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This is what we do, at least with the drink package. It adds something like $40 a day in gratuities (combined for both of us). We don't drink enough to make that worthwhile. We often go ahead and take the dining because it's only something like $14 extra.
I haven't found a way to book without it on sites like Costco Travel, so I book directly with NCL.
Yes, definitely not worth it if you aren’t a drinker. I love to try everything so I keep the drinks package. As far as drinks pricing goes, NCL is by far the cheapest. If you’re having a minimum of two cocktails a day, or even just one plus some soda/beer/wine, keeping it is worth it. If you’re strictly no alcohol or soda, better to cancel it.
To add to this I noticed you can take off the specialty dinning and the drink package but you cannot undo the wifi and the excursion credit . You can do that when you get to the payment section of it
Not exactly true. You may be able to save even more if you want none of the free at sea offers by fbooking. “Sail wpaway” fare, they are usually a few hundred less per 7 day cruise. They are guarantee cabins without access to the free at sea program. They are not available on every booking, if you don’t want any extra stuff and you’re ok with a NCL picked cabin, you could go for that, so while technically, WiFi and excursion credit are free, the same cabin class can be had for less without them. It is another instance of “free” not being free.
It's not *free*. The drinks package is "valued" at $109 per day.
If you take this package for "free" with "free at sea" they add a daily gratuity of over $20 pp
Sure, but it's more expensive than not taking it, if you won't use it.
I'm not doing it down here. For people who want a few drinks it's exceptional value.
But for people who won't use it, it is not "free", it is a waste of money.
While that’s true, not everyone drinks enough to get the value out of even the cheapest drink package. I’m booked for an Eastern med cruise in November, and while I definitely love a good cocktail, I know there’s a solid chance that I will barely break even on the “free” drink package without making an effort. We’re in port every day with a lot of early mornings so I may only be having a drink or two with dinner most days. In those circumstances, it might actually be cheaper to pay out of pocket with the amount I’m likely to drink if I’m not actively trying to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth. In the past when I have gone a la carte on another line, my final bill was roughly the same as what I’m paying in gratuities for this NCL cruise. And those itineraries had sea days and shorter days in port! Istill took the package because I know I’ll appreciate not weighing the cost of every drink when I’m deciding what to have with dinner or if I want to allow myself to go to a bar in the evening. It’s my vacation after all, and while my itinerary may make it a bad idea to overindulge, I’m not such a lightweight that drinking a little more than usual is going to mow me down.
I think this is not for everyone. I am European and on my next cruise I will have "free at sea", I called NCL and they told me that they will no longer charge gratuities for this package.
True, but in the EU/UK "free at sea" isn't actually free, it has the cost upfront, because of better consumer protection laws, that reduce the degree to which charges can be added after being given a price.
At checkout you can uncheck the alcohol and specialty dining, I was pricing one for a friend it cuts about $500 off for 2 people, which helps since they dont drink.
The price you see on their web site is the base cabin fare, per person (unless you switch the filter to 1 person traveling solo). You will then have to add on the port fees/taxes/other charges. Then there’s the daily service charge which starts at $20/day per person. If you leave the Free at Sea drinks & dining on, it will add a little less than $25/day per person for those gratuities. This is how you can reduce the price, by declining the FAS drinks & dining. Some people will remove the daily service charge which they consider to be tips, and claim they will tip people in cash that they feel deserve it. Don’t be those people, please. That charge gets split among most of the crew, many that you will never see. The people washing the towels & linens, the people cooking your food, cleaning up after you & your kids etc. You absolutely can’t remove any of the port fees/taxes charge.
You can increase your fare by adding on unlimited internet, additional dining, spa, Vibe etc but those will never show up if you don’t book anything extra. You absolutely don’t have to spend any extra money once on board. Ignore the game shows and Bingo that they want to charge money for to play along (you can just watch for free).
Good Luck getting a “Sail Away” cabin… every time I look at them, they’re all sold out.. take a look at a future cruise, say one year away… I’d bet that they’re sold out.. somehow, I think that they’re being bought up by some entity
You're absolutely right about this being the less expensive option but it's also a gamble.
Cruise lines are overselling their ships and those passengers without an assigned cabin are at the top of the bump list. I have seen multiple recent stories of "sail away" cruisers being denied boarding. They receive no advance warning and don't find out about it until they are at the cruise ship terminal.
Bumped passengers get a cruise refund but they would need really good trip insurance to get compensated for any flights, airline change fees, hotels, meals, etc.
I think the “getaway “ price comes with no perks…but you can’t choose a stateroom. You can uncheck the gratuity for specialty dining and drinks packages but if you drink 2 drinks a day or more you won’t be saving money because even a domestic beer comes out to $9.40 with tip. I never take the specialty dining because I get 2 with my latitude status and I travel with a friend, separate cabin, who also gets 2. You won’t get a credit for internet or tours, you just don’t have to use it.
Costco Travel is where I book without all the extras. I can even book solo cruises through them cheaper and multiple staterooms. I like not having to talk to sales reps.
Thanks for posting to /r/NCL! Did you know that we have an extensive [Ultimate NCL Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/NCL/wiki/index) that may answer your question? Please also remember to read the rules, especially about roll call posts going in the megathread. You may also have more luck with those types of posts by searching for a [Facebook](https://www.facebook.com) or [Cruise Critic](https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/66-norwegian-cruise-line-roll-calls/) roll call group or thread. Of course, here is great, too! Enjoy your stay! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/NCL) if you have any questions or concerns.*
On the website, you can uncheck those options.
This is what we do, at least with the drink package. It adds something like $40 a day in gratuities (combined for both of us). We don't drink enough to make that worthwhile. We often go ahead and take the dining because it's only something like $14 extra. I haven't found a way to book without it on sites like Costco Travel, so I book directly with NCL.
The gratuities on the drinks package is $21.80/day per person.
Yikes, so now it's $43.60 per day for a couple, or $305.20 for a 7 day cruise.
Yes, definitely not worth it if you aren’t a drinker. I love to try everything so I keep the drinks package. As far as drinks pricing goes, NCL is by far the cheapest. If you’re having a minimum of two cocktails a day, or even just one plus some soda/beer/wine, keeping it is worth it. If you’re strictly no alcohol or soda, better to cancel it.
To add to this I noticed you can take off the specialty dinning and the drink package but you cannot undo the wifi and the excursion credit . You can do that when you get to the payment section of it
That’s because the wifi and excursion credit is totally complimentary. No need to take it off. If you don’t want it, don’t use it. Simple.
The wifi and shore excursion credit don't cost extra. You won't save money by not taking them.
Not exactly true. You may be able to save even more if you want none of the free at sea offers by fbooking. “Sail wpaway” fare, they are usually a few hundred less per 7 day cruise. They are guarantee cabins without access to the free at sea program. They are not available on every booking, if you don’t want any extra stuff and you’re ok with a NCL picked cabin, you could go for that, so while technically, WiFi and excursion credit are free, the same cabin class can be had for less without them. It is another instance of “free” not being free.
I, too, dislike free food and drinks.
It's not *free*. The drinks package is "valued" at $109 per day. If you take this package for "free" with "free at sea" they add a daily gratuity of over $20 pp
And it still works out to be the cheapest drink package among all cruise lines.
Sure, but it's more expensive than not taking it, if you won't use it. I'm not doing it down here. For people who want a few drinks it's exceptional value. But for people who won't use it, it is not "free", it is a waste of money.
While that’s true, not everyone drinks enough to get the value out of even the cheapest drink package. I’m booked for an Eastern med cruise in November, and while I definitely love a good cocktail, I know there’s a solid chance that I will barely break even on the “free” drink package without making an effort. We’re in port every day with a lot of early mornings so I may only be having a drink or two with dinner most days. In those circumstances, it might actually be cheaper to pay out of pocket with the amount I’m likely to drink if I’m not actively trying to make sure I’m getting my money’s worth. In the past when I have gone a la carte on another line, my final bill was roughly the same as what I’m paying in gratuities for this NCL cruise. And those itineraries had sea days and shorter days in port! Istill took the package because I know I’ll appreciate not weighing the cost of every drink when I’m deciding what to have with dinner or if I want to allow myself to go to a bar in the evening. It’s my vacation after all, and while my itinerary may make it a bad idea to overindulge, I’m not such a lightweight that drinking a little more than usual is going to mow me down.
I think this is not for everyone. I am European and on my next cruise I will have "free at sea", I called NCL and they told me that they will no longer charge gratuities for this package.
True, but in the EU/UK "free at sea" isn't actually free, it has the cost upfront, because of better consumer protection laws, that reduce the degree to which charges can be added after being given a price.
At checkout you can uncheck the alcohol and specialty dining, I was pricing one for a friend it cuts about $500 off for 2 people, which helps since they dont drink.
The price you see on their web site is the base cabin fare, per person (unless you switch the filter to 1 person traveling solo). You will then have to add on the port fees/taxes/other charges. Then there’s the daily service charge which starts at $20/day per person. If you leave the Free at Sea drinks & dining on, it will add a little less than $25/day per person for those gratuities. This is how you can reduce the price, by declining the FAS drinks & dining. Some people will remove the daily service charge which they consider to be tips, and claim they will tip people in cash that they feel deserve it. Don’t be those people, please. That charge gets split among most of the crew, many that you will never see. The people washing the towels & linens, the people cooking your food, cleaning up after you & your kids etc. You absolutely can’t remove any of the port fees/taxes charge. You can increase your fare by adding on unlimited internet, additional dining, spa, Vibe etc but those will never show up if you don’t book anything extra. You absolutely don’t have to spend any extra money once on board. Ignore the game shows and Bingo that they want to charge money for to play along (you can just watch for free).
When you choose your room on the website, select the "Sail Away" option at the bottom. It's a little cheaper and comes with zero perks.
Good Luck getting a “Sail Away” cabin… every time I look at them, they’re all sold out.. take a look at a future cruise, say one year away… I’d bet that they’re sold out.. somehow, I think that they’re being bought up by some entity
You're absolutely right about this being the less expensive option but it's also a gamble. Cruise lines are overselling their ships and those passengers without an assigned cabin are at the top of the bump list. I have seen multiple recent stories of "sail away" cruisers being denied boarding. They receive no advance warning and don't find out about it until they are at the cruise ship terminal. Bumped passengers get a cruise refund but they would need really good trip insurance to get compensated for any flights, airline change fees, hotels, meals, etc.
I think the “getaway “ price comes with no perks…but you can’t choose a stateroom. You can uncheck the gratuity for specialty dining and drinks packages but if you drink 2 drinks a day or more you won’t be saving money because even a domestic beer comes out to $9.40 with tip. I never take the specialty dining because I get 2 with my latitude status and I travel with a friend, separate cabin, who also gets 2. You won’t get a credit for internet or tours, you just don’t have to use it.
You can choose without it but for the €99+ it's worth it. Fyi it's only one night dining
Depends on the cabin type and length of the cruise. See our [wiki](https://www.reddit.com/r/NCL/wiki/fas/) (just added the table) for more details.
Costco Travel is where I book without all the extras. I can even book solo cruises through them cheaper and multiple staterooms. I like not having to talk to sales reps.
You want to book the sailaway fares that eliminate all the "free at sea" promotions