How do Cruise Lines' "All Inclusive" packages compare with each other?

 

Norwegian Gem

(Courtesy of Norwegian Cruise Lines)

A while back, I questioned whether NCL still provided one of the best bangs per buck in the cruise industry.  With only the basic Free at Sea (once named "More at Sea", and structured slightly differently), I could argue that NCL no longer provided the best value in cruising.  With the enhanced package (Free at Sea Plus / FAS+), I am forced to reconsider my position, having sailed on several cruise lines in the past year. 

In certain ways, I am comparing apples to oranges with cruise line offerings from NCL, Princess, Holland America, MSC and Celebrity, due to package features being different in each of these areas:

• Gratuities: Some cruise lines' "All Inclusive" packages include pre-paid gratuities as part of the fare package.
• Internet: Some cruise lines provide only non-streaming Wi-Fi, while others provide streaming Wi-Fi. Additionally, at least one of these lines offers multiple devices per person to be in use at the same time.
• Casual/Specialty Dining Options.
• Shore Excursion Discounts (purchased through the cruise line).
• Other Benefits (Photographs, Express Embarkation/Debarkation, etc.)

For the most part, I will assume that 2 people are sharing a cabin, and that they are moderate drinkers who like taking an occasional shore excursion or two as a couple, and who use the ship's Wi-Fi to access the internet during the cruise. This allows me to compare some subtle differences between how NCL implements its Premium FAS+ package vs. other lines' fare packages, to determine whether NCL's package provides good value for money spent.  

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Gratuities:

Of the 5 lines noted above, only 2 include "Gratuities" in their premium fares: NCL Free at Sea Plus and Princess Premier/Princess Plus. (Note: Princess Premier is used for comparisons in this post.)   Additionally, has Holland America included gratuities in its "Have it All" fares for early bookings.  However, I am not treating "Have it All" as including gratuities, as this benefit is not available throughout the time a cruise can be booked. For simplicity, I consider this a $20/day benefit, although this figure will vary between cruise line and cabin type.   

I expect that the major cruise lines will continue to experiment with the inclusion of pre-paid gratuities in their fare packages.  As I write this entry, Holland America is adding pre-paid gratuities to some of its cruises when the "Have it All" fare package is selected.  However, Virgin Voyages has discontinued the inclusion of pre-paid gratuities.  Hopefully, more cruise lines will  include pre-paid gratuities in their all-inclusive packages in the future, as this gives the cruiser a better idea of the money s/he is required to spend for the cruise.

Drinks:

Each cruise line prices its drinks differently and imposes realistic, but generous limits on the number of alcoholic beverages one can purchase.  (This limit is usually 15 adult beverages per day)  To make things simple, I value beverage packages at $35/day, even though individual components may be valued differently by each cruise line.  From what I can tell, only one line (Holland America) limits the total number of non-alcoholic and alcoholic beverages combined to 15 beverages per day.  Additionally, NCL also includes coffees from their onboard Starbucks outlets in this price.

Given the litigiousness of many American cruisers, I expect that cruise lines will put more limits on their "unlimited" drink packages.  For most of us, the limits will not be onerous, but the amount paid for a ceiling on beverage costs may be so. 

Internet:

Most of these "All Inclusive" packages include internet access.  But, the internet access included in these premium fare packages varies greatly.  One will note that I don't consider NCL's basic "Free at Sea" fare packages as "All-Inclusive", as it only provides 150 minutes of Wi-Fi time.  Instead, I consider the "Free at Sea Plus" as NCL's all-inclusive offering, as it includes both a drink package, gratuities, and unlimited internet for a single device.          

The majority of the cruise lines offering these all-inclusive packages incorporate non-streaming internet access in their packages for a single device at a time.  However, MSC also limits its package tor use on a single device for the cruise (and not a single device being logged on at a time during the cruise). On the other hand, Princess, in its Princess Premier fare package, provides streaming access for up to 4 devices at a time.  As a result, one should make sure of how much internet is provided as part of the fare packages before booking a cruise.

Specialty Dining:

Included specialty dining (extra charge venues) varies greatly as well.  Celebrity and MSC provide no specialty dining in their fare packages.  NCL and Holland America  provide a number of "free" specialty meals in their fare packages depending on the length of the cruise, while Princess gives an unlimited number of specialty meals in their restaurants in its package.

On some cruise lines (e.g. Virgin Voyages), the standard quality of complimentary restaurant food equals that of other cruise lines.  On other cruise lines, choosing a specialty dining package is the only way to insure that one has a good meal.  I expect that the cruise lines will soon actively compete in their specialty restaurant food offerings as a way to provide "elevated" experiences to cruisers who want special treats while onboard their ships.

Shore Excursion Discounts:

And finally, Celebrity and MSC provide no shore excursion discounts; NCL provides a $50 per port discount to the first cruiser in the cabin; while Princess and Holland America provides shore excursion credits of $100, $200, and $300 depending on the length of the cruise.

Based on the above chart developed in December 2025 (download here), the top 2 package values come from NCL and Princess, now that NCL has enhanced its  basic "Free at Sea" offering with "Free at Sea Plus."  I consider that having a streaming internet package with at least 1 device which can be logged on at a time is essential.   Although Princess's package is priced $22 more than NCL's package, I consider that being able to eat more specialty meals on the cruise evens the value of these packages for most people.  Holland America's package provides decent value, but I don't like the effective limit on non-alcoholic beverages.  Finally, Celebrity and MSC are at the bottom of my value list, as I'd have to buy extras to get the value provided by NCL, Princess and Holland America's packages.

Conclusion:

Please note that these fare packages can and will be changed without notice.  When we signed up for one Princess cruise under a former set of package inclusions, the Princess Premier package included unlimited specialty desserts, 2 specialty restaurant meals. and was priced $20 less than they charged for the Premier package at the time of our sailing.  We were grandfathered in with the benefits originally included in our package. So, if you see a cruise and fare package with benefits you like and can afford, do so quickly, so that you can lock everything in before possible changes can take place.