rf53

So, I've gone and done it... retired! I have always enjoyed cruising, and I want to do more. Is there such a thing as last minute cruise deals? Living in South Florida where there are a number of departure ports within minutes to hours from me advice on this topic would be good to have. Is there an advantage to being able to travel at a moment's notice? If a cruise is departing the next day or the next week and they have unsold cabins, can one score a deal because of the flexibility to travel at any time? What are the best (least expensive) times of the year to cruise. Any and comments are welcomed!

Here is the detailed information on the Ultimate Beverage package:

https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/beverage-packages

 

There are a lot of different bars on Escape and they all serve different drinks. Anything under $15 is included, and then you pay a gratuity of 18% on the drink. If you choose a drink that is more than $15, what they typically do is deduct $15 from the cost of the drink you ordered and then you pay the rest as well as the 18% gratuity. Here are the NCL Drinks menus for Escape which lists out brand names and more:

 

http://www.cruisewithgambee.com/norwegian-drink-lists/

 

I most drink wine and then once in a while I have a cocktail. With the Ultimate Beverage package, I NEVER had to pay for anything I drank on our NCL Breakaway Cruise - only the tip. As far as the ticket goes, when you order your drink they ask for your cruise card and typically, they will give you the ticket when they deliver the drink. So if you order again, the same time will likely happen. But if you tell them you are going to have 2 drinks there, then, they might not close it out.

 

In the restaurants, my husband and I both ordered 2 - 3 glasses of wine each. As I recall, if we ordered the same wine by the glass, the waiter would often open a new bottle for us and then keep it nearby pouring additional glasses of wine from that bottle - I think each bottle equals 4 glasses and that's what he would charge us for. If we wanted more glasses of the same wine, he'd open a new bottle for us and pour it by the glass. The UBP works great! Very convenient! As I recall, the wine by the glass would be on one bill and the food on another in venues such as Le Bistro and Cagney's.

Question. I know that water bottles are not free with the UBP, but what about club soda at the bar?

If you are getting the UBP as a promo, they will charge you the 18% of the value of the UBP before hand. We will be cruising in September and chose the UBP (which we've done twice before). We had to pay the ~$99/pp gratuity as part of our final payment this time (they figure the UBP is worth $79 a day for the 7 days).

So if I am understanding this correctly, the 18% gratuity paid on the UBP promo is based on a daily value of $79 (the actual per day cost of the UBP). My cruise is six days, so the 18% comes to $85.32 per person.

Now the math...

I upgraded to the cabin rate that includes the "free at sea" package ($400 more) and selected the UBP and three restaurant package from the "free at sea" deal . My cabin will lodge two people, so the cost of the upgrade was $200 per person.

The actual value of these upgrades plus 18% gratuity according to the NCL web site is $559.32 per person ($474 + $85.32) for the UBP, and $95.97 per person ($81.32 + $14.65) per for the meal plan. That comes to $655.29 per person (or $1310.58 for two) if you purchase them on board. Since our upgrade cost for the cabin was $400, adding 18% of the actual cost of the UBP ($85.32 x2), and 18% of the cost of the meal plan ($14.65 x2) to the $400 brings the total of the upgrade to $599.94. This was $710.64 less than the cost of purchasing these plans on board.

Given the fact that I would have dined at at least three premium restaurants anyway, subtracting the cost of the meal package from the promo cost leaves the UBP promo at $408 (or $204 per person). Over the six days that brings my cost of the UBP promo, including the 18% tax, to $34 a day per person. That is not bad! Every soft drink or beer beyond three alcoholic beverages each day is gratis. Under these circumstances I think the promo is worth it!

You don't pay 18% at the time you order your drink that's included in the plan if you have the package. The 18% is either paid up front with your cruise fare, or if you're a suite or Haven passenger it's waived. You can leave an additional gratuity if you wish, but the 18% is already taken care of. Also, there's no longer a "tab" if you have the package . You don't have to sign anything. Originally you had to sign the receipt, but were not actually charged for the drink. That was changed a while back (unless the change was undone and they went back to requiring you to sign the receipt recently).

Thanks. Very helpful. Do you know if you can use the beverage package at the Cellars Wine Bar?

Hello,

I am booked on the Escape sailing on 7/31/2016. This will be my first time in Belize. I have been looking for a good shore excursion, but I am not crazy about the excursions offered by the cruise line. Most of them seem to be sightseeing excursions that don't attract my attention. There is only one beach excursion of 4 hours in duration, but it seems weak compared to what we are doing in Roatan (Maya Key), and in Cozumel (Playa Mia). I won't turn down the beach if it is spectacular, but this one seems... meh.

What are the don't miss shore excursions in Belize? Beaches are preferred, but nothing is off the table. I would prefer a cruise line affiliated excursion because they will guarantee that you get back to the ship on time, but independent reliable excursions are acceptable. Suggestions?

Hello,

I am looking for some information/advice regarding the NCL Adult Beverage Package Promo. I am booked on the NCL Escape, and my rate includes the NCL free at sea package. One of the choices in this package is the Adult Beverage Package. Since there is always a catch, I have a couple of questions that I hope some of you NCL veterans can answer.

1. I noticed that NCL calls their beverage package the "Ultimate Beverage Package", yet the free at sea package promo calls it the "Adult Beverage Package". Are these two the same, or is there a difference?

2. There are a few restrictions to this package. Among them is the fact that drinks over $15, and "Super Premium" brands are not included and will cost more. What does NCL categorize as a "Super Premium" brand?

3. Another restriction is that one may order only one drink per transaction. Does this mean that for each drink one orders you must close out that tab? If so, when one orders a drink in the restaurants will the staff close out the tab and allow a second drink to be ordered from the package on a separate tab?

Thanks in advance for the help!

I will be retiring soon, and living in South Florida. I have heard that because cruise lines would rather provide a lower rate than sail a cabin empty there are some excellent cruise bargains for people who are flexible and can literally decide from one day to the next about going on a cruise. Where is the best place to find these last minute deals?