What do I have to pay for on board The norwegain cruise line cruises?

Question

So I'm going to Norwegain Spirit in August, What do I have to pay for there? How does it work?

Answer 1

*alcohol

*spas

*any activities off the ship

*possibly an exclusive restaurant that isn't part of your pkg--this depends on the ship; but you don't ever have to eat there. I ate the meals that were provided and they were all delicious.

*anything your purchase from the store on the ship

***tips....be sure to have money (cash) for your cabin steward---he/she does an excellent job and deserves a good tip.

What they do is get a credit card from you and you just sign for everything and it's billed to your cc.  You can set a $$$ limit if you want to make sure you don't spend too much.  I was surprised how little I actually spent, but I had already paid for my shore excursions when I booked my cruise. And we were surprised at how reasonably priced alcholic drinks were onboard.

Answer 2

I have been on the Norwegian Spirit and a lot of other NCL cruises among about 20 cruises.  Regardless of which cruise line you select, the things that are included are pretty much the same. The price of your cruise includes your cabin, all meals (including breakfast, lunch dinner, snacks and free room service)(you do pay to eat in the specialty restaurants), all shows and entertainment, and free use of all facilities on ship. The things that you will have to pay for are:

GRATUITIES: They will amount to about $10 per person in your cabin per day; about $70 each for a 7 day cruise. When you check in at the pier they will set up an on-board charge account for you to cover any and everything you may buy on ship. They will issue you a "cruise card" which will also serve as your room key and pass to get on and off the ship. At the end of the cruise they will add the gratuity to your tab and you can pay with a credit card or cash, your choice.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKS AND SOFT DRINKS: Coffee, tea, milk, juice, and lemonade and punch will be provided free but you must pay for soft drinks and alcoholic beverages and they will add a 15% gratuity to each drink and soft drink order.  

PHOTOGRAPHS: Cruise lines will take plenty of photographs of you all over the ship, in the dining room, and as you exit the ship in ports. These will cost a lot, like $15 to $20 for most.

TOURS/EXCURSIONS: You are NOT required to book any tours and can get off and on in the ports as much as you want. But the cruise line will offer a lot of tours and these are expensive.

SOUVENIRS: Anything you buy on ship from a gift shop or duty free shop goes on your on board account. Things that you buy on shore you pay cash or credit card for.

CASINO: If you plan to gamble on ship you will need cash for that.

OTHER: The Spirit has about a dozen places to eat.  

Raffles Court & Terrace

Shogun Asian Restaurant

Le Bistro French Restaurant

Teppanyaki

Cagney's Steakhouse

Sushi and Sashimi Bar

Blue Lagoon Cafe

La Trattoria

The Garden Room Main Dining Room

Windows Main Dining Room

Bier Garten Grill

Some of these are  what they call "specialty" restaurants where there is a gratuity/service charge.  Each day you will receive a newsletter that lists all of the restaurants, their opening times, and the service fee if any.   All other food on board is free and its not really necessary to budget for food; you cannot eat all of the FREE FOOD that will be available.

SPA SERVICES:  If you want/need to have your hair done, get a massage or wrap, or any services from the spa, you will have to pay for them. You can use the gym free but the spa stuff cost big bucks.

INTERNET SERVICE:  The ship has internet service available for a fee and it is very expensive (like about $50 to $60 an hour).

ROOM SERVICE/CABIN MINI-BAR:   You cabin will likely have a minibar with soft drinks and munchies; you have to pay for them.   But there will be free room service 24/7.

The only one of the above that you can consider mandatory and you need to plan on paying is the gratuities.  All of the others are optional.

Answer 3

Onboard credits can't be used to pay for gratuities, casino credits or service charges

The majority of ships operate a “cashless society” onboard. This means you don’t have to carry your wallet around and worry about cash issues.

Onboard purchases could be:

Beverages (excluding filter coffee, tea & water), Casino, Health & Spa Facilities, Duty Free & onboard shops, Photographer, Visits to the ship’s doctor, some alternative restaurants, Shore excursions.

Gratuities  (Tipping):

It depends on which cruise line you book as to how the gratuity system works.

Some cruise lines ask that passengers wait until the end of the cruise & discreetly leave an envelope in your cabin in which to place the appropriate amount.

Some cruise lines state that the fare you have paid includes gratuities.