Norwegian Offers Free Specialty Dining, Drinks

Jason · February 25, 2014

Norwegian Cruise Line introduced a new valuable new promotion called “The Ultimate Freesome” that offers free specialty dining and drinks packages valued at up to $1,000, company executives told travel agents in a webcast on Feb. 24. The offer is good on bookings made Feb. 27-March 10 for Norwegian Getaway departures from April 19 through Sept. 27 and Norwegian Breakaway sailings from April 20 to Sept. 28, 2014.

Those who book a balcony stateroom or higher category on Norwegian Getaway or Breakaway get a free “Ultimate Dining Package,” which waives the cover charge in specialty restaurants for each night of the cruise and usually costs $119 for a seven-day voyage. The “Ultimate Dining Package” does not include a la carte restaurants, Geoffrey Zakarian’s Ocean Blue and entertainment-based dining, but those are discounted by 20 percent with the package.

Those who book a suite or higher get the “Ultimate Dining Package” and the “Ultimate Beverage Package,” which usually costs $49 per day. It includes spirits and cocktails valued up to $8.50, draft beer up to $5.95, bottled beers up to $5.50, glasses of wine under $10 and unlimited fountain soda and juices at all bars, lounges and restaurants on the ship and at Great Stirrup Cay.

The “Ultimate Freesome” can be combined with Norwegian’s current Wave Season offer as well as AARP, military and Latitudes Rewards discounts. Norwegian has created marketing materials for travel agents to use to promote the latest offer. They are available at the line’s travel agent portal.

Norwegian’s Wave Season offer, good through April 14, is a reduced deposit, up to six category upgrades and e-coupons worth over $300 for all cruises departing before Dec. 31, 2015. Program codes are 14WAVE and UPGRADE.

By Theresa Norton Masek, Travel Pulse

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Sarge6870 · February 26, 2014

When I first started cruising back in 1990, there was no such thing as Specialty Restaurants. All there was was the main dining room(s), maybe a pizza place onboard and the buffet. Back then, every cruise I had taken had immaculate food quality and service in the MDR. Once specialty dining was introduced, and this can be confirmed just by reading reviews of past cruises on various lines and vessels, the MDR quality has gone down. Slow delivery of orders, incorrect orders, poor presentation and cold orders are just some of the complaints that can be found.I would like to see the cruise lines, ALL of the cruise lines concentrate on bringing back fine dining to the MDR's on their ships. I have eaten in some specialty restaurants onboard different ships and could only remember back to when that same quality and attention was offered in the MDR of cruises past.

DebbieandJerry · February 26, 2014

Very well stated. I agree that the main dining room should be "specialty" dining. We tried specialty dining the first time we were in Hawaii on the NCL. Honestly, the food was the same. It was the service and the intimacy that was special. Would I do it again? No!

Adrienne123 · March 3, 2014

I actually have no problem with the food in the MDR...I stick with fish, chicken or pasta amd I am always happy with the quality, taste, and presentation. That being said, I also enjoy the intimacy of specialty dining, and don't mind paying a little extra for it. To get 7 nights of free specialty dining on a brand new ship is a huge treat, and hubby and I added this to our upcoming trip. I have noticed NCL is advertising more...on TV, on the radio, and giving speicals like this...? are they hurting, or just making a play to be number 1??? Either way, I love cruising and thank you NCL for this neat perk!!!

DebbieandJerry · March 3, 2014

I think the entire travel industry is hurting and any advertising sparks interest.

For NCL to add these perks means (to me) that you're paying for it somehow. There really is no free lunch.

Shari2 · March 5, 2014

Some nice perks...we usually get a balcony. I do remember back when the dining was all in the dining room...first cruise was in 1979...if you missed eating in the dining room, you usually could only find coffee, and tea and cookies, in between meals. I do like to have the extra dining options today, like the buffets, and pizza and burger places, etc...if you should miss a meal. I do agree that we shouldn't have to have specialty dining. I remember that the dining rooms had fantastic food and service back in the "old days." That said, I think that they have to find ways to keep the cruising cost down, and people don't have to go the specialty restaurants, or pay $8.50 cents for a drink if they don't want to. I paid around $950 for my first cruise as a single (room was like a large closet) my parents paid around $850 pp for an inside room. That was back in 1979; there are cruises to be had today that aren't that much more expensive IF you don't go overboard on all the "extra spending." With that said, I have gone to the specialty dining rooms on two different ships..."Infinity" and the "Oosterdam." I did really enjoy the food and service. So, there are lots of ways to look at this. This could possibly bring more passengers on to NCL since they have mostly all different dining places on their ships, and a casual atmosphere.

WeCruiseToo · March 5, 2014

This is a good deal and a great opportunity for people like us who don’t like to spend extra for the specialty restaurants very often. Considering this deal just came out and I’ve been seeing big sales from every cruise line for weeks now (free gratuities, free drink packages, onboard credit, air credit, kids sale free, free specialty dining, and on and on) I have no doubt this is Norwegian’s response to the competition.

Regarding the main dining room: way, way back on our second cruise we had an awful server (dropped a plate of food in the lap and walked away without a word) while as recent as this year we’ve had perfectly amazing service. And we still find incredibly delicious meals included on every cruise (sure, sometimes we get something that’s not to our liking, but usually there’s an attentive server ready to replace it with something else!).