AlmiranteChurruca

No idea if rules have changed recently. Nobody, TA or NCL, has ever mentioned upon booking that the third guest should buy a package. Soda package has been purchased because I wanted to, not beacuse I was forced to do so. While, for example, MSC requires all passengers in the same party to buy packages for ALL its members, NCL does not. Could be that if you book the cheapest fare and then you want to add drinks packages then everyone must have it. But with the FAS promotion only the guests 1 and 2 get the in-the-fare-included-package and there is zero mention of any obligation for the 3rd guest to have to buy one.

Or anywhere on this planet for that matter! Do I sense here some kind of prejudice by indicating my country of origin? Just saying...🤨

Forgot to mention, thank you very much for the couple useful answers so far. Thanks indeed! 🤩

Me wanting to c Me wanting people to condone it is just your very personal and wrong interpretation of my post. One more time, anybody may be able to enlighten me and maybe others as to how things really work onboard regarding this issue? Thanks again! 😊

Once again, I CAN read and I have done so. If I decide to break the written rule and get caught by the onboard police then NCL's wrath will fall on me and I will be dragged down to Davy Jones' Realm. As I said, I just wanted to hear about real life experiences as to how this scenario is being EFFECTIVELY handled by the cruise line and if the written rule is really ENFORCED or not. Considering the answers maybe I should start now worrying more about potential whistleblowers sitting around me at the bars and reporting my practices to the local authority rather than about the crew members themselves. 🤪

Finally! Was expecting a post like this. With all due respect, can you please be more precise as to how I would be breaking the rules? I mean, would I be breaking the rules if I ordered the two drinks per serve I am entitled to, left one of the glasses unattended on the table and one of my travel buddies decided to drink its contents? If NCL decides that pouring two drinks per serve is OK (I bet they are not losing money since they are included in the fare I paid), why should they care about what I do with them? Should I decide that I do not like them and pour them down the drain, would I also be breaking the rules because the liquid is not going to its intended final destination (bladder and brain 😆)? Said that, you are of course entitled to your very own POV on the matter and I will not even dare to try to change it, but I was not really looking for legal advice. With this post I just was trying to gather real life experiences from other cruisers to see how this issue is looking like in the daily NCL cruise practice and to know what I can expect on my upcoming cruise.

Good to hear this! 😃

Thanks so much for the prompt reply! I thought there was a two drinks serve limit per order per person (please correct me if I am mistaken on this), so I was thinking the person without the FAS could just sit down and order nothing while another person with FAS orders two drinks (one for him-/herself and the other one for him/her) with just one card. From my POV there should be nothing wong with this. If am allowed to order two drinks, why should they care about what I do with them or who actually drinks them. I could even order them "because I can" and just leave them untouched on the table. Of course, I am just exaggerating here to try to show my point, you get te idea people. Now, I would really be surprised if they where effectively tracking down on a regular basis who the actual drinker is after the beverages have been served on the table and the one card with FAS has been swiped...

On the Norwegian Dawn next summer for a 10 days British Isles/Ireland itinerary. Three adults in one cabin. Adults 1 and 2 have Free At Sea package. Adult 3 does not drink much alcohol, so just purchased a soda package separately. However, this third adult likes to have just a mocktail or a glass of wine from time to time which, to the best of my knowledge, are NOT included in the soda package. If the three of us are sitting together at any bar will the ones with FAS be able to order a second drink to hand it over to that third guest? I know that NCL's policy is that packages are not to be shared, but what I really want to know is if that rule is REALLY enforced onboard somehow. In other words, could the two guests with FAS be in some trouble if we get a mocktail or glass of wine for that third guest? Also, could we ask during dinner at the MDR or at a specialty restaurant for an extra glass of wine with our FAS and be the third guest the one who actually drinks it? I would guess they are so busy with their regular duties that they would not really care so much about who the actual drinker is but who knows, maybe they are extremely strict on this matter. Anybody has first hand experience with this? Lastly, is bottled water included in the soda package or not? Keep reading some conflicting reports on this issue. Thanks in advance for your advice!

Italian company...what did you expect?!? 😜

Upgrading ended up being "almost" a no brainer for me. Originally and since the regular beverage package worked for me I just intended to book two extra specialty dinners, unlimited internet and 24 water bottles to be delivered to the cabin. However, since these three extra perks were 315€ and ugrading to the Free At Sea Plus (which includes the Premium Plus Beverage Package) was 390€ I really did not need to think much longer. Yes, 75€ extra, but totally worth it I.M.O.

Thought so! 😉

There is not indeed. I know of its existence on the Escape, but since I did not find any similar place on the Getaway deck plans I decided to ask on this board.

Just upgraded to the Premium Plus Beverage Package mainly for the expanded wine assortment and the inclusion of full bottles at dinner. Anybody can tell me which bar on the Getaway has the biggest choice? Not so much of a cocktail or beer guy, so the bar with more wine types is the to-go-to one for me. Thank you!

Indeed. Always been told I have this natural tendency of overthinking and overcomplicating my life...🤣 Appreciate all your comments. Thank you!

Recently booked a 10 days studio cabin cruise on the Getaway with the standard FAS promotion (1 specialty dinner, standard beverage package and 150 minutes internet) and then tried to book online some upgrades. Was originally interested in just booking two extra specialty dinners, unlimited internet and a 24 bottles water package. All these toghether amount to a sick 315€ tab (79,00€ + 181,00€ + 55,00€). After some research, I found out NCL now offers a FAS PLUS upgrade. In my case, the total amount is 390,00€. Yes, 75€ above the original 315,00€, but including the Premium Plus Beverage package which comprises Starbucks, wine bottles and mineral water. Great value if you ask me. Sure, I can live without the PPBP, but considering the small price difference and all the inclusions, I think it is a no brainer and it does not really make sense now booking just the three extra items I was originally interested in. Good for me, but I always try to find the logic behind things and I do not really see the logic this time in this pricing system. Anybody sees anything I do not? Please shed some light on this and help me understand. 😁

Short answer, yes, it does provide lunch. YC is another world altogether. Miss it. 😢

Enjoying your very comprehensive (and hilarious) review very much. Maybe while still onboard you can do some research on the topic of the main dining room being open or not for lunch on embarkation day. I have already read quiet a few comments with the answer being a resounding "NO", but I am still not really sure about that info. My doubts arise from the fact that I have cruised several times with MSC (European itineraries only) and the MDR room has always been open upon embarkation. It is also true that the crew will always direct everybody to the buffet, but having previous knowledge me and my party have always taken the path to the MDR and have always enjoyed a nice and relaxing meal there far away from the buffet madness. Wondering if maybe rules are different for US itineraries.One very clear example of different onboard policies within the same company would be the 5$ surcharge for a second entree which, so far, does not apply in Europe. On my last Xmas World Europa cruise I could order as much and as many times as I wanted to. May sound silly to many, but how the cruise kicks off on its very first day is most relevant to me and I regard that very first relaxed onboard meal as a most rewarding part of the overall experience.

Thank you very much for everybody's input. Buffet24's piece of advice is a really interesting one. IMO a very good alternative. Appreciate it!

Regarding your issue with the apparently unbookable drinks package upgrade, it is indeed possible to do it. However, MSC is honouring once again its tradition of inconsistencies along their already convoluted reservation process and the upgrades are to be found not under the drinks section as anybody would expect to, but under the "others" section, alongside with items such as fun pass, laundry o internet. Makes sense, right? 😂 Not sure if it is the same for all country-specific MSC websites, but it sure is like this for the Spanish website which is the one my May reservation on the Meraviglia is linked to. Hope this helps.

Hello fellow CC members! Writing from Spain here. Not new to cruising (started back in 2010) but fully new to this site. Embarking next May on the MSC Meraviglia for an 8 night USA/Canada itinerary. Although I know pretty well how things on MSC ships work, I have a question somebody on this forum may be able to help me with. As Diamond member benefit we have a complimentary dinner which we intend to do at Butcher's Cut. We also would like to make an extra reservation to try Ocean Cay as well. I am well aware of the fact that making reservations for specialty dinners early after embarkation is strongly advised. Apart from these two specialty restaurants we intend to have dinner every other evening at the complimentary MDR (we are not buffet people). The thing is, we would not like to miss the "best" complimentary menus (e.g. gala/elegant night) if we have that very same evening booked at one of the specialty restaurants. So my question is, which evenings do you consider to be "a must" at the main dining room and which other two do you feel we could do without and therefore book at the specialty restaurants those days. Also would like to know if one the MDRs is open for lunch on embarkation day. On our last Xmas cruise on the World Europa they would always direct us to the buffet without any mention of the MDR being open. Since we have some experience, we headed directly to the MDR just to find it open and were seated without any issues and had a very relaxing meal away from the buffet mayhem. Wonder if this is just for European itineraries. Thanks in advance for your answers!