NCL Free At Sea: All You Need To Know
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When you book a cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line, you will see their Free At Sea program mentioned. What is the NCL Free At Sea program, and what does it mean to you?
Frequently Asked Questions About NCL Free At Sea
What is Free at Sea?
Free At Sea is a promotional offer made by Norwegian Cruise Line for those booking its cruises. It includes unlimited open bar, Wi-Fi, a shore excursion credit, free specialty dining, and more.
Is the beverage package included with Free At Sea really unlimited?
Yes and no. Yes, you can have as many drinks per day as you want (but drink responsibly). However, the threshold is $15 per cocktail, beer, or glass of wine, and any cost over that is charged to your account.
Do both guests get the $50 per tour excursion credit?
Only the first guest on the reservation receives the excursion credit with Free at Sea.
Is the Wi-Fi included with Free At Sea unlimited?
No, you receive a number of minutes depending on the length of your cruise.
When does the Free At Sea promotion end?
Never! Free At Sea is an ongoing promotion.
Is NCL Free At Sea worth it?
If you drink alcohol, maybe. If you don’t, then no. Read on to find out why.
What Is Free At Sea?
NCL’s “Free at Sea” promotion is a game-changer in the world of cruising, offering passengers unparalleled value and flexibility when booking their cruise. The promotion allows you to select multiple free add-ons, tailoring your cruise experience to match your unique preferences. Whether you’re a seasoned cruiser or a first-timer, this offer brings an array of exciting choices and benefits to your fingertips.
This offer changes, sometimes with four components offered and other times with more. You can choose any or all of the components of Free At Sea, giving you the ultimate flexibility.
Let’s break those down.
Always Included With NCL Free At Sea
Free Unlimited Open Bar
Unlimited Open Bar (also known as the “beverage package”) includes spirits and cocktails under $15, beers and wine by the glass under $15, and unlimited juice and soda. You also receive a 20% discount on bottles of wine or champagne, wine or spirit experiences, and on flights. There are no limitations per day to the number of drinks you order, but you must drink responsibly.
Things to know:
- The beverage package’s worth is $99 per person per day.
- You must be 21 years old or above to be eligible for the beverage package.
- You may not share drinks with other people; doing so may cause a revocation of your package.
- You can only order two beverages at a time.
- If one person in a cabin has the beverage package, all adults in the cabin must have the beverage package.
- The beverage package is not usable at Harvest Caye.
- Drinks ordered while the ship is in port are subject to the charge of VAT taxes.
- At booking, you are charged gratuities of 20% for the package, and it is significant. Be aware of that.
Free Specialty Dining
Treat yourself to new dining experiences at Norwegian’s specialty restaurants. With Free At Sea, you receive specialty dining nights for the first two guests on the reservation. The number of specialty meals per person you receive depends on the length of your cruise and the type of stateroom you have booked as follows:
- 3-6 nights (any stateroom) – 1 meal
- 7-11 nights (studio, inside, oceanview) – 1 meal
- 7-11 nights (balcony and above) – 2 meals
- 12+ nights (studio, inside, oceanview) – 2 meals
- 12+ nights (balcony and above) – 3 meals
Things to know:
- You will be charged 20% gratuities on the specialty meal package.
- The free meals are only applicable for guests 1 and 2 on the reservation.
- Jazz Brunch, Wine Lovers, Murder Mystery lunches, and beverages are not included.
- Specialty Dining Packages include one main course per person at Cagney’s and Le Bistro.
Free Wi-Fi
Stay connected with your loved ones back home and share your amazing cruise experiences with Wi-Fi access. Save on a free internet package of a set number of minutes that is dependent on the length of your cruise.
- For a 3-6 night cruise, you receive 75 minutes.
- For a 7-11 night cruise, you receive 150 minutes.
- For a 12+ night cruise, you receive 300 minutes.
Things to know:
- Free minutes are only for the first two guests on a reservation.
- Free minutes received are per person; two logins per stateroom.
- The minutes can only be used on one device at a time.
- The minutes don’t work on Harvest Caye or Great Stirrup Caye.
- You must log in and log out of the package each time you use it. Otherwise, your minutes will drain away.
- Once those minutes are used, you either have no Wi-Fi or you buy an additional package onboard.
Free Excursions
Save $50 for each shore excursion that you book, for one person per stateroom. If an excursion is priced below $50, the excursion is free.
Things to know:
- The person who is first on the cruise reservation is the one who receives the shore excursion credit. Other guests in the cabin do not receive this credit.
- You may use the free excursion on more than one excursion per port.
- The discount is combinable with the Latitudes discount (which is a discount you can receive due to your tier status with the cruise line).
- Private and custom shore excursions do not receive this credit.
Sometimes Included With NCL Free At Sea
Sometimes Norwegian will advertise other special offers with their Free At Sea promotion for a limited time. At times, you can choose ALL of the offers, and at other times, you can choose a set number of offers.
These can include:
Free Airfare
Buy an air ticket through NCL and the second guest flies for free. You can also add on ground transportation to and from the airport for a fee.
Things to know:
- These offers are limited based on capacity.
- Only available on certain sailings of seven nights or more.
- Only applies to the first two guests on the reservation. All others pay full fare.
- Reservation must be made more than 110 days from sailing.
- You can fly in up to two days early or leave up to two days after your cruise for a $25 fee per person.
- The air booking will be an economy fare.
- NCL chooses the airline and flights.
- You can get the flight booking number and contact the airline to change or upgrade your seats at your cost, and you can get the airline points.
- Includes airline taxes and fees.
- Domestic flights will be booked with a maximum of one stop when possible. International flights will be booked with a maximum of two stops when possible.
Free or $99 Extra Guests
This offer, which is only made on certain sailings, allows a third and fourth person to stay in your stateroom for free or for $99 each. This offer is perfect for families so they don’t have to pay full fare for their children.
Things to know:
- The first two guests must pay the full fare.
- Offer only valid on select sailings.
- No deposit is needed for qualifying third and fourth guests.
NCL Free At Sea Plus
Once you have booked a cruise, you might notice a cruise upgrade offered on your online account for something called Free At Sea Plus. For a fee, which is dependent on the length of the cruise, you can receive a better selection of alcoholic beverages, more specialty dining, unlimited Wi-Fi, and more excursion credits.
Here is how it breaks down:
Beverage Package
The Unlimited Beverage Package is upgraded to a Premium Plus Beverage Package, which includes:
- All cocktails and spirits
- All beer, wine, and champagne by the glass
- Select premium bottles of champagne and wine with dinner, then 40% off other bottles
- Unlimited sodas and juices
- Unlimited still and sparkling water
- All Starbucks coffee and specialty drinks
- Energy drinks
Premium Dining
Your specialty dining package will be upgraded with two additional meals.
Free excursions
The second guest on the reservation also receives the $50 excursion credit per tour per port.
Free Wi-Fi
Free Wi-Fi is upgraded to Free Unlimited Wi-Fi, which is wonderful.
We tried Free At Sea Plus. Here is what we thought about it.
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But Is NCL Free At Sea Really Free?
Let’s be clear—Free At Sea is a way of marketing all-inclusive packages versus cruise-only packages. There is a bump in the price to include Free At Sea (as opposed to cruise-only), plus extra gratuities are charged for beverage and specialty dining packages. So, no, it isn’t free.
Despite that, we always cruise with Free At Sea because it makes sense for us. In fact, my rule of thumb when pricing an NCL cruise for the two of us is to take the per-person stateroom charge advertised and multiply it times three to estimate the total fare including Free At Sea gratuities, plus taxes and port fees.
But is Free At Sea a good deal?
If you take a deep dive and look at the costs for a cruise-only fare, then add in the components of the Free At Sea package one by one, you will see that the beverage package is the most expensive part of the Free At Sea package.
Therefore, if you enjoy having several cocktails, sodas, bottled waters, juices, and more per day, then the Free At Sea package would probably be a good deal for you.
Otherwise, it might be better for you to choose a cruise-only fare and add only Wi-Fi, for example, if it is important for you to stay connected to loved ones back home, or for work.
If you would like to check to see if a beverage package is right for you, we have a fabulous calculator to help with that.
Final Thoughts on the NCL Free At Sea Program
We have cruised often on Norwegian and always have cruised with Free At Sea. In fact, we also upgraded our Wi-Fi to unlimited because logging in and out each time you use the Internet to preserve your minutes is such a pain. We wouldn’t dream of cruising without Free At Sea.
Your situation may be different, so I hope this post has helped you decide what is best for you when booking with Norwegian.
Happy cruising!
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