New to Norwegian - some questions

[shancan911]

Hubby and I have cruised mostly with RCCL, but that doesn't mean we're not excited about our upcoming Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Jewel!  My amazing in-laws have gifted our family a Vancouver to Seward sailing this coming May.  There'll be 11 of us, and it's going to be a great time!

 

Because the cruise and airfare are "paid for", we were considering splurging on the beverage package, and were comparing it to the price on RCCL.  On Royal, it would have been a little over $700 for the 2 of us, and I'm seeing on NCL it is over $800 each adult?  Am I reading this wrong?  Also, for those of you who frequent NCL, can you give me an idea of the cost of beer and cocktails?

 

Secondly, the internet seems quite a bit higher.  On RCCL, we just paid $170 for 4 devices for the faster "Surf and Stream" package for the week.  My planner is showing that the price on NCL is $85 per person for the week.  Has anyone sailed Vancouver-Seward here that can tell me how the cellular signal was?

 

Finally, please tell me what I'm going to love about the Jewel and Alaska!

[debnjoe1438]

3 minutes ago, shancan911 said:

Hubby and I have cruised mostly with RCCL, but that doesn't mean we're not excited about our upcoming Alaskan cruise on the Norwegian Jewel!  My amazing in-laws have gifted our family a Vancouver to Seward sailing this coming May.  There'll be 11 of us, and it's going to be a great time!

 

Because the cruise and airfare are "paid for", we were considering splurging on the beverage package, and were comparing it to the price on RCCL.  On Royal, it would have been a little over $700 for the 2 of us, and I'm seeing on NCL it is over $800 each adult?  Am I reading this wrong?  Also, for those of you who frequent NCL, can you give me an idea of the cost of beer and cocktails?

 

Secondly, the internet seems quite a bit higher.  On RCCL, we just paid $170 for 4 devices for the faster "Surf and Stream" package for the week.  My planner is showing that the price on NCL is $85 per person for the week.  Has anyone sailed Vancouver-Seward here that can tell me how the cellular signal was?

 

Finally, please tell me what I'm going to love about the Jewel and Alaska!

Can't help with drink prices, either I've gotten the beverage package as a perk, or I'm not drinking.  Don't use the internet much while on a ship either.

 

With that being said, while we were in Alaska we had no issues with our phones when off the ship. ATT has service in Alaska. I'm sure other carriers do also.

 

There are no words to explain how beautiful Alaska is, mountains,  glaciers, wild life, no traffic jams.  This was a "once in a life time" trip for me and my husband, we been twice. 🙂 

 

I've been on the Jewel twice, however it's been a few years ago. It's a midsize ship which IMHO is a perfect size. Nice ship.

 

If you can, I would suggest staying in Vancouver for a couple of days pre cruise. Lovely city.

 

Enjoy your cruise

[shancan911]

Thanks, Deb!  We have AT&T, so that's promising!

Our add-ons include a specialty dining package and shore excursion credit.

Really looking forward to it.  My in-laws were with us last month when we were onboard Harmony of the Seas.  Hubby and I were talking with the NextCruise desk about Alaska, and my mother in law was struggling keeping the secret!

 

[HEATH3913]

You should be able to switch your perk to the drink package, which would only cost $20 per day for gratuities. Perks can be changed most of the time up until 2 days before the cruise.

[tallnthensome]

Nobody actually buys the drink package on NCL, it is always taken as a perk. Don’t make that mistake. 

[shancan911]

4 minutes ago, HEATH3913 said:

You should be able to switch your perk to the drink package, which would only cost $20 per day for gratuities. Perks can be changed most of the time up until 2 days before the cruise.

I'll look into this.  And that would be the "ultimate" package?  I don't do beer or wine.  Lots of martinis 🙂

[shancan911]

4 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

Nobody actually buys the drink package on NCL, it is always taken as a perk. Don’t make that mistake. 

LOL!  The woes of being a newb.  This was a gift, so we didn't do the booking, or the research prior to.  Definitely gonna check out trying to switch!

 

[HEATH3913]

Premium Beverage Package. It used to be called Ultimate. 

[hallux]

1 minute ago, shancan911 said:

And that would be the "ultimate" package?

No, it's the standard adult beverage package, drinks up to $15 each are free.

 

If you were booked on a sail-away rate, there's no perk to change.  Do you know what rate was chosen?

[Two Wheels Only]

Just now, shancan911 said:

I'll look into this.  And that would be the "ultimate" package?  I don't do beer or wine.  Lots of martinis 🙂

 

The promo package is the Premium Beverage  Package (PBP). It will cover your drinks $15 or less. Drink as many per day that you can handle. A drink over $15 would mean that you pay the difference plus 20%. A $20 drink would cost you $5 plus $1.

[shancan911]

4 minutes ago, hallux said:

No, it's the standard adult beverage package, drinks up to $15 each are free.

 

If you were booked on a sail-away rate, there's no perk to change.  Do you know what rate was chosen?

We have a Specialty Dining package and $50 shore excursion promo

[trummy]

2 minutes ago, shancan911 said:

We have a Specialty Dining package and $50 shore excursion promo

Call Norwegian and see if they will let you change to the Drink package. 

[JamieLogical]

I would definitely call and see if you can switch to the Premium Beverage Package. The $50 shore excursion credit is per cabin per port, so, depending on your sailing, is only worth at best $150-200 total, not even per person.

Edited January 4, 2020 by JamieLogical

[Tee & Chilli]

Using the shore excursion credit can get expensive when selecting ship sponsored excursions. Private excursions is the way to go. 

[smplybcause]

Unless you drink less than 14 drinks on a 7 day cruise - always choose the drink package promo! (If you're exclusively beer it's around 17) They might not have selected it as there's a $138.60pp gratuity charge. When you call to switch it you should be able to pay that charge so the in-laws don't. 

 

As for cell coverage it'll work great if you're in the port city. If the excursion takes you out of there it might not work as well (for example lost coverage about halfway up the mountain in skagway). You're also closer to shore so you'll have coverage longer after sailing away than a Caribbean island. However, with lots of Alaska uninhabited there's large swaths without cell towers so even if you see land your phone might be using the ship's tower. I'm not entirely sure what rules the ship has for turning it on in Alaska. My rule of thumb was as long as we were close to shore and I saw signs of civilization. Usually about 30 minutes before/after a port. I didn't want to risk it, plus with Alaska being 4 hours behind my friends/family there wasn't anyone awake in the evening lol 

[debnjoe1438]

9 hours ago, shancan911 said:

Thanks, Deb!  We have AT&T, so that's promising!

Our add-ons include a specialty dining package and shore excursion credit.

Really looking forward to it.  My in-laws were with us last month when we were onboard Harmony of the Seas.  Hubby and I were talking with the NextCruise desk about Alaska, and my mother in law was struggling keeping the secret!

 

You're welcome, enjoy

[ziggyuk]

9 hours ago, shancan911 said:

We have a Specialty Dining package and $50 shore excursion promo

 

As others have said, I would dump the shore excursion for beverage package, the dining and beverage packages have the most value if you like them.

 

If you do decide to keep the excursions, book them in advance by phone (not online), that way they will charge them to your room and your $50 will also be added to your room cancelling some of the cost.

If you book online, you have to pay in advance and then get a room credit you have to spend.

 

Also as you are new, for the dining package, the restaurants become available (25%) at 120 days to book online, if you miss this you will have to book on the ship when the other 75% of seats become available, they can get booked quickly and the lines can be long.

[shancan911]

Thank you, everyone!  You’ve been super helpful!  Really looking forward to our trip!

 

Last question....maybe 🤣

When the NCL agent booked, she scrambled us all up.  For instance, my roommate is currently my mother in law, my husbands roommate is currently my nephew, etc.  She did this because 5 of the 11 are repeat guests and she was able to afford us a discount.  Once final payment is made he’s going to see if we can switch.  Do the perks need to be the same for both members? Makes sense if they do.  I’ll hold off calling till the end of the month if that’s the case.  

[debnjoe1438]

6 minutes ago, shancan911 said:

Thank you, everyone!  You’ve been super helpful!  Really looking forward to our trip!

 

Last question....maybe 🤣

When the NCL agent booked, she scrambled us all up.  For instance, my roommate is currently my mother in law, my husbands roommate is currently my nephew, etc.  She did this because 5 of the 11 are repeat guests and she was able to afford us a discount.  Once final payment is made he’s going to see if we can switch.  Do the perks need to be the same for both members? Makes sense if they do.  I’ll hold off calling till the end of the month if that’s the case.  

Not sure about the dinning, however for the beverage, the 2 adults both need to have it. I'm not sure if this applies for the 3rd person if adult and not child. I would imagine all "adults" in the cabin would need to have the beverage perk.

[shancan911]

5 minutes ago, debnjoe1438 said:

Not sure about the dinning, however for the beverage, the 2 adults both need to have it. I'm not sure if this applies for the 3rd person if adult and not child. I would imagine all "adults" in the cabin would need to have the beverage perk.

I figured.  We’ll just wait till we are paired up correctly. Pretty sure mom-in-law isn’t interested in gettin boozie 🤣

[mjkacmom]

10 minutes ago, debnjoe1438 said:

Not sure about the dinning, however for the beverage, the 2 adults both need to have it. I'm not sure if this applies for the 3rd person if adult and not child. I would imagine all "adults" in the cabin would need to have the beverage perk.

If the first two adults in the cabin get the UBP, the other adults in the cabin don’t have to purchase it.

[Two Wheels Only]

32 minutes ago, shancan911 said:

Do the perks need to be the same for both members? Makes sense if they do.  I’ll hold off calling till the end of the month if that’s the case.  

 

Yes. Any promos would be the same for whomever is booked as guest 1&2. Some promos are "per stateroom" such as Wi-Fi even though it is listed as for guest #1. The SDP is only for guests 1&2. The current PBP promo is for all adult guests in the stateroom (each is charged the 20%) but minors get the soda program if the minor is guest 1 or 2 (not sure if a minor can be #1). If you booked under the old promo, the PBP is only for guests 1&2 and other guests in the same stateroom get nothing. They are not forced to buy any package in that case. Any beverage for them would be paid a la carte if they don't buy a package.

 

 

Edited January 4, 2020 by Two Wheels Only

[Two Wheels Only]

Also, I'd call sooner rather than later. Moving people around and getting the promos sorted depending on what works best (and paying extra if needed) takes some work.

Edited January 4, 2020 by Two Wheels Only

[Dar & Bob]

2 hours ago, shancan911 said:

I figured.  We’ll just wait till we are paired up correctly. Pretty sure mom-in-law isn’t interested in gettin boozie 🤣

If they booked about a month ago, they probably got a super great rate.  We are sailing on the Jewel in July and the rates are at least $700 per person higher.  Since the past guest offer was 20% off the sale rate, not sure if the switching people around will work or not.  From my past experience, the NCL agent will say anything to get you to book, get it in writing.

That said, if you can't change the guests around for the paperwork (obviously where you bunk is up to you) maybe you can convince MIL and whoever else to get the drink package and just give the $150 that they would have gotten in Shore Ex Credit.  Just an option if it doesn't work out with the switch.

 

[shancan911]

4 minutes ago, Dar & Bob said:

If they booked about a month ago, they probably got a super great rate.  We are sailing on the Jewel in July and the rates are at least $700 per person higher.  Since the past guest offer was 20% off the sale rate, not sure if the switching people around will work or not.  From my past experience, the NCL agent will say anything to get you to book, get it in writing.

That said, if you can't change the guests around for the paperwork (obviously where you bunk is up to you) maybe you can convince MIL and whoever else to get the drink package and just give the $150 that they would have gotten in Shore Ex Credit.  Just an option if it doesn't work out with the switch.

 

We’ll definitely work it out somehow.  Parents, 3 kids, 2 kids-law, 3 grandkids & a significant other.  We all play well in the sandbox together.  Will know more at the end of the month when final payment comes and we attempt to switch. And yes, it was the 20% promo.