Norwegian Cruise Line tests all-inclusive packages
Tired of being nickel-and-dimed on cruise ships? You'll want to take a look at the latest offering from Norwegian Cruise Line.
The fast-growing cruise operator on Wednesday announced an all-inclusive package for 2015 sailings that it is billing as a first of its kind for a major line.
Available starting Monday through Aug. 29, the package includes almost everything that normally costs extra on a Norwegian ship including dinners at extra-charge restaurants, alcoholic beverages, sodas, shore excursions, service charges, Internet time, on-board photos and even a free pass to an on-board bingo game.
The All-Inclusive, as the package is being called, is available for three- to 14-day voyages and is priced by the number of days. For a seven-night trip, it'll cost $899 per person on top of the cruise fare.
Sailings on all Norwegian ships except the Hawaii-based Pride of America are included in the promotion.
When used to its fullest, the package will bring hundreds of dollars of savings to passengers as compared with paying for on-board meals, drinks and services individually. Under the terms of the offer, passengers also will get a 10% discount off the cruise fare when booking the package.
The package allows passengers to eat at one of the line's extra-charge specialty restaurants every night of the cruise. The inclusion of shore excursions comes in the form of a credit that varies by the length of the trip (it's $200 on seven-night cruises). The inclusion of Internet time comes in the form of a set number of minutes that also varies by the length of the trip (it's 250 minutes on seven-night cruises).
