The NCL More at Sea promotion debuted on October 1, 2024 after years of the popular Free at Sea promotion giving cruisers just one more reason to sail with Norwegian Cruise Line. The More at Sea promo has induced a lot of confusion and dissatisfaction with many cruisers. Change is hard and not necessarily a good thing for those of us that found significant value in the Free at Sea promo. I wanted to share details on the More at Sea promotion as well as some of the key differences between the More at Sea promo and the former Free at Sea promo.
What is the NCL More at Sea promotion?
More at Sea is a promotion cruisers can choose during booking. It includes offers such as the new Unlimited Open Bar package, upgraded specialty dining package, free wifi, excursion credits for guest 1 and may include 3rd & 4th guests sail free and free airfare for the 2nd guest on certain sailings. Unlimited Open Bar and Specialty Dining requires guests to pay a fee on each package if selected. The former Free at Sea promotion offered similar benefits except the Ultimate Beverage Package was included instead of the new Unlimited Open Bar and guests were paying the cost of gratuities for each package instead of a set fee.
**You can opt out of the promotional packages if desired.
If you just want to see a comparison of More at Sea and Free at Sea, scroll down to a comparison chart.
One of the biggest differences will be the guest cost for the packages. The Unlimited Open Bar and Specialty Dining packages are included free with the promo, but cruisers will have to pay a fee on the price of the package.
For example on a 7-night cruise sailing in 2025*:
- The Ultimate Beverage Package (Free at Sea) gratuities cost was $152.60
- The Unlimited Open Bar package (More at Sea) the fee is $210
- The Specialty Dining package (Free at Sea) for 1 specialty dining was $11.80
- The Specialty Dining package (More at Sea) for 1 specialty dining the fee is $20
*Rates vary based on sailing length
The cost per person has gone up significantly. Now, you do get More included with the updated packages. Only paying $210 for 7 nights of unlimited alcoholic drinks (plus soda and juice) is still a great value in itself. It was just a better value with Free at Sea IF you didn’t want premium beverages. You will not pay gratuities or tax on beverages purchased as part of the More at Sea Unlimited Open Bar promotion while sailing. Once you’ve purchased the package, you won’t have additional fees.
Beverage package fee pricing:
- 3-7 nights: $30 per person, per day
- 8-11 nights: $27 per person, per day
- 12+ nights: $23 per person, per day
As mentioned, you can choose to not have the beverage package and/or the specialty dining package promotions included with your cruise. You can pay for beverages individually at the prevailing rate. You’ll be responsible for the cost of the beverage plus 20% gratuity. You will also be required to pay tax or VAT on the beverage price when at port. This is important to factor into your budget if you select against the More at Sea Unlimited Open Bar package promotion.
If guests choose to add the package later, the cost of purchasing the Unlimited Open Bar package onboard is $89 per person, per day + taxes and 20% gratuity. Only paying the set fee on the package as part of the More at Sea promotion is a great value.
I also believe it’s worth keeping the specialty dining package promotion if your budget allows for the fee cost. The specialty restaurants are great on NCL and I recommend trying one or more on your cruise. The current cover charges for specialty dining purchased onboard (not part of the More at Sea promo) are listed below. The rates listed do not include the additional 20% gratuity.
Specialty restaurant cover charges are as follows:
- Steak, Teppanyaki / Hasuki, French, and Seafood have a $60 cover charge.
- Brazil, Asian, Food Republic, and Sushi have a $50 cover charge.
- Italian, BBQ, Pincho, and Mexican have a $40 cover charge.
NCL More at Sea Benefits:
Now that we’ve discussed the basics and costs involved, lets talk about the NCL More at Sea benefits.
The new Unlimited Open Bar is exactly what the name implies. You get unlimited alcoholic beverages. The package includes premium cocktails, wine and liquor without a cap associated with the drink cost. The Ultimate Beverage Package (Free at Sea) capped beverages at $15. If you wanted premium liquor or wine, you would have been charged the amount above $15 plus gratuity. If the glass of wine cost $18, you would pay $3 plus gratuity on the $3. That is no longer the case, so people that are purchasing premium beverages won’t have to worry about additional costs. Personally, I was satisfied with the beverages I could get for $15. I may like premium, but I wasn’t going to pay extra for it. The More at Sea Unlimited Open Bar package will include over 100 cocktails in the package. The NCL Unlimited Open Bar Drink list has been published to show brands included in the package.
Unlimited soda and juice are also included with the package. It doesn’t include bottles of water nor Starbucks. You can purchase bottled water and Starbucks packages if desired.
There will still be a select amount of top-tier options not included in the package depending on the sailing. The Connoisseur Collection consists of beverages that are not included in the More At Sea™ Beverage Package. Any guests with More At Sea™ will receive $15 off the retail value of drinks in the Connoisseur Collection. The Connoisseur Collection will include high dollar wines, for instance.
The Specialty Dining Package has also been enhanced. First, the package now includes up to 3 appetizers and 3 desserts. I will say that we ordered multiple apps with the specialty dining included with Free at Sea and never had a problem or additional charge. The new package officially allows up to 3 apps and desserts and 1 main entree. There has also been an increase in the number of specialty dining meals included with More at Sea based on room category and sailing length. For instance, the Free at Sea package allowed for 2 specialty dining meals during a 7-night sailing in a suite. The More at Sea promo allows for 3 meals on a 7-night with a balcony or above. See the More at Sea chart for details.
The wifi package has charged to allow all guests in the stateroom the wifi benefit instead of just guests 1 & 2 as with the Free at Sea promo. All ships are also being upgraded with Starlink to provide faster wifi service. A significant downgrade is that sailings over 7 nights don’t see an additional benefit of more included minutes.
There were no changes with Excursions credits. Only guest 1 will receive the $50 discount per excursion. This is a great added benefit if you are purchasing excursions through NCL. If purchasing 2 excursions, guest 1 will save $100 total.
A negative for many cruisers is that Free at Sea Plus is no longer available. Free at Sea Plus included premium beverages, unlimited wifi and more. NCL believes that guests will prefer to upgrade packages such as wifi individually and it will save customers money. I’m not sure if this is true, but the option is no longer available regardless.
Those having already purchased Free at Sea Plus will be refunded. You will now have the Unlimited Open Bar package (same as More at Sea), but will still receive the 2 additional specialty dining, additional $50 excursion credit per tour and unlimited wifi. This is only for those that previously purchased Free at Sea Plus. It’s not available for new bookings.
When is More at Sea Available?
Reservations made on or after October 1, 2024 for sailings starting January 1, 2025 will get the More at Sea promotion. Reservations made before October 1, 2024 will keep the Free at Sea promotion BUT will get the benefit of Unlimited Open Bar for no additional cost. This is a huge savings! Other Free at Sea benefits obtained during booking will remain the same. If you reprice the reservation, you will be required to move to More at Sea so consider the fee increase if you notice a lower price on your upcoming sailing. As a travel advisor, I continue to check cruise rates and reprice to save clients money. The additional gratuities of over $130 for 2 guests depending on cruise length and stateroom category will need to be factored into the repricing cost. Especially since the Unlimited Open Bar is being offered without the additional expense. Sailings in 2024 will continue with the Free at Sea promotion.
What do you think of the More at Sea promotion? Do you believe you are getting More for your money?
See more of the promotional FAQ’s here.
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