Norwegian ‘Free At Sea’ Package’ Explained
As from 02nd April, NCL roll out a new Free At Sea pricing system.
Under the existing Premium All-Inclusive offer, which was introduced in April 2017, unlimited premium drinks, service charges and gratuities were included in the fare. However passengers were not happy being ‘tied in’ to a package that didnt suit their individual needs.
So NCL have taken on board the feedback from passengers who thought the All Inclusive Drinks & Gratuities package introduced 2 years ago was unfair to those who, didnt drink, or wanted the choice of paying their own gratuities, or were only interested in a basic cruise only price. After all, the strap line for NCL cruises is ‘Freestyle’ so it makes sense for passengers to be able to tailor the different benefits on offer to themselves, giving them the freedom of choice.
With the introduction of ‘FREE AT SEA’ , gone are the mandatory gratuities, all inclusive drinks package, on board spend, speciality dining, Internet, and in their place a new fairer multiple choice programme, to hopefully suit the different needs of its passengers.
This Free At Sea option has already been operating in all markets outside of Europe, and will now be rolled out to include the UK Ireland, and Europe! so great news!
Here’s how it works:
For cruises between 7-9 days, Clients pay £99pp to access two benefits which the line claims are worth more than £700.
Customers can then choose two of the following:
- A premium drinks package, worth up to US$99 per person, per day, including gratuities and service charges
- Speciality dining for three nights of a seven-night sailing, worth $89 per person, including gratuities and service charges
- Free WiFi, up to 250 mins per stateroom on a seven-night basis.
- US$50 dollars on board credit per stateroom, per port, to spend on shore excursions
- The third and fourth passenger in a stateroom, sails for the cost of taxes only (selected sailings only)
If you choose to book one of the top stateroom classes (Haven, Concierge or suites) you would automatically be eligible for all five.
The £99 Free At Sea upgrade is available on all cabin types.
I think this is a great move forward by NCL, and can see it will become very popular with its cruise passengers who prefer to choose which benefits would suit their cruising experience best. Well Done NCL!
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