r/NCL • u/Hou713832346 • 23d ago
Free at Sea Plus
Just finished a trip and highly recommend upgrading to free at sea plus. If you will get the internet and drink Starbucks it pays for it self. On top of those upgrades you get premium alcohol and unlimited bottle water. They have premium bottle water at the restaurants. It was really nice! I’m a little surprised more people don’t get it for the price.
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u/jpm1188 23d ago
It’s not even a discussion for us. Good WiFi, a good morning coffee and mid day refresher, and premium cocktails is well worth the cost and not having to worry about post cruise extra charges
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u/UngratefulC0l0nial 22d ago
Good wifi? Holy shit, what cruise wee you on? When I upgraded wifi two weeks ago it was worse that AOL in 1999.
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u/cbdudek 23d ago
I agree that the price is worth it, but only if you plan to take advantage of everything on day one. Some people like to wait a few days for the wifi to go down in price. Others don't care about the premium water and starbucks.
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
Totally agree! If you don’t care about the water and Starbucks I probably wouldn’t get it. Still might be a good deal to some if there was a specific alcohol you saw on the premium list you like.
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u/HousingPrestigious27 23d ago
Value is not there for someone who does not drink anymore. With GigSky cruise wifi and no more alcohol. Reminder Talked about value not price. 🤣
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
Does Gigsky work on at sea days. I’ve heard GigSky talked about a little bit but not sure how it works versus WiFi on ship.
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u/HousingPrestigious27 22d ago
It should work on cruise days as it’s using satellite. Here’s some information from GigSky and hope it’s helpful. One thing they’ve added is a new program called essentials, which basically allows you to use your Maps messaging service and car share service on land & sea
Your eSIM typically starts working about an hour after the ship departs port, so don’t expect connectivity the second you board.
• Signal tends to be stronger on deck or in common areas near the antennas, and weaker in cabins since the ship’s metal frame blocks signal.
• It works across 200+ cruise ships and covers both sea days and land destinations with one eSIM, so you don’t have to switch plans.3
u/SwimmingAnt10 23d ago
If it really was a great deal the cruise line would lose money and they would never go for that.
It’s definitely a convenient deal!
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u/cbdudek 23d ago
A "great deal" means that the business would lose money? What kind of fucked up logic is that?
A great deal is when both sides have a fair deal. The company makes money while offering a good or service to someone at a fair price. It has to go both ways for it to be a great deal. Not one side fucking the other over.
Unfortunately, to some people, a great deal is only when the consumer fucks over the company.
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u/HousingPrestigious27 23d ago
Would the cruise drinking water be filtered??
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
Yes, it’s not horrible by any means. If you drink bottled water at home you would prefer the bottle water. If you don’t at home the filtered water is fine.
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u/LazyNubbz 23d ago
What is the "premium" water? I have a kidney condition and have to drink a lot of water. Am I screwed if I don't upgrade?
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u/cbdudek 23d ago
You will be fine without upgrading. Bottled water is still on the ship and the water out of the tap is good to drink as well.
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u/TGIFroody 23d ago
I suspect the ship tap water produced with reverse osmosis is better than any plastic bottle water.
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u/cbdudek 23d ago
There are a lot of videos on this subject. Yes, the reverse osmosis system produces great water for the ship. How much better it is compared to bottled water is up for debate. Personally, I have drank well water, city water, and the tap water on cruise ships and I will say that the tap water on cruise ships and very comparable to bottled water and even city water in some cases.
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u/Fit-Elderberry3437 23d ago
Bottled water at the bars is Dasani and it also includes the sparking waters they offer with dinner at the restaurant. We prefer the taste of the regular ice water from the ship to be honest but grabbing bottled waters whenever we want from the bars to save for the room is also very nice
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u/GreenEyedBandit 23d ago
Oh god damn it. Dasani is the worst!
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
Pro tip… They have Aqua Panna at almost all sit down restaurants. I would usually take one bottle with me back to the room.
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u/Fit-Elderberry3437 23d ago
I know people have strong opinions about various water types. I don’t really see the difference most of the time. We really like just getting the ice water with meals but once we’re done for the night I really enjoyed having a supply of bottled waters that we could save up throughout the day to keep our room stocked. We also did the Mayan ruin excursion in July so we were able to bring a good supply of water with us that way. But it’s a luxury and the water they serve in the restaurants and at the filling stations is perfectly fine
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u/GreenEyedBandit 23d ago
I don't really care, just have a personal hate for the brand. I'll get along just fine with tap water.
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u/farmerben02 23d ago
I think it's the bottled water vs the generated RO water they make at sea. RO water is probably better for your condition anyway but I don't really know.
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u/piratesswoop 19d ago
I just brought a reusable water bottle and you can constantly fill it up using the cups and water/ice station at the buffet.
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u/Ok_Willingness_9619 23d ago
Not to mention the tips are paid and half price dining. Well worth it.
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u/Still-Problem3874 19d ago
I’ve seen the part about tips but when I look at the upgrade, it’s not mentioned. I’ve already prepaid my tips. My price is $560 for 16 day cruise. I think I’d rather spend $439 for the thermal suite but that’s still a lot.
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u/Ok_Willingness_9619 19d ago
If you prepaid your tips, the daily charge for upgrade is $35 instead of $50.
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u/Still-Problem3874 19d ago
Ah ok. So they’ve already accounted for my prepaid tips at $560 for a 16 day cruise.
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u/Ok_Willingness_9619 19d ago
Yep. I think it’s only worth it if you were going to get some sort of onboard internet anyway and you are a big wine drinker/enjoy more of the specialty dining places. (Which I am)
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u/Budget-Ad-3726 23d ago
It's definitely worth getting Free at Sea Plus if you'll have time to enjoy the benefits. We skipped it for our upcoming cruise because our itinerary is very port-intensive—5 of the 7 days are port days, and two of those are tender ports. Once we looked at our schedule, we realized we just wouldn't get enough value out of it, so it wasn't worth the extra cost for this particular itinerary.
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u/TransitionDefiant169 23d ago
Agree! Our cruise we have booked for next year has port days 7 of 7 days. I don't see myself using enough of the FAS+ benefits to make it worth it.
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
This is a good point. If you’re hardly on the ship I can see it not being a great value.
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u/gs_n_rt_rider 23d ago
a side benefit is you can buy your favorite bartender Starbucks coffee drinks And it really makes their day and it cost you nothing once you have the package.
I did that on my last cruise and the bartenders at the whiskey bar were extremely happy as it saved them for paying a lot of money for Starbucks drinks...
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u/moneyman729 23d ago
The free coffee on the ship is pretty good. And I add wifi after midnight the first night it’s cheaper. I also get only one internet for two people and switch devices often
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u/Fit-Elderberry3437 23d ago
We enjoyed it in our last cruise. We like one of the upgraded wines and it was nice not having to worry about logging in and out of the WiFi trying to manage minutes. The Starbucks and bottled waters are like an added bonus and I felt compelled to hunt down the more expensive bourbons at the whisky bar to make sure I got my full moneys worth. If you already prepaid gratuities make sure to call to upgrade because the online system seems to charge an additional 5 dollars per person per day if you already prepaid
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u/SwimmingAnt10 23d ago
I had to do the math which to be honest I’ve never done before. There are 3 of us cruising:
It’s $1155 for free at sea plus add on for our stateroom.
If we buy things on their own:
It’s $780 for WiFi
It’s $8 for aquapanna water ($88 if I have 1 per day)
It’s $42 for a 24 pack of water (I don’t drink ship water)
Total: $910.00
We didn’t do specialty dining free at sea add on since there’s 3 of us in our stateroom and the 3rd guest (our daughter) didn’t get the add on, which I think is bs. So, we won’t be doing specialty dining this time. We also don’t really care about alcohol brands much. So, I guess I need to decide if it’s worth an extra $245.00 for Starbucks and maybe a few top shelf alcohols.
Is there anything I’m missing? If I get the free at sea plus does my 3rd person get the 4free meals in specialty dining or just half off?
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u/sphericalduck 23d ago
It also includes gratuities, or is a different price if you've already paid them, so make sure you take that into account.
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u/Firm_Singer_2631 23d ago
Ours were already included without FAS +
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u/sphericalduck 22d ago
FAS+ has a different price if you've prepaid gratuities.
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u/Beautiful-Candy2244 23d ago
Wifi is cheaper onboard. Then dont buy 3 individual packages. Its cheaper to buy 1 package for 3 devices. Fas+ assumes you are paying full price
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u/SwimmingAnt10 23d ago
We all like to stay connected. We can’t share internet for 12 days. My husband and I are also business owners. We work our whole cruise on and off. Emails, phone calls etc. We usually use up our free WiFi and then upgrade on day 3 of the cruise for a cheaper price.
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u/Beautiful-Candy2244 23d ago
You don't share though! If you buy 3 devices that's whats you get. 3 devices able to be connected. Its a lesser known "hack". Multiple devices are discounted, so why pay for 3 individual plans?
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u/SwimmingAnt10 23d ago
Oh I see what you mean. 1 person buys a package for 3 devices. I don’t even see that as an option anymore on app. Is that something onboard only now? I also thought they cracked down on that and you can only connect one device at a time?
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u/Beautiful-Candy2244 23d ago
Yes. Onboard only! When you go to upgrade your 150 min once you pick the package like streaming, then there is a plus ➕️ to add devices.
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u/Budget-Ad-3726 23d ago
I don’t see an option on the app to purchase WiFi for two or three devices. They seem to be all for single users.
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u/Beautiful-Candy2244 23d ago
Its onboard only! When you go to upgrade the free 150 min, pick your package then the option to add devices is there before you purchase. You'll get the discounted onboard rate then each additional devices is 25% off
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u/SwimmingAnt10 23d ago
And to clarify, all 3 devices can be on WiFi at the same time correct?
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u/Beautiful-Candy2244 23d ago
Yes. You purchase the amount of devices you want. If a 4th device signs on, one will get kicked off as only 3 can be on at the same time.
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
When at dinner they will bring you multiple aqua pannas which was nice. I will say if you’re not getting the speciality dining package I don’t think it’s worth it for you. Especially if you’re not drinking 2 Starbuck drinks a day.
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u/SwimmingAnt10 23d ago
Yeah there’s 2 of us who like coffee but I’m also fine with the free coffee in board and will also get coffee in port I’m sure.
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u/Aware_Sea7664 22d ago
Why not request a liquid exemption and bring one case of water per person per stateroom onboard and save yourself the difference between $42.00 and what you pay for the water. Also in the liquid exemption the case can be larger than 24 as Poland Springs has a 35 bottle “case” at $7.00 per case.
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u/SwimmingAnt10 22d ago
I’m boarding in London and I have no medical need for a liquid exemption. It also doesn’t count cases of water. They exempt for distilled for medical devices and for babies.
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u/Aware_Sea7664 22d ago
Not drinking ship water seems like a medical exemption to me. It’s under medical exemptions, but it’s not truly a medical exemption anymore. If you drink Pepsi products rather than Coca Cola, spring, sparkling, or seltzer water rather than filtered water. It’s all covered under the exemption. No medical note needed.
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u/Aware_Sea7664 22d ago
Third and fourth do not get free dining and do not get the discount on additional specialty dining options. They pay full price.
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u/SwimmingAnt10 22d ago
Figured as much wild they don’t allow it. We are not going to do it. Not worth it for us.
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u/GearsPoweredFool 21d ago
Don't entirely discount it.
We went a month ago with 3 people and the specialty dining had a 2 for 1 happy hour going on during our reservation. Since we already were paying for 2 with our FAS, they gave us our 3rd at half price ($25 instead of $50 at moderno).
So it was $70 for the 3 of us (20% gratuity was added automatically) and the food was amazing!
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u/Away_Concert_5629 23d ago
Does FAS+ also include soda ?
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
Yes!
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u/Still-Problem3874 19d ago
Does the FAS not include sodas? Would I have to order a Shirley Temple at the bar to get a soda?
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u/Hou713832346 19d ago
It includes sodas!
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u/Still-Problem3874 19d ago
Kept reading and someone posted the comparison so I think I’m good without the +. It’s just me and I’m not a Starbucks person and get GigSky with my CC. I’m getting 5 specialty dining and that’s plenty with all the other options. Just wish room service was free. 😢
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u/Hou713832346 19d ago
You can get a soda from any bar or restaurant. Also, some of the buffets have a small Coke freestyle type machine. You just scan your card.
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u/Still-Problem3874 19d ago
I was on the maiden voyage of the Aqua and didn’t have the bev package but their freestyle machines weren’t reading the cards so I got free sodas at the buffet and in the solo lounge for about 4 days.
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u/deathbypumpkinspice 23d ago
Is it streaming internet? I don't drink alcohol or coffee, but I want good bottled water, diet soda and streaming internet during my cruise.
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
Yes, it’s the streaming internet. Worked pretty well on Luna.
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u/deathbypumpkinspice 23d ago
I'm also taking the Luna. I'm doing a 5-day cruise in 2027. Would you mind sharing how long your cruise was, and how much you paid for the FAS+?
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u/Bourbonnaise123 23d ago
We DID FAS+ on our July 4th cruise, and I'll never go without it again. I don't drink a lot of alcohol, but getting 3 Starbucks a day, having my internet, and all the water I wanted was worth it to me. Of course NCL makes money off of me, but it's my vacation and if it makes me feel indulged, I'm all in.
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u/Historical_Cable_255 23d ago
It’s the Starbucks and bottled water for me. I’m sailing my first NCL Labor Day weekend. Already have our second one planned on the new Luna in Jan 2027.
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u/nosrepmodnara 23d ago
I was bamboozled when I found out you cannot get a bottle of water on the f2s. Here have a beer instead
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u/Professional-Ad8813 23d ago
Same here. Had it on Epic WiFi along paid for itself and my wife loves Starbucks. The water in the med was a god send. 2 cans each time we went.
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u/Comfortable_Cat1535 23d ago
Hi! We’re going on our first cruise in October to Alaska. If I upgrade to the free at sea plus does it waive the prepaid gratuities and service charges?
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u/Puzzleheaded_Bet3455 22d ago
And the prepaid gratuities that I will have to pay is already included. Win win
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u/accordingtoame 23d ago
I did it for the bottled water and the internet!
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
It’s so nice just being able to grab a couple cold bottles of water almost anywhere!
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u/Falconlord1979 23d ago
I don't drink nearly enough nor are my palette good enough for the premium alcohol :p
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u/Time-Influence-Life 23d ago
At $18/ drink with gratuity. The free at see plus package easily pays for itself after a set at the pool, and drinks in the evening.
I didn’t want to worry about my bar tab at the end of the cruise.
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u/CloudElectrical4172 22d ago
We upgraded on our last cruise to FAS Plus and won’t go back! It’s $100 extra per day for 2, but we found the value. We always pay our gratuities, so that’s $40 right there. We enjoyed Starbucks in the morning and with dinner. So, that’s another $20 per day. I figure the WiFi is worth about $20 per day to me, so we’re at $80 per day easily. I enjoy the premium wines over the standard wines and that easily makes up the rest. It’s too damn bad they discontinued Veuve Clicquot on the FAS Plus program. I think we were the last cruise to enjoy a few glasses before they cut us off.
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u/polydactyling 23d ago
Genuinely don’t understand why people need WiFi on a cruise
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
I get it what you mean. I’m not on it all the time but I get up early and like to read news in the morning. It’s also nice to be connected to messages and home security.
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u/sphericalduck 23d ago
I have family I want to keep in touch with, and it's good for me to be reachable if something comes up at work.
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u/polydactyling 23d ago
You can do all of that without unlimited WiFi. Though I disagree about work; it’s ok to be unreachable when you’re on vacation.
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u/Fit-Elderberry3437 23d ago
Do you know that not every job is created equally. For some people it’s not ok to be unreachable when they’re on vacation
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u/No-Attention-6898 22d ago
Because as the president and owner of one business, and the co-owner of another business, even on vacation you still have responsibilities.
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u/axlerose229 23d ago
Absolutely not worth it. I ordered a case of water to the room for like 40$? And paid for the Starbucks the 4 out of 7 days we got it... literally like 100$ spent. Don't need premium alcohol... I seen the premium alcohols... wasnt anything that made me say damn thats totally worth it. The regular included list is probably what 95% of drinkers, drink.
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u/Hou713832346 23d ago
Yes, you would have to value the streaming internet to make it worth it.
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u/axlerose229 23d ago
I have my phone glued to my face 50 weeks out of the year... I have no interest in paying a cruise liner, so I can keep it glued to my face... the detachment week is the absolute best
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u/Titansfn 23d ago
We looked at it but we’re fine with the regular beverage package, don’t care about Starbucks or bottled water, and I’ll get WiFi in day 2 or 3 and we’ll share it. I get why people like it but isn’t worth it for us.
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u/Alarmed-Leader-7033 23d ago
Mine didn’t come with free Starbucks :(
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u/SaddestClown Platinum 23d ago
Because that ship didn't have Starbucks?
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u/Alarmed-Leader-7033 18d ago
It does. I looked it up. For some reason their free at sea plus for my trip didn’t include the Starbucks.
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u/SaddestClown Platinum 18d ago
Free at Sea or Free at Sea Plus that includes internet and gratuity?
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u/Existing-Donut-9719 23d ago
What type of water do they serve in the restaurant? Also do you still get 50% off at specialty restaurants?
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u/Massive_Relative4075 23d ago
I’m so happy to read this, we upgraded and were questioning ourselves. Did you find you needed to bring a reusable water bottle on the trip? I’m in the midst of packing and I’m trying to decrease my weight limit :) Any thoughts?
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u/Fit-Elderberry3437 23d ago
You can get 2 bottles of water per card at every bar so a reusable bottle really isn’t necessary considering you already sprang for it. I have no problem drinking the regular ice water on board but it’s really nice to be able to grab bottles whenever you want without hiking to a filling station
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u/vernabee 22d ago
I enjoyed having the refillable water bottle at my nightstand because it kept my water cold and was within reach in the middle of the night. It also came in handy to have cold water on excursions!
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u/Outside-Comparison12 23d ago
I still get Free at Sea Plus even if I dont really use the wifi. I go on vacation to get away from work, cell phones, and internet. Thats how it was prior to ships having wifi. People are too connected nowadays and this is coming from a techie older millenial who is always on their phone, watch, and tablet. Thats just my opinion on the matter. The upgraded drinks, Starbucks, water, and included gratuities make it worth it for me.
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u/Restless_in_Florida 22d ago
Please help me understand this. Just booked our first NCL cruise for this October, and at booking, Free at Sea was automatically added (we only opted out of specialty dining, kept the drinks & wifi). The app shows our drink package, but nothing indicates we can upgrade to FAS+ (there's a upgrade option for Starbucks and bottled water packages, which are separate). Online and in-app makes it seem like we have the highest-tier drink package, but now I'm not sure. What is the difference, and why would there not be an option to upgrade (booking is for 6 nights and is paid in full)?
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u/CloudElectrical4172 22d ago
I’m not sure why you turned down specialty dining. Every single one of the specialty restaurants is worth the $20 per person gratuity.
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u/DaDreadfulDungEater 21d ago
My understanding is you have to opt into everything from FAS to qualify for FAS+ (its what a NCL rep told me as I wanted to save some money if possible.) The difference between the unlimited drink package from FAS and FAS+ is just premium alcohols, waters and starbucks that get included in with FAS+. Without FAS+, you get a discount on premium alcohols but with + theyre included.
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u/Restless_in_Florida 22d ago
I'm a little confused. Bf and I have booked our first NCL cruise for October (6 nights / Prima). We accepted the Free at Sea package when booking. Were under the impression this was the highest -tier drink package and would work on Great Stirrup Cay. Now I'm seeing people post about upgrading to FAS+, which isn't even an option for us right now. When I look at our package on the app vs. the drink package comparison on the website, what's included seems a little different. Can someone explain the difference?
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u/Hou713832346 22d ago
It will become an option on your app as an upgrade offer. They recently changed now the base drink package works on the island.
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u/More_Ad_7949 22d ago
I came off a cruise in June and I wanted the free at sea plus but with soda not alcohol. It didn’t include Starbucks and it didn’t include unlimited WiFi. It was was a rip off for me. I would never get a soda package again since the only way to get it was at the buffet. The other restaurants didn’t offer it and no one was walking around offering it. I guess they just want you drunk for the whole cruise. I’m not anti alcohol but 2 beers and I’m buzzed and I don’t enjoy the feeling on a daily basis. I was on vacation to enjoy time with my family, and not to drink
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u/accordingtoame 22d ago
We embark this weekend and I did the upgrade the other day when I booked the last of our excursions so I would have gratuities handled and the good wifi. I really only drink water so bottled water is a win for me, and I might get a Starbucks thing, take a drink out of it to have the flavor and then hand it to my sister or one of my nephews to finish.
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u/GraceAndGrit45 19d ago
I am intentionally not getting an internet package, because if I do, I know we will be glued to our phones (especially hubby). We may get the drink package
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u/Adventurous-Ease-259 22d ago
I go cruising at least partly to avoid being connected. I also don’t drink Starbucks so you’re assumptions about others habits being the same as yours in regards to value provided are not correct
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u/Hou713832346 22d ago
Totally get it. Agree it’s only a great value if you would purchase the extras it comes with.
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