Included items: Premium Plus Beverage Package?

[bruzin_for_a_cruizin]

Some months ago, I booked an April 2023 sailing on Prima through NCL directly, our first voyage with NCL. After many sailings on RCL's inwardly focused Oasis-class ships, we are keen to see how Prima opens up towards the sea and puts the focus outwards, where it should be!

 

I took advantage of several promos when booking with NCL (reduced deposit, free airfare, etc), and have subsequently added on the Premium Plus Beverage Package as well as Vibe Beach Club Acess Passes. In reviewing my booking, however, I do see that the Premium Plus Beverage Package appears not only in the "Purchased Items" category, but also in the "Include Items" section! Is it possible I got the PPBP as part of my included package, and can therefore cancel it from my add-ons? The Vibe passes don't show up in both sections; would NCL allow a customer to add-on something which is already in their booking? I know I was certainly billed for it!

 

Do any of you more-seasoned NCL customers have any similar experiences? Is there anything I should be looking for on my booking documentation? I suppose I could just cancel it and see how it reflects on my reservation, but I figured I'd check here first. 

[UKstages]

it's unlikely that premium plus was included in your package. the standard offering is "premium." an upgrade to "plus" gets you water, starbucks coffee, better "premium" alcohol selections and select wines by the bottle... basically almost any drink available on board.  it is also unlikely that if plus was included, they would allow you to purchase it again, although NCL's IT infrastructure is not the greatest, so anything is - technically - possible.

[behan]

This is how it always appears on my bookings.  Once you buy the upgrade it will show up under included items and under purchased items.  Doesn’t really make sense to show it this way, but that’s just how they do it.

[grobma]

3 hours ago, behan said:

This is how it always appears on my bookings.  Once you buy the upgrade it will show up under included items and under purchased items.  Doesn’t really make sense to show it this way, but that’s just how they do it.

Correct. Same for me and adding that like the OP's, my Vibe pass shows up under Purchased, but not Included. Ultimately, your cruise confirmation should have everything laid out correctly (you can call and ask them to send you an updated one).

[bruzin_for_a_cruizin]

17 hours ago, behan said:

This is how it always appears on my bookings.  Once you buy the upgrade it will show up under included items and under purchased items.  Doesn’t really make sense to show it this way, but that’s just how they do it.

I attached a screenshow of how it looks in my planner. @behan, you're right. It doesn't make any sense at all, which is why I'm questioning it here!

 

13 hours ago, grobma said:

Correct. Same for me and adding that like the OP's, my Vibe pass shows up under Purchased, but not Included. Ultimately, your cruise confirmation should have everything laid out correctly (you can call and ask them to send you an updated one).

 

Looking at my confirmation, I see the following promo codes:

 

AIRPROM3

ALL4CHO
BEVUP
DISC35
EASYFARE
PPSRVCHG
SHX50

 

Is it possible that "BEVUP" is a promo code to get the Premium Plus Beverage Package actually included?

 

I was just going to cancel the purchase and see how it looked in the planner, but I can't see an intuitive way to do that with NCL (with RCI, you can easily cancel from the cruise planner). Am I just being obtuse, or do I actually have to call in for that?

[grobma]

6 minutes ago, bruzin_for_a_cruizin said:

Looking at my confirmation, I see the following promo codes:

 

AIRPROM3

ALL4CHO
BEVUP
DISC35
EASYFARE
PPSRVCHG
SHX50

 

Is it possible that "BEVUP" is a promo code to get the Premium Plus Beverage Package actually included?

 

I was just going to cancel the purchase and see how it looked in the planner, but I can't see an intuitive way to do that with NCL (with RCI, you can easily cancel from the cruise planner). Am I just being obtuse, or do I actually have to call in for that?

I don't usually go by the promo codes because they are a mix of things free, paid, and others. In the confirmation, there are two sections "Booking Components Per Guest" and Onboard Activities" that lists everything for which I have paid. For example, mine has among other things, the  cruise fare, the Vibe pass, Bev Srv Charge (which is the gratuities for the FAS portion) and Upsell Beverage Package which is the Premium Plus (includes gratuities) in the Booking Components and my spa pass in the Onboard Activities.

 

There is then another section "Add-ons" which shows a mix of things including some purchased items (e.g. Premium Plus shows but not Vibe or spa pass), TA perks, etc.

 

I can't figure out the rhyme or reason as to why things show up where they do (or not) but as long as everything I've purchased or am entitled to shows up somewhere on that document, I'm happy.

[cruiseny4life]

Since you're paying for the Premium Plus, you may want to look into the Free at Sea Plus Upgrade. You would receive Premium Plus, Unlimited Internet (not streaming internet though), $50 shore excursion credit for the second guest, and two additional specialty dining credits. 

 

I'm not sure if you can add this on the website (it wasn't available before). My husband added it by calling our PCC (personal cruise consultant), but you can add it by chatting/calling an agent if you don't have a PCC. 

 

Here's a non-NCL link explaining the program: https://cruisespotlight.com/norwegian-introduces-free-at-sea-plus-option/

 

There is a really great Cruise Critic thread about this as well if you search for it. The code, I believe, is FASUP when booking.

[fox02554]

not sure if things have changed ( this was when the PLUS was brand new and nobody knew what was going on 🤣) but I had to give up my air promo to b eable to use the free at sea PLUS offer

[cruiseinfoseeker]

On 9/19/2022 at 3:56 PM, fox02554 said:

not sure if things have changed ( this was when the PLUS was brand new and nobody knew what was going on 🤣) but I had to give up my air promo to b eable to use the free at sea PLUS offer

That should have been fixed in the NCL system by now because the air promo is not an exclusion from getting this package.

I had a problem for a few weeks that it was removing my 10% on board booking discount when the plus was added. It finally got corrected and I have read from others that the promo air issues corrected as well.

 

 

[bruzin_for_a_cruizin]

I sent an email to my "Personal Cruise Consultant" at NCL asking about this. She just sent me a cut/paste explanation of the Premium Plus Beverage Package.

 

I didn't get any kind of discount when I purchased it, so I'd like to try just canceling it and see if it remains in the Included Items section. If not, I'll just rebuy it. I don't see a way to cancel purchased items with NCL. Is there a way to do that on the website?

[JustAPilot]

I still don’t understand what you are asking? If you “slipped” through the cracks and got a free premium plus package? The answer is no and if you cancel it then it will disappear and you will get refunded the amount you spent on it. 

[bruzin_for_a_cruizin]

I did manage to connect by phone. It seems as if it's just a bug in the way the Premium Plus package appears online in the trip summary. IMO, a Purchased Item should appear in the Purchased Items section and only the Purchased Items section (like Vibe does in my screenshot above). Only items Included in "Free at Sea" should appear in the Included Items section. The inconsistency breeds confusion.

 

Maybe I'm being a bit obtuse, but it is unnecessarily confusing, and if I was the IT Director, I'd have that bit of code fixed. Something is being incorrectly flagged in the code somewhere.

[ggTexasGal]

30 minutes ago, bruzin_for_a_cruizin said:

I did manage to connect by phone. It seems as if it's just a bug in the way the Premium Plus package appears online in the trip summary. IMO, a Purchased Item should appear in the Purchased Items section and only the Purchased Items section (like Vibe does in my screenshot above). Only items Included in "Free at Sea" should appear in the Included Items section. The inconsistency breeds confusion.

 

Maybe I'm being a bit obtuse, but it is unnecessarily confusing, and if I was the IT Director, I'd have that bit of code fixed. Something is being incorrectly flagged in the code somewhere.

Things are quite often wonky on NCL's website!

Perhaps your PCC can send you an "Amenities Invoice" if you request it.  It seems that they aren't sent automatically anymore. In the past, we have found them useful for clarification purposes.