This big ship cruise line will now include more dining, drinks and Wi-Fi in its cruise fares
It's the end of an era. After years of offering variations on its Free at Sea booking perks promotion, Norwegian Cruise Line is sunsetting its signature offering of included drink packages, Wi-Fi, shore excursions and specialty restaurant dining.
But don't be sad. The cruise line wants to offer its guests "More at Sea."
That's right, as part of an overarching brand repositioning, Norwegian is embracing the concept of MORE: more to do on board, more to see on vacation and more value.
As part of this rebranding, NCL is swapping out its longstanding Free at Sea booking promotion for a More at Sea booking promotion, offering guests the same categories of freebies but now with more included.
But is there a catch?
More at Sea perks
"Free at Sea has been part of our lexicon for a long time; it served us well," David Herrera, Norwegian Cruise Line president, told TPG in an exclusive interview. "This is the next evolution. This is the opportunity to upgrade from Free at Sea."
That upgrade translates into more complimentary amenities included in every booking, starting with bookings made Oct. 1 for cruises departing on or after Jan. 1, 2025.
Now, when you book a cruise, Norwegian Cruise Line will include the following More at Sea perks:
- Upgraded beverage package, which will cover premium beverage brands and more than 100 specialty cocktails. The cruise line is getting rid of the existing Unlimited Open Bar and Premium Plus beverage packages for a new drink package featuring 45% more beverage brands across all drink types.
- Additional specialty dining meals on weeklong or longer cruises, including up to three appetizers and three desserts per person, per meal. Passengers booked into balcony cabins will receive one meal on three-night sailings, two on four- to six-night cruises, three on seven-night cruises, four on eight- to 11-night voyages and five on 12-night cruises. Guests in inside and outside cabins will receive a reduced number of meals.
- More Wi-Fi minutes for a total of 75 to 150 minutes of Starlink Wi-Fi for every passenger (depending on cruise length).
Norwegian will continue to offer a $50 shore excursion credit per port for the first guest on the reservation, complimentary airfare for the second guest and free third and fourth guest fares on select voyages when sharing a cabin with two paying guests.
Passengers can opt out of the beverage package and specialty restaurant meals if they so choose.
(Pro tip from Herrera: "If you have more than two drinks a day, it doesn't make sense [to opt out of the drink package]. You should take the More at Sea beverage package; it is a better deal.")
Guests booked on cruises through 2024 will still receive their Free at Sea perks before that offer disappears. Passengers previously booked on 2025 sailings will receive the Free at Sea perks available when they put down a deposit but will be upgraded to the new More at Sea beverage package at no additional cost.
More than just More at Sea
Other changes will help travelers get more from their cruise experience while making the pricing structure (and your bottom line) more transparent.
For example, specialty dining fees will revert from a la carte pricing to a flat-fee cover charge, also beginning Jan. 1, 2025.
"It's just easy," says Herrera. "It's clear. If you want to go back to that same restaurant you went to two nights ago, you know exactly what you're paying." You don't have to add up the separate prices of an appetizer, entree and dessert to know how much you'll spend on a meal.
Beverage prices will be standard across drink types, so one glass of wine will cost the same as another, and cocktails won't span a wide range of prices.
To give guests more to do on board, Norwegian is revising its entertainment offerings to focus on musical productions with mass appeal, whether new or reimagined shows, and is increasing entertainment and activity options beyond the theater.
The line will also introduce a new mobile app before the end of 2024. The app should facilitate the cruise check-in process and provide an easier-to-access onboard bill and restaurant, show and shore excursion bookings.
Want more itinerary options? In 2026, NCL will send its 20-ship fleet on a larger variety of short cruises and a greater range of cruise lengths in Europe. It will offer plenty of warm-weather beachy sailings and voyages to far-flung destinations such as Alaska and Asia.
Does More at Sea mean more expensive?
You don't need a business school degree to figure out that if a cruise line is adding more inclusions in its base price, then its cruise fares will likely increase.
When asked how the More at Sea rebrand would impact vacationers' bottom lines, Herrera said that NCL cruisers are more concerned with value and simplicity than nickel and diming.
"When people look at Norwegian Cruise Line as an option, they're not looking for a low-cost provider," Herrera says. "They're looking for an elevated experience, and they want ease of use. They want transparency in pricing, and part of our strategy is not only to be genuine and transparent but to reinforce that there's value there. This is literally the direction that a lot of our travel partners told us to take: Make it more inclusive, charge a little bit more, but people will pay for it."
How much more More at Sea fares will cost is still to be determined, as the pricing wasn't available at the time of publication. But Herrera is optimistic that today's travelers prefer the simplicity of knowing how much they're spending over adding up disparate trip costs to save a few dollars. That transparency and ease are as much a part of the value proposition as all the included amenities.
"Everyone feels great when they get off a great vacation, but they feel even better when they feel like they got a great value," said Herrera.
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