Free at Sea package

[Trixie21]

Trying to work out whether to go for the free at sea or not. For the 10 day sailing I am looking at  thats £199 each.

 

- Beverage package- I can see what it includes.  I would usually have 3 or 4 alcoholic drinks per day and maybe a couple of sodas. My wife can't drink alcohol and would maybe have 1 or 2 sodas per day. Without the package how much is a glass of basic wine , a cocktail,  a soda ?

- WiFi- 150 minutes each isn't really that much - 15 minutes each per day. How much would booking a WiFi package cost and can you book one device and log in and out of another device - in other words share a WiFi package (I'm assuming it would be unlimited?)

-Speciality dining- my wife wouldn't use , I would , but could do just as well without it  - looks like 2 meals for a 10 day cruise. Do you book these onboard or can you pre reserve in the cruise planner ?

-Shore excursion credits - we would probably use some of them although we like to take a relaxed attitude to shore excursions and not preplan too much .

 

Without going to the final booking page I can't see how much gratuities are per person per day for a balcony ? And is it compulsory that you pay them (we always have in the past and have extra tipped as well but depends a bit on how much they are as this is not a cheap cruise by any means.)

[ggTexasGal]

24 minutes ago, Trixie21 said:

Trying to work out whether to go for the free at sea or not. For the 10 day sailing I am looking at  thats £199 each.

 

- Beverage package- I can see what it includes.  I would usually have 3 or 4 alcoholic drinks per day and maybe a couple of sodas. My wife can't drink alcohol and would maybe have 1 or 2 sodas per day. Without the package how much is a glass of basic wine , a cocktail,  a soda ?

- WiFi- 150 minutes each isn't really that much - 15 minutes each per day. How much would booking a WiFi package cost and can you book one device and log in and out of another device - in other words share a WiFi package (I'm assuming it would be unlimited?)

-Speciality dining- my wife wouldn't use, I would , but could do just as well without it  - looks like 2 meals for a 10 day cruise. Do you book these onboard or can you pre reserve in the cruise planner ?

-Shore excursion credits - we would probably use some of them although we like to take a relaxed attitude to shore excursions and not preplan too much .

 

Without going to the final booking page I can't see how much gratuities are per person per day for a balcony ? And is it compulsory that you pay them (we always have in the past and have extra tipped as well but depends a bit on how much they are as this is not a cheap cruise by any means.)

Many of us find that if a couple will consume at least 4 alcohol based beverages per day, the package cost is worth the charges.

 

Specialty Dining can be booked pre-cruise (online or call) anywhere between 120-130 days prior (based on room category and Latitudes status).  If you are in a suite, 130 days prior!

 

Shore Excursions credit are per port for port for passenger 1.

 

How much are the service charges?

For bookings made on or after January 1, 2023:

• $25.00 USD per person per day for The Haven and Suites;
• $20.00 USD per person per day for Club Balcony Suite and below;

 

[European_CruiseGirl]

The package will be definitely worth for you IMO. A cocktail/glass of wine will be in minimum around $10 so if you drink 4 glasses of those in a day it is already in minimum $40 but most likely around $50.  Plus tax. Soft drinks/sodas are $3.50 plus tax. 
 

A 7 day unlimited wifi is around $180 on my cruise so a 10 day would be around $250 most likely. Btw if you have the package with the 150 mins of wifi you can upgrade the wifi package to unlimited. For my 7 day cruise the upgrade would be $100. Yes you can share the wifi package. Only one device can be logged in and online at the same time though. 
 

NCL is nicer than RCI when it comes to booking restaurants. It doesnt matter if you have a package or not you can book your restaurant reservations on the app in advance. I hate RCI for selling dining packages and then making you wait until onboard to book the restaurants. Btw dining at an a la carte restaurant on NCL costs much. If you don’t have a package estimate around $90-$100/pp/per dinner…. 
 

Shore excursions frequently sell out so your choice might not be available if you wait too long. However if you are flexible you should be able to get an excursion even one day before the port. But it might not be the excursion that you want. 

 

 

 

Edited July 19, 2023 by European_CruiseGirl

[insidecabin]

 

Optional Gratuities are £15.50pppd  on a UK booking don't prepay if you want to keep them optional

 

There are a few UK TA that will give a good discount over NCL UK direct  need to phone NCL or Tas to get the flight credits.

 

one TA regularly gives £100 extra off  well as discounting free at sea

 

Free at sea

We value the meals at £30 each, Wifi £0 Shorex £0

 

Every ship there is at least 2 we would use just to get a change from MDR and buffet.

 

We never book ahead always get something agreeable often on the day 

 

On a 10n cruise that makes the drinks package £13.90pppd

 

no bottled water or fancy coffee, we take it for the convenience and its only 4-6 drinks a day between you.

 

Internet,

We get a cheap(<£2) EU roaming SIM and save the internet minutes for the sea days and sailing if desperate.  (Cruisecritic access is free) 

 

Just looking for some new SIMS as our current deal runs out in a month, £1.49 5GB unlimited mins/text Lebara  there is a 3month deal through Quidco.

 

For  outside EU roaming depends where and will cost more, first check does "3" cover the places then ~£10 if not research for other options.

 

[Trixie21]

9 hours ago, European_CruiseGirl said:

The package will be definitely worth for you IMO. A cocktail/glass of wine will be in minimum around $10 so if you drink 4 glasses of those in a day it is already in minimum $40 but most likely around $50.  Plus tax. Soft drinks/sodas are $3.50 plus tax. 
 

A 7 day unlimited wifi is around $180 on my cruise so a 10 day would be around $250 most likely. Btw if you have the package with the 150 mins of wifi you can upgrade the wifi package to unlimited. For my 7 day cruise the upgrade would be $100. Yes you can share the wifi package. Only one device can be logged in and online at the same time though. 
 

NCL is nicer than RCI when it comes to booking restaurants. It doesnt matter if you have a package or not you can book your restaurant reservations on the app in advance. I hate RCI for selling dining packages and then making you wait until onboard to book the restaurants. Btw dining at an a la carte restaurant on NCL costs much. If you don’t have a package estimate around $90-$100/pp/per dinner…. 
 

Shore excursions frequently sell out so your choice might not be available if you wait too long. However if you are flexible you should be able to get an excursion even one day before the port. But it might not be the excursion that you want. 

 

 

 

OK thats great. 

Upgrading the WiFi package sounds suitable for us.

Based on all this info the free at sea is a no brained,  even if my wife doesn't drink and doesn't use the speciality dining.

Thanks for all the help.

[Ken the cruiser]

Is the NCL Free At Sea Plus available for bookings in the UK? If so, you may want to see if the math works for you. In our case since my DW only drinks water and Starbucks hot chocolate and I only have a few glasses of wine at dinner, we originally passed on paying the gratuities on the FAS beverage package. However, when the FAS Plus program recently came out, the math definitely worked in our favor as we book NCL excursions, upgrade to unlimited Wi-Fi, and book two additional specialty restaurants on each cruise, and we now don’t have to pay for Starbucks hot chocolate or bottled water! All for an additional $49 pp/day plus paying for the FAS beverage gratuities.

 

[Trixie21]

1 hour ago, Ken the cruiser said:

Is the NCL Free At Sea Plus available for bookings in the UK? If so, you may want to see if the math works for you. In our case since my DW only drinks water and Starbucks hot chocolate and I only have a few glasses of wine at dinner, we originally passed on paying the gratuities on the FAS beverage package. However, when the FAS Plus program recently came out, the math definitely worked in our favor as we book NCL excursions, upgrade to unlimited Wi-Fi, and book two additional specialty restaurants on each cruise, and we now don’t have to pay for Starbucks hot chocolate or bottled water! All for an additional $49 pp/day plus paying for the FAS beverage gratuities.

 

I'll have to go back and check- i don't recall seeing mention of free at sea plus in the mock bookings I was doing but will look at it - my wife drinks water and coffee also and we would likely book NCL excursions on this trip - I also like a couple of baileys in the evening and I see its not included in free at sea so there is that. We would almost certainly have to upgrade the WiFi package and like one each if possible so factoring all in the plus package could work out - ill look at the math if its available .

[Ken the cruiser]

1 hour ago, Trixie21 said:

I'll have to go back and check- i don't recall seeing mention of free at sea plus in the mock bookings I was doing but will look at it - my wife drinks water and coffee also and we would likely book NCL excursions on this trip - I also like a couple of baileys in the evening and I see its not included in free at sea so there is that. We would almost certainly have to upgrade the WiFi package and like one each if possible so factoring all in the plus package could work out - I’ll look at the math if it’s available .

We didn’t see it either when we do mock bookings. We had to click on the Learn More button under the Free at Sea promotional page. 

[insidecabin]

NO option to not pay the grats on drinks and dinner its built in with the UK Price structure

 

 

It's here £39pppd

 

https://www.ncl.com/uk/en/cruise-deals/free-at-sea-uk

 

OFFER CHOICE	FREE AT SEA	FREE AT SEA PLUS
Premium Beverages	• Select, premium cocktails & spirits under $15 • A variety of beer and wine by the glass under $15 • 20% off all bottles of champagne and wine • Unlimited soft drinks and juices	Premium Plus Beverage Package • All top-shelf cocktails & spirits • All beer, champagne and wine by the glass • Select premium bottles of champagne and wine with dinner and 40% off all other bottles • Unlimited soft drinks and juices • Unlimited still & sparkling bottled water • All Starbucks® coffee & speciality drinks • Energy drinks
Speciality Dining	• 3-6 Nights (all categories rooms): 1 Meal • 7-11 Nights (Balcony & Above): 2 Meals • 7-11 Nights (Studio/Inside/Oceanview): 1 Meal • 12+ Nights (Balcony & Above): 3 Meals • 12+ Nights (Studio/Inside/Oceanview): 2 Meals Applicable for 1st and 2nd guests only	2 additional meals
Excursions	$50 per tour (for 1st guest)	Additional $50 per tour (for 2nd guest)
Wi-Fi	150 minutes*	Unlimited

 

 

 

https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/UK_Consumer_FAS+.pdf

 

 

The 2 meals are worth £69 as you get an offer from FAS for an addon.