The days of worrying about adding a drink package, specialty dining, and other extras to your cruise fare are over—at least for one cruise line!
Norwegian Cruise Line has upgraded their popular "Free at Sea" program to offer a more enhanced and streamlined experience for passengers. From premium cocktails to delicious specialty dining, Norwegian is honing in on the concept of "MORE," focusing on more onboard offerings, more places to explore, and more value.
"More at Sea" means that guests will have more complimentary amenities included, starting with reservations made on October 1 for cruises departing on or after January 1, 2025.
"This has been one of the most exciting journeys we've been on at NCL – always looking to further and genuinely understand what our guests value most during their cruise," said David J. Herrera, president of Norwegian Cruise Line.
"It will deliver a best-in-class upgraded experience with more variety, choice and value to enhance the guest vacation, including more premium beverage options to choose from, more opportunities to experience our specialty dining restaurants, more connectivity with Starlink's high-speed Wi-Fi, and so much MORE!"
Here's everything you need to know about the exciting changes coming with this revamped program.
Read more: 60 Best Norwegian Cruise Line Tips, Tricks & Hacks
Expanded perks
Starting today, all NCL cruises departing January 1, 2025, and after will include the following:
- Unlimited premium spirits, cocktails, wines, draft beers, juices, and soda. New brands include Casamigos, Grey Goose, Makers Mark, and more. Note that Starbucks and bottled water will not be included in the "More At Sea" drink package.
- Additional specialty dining meals on cruises 7 nights and longer, including up to three appetizers and three desserts per person, per meal. Up to 5 meals per passenger booked in a balcony cabin and above on sailings 12+ nights.
- 150 minutes of Starlink Wi-Fi for every guest on sailings 7 nights or longer. 75 minutes of Wi-Fi for those on cruises 6 nights or less.
- $50 shore excursion credit per port for the first passenger only.
- Complimentary airfare for the second guest.
- Free third and fourth passengers on select voyages when sharing a stateroom with two paying guests.
Like "Free at Sea," cruisers can opt out of the drink package and specialty dining meals when making their reservation.
No changes will be made to sailings in 2024
"More at Sea" doesn't go into effect on sailings until January 1, 2025, so if you have a Norwegian cruise booked in October, November, or December, you'll enjoy the existing perks offered under the "Free at Sea" program.
Passengers who've already booked an NCL cruise in 2025 will also receive the same "Free at Sea" perks; however, they'll be upgraded to the new "More at Sea" drink package for no extra cost.
However, they can switch to the new package by re-pricing their cruise, so as long as it's at least 120 days before their sailing date.
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The "More at Sea" Beverage Package is replacing NCL's Unlimited Open Bar and Premium Plus Packages
Starting in 2025, Norwegian will offer just one alcoholic drink package, aligning with cruise lines like Royal Caribbean and Carnival, which do not offer tiered packages. The "More at Sea" Beverage Package will feature 45% more beverage brands across all drink types and eliminate the $15 drink cap. In total, there are over 100 cocktails to choose from, as well as unlimited soft drinks and juices.
Beverages not included in the "More at Sea" Beverage Package are part of the Connoisseur Collection. Any guest with the "More at Sea" Package will get $15 off the retail value of drinks in the collection.
It's applicable for all passengers over the age of 21 on the same reservation when the first and second guests select the package.
Read more: 19 Tips and Tricks About Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Package
Simplifying the specialty dining experience
"More at Sea" isn't exclusive to cruise fares. Following guest feedback, Norwegian is overhauling its á la carte specialty dining pricing with a flat cover charge for cruises beginning on January 1, 2025, ranging from $40 to $60 per person:
- Steak, Teppanyaki, French, and Seafood: $60/person.
- Brazil, Asian, Food Republic, and Sushi: $50/person.
- Italian, BBQ, Pincho, and Mexican: $40/person.
In comparison, Surf & Turf at Cagney's Steakhouse currently costs $55. Combined with a Caesar Salad, you're looking at spending at least $64 on one specialty meal, sans dessert!
Revised entertainment offerings
Norwegian is also changing its entertainment lineup, focusing on musical productions with mass appeal and more entertainment and activity options outside the main theater.
They've already begun to work toward achieving this goal, with the unveiling of "Revolution: A Celebration of Prince" onboard Norwegian Aqua in 2025. Similarly, "Elements," a show that blends acrobatics and magic, will be reimagined as "Elements: The World Expanded," to showcase even more unexpected features.
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New mobile app
Norwegian will also launch a new mobile app by the end of the year. Designed to streamline the guest experience beginning before they even step foot onboard, the new application will help simplify the cruise planning process.
From offering guests an easier check-in experience to an enhanced reservation system for onboard dining, shore excursions, and entertainment and an easier-to-access folio view of all onboard purchases, the app aims to make every aspect of the cruise more convenient and enjoyable.
Read more: 9 Easy Norwegian Cruise Line Tips you should try
Norwegian isn't worried about cheap fares
"We have invested a lot of time listening to our guests and our travel partners…and we've found that what they want is to see more, do more and enjoy more when they vacation with us," said Herrera.
NCL is confident that today's cruisers value the simplicity of understanding their total expenses upfront, rather than trying to tally up various add-ons.
With this change, Norweigan aims to elevate the cruising experience and ensure travelers can focus on creating lasting memories, whether onboard a short cruise to The Bahamas or port-intensive sailing around Europe.
Elizabeth Wright
Elizabeth graduated from New York University's Arthur L. Carter Journalism Institute with her M.A. in Journalism in May 2023. Growing up, she had the privilege of traveling frequently with her family and fell in love with cruising after sailing on the Oasis of the Seas her freshman year of high school. She wanted to pursue a career that highlighted her passion for travel and strengths as a writer.
