely got my money's worth! I have a question though. I'm booked to go on Getaway back2back in August and I noticed they don't have a Cellars. Does anyone know if they have something comparable with an extensive wine list (outside of the dining venues). Somewhere I could stop midday and try a new wine wherever I feel like it? I would like to upgrade again, but if the extensive wine is limited to only dinner time on ships without a Cellars bar, I might pass and just bring my own. Appreciate any advice you can offer!!

[MNcruisingcouple]

1 hour ago, PharGirl79 said:

Hi. So I got off Bliss Alaska 2 weeks ago and THOROUGHLY enjoyed the PLUS package. I was deck 8 forward, so just steps away from Cellars. Usually stopped there first thing in the morning for my first of many glasses of Veuve. Came back to try so many different wines, I lost count! Definitely got my money's worth! I have a question though. I'm booked to go on Getaway back2back in August and I noticed they don't have a Cellars. Does anyone know if they have something comparable with an extensive wine list (outside of the dining venues). Somewhere I could stop midday and try a new wine wherever I feel like it? I would like to upgrade again, but if the extensive wine is limited to only dinner time on ships without a Cellars bar, I might pass and just bring my own. Appreciate any advice you can offer!!

 

My experience in Dec 2021 on the Breakaway was that I could not get Veuve anywhere outside of a dining room.  I checked with multiple bar tenders and the food and bev manager, pleading my case to no avail.

Aug 2019 on the Epic I could easily get it every morning at the Atrium bar.  Frustrating to say the least.  I did make up for it at dinner.

Husband also not happy that Johnny Walker Blue was no longer available on our Dec 2021 cruise.

[kdawg954]

Just booked another NYE cruise, this time on the Bliss, and while the Bliss doesn't have a dedicated Martini Bar like Shakers (Epic Shakers bartenders were some of the best ever), I am looking forward to having this package and frequenting Cellars for the more personalized wine experience vs. being put on the spot a bit in the restaurant. 

 

This package really shines when it comes to the wine/champagne selections.  Gonna attempt to order 2 bottles of Moet at dinner the first night to take back to the cabin since NYE is the embarkation night.

 

I Have $400 in OBC with prepaid gratuities included so I'm likely going to wait until I get onboard to use that on this package unless the travel agent can apply that OBC in advance.  Would be nice to skip a visit to the bar/guest relations to process but also not a big deal as you can basically go to any bar and upgrade and get your first drink and mingle with your first bartender of many.

 

Its my new new big thing to look forward on a cruise, especially New Years Eve cruises.  Had the Celebrity Premium Beverage package earlier this month and while it is great to have all that value included (don't have to pay for gratuities, upgrade to Premium was free and they had a really good selection of high end liquors included along with coffee/water/juice) . . . . the wine/champagne selection was awful, even on Premium, plus no bottles obviously . . . and the Coffee bar just wasn't as good as Starbucks, not even close.

 

The only thing having all that value for Celebrity included did for me is realize that this package on Norwegian is a splurge that I am willing to do, vs. booking elsewhere and not getting my splurge in full.

 

 

[PharGirl79]

20 hours ago, MNcruisingcouple said:

 

My experience in Dec 2021 on the Breakaway was that I could not get Veuve anywhere outside of a dining room.  I checked with multiple bar tenders and the food and bev manager, pleading my case to no avail.

Aug 2019 on the Epic I could easily get it every morning at the Atrium bar.  Frustrating to say the least.  I did make up for it at dinner.

Husband also not happy that Johnny Walker Blue was no longer available on our Dec 2021 cruise.

Good to know! Thank you. I'm thinking I'll just wait till I get on board and take a look around before deciding. I'll just bring a couple bottles to get me through dinners, just in case. Thanks for the quick response. Really wish they had a Cellars on all the ships. By far my favorite bar!!

[MNcruisingcouple]

3 minutes ago, PharGirl79 said:

Good to know! Thank you. I'm thinking I'll just wait till I get on board and take a look around before deciding. I'll just bring a couple bottles to get me through dinners, just in case. Thanks for the quick response. Really wish they had a Cellars on all the ships. By far my favorite bar!!

 

And, learning from your experience, now I'm going to look for ships with Cellars!

[giselle083031]

Hi everyone maybe this has been discussed already being a very lengthy thread I haven’t had a chance to read everyone responses. Last year me and my husband went on Encore to Alaska we did the upgrade to the Premium Plus and even though I love my wine at dinner, Starbucks, bottled water and freshly squeezed juice, for me is too much to upgrade, on the other hand my husband always drinks Zacapa 23 so for him is worth it, we agreed to not upgrade anymore because I couldn’t drink that much as to excuse the price, but on our upcoming trip we have 2 cabins because we will be traveling with our 3 kids so my question is… Can he upgrade without me having to do it? Even though were traveling together but our names are in different cabins? Also while at dinner can he order the bottle of wine without any issue? 

[kdawg954]

1 hour ago, giselle083031 said:

Hi everyone maybe this has been discussed already being a very lengthy thread I haven’t had a chance to read everyone responses. Last year me and my husband went on Encore to Alaska we did the upgrade to the Premium Plus and even though I love my wine at dinner, Starbucks, bottled water and freshly squeezed juice, for me is too much to upgrade, on the other hand my husband always drinks Zacapa 23 so for him is worth it, we agreed to not upgrade anymore because I couldn’t drink that much as to excuse the price, but on our upcoming trip we have 2 cabins because we will be traveling with our 3 kids so my question is… Can he upgrade without me having to do it? Even though were traveling together but our names are in different cabins? Also while at dinner can he order the bottle of wine without any issue? 

 

If the cabins are attached to the same name they will likely require any adults attached to the staterooms to upgrade to the PP.  You'd have to really go to the lengths of having both cabins completely separated from each other with each adult basically having their booking and utilize different payment info with no attachments to each other whatsoever.

 

The hassle doesn't seem worth it.

 

Zacapa 23 is easily the best rum they have and nothing really compares to it, and with it being $8 over the $15 max I can see your dilemma as Pay as you go seems like a waste if that's gonna be his main drink of choice.

 

Tough call

 

[Sthrngary]

I am the author of this thread.  I am so happy it has become a popular place to share information on the Premium Plus package.  Thanks to everyone who contributed.  My next cruise is in December of 2022.  I also have already purchased this program. 

 

Keep up the great information and thank you to all. 

 

Cruise well.

[charlie murphy]

On 5/21/2022 at 12:49 PM, PharGirl79 said:

Hi. So I got off Bliss Alaska 2 weeks ago and THOROUGHLY enjoyed the PLUS package. I was deck 8 forward, so just steps away from Cellars. Usually stopped there first thing in the morning for my first of many glasses of Veuve. Came back to try so many different wines, I lost count! Definitely got my money's worth! I have a question though. I'm booked to go on Getaway back2back in August and I noticed they don't have a Cellars. Does anyone know if they have something comparable with an extensive wine list (outside of the dining venues). Somewhere I could stop midday and try a new wine wherever I feel like it? I would like to upgrade again, but if the extensive wine is limited to only dinner time on ships without a Cellars bar, I might pass and just bring my own. Appreciate any advice you can offer!!

can you give some info on what the wine list looks like at the Cellars . Is it more than the wine lists you find on the treads or on like. I am a wine fan ( mostly reds ) but I am not impressed with the offerings at 15 $ price limit . I would consider the up grade to have better wine, but the wine lists have only a couple offerings by the glass ( reds ). Thanks 

[PharGirl79]

11 hours ago, charlie murphy said:

can you give some info on what the wine list looks like at the Cellars . Is it more than the wine lists you find on the treads or on like. I am a wine fan ( mostly reds ) but I am not impressed with the offerings at 15 $ price limit . I would consider the up grade to have better wine, but the wine lists have only a couple offerings by the glass ( reds ). Thanks 

It was hard to get the full list because it's on a tablet and would take a lot of time to take a picture of each bottle. But this is the printed wine list they had. I want to say there are more on the tablet because the sangiovase I fell in love with, isn't listed and was priced at $31 a glass. Definitely got my money's worth between that and the Veuve! But this should give you some idea. It was the same wine list at dinner too. But keep in mind this was at Cellars. I didn't see if this list was available at all bars. So if your ship doesn't have a Cellars, I'm not sure if you have access to this selection outside of dinner. That's my main question for the Getaway before I spend the money to upgrade.

[PharGirl79]

2 minutes ago, PharGirl79 said:

It was hard to get the full list because it's on a tablet and would take a lot of time to take a picture of each bottle. But this is the printed wine list they had. I want to say there are more on the tablet because the sangiovase I fell in love with, isn't listed and was priced at $31 a glass. Definitely got my money's worth between that and the Veuve! But this should give you some idea. It was the same wine list at dinner too. But keep in mind this was at Cellars. I didn't see if this list was available at all bars. So if your ship doesn't have a Cellars, I'm not sure if you have access to this selection outside of dinner. That's my main question for the Getaway before I spend the money to upgrade.

These pictures are much clearer on my phone. Not sure how to make the quality better so you can read the prices.

[MNcruisingcouple]

9 hours ago, PharGirl79 said:

It was hard to get the full list because it's on a tablet and would take a lot of time to take a picture of each bottle. But this is the printed wine list they had. I want to say there are more on the tablet because the sangiovase I fell in love with, isn't listed and was priced at $31 a glass. Definitely got my money's worth between that and the Veuve! But this should give you some idea. It was the same wine list at dinner too. But keep in mind this was at Cellars. I didn't see if this list was available at all bars. So if your ship doesn't have a Cellars, I'm not sure if you have access to this selection outside of dinner. That's my main question for the Getaway before I spend the money to upgrade.

 

While on the Breakaway (no Cellars) in Dec 2021 I couldn't get Veuve or any of the Premium Plus wines at a bar.  I asked several times and even spoke with the Food and Bev manager.  I was frustrated because 2 years before on the Epic I could get it at the atrium bar...

[adrianypr]

I’m so glad I found this thread. I will be on the getaway in august and y’all made it easy for me to go ahead and upgrade! Can’t wait to try all kinds of new things. 

[FLcruisergrl]

Read all 21 pages of this thread and upgraded to the Plus! I’m not a huge drinker, but it’s just my 18 yr old daughter and I on this cruise, so I was able to upgrade myself only. I figure a few glasses of Veuve, a Starbucks in the morning, a bunch of bottled water, and playing around with upgrading my mixed drinks makes the package worth it. I do like wine with dinner and I’m learning to pair my wines properly with food. Will the sommelier in the Haven do pairings for all of my meal courses?

[RocketMan275]

On 12/21/2021 at 8:14 PM, Cruise Gopher said:

That’s a different “sparkling wine”. Definitely not as good. 

What is the 'free' champagne in your room.

Our last cruise was Moet Chandon but we were in the deluxe owners suite.

[RocketMan275]

On 1/7/2022 at 7:11 AM, kdawg954 said:

 

It was definitely only Moet Chandon as the highest end included champagne by the bottle on my cruise last week.  Veuve was only by the glass.  Moet was not by the glass.

 

Drank plenty of both.

How would you rate the Moet?

[RocketMan275]

On 5/18/2022 at 3:41 PM, Sthrngary said:

Cruise well.

Gary, does the 40% discount apply to either the Moet or the Veuve?

[Sthrngary]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Gary, does the 40% discount apply to either the Moet or the Veuve?

If I am not mistaken, the Veuve is available by the Glass.  No need for 40%.  To more specifically answer your question, yes, the 40% would work on a full bottle.  If I win in the Casino, I buy a bottle of Dom.  I get 40% off on it. Hope that helps.

 

Cruise well and enjoy every moment.