In addition to entertainment spaces, the interiors of Norwegian ships are loaded with other venues where passengers can kick back and let loose day and night. Norwegian is also heralded for kicking off the trend of more solo cabins on cruise ships. In 2010, it debuted an entire zone of small studio cabins for one — 128 in all — on its then-new, 4,070-passenger Norwegian Epic, and it has since added them to seven more new ships.
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Norwegian ships are also loaded with bars, lounges and nightclubs, including always-busy casinos. Put it all together, and you have vessels with a very lively atmosphere — particularly at night. If you had to compare Norwegian ships to something on land, you'd probably say they were like floating versions of the casino resorts you find in Las Vegas. The main difference between the Hawaii Beverage Package and NCL's normal beverage package is that the Hawaii package includes specialty coffee in the main dining rooms while the normal one does not. In addition to alcoholic beverages, the Hawaii package includes fountain soda, fresh juice, bottled water, nonalcoholic beer and specialty coffee ordered in the dining rooms only. It doesn't include specialty coffee outside the restaurants, room service, minibar purchases or vending machine purchases.
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That said, the line does offer some smaller ships that aren't quite as big and bustling as its giants. Explore more on your Central American or South American cruise by both land and sea in one seamless trip; from ancient civilizations to dramatic vistas of rushing waterfalls, Central & South America cruises make an impression. Pay airfare for one guest, and you'll automatically lock-in roundtrip flights for two.
Free Unlimited Open Bar package
Additionally, the Garden Villas on Norwegian Dawn and Norwegian Star include private outdoor dining areas and steam rooms. Norwegian appeals to vacationers who want a big-resort experience at sea with lots of options for dining and entertainment. In that, it's similar to Royal Caribbean — perhaps its closest competitor.
Who Does Free Cruise Dining Best: Royal Caribbean, Carnival or NCL? - Cruise Critic
Who Does Free Cruise Dining Best: Royal Caribbean, Carnival or NCL?.
Posted: Thu, 29 Feb 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]
The Newest Ships at Sea
Hawaii voyages aboard NCL's Honolulu-based ship, Pride of America, offer the same Free at Sea inclusions but have a beverage package perk that's a bit different from the traditional Free at Sea Open Bar package. The third guest on a reservation and beyond must purchase the Premium Plus Beverage Package if the first and second guests purchase Free at Sea Plus. They receive it at a reduced rate of $34.80 per person, per day, including gratuity. The Free at Sea promotion runs almost constantly, with the exact inclusions varying depending on which version of the promotion NCL is running at the time. Currently, you can book and receive all of the Free at Sea perks, though you can decline any you do not wish to receive. Continue below to see a list of current Norwegian Cruise Line promotions and specials.
Those cruises are a bit pricey, but look for seasonal deals in January, September and October, or early November and early December. Finding a good deal on a Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) cruise can be tricky, but it's not impossible. Just because a cruise fare says "deal" doesn't mean it's the best price out there - in fact, it often takes a lot of digging and quite a bit of math to unearth the real deals.
In general, Norwegian's newer ships including Norwegian Viva, Norwegian Prima and the Breakaway-class and Breakaway Plus-class vessels will be more expensive than the line's older, smaller ships. However, there are many factors that go into pricing for any given cruise, including the popularity of the specific itinerary, the time of year when the cruise is taking place and changing demand trends. Norwegian designs its ships to appeal to a broad mix of people, in part by offering a wide range of cabin types at varying price points. On a typical sailing, you might find an entry-level cabin for around $100 a night while a high-end suite is five to 15 times that amount. Pricing changes over time, but the fastest "premium" service on Norwegian vessels recently was priced at $39.99 per person per day, if you bought it in advance. Norwegian also offers a less expensive plan that doesn't allow video streaming for $29.99 per person per day if purchased in advance.
Harvest Caye restaurants, The Bake Shop, the Ice Cream Bar, gelato, specialty items in the Asian restaurant, Jazz Brunch, and Wine Lovers and Murder Mystery lunches are not included as part of the specialty dining packages. If you drink alcohol and plan to enjoy it during your cruise, chances are good that choosing this perk will be well worth the daily gratuity you're charged. If you don't think you'll drink $22 worth of extra-fee beverages, alcoholic or not, per day, choose another perk or flat-out decline this Free at Sea offer. Norwegian's Free at Sea promotion offers guests several perks covered by the cruise fare, with the number often dependent upon the length of the cruise and the stateroom category chosen. Cruise Critic's Deal Score will help you find the best deals on your favorite cruise line.
Elevate your cruise experience with our widest beverage selection onboard, more specialty dining, unlimited Wi-Fi and more shore excursion credits. Solo travelers paying 200% of the voyage fare qualify for free airfare when offered. You are not eligible for the free air promotion if you book at the last minute (reservations must be made more than 110 days prior to sailing to qualify) or if you choose a Sail Away (guarantee) cabin. Travelers on a tight budget who don't feel the need to take advantage of the Free at Sea perks can also consider booking a "Sail Away" (guarantee) cabin. Booking a guarantee cabin means choosing a cabin category but not a specific cabin on the ship.
The casino on Norwegian Encore has more than 300 slot machines and 26 table games (including blackjack, roulette, poker and craps), plus its own bar. You might even find Starbucks stores on some ships (the one-year-old Norwegian Prima has two!) and there are Starbucks products on every Norwegian vessel. Also, some ships have private restaurants just for passengers staying in The Haven. On some ships, you'll also find Ocean Blue, a seafood restaurant; The District Brew House, a gastropub serving craft beers; and a Mexican spot called either Los Lobos or Los Lobos Cantina. Every vessel has some sort of sushi restaurant, often called Sushi or Wasabi, and there are hibachi-style teppanyaki restaurants on nearly every Norwegian vessel. The Garden Villas also have private outdoor sun decks and courtyards with hot tubs.
Closer to the sail date, the cruise line will assign you a cabin within the chosen category. Guarantee cabins are cheaper than booking a specific stateroom and are excluded from the Free at Sea promotion. The third and fourth guests staying in a cabin will either be free or pay $99 each with the first two guests paying full fare. No deposit is required for the third and fourth guests, but they do have to pay taxes and port fees. The exact charge for these taxes and fees varies based on the cruise length and itinerary but can be over $200 per person on some seven-day voyages.
While not the biggest vessels in the Norwegian fleet, these ships will be notably packed with restaurants, bars, entertainment venues and decktop attractions. They also mark a more upscale turn for the line, with more space per passenger than earlier Norwegian ships and lots of suites. Occasionally, one of the Free at Sea perks is free airfare for the second guest on a reservation when the first guest also books airfare through Norwegian Cruise Line. This offer applies to seven-night or longer voyages and provides economy, round-trip flights from select departure gateways.
As mentioned above, the line also operates one ship (Pride of America) in Hawaii year-round. Norwegian is the world's fourth-largest cruise line by passenger capacity, with 19 ships that together offer 56,780 berths. If you want even more perks, you can upgrade to Free at Sea Plus for $49 per person, per day. If you choose to decline perks, remember that you can't transfer them to anyone else and won't receive any monetary value for giving them up. The free Wi-Fi perk does not give you unlimited internet access for the entire cruise. Instead, you get a number of free minutes, depending on the length of your sailing.
Norwegian was an early pioneer of the idea of giving cruisers lots of choices when it comes to restaurants on ships, and even its smallest vessels offer a wide range of options. During the winter, the line will move many of its vessels to North America to operate sailings to the Caribbean and Bahamas. It also sends a few ships to Asia, Australia and South America, and it'll typically keep a single vessel in Europe, too.
Enjoy exclusive savings on cruise vacations from Norwegian Cruise Line®. As of early Friday, the least expensive Bahamas sailing available on Royal Caribbean's website started at $54 a day. The least expensive Bahamas sailing on Carnival's website was priced starting at $44.75 a day. As you might expect, pricing for all ships will generally be lower during offseason periods such as September and October. Reaching the second tier, Silver (20 points), would take at the most three cruises if you're doing seven-night trips.
Dine, dance, laugh, and relax with onboard activities, premier entertainment, and unforgettable shore excursions. Get the latest cruise deals and vacation specials sent straight to your inbox. Reserve your 7+ day vacation today with reduced deposit per person. Reserve your 7+ day vacation today with a $125 deposit per person when you book a club balcony suite, balcony, oceanview or interior stateroom. As of Friday morning, Norwegian was also selling space on soon-to-depart Pacific Coast sailings for as little as $39.80 per day. If you're sure Norwegian is your line, look for a travel agent who specializes in trips with the brand.
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