If there’s one thing we hate about sailing out of Miami, it’s when we find ourselves in a mad dash to get from the airport to the dock before our ship sets sail without us. As of this spring, passengers heading for the Norwegian Escape won’t have to feel quite so frantic, as the ship will be changing its departure time from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m.
As a release from the line explained, “This change will allow guests later flight options for arriving in Miami and will apply to all 7-day Eastern Caribbean sailings from May 1st to December 31st, 2016.” This will not, however, impact the time that passengers can begin boarding the ship. Rather, it means that folks will have a wider window of opportunity when it comes to their arrival times at the Miami port.
Did Someone Say Open Bar?
While breaking this bit of news, NCL also took the opportunity to pimp another of their ships sailing out of Miami, the Norwegian Sky, billing it as “the most inclusive contemporary cruise vacation at sea” thanks to the fact that guests on the weekly 3 and 4-day sailings can take advantage of that ship’s free dining and free premium drinks package.
And Then There’s The Bad News…
It’s not all good news, however, as this week, Norwegian began rolling out increased pricing on their Specialty Dining and Ultimate Beverage Packages. Dining will increase by $10 per person, per day, while the Ultimate Beverage Package will go from $69 per person per day to $79 per person per day. The popular Corks & Caps program (which covers a variety of beers and wines as well as unlimited sodas and juices) will increase from $54 to $59 per person, per day. (Non-drinkers got a bit of happy news in that there was no increase to the price of the soda packages.) Look for the changes to be fully implemented fleet wide by mid-March.
Should more ships sail later in the day to allow for more flexibility in travel plans? And what’s your take on the price increases? Hit the comments to let us know!
