Things to know about Norwegian

Every cruise line has unique nuances and differences on how they operate. Following are some things we think are important to be aware of and be prepared for when sailing with Norwegian.

All referenced pricing is subject to change, but believed to be accurate as of 1/26.

• Onboard Expenses. We want to make sure you are aware of these onboard expenses, and can budget accordingly to minimize unexpected surprises once onboard.
  • Speedway Go-Karts: $15 per person per session
    • Double carts (adult and small child are also $15)
    • Unlimited weekly pass: $199 per guest (with use of the express line)
  • Soda, bottled water and alcohol will cost extra – they are available ala carte, in a drink package, or as one of our group amenities (however you will still be responsible for associated package fees).  Norwegian has a policy that no outside beverages of any kind can be brought onboard.  If you use juice boxes to treat lows, you will need to submit NCL’s accessibility form here to have that request added to your reservation
• Gratuities. Like nearly all cruise lines, there is a daily per person gratuity which is not included in your cruise fare. Most items and services purchased onboard will have a 20% gratuity added.  Current daily gratuities are $20/pp per day and $25/pp per day for suites.  This is the one effectively mandatory charge in addition to your base cruise fare.  These can be prepaid with your reservation (which will lock pricing, should there be an increase between booking and sailing) otherwise they will be added to your onboard account and charged at the end of your cruise.
• Cashless. With the possible exception of the casino, cruise ships are effectively cashless.  All purchases onboard are charged to your onboard account, which is charged to the credit card on file on the final day of your cruise. You can set up limits for each guest to control spending.
• Suites.  Norwegian’s Haven suites are like a luxury ship-within-a-ship.  If you’re going to splurge, we really like Norwegian’s Haven for Alaska sailings.  They offer a private observation lounge and sun deck reserved exclusively for The Haven guests, along with amazing amenities such as butler service, private pool, lounge and restaurant.
• CGM Cloud Access. The CGM wearer and one follower will be provided unlimited access to CGM cloud data.  This is intended to be utilized for CGM data, and may not include full internet access.  *Note that access is satellite based, which is less reliable than land based service, but significantly better than nothing. Alaska has historically seen unreliable internet due to terrain and being in the middle of nowhere.  Access was very reliable when we last sailed NCL to Alaska in 2025.
• Group Amenities. Norwegian not only offers a donation to the CDF as part of our group, but provides two additional amenity packages that can be selected on each reservation!  You can choose your amenity option once booked. Ocean view and above categories receive all four amenities from either option and inside staterooms can choose two amenities from either option 1 or option 2.
  • Amenities apply to guests 1 & 2 only unless otherwise specified. 
  • Option 1 You will be charged a discounted $256.50/pp for the Beverage package and $80/pp for the Specialty Dining package (four specialty dining meals each for guest 1 & 2).
    • Unlimited Open Bar – Norwegian requires all adults on the reservation to take the beverage package ($256.50), regardless if they drink alcohol or not, with very few exceptions. If your reservation is for two guests, and guest two is a minor, they will be assigned the soda package ($112.50). If guests 3+ are minors, they will not receive a beverage package.  Includes a variety of spirits and cocktails, wines by the glass and bottled or draft beer.  Includes fountain soda, juice and non-alcoholic beer.
    • Specialty Dining – guests 1 and 2 only. 4 specialty dining meals 
    • $50 shore excursion credit per excursion, but only for guest 1
    • 300 minutes wi-fi
  • Option 2 has no additional costs associated
    • 10 photo package
    • $50 shore excursion credit per excursion, but only for guest 1
    • 300 minutes wi-fi
    • $100 onboard credit
• Refundable Deposits.  Norwegian offers fully refundable deposits for reservations, which we feel is a huge benefit for our group full of medical uncertainties.  Based on the past two years, we’ve seen cruise prices increase steadily over time, unlike prior years, where pricing would frequently drop closer to sailing.  Booking early will provide a not-to-exceed price (with the added benefit that we monitor for price drops and will request lower prices be matched all the way up to final payment), the best selection of staterooms and access to categories which tend to sell out rapidly, including suites, solo and connecting rooms.
  • Non-Haven suite rooms: $125/pp. deposit (assuming recurring 50% off promo)
  • Haven suites: 10% of voyage fare deposit
  • Final payment date: February 16, 2027
• Itinerary.  We think the itinerary is the best part of this sailing!  It visits more ports for longer periods of time than any other mass market cruise line.
  • 6/16/27 Depart Seattle @ 3pm
  • 6/17/27 Cruising
  • 6/18/27 Sitka, AK 10am – 8pm
  • 6/19/27 Cruising Hubbard Glacier
  • 6/20/27 Skagway, AK 6am – 8pm
  • 6/21/27 Juneau, AK 7am – 4pm
  • 6/22/27 Ketchikan, AK 9am – 8pm
  • 6/23/27 Cruising
  • 6/24/27 Victoria, BC 8am – 6pm
  • 6/25/27 Return to Seattle 6am
• Medical Needs.  If you have specific medical needs, including bringing juice boxes or other beverages onboard to treat lows, please complete this Accessibility Questionnaire ASAP after making your reservation.  We can flag reservations for gluten free diets, so please let us know if and who requires gluten free.
• NCL Direct Sales Reps.  A small percentage of Norwegian inside sales reps. have had a history of aggressively soliciting customers working with travel advisors, despite being against corporate policy.  If you receive a solicitation from the NCL inside sales team, particularly if they claim that they can offer better pricing (they can’t!) or don’t respect that you’re working with a travel advisor,  please report any such solicitation to us!  Please note their name and/or forward e-mail solicitations to us.
• Teacher Discount.  NCL provides teachers with an additional 5% discount off many cruise fares. While NCL recently started excluding discounted group rates from being combinable with the teacher discount, we may still have a number of grandfathered group rate rooms still eligible for the combined discounts!  Rooms not booked under our discounted group rates should still be eligible. You will need to register for this benefit at https://www.ncl.com/teachers which confirms eligibility through ID.me.
• Military Appreciation Program.  NCL has a very generous Military Appreciation Program open to members of the military, veterans and their spouses (US and Canadian).  They provide an additional 10% off many cruise fares!  While NCL recently started excluding discounted group rates from being combinable with the military discount, we may still have a number of grandfathered group rate rooms still eligible for the combined discounts!  Rooms not booked under our discounted group rates should still be eligible. You will need to register for this benefit at https://www.ncl.com/military, which will confirm eligibility through ID.ME, and then attach the benefit to your Latitudes loyalty program number.  If you don’t have a Latitudes number, one will be created for you.  Please make sure you provide this number to us (we should be able to associate it even after booking).  NCL is the only cruise line we’ve seen offer military discounts on all ships, itineraries and sailings!

The Griffin’s
[email protected]
866-2-1SWEET (866-217-9338)