A friend keeps getting offers from casinos for free cruises on
Norwegian Cruise Line and is curious about them. It seems like the
sort of thing that might be "free" up front, but end up costing a
fortune in fees and taxes and such. How "free" are they, really?
How much do free cruises cost?
I was low Diamond a couple years ago when the wife and I took our first "free" cruise. The Comp was for an inside cabin. I paid a little extra to upgrade to a square window, which we both felt was well worth it.
We did the Jewel out of NOLA for seven days Western Carribean. Ports in Belize, Roatan, and Mexico. Our "total" cost including flights on Southwest to New Orleans, one night hotel before the cruise, the window upgrade, the port fees, our shore excursions, a couple upgraded meals on the ship, and a few souvenirs (less than $300 worth) was $3200.
The comp saved us about a grand. But ultimately the trip was three times that. Your mileage will obviously vary with meal choices and shore excursions and alcohol (we drank only a couple drinks the whole week) and souvenirs. But there's one data point for you.
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On Oct 20, 2016, at 2:40 PM, fivespot fivespot55@gmail.com [vpFREE] <vpFREE@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
A friend keeps getting offers from casinos for free cruises on
Norwegian Cruise Line and is curious about them. It seems like the
sort of thing that might be "free" up front, but end up costing a
fortune in fees and taxes and such. How "free" are they, really?
[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
A lot depends on the trip itinerary (number of ports, number of days) but for a rule of thumb, look up the prices advertised on the NCL website for the cabin category you've been offered, and the price you'll pay for two people is approximately the amount you see listed for one person. The fees listed online don't include taxes and port fees, and what you'll end up paying is supposedly just those charges.
But the simplest way to find out is to call either the number given on the paper you were given to make a reservation or the Casinos At Sea people if that's where the offer came from. Either number you call will get you to someone who will quote you a price for the cabin class you've been offered for a specific voyage, and if you're interested in upgrading to a better class of cabin, they'll tell you how much the upgrade charge will be. But you do need to select one or two specific sailings you want to inquire about; they won't give you a blanket number for a non-specified cruise..
In addition to the room, you will (at least in my 13 cruise experience) always get a drink card attached to a players card for each of the two cabin occupants, entitling you to at least free well-level drinks at the casino bar, which is open anytime the casino is. Although there is a "rule" that you can't take drinks out of the casino. that has NEVER been enforced to my knowledge, including being able to bring a glass of wine into the dining room or specialty restaurant, or to get several bottles of water to take wherever you want.
Furthermore, NCL is almost always offering extras along with the cruise, which could be a choice among 4-5 things: free specialty dining, free wifi, free service charges, etc. You will only get the offer that applies to the cabin class you were offered however. If your offer was for an inside cabin, that would be one choice. Even if you upgraded to a balcony that might ordinarily give you two choices, you would still only get one.
Unless they offer, and you opt for the free service charges if they've been offered, you will also pay the $13.50 per person, per day service charges.
Once you've sailed with them, if you play in their casino, you may also get free cruise offers directly from NCL's Casinos at Sea department. That, of course, depends on your play level and whether you play enough to advance within their players club.
All in all, the amount you would pay is a relatively small fraction of what the cruise would usually cost, and we've obviously taken advantage of the opportunity whenever possible. But I have to emphasize, the people at NCL will very willingly quote you a price if you just call. There's no obligation, and they readily accept that before you commit, you have to confirm with your better half. Also you do have to pick up the offer sheet from your casino to get the number to call and what cabin-type and length of cruise you are being given. To the best of my experience, these cruise offers are the same as any other casino giveaways in terms of expected play.
Hope this helps. Bon Voyage!
Certainly the game is rigged. Don’t let that stop you; if you don’t bet, you can’t win. -Lazarus Long
In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice. But, in practice, there is. -Yogi Berra
There is no such thing as luck. There is only adequate or inadequate preparation to cope with a statistical universe. -Robert Heinlein
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From: "fivespot fivespot55@gmail.com [vpFREE]" <vpFREE@yahoogroups.com>
To: vpfree <vpFREE@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2016 5:40 PM
Subject: [vpFREE] How much do free cruises cost?
A friend keeps getting offers from casinos for free cruises on
Norwegian Cruise Line and is curious about them. It seems like the
sort of thing that might be "free" up front, but end up costing a
fortune in fees and taxes and such. How "free" are they, really?
for us it is usually about half price it depends on upgrades and what you get camped for, inside or balcony, you get a drink card for the casino. For me its a good deal the VP is terrible!!! I have won but the casino is well they are def PIRATES!!!
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On Oct 20, 2016, at 2:40 PM, fivespot fivespot55@gmail.com [vpFREE] <vpFREE@yahoogroups.com> wrote:
A friend keeps getting offers from casinos for free cruises on
Norwegian Cruise Line and is curious about them. It seems like the
sort of thing that might be "free" up front, but end up costing a
fortune in fees and taxes and such. How "free" are they, really?
My "free" Norweigian cruise from a Harrah's promotion for a December 2015 on the Jewel cost $977.40 for a 7 night cruise. That guest fare of $370 is sometimes called NCF or an admin fee and applies even though the cruise is supposed to be free. The promo at the time was a free Ultimate Beverage Package and prepaid tips on that was $136. Paying for it myself by looking at upcoming cruises on the same itinerary while typing this, I would pay $1765 if all the fees and charges were the same so I got close to half off.
Guest Fare 370.00 185.00 185.00
Gov Tax/Port Exp/Fees 232.02 116.01 116.01
Insurance 58.00 29.00 29.00
Bev Srv Charge 136.08 68.04 68.04
Prepaid Service Charges 181.30 90.65 90.65
Gross Total 977.40 488.70 488.70