More at Sea

[mistertomatoe]

Any idea how the $50 cover charge and apps/desserts changes will work at Food Republic or Sushi?

[Sand and Seas]

18 minutes ago, UKstages said:

i ask all the difficult questions, and get all the answers, so you don't have to.

 

you're welcome.

 

here are the MAS promo codes...

 

Studio, Inside, Oceanview, Balcony & Club Balcony Suite...

 

ALL4CHO2 (Beverage, Specialty Dining Package, Internet & Shore Excursions)
BVSXIN2 (Beverage, Internet & Shore Excursions)
DISXIN2 (Dining Package, Internet & Shore Excursions)
INTSHO2 (Internet & Shore Excursions)

34CHO (3rd & 4th Guest Sail Free) or 99CHO (3rd & 4th Guest Sail for $99 USD)

Suite & Haven...

CHOALL42 (Beverage, Specialty Dining Package, Internet & Shore Excursions)
HBVSXIN2 (Beverage, Internet & Shore Excursions)
HDISXIN2 (Specialty Dining Package, Internet & Shore Excursions)
HINTSHO2 (Internet Package & Shore Excursions)

CHO34 (3rd & 4th Guest Sail Free) or CHO99 (3rd & 4th Guest Sail for $99 USD)

 

...

 

 

Interesting...   Do you know why Suites & Haven have different codes from other cabins when from everything we are reading there is no difference in price or usage of MAS?

Edited Tuesday at 09:49 PM by Sand and Seas

[HBCcruiser]

1 hour ago, laudergayle said:

@HBCcruiser  another post about FAS+.  Seems you will get some of the benefits…probably not the one you really wanted though.

Still no word from my TA. My guess is many are confused and trying to figure things out. No notice from NCL yet. 5 days and counting until we board…

[PammyMouse]

7 hours ago, PammyMouse said:

On the website.  May pull the trigger tonight if it is still there 😂

Gone again.  This stinks, I was looking forward to the upgraded beverages and need the internet.  NCL, this might be my last.  Princess is a better value, heck MSC Yacht Club is a better value. PM

[Doc Dunga]

What’s grinding my gears is we’re paid and past the final payment deadline. We had paid for FAS+. They’ll refund us fine but on a 14 day trip I’m now to pay $700 for internet for two and $900 for streaming quality. For various reason I’d rather not get into I need the internet and bundling it with Starbucks, top shelf drinks and dining and so on made sense. Now if I don’t like it I’m supposed to pound sand? I’ve asked my TA about canceling the trip for a full refund but am quite skeptical NCL would oblige. I know I’m no longer keen on my other bookings with the company. 

[UKstages]

57 minutes ago, Sand and Seas said:

Do you know why Suites & Haven have different codes from other cabins when from everything we are reading there is no difference in price or usage of MAS?

 

perhaps it has something to do with cruises booked by those in europe and other places where the quoted haven price is said to already include MAS benefits. when the code is used and the address of the guest is not in the USA, the code automatically gives MAS benefits. just a guess.

 

 

 

Edited Tuesday at 10:46 PM by UKstages

[luv2kroooz]

9 hours ago, Menocchio said:

I still don't like this, but it's not as bad as I feared. I think the beverage package is just a somewhat camouflaged price increase.

I would agree with you on both fronts.

 

Under the old "free at sea", the only way they could increase revenue was by bumping the price of the theoretical base package which resulted in the service charge being more. I think the base price of the package was $109 per day (which no one paid) and then they assessed 20% on top. So, they either had to increase the base price of $109 even further, which would have just been silly since it is the most restrictive package in the industry or they could have raised the gratuity % even further, which would have also been silly, since they lead the industry in the %. So, they just said, the heck with the Free at Sea, let's just reimagine it as more at sea and we can charge $30 per day and get our price increase that way.

Edited Tuesday at 10:53 PM by luv2kroooz

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, UKstages said:

it appears that is indeed possible to opt out of the beverage and dining packages, just as you can today.

You can.  I did several 2025/2026 mock bookings earlier today and it is just like it was before.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

36 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

You can.  I did several 2025/2026 mock bookings earlier today and it is just like it was before.

Thanks for that info

[UKstages]

NCL has revealed a comprehensive list of exclusions to the MAS beverage package. i don't think there is anything surprising here, but it's nice to see it all in one place. 

 

bottled water/ bottled wine
connoisseur's collection
designated super-premium brands (list subject to change)

starbucks
energy drinks

freshly squeezed juices

vending machines 
ice bars
mini-bar purchases
package sales
room service
ship-specific promotions or beer buckets
wine dispenser
wine and spirit experiences, tastings or flights

 

i am hard pressed to understand the distinction between "super premium brands" and the "connoisseur collection."  what is the connoisseur collection comprised of, if not super premium brands? also, where are these "vending machines" they speak of on NCL ships? i'm not sure i've ever seen one. i also don't see harvest caye bars excluded on this list, but i'm pretty sure they will be. 

[MiniJeffrey]

So it seems P+ has been canceled due to this... Anyone knows if Zacapa rum is included in this More At Sea package as it's my fav rum.

[herbanrenewal]

9 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

You can.  I did several 2025/2026 mock bookings earlier today and it is just like it was before.

I did a mock booking for my October 2026 cruise. I was able to opt out of drinks package as usual. Price was within $10. Biggest difference for me, a solo cruiser, is I get half the minutes of internet in the new paradigm. NCL has been gaining a following of solos. It doesn't make sense as a business model to specifically cut in half a feature that has no cost to them for the solo demographic.

[jennjess]

On 10/1/2024 at 12:59 AM, Asawi said:

My guess:

US will probably still be able to decline drinks and speciality dinners, same as now, and still get excursion discount and Internet minutes.

EU/Uk will still be "all or nothing", same as before. Substantial price increase. Benefits for drinkers, but those that don't drink alcohol still won't have speciality coffees, bottled water (sparkling or still) or cans of soda for "free". Would it really be so hard to give us that?! We're paying €30-35 per day for most cruise lengths from what I can tell (more per day for shorter cruises). As a non-drinker, for me it only makes sense to get the package if there are lots of cheap(ish) excursions. Which is rare.

Same for me as a virtual non drinker.  The new price is very high.

[Miss_Confused]

Well this will be interesting, boarding in 4 days for a 12 day cruise... several of the options I planned for have disappeared now such as the plus package. I can work remote and this was going to be my "see if I can work remotely on NCL" cruise. Seems though that they are raising prices and reducing options for solos while promoting 3rd and 4rth passengers which  seems like a silly choice

[MiniJeffrey]

So it seems this is only for EU guests then:

 

FOR BOOKINGS PRIOR TO 10/1/2024

All guests sailing in 2024 will enjoy their current Free at Sea benefits. Guests sailing in 2025 and beyond, who booked prior to October 1, 2024, will enjoy both their current Free at Sea benefits plus the new More at Sea™ beverage package, providing an enhanced Premium Beverages experience, at no additional cost!

 

 

As I read here in the thread that for US guests you can reprice your cruise to get the More at sea if you're more than 90 days out. But this is nowhere mentioned on the EU website.

[jennjess]

As far as I can see this is just a price rise, certainly for European cruisers, of about a 100 euros.

As a non drinker, when water and coffee are excluded, it's just not worth the money, as Europeans cannot op out of parts of the package either.

With NCL prices in general much higher than a lot of other lines, I will likely take my business elsewhere.

[luv2kroooz]

6 minutes ago, jennjess said:

As far as I can see this is just a price rise, certainly for European cruisers, of about a 100 euros.

As a non drinker, when water and coffee are excluded, it's just not worth the money, as Europeans cannot op out of parts of the package either.

With NCL prices in general much higher than a lot of other lines, I will likely take my business elsewhere.

Yeah, that is a good point. It can apply to US as well, though. By way of example, you can buy princess plus onboard for $60 per day. So a 7 day cruise costs $420, but when bought onboard you can apply OBC. So, if you get $50 from your TA and $100 from shareholder now your cost for the package would be $270, or $39 per day, which gets you 15 alcoholic drinks per day which includes water and coffees, plus fully unlimited, fast internet, plus some specialty dining, plus your daily gratuities for your waitstaff and cabin steward. Obviously, you need to factor in base fares, too, but the comparison can be made.

[Topdog52]

12 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

You can.  I did several 2025/2026 mock bookings earlier today and it is just like it was before.

I just did a mock booking, on our April cruise to Europe. With everything being the same, and with the new 5 day dining pkg the cost is $42 more. What I am not sure of is, with being Platinum, do you still get the free dinners and a bottle of wine with one of them?

[vacation44]

3 minutes ago, Topdog52 said:

 What I am not sure of is, with being Platinum, do you still get the free dinners and a bottle of wine with one of them?

Yes, as the way the program stands now.

[nonibop]

On 9/30/2024 at 8:34 PM, Eno said:

So no included water or Starbucks that are included now in the free at sea plus

Not happy. 

No bottles of wine and no mention of availability of premium wines. 

Will canned soda still be available, no point in providing premium spirits and then using soda gun .

 

 

[nonibop]

14 hours ago, Doc Dunga said:

What’s grinding my gears is we’re paid and past the final payment deadline. We had paid for FAS+. They’ll refund us fine but on a 14 day trip I’m now to pay $700 for internet for two and $900 for streaming quality. For various reason I’d rather not get into I need the internet and bundling it with Starbucks, top shelf drinks and dining and so on made sense. Now if I don’t like it I’m supposed to pound sand? I’ve asked my TA about canceling the trip for a full refund but am quite skeptical NCL would oblige. I know I’m no longer keen on my other bookings with the company. 

Luckily we've only paid a deposit so far. I don't feel the new package is more for most people. Less internet minutes , ño Starbucks no bottles of wine, no water . No notifications, no customer service 

Higher charges. 

[D_And_K_gocruising]

8 hours ago, UKstages said:

NCL has revealed a comprehensive list of exclusions to the MAS beverage package. i don't think there is anything surprising here, but it's nice to see it all in one place. 

 

bottled water/ bottled wine
connoisseur's collection
designated super-premium brands (list subject to change)

starbucks
energy drinks

freshly squeezed juices

vending machines 
ice bars
mini-bar purchases
package sales
room service
ship-specific promotions or beer buckets
wine dispenser
wine and spirit experiences, tastings or flights

 

i am hard pressed to understand the distinction between "super premium brands" and the "connoisseur collection."  what is the connoisseur collection comprised of, if not super premium brands? also, where are these "vending machines" they speak of on NCL ships? i'm not sure i've ever seen one. i also don't see harvest caye bars excluded on this list, but i'm pretty sure they will be. 

That's the rub right now.. No one knows for sure what's going to be included and what's not.. Until they release an actual list, it's all guess.. See folks saying MAS will be the p+ minus bottled waters / energy drinks and starbucks.. I dont buy that.. Guess we'll see.. Probably a few things moved over to the MAS and the rest still the collection or "super premium"

[txcfa]

I was able to get on the phone with NCL and the agent (YMMV) was able to confirm FAS+ works for bookings prior to 10/01/24 and sailing before 12/31/24, so our Dec cruise seems to be "fine".   I had not purchased the specialty dining packages for our kiddos yet, and those are gone, so it'll be monitoring as we approach and potentially shifting where we dine as a family.

 

I was able to get an e-doc benefit statement that I plan to definitely have with me on the cruise!

[Doc Dunga]

59 minutes ago, nonibop said:

Luckily we've only paid a deposit so far. I don't feel the new package is more for most people. Less internet minutes , ño Starbucks no bottles of wine, no water . No notifications, no customer service 

Higher charges. 

It is a lot less for my money. I guess for trips that customers have not paid fully for and aren't locked in, it is what it is. The company changed the offer and wants more money for internet, drinks, water, coffee...etc. You have a choice to pay, or seek alternate vacation with a different line. But to change it for trips that are in the non-refundable period is a little gross. If I stomp my feet and say I don't like it and I'm not going then I'm out thousands of dollars? It's a little gross.

 

Edit: typos.

Edited Wednesday at 01:38 PM by Doc Dunga

[champion6]

3 hours ago, MiniJeffrey said:

As I read here in the thread that for US guests you can reprice your cruise to get the More at sea if you're more than 90 days out. But this is nowhere mentioned on the EU website.

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-deals/more-at-sea

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