Am looking into our first time cruise with NCL. Am considering the Prima -looks like it is beautiful ship. However am concerned as many reviewers mention the difficulty finding a place to sit, the show venues that are packed and the difficulty in finding open times for specialty restaurants. I am particularly concerned as NCL is giving a "free" drink package and "free" specialty restaurant meals as that is meaningless if I cannot get into entertainment venues or get a reservation at a specialty restaurant. Would appreciate feedback from cruisers who have been on similar cruise ships.
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Contributor Level:
Purser
Downside to freebies
3 Answers
I mean, $40/day is still a great price for a "Free" drink package...
Contributor Level:
Cruise Director
Going on PRIMA 2x next year.. Platinum with NCL...it can be an overwhelming experience, but listen to OGW, do some reading, do your homework, and PLAN it...you really don't want to spend what that cruise will cost and wander around like lost sheep with several thousand other clueless people do you? Come to think of it, that works on anybody's cruise line...
Contributor Level:
Staff Captain
NCL has been offering that for a while and some take it but some do not because free only sounds free but ain't really. They ding you the 20% gratuity on those items so a couple still pays $40 a day for the "free" drink package.
As with all the newer larger ships you are best to book your entertainment in advance. The same with your specialty dining. the "free" dining package only allots 2 free meals. You can pre-book dining after the final payment date. Even if it looks like everything is full at that time they do not commit all seating to pre-bookings. There is still seating left available to book once on board but from that time on they do fill up fast. Certain prime times are always busy at all venues so flexibility helps. This is pretty much the same across most cruise lines these days.