Departure Day

All E-Docs will be available up to 21 days prior to departure, provided full payment has been received and Online Check-In has been completed. Make sure you bring a printed copy of your eDocs with you to the pier as they will serve as your boarding pass. It is important to download your eDocs ahead of time as they will become unavailable 72 hours prior to sailing. You or your travel professional will be notified via email when your eDocs are ready to be printed. Please reconfirm your flight details.

Arrival at the Cruise Terminal: 

For your comfort and convenience, we recommend that guests who have not completed their Online Check-In arrive at the cruise terminal no later than two (2) hours prior to the scheduled embarkation time printed on your cruise documents. Guests who have completed their Online Check-In should arrive at the terminal no later than one (1) hour prior to the scheduled embarkation time printed on your cruise documents. We STRONGLY recommend guests complete their Online Check-In at least four (4) days prior to sailing.

Final Boarding Time:

In order to facilitate the embarkation process, the processing of your eDocs, and to comply with new government regulations governing departure manifest, all guests are required to complete check-in at the cruise terminal and be onboard the ship no later than one hour prior to the departure time noted on their cruise documents or they will not be permitted to sail. Please note that guests who have not filled out their Online Check-In must arrive at the port two (2) hours prior to sailing.

Joining or debarking the ship at any time outside of the published embark/debark port is not permitted for the following reasons:

• Itineraries are subject to change without notice.
• Violation of the Passenger Vessel Act (Jones Act), if applicable.

Approval to embark or disembark mid-cruise may be allowed only in cases of emergencies. Please note that embarking or disembarking mid-cruise may result in a violation of the Passenger Vessel Act (Jones Act), resulting in a fine starting at $941 per person.

Boarding Time in Ports of Call:

In all ports of call, it is also the guest's responsibility to be back onboard the ship no later than one (1) hour prior to the ship's scheduled departure time. Please be aware that shipboard time may differ from the port of call and it is the guest's responsibility to follow the shipboard time. In the event a guest misses the ship, it will be the guest's responsibility to pay all expenses incurred to rejoin the ship.

Clothing

On a Norwegian cruise, you travel from destination to remarkable destination — and only unpack once. That said, cruisers tend to pack twice as many clothes they need.

Electronics

Remember all of your tech stuff: tablets, chargers, cameras, spare memory cards, batteries and power converters

Bag Allowances

Each guest is allowed two pieces of checked luggage with a 50-pound maximum each, same as airlines. Luggage should be clearly labeled with your name, address and contact number.

Bring an Additional Small Bag: It may take a few hours after embarkation for your luggage to be delivered to your stateroom. Likewise, suitcases are collected on the last night of your cruise. To avoid any complications, be sure to bring a small bag such as a backpack for carrying any necessary medication, valuables, important documents and need-to-have items.

Guests can select their arrival time during online check-in. For guests who have not completed online check-in, we recommend arriving to the cruise terminal after 12 pm, and at least two hours prior to the scheduled departure time.

Log into your MyNCL Account at ncl.com to access your reservation and book dining and/or entertainment.

Amenities differ depending on the stateroom selected. To learn more about amenities included with your stateroom, please visit our page here.

The NCL app is so easy to use. Download it before your cruise and connect to the ship’s Wi-Fi as soon as you board (no Wi-Fi minutes required). Book dining, shore excursions, entertainment & more, view your itinerary, plans & onboard events, find your stateroom number and reservation details, see purchase history, and much more!

For your convenience, all shipboard expenses are charged to your onboard account.

Yes. The ATM will not be in service when the satellite goes down. This can happen when sailing in or out of port.

Although you can visit the Guest Services desk to inquire about an ADA room, there are no guarantees as rooms are subject to availability. We recommend calling NCL at 800.327.7030 as soon as possible to check availability rather than waiting until embarkation day.

A few of the commonly used terms to get you ready to set sail.

• Aft - the back or near the back of the ship
• Atrium - the central court (or center area) of a cruise ship, usually rising through more than one story of the ship's interior
• Berth - a built-in bed or bunk, as in a ship's cabin or stateroom
• Bow - the very front of the ship
• Bridge - the navigational control center
• Cabin or Stateroom Steward - a person whose work is to take care of the guests aboard a ship.
• Captain - the person in command of a ship
• Courtyard area - another Norwegian exclusive that offers privacy and luxury for our Suites and Villas guests. You will enjoy a private pool, hot tub, sundeck with Balinese lounges, a fitness area and aboard Norwegian Epic, two private restaurants and a bar.
• Deck Plan - an overhead diagram of the cabins and the public rooms
• Disembark - to unload (passengers or goods) from a ship
• Dock - where your ship 'parks' when in port
• Family Villa with Balcony (2 bedroom) - Exclusive to our Jewel Class ships, these spacious suites sleep six with a private master bedroom and bath as well as a guest bedroom with bath and living and dining area.
• Forward - faces the front of the boat
• Gangway - allows you access on and off the ship
• Garden Villa (3 bedroom) - The largest suites at sea with up to 5,000 square feet of living space at the top of the ship.
• Knot - a nautical mile (see Nautical below)
• Leeward - the side of the ship that is out of or away from the wind
• Midship - the middle of the ship
• Muster - to come together or assemble aboard ship for inspection or roll call
• Muster Station - a specific location on ship to gather, based on stateroom assignment
• Nautical - of or having to do with sailors, ships, or navigation. A unit of speed of one nautical mile (6,076.12 feet or 1,852 meters) an hour: abbrev. kn or kt [to average a speed of 10 knots]
• Pier - a structure built out over the water and supported by pillars or piles: used as a landing place.
• Port - the left-hand side of a ship as one faces forward: opposed to starboard. Port - so named because the side toward the port (dock), since the steering oar (see starboard) prevented docking to the right.
• Port of Call - regular stopover(s) on a cruise itinerary.
• Purser - a ship's officer in charge of accounts, freight, tickets, etc., esp. on a passenger vessel. Important to you - a Purser takes responsibility for all money, transactions.
• Port - the left hand side of the ship while facing forward (bow). Easy to remember since "port" and "left" each have four letters.
• Ship - You always cruise on a "ship," never a "boat"
• Spa Suite - A luxurious suite only found aboard Norwegian Epic that features an ocean view whirlpool tub, balcony, complimentary, nearby access to the Thermal Suites at Mandara Spa and keycard access to the private Courtyard area
• Starboard - the right side of the ship while facing forward (bow).
• Stateroom - your cabin or berth
• Stern - the very back of the ship
• Studios - Norwegian Epic's private keycard access complex comprised of staterooms designed and priced for the solo traveler. Also includes access to the private Studio Lounge.
• Studio Lounge - A private lounge aboard Norwegian Epic reserved exclusively for Studio guests. This is a place to relax, watch TV, have a drink and meet fellow Studio guests.
• Tender - a boat for carrying passengers to or from a ship close to shore.
• Windward - on the side of the ship from which the wind blows; toward the wind

For interested guests, upgraded Wi-Fi packages are still available for purchase:

• Voyage Wi-Fi Pass (1.5MBPS) for $29.99 per stateroom per day.
• Streaming Voyage Wi-Fi Pass for $39.99 per stateroom per day.

Additional devices may be added for $14.99 per device per day, available for purchase once onboard. For additional details about upgrading your packages, please visit Internet Packages for more information.

Free at Sea™ can be added during the offer selection portion of the booking process. If Free at Sea™ was not selected during the booking process, guests can still add it up to 24 hours prior to sailing. Free at Sea™ can be added in your MyNCL account or by calling 1-800- 327-7030.

Luggage tags can be printed from your e-docs. Before the embarkation process, ensure your luggage tags are placed appropriately on each piece of luggage with your stateroom number clearly identified. The Freestyle Daily will have the approximate time that luggage delivery will end.

If your luggage is lost by the airline, please contact them as soon as possible to identify how they can assist you. Additionally, please kindly notify our onboard Guest Services team.

Once you are connected to the ship’s Wi-Fi, you can pay a one-time fee of $9.95 per person to add call or messaging functionality to each guest’s Cruise Norwegian app. You can call or message other guests who are also using the Cruise Norwegian app on board and have opted into the call and messaging feature.

A muster station, or “assembly station” is the designated checkpoint for guests in the unlikely event of an emergency. Your assembly station can be found on the bottom right-hand side of your Freestyle Card (which you receive at check-in). It can also be found on the signage behind your stateroom door. If you need assistance locating the muster station once on board the ship, please ask one of our shipboard team members for assistance.

You can view your onboard credit in your folio/onboard account which is accessible on the Cruise Norwegian app or on your stateroom TV.

Although we strongly recommend making your reservations in advance, onboard reservations can be made through your stateroom TV and phone or by asking the host/hostess at the specific restaurant where you'd like to dine. Please note that reservations are subject to availability. Guests on the ships listed below can also book dining.

Guests on the ships listed below can also book dining and entertainment reservations on embarkation day at the dedicated Reservation Hub. Please ask the shipboard team member for the exact location. 

Norwegian Bliss®
Norwegian Breakaway®
Norwegian Encore®
Norwegian Escape®
Norwegian Getaway®
Norwegian Joy®
Norwegian Prima®
Norwegian Viva®

Program benefits can be found at ncl.com/latitudes-rewards

If applicable, Latitudes Rewards points and tiers will reflect on your account after the sailing has been completed.

If you make a change to your reservation such as upgrading your stateroom or changing categories, it is important to review your reservation to ensure that all the promotions you chose previously are still present.

Free at Sea™ can only be altered up until 48-hours prior to sail.

If you book a shore excursion and chose the $50 shore excursion nonrefundable credit as part of the Free at Sea™ promotion, you will notice a $50 credit in your onboard account.

In the rare event your shore excursion is canceled, your onboard account will reflect a $50 charge, which will zero out the $50 credit per port.

Why is there a service charge?

The reason there's a fixed service charge is an important one: Our Crew (as are the crew from other lines) is encouraged to work together as a team. Staff members including complimentary restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports.

How much are the service charges?

For bookings made on or after January 1, 2023:

$25.00 USD per person per day for The Haven and Suites;

$20.00 USD per person per day for Club Balcony Suite and below;

For bookings made before January 1, 2023, that pre-pay their service charges before their sail date:

$20.00 USD per person per day for The Haven and Suites;

$18.00 USD per person per day for Club Balcony Suite;

$16.00 USD per person per day for all other stateroom types

For bookings made on or after April 1, 2022, that prepay their service charges before their sail date:

$20.00 USD per person per day for The Haven and Suites;

$18.00 USD per person per day for Club Balcony Suite;

$16.00 USD per person per day for all other stateroom types

For bookings made on or after April 1, 2020, that prepay their service charges before their sail date:

$18.50 USD per person per day for The Haven and Suites;

$18.00 USD per person per day for Club Balcony Suite;

$15.50 USD per person per day for all other stateroom types

Guests sailing to Hawaii will be charged an additional 4.275% Pre Paid Service Charge GET Tax

Are service charges across the board for all guests?

All guests 3 years or older.

How do I prepay my service charges?

Contact your travel professional and request that it be added to your cruise reservation. If you have not made final payment this will be included in your final payment amount or if final payment has already been made we will require full payment at the time it is added.

At what point in the booking process can the prepaid charges be added?

They can be added at anytime up to 24 hours prior to sailing.

Why would I prepay my service charges?

The convenience of pre-paying the service charges allows you to plan your budget prior to your cruise giving you additional freedom while on board.

If I cancel my cruise are the service charges refundable?

Yes! The service charges are 100% refundable.

If there is a service issue can the service charges be adjusted on board?

Guest satisfaction is the highest priority at Norwegian Cruise Line. We have structured a guest satisfaction program designed to handle any concerns about service or on-board product quickly and efficiently. However, in the event a service issue should arise during your cruise please let our on-board guest services desk staff know right away, so that we can address these in a timely manner. It is our goal to reach a satisfactory solution to any issue when it happens and make sure our guests can focus on enjoying their cruise. Should your concerns not be met with satisfaction you can adjust the charges.

To change the method of payment, please visit Guest Services or the Onboard Credit desk.

Yes! You can prepay service charges by adding them to your reservation up to 24-hours prior to embarkation in your My NCL Account, by contacting your travel professional or during the online check-in process. If you do not prepay, you will be charged on board.

For more information, visit our page here.

If your Upgrade Advantage offer is accepted, your reservation will be automatically upgraded and the credit card you submitted at the time of bidding will be charged. If your Upgrade Advantage offer is not accepted, you will receive an email notifying you; you will not be charged any additional amount, and you will stay in the stateroom that you originally booked.

You can choose to apply the same form of payment to everyone in your cabin during the online check-in process, which occurs between 21-3 days prior to sailing. To use the same form of payment for traveling companions in different staterooms, please do so during the check-in process on the day of embarkation at the port or on board at the Guest Services desk.

There are a few reasons why onboard accounts may be closed, please visit Guest Services for assistance. Should you need assistance, please visit Guest Services once on board.

At check-in, the credit/debit card is swiped, and an initial approval amount is obtained with your authorization signature. The maximum initial credit/debit card pre-authorization amount (hold) is $300.00 USD for all cruises. During embarkation, when your credit card is swiped, an initial approval amount is charged. Throughout the cruise, incremental holds will be placed as needed based on your daily spending.

The credit card is not charged until the end of the cruise. Holds will reduce the amount of available credit on the credit card or restrict the availability of cash in the checking/debit account. The timing of authorization hold releases to your account is entirely up to the issuing bank and beyond Norwegian Cruise Line’s control. The total amount of the onboard account will be charged (settled) only at the end of the cruise. Generally, this will show as one payment on your credit card statement unless there were multiple payments made throughout the cruise, such as for last minute purchases on disembarkation morning or late mini-bar charges.