New to NCL - Larger Balcony w/ Free at Sea vs. Sailaway Balcony

[mom22tinks]

Hi. I am new to NCL.   We have sailed a few DCL and many CCL cruises.  If I book the Larger balcony with the free at sea it is about $3,150 (9 forward)OR I can book the Sailaway balcony (8 forward)with only $50 off the excurions for $2,200. This is for four of us.   Having not sailed with NCL I  have no idea how anythign works.  Can we get water to drink at dinner? Can we just eat dinner at a dining room without paying?  Does the free at sea sound better or cheaper?  It looks like the specialtiy restuarant price is only good for the first 2 people.  Help! Sorry..  Jessica

[hallux]

7 hours ago, mom22tinks said:

Can we get water to drink at dinner?

In a glass, yes.

7 hours ago, mom22tinks said:

Can we just eat dinner at a dining room without paying?

Nope, you'll go hungry if you don't want to pay.

 

Kidding, of course there are complementary dining venues.  Depending on the ship there may be almost as many complementary as there are specialty (some ships have as many as 5 or 6 included venues and 7 specialty).

 

7 hours ago, mom22tinks said:

It looks like the specialtiy restuarant price is only good for the first 2 people.

It is, but you can add it for the additional guests.

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

Keep in mind that those prices don't include gratuities.

 

[AnitaVacation]

Hello, which ship are you looking at?  Personally, I prefer the larger balcony...regular balconies are usually very small, two chairs and a table, barely big enough for two people...the larger balconies usually have 2 loungers, 2 chairs and a table and plenty big enough for 4... with the first option, you will get some freebies that may be worth the difference for you (you decide)...most of those perks are only for the 1st/2nd passenger and they will also charge a gratuity on them.  There are some restaurants included (no additional charge) along with the buffet...honestly, lately, I find NCL's additional fee for the premium restaurants is getting out of hand...but I think that is mostly because most of those meals are comp'd anyway (free at sea promo and also Platinum member comp)....and honestly, the food in the regular dining room is just as good for the most part...

[mom22tinks]

33 minutes ago, AnitaVacation said:

Hello, which ship are you looking at?  Personally, I prefer the larger balcony...regular balconies are usually very small, two chairs and a table, barely big enough for two people...the larger balconies usually have 2 loungers, 2 chairs and a table and plenty big enough for 4... with the first option, you will get some freebies that may be worth the difference for you (you decide)...most of those perks are only for the 1st/2nd passenger and they will also charge a gratuity on them.  There are some restaurants included (no additional charge) along with the buffet...honestly, lately, I find NCL's additional fee for the premium restaurants is getting out of hand...but I think that is mostly because most of those meals are comp'd anyway (free at sea promo and also Platinum member comp)....and honestly, the food in the regular dining room is just as good for the most part...

 

It's the Getaway. 

The Sailaway balcony says it is a BX -  It says it is 304 sq. ft. and balcony size 129 sq. ft. - Deck 8 Forward

The Large balcony says 245 sq. ft - 70 sq. ft balcony - Deck 9 Forward. 

So, based on that description I wasn't sure if they were giving you a better room choice for the sailaway balcony.  Thank you for all your help.  I think you made the decision for me. Thank you 🙂

[KeithJenner]

The standard balconies on the Getaway are absolutely tiny. Not enough room to sit facing outwards.

 

If you plan to spend any time on your balcony then seriously consider getting a large one.

 

As for free at sea, that obviously depends on how much you would drink. If you don’t drink much then it will be cheaper to go with the sailaway, but it doesn’t take long to get through $1000 if there are a few of you drinking.

 

I’m not sure whether the price for the large balcony includes the gratuity on the beverage package, but that would be an extra cost if not.

[AnitaVacation]

So, if you look at the deck plans, there is only one BX on deck 8… it will have a very large balcony BUT, it is at the very front… I’m sure you can YouTube a video of it… room 8710… your balcony will not have the glass wall on the balcony, it will have a solid wall… but still big… the larger balconies on deck 9 are larger than a standard balcony, but smaller than the BX… the deck 9 balconies overlook the deck 8 large balconies … personally, I like as big a balcony as possible, extra living space.

[Oakman58]

Yes, you can get a glass or water with your meal and also coffee, tea, and milk.  The larger ships have three main dining rooms that are complimentary and depending on the ship it will have either O’Sheehan’s Bar and Grill or the Local Bar and Grill which is open 23/7 and is complimentary also.  All the ships have a complimentary buffet which also offer juices in the morning.

 

If you plan to spend a lot of time on the balcony you might want to spend the money for a large balcony since you say there are four of you.

[EllieinNJ]

We were just on the Breakaway, Getaway's sister ship.  We decided to do BX because it was only for 7 days and we already had two platinum specialty dinners and we don't drink. 

 

BX is a guarantee rate and you will not know what cabin you are assigned beforehand.  We took the risk and were assigned 8142 near the front.  Not great but not the worst.  It's a long walk to the elevators.  As it turned out the TV was broken in that cabin so they moved us to 10274, just behind the back elevators.  Location was great but there was noise from the clubs until 2am.

[AnitaVacation]

23 minutes ago, AnitaVacation said:

So, if you look at the deck plans, there is only one BX on deck 8… it will have a very large balcony BUT, it is at the very front… I’m sure you can YouTube a video of it… room 8710… your balcony will not have the glass wall on the balcony, it will have a solid wall… but still big… the larger balconies on deck 9 are larger than a standard balcony, but smaller than the BX… the deck 9 balconies overlook the deck 8 large balconies … personally, I like as big a balcony as possible, extra living space.

Edit:  I just watched a youtube video of 8710 and it DOES have the glass wall on the balcony....(my bad)...nice video...check it out

[ColeThornton]

2 minutes ago, AnitaVacation said:

Edit:  I just watched a youtube video of 8710 and it DOES have the glass wall on the balcony....(my bad)...nice video...check it out

 

You forgot the link to the video.  🙂

[AnitaVacation]

6 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

You forgot the link to the video.  🙂

We didn't use to be able to link videos....here it is:

 

 

[AnitaVacation]

you can also youtube one of the deck 9 cabins to see the balcony....its maybe about 1/2 of the large deck 8 balcony....(roomy for 2, not for 4)

[mjkacmom]

How much alcohol do you drink?

[coastcat]

11 hours ago, mom22tinks said:

Hi. I am new to NCL.   We have sailed a few DCL and many CCL cruises.  If I book the Larger balcony with the free at sea it is about $3,150 (9 forward)OR I can book the Sailaway balcony (8 forward)with only $50 off the excurions for $2,200. This is for four of us.   Having not sailed with NCL I  have no idea how anythign works.  Can we get water to drink at dinner? Can we just eat dinner at a dining room without paying?  Does the free at sea sound better or cheaper?  It looks like the specialtiy restuarant price is only good for the first 2 people.  Help! Sorry..  Jessica

Water, milk, iced tea, hot tea, and coffee are free. I think you can order fruit juices (not fresh squeezed) all day - they’re definitely available at breakfast. In the buffet you can also get flavored water, which is my preference!

 

On Getaway you’ll have three MDRs (different decor, same menu), the Garden Cafe buffet, a noodle bar, and O'Sheehan's Bar & Grill. The latter is open 24/7. 
 

Booking a BX cabin could land you anywhere on the ship! It’s a guarantee cabin so it’s the luck of the draw. I tried it once and was assigned a mid-ship deck 12 cabin. Too bad that was for an April 2020 sailing…

 

 

[mom22tinks]

11 hours ago, hallux said:

In a glass, yes.

Nope, you'll go hungry if you don't want to pay.

 

Kidding, of course there are complementary dining venues.  Depending on the ship there may be almost as many complementary as there are specialty (some ships have as many as 5 or 6 included venues and 7 specialty).

 

It is, but you can add it for the additional guests.

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

Keep in mind that those prices don't include gratuities.

 

Thank you thst answered so many questions that I don't have the time to research myself right now 🙂

[mom22tinks]

8 hours ago, AnitaVacation said:

Edit:  I just watched a youtube video of 8710 and it DOES have the glass wall on the balcony....(my bad)...nice video...check it out

Thank you!

[mom22tinks]

7 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

How much alcohol do you drink?

We really don't drink anymore.

[phillygwm]

Whether the FAS or Sailaway makes more sense depends on your habits, particularly your drinking habits.  If you're teetotalers, Sailaway makes more sense.  If you like having a Mimosa or two with breakfast, followed by a beer or two by the pool, a few glasses of wine with dinner, then you go out drinking, you'll be much better off with FAS.  

 

I personally get my money out of the booze package as well as the dining so I would never consider a Sailaway but that's me.  

[billslowsky]

21 hours ago, mom22tinks said:

If I book the Larger balcony with the free at sea it is about $3,150 (9 forward)OR I can book the Sailaway balcony (8 forward)with only $50 off the excurions for $2,200. This is for four of us.

Does this include the 20% gratuity on the dinners and drinks?  I would have expected the difference to be a lot more.

 

I did a sailaway balcony on the Escape, got located in a great spot on deck 13, bought a couple of drinks a la carte, saved a ton of money.

[luckyinpa]

just off the breakaway.  was reminded how tiny the standard balconies are. they even have the chairs turned sideways because you cannot use them facing outward. if you use your balcony you REALLY want to pay for a bigger one . 

 

regarding soda packages. are you an addict. if so def get the package . i just bought by the can 3.60 each and i was fine with that. same prices as disney. otherwise the ice tea/lemonade etc was just fine.  booze can be 12 to 15 each so you have to figure if the 188(i think) for the week is a good deal or not. 

 

the tax on the 'free' specialty dining package IS worth eating at 2 of the restaurants. i chose teppanyaki and le bistro. best filet is at teppanyaki! entire table thought so.