First Time Cruiser - Comped NCL CAS Cruise

[MalloryRB]

Hello All! I am a first time cruiser. I've never been on a cruise before but recently received a comped cruise from my local casino (also just got another one from a different casino). My certificate is for a 7 day cruise in an inside stateroom. Nothing spectacular from what I gather. My question is this: WHAT DO I DO NEXT!?! LoL.

My husband and I have been looking at the different cruises and cruise options online. We haven't called to book the cruise yet but have to do so within the next two weeks. What do I need to know before I book it? We've been talking about upgrading to a balcony room. Is it worth it? We've looked at adding the beverage package but from what I can tell it would add $1,400 to the cost of the "free" cruise. I'd like to cruise for under $1,000. Is this realistic? Do we need the beverage package? I've read that you can get free drinks in the casino? Do you have to qualify based on play for that? What things are worth upgrading and adding on and what things do they just get you on? Are there things that I can get them to offer a better price on, or is the price they quote me just the price I have to pay if I want it? I'd love any tips, tricks and advice you can provide! I have to book by October 19 and sail by August 18, 2018. We are looking at an April sail date but if we can get better upgrades or offers by sailing during a different time we'd gladly do that as well. We don't have any children so we have a flexible schedule.

 

THANKS!

[garycarla]

Okay... in general.

 

You get the base price of the cabin free. You still pay certain fees and taxes.

 

You can usually upgrade to Oceanview or Balcony which is often the same difference as if you went online to book it. Do that before calling so you know what that number is.

 

As a CAS guest, you get free drinks while playing. No other time.

 

Balcony worth it - that is a big question. Most, but not all will say yes. After all, lots of folks still book inside and Oceanview instead.

 

Do you need beverage package? That is often debated here. I do not have it, but you can find a beverage price list here somewhere.

 

Dates: Again, go online and see how the pricing is for everybody else. That will tell you what weeks are in demand, vs not. If certain weeks are much cheaper, you might have a better chance of either a free or paid upgrade through CAS.

 

Final suggestion - scan down through posts from the past few weeks to learn all kinds of things. Also search on COMP or CASINO for even more posts.

[sanger727]

Do you need a balcony? No, absolutely not. We have cruised in both and don't really care. Balconies are nicer, of course, due to the larger room and private outdoor space. But indoor rooms are great for sleeping in. Base it on your budget.

 

Need a Drink package? Again, no way. You can drink cheaply in port, you can get whatever drinks in the casino you are entitled to, you can bring as many bottles of wine on as you like for a $15 fee per bottle. Unless you plan on drinking all day every day on the ship, sure you can manage without spending $1,400.

 

 

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[rochelle_s]

Chances are with your comped inside cabin you will get to choose one of the booking perks offered to anyone booking through a regular route. If you are interested in a drinks package then choose that as your perk and you will have to only pay the gratuities associated with that package.

 

As for a balcony the choice is yours. I have done both inside cabins and balcony staterooms. A balcony is nice to have but personally I use it very little. When I get a comp from CAS I usually just keep the comp I have been given and save those extra dollars for playing in the casino. [emoji3]

 

Have a wonderful first cruise whatever you decide.

 

Rochelle

 

 

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[jinteso]

If you pick a cruise that is offering "Free at Sea", which most cruises apply, you would get 1 offer (Unlimited Open Bar, Free Specialty Dining, Excursion Credit, Free Wifi package or extra guest sails free). You do need to read the Terms and Conditions of the offer. The Open Bar and Specialty Dining do come with a service charge. If you upgrade to an Oceanview or Balcony, you can pick any 2 offers.

 

Additionally, with an inside cabin you get $50 OBC, $60 with an Oceanview and $100 with a balcony. Hope this helps.

[ellell]

1. Choose your cruise based on dates, embarkment location, ship and ports.

 

2. Do a mock booking to find pricing and perks for inside vs balcony. Make a cheat sheet of these numbers to keep handy for the booking call.

 

3. Make your booking call. The CAS reps are especially helpful, make sure you let them know this is your first cruise. You will be asked to pay the taxes and fees. The booking have conditions for changes and cancellations make sure you understand those before booking. It might take more than one call for you to feel comfortable with your booking.

 

4. For general question, I search the exact question and most of the time. I find the answers. Often directed to the cruise critic boards.

 

Happy Cruising! Win big!

[BirdTravels]

For a first time cruise, stick with the inside cabin. Me, I would try one of the mega ships, designed to meet the contemporary cruiser. These would be the Breakaway, Getaway, Escape. There is also the Epic with more European room configurations.

 

Next questions is how much do you "have to" drink. As a casino guest, you will get a free drinks card valid at the casino bar when the casino is open. That's any time the ship is not in port.

 

This may be enough for a first cruise. But, if you want that umbrella drink while you sit on deck, you can select the drinks package as your free perk. You will pay for the gratuities on the package.

 

If you play in the casino, you may be able to go direct to the casino to book your next cruise.

[Redriver2]

All advice so far is very good. If you want to stay at the $1000 or less cost, you should stay with the inside cabin. You will have admin/port/tax fees that will add up to about $600 for both of you as a starting point. The upgrade to balcony will put you over $1000, maybe $1100-$1200.

 

You will most likely get the free beverage package as an optional perk. It is the best 'value' of the perks, but only if you enjoy beverages everywhere on the ship. It's a given for us :cocktail:The beverage package will add a $100 beverage service charge for each of you as part of the 'free' perk.

 

When you go CAS through your casino play, you most likely get a drink card once aboard in your room. Saying most likely as I've never inquired as to who, when or how on this. You are expected to play when using the card, though I walk up to the bar many times to order when the casino floor server isn't around. The bartender doesn't ask if you are playing ;) FYI on the free drink. While playing, I prefer a good martini. The $15 free drink doesn't cover the ful cost. You pay the extra plus tax, adds a couple of bucks that you can assign to you room or pay cash with the bartender.

 

The inside room plus the free beverage service charge should keep you under $1000. Add the balcony and you might be at $1500 for both of you.

 

A good way to go is look at the date restrictions on you voucher, determine which cruise works best for you, go to NCL.com and cruise the website for what meets the restrictions, then call the CAS phone number on your voucher and work with them on finding your cruise. They will tell you costs for each scenario as you work with them. The first cruise through CAS is the training lesson. The rest become a part of your cruise to paradise.

 

Enjoy!

[lindseylu8]

We just booked our second CAS comped cruise and the price difference was amazing between the two so you could call & ask pricing for a few options. Also on our second booking because of ship/ availability we ended up w a comped balcony room -even though our voucher both times said stateroom. So again,I would ask about a few itineraries. The 2nd one we booked, for whatever reason had taxes or something waived so we paid very little for this one compared to the first one.

 

First cruise was out of NYC in august 2017. Next one is from Orlando in December 2017.

 

Both bookings included some free packages. We chose the all inclusive drink package both times but you do have to pay taxes & gratuities on that, which is a few hundred per person. Totally worth it IMO. The second booking came with 2 promos so we also have the dining package on that one.

 

Not sure why the vast difference in pricing, rooms, packages but if we book another I will inquire about a few itineraries just to compare. The CAS department is always SO helpful on the phone when I call and provides all the info you need to book.