I’m a newbie to NCL. I need a “Free at Sea” tutorial.

[twonpcb]

My husband and I have been exclusively Royal Caribbean/Celebrity cruisers for the past 18 cruises but are eyeing an NCL cruise.  I have questions about the “Free at Sea” program.  How does all of that work?  Is the included WiFi fast enough to conduct day to day surfing or will I need to upgrade?  I know that on a recent Celebrity cruise the included WiFi was abysmal and an upgrade was required for even basic internet surfing.

 

We are not big specialty restaurant folks but exactly what credit am I getting withe the Free at Sea program?  I assume it is a certain $$ amount applied to the surcharge of each individual restaurant.  Is that the case?  If so, will I need to pay anyway to dine in a specialty restaurant?

 

Is the included alcohol package like buying a drink package on other cruise lines or is it set at a certain # of drinks?

 

I’m so confused.

[nimbex1970]

1. The internet does have a max amount of minutes depending upon what you were given in your package, mine is 150 minutes.  Thats enough to check in, not run a social media site, just post a few pics and read a few emails. Some ships are upgrading to star link, many do not have that, so call your rep or research further as you didn't mention your ship name so I can address it specifically. 

 

The drink package is unlimited to $15 or $16 bucks per drink and you can order 2 at a time.  If you have a taste for higher premium liquors and such, when you go to order the premium package, it gives you a list of the liquors.  Because you can access this from various spots on NCL website, have a sip and just keep clicking on My reservation and your booking and you will find it.  This site is not as easy as RCCL or Celebrity.

 

I'm still working through the specialty restaurants, that are covered with this promotion, as I book one that is ala carte, I can book one, but the "free at sea" one seems to be a circus.  Most of the time we prefer, early, are definitely booked on sea days.. I can't say for sure about the comped specialty dinning, as I tried to book it 100 days before sail and it won't happen.  Someone here will soon correct me and give you/and me the details and we will both learn..

 

TY all in advance!

[Two Wheels Only]

50 minutes ago, twonpcb said:

We are not big specialty restaurant folks but exactly what credit am I getting withe the Free at Sea program?  I assume it is a certain $$ amount applied to the surcharge of each individual restaurant.  Is that the case?

 

No, the promo gives you a certain number of meals. You can choose from the restaurants on your ship that accept the SDP. The number depends on length of cruise and stateroom category booked. "An SDP meal in a la carte restaurants includes 1 appetizer, 1 soup or salad, 1 main course and 1 dessert (does not apply to cover charge restaurants or Food Republic, Pincho Tapas Bar and Sushi, where a meal includes any 4 menu items). No sharing or to go orders permitted." T&C

 

In restaurants with a cover charge (Teppanyaki, for ex.) the SDP covers the meal. Anything that is an additional charge on the menu will be labeled as a supplemental charge (Lobster Thermidor, for ex). 

 

 

50 minutes ago, twonpcb said:

Is the included alcohol package like buying a drink package on other cruise lines or is it set at a certain # of drinks?

 

The PBP promo "Includes a variety of spirits and cocktails, wines by the glass and bottled or draft beer up to $15 USD retail price. Includes fountain soda, juice, and non-alcoholic beer". If a drink is over $15, the promo covers the first $15 and the guest is charged the difference plus 20% service charge on that difference. A $20 shot would cost you $6 ($5 plus 20%). Bottled/boxed water is not included and certain things like milkshakes and Starbucks are not included. There is no limit on the number of drinks per day.

 

Both the PBP and SDP promos come with a 20% service charge based on the retail price of the package. The PBP is currently $109 per person per day so taking the promo adds $21.80 pppd. The SDP charge depends on how many meals you get ($11.80/$19.80/$27.80). It is added to your cruise fare and is paid together with your final payment total. 

 

 

Edited August 1, 2023 by Two Wheels Only

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, twonpcb said:

I’m so confused.

Is the included WiFi fast enough to conduct day to day surfing or will I need to upgrade?  I know that on a recent Celebrity cruise the included WiFi was abysmal and an upgrade was required for even basic internet surfing. You will get a set number of minutes (normally 150 minutes). If you want to be constantly online, then you can pay to upgrade the 150 minutes to an unlimited plan. If it is just for a few minutes daily onboard to read email, it's o.k. (Cruise ship satellite wifi). 

 

We are not big specialty restaurant folks but exactly what credit am I getting withe the Free at Sea program?  I assume it is a certain $$ amount applied to the surcharge of each individual restaurant.  Is that the case?  If so, will I need to pay anyway to dine in a specialty restaurant? The perk pays for a full meal. Yeah, there will be specific items on a menu with an additional upcharge (e.g., if you want that steak and lobster dinner), but the basic dinners include an appetizer, soup/salad, entrée, and dessert. No dollar limit. Example of a free specialty dinner at the steakhouse

 

Is the included alcohol package like buying a drink package on other cruise lines or is it set at a certain # of drinks? Like other cruise lines. The package covers the first $15 of any drink ordered. Unlimited from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep. Most standard drinks are under $15. Some martinis can be $16 (you would pay the $1 difference + gratuity = $1 + $0.20 = $1.20). Top shelf liquor will cost a few dollars a drink. Discounts on bottles of wine. 

 

The Shore Excursion credit is $50 off all excursions booked by Guest 1 in the room.

 

BOGO airfare... NCL books the cheapest air they can find and you pay for 1 person and the second person is free. "Cheap airfare" normally means not the best times, but we're retired and if we have to hang at the airport, that's fine with us. 

[DCGuy64]

9 hours ago, twonpcb said:

I’m so confused.

Don't be confused! It's pretty simple, actually. You get:

150 minutes of internet

2 free meals

Free drinks

$50 discount on excursions

 

That's basically it. As others have said, there's no limit on the number of drinks, you can order two at a time (no sharing, though 😉), and up to $15 in value. My wife and I found the 150 minutes of internet to be adequate for checking email and doing Duolingo (we both study languages). We found that using the free meals was a better value at the à la carte restaurants (Cagney's, La Cucina, Le Bistro) than the ones with a flat fee (like Teppanyaki and Moderno, one is a Japanese hibachi style place and the other is a Brazilian steakhouse). And your drinks package DOES work at the specialty restaurants, too. Hope you enjoy your cruise and welcome to NCL! 

 

[laudergayle]

Download the NCL app.  Once onboard the ship…and after sail away (in my experience), you can follow the instructions on the app to connect to the wifi.  One important note…be sure to log off the internet after each session.  If you don’t…you’ll end up using all your minutes.  
 

TIP: There is so much great advice and how-to on this site.  When I find something I want to remember, I screenshot it snd save to photos in a file.  Then, on my phone, I can access the tips as needed throughout the trip.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Ken the cruiser]

We only recently started cruising with NCL again and have 5 future cruises booked with them along with a variety of ones with Celebrity and Princess. Here is a link explaining FAS and, more importantly, their new FAS Plus program, for an additional $49 pp/day, which we really are excited about and subsequently upgraded all of our existing bookings with the Plus option.

 

Norwegian's Free at Sea Cruise Deals: Free Open Bar & More (ncl.com)

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

Download the NCL app.  Once onboard the ship…and after sail away (in my experience), you can follow the instructions on the app to connect to the wifi.  One important note…be sure to log off the internet after each session.  If you don’t…you’ll end up using all your minutes.

^^^ This is really good advice. My wife and I shared the internet package (only one of you can be on at the same time, BTW), and you definitely need to log off each time, as @laudergayle says. I'm sorry I forgot to mention that in my reply above to OP.

[stellarose33]

does this matter what type of room you get for the "free" perks?

[Two Wheels Only]

3 minutes ago, stellarose33 said:

does this matter what type of room you get for the "free" perks?

 

For the dining package part of the promo, yes. 

 

If your cruise is....

 

3-6 nights, 1 SDP (all stateroom types)

7-11 nights, 1 SDP for Studio, Interior, Ocean view

7-11 nights, 2 SDP for Balcony and above

12+ nights, 2 SDP for Studio, Interior, Ocean view

12+ nights, 3 SDP for Balcony and above

 

[DCGuy64]

8 minutes ago, stellarose33 said:

does this matter what type of room you get for the "free" perks?

As long as the room category includes the FAS, no, it does not matter. (Some room categories include only the room itself and not the FAS)

[Grimix]

I will second the look at the FAS+. When you book they will offer you upgrades. Like 2 extra specialty dining meals for guests 1 & 2, an offer to upgrade to unlimited wifi, or to upgrade your beverage package to the premium version (where only the experience alcohol (like Louis) are upcharge, sparkling/flat bottle water included, specialty coffee include, fresh juice included).

 

If you are interested in just 2 of the upgrades you basically get the third one for 'free' (in quotes because it comes as a bundle, but you'll find that the cost comes out to you getting the other upgrade for little or no money) and an extra $50 off for each excursion for guest #2

[quagmire0]

The drink package calculation is pretty straight forward.  If you're a drinker, it'll be worth paying the gratuity on the package.  If not, you're probably better off waving it and paying a la carte. 

 

As far as specialty dining is concerned, having just gotten off our first NCL cruise, it was a mixed bag.  Teppanyaki (hibatchi) was a good deal for our first included specialty dining.  Younger kids can eat off the kids menu, so you can avoid the cost on those.  However, when it came to the other restaurants, we found that our older kids, especially, didn't eat enough to justify buying additional specialty meal credits.  I bought an extra 2 meals ahead of time(4 total - my wife and I and the two older kids), because I saw a few restaurants that I knew I'd want to try out.  Knowing what I know now, I would have only bought additional specialty credits for my wife and I, and we'd send all the kids to the Garden buffet - which they preferred anyway. 😄

 

Having said all that, at least on the Escape, I found the main dining room and other complimentary dining (aside from O'Sheehan's, which had issues) just fine. 

 

Edited August 1, 2023 by quagmire0

[DCGuy64]

The FAS+ is not for everyone, however. Our upcoming (November) cruise on the Breakaway is 10 days and very port-intensive. The package would cost us a whopping $980! That's almost $1000. Instead, I just opted for an additional 2-meal Specialty Dining Package. We aren't interested in the upgraded drinks package since my wife drinks very little, and we have free data overseas due to our cellphone carrier. We'd rather save the money and use it on the spa! 🙂

[graphicguy]

20 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

The FAS+ is not for everyone, however. Our upcoming (November) cruise on the Breakaway is 10 days and very port-intensive. The package would cost us a whopping $980! That's almost $1000. Instead, I just opted for an additional 2-meal Specialty Dining Package. We aren't interested in the upgraded drinks package since my wife drinks very little, and we have free data overseas due to our cellphone carrier. We'd rather save the money and use it on the spa! 🙂

Quick question…..do I remember you saying you had T-Mobile?  I just transferred to them, and they’re telling me I would have to pay $50 to get their plan in Europe.

[DCGuy64]

Just now, graphicguy said:

Quick question…..do I remember you saying you had T-Mobile?  I just transferred to them, and they’re telling me I would have to pay $50 to get their plan in Europe.

Why would you have to pay $50 extra? Do you have a pre-paid or post-paid account? As for me, I have the 55+ plan, and it includes overseas data and text for free. No extra charge.

[graphicguy]

19 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Why would you have to pay $50 extra? Do you have a pre-paid or post-paid account? As for me, I have the 55+ plan, and it includes overseas data and text for free. No extra charge.

OK....that makes sense.  I want voice, also.  We're (my son and my sisters) will be traipsing around Europe when I disembark.  Just another safety net to have voice, too.  I'll double check, but I thin that's what the $50 is for.

Thanks!

[ExArkie]

On 8/2/2023 at 9:12 AM, graphicguy said:

OK....that makes sense.  I want voice, also.  We're (my son and my sisters) will be traipsing around Europe when I disembark.  Just another safety net to have voice, too.  I'll double check, but I thin that's what the $50 is for.

Thanks!

There are different levels of their 55+ plans, with some variations in benefits. I think all allow voice from outside the country, but charge by the minute for it.

[kirbykins]

I am confused on the specialty dinner credit included in the free at sea.  We are on a 7 day cruise in a club balcony cabin.  Do we get two specialty meals, one per each of us, or do we each get two specialty meals?  It is too soon to make reservations but I want to be ready!  Thank you in advance!

[Ken the cruiser]

15 minutes ago, kirbykins said:

I am confused on the specialty dinner credit included in the free at sea.  We are on a 7 day cruise in a club balcony cabin.  Do we get two specialty meals, one per each of us, or do we each get two specialty meals?  It is too soon to make reservations but I want to be ready!  Thank you in advance!

From our experience you each get two specialty meals. 

[ggTexasGal]

It will be two meals per person for your cruise!

(Per https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions)

7-11 Nights

2 Meals / Balcony & Above

[Two Wheels Only]

1 minute ago, ggTexasGal said:

It will be two meals per person for your cruise!

 

2 meals each for guests 1&2. 

 

Guests 3-whatever don't get any SDP meals with the promo. 

[ggTexasGal]

1 minute ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

2 meals each for guests 1&2. 

 

Guests 3-whatever don't get any SDP meals with the promo. 

Thank you for correcting me, since I did word it badly!

[Two Wheels Only]

18 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

Thank you for correcting me, since I did word it badly!

 

It wasn't you. It's just that with people looking for info on FAS, it should be clear that SDP is only for guests 1&2 while PBP is for all in the stateroom 21 and older. 

[si_boy]

Have read with interest as we will soon be on our first Norwegian cruise and have the Free at Sea pass.
I understand all the benefits but can someone confirm you pay 20% gratuity per day (e.g. 20% of the $109 per day). That seems to add up on a 12 night cruise.

Using the link above I read the T&Cs and read it is included, so now confused.

Also, are service charges additional.