"Free at Sea" Offer-What is it exactly???

[sbaker]

One of the "Free at Sea" offers is for "Free Excursions".  It says "Save $50 per tour with Shore Excursion Credits".  What exactly does that mean?  Is it $50 credit for an excursion in each port?  Is is $50 per person or $50 per cabin? It's a bit vague and I can't find anywhere that gives details.

[insidecabin]

Its in the T&C's for offers  there will be a link somewhere sometimees very small

 

here is the UK version.

https://www.ncl.com/uk/en/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions-ceuk

 

$50 USD Shore Excursion Credit: Offer is applicable to guest 1 in the stateroom.
The first guest will receive free shore excursions priced at $50 or less.
$50 Shore Excursion Credit will be applied per shore excursion of equal or greater value.
Credit has no monetary value and is nonrefundable.
In the event a port of call or excursion is missed, for any reason, no refund or credit will be issued.
In the event the tour is less than the value of the credit, the guest will not receive a credit differential and the $50 Shore Excursion Credit will be adjusted to match tour value.
Shore excursion Credit is applicable for each port, including debarkation port, and is not transferable to other ports. Use the Credit or lose it.
The first guest may redeem the promotion of $50 Shore Excursion Credit on more than one shore excursion per port.
Does not include embarkation ports. Overnight stays are counted as individual ports/days for shore excursion Credit.
Shore excursion Credit can be redeemed via www.ncl.com, by calling 0800 0310 21 21 or by booking directly onboard.
For the guests that book their excursions online any applicable Credit will be reflected on guest one only. For shore excursions purchased prior to cruise, the promotion or $50 Shore Excursion Credit will be applied to the first guest at time of purchase.
For shore excursions purchased onboard, the promotion or $50 Shore Excursion Credit will be applied to the first guest’s onboard account.
***For Shorex costing less than $50, the guests will receive 100% discount, reducing the price to zero.
Please see additional restrictions below:
If first guest purchases shore excursions tickets for other guests, the promotion and $50 Shore Excursion Credit will not apply to such tickets.
The first guest cannot purchase shore excursions for themselves where the duration of such excursions overlap in time.
For port calls in Great Stirrup Cay and Harvest Caye, the promotion and $50 Shore Excursion Credit does not apply to equipment rentals.
Pre-cruise and post-cruise land tours are not eligible for this promotion.

 

 

 

[hallux]

And the US version - https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions

$50 USD Shore Excursion Credit

• Offer is applicable to first guest on the cruise reservation.
• The first guest shall receive free shore excursions priced at $50 or less (“the promotion”)
• In the alternative, first guest will receive $50 in Shore Excursion Credits to apply against shore excursions priced greater than $50.
• $50 Shore Excursion Credit is applicable to all tours, including debarkation tours.
• In the event the tour is less than the value of the credit the $50 Shore Excursion Credit will be adjusted to match the tour value.
• The first guest may redeem the promotion of $50 Shore Excursion Credit on more than one shore excursion per port.
• Latitude Members Discount is combinable with the $50 Shore Excursion Credit.
• In the case of multiple excursion credits or discounts, the $50 Shore Excursion Credit will be applied first followed by any additional shore excursion discounts.
• In the event a port of call or shore excursion is canceled, the guest will be refunded the amount that the guest paid for the excursion.
• For shore excursions purchased prior to cruise, the promotion or $50 Shore Excursion Credits will be applied to the first guest at time of purchase.
  For shore excursions purchased onboard, the promotion or $50 Shore Excursion Credit will be applied to the first guest’s onboard account.
  Please see additional restrictions below:
  • If the first guest purchases shore excursions tickets for other guests, the promotion and $50 Shore Excursion Credit will not apply to such tickets.
  • The first guest cannot purchase shore excursions for themselves where the duration of such excursions overlap in time.
  • For port calls in Great Stirrup Cay and Harvest Caye, the promotion and $50 Shore Excursion Credit does not apply to equipment rentals.
  • Pre-cruise and post-cruise land tours are not eligible for this promotion.
  • $50 Shore Excursion Credit has no monetary value, are non-refundable, non-transferable and cannot be exchanged for actual currency of any value.
  • Other guest in the stateroom are not eligible to receive the promotion or $50 Shore Excursion Credits.
  • Shore excursion credit can be redeemed by booking online via NCL.com, by calling 1-866-625-1167, or onboard.

[Sailing12Away]

The TLDR version: $50 discount per cabin at each port of call.

 

I think if you were adventurous enough to do more than one excursion it would be per excursion. But yeah, their marketing is not great. Nothing free about it as NCL rarely offers excursions for <$50. So just think of it as $50 off at each port.

[insidecabin]

10 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

The TLDR version: $50 discount per cabin at each port of call.

 

I think if you were adventurous enough to do more than one excursion it would be per excursion. But yeah, their marketing is not great. Nothing free about it as NCL rarely offers excursions for <$50. So just think of it as $50 off at each port.

 

Only the fist pax can use the credit so technically not a cabin benefit if more than one in the cabin

 

Some cruises a shuttle bus would be under $50

 

Our last cruise no shuttles under shorex.

 

They were all cash on the dock.

[KeithJenner]

We are getting a lift to Pompeii and back in September for 1p each. For some reason it still charged us the 1p even though the cost was less than the discount.

 

We are also using it in Santorini as the cost for the Oia excursion worked out at about £25 each after discount. It avoids paying for the cable car and makes getting onshore a lot more convenient.

 

There are certainly some bargains available in places if you use the excursion discount (especially if free at sea plus is justified by the other things you get).

[UKstages]

“free at sea” is a marketing strategy and a misnomer wrapped inside an enigma. it should be called “for a small fee at sea.”

[BunnyHutt]

15 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

The TLDR version: $50 discount per cabin at each port of call.

 

I think if you were adventurous enough to do more than one excursion it would be per excursion. But yeah, their marketing is not great. Nothing free about it as NCL rarely offers excursions for <$50. So just think of it as $50 off at each port.

$50 off each excursion? Really? I haven’t booked excursion for my September cruise yet but I was under the impression that it was only a one-time credit. Pleasantly surprised if I am wrong. ☺️

[ontheweb]

50 minutes ago, BunnyHutt said:

$50 off each excursion? Really? I haven’t booked excursion for my September cruise yet but I was under the impression that it was only a one-time credit. Pleasantly surprised if I am wrong. ☺️

We each have 2 ports that we have excursions booked. I have the credit on each, DW does not.

[BunnyHutt]

8 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

We each have 2 ports that we have excursions booked. I have the credit on each, DW does not.

Right, I know it’s only for the first pax. I just didn’t think/know it was at every port. 

[Sailing12Away]

6 hours ago, insidecabin said:

 

Only the fist pax can use the credit so technically not a cabin benefit if more than one in the cabin

 

That's why I think of it as a cabin benefit, not person. If it was a person benefit folks would assume it was per person. Whereas $50 per cabin = $25 pp when 2 in the room.

 

The really icky part of the 'deal' is that if person 1 doesn't feel like doing an excursion, there is no credit issued at all. It's only tied to person 1. So I guess in that sense your thinking is more correct as the cabin would get nothing if person 1 doesn't go on an excursion.

[smarterman64]

1 hour ago, BunnyHutt said:

$50 off each excursion? Really? I haven’t booked excursion for my September cruise yet but I was under the impression that it was only a one-time credit. Pleasantly surprised if I am wrong. ☺️

it's actually $50 for each excursion passenger 1 takes in a port. if the passenger decides to do 2, non overlapping excursions, $50 off each. 

[WorkingForOBC]

1 hour ago, BunnyHutt said:

$50 off each excursion? Really? I haven’t booked excursion for my September cruise yet but I was under the impression that it was only a one-time credit. Pleasantly surprised if I am wrong. ☺️

I can confirm that it's applied to every single excursion, even multiple excursions at the same port in the same day. If you get the FASUP+ package, then it's applicable for the second passenger as well.

[graphicguy]

2 hours ago, BunnyHutt said:

$50 off each excursion? Really? I haven’t booked excursion for my September cruise yet but I was under the impression that it was only a one-time credit. Pleasantly surprised if I am wrong. ☺️

$50 is per excursion, per cabin.

 

I was actually able to use it a couple of times on my Alaska Cruise for some transport.  Not a huge benefit, but beats a stick in the eye!

[ontheweb]

And at least on our London (Southampton) to Reykjavik cruise coming up, it is never free as there are absolutely no excursions $50 or less.

[UKstages]

It is not correct to refer to it as a cabin discount… here’s why.  it’s $50 per excursion for passenger one. if passengers one and two both take a $35 excursion (they do exist), it’s free for passenger one. you might think that the $15 remaining would apply as a discount to passenger two, who shares the same “cabin.” but it doesn’t. passenger two pays $35 for the excursion. and that’s why it’s not correct to refer to it as a discount applied to the cabin.

[don't-use-real-name]

Another exception - - -

The Premium Beverage +PLUS+  Free-at-Sea package - the 2nd quest gets the bonus $50 per port/excursion (no matter what guest 1 does). Current promo ?

My PB+Free-at-Sea which I booked and reserved both of us are getting the $50 (each) at all

Ports of call.

 

[ontheweb]

5 hours ago, UKstages said:

It is not correct to refer to it as a cabin discount… here’s why.  it’s $50 per excursion for passenger one. if passengers one and two both take a $35 excursion (they do exist), it’s free for passenger one. you might think that the $15 remaining would apply as a discount to passenger two, who shares the same “cabin.” but it doesn’t. passenger two pays $35 for the excursion. and that’s why it’s not correct to refer to it as a discount applied to the cabin.

I won't doubt you that fares under $50 exist, but I can say with 100% certainty that they do not exist on the cruise we have booked, London (Southampton) to Reykjavik.

[UKstages]

typically, they are for things like gondola rides or trolleys around a central business district. the “skyride” to paradise point in st. thomas comes to mind.

[KeithJenner]

Excursions that are fully covered by free at sea tend to be “on your own” options which are basically a list to the attraction. This is often our preference rather than a tour, but if you are looking for a guide then it doesn’t help much.