Norwegian Says Goodbye to “More at Sea,” Hello to “Free at Sea”

November 5, 2025 Randy Young

Don’t worry, it’s not deja vu. Just a little over a year after Norwegian Cruise Line switched from its “Free at Sea” to “More at Sea” promotional package, the cruise line is returning to “Free at Sea.”

These packages are popular add-ons to Norwegian Cruise Line sailings, offering benefits like additional specialty dining meals, Wi-Fi, and drink packages. The “More at Sea” program didn’t quite land with guests, and now Norwegian is bringing back the name and a simplified version of the program.

Why Change From “More at Sea”?

According to a webinar for travel agents presented before the change was officially announced, Norwegian executives said “More at Sea” failed to resonate with customers. The program was also confusing, often requiring charts and tables to figure out which benefits applied to which cabin types and sailing lengths.

How Is the New “Free at Sea” Different?

For the most part, the new “Free at Sea” program isn’t deviating too far from “More at Sea.” Norwegian has simplified the structure and improved the benefits for sailings that will be more common in 2026 and beyond.

The previous program focused heavily on longer cruises, but according to Norwegian, the line will have 52% more 7-day sailings in 2026 compared to last year. Because of that, the updated “Free at Sea” is designed to provide better value for those popular weeklong cruises that make up most of Norwegian’s schedule.

Unlimited Open Bar Package

The Unlimited Open Bar Package gives the first and second guests in each cabin access to the ship’s “Open Bar” program. This benefit hasn’t changed much and still covers more than 100 cocktails, beers, wines, soft drinks, and juices. It covers drinks up to $15 which will be most menu drinks. For liquors in the Connoisseur’s Collection and Signature Collection, you’ll receive a $15 discount. Bottled water and Starbucks beverages remain excluded.

To receive this benefit, guests must pay an extra fee per person per night, so the “free” in “Free at Sea” is a bit misleading. Previously, the cost ranged from $23 to $30 per person per day, with lower prices for longer cruises. Now, everyone will pay $28.50 per person per day for “package gratuities.” For sailings of seven nights or less, that works out to about a 5% savings compared to “More at Sea.”

As announced earlier, the Unlimited Open Bar Package will no longer work on Norwegian’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay, starting on March 1, 2026. Norwegian will offer a separate drink package there, but has not yet released pricing.

Specialty Dining

Norwegian’s ships are known for their wide range of extra-fee specialty dining venues. Under “More at Sea,” guests received a set number of meals for the first and second guests in a cabin, with the amount varying based on cruise length and stateroom type.

Now, Norwegian has simplified the plan so that all cabin types receive the same number of meals, with only the cruise length making a difference:

Nights	Specialty Dining Meals
2-4	1
5-6	2
7-8	3
9+	4

For guests 1 and 2 in the cabin only.

Whether this is an improvement depends on your cruise length and stateroom type.

For a 7-day sailing in an inside or ocean view cabin, the number of meals increases from one to three, which is a significant improvement. For balcony cabins, the number stays the same.

The meals still cover up to 3 appetizers, one main course, and up to three desserts per person at most venues (at Food Republic and the Sushi Restaurants, it’s simply 4 items instead).

Guests will still be charged the $20 per person per meal gratuities at the time of booking the package.

Wi-Fi

For some cruisers, being connected at sea is essential. For others, it’s unnecessary. The Wi-Fi benefits in both “More at Sea” and “Free at Sea” are still geared toward light users.

While most cruise lines now use unlimited data plans with tiered speeds, Norwegian continues to use a system based on minutes. These minutes are in the basic package and do not allow streaming.

Under “More at Sea,” guests received between 75 and 300 minutes of Wi-Fi per person, depending on cruise length. The new “Free at Sea” simplifies this by offering 150 minutes per guest, regardless of sailing length. For cruises between two and six days, that’s double the previous amount.

Like before, all guests in the cabin receive the Wi-Fi minutes, and more can be purchased before or during the cruise if needed.

Excursions

As before, the first guest in the cabin will receive a $50 discount on each excursion booked through Norwegian.

3rd and 4th Guests Sail Free and Airfare

Select sailings may also offer options for 3rd and 4th guests to sail free or include airfare with your cruise.

No “Free at Sea Plus”…Yet

Before the switch to “More at Sea” last year, Norwegian’s previous “Free at Sea” program offered an optional upgrade called “Free at Sea Plus.” It included premium alcoholic beverages, bottled water, Starbucks drinks, additional excursion discounts, and other perks.

While that package was popular among some guests, Norwegian said it appealed to a relatively small segment of cruisers. Still, the cruise line has heard the feedback and is exploring a new version of the “Plus” upgrade.

While details haven’t been finalized, Norwegian indicated it could include benefits such as unlimited streaming Wi-Fi, bottled water, Starbucks drinks, prepaid gratuities, and drinks at Great Stirrup Cay. Pricing is expected to be around $40–$60 per person per day.

Free at Sea Starts November 5, 2025

The new “Free at Sea” offers start on November 5th. Guests who book that day or after will be eligible for the “Free at Sea” promotion. Guests who previously booked a cruise with “More at Sea” will receive those offers received at time of booking.

See the full “Free at Sea” Terms and Conditions

Our Take: Simplification is Good

When we first heard that More at Sea was changing, we expected more cost-cutting measures. Instead, Norwegian has streamlined the offerings and made them easier to understand.

The changes in the new program aren’t drastic, but they do bring some additional benefits to shorter sailings, which appear to be Norwegian’s new focus. It’s still disappointing that internet access remains limited by minutes since it feels outdated compared to packages like Princess’ Plus Package and Celebrity’s All Included, which include unlimited basic streaming.

And while the word “free” in Free at Sea still feels misleading since the drink package costs $28.50 per person per day, the overall refresh is a step in the right direction. Some guests may lose a perk or two, but most will likely come out ahead under this new plan.