Back in 2017, Norwegian Cruise Line began offering Premium All-Inclusive cruising to all of their guests. This meant, depending on the grade of cabin you chose, you would receive things like drinks packages, Wi-Fi and speciality dining as part of the standard fare. However, having listened to feedback from past and potential future guests, the cruise line has announced a brand new take on their ‘Free At Sea’ offering that used to be in place.

Stating a desire to give cruisers more choice and flexibility when they decide to sail with NCL, there will now be plenty of ways to personalise your holiday experience whilst only paying for the extras that matter to you. Obviously, accommodation, standard dining, onboard entertainment and a wide range of activities like go-karting and high ropes courses (included on certain ships) will all come as part of your basic cruise fare, but there’s much more besides all that which can be added if you wish.

You’ve Got To Pick A Package Or Two

Starting at just £49pp for a cruise lasting between one and six nights, you can add on your choice of two packages from a range of options. Want to take advantage of unlimited branded alcohol? Select the Premium Beverage Package and enjoy a great selection of beers, spirits, cocktails and wines by the glass up to the value of $15 a drink. Want to stay connected with friends, family or business contacts back home? Add in the Wi-Fi Package to receive up to 250 free minutes during your cruise. Want to branch out from the standard restaurants? Take the Speciality Dining Package and savour up to five meals in selected speciality dining venues.

Also part of the options is a Shore Excursion Package and a Friends and Family Package. Choose the former and you’ll enjoy $50 worth of credit to spend on shore excursions in every port that the ship visits. Opt for the latter and, on select sailings, the third and fourth guests in your cabin will just pay the appropriate taxes.

Value Added Packs

A standard seven-night cruise will cost the base rate plus £99pp. Elect to add the Speciality Dining and Wi-Fi Packages and you can look forward to three meals in exciting themed restaurants that would normally incur a surcharge and 250 free minutes of onboard internet connectivity. That’s great value for money if you ask us. But, if neither 4G nor haute cuisine are your thing, there are many other alternatives.

On top of all this, you can also choose whether or not you want to pre-pay your gratuities (or whether to pay them at all). Some people like to know they have been accounted for and, if this is you, it’s possible to add the tips to the pre-cruise costs. Others like to tip as they go and can, therefore, choose to opt out of paying them before the trip, give gratuities to the members of crew they interact with the most, and then ask to have the overall grats removed from the final bill. Plus, if you do pay these before you sail and later change your mind, NCL will gladly refund the tips once you return from you holiday.

So, as you can see, the new Free at Sea concept gives you so many ways to customise your experience on board. It’s easy to see how a Norwegian Cruise Line sailing can be custom-built to your own requirements and how you can save yourself a great deal in the process.

If you would like to know more about the NCL Cruises we have available, you can call the Fred. Cruises team on 0800 035 0701 or contact us through the website.