Which freestyle perks are the best value to you?

[sharona211]

Have never sailed NCL before. Is there a general consensus on which are the more valuable perks of the options being offered in the current promo?

 

We got to choose 2 and I went with the drinks and dinner automatically but now I'm second guessing that. I don't drink all that much and my daughter is 14 and not a soda drinker but I will likely have a few/day and some sodas and my daughter well, not sure what is available besides soda for my daughter that would not be free without the soda package?

 

My thought in choosing the bev plan option was that this way we would not end up with a bill at the end of the cruise for whatever we do end up ordering - making our time on board much more care free... But, the 3 nights at specialty dining is valued at what? $30 per dinner X 3 each? $180? Not sure if we would use the specialty restaurants more than once if they weren't "included". We do both love a good steak but neither of us is a very adventurous eater when it comes to seafood.

 

Wondering if I should call back and ask to change it to Drinks and prepaid tips then just pay for the specialty dinners IF we use them. I know we'll get our money's worth out of the no tips perk ($13.50 X 7 X 2 = $189? do I have that right?) ...

 

It's worth noting that I'm told I will not need to pay the $99 "service charge" for the bev package because we are part of a group booking. This is the 18% gratuity that I've seen mentioned yes? It's charged up front, not as you go based on what you order?

 

The internet perk seems the least valuable at $125 per cabin but again something I know we will end up paying for and we (she) will use...

 

Curious to hear others thoughts and reasoning on why you choose the perks that you do. Value? Convenience?

Edited October 30, 2016 by sharona211

[Two Wheels Only]

Some are able to calculate such as gratuities (either $189 for 2 or $217 for 2 in a suite).

 

Others depend on how a person uses or doesn't use them.

 

For example, even though I didn't pay the 18% on the UBP, if I had to pay $99.54, it would still be a good deal for me since I would spend more than that on drinks if I didn't have the UBP. By the 2nd day, it pays for itself. :p

For those who don't drink $100 worth in a week, the UBP is worthless.

BTW, the 18% is on the package, not per drink. If yours is waived or not charged, you won't be charged on-board.

 

The SDP depends on how much someone wants to eat in a specialty restaurant and how much they order once they get there. If using the SDP on a flat cover charge restaurant like Teppanyaki, it's just comparing the cover to the per meal cost of the SDP's 18% (if it needs to be paid) to see how much is saved. If a person has no interest in the specialty restaurants, the SDP is worthless.

 

3rd and 4th free saves me (family of 4) but for a couple (2), it means nothing.

 

Wi-Fi means nothing to me since I disconnect when on vacation.

 

It all depends on the individual.

[txagfan]

UBP because I'm a drunk.

 

 

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[Buford T Justiice]

Free Gratuities for use. It's tangible

[travelerblue]

I am interested in your remark about not being charged the gratuity because you are part of a group booking. We apparently have enough people going now that we could do a group booking. We all booked with the same NCL agent (who we have used for years) and our reservations are linked so I am kind of disappointed that she didn't do this for us. I believe we can get one person for free. I wasn't terribly concerned about it until you mentioned that you don't have to pay that fee. We are all paying almost $200 for the UBP so that would save a bunch of us some money. So maybe I do need to pursue this after all.

[Nola26]

We have selected Shore Excursion credit (no longer offered) and Family Sails Free. I will respond given your circumstances since options differ.

 

1. The Prepaid Service Chargesare a good choice because that is actual money you will spend, likely close to $200 for your two passengers.

 

2. We have never visited a Specialty restaurant yet have eaten quite well on NCL. You can have a fancy dinner in a complimentary restaurant if you want that during the cruise.

 

3. The beverage package hasn't been useful for us. I have paid for maybe 2-3 beverages per cruise for my mother, far less than the fees on accepting that package. By the way we order lemonade or iced tea during dining room meals at no extra charge.

 

4. Internet package - if you're sure she'll use it this is probably a good option. We pretty much lock our phones in the safe during a cruise so it isn't an issue, even with a 14yo boy. Just give her some guidelines regarding usage to keep things in check. Also check to see what your plan covers while in port. You may want to have her wait until you're in a port to have normal use of her phone. You can also manage this by letting her know that once the credit is used her access is over to keep on budget.

 

5. Family and Friends sail free - this doesn't seem to apply for you as there are only two in your cabin, we travel as a family of 3.

 

I'm suggesting the Gratuities and Internet in your case. If having the beverage package would make the cruise more fun for you, take that instead of the Internet. It is a vacation, design it for your pleasure, not just the dollars and cents of it all. It might be fun to order a drink a day or just try some new or different things while on vacation.

 

By the way our teen spent most of the cruise at the teen club or with the friends he made there, so keep that in mind as you plan for time onboard.

[sanger727]

Value is in the eye of the beholder. Obviously the prepaid grat is the more universally useful as a charge that everyone has to pay anyway.

 

As your second one, it gets down to whether the bev plan, internet, or specialty dining has more value. As far as cost, beg plan is clearly the most expensive. But since you wouldn't buy it if it wasn't free, that's irrelevant. There's zero chance I would pay $125 for internet, but if you believe you will, the question becomes whether you will drink more than $125 between the two of you, or whether you will eat more than $125 in specialty dining. It sounds like a no to the dining since u are happy w the free options.

 

Think $125 would break down to approx 8-12 drinks over the course of the cruise, depending on what drinks you like. So, could roughly say a drink for you and a sofa for her per day. If you think you will use that or less, get the internet. If you think you will use more than that, get the drink package. The free drink options are juice and coffee at breakfast and lemonade and iced tea throughout the day. Think there may be coffee and tea available also.

 

For us, we picked the drinks and dining plan, not because of the $$ amount saved that we would have spent anyway. But just to make it more of an all inclusive feel. We will certainly use more of the drinks and specialty dining a those included than we would normally. But we didn't have prepaid grat as an option when we booked, just shore excursion credit (we prefer to do our own) and internet (which has no value, we intentionally unplug on vacation)

[sharona211]

Thanks all for the input, very helpful.

 

@Two Wheels Only the 3rd and 4th free was not available on our sailing date or we would have definitely gone with 4 in a bigger cabin with my mom and nephew. Since its not all that much cheaper to share when you're paying for all passengers, we split 2x2.

 

@travelerblue I'm not sure how the group thing works. My aunt is the one who initiated the group booking through one of the NCL agents when she realized that there was a lot of interest. I believe that instead of someone getting the free passenger credit, the plan is to have that amount split among the cabins as an on board credit. The second perk is the waiving of the service charge for those who choose the beverage or dining options. Not sure if there were other options. Maybe call and see if they can change you to a group booking? Some of our group booked online on their own and then had to be moved into the group after so it can be done.

 

@Nola26 I think I'll call tomorrow and see if I can switch the dining to the prepaid tips. I'll probably keep the beverage option just for the ease of it. If we had to pay the service charges, I probably would skip it. My daughter will have several similar age 2nd cousins to hang out with so I'm sure she won't want to spend much time with me! Fortunately I'll have cousins of my own to play with, lol.

[lenquixote66]

For me it is complimentary specialty restaurants .I do not drink alcohol or soda .I never use the internet on cruises .

[Nola26]

Thanks all for the input, very helpful.

 

 

@Nola26 I think I'll call tomorrow and see if I can switch the dining to the prepaid tips. I'll probably keep the beverage option just for the ease of it. If we had to pay the service charges, I probably would skip it. My daughter will have several similar age 2nd cousins to hang out with so I'm sure she won't want to spend much time with me! Fortunately I'll have cousins of my own to play with, lol.

 

Sounds like a good plan as the prepaid service charges are fees you will absolutely pay. Enjoy the cruise and your family time.

[katiecat]

How many cabins would be considered a group?

[mkmaj]

One thing to consider is if others in your group are doing specialty dining. If they are and you plan to dine together, then it might be worth it.

We're doing 3/4 free and UBP. We don't drink enough that paying outright for a drinks package would be a value but with the inflated drink prices I think we'd easily break $200 that is charged for the "free" one. I want to try the fun drinks without paying $15 a pop for them!

 

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[lastchamp64]

For me it is complimentary specialty restaurants .I do not drink alcohol or soda .I never use the internet on cruises .

 

This is us as well. We don't drink alcohol and only drink about one diet beverage a day. I also don't need to access the Internet. We chose the dining package and the 3rd person free perk since our daughter will be traveling with us in May.

[luckyinpa]

re: specialty dining

 

i enjoyed my teppanyaki, ocean blue and la cucina. i really dont remember all the prices i would have paid except 25 for the fish alone at ocean blue. but it was fantastic. keep in mind you can get unlimited stuff except for the main entree at the specialties. i enjoyed trying a new thing or two. i have to say that i would go back and pay cash for that fish again.

 

the free food is basically what you get at home in your local chain restaurants for the most part. i'm not evaluating which is more cost effective for you to take in a promo, just how specialty vs free was. i dont think i could live on just the free food. however since i wouldnt be paying for haven 2nd cruise, i wouldnt mind spending more on the better food.

 

i do think in your situation the free grats are the best cash deal. i had the free drink pack and thought it was nice to try new drinks, id never have gotten it if it wasnt included in my room.

[luvtheships]

I'd go with prepaid tips and free wifi. No extra charges that way for the gratuity.

 

 

 

 

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[shark with a laser]

There have been several references in this thread to free tips/free grats. The DSC is not tips and should not be thought of as such. The D stands for daily, not discretionary. The DSC is a fee that has been separated from the price of the fare so the cruise line can advertise a lower fare. It does offer a degree of flexibility to reduce or remove it if you receive abysmal service, but it is not tips, which are technically optional.

 

Referring to the DSC as tips gives cheapskates more leverage in their arguments that they will remove the DSC as they prefer to directly tip people as they go based on the quality of service provided by an individual. But the DSC pays people you would never tip directly because you probably never interact with them, such as cooks, laundry, maintenance workers.

 

You should still tip people who regularly provide you with direct service on your cruise, such as your cabin steward, MDR waiter if you routinely have the same waiter, and butler and concierge if traveling at that level of service. Tips to these individuals is no longer as expected as it used to be, and the amounts can generally be lower than they used to be because they do receive a portion of the DSC (except possibly butler and concierge), but the DSC is not an optional charge that you can remove because you tipped your cabin steward twenty bucks.

 

Removal of the fee results in many behind the scenes workers being stiffed, and it sounds like NCL is starting to deny requests since it's now done via web submission and email rather than by causing a scene in the atrium during the cruise.

 

 

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[moonglum]

This will be the second time we have had the offer and again have went for the drink and dining packages. We are moderate drinkers but feel this deal saves a great deal of money and it is also great to walk off the ship with no bill as we pay our DSC upfront.

[DorothyB]

For me, it is the ones that I would pay for anyway.

 

Internet package - because I would pay for it if I didn't get it free. I limit usage and so far have always been able to stay within the package, although this is a long cruise for the package size :)

 

Prepaid DSC - this is a no brainer since I would pay for it either way

 

I only have at most two alcoholic beverages during a cruise so that is out.

 

I don't do that many excursions through NCL so that is out.

 

I did choose the dining package one time when DSC wasn't a choice. I used it, but think the complimentary dining venues are good, so no reason to spend more. I might do one or maybe two meals with friends on my upcoming cruise, but not more than that and probably not more than one.

[12thMan]

UBP because I'm a drunk.

 

 

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Right there with you. Especially since NCL has a decent whiskey selection. Last cruise, I only paid for 1 because it was a top shelf 30 yo Scotch, and I only paid the difference between the max of $15 and the actual cost.

 

 

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[NLH Arizona]

I like them all, except for the shore excursion credit.

 

SDP: Since I only eat in the specialty restaurants for dinner, this is a great perk.

 

UBP: I would never purchase this, but as a perk it is cost effective.

 

Pre-paid DSC: This is a great perk.

 

250 internet minutes: I usually purchase the smaller internet package, so this is a nice perk.

[clivep]

There have been several references in this thread to free tips/free grats. The DSC is not tips and should not be thought of as such. The D stands for daily, not discretionary.

 

DSC: D=daily sure enough. SC=Service Charge=tips

 

It IS discretionary though and can be removed.

 

Numerous lines are now calling it a service charge rather than gratuities.

[shark with a laser]

DSC: D=daily sure enough. SC=Service Charge=tips

 

It IS discretionary though and can be removed.

 

Numerous lines are now calling it a service charge rather than gratuities.

 

 

Service charge does not mean tips, it means a charge for service. It can be removed, but it sounds like they're requiring you have a good reason to remove it and made an unsuccessful attempt to resolve the issue on board. They likely changed their policy for removal to an online submission after the cruise because people were causing scenes on board trying to have the charge removed with no valid reason, and the crew were giving in simply to shut people up.

 

 

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[ray98]

Drinks #1 without question followed by specialty dining.

[sharona211]

I called today and we were able to switch our 2nd "free" option from the specialty dining for 3 nights to the prepaid service charges. We may try the specialty restaurants once or twice but this way if we don't, we haven't "lost" anything.

 

Thanks all for the tips, advice and personal experiences.

[travelerblue]

How many cabins would be considered a group?

 

I recently read at NCL's website that you had to have at least 7 cabins and 14 people. We have 8 cabins and around 20 people now. I have lost count.