Norwegian Fjords Cruise Highlights
Inhabited since the 11th Century BC, Norway is home to a plethora of history, art and culture. Explore the Viking Ship Museum in Oslo to view preserved ninth century ships, or the Heddal Stave Church in Notodden, dated to 1242. Walk through the Bergen Fish Market, be inspired by the Nobel Peace Center in Oslo, and or take in the eye-catching architecture of the Oslo Opera House.
Are Norwegian Cruise Line Drink Packages Worth It
This brings us back to the original question, are NCL drink packages a good value? That is a question that only you can answer based on your own drinking habits.
Essentially, the question should be whether you will consume enough to make the purchase worth it.;Below are the average costs of the different beverages within each category from a recent NCL drink menu. Using this chart, you can do the quick math to see if you would routinely hit the daily break-even point for the above drink packages.
| Category; | |
| Specialty; Cocktails | $12.00 |
Keep in mind that while you may not drink enough to cover the costs of buying a drink package, opting for a certain cabin selection when booking your cruise might qualify you for the Free at Sea promotion. So, paying slightly more money for an upgraded stateroom to score a free drink package might be the best bet.
Compared to the other perks, we believe opting for the drink package is the best value regardless of how much you drink.
When compared to competitor brands, Norwegian Cruise Line drink packages are not the best value. However, we do like having one for the added convenience. Further, you never have to worry about the bar tab at the end of the cruise!
How Much Does A Norwegian Cruise Cost
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 10 times that amount.
The Haven Deluxe Owners Suite with Large Balcony on Norwegian Escape for a seven-night Caribbean cruise in April 2023, for example, was going for $8,392 per person, based on double occupancy more than eight times the cost of the least-expensive inside cabin . Balcony cabins on the same sailing started at around $1,392 per person, based on double occupancy.
Note the based on double occupancy caveat in the above paragraph. As is typical for cruise lines, Norwegian charges on a per-person basis, not per room, and it prices most cabins based on two people occupying a room. It does offer some cabins for solo travelers on some ships that are priced based on single occupancy.
In general, Norwegians newer, bigger Breakaway and Breakaway Plus ships will be more expensive than the lines older, smaller vessels. But there are a lot of 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.
As you might expect, pricing for all ships generally will be lower during off-season periods such as September and October.
Related:;15 ways that first-time cruisers waste money on a cruise
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Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Partners With Miami
Positions PortMiami as a Leader in Sustainability and Creates a More Resilient Cruise IndustryMIAMI, Aug. 12, 2021 — Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. today announced it has partnered with Miami-Dade County to make its new state-of-the-art Cruise Terminal B, the Pearl of Miami, and certain homeported vessels “Shore-Power Ready” by fall 2023. The new facility, the
Oceania Cruises, the world’s leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line, revealed the restaurants and dining experiences aboard its newest ship, Vista, due to debut in early 2023.
TheStreet’s Jim Cramer looks at the impact of COVID-19 on Norwegian Cruise Line and Delta Air Lines and at the efforts of Fed Chairman Jay Powell.
Oceania Cruises Unveils Inaugural Season Voyages For Vista
Oceania Cruises, the world’s leading culinary- and destination-focused cruise line, unveiled the Inaugural Season of voyage itineraries for Vista, the line’s newest ship. The 18 Inaugural Season voyages commence in April 2023 and will span more than 24 countries across four continents, from the ancient sands of Asia in the east to the glittering hills of Hollywood in the west. Vista’s Inaugural Season voyages are now available for travelers and travel advisors to preview online at OceaniaCruises
The cruise boat industry is fighting Gov. Ron DeSantis’s ban of vaccine mandates, insisting its passenger prove vaccination.
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You Still Have To Pay Gratuity Even On Free Things
One of the biggest draws to the Norwegian sale is that you can get free open bar on your trip. With the price of alcohol on a cruise being high , having free bar privileges can be a huge money saver. Meanwhile, Norwegian charges $99 for an unlimited drink package. On a 7-day trip, thats hundred and hundreds of dollars youre saving by having it included.
But with the free drink package , you are still on the hook for gratuities. With Norwegian, thats an automatic 20% on the value of the package, or $19.80 per person, per day. For two people, thats $39.60 each day. On a 7-day cruise, a couple will end up paying nearly $300 in gratuities for your free drinks.
You can opt out of the free drink package and avoid paying the gratuities.;
How Much Norwegian Guests Will Now Be Paying
Booked guests and travel agents received notification Friday about what the line was calling a nominal adjustment being made to the daily service charges. As always, it came with the standard explanation that the discretionary daily service charges make it easy for guests to provide gratuities to key onboard staff who provide superior guest services during the cruise, including their room steward, restaurant servers and behind-the-scenes support staff.
As of April 1, the new rates will be as follows:
- $15.50 per person, per day for guests in interior, oceanview, balcony and minisuite categories, up from $15
- 18.50 per person, per day for guests in any suite or The Haven, up from $18
READ MORE: Norwegian Ship Debuts After Massive Renovation
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Norwegian Cruise Line Tests New Internet Packages
Looking ahead to a possible fleetwide rollout, Norwegian Cruise Line is testing new internet packages on current Escape and Getaway sailings.;
That option, called Social Chat, allows unlimited access to social media sites and text messaging for $35 for seven days. The second, called the Basic plan, offers Social Chat options as well as unlimited internet access and email, and costs $189 for seven days. And the Premium plan gives a guest everything in Basic along with streaming and VPN access, at $245 for seven days.;;
Currently on other ships in the fleet, Norwegian offers a number of different internet options.;;
Its unlimited package, Ultimate Cruise Plan, grants guests unrestricted internet access for $29.99 a day for sailings of 12 days or less and $24.99 per day for sailings 13-days or longer. Norwegian also offers a time plan where 100 minutes costs $75 and 250 minutes costs $125.;;
A Norwegian spokesperson told TMR that the cruise line is testing the packages based on feedback from our guests, which includes demand for social-media-only packages. There is no timetable for the rollout, however, as it is still in very early stages of testing.;;
Emergence Of Leisure Travel
Englishman in the
travel was associated with the in the âthe first European country to promote leisure time to the increasing industrial population. Initially, this applied to the owners of the machinery of production, the economic oligarchy, factory owners and traders. These comprised the new . was the first official travel company to be formed in 1758.
The British origin of this new industry is reflected in many place names. In , France, one of the first and best-established holiday resorts on the , the long esplanade along the seafront is known to this day as the ; in many other historic resorts in , old, well-established palace hotels have names like the , Hotel Carlton, or Hotel Majestic âreflecting the dominance of English customers.
In 1855, he planned his first excursion abroad, when he took a group from Leicester to to coincide with the . The following year he started his “grand circular tours” of Europe. During the 1860s he took parties to Switzerland, Italy, Egypt, and the United States. Cook established “inclusive independent travel”, whereby the traveller went independently but his agency charged for travel, food, and accommodation for a fixed period over any chosen route. Such was his success that the Scottish railway companies withdrew their support between 1862 and 1863 to try the excursion business for themselves.
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Dining On Norwegian Cruises
Dine the Way You Want We believe lunch is when you’re hungry. Same goes for breakfast and dinner. You’ll never have to drag yourself out of bed for a forced breakfast seating at 7:45 am or interrupt whatever you’re doing so you can make it to a dinner seating precisely at 5:45 pm. We also think you should eat with whomever you want so we’ll never choose your dining partners for you. Want to meet someone new? We can arrange that, too. More Restaurants Than Days of the WeekDon’t be misled by other cruise lines’ dining ‘options.’ They really come down to some fast-food choices or one big dining hall where you often have to eat with strangers. NCL has a wide variety of actual restaurants with great, new signature dishes in every one. And, with up to 13 different restaurants and dining rooms on board, like Le Bistro, NCL’s exclusive French bistro, and Cagney’s, NCL’s scrumptious steakhouse, you’ll find something to satisfy your every craving, every night of your cruise. Don’t be misled by other cruise lines’ dining ‘options.’ They really come down to some fast-food choices or one big dining hall where you often have to eat with strangers. NCL has a wide variety of actual restaurants with great, new signature dishes in every one. And, with up to 13 different restaurants and dining rooms on board, like Le Bistro, NCL’s exclusive French bistro, and Cagney’s, NCL’s scrumptious steakhouse, you’ll find something to satisfy your every craving, every night of your cruise.
Why The Timing Is Less
Gratuities are divided up among various staffers, including those who serve in main dining rooms such as The Manhattan Room.
The notification adds that guests who make a booking before March 31, 2020 will have the option of prepaying their service charges at the current rate as long as payment is made before the sail date. And of course, those whove already pre-paid the charges for an upcoming sailing wont be impacted by the change.
While the increase is, as Norwegian says, nominal, it is not likely to be well-received by cruisers. This is especially true given that even as this change is being made, new kid on the block Virgin Voyages is introducing a ship on which all gratuities are included in the base cruise fare price. Then theres the fact that the cruise industry is being hard hit, on a financial level, by coronavirus-related issues.
READ MORE: Royal Caribbean Raises Daily Gratuity Rates
In their most recent quarterly earnings report, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings president and CEO Frank Del Rio directly addressed the financial hit the company, like all others in the sector, was taking thanks to coronavirus. Weve seen a meaningful decrease in new bookings as well as cancellations, he admitted. And although he also cited early indications that the situation might be turning around, the stock stands at $37.26 per share, down from the 52-week high of $59.78.
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Airfare Is Only Free Sometimes
One of the perks that seems to come and go is free airfare to the cruise port. This perk isnt regularly offered like the others, so consider it a deal if you find it.
As you might expect, there are some caveats when it comes to free flights. Most notably, airfare charges will vary if you do have to pay something, such as when one guest is free and the other pays full price.
The price changes depending on where youre flying from. Say you live in Austin, Texas. In one case case we found the flight offered through Norwegian to a cruise departing New York was $150, with the second guest flying free, but the flight from Charlotte was just $100.
In other words, what you pay depends on where you live and where youre flying. In many cases the prices are still attractive from what we saw.
Review: Thermal Suite On Norwegian Escape
On our recent Norwegian Escape cruise, we were lucky enough to get a personal tour of the Thermal Suite but did not get to experience any of the amenities firsthand. Blog readers, and fellow cruisers,
On our recent Norwegian Escape cruise, we were lucky enough to get a personal tour of the Thermal Suite but did not get to experience any of the amenities firsthand. Blog readers, and fellow cruisers, Steven and Patricia sailed on Norwegian Escape the week before us and purchased a week pass to the Thermal Suite. They were kind enough to give us an in depth review and share their personal experiences of the Thermal Suite on Norwegian Escape. If you are sailing on this ship and considering the spa options, be sure to check out this weeks guest post.
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What The Premium Beverage Package Does Not Include
The Premium Beverage Package does not include room service, package sales, daily cocktail specials ;or buckets of beer. Also not included are the designated Super Premium brands , bottled wine, mini bar purchases, bottled water and fresh squeezed juices. ;
Lavazza coffee beverages, energy drinks and drinks from vending machines are also not part of the package. ;;
Guests are allowed to buy two beverages per person per transaction.
The good news is that you can take advantage of this package at all restaurants, lounges, bars and Great Stirrup Cay.
If you buy an item over $15 USD, the overage plus 20% gratuity and service charge will be applied to your onboard account. ;
COST:;$99 per person per day plus 20% gratuity and beverage service charge.;
Package cost for a seven-day cruise: $831.60 per person out the door.;
Ncl Cruise Ship Dining Packages
On each of its ships, NCL offers up to 28 dining options. In 2016 on all ships were introduced upgraded main dining room menus with added new menu items. The upgraded complimentary food menus offer more variety of appetizers, soups, and salads, signature entrees, desserts. New are the seafood offerings .
NCL is noted for its high-quality shipboard foods, restaurants, unique dining concepts, well-trained certified chefs-waiters-sommeliers.
- Almost all the shipboard food is made on the ship and from scratch – including all sauces, bread, pastries, and desserts.
- All ships have full-service butcheries.
- All fish is bought whole and cut and trimmed on the ship.
- Cruise Itinerary-based regional dishes and local beers and wines are always available,
- On NCL Bliss were introduced the restaurants Q and Los Lobos .
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How Much Does Norwegian Cruise Line
See Norwegian Cruise Line salaries collected directly from employees and jobs on Indeed.
Please note that all salary figures are approximations based upon third party submissions to Indeed. These figures are given to the Indeed users for the purpose of generalized comparison only. Minimum wage may differ by jurisdiction and you should consult the employer for actual salary figures.
- 4.0Productive and fun work place.we can see & visit some worlds best places It is nice to be there once in a life we can see the few world places &cites . when is not working we may go out any port, we can get some free passes for visit the Outside,it was wonderful time.thanks.Security Guard;USA ,Canada water – 10 June 2021
- 4.0A good company to work with good benefits.Company provide everything to the crew, from food to accommodation and transportation. The work ethics is good. Everything is provided by the company.Its been so fun working in the company because I learn a lot.Waitress;
Add In Transfers Between The Ship And The Airport On Both Ends
The cost of the shuttle can vary depending on the length of the trip. –
Factor in the transfer costs of the bus or taxi to get you between the airport and the ship for both embarkation and disembarkation. The cruise lines bus transfer makes sense if youre traveling alone or as a couple; if youre a group of three or four, a taxi or Uber/Lyft may be your cheapest and quickest option. Driving to the port? Figure in parking charges instead.
Estimated Cost: $20 – $100 per person
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Review Of Norwegian Cruise Line
Due to the Coronavirus crisis, NCLH’s entire fleet is with an expanded cancellation policy. All bookings on pre-scheduled itineraries were given the option to cancel without penalties.
Eventually, NCLH canceled all NCL cruises leaving between March 14, 2020, and July 2021. Operations resumed in July-August 2021.
Next are listed all NCL ships and their scheduled first departure dates/homeports in 2021 – BLISS , BREAKAWAY , DAWN , ENCORE , EPIC , ESCAPE , GEM , GETAWAY , JADE , JEWEL , JOY , PEARL , SKY , SPIRIT , STAR , SUN , PRIDE OF AMERICA .
- In late-March 2021, NCL canceled through October-November all voyages scheduled for the ships ENCORE , JEWEL , Sun , BLISS , JADE , JOY , GEM .
- In early-April 2021, NCL announced new schedules for the ships JADE , JOY and GEM . Previously the boats were planned to restart as follows – JOY , GEM , JADE . JOY’s ex-Greece program was canceled in May. GEM’s ex-Dominicana program was canceled in June.
- In late-May 2021 were canceled JOY’s Caribbean roundtrips from Montego Bay Jamaica and BLISS’ Alaskan program from Seattle .
- In late-June were delayed the restarts of 5 ships . These cancellations affected DAWN’s Mediterranean schedule and STAR’s Europe-Iceland-UK .