Newbie - NCL Alaska (Pearl) in July - My total cost including hidden fees will be?

Totally lost here as a newbie.. trying to figure out the final cost figure for booking a July cruise on the Pearl. We're trying to get two other couples to come along with us, and I'm trying to get them the cost of going.

My travel agent is listing the Inside Stateroom for $1,099. I would like to get the free at sea package to pay the gratuities up front for my wife and I... so from what I understand this is around $200 for the 7-day cruise and that will cover our alcohol with the free at sea deal (anything under $15).

Not including our airfare, hotel stays, and port excursions, this is what I expect to pay for the trip where trip = boat ride + food:

($1099 x 2) + (~$200) = ~$2400

What else do I need to account for here in the cost of the trip? I know I'm missing a lot

Does that price you have listed include the port tax and fees?

There will be gratuities for the cabin stewards and dining room waiters -- have you added them in?

What about if you decide to eat in a specialty restaurant>

Tips for tour guides and bus drivers?

This is just us - but at the end of the cruise we give extra tips to those whom we felt made our cruise an enjoyable one.

First, we are not allowed to name or discuss travel agents on Cruise Critic.

Second, there are NO HIDDEN FEES. We have been on 18 cruises, and have never been surprised by a "hidden fee". A little research will find all that cost extra. It is not a secret. I would suggest some research on the portion of Cruise Critic devoted to NCL, located here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

Sorry, new here and was not aware of the rule.

The Boards are a little overwhelming and I was just trying to get a straight answer as opposed to digging through posts that can be hit or miss.

How much cash should I bring for tips? Yowza, I didn't realize that everyone has their hand in the gratuities. Is there a cruise line that just offers a more expensive package where tipping is not required due to it being included in the price? Maybe I should move to Europe where tipping is not really a thing :D

How much cash should I bring for tips? Yowza, I didn't realize that everyone has their hand in the gratuities. Is there a cruise line that just offers a more expensive package where tipping is not required due to it being included in the price? Maybe I should move to Europe where tipping is not really a thing :D

On NCL there is no extra tipping needed. You are prepaying your DSC (daily service charge) so you will not have to pay this again.

You have the Beverage package, so you have your head around the 18% gratuity that is tacked on (your $100 per person). I'm not sure you are picking the dining package but there will be a tax on that as well.

Just make sure that the price quoted by the travel agent does include the PORT FEES and TAXES. That is all you pay.

Now you might like to purchase things on board, budget for that. You might like to purchase some of the photos that they will be taking of you around the ship. You might want to get a drink that is over the $15 beverage limit and you'd pay the difference. Do you think you want to use the internet while on board, this is another expense. But ALL OF THESE THINGS ARE OPTIONAL and you can budget for them but don't need to if they are not things you want. There is a room service charge outside of the continental breakfast that is free until 10 a.m. but again this is not something you need to have. NCL has a 24 hour restaurant and the buffet has late hours as well.

The spa will have services for a fee and there are some fitness classes that have fees, but not all of them. They will be marked in the Freestyle Daily (program listing of all activities).

So, no not everyone will have their hand out. IF you do find someone who is deserving and you feel you'd like to acknowledge their service you can give extra cash or better yet... on NCL fill out a Hero Card and this will go into the employees work file and they can earn extra perks.

Awesome - thank you

Sorry, new here and was not aware of the rule.

 

The Boards are a little overwhelming and I was just trying to get a straight answer as opposed to digging through posts that can be hit or miss.

The value to doing some research on the NCL board is that you will learn tons about the cruise line, get more excited and develop more questions. That research will also educate you, which will prevent the perception of "hidden charges".

On NCL there is no extra tipping needed. You are prepaying your DSC (daily service charge) so you will not have to pay this again. ...

In re-reading the original post, I'm not sure if the $200 is the DSC or the 18% gratuity on the UBP.

Is the OP getting two perks? One being prepaid gratuities and one being the UBP?

I'm not sure the OP realizes that a Daily Service Charge (gratuities for steward, waiters, and others) is automaically billed each day to the shipboard account so needs to be part of the budget. I only see the 18% gratuities on the UBP being prepaid by OP.

I do agree that OP needs to make sure the quoted fare includes GOVT FEES and PORT charges. Quoted fares rarely include these and can easily add another $200 or so per person.

Since you are prepaying the tips (Daily service charge), and you're getting the drink package where tips are added to the cost, the only other tips expected will be for "room service delivery" if you use that...or for porters, cabs, etc.... you've done your duty for those on the ship.

Additional charges (if you use them) are specialty restaurants, shopping, Bingo, gambling, spa services, photos....excursions.

Get a guidebook on your ports, and you may find that what you want to do is easily done on your own!

Just figure about double and then be surprised if it's not. Our vacation, 21 days, a trip around the Horn for 14 days cost around 10K.

Since you are getting the beverage package, remember that in all U.S. ports you will be charged the sales tax on the drinks. This is NOT covered in the gratuity you pay for the package. When you are in international waters or ports, you will not pay the tax.

According to this NCL link: https://www.ncl.com/cruise-deals/choice tips are not included in the Ultimate Beverage Package. The package is valued at $79 per person, per day and the tip is 18%.

$79 x 18% = $14.22 per person per day for the beverage package.

In addition, a service charge of $13.95 per person per day is also applied to your on board account.

So, $14.22 + $13.95 = $28.17 per person per day.

$28.17 x 7 days x 2 people = $394.38.

Any other purchases you make on board like excursions, speciality dining, spa, photography, shops, casino, massages...etc are all up to you.

FYI - Port fees and taxes were difficult to find on the NCL site. I would estimate about an extra $200 per person.

According to this NCL link: https://www.ncl.com/cruise-deals/choice tips are not included in the Ultimate Beverage Package. The package is valued at $79 per person, per day and the tip is 18%.

 

$79 x 18% = $14.22 per person per day for the beverage package.

 

In addition, a service charge of $13.95 per person per day is also applied to your on board account.

 

So, $14.22 + $13.95 = $28.17 per person per day.

 

$28.17 x 7 days x 2 people = $394.38.

 

Any other purchases you make on board like excursions, speciality dining, spa, photography, shops, casino, massages...etc are all up to you.

 

FYI - Port fees and taxes were difficult to find on the NCL site. I would estimate about an extra $200 per person.

The 18% gratuity on the Beverage Package is just under $100 per person for the week. (As already stated above). So for one C-note you can drink all you want for free if the drinks are under $15 and if they are over that you just pay the difference.

Since you are getting the beverage package, remember that in all U.S. ports you will be charged the sales tax on the drinks. This is NOT covered in the gratuity you pay for the package. When you are in international waters or ports, you will not pay the tax.

Interesting. We had the UBP on our cruise from LA, and we drank quite a bit before the ship even sailed. Paid nothing.

I know when we sailed from Galveston, there were a lot of weird drink rules that I never understood.

Since you are prepaying the tips (Daily service charge), and you're getting the drink package where tips are added to the cost, ...!

The prepaid gratuities that the OP is paying is not the Daily Service Charge but the 18% prepaid gratuities on the UBP.

OP has an inside cabin which only gets one perk. OP chose UBP so is prepaying the 18% gratuities on it. Not the DSC.

As cbr663 showed, in order to prepay both the DSC and the gratuities on UPB, OP should be prepaying $395 not just the $200 shown by OP.

Heya! I have always found it incredibly frustrating when a cost pops up that I didn't account for... not because I don't want to pay but just because I don't like surprises!

I made an infographic of all of the extra costs that I have encountered while cruising. http://cruisingisntjustforoldpeople.co.uk/2016/12/27/infographic-the-hidden-costs-of-cruising/ I hope that you will find this of use. I did my best to include everything that I could think of :)

I personally find cruise critic a little over whelming with so many people saying different things. So I made it into a picture :) there's a lot of other NCL specific information on that link aswell.

(I paid extra port tax on a drink in Miami)

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Our 21 day vacation with a 14 day cruise averaged around $475.00/ day when you include every dime we spent. Airfare was high as the cruise to get to SCL and back from Rio to IAD We stayed in a nice motel on each end, not 5 star but very nice for around $125/night. I spent $20 on the Lotto but no other gambling and 3 or 4 mixed drinks for my wife.