Sunday, 6 October 2024
by BD Banks
Norwegian Cruise Line is betting on more. With its new brand positioning, MORE, the cruise line has set out to elevate the cruise experience for its passengers by giving them more premium inclusions and value in their cruise vacations.
As of Oct. 1, any Norwegian cruise reservation for a 3+ day sailing Jan. 1, 2025 and beyond is eligible to receive “More At Sea,” an upgraded version of the cruise line’s “Free At Sea” package. More At Sea offers an expanded beverage package, more included specialty dining meals, and enhanced WiFi, along with other benefits.
Related: Top travel agents share how to get the best price on your cruise
Of course, more perks will mean an increase in cruise prices.
Come Cruise With Me’s travel agent partners PostCard Travel Planning compared prices between a seven-night cruise with the previous Free At Sea package booked on Sept. 30 and the same cruise with the new More At Sea package booked on Oct. 3.
They found the additional beverage and specialty dining inclusions increased the total cruise price for two passengers traveling in the same balcony stateroom by about $200.
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Image source: Richard Tribou/Orlando Sentinel/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
With Norwegian’s More At Sea, passengers sailing on a seven-night or shorter cruise will pay $30 per person per day for the enhanced Unlimited Open Bar package. Passengers on sailings of eight to 11 nights will pay $27 per person per day, and on 12+ night cruises, they will pay $23 per person per day. The previous Free At Sea beverage package cost passengers $21.80 per day.
Adding more value to justify the price increase, the new package offers more inclusions and fewer restrictions than most cruise line beverage packages. And it costs significantly less.
Related: Royal Caribbean has a beverage package policy you won’t like
Beverage packages are usually expensive cruise add-ons. Some cruise lines limit how many drinks passengers can order per day and they typically set a price cap for included beverages too.
Princess Cruises limits alcoholic drinks to 15 beverages per 24-hour period with its packages. The cruise line’s Plus Beverage Package, which costs $64.99 per day, caps the drink price at $15. Its Premier Beverage Package, which costs $84.99 per day, includes top-shelf premium beverages priced up to $20.
(The 15-drink limit applies to all Carnival-owned brands).
Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Beverage Package does not have a daily drink limit but it only includes beverages priced up to $14. Prices for the package vary by sailing, averaging around $70 – $105 per day.
Related: Royal Caribbean brings back a Deluxe Beverage Package deal
Norwegian’s More At Sea beverage package does not cap the number of drinks passengers can order. It also does away with the previous package’s $15 price limit for included beverages.
This doesn’t mean Norwegian cruisers can go wild with unlimited drinks though. The ship’s staff may refuse to serve alcoholic beverages to any passenger who does not consume alcohol responsibly.
The new package will also offer 45% more premium beverage brands compared to the previous Free At Sea beverage package. Featured brands include Grey Goose vodka, Casamigos Tequila, and Woodford Reserve bourbon whiskey. Passengers can choose from over 100 specialty cocktails too.
The package will include many of the premium brands provided in the cruise line’s add-on Premium Plus Beverage Package, which will no longer be offered with More At Sea. However, the More At Sea package will not include Starbucks and bottled water, which were included with Premium Plus.
Related: Norwegian Cruise Line makes big changes many don’t like
With a wide variety of premium brands and no price cap on drinks, Norwegian’s Unlimited Open Bar package appears to offer significantly more value at a lower price than Royal Caribbean’s Deluxe Beverage Package.
To simplify specialty dining, Norwegian is also swapping its specialty dining à la carte pricing for flat restaurant cover charges beginning Jan. 1, 2025.
Norwegian’s new specialty dining restaurant per-person cover charges are as follows:
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For specialty dining meals included with More At Sea, passengers will not pay the restaurant cover charges, but will pay less with a package price that varies based on stateroom category and sailing length. More At Sea dining package prices start at $20 per package for one specialty dining meal for two guests.
Passengers will pay the restaurant cover charges for any additional specialty meals beyond those included in their package.
They will also be able to order more appetizers and desserts in specialty dining restaurants with More At Sea with up to three of each included at each meal.
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