Norwegian Free at Sea: What You Actually Get and What We Thought After Using It
We bought Free at Sea for our recent Norwegian Encore Alaska cruise. The drinks package was a fantastic value, we used our shore excursion credit, specialty dining added variety — and the Wi-Fi was easily the weakest part.
What Is Norwegian Free at Sea?
Free at Sea is Norwegian Cruise Line's package of popular cruise extras. For eligible current reservations, the core package combines an unlimited open bar benefit, specialty dining, Wi-Fi and shore excursion credits.
The name can be confusing. "Free at Sea" does not necessarily mean every part of the promotion costs absolutely nothing. Norwegian states that guests prepay applicable package gratuities, and the exact terms attached to a reservation matter.
The better question is not simply, "Is Free at Sea free?" It is: Will the benefits you actually use be worth what you pay for them?
We Bought Free at Sea on Norwegian Encore
We recently sailed Norwegian Encore to Alaska and chose Free at Sea for our cruise. That gave us an opportunity to evaluate the package as passengers rather than simply reading Norwegian's list of benefits.
Our verdict was not the same for every component. The drinks package was great and a fantastic value for us. We used our shore excursion credit, so that produced real savings. Specialty dining gave us additional restaurant choices. The Wi-Fi, however, was just about worthless during our sailing.
That experience is why we think Free at Sea should be evaluated one benefit at a time.
What's Included With Free at Sea?
Norwegian's current Free at Sea offer centers on four benefits:
| Free at Sea Benefit | Current Basic Structure | Our Norwegian Encore Experience |
|---|---|---|
| Unlimited Open Bar | Unlimited eligible beverages for qualifying adult guests under Norwegian's package terms. | Fantastic value for us. This was one of our favorite parts of Free at Sea. |
| Specialty Dining | Specialty dining meals are included, with the number of meals determined by the applicable offer and sailing. | We enjoyed having additional dining choices beyond the complimentary restaurants. |
| Wi-Fi | Norwegian currently advertises 150 minutes of high-speed Wi-Fi for guests covered by the current Free at Sea offer. | Our weakest benefit. We found the Wi-Fi on Norwegian Encore just about worthless. |
| Shore Excursion Credit | $50 toward eligible Norwegian shore excursions for Guest 1, subject to the promotion terms. | We used ours, so this benefit directly reduced our excursion cost. |
Norwegian promotions change, and older bookings may operate under different terms. Always check the actual promotion attached to your reservation rather than assuming an older article or another passenger's booking has identical benefits.
Free at Sea Drinks: The Best Part of the Package for Us
The unlimited open bar benefit was a clear winner during our Norwegian Encore cruise. We used it regularly and thought it represented a fantastic value.
One benefit of having the package was psychological as well as financial: we did not have to think about the individual price every time we wanted an included drink. That made the cruise feel more inclusive and made it easier to enjoy drinks when we wanted them without constantly adding up a running bar bill.
Norwegian currently describes the benefit as including eligible premium spirits, cocktails, wines, draft beer, juice and soda. Package restrictions and exclusions still apply, so "unlimited" should not be interpreted as meaning every beverage sold aboard the ship is automatically included.
Would the Drink Package Be Worth It for You?
Our experience was excellent, but drinking habits vary dramatically. Someone who drinks very little may reach a completely different conclusion.
Use our Cruise Drink Package Calculator to estimate what you would normally spend on drinks and compare that with the cost of a package.
For additional context, see our Cruise Drink Package Guide and Cruise Drink Package Truth.
How Much Specialty Dining Do You Get?
The number of included specialty dining meals depends on the applicable Free at Sea offer and sailing. Norwegian currently advertises three specialty dining experiences on a typical seven-day cruise, with additional dining on some longer sailings.
This benefit is particularly useful if you already planned to try Norwegian's specialty restaurants. In that situation, the package is replacing an expense you may otherwise have paid separately.
If you are perfectly happy eating only in complimentary restaurants, you should not assign the same personal value to specialty dining as someone who considers paid restaurants an important part of the cruise.
See our Cruise Dining Guide for more about how included and specialty dining work at sea.
How Does the $50 Norwegian Shore Excursion Credit Work?
Norwegian currently provides a $50 shore excursion credit toward eligible excursions booked through Norwegian for the first guest on the reservation.
This is an important distinction: it is not simply $50 of unrestricted onboard credit. The benefit is tied to eligible Norwegian shore excursions and Guest 1.
We Used Our Shore Excursion Credit
On our Alaska cruise, we actually used the Free at Sea shore excursion benefit. That matters when calculating value because this was not an advertised perk that sat unused in our reservation. It reduced an expense we were already making.
For travelers who plan to book excursions through Norwegian anyway, the credit can be one of the easiest Free at Sea benefits to value: if you use the credit on an excursion you genuinely wanted, the savings are real.
For more excursion planning help, see our Shore Excursions Guide and Cruise Excursions on a Budget.
Free at Sea Wi-Fi: Our Experience Was Poor
Norwegian currently advertises 150 minutes of high-speed Wi-Fi under its current Free at Sea offer. That sounds useful, especially for passengers who simply want to check messages, email family or post a few vacation photos.
Unfortunately, this was the part of Free at Sea that disappointed us most.
Our Norwegian Encore Wi-Fi Experience
During our recent Alaska sailing aboard Norwegian Encore, we found the ship Wi-Fi just about worthless. We had the included Free at Sea internet benefit, but the actual experience was poor enough that we assigned very little practical value to it.
Internet performance at sea can vary with the ship, location, weather, network demand and itinerary, so our experience should not be treated as a guarantee of what another sailing will experience. But it is part of our real-world assessment of the package we bought.
Read our Cruise Ship Wi-Fi vs. Cell Service Guide before deciding how much you want to depend on ship internet.
Is Free at Sea Really Free?
This is where travelers need to read beyond the marketing name.
Norwegian describes Free at Sea as an included package for eligible bookings, but also states that applicable gratuities are prepaid. Depending on the promotion and reservation, those charges can affect the real cost of accepting the benefits.
That does not automatically make the package a bad deal. It simply means the correct comparison is:
What will accepting Free at Sea actually cost me?
versus
What would I realistically spend on these drinks, meals, excursions and connectivity without it?
For us, the beverage benefit alone carried substantial practical value, and we also used the shore excursion credit and specialty dining. That made the package much easier to justify despite our poor experience with Wi-Fi.
Who Is Most Likely to Get Good Value From Free at Sea?
Free at Sea is likely to be especially attractive to travelers who expect to use several of the benefits rather than choosing it because the word "free" sounds appealing.
- You expect to order several included drinks during the cruise.
- You want to eat in Norwegian's specialty restaurants.
- You plan to book at least some shore excursions through Norwegian.
- You will make at least some use of the included Wi-Fi.
Conversely, a passenger who does not drink, prefers complimentary dining, books independent excursions and does not care about ship Wi-Fi may assign far less value to the package.
Our Verdict: Was Norwegian Free at Sea Worth It?
For our Norwegian Encore cruise, yes.
We would not describe every component as equally valuable. The drinks package was excellent for us and one of the highlights of Free at Sea. We used the shore excursion credit and got genuine savings from it. Specialty dining added choices to the trip. The Wi-Fi was the clear disappointment.
Taken as a whole, however, we got enough value from the benefits we actually used that Free at Sea made sense for our cruise.
The lesson is not that every traveler should automatically buy it. The lesson is to calculate value based on your actual vacation habits, not Norwegian's maximum advertised value.
Free at Sea vs. Free at Sea Plus
Norwegian also offers Free at Sea Plus, a paid upgrade to the standard package. The enhanced version currently adds benefits including upgraded beverages, unlimited streaming Wi-Fi and prepaid daily service charges.
We are covering that separately because the decision to pay for Free at Sea Plus involves a different value calculation than deciding whether standard Free at Sea is worthwhile.
See our Norwegian Cruise Packages Guide for an overview of the package family.
More Norwegian Planning Resources
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Norwegian Free at Sea include?
Norwegian's current Free at Sea offer includes an unlimited open bar benefit, specialty dining, Wi-Fi and a $50 shore excursion credit for Guest 1, subject to the terms of the applicable reservation and promotion.
Is Norwegian Free at Sea actually free?
Not necessarily in the sense of having zero associated cost. Norwegian states that applicable package gratuities are prepaid. Travelers should compare the actual charges on their reservation with the value of the benefits they expect to use.
Is the Norwegian Free at Sea drink package worth it?
It was for us. On our recent Norwegian Encore cruise, we thought the beverage benefit was great and a fantastic value. Travelers who drink very little may reach a different conclusion.
Do you get a $50 shore excursion credit at every port?
Norwegian's current promotion provides a $50 credit toward eligible Norwegian shore excursions for Guest 1 under the applicable terms. We used the excursion benefit ourselves during our Alaska sailing.
How much Wi-Fi comes with Free at Sea?
Norwegian currently advertises 150 minutes of high-speed Wi-Fi for guests covered by its current Free at Sea offer. Internet terms can vary for older promotions or reservations.
Was Norwegian Encore Wi-Fi good?
Not during our sailing. We found the Wi-Fi just about worthless on our recent Norwegian Encore Alaska cruise. Performance can vary by sailing, ship, location and network conditions.
Can you add Free at Sea after booking?
Norwegian currently says eligible guests who did not select Free at Sea during booking may add it up to 24 hours before sailing, subject to the applicable terms and eligibility.
Norwegian Cruise Line promotions, prices, package inclusions and terms can change. Always verify the benefits and charges attached to your specific reservation before making a purchase decision.
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