First Time Cruising With Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) Part 1: Tips Before Booking

• First Time Cruising With Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) – Part 1: Tips Before Booking <-This Post
• First Time Cruising With Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) – Part 2: Boarding the Ship Embarkation Day <-Up Next
• First Time Cruising With Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) – Part 3: Making Your Onboard Experience The Best
• First Time Cruising With Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) – Part 4: Leaving the Ship Disembarkation Day

If you are reading this post you may be considering your first ever cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line or NCL. Or maybe you have only sailed with them once and would like some tips to make your trip better. Let’s dive in.

I am sure you want to save as much money as you can (who doesn’t, right?). If you can, book a long way out – think a year or more. Why? That way, if prices change, you can re-price your cruise and save money if prices go down. If they don’t, you are still locked in at the best price. So, when should you book?

Every day of the year, NCL.com has some kind of “sale.” Since there is always a sale of some kind, you want the best one for you. Early each year, i.e., after January 1st (and even a few days before the 1st), is what the cruise line industry calls “wave season.” That’s when you can find some of the best prices each year. Other great times to book are Black Friday or Cyber Monday when other sweet deals can be had.

Next up is what kind of sale they offer. Now and then, and especially during the times listed above, NCL will offer “Cruise First” bonus cash. In a nutshell, you are buying nonrefundable deposit money at 50% of face value. It will either be $250 or $500. Again, you pay half that amount. It is an amazing value if you can find it. The only other way to get this kind of deposit value is onboard with what they call “Cruise Next.” If you know someone with some of these deposits, they can transfer them to you (hello, family or friends).

Another thing you should consider is if the adult drink package or specialty dining is your thing because they do cost more. They are advertised as free — but you still have to pay gratuities for them and that can add up. If you enjoy a few drinks each day, the drink package is a great value. The specialty dining is about $20 per person per visit but the food is top quality. At the same time main dining is also amazing so it is up to you if you want to splurge for this elevated dining experience.

While we are on the topic of specialty restaurants, know you can call NCL 120 days before your cruise and book dinner times. I HIGHLY recommend you put a reminder in your phone and do this because if you wait till you board, the only open specialty dining times may be around 9 PM and that is too late for many.

Another thing to consider when booking is how many days you will be at sea and if / or the Vibe Beach club access is worth it to you. Vibe is a key card only private sun deck area on the ship that is posh and exclusive. All the chairs have cushions and there is plenty of space since limited access is sold. You have your own bar and wait staff as well a hot tub. Some ships have cabanas for rent that include your access to Vibe as part of the price. How much does it cost? Around $50 per day per cabin (not per person). You should be aware not all ships have a Vibe club so if this matters to you it can impact the cruise you ultimately choose.

Phew this a lot of information but we are not done yet and this is just part one before you book. Now let’s talk about other discounts. If you happen to be a Caesar’s Rewards top elite member, you may qualify for a nearly free cruise, and if not, you always qualify for either a 10 or 20% discount off your cruise by calling the Casinos at Sea department to assist with your booking. They will offer you all the current promotions NCL.com has plus your add-on discounts. There used to be a simple way to get top Caesars Rewards status cheaply but sadly those days are gone so I will not cover that here.

Now, let’s say you have done all of the above and have booked but now have a balance due with “X” number of days to pay it off. Here is where you can again save yourself some cash. If you hold American Express cards, check to see (I mean, check often) if there are offers that if you spend $500 or $1,000 on NCL, you can get cash back of $200 or $300 or more. You can then make the required payment online and in a week or so you should see the credit hit your Amex account. The really sweet part of this type of offer is if you have a number of cards with the offer (think friends and family) you can use other cards to make payments and harvest the offer over and over. You can even load up to $1,000 FULLY REFUNDABLE cash to your onboard account and take advantage of this type of offer as well as prepaid shore excursions.

Another discount that is easily obtainable is the NCL shareholder benefit which gives you non-refundable $50 for cruises 6 days or less, $100 credit for cruises 7-14 days and $250 for cruises over 15 days. You simply provide proof of ownership of NCL stock and submit the form online and the credit will be applied to your account once you have a cruise booked.

The last thing I wanted to touch on is the NCL credit card. Normally, this is a low-value card for everyday spending as it only yields 1% cash back if you load the points into your NCL account onboard. But they can have HUGE value for upgrades. For example, say you like balcony cabins. You can book an ocean view (often MUCH cheaper than a balcony) and then use 30,000 NCL World points to upgrade to a balcony. I have done this many times and it has saved me thousands of dollars but it is always wise to compare if simply booking the better cabin is the best way to go.

I know you likely have a lot more questions but this is just part one of four so hang tight and be sure to subscribe to the blog daily newsletter for more updates on how to make your NCL experience the best possible! – René