Friday, April 12, 2024

The ultimate guide to Norwegian Cruise Line ships and itineraries

norwegian cruise line tips

To ensure guests on cruise ships get the dining experience they desire, it’s recommended to make dining reservations in advance. By doing so, guests can secure preferred dining times and venues that may otherwise fill up quickly during peak hours on the cruise sailing. Norwegian Cruise Line frequently offers special promotions for ships such as discounted fares, onboard credits, free beverage packages, or even reduced deposits. These deals are usually available for a limited time and are more likely to be available when you book early.

Freestyle dining means flexibility

norwegian cruise line tips

Older ships are more limited in what they offer, but still offer plenty of basics including pools, spas, casinos, and shows. Today the cruise line of about 18 ships sails worldwide, including cruises to the Caribbean, Bahamas, Alaska, Europe, and Asia. In total, Norwegian carries millions of passengers each year, making it among the largest cruise lines in the world. That said, passengers who are 18 to 20 can purchase and consume beer or wine on ships in international waters with permission from parents or legal guardians. The parent or legal guardian must be on board and sign a waiver at guest services.

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The lower drinking age in international waters does not apply during sailings in Alaska and Hawaii. While not quite as big as Royal Caribbean's giant, Oasis-class ships, they are firmly in the pantheon of the world's cruising giants. They are the Norwegian vessels most packed with restaurants, bars, entertainment and over-the-top attractions. Something important to know is that purchasing Wi-Fi right before a cruise or while onboard a cruise is always more expensive than pre-purchasing it.

NCL Has the Youngest (Major) Fleet in the Industry

Let’s dive into the delectable world of NCL dining, where each meal can be a unique adventure. Before you book your cruise, you can monitor the prices by putting in your sail date on Cruiseline.com. You’ll automatically get an email if the price rises or falls more than one percent.

That said, the lower prices for sailing older ships can be tough to ignore. You can sail largely the same trip for potentially hundreds of dollars less on an older, smaller ship. Outdoor DiningOne of the unique things about Norwegian is that they’ve placed a lot of focus on connecting people to the outdoors.

Before Booking the Cruise: Norwegian Cruise Tips for First-Timers

For that reason, I recommend trying out each main dining room to experience the different decor and atmosphere. I was once able to breeze through the physical check-in at the port in about 15 minutes simply because I took the time to finish the online check-in a couple weeks in advance of my cruise. This helps to ensure that the physical check-in at the cruise port will be a quick and easy process. Additionally, once onboard, guests will be able to access a digital version of the Freestyle Daily, the onboard ship itinerary and schedule.

NCL Makes History With First Seasonal Sailing From Galveston, Texas

If a guest would like to book a one-way ground transfer this can be onboard the ship and can be arranged for disembarkation day. Not every cruise line offers the ability to travel solo, or if they do, solo guests will often have to pay the double occupancy rate of their stateroom. Onboard some of NCL's newest vessels, you'll find the unique studio staterooms that are designed especially for solo cruisers in mind and come with their own exclusive amenities.

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Cruise ships are HUGE so don’t spend your entire cruise walking around lost. As mentioned above, Norwegian’s “Free at Sea” offering is popular… and for good reason. For just a little more, you can get a lot of extras included with your cruise. This can be everything from wi-fi minutes to drink packages to shore excursion credit.

Utilizing the Norwegian Cruise Line App for Maximum Benefit

So, if you have a specific sailing date in mind, it’s worth checking their website or contacting a travel agent to see what offers for cabins are currently available. Studying the deck plans of cruise ships will help you easily navigate during your cruise sailing. You’ll know where to find restaurants, bars, entertainment venues, pools, fitness centers, spas, and more.

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The private island in the southwest Caribbean is a beach-lover’s paradise. There’s ample space to lay out by the beach, a huge freshwater pool, restaurants, bars, shops, ziplines and more. And because it’s only for Norwegian cruise ships, it’s like your own personal paradise.

If you are looking for peace and quiet, avoid cabins near noisy areas like nightclubs or the pool deck. Early risers might appreciate cabins towards the front of the ship to catch the sunrise, while night owls might prefer the aft for stunning sunset views. If you’re going to cruise in the Caribbean, you need to know a few of these packing tips. On our last cruise, it rained a few times, so one of the must-pack items is always a lightweight waterproof jacket.

norwegian cruise line tips

While the cruise line is the third of the “Big Three” in size among rivals Carnival and Royal Caribbean, it doesn’t mean that its cruises lag compared to its larger competitors. In contrast to airline frequent-flyer programs, cruise line loyalty programs do not require you to requalify for status every year. But it's not as difficult as it might at first seem to hit the more rewarding higher tiers in just a few years if you're cruising a lot. On all ships, smoking (including e-cigarette smoking) is only allowed in designated outdoor areas, cigar lounges (for cigar smoking only) and casinos. Passengers caught smoking in their cabins will be fined $250 per occurrence.

The image of the ships should also be taken into consideration when deciding on tipping. Before embarking on your Norwegian Cruise Line vacation, it’s essential to ensure you have all the necessary travel documents for ships, port, vessels, and guests. Norwegian is one of the few lines that takes special effort to cater to you.

You can also take a boat ride to nearby Treasure Island to visit their own group of swimming pigs. As of 2022, NCL charges 3% on money that you transfer from your cruise card. Depending on your bank, this trick could cut your ATM fees in half if you just need to take out a small amount.

To access this offers you must choose either one or more items for your cruise and enjoy the free offer with additional onboard credit. There is a lot to do before and during your cruise, so get organized. The Princess and I set up a series of checklists to help us organize everything including the schedule for days ashore in ports of call, dining reservations, and entertainment reservations. There are many great venues on the ship, tons of onboard activities, and other things you want to enjoy during your trip. So, we suggest making a short checklist of all the things you MUST do, see, eat, and experience on the ship. That way, you will never have to ask yourself, “Why didn’t we do that?

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