NCL drinks package with sober companion?

[Blueunderneath]

Does NCL ever make exceptions to the rule that all adults in a cabin must have the drinks package? I am traveling with a recovering alcoholic (who is not bothered by my wanting to have a few drinks) and I had originally turned down the free beverage package. I understand the need to keep people from taking advantage and sneaking drinks to others but I’m just wondering if they have some option for people traveling with a sober companion. 

[Ken the cruiser]

We asked the Moderno maitre d’ that question when we were on the Dawn a couple of weeks ago. We were told if my DW, who only drinks water, can provide a note at booking time from her doctor that confirms she can’t drink alcohol, that might work as a waiver from having to pay the drinks package. It’s worth asking about anyway, especially if they are a recovering alcoholic.

[complawyer]

if that's truly the case, unless you are an outrageous drinker, waive the drinks  package, and pay for whatever you may order individually. i dont think ncl is nice or thoughtful enough to waive the requirement that both people in the cabin have to have the package

[wcook]

I don’t know about NCL, but Royal will allow the 2nd person to get the no-alcohol package in such circumstance. So it’s worth calling and asking. 

[dbrown84]

You can also do the math to see if it's worth it to pay for both of you.  Will you have enough drinks to cover $40 per day?

[callmebetty]

Will your companion be drinking any soda or mocktails? 

[thedarklord]

I'd suggest contacting the NCL Access Desk - https://www.ncl.com/uk/en/about/accessible-cruising (the URL will vary for you based on your country) - they'll hopefully be able to help you prior to the cruise, rather than you hoping you can work something out once you're onboard.

They've certainly been helpful and responsive with me when I've contacted them in the past (not with an alcohol issue though).

[df5250]

One cruise I called the access desk and they were willing to give my niece the soda package instead of the beverage package since she is sober and not drinking alcohol. Ultimately, we ended up cancelling the cruise so I can’t say that it worked out as we requested.

[Blueunderneath]

21 minutes ago, thedarklord said:

I'd suggest contacting the NCL Access Desk - https://www.ncl.com/uk/en/about/accessible-cruising (the URL will vary for you based on your country) - they'll hopefully be able to help you prior to the cruise, rather than you hoping you can work something out once you're onboard.

They've certainly been helpful and responsive with me when I've contacted them in the past (not with an alcohol issue though).

Thank you, I used the chat feature on the website to ask about this and they directed me to the Access Desk as well. It sounds like they will make exceptions in cases like this, so hopefully they’ll be able to help. It’s certainly not the end of the world if I have to purchase drinks individually, but not having to worry about the extra cost at the end would be nice. 

[Blueunderneath]

43 minutes ago, callmebetty said:

Will your companion be drinking any soda or mocktails? 

She stays away from sugar other than tonic water, but it looked like seltzer was included with that as well which she drinks a lot of. I’m sure she’d get use out of it if that’s what they require in this case. 

[Blueunderneath]

8 hours ago, dbrown84 said:

You can also do the math to see if it's worth it to pay for both of you.  Will you have enough drinks to cover $40 per day?

No, I’m kind of borderline to making it worth it for just myself, but I’d like the flexibility to try new things without feeling like I have to drink it if I don’t like it. 

[Liljo22]

6 minutes ago, Blueunderneath said:

Thank you, I used the chat feature on the website to ask about this and they directed me to the Access Desk as well. It sounds like they will make exceptions in cases like this, so hopefully they’ll be able to help. It’s certainly not the end of the world if I have to purchase drinks individually, but not having to worry about the extra cost at the end would be nice. 

The break even on the gratuities is 2 drinks per person so you would need to average 4 drinks a day to cover both packages.  If you normally drink at least 4 drinks on average a day on a cruise, it would still make sense for you to take the package even without the exemption.  

 

Lets say the average drink is $12 plus $2.40 gratuity.  If you ordered 4 drinks without the package, you are looking at spending $57.60 versus the $43.60 in gratuities you prepaid with the package.