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 23 kg maximum each, same as airlines. Luggage should be clearly labelled 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.

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 centre area) of a cruise ship, usually rising through more than one storey 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 centre
• 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 465 square metres 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 metres) 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 traveller. 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; towards 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 use your Free at Sea™ minutes to communicate with other guests. You can also upgrade your Wi-Fi package to one of our two Unlimited Wi-Fi Packages designed to fit your needs, all powered by Starlink — the fastest internet at sea — for reliable connectivity throughout your journey. More info here.

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.

Only Dining reservations can be made in advance. Once onboard, Dining and Entertainment reservations can be made through our app, your stateroom TV or phone, or by speaking with the host or hostess at your preferred restaurant or venue. Please note that reservations are subject to availability.

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 non-refundable 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 cancelled, your onboard account will reflect a $50 charge, which will zero out the $50 credit per port.

For Bookings made on or after 1st July 2022:

Onboard service charges relating to services provided by stateroom attendants and dining room staff are included in your voyage fare.

The fee will be shared between those staff members, including the restaurant staff, Staffroom stewards and other behind-the-scenes staff who have provided services to enhance your overall cruise experience. 

Certain staff positions (e.g. beverage service, concierge, butler and youth counsellors) do not benefit from this shared service charge because they provide services to only some Guests, and not all. If you have received excellent service from any of these staff members, you may wish to acknowledge them on an individual basis. If you have concerns about the service you receive during your cruise, please let the staff at our service desk on-board (the “Guest Services Desk”) know right away, so we can address any issues in a timely manner. 

For all spa and salon services, beverage purchases, specialty restaurant dining and entertainment-based dining, there will be an additional 20% service charge added to the total cost of the service. 

For Bookings made on or before 30th June 2022:

The service charge (also known as “gratuities”) is not automatically added into your cruise fare price, however it can be prepaid on a per Guest per day basis (for Guests three years and older). If a Guest does not elect to prepay the service charge it will be payable onboard the cruise. (For Australian & New Zealand guests on departures ailing from Australia and New Zealand ports, service chares are included in the cruise fare). 

This fee will be shared between those staff members, including the restaurant staff, Stateroom stewards and other behind-the-scenes staff who have provided services to enhance your overall cruise experience. 

Certain staff positions (e.g. beverage service, concierge, butler and youth counsellors) do not benefit from this shared service charge because they provide services to only some Guests, and not all. If you have received excellent service from any of these staff members, you may wish to acknowledge them on an individual basis. If you have concerns about the service you receive during your cruise, please let the staff at our service desk on-board (the “Guest Services Desk”) know right away, so we can address any issues in a timely manner. 

At the time of booking, you may elect to pre-pay the service charges (which apply at the following rate for bookings made on or after 1 April 2022 and if paid prior to the sail date). 

• US$16.00 per person, per day for Balcony stateroom and below

• US$18.00 per person, per day for Club Balcony Suites.

• US$20.00 per person, per day for The Haven and Suites

If you do not choose to prepay these service charges at time of booking or prior to sailing, they will be made payable onboard at a rate of (for sailing on or after 1 January 2023): 

• US$20.00 per person, per day for Club Balcony Suites and below

• US$25.00 per person, per day for The Haven and Suites

For all spa and salon services, beverage purchases, specialty restaurant dining and entertainment-based dining, there will be an additional 20% service charge added to the total cost of the service. 

The above service charges are accurate and correct as of 1 January 2023 and are subject to change. To prepay your service fee at the time of booking or at any time prior to 24 hours prior to sailing, please contact the NCL Reservations Department on 1300 255 200 (if calling within Australia) or 0800 969 283 (if calling within New Zealand) or your Travel Agent. 

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 travelling 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. Should you need assistance, please visit the Onboard Credit Desk.

At check-in, the credit/debit card is swiped, and an initial approval amount is obtained with your authorisation signature. The maximum initial credit/debit card pre-authorisation 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 chequing/debit account. The timing of authorisation 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.