Good Deal? Everything to Know About Norwegian’s “More At Sea” Sale

Norwegian Cruise Line’s “More at Sea” deal is one of the most appealing cruise line offers out there. If you book it, you get all sorts of perks included in your cruise, from a drink package to shore excursion credits to internet access.

But is it a good deal? It is worth buying? And what details should you know when you book?

While cruise passengers have gotten used to shelling out plenty of cash for extras on the ship after they board, not everyone likes being nickeled-and-dimed.

That’s why this offer aims to provide many of the extras you’d normally buy on a trip, all included in your cruise fare at a price that’s less than if you booked them all separately. That gives you a more all-inclusive atmosphere on the ship, instead of worrying about more spending once on the ship.

With More at Sea, you book a cruise and get any number of perks included with your cruise. While what’s offered to passengers can change slightly from time to time, the traditional deal offers a lineup of perks for you to select from:

• Unlimited open bar
• Included specialty dining meals
• Shore excursion credits
• Wi-fi minutes
• Free/$99 third and fourth guests

Norwegian has been offering some version of the sale for some time now, though it was tweaked in late 2024 from “Free at Sea” to the current “More at Sea.”

Anecdotally, it’s one of the most appealing offers out there. Who doesn’t want to get drinks or specialty dining tacked onto their cruise? In fact, it promises to take away so many of the extra charges that creep into the cost of a cruise these days.

But while the sale sounds mouth-watering, there are definitely some things you will want to know before you purchase your fare in order to get the best deal… and avoid any surprises.

The Number of Perks May Depend On Your Cabin Type (But Often Includes All Perks For Every Cabin)

First things first, while you can get all the perks included with your cruise, the number of perks you can select may depend on the type of cabin that you purchase. Often no matter which cabin type you book, all the perks are included. Other times, we’ve seen it where the higher grade of cabin you choose, the more picks you receive. .

If you book at a time when not everything is included, then if you pick a studio or inside cabin, you might only be offered one or two perks. Oceanview, balcony, and mini-suites will usually get to pick more offers, while suites, and The Haven cabins normally get to select all the perks. 

But it seems limiting the perks based on cabin type is becoming less common. For example, as of this writing all cabins — regardless of if they are inside rooms or top-of-the-line suites — are able to get all the perks included in their fare.

Sometimes More Perks Are Offered

In addition to changing the number of perks included with the room you book, NCL also adjusts the actual perks themselves at times. Typically, this means adding a perk or two occasionally to sweeten the offer.

What you’ll find is the five base included items don’t change. They include: 

• Drink package
• Specialty dining credit
• Shore excursion credit
• Wi-fi minutes
• Free/$99  third/fourth guests

But occasionally the cruise line adds in other deals. Most recently we’ve seen seen free airfare for second guests (for those flying to the port) and free cruise credit to put toward booking another trip while onboard the ship.

The More at Sea Offer Runs Consistently

With the ability to get all the perks included with your cruise, it can be tempting to want to jump at the deal so that you don’t miss out. In fact, normally you’ll see a timer on the Norwegian website counting down until the sale ends.

In this case, you don’t seem to have much to worry about. The offer has run in some form or another (there are tweaks here and there) for years. And while we don’t check every day, we can’t think of a time in recent history that it hasn’t been offered.

So yes, the sale may change slightly, but some form is seemingly always offered. Don’t think you have to rush to buy or risk missing out. If the time isn’t quite right to book, you’ll most likely see something similar when you are ready.  

Rooms Without Perks Are Less Expensive (If You Can Find Them)

One of the things you might not realize is that you can purchase cabins on the ship without the perks offered. Why would you want to do that? Sailing without the perks is actually cheaper than buying the same cabin as part of the sale.

Take a balcony cabin we found for 7-day Alaskan cruise, for instance. The price per person for a balcony cabin that included the More at Sea offer was $2,369 per person. 

Norwegian also offers a “Sail Away” balcony, which is a room that’s not part of the promotion, and the cruise line picks your room. In return, you get a cheaper rate. In this case, it was $2,319 per person.

So the More at Sea deal was actually $50 more per person — or $100 extra for a couple sailing together.

Remember that for that price difference you get all the perks and get to choose your actual cabin on the ship. As well, if you plan to buy things like drink packages ($109 per person, per day), you still come out way ahead despite the higher price. Still, it is a higher price to pay for the same type of room.

If the perks aren’t something you’ll use, then it may not be worth it for you to book the offer. But for most people, it likely will be worth the extra cost.

One thing to note is that it seems the fares without the offer often say they are sold out on NCL’s website. It may be difficult for you to find a fare without the offer.

You May HAVE to Buy the More at Sea Offer

In years past, there was a rather large difference between the cruise fares with the offer and those sail away balconies (on the order of hundreds of dollars). Then that difference seemed to get smaller and smaller to where booking with the offer was a no-brainer. Now, it can be seemingly tough to find a cruise without the offer included.

During our most recent price checks, we looked at dozens of cruises departing in the weeks ahead all the way to more than a year out. On none of them were we able to find a sail away room available. While the option was shown for all cruises, the website labeled them all “sold out” — even for cruises leaving more than a year from now. Meanwhile, there were still options available with the More at Sea perks included.

In other words, if you wanted a fare without the offer, it may be tough to find.

You Still Have to Pay Gratuity or Extra Fees… Even on Included Things

One of the biggest draws to the Norwegian sale is that you can get unlimited open bar on your trip. With the price of alcohol on a cruise being high (think $10-14 for a cocktail or about $6-8 for a beer), having bar privileges can be a huge money saver. Meanwhile, Norwegian charges $109 for an unlimited drink package. On a 7-day trip, that’s hundreds of dollars you’re saving by having it included.

But with the included drink package, NCL still adds in a daily charge. This used to be a gratuity amount on the headline price of the package, but now it’s just a flat charge based on the length of the cruise. 

The drink package fee schedule is the following per person, per day:

• Nights 1-7: $30 per person, per day
• Nights 8-11: $27 per person, per day
• Nights 12+: $23 per person, per day

So on a 7-night cruise, you’d actually pay $210 per person for the drink package. A couple traveling together would have to pay $420 as both people would be required to get the package if one person does.

It’s similar with the specialty dining package. There, you will see gratuities on the included meals with the offer ($20 per meal), which are paid when booking.

You can opt out of the drink package and specialty dining to avoid paying the gratuities. (See more on that below.)

You Don’t Have to Select a Perk If You Don’t Want It

With the extra cost of some perks like drinks and specialty dining, there can actually be a disadvantage to having it included on your cruise if you don’t use these offers. That’s ok. When you book, you don’t have to take advantage of every single perk that’s offered.

When making your reservation, you have the choice to opt out of those packages that require an extra charge such as the drink package and specialty dining. That way if you don’t think you’ll get your money’s worth, you don’t have to pay the fee.

Understand the Terms & Conditions Before Booking (Lots of Fine Print)

In general the perks from Norwegian are straightforward, but there are some terms you should know about.

Daily Gratuities: If you take advantage of the free or $99 fares for third and fourth guests in a cabin, keep in mind they will still be charged a daily service charge of $20 per person on the ship like any other passenger.

Specialty Dining: Other things to know include that the specialty dining perk is only for a some meals (three per person in total for a 7-day cruise if booking a balcony cabin, but only one per person in a studio, inside, or oceanview) and you also see a $20 per person, per meal charge with the package.

Wi-Fi: The wi-fi offer is for only 75 minutes on cruises of 3-6 nights or 150 minutes for trips of 7+ nights. It is not unlimited.

For the full terms and conditions of the offers, you can click here. And here are FAQ of what’s included from Norwegian Cruise Line.

Shore Excursion Credits Are Applied AFTER the Excursion (If Booked Onboard)

On perk included with More at Sea is a $50 shore excursion credit applied to the first passenger. This is good for each port, so if you have four excursions at for different ports, you can be credited a total of $200. 

It’s a good deal that can help save on excursions. What can be a little confusing is the pricing with the credit.

If you book your excursion before the cruise, then you will have the credit applied at the time of purchase. So a $99 excursion will be priced at $49. 

But if you wait until on the ship to book your excursion, then you are charged full price. Only after you take the excursion is the credit then applied to your onboard account. 

Check Prices on Airfare Offers

One of the perks that can be popular for people living a distance from the port is free airfare. Often, it is free for the second guest on the cruise, although the offer specifics can vary.

As you might expect, there are some caveats when it comes to free flights. Most notably, airfare charges will vary depending on where you’re flying from. You’ll be able to select your departure city, and then it will tell you the price of airfare for the guest that does have to pay.

In that case, it’s worth a quick search of flight-search websites like Kayak to see what the airfare rate will be. In a recent search, we found flights on our own for cheaper than what we were quoted on the NCL website. However, when you consider the free airfare for the second guest, the More at Sea offer was better overall.  

Good Deal? Likely, but Do the Math Before You Buy

For many people, selecting the More at Sea offer is a no-brainer (or may be required if a sail away fare isn’t available), and they will end up saving a considerable amount of money. 

But if you aren’t a big drinker or plan to drive to the port instead of fly, or don’t care about shore excursions, it could be that buying the cheaper cabin is worth it for you. After all, you’ll have to pay the fee on the drink package, still have to pay for some flights, and pay gratuities on specialty restaurant dining.

So if you won’t use the perks that are offered, be sure to consider if the deal is worth paying the higher price. If not, then you might be better off sailing without them. Even so, there’s a reason the offer is popular — for many people it’s a smart move.

More on Sailing NCL:

• Worth It? Complete Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) Drink Package Guide
• 25+ Fun Must-Do Things on a Norwegian Cruise
• 20+ Norwegian Cruise Tips, Tricks, and Things to Know

Popular: 39 Useful Things to Pack (17 You Wouldn't Think Of)

Read Next: Park & Cruise Hotels for Every Port in America

Popular: 107 Best Cruise Tips, Secrets, Tricks, and Freebies