Is Free At Sea Deal worth it?

[RandomUser123]

I have never cruised Norwegian before and am looking at a cruise next year to Bermuda out of New York. Is the Free At Sea deal worth it with the free open bar and free specialty dining. Are there restrictions I should be aware of with this offer?

[ColeThornton]

1 minute ago, RandomUser123 said:

I have never cruised Norwegian before and am looking at a cruise next year to Bermuda out of New York. Is the Free At Sea deal worth it with the free open bar and free specialty dining. Are there restrictions I should be aware of with this offer?

 

 

Click on the offer on NCL.com home page.   On the next page scroll all the way down to "Terms and Conditions".   Click that link.    The majority of your questions will be answered there.

[shof515]

I hate to be the bearer of the bad news, but it is not really "FREE" as the what Norwegian advertises. The cruise fare price has a higher base price to cover the cost of the drink/dinning package and then you still have to pay separate gratuity on top of it during the booking process. For a 7 day cruise, dinning package is about 10 dollars or so

[DwayneG]

Both of those items require a manditory built-in gratuity.  So if you will drink more that amount, beverage package is a good deal.  Likewise, if you want to eat at specialty restaurants that's a good deal too.  Remember, though, if there are more than two in your room the costs for additional packages for them adds up.  If this is your first trip on NCL you might forego the dining this time around and see if you're satisfied with the truly free venues

Edited July 17, 2022 by DwayneG
spelling error

[RandomUser123]

8 minutes ago, shof515 said:

I hate to be the bearer of the bad news, but it is not really "FREE" as the what Norwegian advertises. The cruise fare price has a higher base price to cover the cost of the drink/dinning package and then you still have to pay separate gratuity on top of it during the booking process. For a 7 day cruise, dinning package is about 10 dollars or so

When I check it out on priceline it ends up being $297 more with the free at sea deal for the gratuities. On ncl website directly it is $555 more for the gratuities. $297 extra for 7 night cruise I think I can do. Having never cruised NCL before just want to make sure there is something I am not aware of with this deal. 

[complawyer]

short reply, "NOT REALLY" unless you drink a ton a day,and on a short cruise you get  2 dinners, better than nothing, but meh!

[hallux]

It may not be 100% free, but the increase in the fare cost is not nearly as much as buying the beverage package and dining package on top of the sail-away rate.

 

I'm looking at a 7-night cruise on the Escape in March next year.  A double-occupancy inside cabin is $1238 base price with the free-at-sea perks (before taxes, gratuities, etc.), $978 on the sail-away rate without the free-at-sea perks.  If you want the beverage package anyway this absolutely is a good deal to get the free-at-sea rate, PLUS you get to pick your cabin!  2 drinks per day more than covers the cost of the gratuities for the package.

 

Oh, a similar cruise from the same home port on Royal's Wonder of the Seas is over $3,000 for an inside cabin, before taxes and it does NOT include the drink package.  Go to a 6-night on their Jewel of the Seas and it's close to $2k for an inside, before any kind of beverage package.  Oh, when selecting for two passengers Royal charges nearly $200 extra per person just to be able to pick your room!

 

[debenson0723]

8 minutes ago, complawyer said:

short reply, "NOT REALLY" unless you drink a ton a day,and on a short cruise you get  2 dinners, better than nothing, but meh!

You don't need to 'drink a ton' for the beverage package to be cost effective.  The gratuities are basically $20 a day so if you have 2 drinks a day, it is covered.  I don't consider that a ton.  OTOH, I recently went on an RCL cruise where the drink package was $89.99 a day PLUS 18% gratuities. Needless to say, I did not book that drink package

[PTC DAWG]

40 minutes ago, complawyer said:

short reply, "NOT REALLY" unless you drink a ton a day,and on a short cruise you get  2 dinners, better than nothing, but meh!

2-3 drinks a day is a ton? 

[Norseh2o]

We have not sailed Norwegian since before the pandemic. We have a cruise booked for October, 2022 with the drink package, specialty dining, travel advisor given obc (onboard credit) and some benefits as Platinum loyalty members. Without the drink package, NCL always made mistakes on our billing for drinks. A small hassle to undo each morning at guest services. With the drink package, whether we drank zero or 5 drinks, we were not billed. We are hopeful that our October, 2022 trip with the drink package will keep us from correcting a bill each morning while onboard a much anticipated cruise. 

[complawyer]

ptc dawg. no 2-3 drinks per day is not a ton but what is the actual cost of those 2 drinks, multiplied by at least 2 people for the course of the cruise and see what the difference is in cost

[tallnthensome]

Worth is subjective and a matter of opinion 

[kasimir]

It really depends on what you want… when we did the 7day Bermuda cruise in Oct 2021, we booked the sail-away price in balcony, which saved us roughly $150 + $310 (gratuities for drinks and dining) per person. 
In the end we still had 2-3 drinks per person each day and once went to a speciality restaurant and we ended up paying a bit less than if we had the free at sea package (incl. gratuities). 
 

But for our next cruise (B2B Alaska in October 2022) we are taking the free at sea package, for the simple reason, as we wanted to enjoy ourselves and have peace of mind during our vacation. I like that I can just get a drink without thinking about the finances all the time. 
 

My advice… if you don’t drink much and just have a beer or “cocktail of the day” once in a while, don’t need internet onboard and are happy with the included dining options, just book the sail-away rate…trust me, you will have a great time!

[ChiefMateJRK]

I like to eat and drink, so it's very much worth it to me.

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, tallnthensome said:

Worth is subjective and a matter of opinion 

Without a doubt…

[PTC DAWG]

1 hour ago, complawyer said:

ptc dawg. no 2-3 drinks per day is not a ton but what is the actual cost of those 2 drinks, multiplied by at least 2 people for the course of the cruise and see what the difference is in cost

I go well over on a cruise, a no brainer for me…others, I get it, math isn’t hard. 

[schmoopie17]

2 hours ago, tallnthensome said:

Worth is subjective and a matter of opinion 

That's what I say every time I see someone ask if something is "worth it". Worth it to who/whom? I have no idea if it's worth it to the person asking the question. So there is no answer. And something that's worth it to me may not be worth it to the asker. Kind of a useless question, really.

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, RandomUser123 said:

I have never cruised Norwegian before and am looking at a cruise next year to Bermuda out of New York. Is the Free At Sea deal worth it with the free open bar and free specialty dining. Are there restrictions I should be aware of with this offer?

It is "TOTALLY WORTH IT". If you have more than a couple of drinks a day, you more than break even. You don't even have to be "drinking",,, just a virgin strawberry daiquiri or pina colada (or two or three) make it more than worth while. 

 

And the specialty dining credit is a super deal.  

Edited July 17, 2022 by BirdTravels

[Russiamomm]

I agree with others that say it’s really what you’re looking for, and most importantly, how much are you going to drink?  For us, it’s a no-brainer.  We easily drink more than two drinks a day, starting with a Bloody Mary or mimosa at breakfast.  It pays for itself very quickly.  But if you don’t drink, or drink very little, you’re probably better off without it.

[Biffire]

This is one of the NCL questions that gets asked frequently and everyone has their own opinion.

As others have pointed out, "worth" is a relative term. What is "worth it" to me may be completely different to you.

You must consider several factors:

Do you want to select your own cabin. or would you be OK with having NCL select, if so Sail away rates are cheaper. When you go away froma  Sail a way rate, that cost should be added to the "worth equation" Others will point out the specialty dining and drinks package are not really free, Paying this additional cost and the mandatory gratuities is a chunk of money.

Are you satisfied with the MDR, or do you want to kick it up a notch for a few nights?

How tight is your budget, are you OK spending extra to get Specialty dining and some drinks?

How much will you drink, many drinks are $12-14 plus 18% gratuity, so they add up quick if you are paying.

Bottom line, it is your vacation, your checkbook, and your choice.

I will add that since the Free at See promotion has been available, I have sailed exclusively with NCL and taken the "free" perks, and enjoyed them. Cruising again in 6 days.Good Luck, and keep a positive attitude.

 

[RRSeeker]

I would say it depends on how you view your cruise. If you are good with the free dining and drink options and no internet then do not take the free at sea.

 

Personally, I like to have several drinks a day when on vacation so it works for me. I also enjoy the specialty dining and even upgrade my internet so it works out.
 

I have cruised on carnival and royal many years ago and my bar bill was a shocker to me. I don’t like surprises so I prefer to pay upfront even if it is seems more expensive it usually ends up saving money in the long run for me.
 

 

[gotscrapz]

It's worth it for us. We like to choose our cabin so we wouldn't book a sail-away rate anyway. Then it's very inexpensive to add the gratuities on the drinks and the dining. The included wifi is enough for us and sometimes we do NCL excursions and like the $50 credit.

 

It just depends on what is important to you.

[gotscrapz]

I should add that I also enjoy not needing to think about or budget for the expenses if I didn't get the package.

[GLYNAGP]

I'm British and  a solo traveller, for me the free at Sea packages are invaluable. I pay virtually double for my cruise to a have single occupancy cabin and typically I pay around UK£ 150 for Free at Sea on a 10 day cruise and this side of the Atlantic this includes gratuity on the drinks package.
So to get
    1. Drinks
    2. Specialty Restaurants
    3.  WIFI 250 Minutes
    4. 50$ (around £35) off each excursions
I prepay the daily service charge. Given all that I can get off at the end of a cruise with a zero balance for my board account. Its a no briainer for me

[PATRLR]

@RandomUser123 Many of the comments stating its worth it are referring to the mandatory gratuity cost that you have to pay for the drink and dining package.  That answers the question about whether you should accept the free drinks or free dining offers when you book a rate that includes the "free at sea".  If you drink more than a couple a day, per person, then it's worth it.  The dining is pretty cheap, so, I think its worth it.

If you are asking if you should book a "Sail Away" rate which includes no perks and does not allow you to choose your stateroom, you really need to break it down by total costs.  I did exactly that here: 

Note that in my case, I was also getting free pre-paid daily service charge from my TA so that is included in my comparison (but easy enough to remove for your comparison).  For us, the Free at Sea was NOT worth it because we don't drink much at all. 

Another difference is I happened to be getting a rate code that did NOT include Free At Sea but DID allow me to choose my cabin.    Most rate codes that do not include Free at Sea are known at "Sail Away" rates and do NOT allow you to choose your cabin.