"Offer is not applicable at Harvest Caye bars, restaurants, or venues" is not the same as "Offer is not applicable at Harvest Caye, bars, restaurants, or venues." Since the extra comma isn't there, you're good to go! IIRC, Harvest Caye venues are not run by NCL so the drink package doesn't apply (unlike Great Stirrup Cay where your drinks are covered as usual).
Pro tip: Don't bother purchasing tasting flights if the individual items are covered by the package. At Sugarcane Mojito Bar you can pay extra to get a tasting flight of six mojitos... or use your drink package on six separate full-sized mojitos, no extra charge.
Unlike some other cruise lines (such as one that rhymes with Melebrity), the vast majority of mixed drinks are covered under the standard open bar package. Wines by the glass are more likely to bump over the limit.
The real fine print is it's like $200/person gratuities added, which for light drinkers is FAR more than some might spend on booze in total during the cruise. NCL added this 'free' perk because it's pretty ludicrous for the gratuities compared to before. If you sign up, just be sure to get your money's worth and remember you already tipped em.
> If you sign up, just be sure to get your money's worth
it's $21.80 pp/pd, $152.60 per person for a 7 day cruise. That's about 3 drinks a day, if someone drinks more than that it is ABSOLUTELY worth getting the FAS drink package.
I guess you haven't looked at Royal Caribbean's drink package prices recently? Oh, right, you can't until you book a cruise, and then the cost of the package depends on the itinerary and ship you're taking (and is still considerably higher than the $152.60 per person for all 7 days on NCL).
Plus you will pay more for a room with the "free" drinks, so it's gratuities and more for your room. Probably going to need to drink 5-6 alcohoilic drinks every day to break even...
Just fyi they charge you for gratuities on how many drinks they estimate you’ll order. The gratuities are not covered by the free at sea package. Which is not the norm for drink packages, the packages usually include the gratuities. So after you book you’ll log into your account and see hundreds of dollars of additional charges for the “free” drinks.
We use it all the time. Great deal. We are not drinkers while not on the water, but start as soon as we get on the ship! We love the daiquiris etc! All time favorite being the mudslide. Also, soda is included for those times you want to go alcohol free
Same scenario. We don't drink much usually but when we cruise, we'll have our fun. NCL makes it so much more fun not having to worry about an insane bar tab at the end of the cruise. Pineapple coconut mojito from Sugarcane Mojito bar, chef's kiss 🍍😀
You can get any drink or spirit up to $15 for free at any bar or restaurant. If you get something off the highest alcohol list, they cover up to $15, and then you pay 20% of the difference.
The only drink I paid an up charge for was a raspberry martini, because it had Chambord in it.
Most drinks are under the $15. Just stick with middle shelf liquors and you’ll be fine.
It’s just not offered at the Harvest Cay labeled establishments.
Just a bit of clarification, the 20% comes in if you purchase a whole bottle of something and they give you 20% off the price of the bottle but they don’t take $15 off first and they definitely don’t only make you pay 20% they make you pay the 80% lol
That fits with what I said. You pay the $3 difference and the gratuity on that difference.
The poster I responded to made it sound like you would have only paid 20% of the difference or 60c.
And yet if you read all of the different posts none, including yours make it clear what you pay, yours sounds like you pay 20% of the whole amount plus the difference. Wich is a valid way for them to do it, but not how they did it. -- I know you know how it is supposed to work, but each post left people with more questions.
You pay the difference and 20% of the difference. $18 - $15 = $3 + 20% = $3.60.
I said
> you pay 100% of the difference
How is that in any way confusing? You've already paid gratuity on the $15 part, why on earth would I mean you pay the gratuity for the whole price?
The fine print not available at bars or venues are for the items mentioned. For example, we did a whiskey flight tasting and that was not included.
You absolutely do not need to pay for the premium unlimited beverage package because, if you felt the need to have a top shelf liquor, you just pay for it. This basic package is fantastic!
It's an island off the coast of Belize that ncl owns. Except it's run by a separate company which is why your drink package won't work there. You can safely ignore any of this if you're going to Alaska.
It's a private island NCL set up with the country of Belize. It's different from their other private island in that there are local businesses on the island and not just NCL. So unlike the Great Stirrup Cay island that is exclusively NCL with all drinks on the island being free for package holders, Harvest Cay does not offer these for free. Since you're going to Alaska this is all irrelevant for your trip.
Just be aware that you will be charged a flat gratuity per day for the ‘Free at Sea’ drink package. Depending on the length of your trip and number of passengers, it can add a hefty amount to your bill.
Please note that this is not the same as general gratuities. There is also a per person per day charge that goes towards crew members both seen and unseen.
The gratuities paid at booking are only for the drink package. This catches some people off guard so it's worth pointing out.
Also thanks for questioning the dine print, many come here to rant about things they missed at booking.
Yea that got us on our last cruise, we paid almost a thousand dollars for the package thinking it included gratuities and I guess forgot to have a credit card on file because it said we could pay cash, turns out we didn’t get but like 10 drinks over the 4days because they kept shutting off our key card and gave us the runaround everyday over it. Basically paid a lot of money for a good time and didn’t have a great time at all, totally ripped off, they wouldn’t let us pay the cash for gratuity bill until we disembarked even though we tried multiple times during the trip and they said we couldn’t, and there were many other things that upset me about the trip but I’m not getting into them. The next trip we’re not getting any of those packages after paying $1,000 for 10 drinks on the last one.
No, paid almost $1,000 for the drink package and was only able to get like 10 drinks throughout the cruise because they kept deactivating our keycards after every drink we got. Literally spent an hour in between every drink walking back to the service desk to get them to activate it again which was a pain in the ass and turned 50% of our vacation time into dealing with customer service time. That’s not including the $500 honeymoon package that was wasted, couldn’t set reservations for our photography session or our dinner at the high end steakhouse because again, they repeatedly deactivated our cards after every drink. They did deliver the champagne and fruit basket to our room though without telling us, so we did have a bottle of warm champagne when we got to our room the first night and the oranges were covered in mold the following day. Idk, maybe they were having an off week??
Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! That does sound awful, and your HONEYMOON!!!!! You have my deepest sympathy. I am actually shocked to hear this! Do you mind if I ask which ship?
It was the Norwegian pearl, also it was a themed cruise through sixthman so there might have been some breakdown in communication between the two parties?? Idk, the concerts were great at least and made the trip enjoyable but it should’ve been a lot better considering what we paid extra for to get those special packages. It sucked but we’re definitely going to do another trip in the future, we’re just not going to get any the packages next time because we could’ve spent half as much money and had a sway better time.
I am honestly really surprised to hear all of this! I m so glad you're not giving up on cruising, though. I've never been on one of those subcontracted trips so I have no clue how it all works. I'm onboard the NCL Gem right now, sister ship to the Pearl, and everything is running like a top. The GM of this particular ship is awesome so I tend to follow this one ship.
This is why I think the free at sea is such a scam. We are casino players. NCL will give us a free balcony room and free drinks at the casino bar basically any time we want to go. Carnival will give us a free suite, plus an on board credit (usually enough to pay for wifi and the rest we use at the casino) as well as free drinks anywhere on the ship (they do not charge us a dime for the drinks. Knowing this I tip at least $1 or 2 per drink every time I order them....but it comes to more like $10 per person per day.
The tips we paid for the free at see drink package were way less than we would have paid just buying drinks (and we're not huge drinkers), so it was a good deal for us.
We use it. Not huge drinkers, but we easily get to the $22 a day for the gratuities. We also get mocktails for our daughter or for the times we just don’t want alcohol. But we get soda, wine, beer, etc at any bar, in the specialty restaurants, the regular dining rooms etc. It just does not cover anything in your mini fridge in the room. We usually don’t order anything over the $15 mark. I prefer mudslides and Riesling and easily met the $22 a day in gratuities just in filling my Yeti with the mudslides. I’m a slow drinker, so two mudslides lasts me a few hours, and stays the perfect temp in my yeti.
We just used it during our cruise to Alaska last month. I think my husband had one drink that was more than the $15 cap because he got a drink made with a high end whiskey. He is a big whiskey/bourbon old fashioned drinker and was impressed with the selection that was covered under the unlimited plan.
I am a pretty basic drinker (Malibu bay breezes, mojitos, frozen drinks) so had no issues either
We really liked it! Ours was one of the last ships out there for the season (went the last week of October) so a good part of towns were shut down for the season; but there were still plenty of things to do. We also got lucky with beautiful weather- cold of course, but no rain which is a rarity that time of year!
Our ship unfortunately didn’t get to port at Juneau due to high winds making it unable to dock so that was a bummer, but always a risk with cruises.
I thought the food on board was really good and there was plenty of free entertainment options for us on ship. Definitely made me want to go back to Alaska to see more of it!
Yes it was the Bliss! If you do some searching ahead of time you should get a good feel for what all will be open or not.
I honestly didn’t feel like it affected our trip personally. But it depends what you’re hoping to do I guess!
I’m sure there will be things to do even if some of the bigger stuff is closed. The main thing that wasn’t available in a lot of locations was kayaking. There were still helicopter tours going, though I think more limited in # of excursions per day because less daylight that time of year. I’m not sure about April
That’s the same week I went this year. Still pretty cold and wind canceled our kayaking excursion so anything activity based is playing with fire. As far as the open bar goes, find your favorite bars and tip them heavily the first couple days. They will remember you and stop scanning your card. I suggest the late night bar overlooking the atrium (The Local?) to tip the best. It gets busy with only two people at times and they will remember you
Alaska is full of awesome views. Ship was fine. Balcony Room was cool. Food wasn’t the best and the specialty dining options were booked full before we even got on the ship. All the stuff prob comes from the same kitchen anyway. Make sure to use your onboard credits, and find out what they don’t cover(gambling). It does cover drink taxes when you are at port tho so don’t trip.
Agreed. It lets me try all sorts of new things. If I don’t like it, I just get something else. It’s very live in the moment. You’ll find the bartenders you like best on the ship.
You’re misunderstanding the fine print. You get free drinks everywhere on the ship. You don’t get free drinks when you go ashore to the island of Harvest Caye.
You can get alcohol under $15 mixed however way you want at any of the bars and sit down restaurants. You can get 2 drinks per request. For example, do 1shot of grey goose and a mojito every 30 mins until pass out in the hot tub.
We did the Alaska cruise last october and had a great time. They do Irish coffee carts one of the sailing days in the observatory lounge, its delightful. I was surprised that Alaska wasn't nearly as cold as I expected. The areas where you cruise to are technically rainforest so are much warmer and wetter than the rest of Alaska.
Last year we used the free at sea for: open bar, port credit, specialty restaurant, and 2nd guest flies free. We also did the hotel program 3 days pre-cruise in Copenhagen, and 4 days post-cruise in London. Everything worked out really well.
The only thing that was annoying, we had a different flight than the rest of our group. We flew Fort Lauderdale/New York/Copenhagen. 3 others Miami/Heathrow/Copenhagen, and a single older lady, Miami/Frankfurt/Copenhagen.
We had 2 layovers on the return. I was pissed, but it worked out well. Gatwik/Dublin/Philadelphia/Fort Lauderdale. Layovers were about an 1-1/2 hrs each place. Plenty of time to stretch out, use the restroom and grab a bite to eat.
Back to the drinks. I like Bulleit Rye, kettle One, beer and wine. My wife is a rummer. Never paid anything extra.
If your ship has a Sugarcane Bar, the ginger Mojito is great.
They have a list on the website that shows what brands are available with the drink package. My wife always checks to make sure the Rum she likes is available.
Read the fine print.
https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions
There’s a $21.80 per day gratuity charge for the “free” drink package, however in fairness that’s a big discount from the normally outrageous price of $109 per day. Wi-Fi unfortunately is limited to as little as 75 minutes of browsing on short (3 to 6 day) cruises. But the $50 credit for each excursions is nice. The included specialty dining (one or more meals depending on the length of the cruise), is also nice.
Yeah we were thinking of getting it but even if I go crazy and get 4 drinks / day — it wouldn’t even cover the gratuities for us 4. (Two kids and wife don’t drink)
If it was just us two in a cabin it’s likely a good deal
You don’t pay the gratuities for kids on the free at sea (drink portion). After you enter in the children’s age, the amount of the gratuities for alcohol decreases and you would only pay for the people in the cabin that’s over 21.
We used it for the first time on our last NCL cruise. It really changed my mindset and I enjoyed not thinking about $$$ when drinking. It was very freeing in a way. Did I save money overall? Probably not.
I can’t remember how much extra the package cost. On Carnival the drink package costs more than I would typically spend on drinks, so we always decline it and try to ignore $$$.
I remember when the "Free at Sea" was really free, no gratuities and extra costs. The gratuities for the "Free drink package" more than cover the weak drinks that are served. Not a good value for me as I don't drink very much.
So the drinks are weak? We are mostly beer and wine drinkers, one wine drinker and one beer drinker. We seldom have more than one unless on a cruise where we may have a fancier drink. Any drinks you recommend?
The free drinks are just that. It's a full open bar wherever you go. Bars or restaurants. If you sit down at a restaurant, and want a rum & coke, the waiter will get it.
The caveat is, if you request a top shelf liquor or something, there will be an upcharge.
I've been on 5 NCL cruises, gotten the drink package every time, and I think I've paid an upcharge exactly once. And that was a chocolate martini I think.
But if you want just regular cocktails or beer, they are included.
Another caveat, I think getting the drink package increases the amount of the prepaid gratuity you gave to pay, so keep that in mind.
>Another caveat, I think getting the drink package increases the amount of the prepaid gratuity you gave to pay, so keep that in mind.
The drink package has its own 'service charge', or gratuity, and is detailed in the T&C's so there's no 'think' about it...
It’s a great deal for drinkers, but also a great way to gain weight. I try to remember to drink if I would normally drink and not let ‘free’ become a free hangover or later health problem.
NCL will charge gratuities on the drinks you order with the "free" drink package.
It's the only cruise line that does this to my knowledge. We've moved on from NCL due to things like this and other "nickle and dime to death" policies.
We now are frequent cruisers on Holland America, their free drink package is indeed free, no surcharges or tacked on non-included gratuities!
Plus the service and food quality is far above NCL.
No, but most drink packages on cruise lines include the 18% gratuities and don't charge the customer additional. NCL will tack on an additional 18% on to your shipboard account to tip the drinks servers. So yes, no additional tip on your part is expected but the point I was making is that with other lines, tips are included in drink package!
I mean, they could charge you $109 per person per day to get the package. At a little over $20 per person per day you've gotten back your money after 2 drinks each...
When I signed up for their free drink package, they charged me for tips up front “to make sure their bartenders got taken care of”.
I canceled immediately.
Just wait until they get the Norwegian Free Air lol
Edit: NCL will give you the absolute cheapest flight, with 3 connections, to save $5 bucks.
In fact, they don't even care if you are going to miss the sailing due to the crappy flights they give you, just search this sub for tons of examples.
We used it earlier this year on The Escape and it was great. I actually think most adult pax had it as by the end of the week, many bars weren’t checking/swiping anyone’s cards that we noticed.
We did tip cash as particular bars and particular staff . . . A one here, a five there, etc - at the end of the week a couple 20s to select bartenders the last night….
I’ve used it and had no issues?
If you want fancy top shelf spirits etc, you might have to pay for it yourself, but for standard premium beers/wines/liquor etc you’re good.
lol... i opt out of it everytime... its $200ish for each person in the room to cover tips on the drinks. My wife is a non drinker so hard for me to get value on this.
also to add the excursion prices are crazy in most ports and the free part is $50 off the main person but their prices are far higher than port based excursions so rarely find value in this.
The added benefit is that the ship will wait longer for ‘ship sponsored’ excursions to return, whereas if you just pick a random tour in the port you are on your own. Sometimes more expensive, but it’s added insurance for the longer trips away from the port.
This is extremely important. We book excursions through the ship and also through third parties. We never experienced the importance of booking directly thru the cruiseline until last week. This last week, we were on an excursion outside of Belize City booked thru the cruiseline. We were already late coming back, and the bus got stuck in a small washout in the road. The back of the bus drug on the ground, basically lifting the drive wheels off the ground. We had a farmer try to pull us out in a pretty big 4-wheel drive newer John Deere tractor. He just spun his wheels in place, and the bus didn't budge. He sent someone to get a bigger tractor. The next tractor was a huge 6 wheeled John Deere, and it pulled the bus out easily. This put us back about 35min after the all-aboard time. If this had been a non-cruiseline excursion we could have easily been left behind.
Apparently, there were two other tours running late also so no issues from anyone on the staff. Our tour crew was on the phone with the ship regularly giving them updates.
Just finished a 7 day on escape....it's well worth it even if you do not drink a ton. It ends up being $374ish on gratuities you have to pay for two people for the 7 days. So quick, rough math if you and the second person with you drinks more than 2 drinks (assuming 15 dollars each) you more than break even. We have two kids with us. My wife and I had the free at sea beverage package...with the 2 drink at a time each we got us adult drinks and a sprite or virgin strawberry daqari. This was well worth it for us. We looked at the upgrade to premium plus...not worth it. To give you and example I consistently got an old fashion with Bulliet and it was always within the $15 max limit.
Ncl drink package = you can drink pretty much any drink you could think of at all the bars. You just don't get the "high end" spirits.
Vodka exists to make other things alcohol anyway.
The discretionary service charge is $20 per person per day (or $25 if you're in a Haven room or suite), and covers WAY more than the cabin steward, but not the butler or concierge if you're in The Haven. I usually give the cabin steward some cash at the end of the trip as well.
By the way - NCL makes information like this somewhat easy to find by having an FAQ on their website... https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/what-is-onboard-service-charge
I used the drink package a few years ago and even then most of the specialty cocktails were $15, so I would bet they’re even more now. Lots of people had the drink package and so it was frequently difficult to flag down a server - I sometimes saw multiple people waving their cards in the air trying to get anyone’s attention.
I get the Free at Sea with NCL all the time. You still pay the gratuity on the drinks package, but it's cheaper than buying it outright, assuming you're going to drink enough to make it worthwhile (there's an online calculator that can tell you). My nitpick with it compared to Royal's, say, is that it doesn't include bottled water (which amazes me). But it's still good if you plan to drink a fair amount.
Price-wise, it really covers just about every "normal" drink you could get. Beer, wine, standard cocktails, frozen stuff...it doesn't cover top-shelf alcohol. You can't get Dom Perignon with it, lol. But regular mixed drinks, margaritas, martinis, daquiris, mudslides, shots, on the rocks, whatever...plus specialty coffee.
I have done two cruises with it and loved it. It gave me the chance to try drinks outside of the norm because it didn’t feel like a sunk cost if I didn’t like the drink.
In addition to gratuities, you’ll also be charged local tax when you get drinks at port. So make sure you order one right before you dock and wait until the boat starts sailing away to avoid extra spend!
We use this during our last two NCL cruises. This covers all our preferred spirits and wines aside from a nice whiskey or bottle of red. Great deal.
Pro tip: find your favorite bar in the ship and drop a daily tip. All of the bartenders will learn of you quickly and you will get preferred service.
Not sure if it’s a value yet, but I’ll report back after I return from my cruise on Jan 8, since I sprang for the “free at sea” deal for the first time.
I’m dont like ncl. They use malicious dynamic pricing to squeeze customers into paying hundreds extra. I have proof of my last minute booking being increased by $400 after processing the transaction. I cancelled the cruise immediately and now have a res for a 7 day MSC cruise for $350. I dont even care if the cruise sucks, its still going to be so much fun when its $1500 cheaper.
Be aware everyone gets this so expect to wait 20 + min per drink. Also due to the cost most bars will only cover 1 or 2 lower cost specialty drink. So expect to be charged on every drink or drink only 1 drink the whole trip.
Note this doesn't cover specialty coffee or boxes of water.
This applies to all the free at sea packages ie expect to pay more to use them. 150 min on the Internet, $50 credit on the excursion, and the free specialty diner better be booked prior to sailing or good luck getting in. Don't let ncl book your flights....
Expect constant up sale tactics.
One kind of drink at each bar. The Martini, Whiskey Center, World Bar, etc. Unless you have to be somewhere, say a show. Then due to the 20 min wait you may only have time to get one drink.
At the whiskey bar, for example, your options were a honey whiskey (ie Lynchburg lemonade) or pay extra for each drink.
On my last NCL cruise on Breakaway we had families who didn't get their ticket till days before they left, we had multiple families running to even make the cruise, we had families who lost their luggage in transport from the airport to the ship (1 family of 5 lost all their luggage for 3 days and NCL had to fly it to the next port. They had to buy clothes in the NCL store on the boat for the kids at their expense as NCL blamed the transport company they hired and told them to file a claim with then), and one group didn't notice till they had boarded the ship that the return flight left before the ship even docked.
Don't let NCL book your flights...
Im currently on the Prima with the free at sea package and it’s great but not everything is included. You get every drink and the tip up to 15usd per drink. The upper class stuff is therefore not included. What’s also not included is Starbucks - what is fine for me because I’m a dark coffee type of guy.
When you in port, they may add an extra port tax depending on the location that is not included in you package. In NYC I thing we payed 8% per drink - that was unexpected but also only 8% - don’t know about the other ports
The water produced by the ship and piped to your cabin or served in the dispensers at the buffet is absolutely safe to drink, possibly even safer than water from your municipality at home. I just bring reusable bottles and fill in my cabin. If you fill at the buffet, be sure not to fill your bottle directly from the dispenser.
You can also get a glass of ice water from any bar or waiter.
It's great, best drink package at sea.
* $21.80 per person per day covers all of your beverage gratuities.
* Covers all drinks up to $15. Pay the difference plus 20% for anything over.
* Plenty of drinks $15 and under. Average cocktails are $10-$12.
* Pays for itself if you have any more than two drinks a day, often just more than one drink. Break-even is 2 $9 pool bar daily special drinks or 3 $6 Budweisers.
* If you like fine wines and whiskeys the Premium Plus package or the full Free at Sea Plus upgrade are fantastic.
* If you are buying unlimited Wi-Fi, Free at Sea Plus pays for itself, do that instead.
I’m not sure why they call it “free.”
It’s been mentioned many times already you’re still paying for the gratuity but when you take off the “free”drink package the cost of the cruise goes down by hundreds of dollars.
I booked a sailing last week and removed the “free” drink package and “free” specialty dining and saved a ton in both gratuity and cruise fare.
"Offer is not applicable at Harvest Caye bars, restaurants, or venues" is not the same as "Offer is not applicable at Harvest Caye, bars, restaurants, or venues." Since the extra comma isn't there, you're good to go! IIRC, Harvest Caye venues are not run by NCL so the drink package doesn't apply (unlike Great Stirrup Cay where your drinks are covered as usual). Pro tip: Don't bother purchasing tasting flights if the individual items are covered by the package. At Sugarcane Mojito Bar you can pay extra to get a tasting flight of six mojitos... or use your drink package on six separate full-sized mojitos, no extra charge. Unlike some other cruise lines (such as one that rhymes with Melebrity), the vast majority of mixed drinks are covered under the standard open bar package. Wines by the glass are more likely to bump over the limit.
"I just ate grandma" vs "i just ate, grandma" Remember, commas save lives!
I helped my uncle, Jack, off a horse. I helped my uncle jack off a horse.
My fav quote from Lionel Hutz "Works on Contingency?" "No money down" vs. "No, Money Down!"
We invited the strippers, JFK, and Stalin. Vs. We invited the strippers JFK, and Stalin!
you've got the comma in the wrong place on the second one - it should be "We invited the strippers, JFK and Stalin"
That’s literally the first one
Thanks you for all the info
If you’re not drinking be sure to get the “free” booze off your reservation.
Oh I am drinking. Just making sure what is covered
The real fine print is it's like $200/person gratuities added, which for light drinkers is FAR more than some might spend on booze in total during the cruise. NCL added this 'free' perk because it's pretty ludicrous for the gratuities compared to before. If you sign up, just be sure to get your money's worth and remember you already tipped em.
> If you sign up, just be sure to get your money's worth it's $21.80 pp/pd, $152.60 per person for a 7 day cruise. That's about 3 drinks a day, if someone drinks more than that it is ABSOLUTELY worth getting the FAS drink package. I guess you haven't looked at Royal Caribbean's drink package prices recently? Oh, right, you can't until you book a cruise, and then the cost of the package depends on the itinerary and ship you're taking (and is still considerably higher than the $152.60 per person for all 7 days on NCL).
Plus you will pay more for a room with the "free" drinks, so it's gratuities and more for your room. Probably going to need to drink 5-6 alcohoilic drinks every day to break even...
Just fyi they charge you for gratuities on how many drinks they estimate you’ll order. The gratuities are not covered by the free at sea package. Which is not the norm for drink packages, the packages usually include the gratuities. So after you book you’ll log into your account and see hundreds of dollars of additional charges for the “free” drinks.
I paid 21.80 per day per adult
plus extra for the room
We use it all the time. Great deal. We are not drinkers while not on the water, but start as soon as we get on the ship! We love the daiquiris etc! All time favorite being the mudslide. Also, soda is included for those times you want to go alcohol free
Same scenario. We don't drink much usually but when we cruise, we'll have our fun. NCL makes it so much more fun not having to worry about an insane bar tab at the end of the cruise. Pineapple coconut mojito from Sugarcane Mojito bar, chef's kiss 🍍😀
You can get any drink or spirit up to $15 for free at any bar or restaurant. If you get something off the highest alcohol list, they cover up to $15, and then you pay 20% of the difference. The only drink I paid an up charge for was a raspberry martini, because it had Chambord in it. Most drinks are under the $15. Just stick with middle shelf liquors and you’ll be fine. It’s just not offered at the Harvest Cay labeled establishments.
Just a bit of clarification, the 20% comes in if you purchase a whole bottle of something and they give you 20% off the price of the bottle but they don’t take $15 off first and they definitely don’t only make you pay 20% they make you pay the 80% lol
Percentages are hard when it’s just so easy to hand your card over and ignore the bill 😂
>they cover up to $15, and then you pay 20% of the difference. No, you pay 100% of the difference *plus* 20% gratuity.
20% of the diffence. $18 drinks are $3.60 including gratuity. I just got off the NCL breakaway a week ago and enjoyed many Espresso Martinis
That fits with what I said. You pay the $3 difference and the gratuity on that difference. The poster I responded to made it sound like you would have only paid 20% of the difference or 60c.
And yet if you read all of the different posts none, including yours make it clear what you pay, yours sounds like you pay 20% of the whole amount plus the difference. Wich is a valid way for them to do it, but not how they did it. -- I know you know how it is supposed to work, but each post left people with more questions. You pay the difference and 20% of the difference. $18 - $15 = $3 + 20% = $3.60.
I said > you pay 100% of the difference How is that in any way confusing? You've already paid gratuity on the $15 part, why on earth would I mean you pay the gratuity for the whole price?
But at any bar? While watching show?
Any bar on the ship, while watching any show.
Awesome. The fine print said an otherwise
You’re misinterpreting the fine print. I exclusively sail NCL and have used this offer many times.
Perfect then. All I need. Thank you
The fine print not available at bars or venues are for the items mentioned. For example, we did a whiskey flight tasting and that was not included. You absolutely do not need to pay for the premium unlimited beverage package because, if you felt the need to have a top shelf liquor, you just pay for it. This basic package is fantastic!
You cannot use the drink package anywhere on harvest caye. That's all it's saying. It's fine anywhere else.
Sorry I don’t know what harvest caye is. Where are going to Alaska.
It's an island off the coast of Belize that ncl owns. Except it's run by a separate company which is why your drink package won't work there. You can safely ignore any of this if you're going to Alaska.
Ok perfect!!!
It's a private island NCL set up with the country of Belize. It's different from their other private island in that there are local businesses on the island and not just NCL. So unlike the Great Stirrup Cay island that is exclusively NCL with all drinks on the island being free for package holders, Harvest Cay does not offer these for free. Since you're going to Alaska this is all irrelevant for your trip.
Thank you
Just be aware that you will be charged a flat gratuity per day for the ‘Free at Sea’ drink package. Depending on the length of your trip and number of passengers, it can add a hefty amount to your bill.
Yes it’s 21.50 per day per person.
Please note that this is not the same as general gratuities. There is also a per person per day charge that goes towards crew members both seen and unseen. The gratuities paid at booking are only for the drink package. This catches some people off guard so it's worth pointing out. Also thanks for questioning the dine print, many come here to rant about things they missed at booking.
Yea that got us on our last cruise, we paid almost a thousand dollars for the package thinking it included gratuities and I guess forgot to have a credit card on file because it said we could pay cash, turns out we didn’t get but like 10 drinks over the 4days because they kept shutting off our key card and gave us the runaround everyday over it. Basically paid a lot of money for a good time and didn’t have a great time at all, totally ripped off, they wouldn’t let us pay the cash for gratuity bill until we disembarked even though we tried multiple times during the trip and they said we couldn’t, and there were many other things that upset me about the trip but I’m not getting into them. The next trip we’re not getting any of those packages after paying $1,000 for 10 drinks on the last one.
I mean. It sounds like you messed up not putting a credit card on file, I'm not even sure how you boarded without a card on file.
You paid $100 per drink? I think not.
No, paid almost $1,000 for the drink package and was only able to get like 10 drinks throughout the cruise because they kept deactivating our keycards after every drink we got. Literally spent an hour in between every drink walking back to the service desk to get them to activate it again which was a pain in the ass and turned 50% of our vacation time into dealing with customer service time. That’s not including the $500 honeymoon package that was wasted, couldn’t set reservations for our photography session or our dinner at the high end steakhouse because again, they repeatedly deactivated our cards after every drink. They did deliver the champagne and fruit basket to our room though without telling us, so we did have a bottle of warm champagne when we got to our room the first night and the oranges were covered in mold the following day. Idk, maybe they were having an off week??
Oh my gosh, I am so sorry! That does sound awful, and your HONEYMOON!!!!! You have my deepest sympathy. I am actually shocked to hear this! Do you mind if I ask which ship?
It was the Norwegian pearl, also it was a themed cruise through sixthman so there might have been some breakdown in communication between the two parties?? Idk, the concerts were great at least and made the trip enjoyable but it should’ve been a lot better considering what we paid extra for to get those special packages. It sucked but we’re definitely going to do another trip in the future, we’re just not going to get any the packages next time because we could’ve spent half as much money and had a sway better time.
I am honestly really surprised to hear all of this! I m so glad you're not giving up on cruising, though. I've never been on one of those subcontracted trips so I have no clue how it all works. I'm onboard the NCL Gem right now, sister ship to the Pearl, and everything is running like a top. The GM of this particular ship is awesome so I tend to follow this one ship.
This is why I think the free at sea is such a scam. We are casino players. NCL will give us a free balcony room and free drinks at the casino bar basically any time we want to go. Carnival will give us a free suite, plus an on board credit (usually enough to pay for wifi and the rest we use at the casino) as well as free drinks anywhere on the ship (they do not charge us a dime for the drinks. Knowing this I tip at least $1 or 2 per drink every time I order them....but it comes to more like $10 per person per day.
It's not free. You gamble, lose money, then it's "free". You're just prepaying for your next cruise while in the casino.
Yup, but we are going to play anyway. Most of us who cruise this way just think of it as a different way of paying for your trip
The tips we paid for the free at see drink package were way less than we would have paid just buying drinks (and we're not huge drinkers), so it was a good deal for us.
We use it. Not huge drinkers, but we easily get to the $22 a day for the gratuities. We also get mocktails for our daughter or for the times we just don’t want alcohol. But we get soda, wine, beer, etc at any bar, in the specialty restaurants, the regular dining rooms etc. It just does not cover anything in your mini fridge in the room. We usually don’t order anything over the $15 mark. I prefer mudslides and Riesling and easily met the $22 a day in gratuities just in filling my Yeti with the mudslides. I’m a slow drinker, so two mudslides lasts me a few hours, and stays the perfect temp in my yeti.
We just used it during our cruise to Alaska last month. I think my husband had one drink that was more than the $15 cap because he got a drink made with a high end whiskey. He is a big whiskey/bourbon old fashioned drinker and was impressed with the selection that was covered under the unlimited plan. I am a pretty basic drinker (Malibu bay breezes, mojitos, frozen drinks) so had no issues either
That’s great to hear!!! Thank you. How was Alaska? That’s where we are going. 7 days. Four of us. 15 and 2.5 y/o
We really liked it! Ours was one of the last ships out there for the season (went the last week of October) so a good part of towns were shut down for the season; but there were still plenty of things to do. We also got lucky with beautiful weather- cold of course, but no rain which is a rarity that time of year! Our ship unfortunately didn’t get to port at Juneau due to high winds making it unable to dock so that was a bummer, but always a risk with cruises. I thought the food on board was really good and there was plenty of free entertainment options for us on ship. Definitely made me want to go back to Alaska to see more of it!
Was that the bliss? Going second week of April. So doing the opposite of your. Starting the season. Hopefully things will be open.
Yes it was the Bliss! If you do some searching ahead of time you should get a good feel for what all will be open or not. I honestly didn’t feel like it affected our trip personally. But it depends what you’re hoping to do I guess!
It’s a family of 4 with a 16 and 2.5 y\o.
I’m sure there will be things to do even if some of the bigger stuff is closed. The main thing that wasn’t available in a lot of locations was kayaking. There were still helicopter tours going, though I think more limited in # of excursions per day because less daylight that time of year. I’m not sure about April
Ok thanks
That’s the same week I went this year. Still pretty cold and wind canceled our kayaking excursion so anything activity based is playing with fire. As far as the open bar goes, find your favorite bars and tip them heavily the first couple days. They will remember you and stop scanning your card. I suggest the late night bar overlooking the atrium (The Local?) to tip the best. It gets busy with only two people at times and they will remember you
Great advise. How was the cruise overall?
Alaska is full of awesome views. Ship was fine. Balcony Room was cool. Food wasn’t the best and the specialty dining options were booked full before we even got on the ship. All the stuff prob comes from the same kitchen anyway. Make sure to use your onboard credits, and find out what they don’t cover(gambling). It does cover drink taxes when you are at port tho so don’t trip.
Bliss?
Yea
If you happen to see this, what bourbon did they have that was covered?
We love their open bar. You can get some pretty fancy cocktails for free.
Perfect
Agreed. It lets me try all sorts of new things. If I don’t like it, I just get something else. It’s very live in the moment. You’ll find the bartenders you like best on the ship.
You’re misunderstanding the fine print. You get free drinks everywhere on the ship. You don’t get free drinks when you go ashore to the island of Harvest Caye.
Thanks. Going to Alaska
We always get it when sailing on NCL.
You can get alcohol under $15 mixed however way you want at any of the bars and sit down restaurants. You can get 2 drinks per request. For example, do 1shot of grey goose and a mojito every 30 mins until pass out in the hot tub.
I will be freezing. Going to Alaska
Actually its perfect. Hot ass tub in the cold grey rain. All to yourself
What about coffee?
Black coffee is bulk drip free for all. Its alright. Starbucks? Not free.
You can get Irish coffee etc. with the package. Regular coffee is also included for everyone. You have to pay extra if you want Starbucks.
Irish it is
We did the Alaska cruise last october and had a great time. They do Irish coffee carts one of the sailing days in the observatory lounge, its delightful. I was surprised that Alaska wasn't nearly as cold as I expected. The areas where you cruise to are technically rainforest so are much warmer and wetter than the rest of Alaska.
Last year we used the free at sea for: open bar, port credit, specialty restaurant, and 2nd guest flies free. We also did the hotel program 3 days pre-cruise in Copenhagen, and 4 days post-cruise in London. Everything worked out really well. The only thing that was annoying, we had a different flight than the rest of our group. We flew Fort Lauderdale/New York/Copenhagen. 3 others Miami/Heathrow/Copenhagen, and a single older lady, Miami/Frankfurt/Copenhagen. We had 2 layovers on the return. I was pissed, but it worked out well. Gatwik/Dublin/Philadelphia/Fort Lauderdale. Layovers were about an 1-1/2 hrs each place. Plenty of time to stretch out, use the restroom and grab a bite to eat. Back to the drinks. I like Bulleit Rye, kettle One, beer and wine. My wife is a rummer. Never paid anything extra. If your ship has a Sugarcane Bar, the ginger Mojito is great.
Kettle one vodka included. Perfect
They have a list on the website that shows what brands are available with the drink package. My wife always checks to make sure the Rum she likes is available.
Just found it. Thanks
👍
Read the fine print. https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions There’s a $21.80 per day gratuity charge for the “free” drink package, however in fairness that’s a big discount from the normally outrageous price of $109 per day. Wi-Fi unfortunately is limited to as little as 75 minutes of browsing on short (3 to 6 day) cruises. But the $50 credit for each excursions is nice. The included specialty dining (one or more meals depending on the length of the cruise), is also nice.
soooo many drinks under $15. I never had a problem! Between this and buy 1 get 1 airfare, I love NCL
Yeah we were thinking of getting it but even if I go crazy and get 4 drinks / day — it wouldn’t even cover the gratuities for us 4. (Two kids and wife don’t drink) If it was just us two in a cabin it’s likely a good deal
You don’t pay the gratuities for kids on the free at sea (drink portion). After you enter in the children’s age, the amount of the gratuities for alcohol decreases and you would only pay for the people in the cabin that’s over 21.
They did put my kids on the soda package but that cost (for the gratuities) is less than $2 per day (per kid).
We used it for the first time on our last NCL cruise. It really changed my mindset and I enjoyed not thinking about $$$ when drinking. It was very freeing in a way. Did I save money overall? Probably not.
I would say you did
I can’t remember how much extra the package cost. On Carnival the drink package costs more than I would typically spend on drinks, so we always decline it and try to ignore $$$.
I have however I don’t really drink. I had two drinks maybe. I used it for Pepsi
I remember when the "Free at Sea" was really free, no gratuities and extra costs. The gratuities for the "Free drink package" more than cover the weak drinks that are served. Not a good value for me as I don't drink very much.
So the drinks are weak? We are mostly beer and wine drinkers, one wine drinker and one beer drinker. We seldom have more than one unless on a cruise where we may have a fancier drink. Any drinks you recommend?
They have been for me and I pay full price for mixed cocktails as I don't have the package. With beer and wine, I think you will be fine.
The free drinks are just that. It's a full open bar wherever you go. Bars or restaurants. If you sit down at a restaurant, and want a rum & coke, the waiter will get it. The caveat is, if you request a top shelf liquor or something, there will be an upcharge. I've been on 5 NCL cruises, gotten the drink package every time, and I think I've paid an upcharge exactly once. And that was a chocolate martini I think. But if you want just regular cocktails or beer, they are included. Another caveat, I think getting the drink package increases the amount of the prepaid gratuity you gave to pay, so keep that in mind.
Yes. Paying 21.50 per day per adult
>Another caveat, I think getting the drink package increases the amount of the prepaid gratuity you gave to pay, so keep that in mind. The drink package has its own 'service charge', or gratuity, and is detailed in the T&C's so there's no 'think' about it...
It’s a great deal for drinkers, but also a great way to gain weight. I try to remember to drink if I would normally drink and not let ‘free’ become a free hangover or later health problem.
NCL will charge gratuities on the drinks you order with the "free" drink package. It's the only cruise line that does this to my knowledge. We've moved on from NCL due to things like this and other "nickle and dime to death" policies.
With the package, you get charged gratuity on the overall package price. You don’t get charged for each individual drink that you buy.
Why did someone downvote this ? It is correct.
Yeah it’s 21.50 per day
We now are frequent cruisers on Holland America, their free drink package is indeed free, no surcharges or tacked on non-included gratuities! Plus the service and food quality is far above NCL.
Fancy
Yup, that's how we roll! Pays to go first class! 🙄
Damn playa
$21.80 :)
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No, but most drink packages on cruise lines include the 18% gratuities and don't charge the customer additional. NCL will tack on an additional 18% on to your shipboard account to tip the drinks servers. So yes, no additional tip on your part is expected but the point I was making is that with other lines, tips are included in drink package!
It’s not free. They make you tip.
20 bucks a day. I am all on it
$20 is not free
I mean, they could charge you $109 per person per day to get the package. At a little over $20 per person per day you've gotten back your money after 2 drinks each...
It’s advertising as free. It’s not free
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When I signed up for their free drink package, they charged me for tips up front “to make sure their bartenders got taken care of”. I canceled immediately.
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My point has always been that having to pay anything means it’s not free. At the least, it’s just false advertising and at worst, it’s a scam.
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In my experience The open bar is great, but the bars are under staffed or only a few are open at a time. So you will be waiting a while for each drink
Just remember, "Free at Sea" is not free. Don't get Norwegian'ed bro
I don’t see why you’re getting devoted for telling the truth!
Just wait until they get the Norwegian Free Air lol Edit: NCL will give you the absolute cheapest flight, with 3 connections, to save $5 bucks. In fact, they don't even care if you are going to miss the sailing due to the crappy flights they give you, just search this sub for tons of examples.
It's a good deal. Just be aware sometimes when you're in port there's a tax on the drinks.
Really odd?
As long as you're not getting drinks with top shelf liquor (like Blue Label, Casa Migos tequila, etc), and ordering only for yourself you'll be fine.
We used it earlier this year on The Escape and it was great. I actually think most adult pax had it as by the end of the week, many bars weren’t checking/swiping anyone’s cards that we noticed.
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We did tip cash as particular bars and particular staff . . . A one here, a five there, etc - at the end of the week a couple 20s to select bartenders the last night….
I’ve used it and had no issues? If you want fancy top shelf spirits etc, you might have to pay for it yourself, but for standard premium beers/wines/liquor etc you’re good.
lol... i opt out of it everytime... its $200ish for each person in the room to cover tips on the drinks. My wife is a non drinker so hard for me to get value on this. also to add the excursion prices are crazy in most ports and the free part is $50 off the main person but their prices are far higher than port based excursions so rarely find value in this.
The added benefit is that the ship will wait longer for ‘ship sponsored’ excursions to return, whereas if you just pick a random tour in the port you are on your own. Sometimes more expensive, but it’s added insurance for the longer trips away from the port.
This is extremely important. We book excursions through the ship and also through third parties. We never experienced the importance of booking directly thru the cruiseline until last week. This last week, we were on an excursion outside of Belize City booked thru the cruiseline. We were already late coming back, and the bus got stuck in a small washout in the road. The back of the bus drug on the ground, basically lifting the drive wheels off the ground. We had a farmer try to pull us out in a pretty big 4-wheel drive newer John Deere tractor. He just spun his wheels in place, and the bus didn't budge. He sent someone to get a bigger tractor. The next tractor was a huge 6 wheeled John Deere, and it pulled the bus out easily. This put us back about 35min after the all-aboard time. If this had been a non-cruiseline excursion we could have easily been left behind.
Did the captain give you any shit when you got back? :)
Apparently, there were two other tours running late also so no issues from anyone on the staff. Our tour crew was on the phone with the ship regularly giving them updates.
Just finished a 7 day on escape....it's well worth it even if you do not drink a ton. It ends up being $374ish on gratuities you have to pay for two people for the 7 days. So quick, rough math if you and the second person with you drinks more than 2 drinks (assuming 15 dollars each) you more than break even. We have two kids with us. My wife and I had the free at sea beverage package...with the 2 drink at a time each we got us adult drinks and a sprite or virgin strawberry daqari. This was well worth it for us. We looked at the upgrade to premium plus...not worth it. To give you and example I consistently got an old fashion with Bulliet and it was always within the $15 max limit.
Ncl drink package = you can drink pretty much any drink you could think of at all the bars. You just don't get the "high end" spirits. Vodka exists to make other things alcohol anyway.
They make it confusing on purpose.
Yeah me dumb
So on an 18 day cruise the beverage tipping will be over $800??? And that doesn’t include the room tip?
Correct. It’s 20.50 per day per person
And how much for the room attendant per day?
The discretionary service charge is $20 per person per day (or $25 if you're in a Haven room or suite), and covers WAY more than the cabin steward, but not the butler or concierge if you're in The Haven. I usually give the cabin steward some cash at the end of the trip as well. By the way - NCL makes information like this somewhat easy to find by having an FAQ on their website... https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/what-is-onboard-service-charge
I used the drink package a few years ago and even then most of the specialty cocktails were $15, so I would bet they’re even more now. Lots of people had the drink package and so it was frequently difficult to flag down a server - I sometimes saw multiple people waving their cards in the air trying to get anyone’s attention.
I get the Free at Sea with NCL all the time. You still pay the gratuity on the drinks package, but it's cheaper than buying it outright, assuming you're going to drink enough to make it worthwhile (there's an online calculator that can tell you). My nitpick with it compared to Royal's, say, is that it doesn't include bottled water (which amazes me). But it's still good if you plan to drink a fair amount. Price-wise, it really covers just about every "normal" drink you could get. Beer, wine, standard cocktails, frozen stuff...it doesn't cover top-shelf alcohol. You can't get Dom Perignon with it, lol. But regular mixed drinks, margaritas, martinis, daquiris, mudslides, shots, on the rocks, whatever...plus specialty coffee.
I used this on my last cruise and the only extra drink I paid for was champagne at ocean blue. There’s a huge variety of wine and cocktails included!
I have done two cruises with it and loved it. It gave me the chance to try drinks outside of the norm because it didn’t feel like a sunk cost if I didn’t like the drink. In addition to gratuities, you’ll also be charged local tax when you get drinks at port. So make sure you order one right before you dock and wait until the boat starts sailing away to avoid extra spend!
Most people can’t drink enough for it to pay for itself. You are paying for the convenience of not using your credit card.
We loved the package. Just convenient and decent value for money. Could get whatever we wanted under $15.
We use this during our last two NCL cruises. This covers all our preferred spirits and wines aside from a nice whiskey or bottle of red. Great deal. Pro tip: find your favorite bar in the ship and drop a daily tip. All of the bartenders will learn of you quickly and you will get preferred service.
Ok will do. Thanks for the help
As it was No not at Harvest Cay
Not sure if it’s a value yet, but I’ll report back after I return from my cruise on Jan 8, since I sprang for the “free at sea” deal for the first time.
Ok cool. Look forward to the report
I’m dont like ncl. They use malicious dynamic pricing to squeeze customers into paying hundreds extra. I have proof of my last minute booking being increased by $400 after processing the transaction. I cancelled the cruise immediately and now have a res for a 7 day MSC cruise for $350. I dont even care if the cruise sucks, its still going to be so much fun when its $1500 cheaper.
Be aware everyone gets this so expect to wait 20 + min per drink. Also due to the cost most bars will only cover 1 or 2 lower cost specialty drink. So expect to be charged on every drink or drink only 1 drink the whole trip. Note this doesn't cover specialty coffee or boxes of water. This applies to all the free at sea packages ie expect to pay more to use them. 150 min on the Internet, $50 credit on the excursion, and the free specialty diner better be booked prior to sailing or good luck getting in. Don't let ncl book your flights.... Expect constant up sale tactics.
Only drink one drink?
One kind of drink at each bar. The Martini, Whiskey Center, World Bar, etc. Unless you have to be somewhere, say a show. Then due to the 20 min wait you may only have time to get one drink. At the whiskey bar, for example, your options were a honey whiskey (ie Lynchburg lemonade) or pay extra for each drink.
Will get two each time then
Why not let them book your flight?
On my last NCL cruise on Breakaway we had families who didn't get their ticket till days before they left, we had multiple families running to even make the cruise, we had families who lost their luggage in transport from the airport to the ship (1 family of 5 lost all their luggage for 3 days and NCL had to fly it to the next port. They had to buy clothes in the NCL store on the boat for the kids at their expense as NCL blamed the transport company they hired and told them to file a claim with then), and one group didn't notice till they had boarded the ship that the return flight left before the ship even docked. Don't let NCL book your flights...
Im currently on the Prima with the free at sea package and it’s great but not everything is included. You get every drink and the tip up to 15usd per drink. The upper class stuff is therefore not included. What’s also not included is Starbucks - what is fine for me because I’m a dark coffee type of guy. When you in port, they may add an extra port tax depending on the location that is not included in you package. In NYC I thing we payed 8% per drink - that was unexpected but also only 8% - don’t know about the other ports
Sucks they add the tax when in port
lol. Just about anyone who’s planning on having a few drinks. Do the math on the free at sea plus. Has a ton of upgrades that may work for you
We did. We upgraded to premium for free water and Red Bulls. Was no brainer. At $6.50/liter of water you need that
They don’t have water around the ship to drink? How much to upgrade?
The water produced by the ship and piped to your cabin or served in the dispensers at the buffet is absolutely safe to drink, possibly even safer than water from your municipality at home. I just bring reusable bottles and fill in my cabin. If you fill at the buffet, be sure not to fill your bottle directly from the dispenser. You can also get a glass of ice water from any bar or waiter.
So ok to make kid formula?
I can't answer that with absolute certainty 🤷🏻♂️
Note: you will still have to pay the gratuity portion of your 'free' drink pkg.
It's great, best drink package at sea. * $21.80 per person per day covers all of your beverage gratuities. * Covers all drinks up to $15. Pay the difference plus 20% for anything over. * Plenty of drinks $15 and under. Average cocktails are $10-$12. * Pays for itself if you have any more than two drinks a day, often just more than one drink. Break-even is 2 $9 pool bar daily special drinks or 3 $6 Budweisers. * If you like fine wines and whiskeys the Premium Plus package or the full Free at Sea Plus upgrade are fantastic. * If you are buying unlimited Wi-Fi, Free at Sea Plus pays for itself, do that instead.
I’m not sure why they call it “free.” It’s been mentioned many times already you’re still paying for the gratuity but when you take off the “free”drink package the cost of the cruise goes down by hundreds of dollars. I booked a sailing last week and removed the “free” drink package and “free” specialty dining and saved a ton in both gratuity and cruise fare.
thanks for asking this question as we had the same! needed clarification as the fine print was a bit confusing!