FAQs/NCL
Frequently Asked Questions
Norwegian Cruise Line evaluates prices every day for every unsold cabin based on days remaining until sailing, number of cabins remaining in each category, and buying trends. Their goal is to sell the maximum number of cabins for the maximum amount of profit. That means sometimes prices can drop, but when demand is heavy, rates on the most popular categories go up.
We reserve blocks of staterooms 1-2 years in advance and negotiate rates, options, amenities, group services, and conference room logistics. These rates are locked in and are exempt from daily changes.
Our group discounts are limited in number and expire 3-4 months before sailing. When our group rates are sold out or expire, ALL FARES BECOME SUBJECT TO THE CRUISE LINE DAILY FARE ADJUSTMENTS. During this time, we access all promotions and discounts to match or beat the posted fares.
INCLUDED
- Stateroom with daily service from a Cabin Steward
- Gov't taxes and port fees
- Complimentary food and beverages:
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- 3 Dining Rooms - 3-course menu offered each evening
- 2 Dining rooms open for breakfast
- International Buffet - open all day
- The Local - A GREAT comfort food venue - opens early, closes late
- American Diner - a 60's hamburger joint open for lunch
- Beverages - Juice, Coffee, Tea, Milk, Water stations throughout the ship
- Room Service (Complimentary Menu, Fee for Delivery)
- Free-at-Sea package included with all Group Rate reservations for passengers 1 & 2
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- Unlimited open bar - alcohol and soda
- Specialty Dining - varies with cabin selection
- 150 minutes WIFI each for passengers 1 & 2
- Shore Excursion discounts - varies with cabin selection
- Live entertainment - FREE - Some shows require reservations through the NCL mobile app
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- Theater productions
- Live music
- Comedy Club
- Art Auctions
NOT INCLUDED
- Specialty Dining and Beverage amenities for passengers 3, 4, 5, 6 - Available for purchase at time of reservation
- Starbucks
- Tips & Gratuities
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- NCL will add a Service Charge (Tips & Gratuities) each day for each passenger, usually $20 / person / day. These charges may vary according to your cabin category and will accumulate daily during the cruise.
- Unlimited Internet - available on the mobile app
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- Unlimited Internet access is an additional cost - $109 when pre-ordered. $209 if ordered onboard - for unlimited access for the week per device. You can change devices but can only use one device at a time per service package.
- The CME Conference is a separate cost.
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- Register for the Conference at:
CME Vacations - July 27-August 3, 2025 Outpatient Medicine Update Cruise
CME Custom Travel reserves a block of staterooms 1-2 years in advance and negotiates favorable rates, options, amenities, group services, and conference room logistics with Norwegian Cruise Line. In return for these reduced fares and Conference services, NCL requests that ALL participants, families and friends go through a single Travel Agency. This gives them an efficient way to communicate and provide better services to our guests.
They also guarantee that the assigned Travel Agent will always have access to every promotion and discount posted on their official website, so our fares will always reflect the best available pricing.
We partner with CME Vacations to provide Travel Agent services for the Hospital and Outpatient Medicine Update Conference Cruises. To cooperate with Norwegian Cruise Line guidelines, CME Vacations requires all CME participants to reserve staterooms through CME Custom Travel.
YES!
Anyone can take advantage of the discount fares and reserve a cabin through CME Custom Travel on a CME group cruise even if they are not taking the CME classes.
CME Custom Travel will work with you to select the stateroom that best fits your preference: near the dining room, elevators, Observation Deck, on a higher or lower deck, etc.
Let us know your preferences at the time of your reservation. We will select what we believe to be the best cabin available. If you prefer a different cabin, we can change your stateroom for you to a comparable cabin if there is one available.
We do not book air travel.
Airlines no longer extend all their promotions and discounts to us making it impossible to offer competitive fares.
EMBARKING
If you are flying to Seattle, we STRONGLY recommend arriving the day before departure, and spending the night in a hotel. Your hotel can advise when booking if they provide pick-up shuttle service from the airport. If your hotel does not provide shuttle service, we have found Uber to be fast, convenient, and reasonably priced. Yellow Cab Taxi is also convenient and priced a little below Uber to Downtown.
DISEMBARKING
You will probably be off the ship between 7:30-9am, no later than 10am. NCL has shuttle busses waiting at the Port to transport 1000’s of passengers to SeaTac airport. It sounds like chaos, but they do this several times a week and they’re pretty good at it. You can purchase shuttle passes online through the app, or onboard during the first 3 days of the cruise at Guest Services.
If you have an early flight, Uber / Lyft are fast and curb-to-curb. You can save 30 minutes vs. taking the shuttle. Also, just outside the terminal, there are dozens of limo, van, and SUV drivers who will take you to SeaTac for $10-12/person.
One last thing, Norwegian offers a “Luggage Valet” service at no cost which can make the Ship-to-Plane experience a breeze. Go to Guest Services during the first few days of the cruise and give them your flight information. They will check you into your flight, issue you your airline tickets and bag-tags the day before the cruise ends, pick up your luggage the night before departure, and you can walk off the ship with only your carry-on. Your bags will magically be waiting for you at your home airport. (One downside if you are flying Southwest Airlines – you won’t get early check-in, so expect to be last on the plane, or be ready to spend a little extra for early boarding.)
After you have a reservation number, download the NCL mobile app and start the pre-board check-in. You can select a boarding time, or they will assign a time to be at the dock for boarding. TSA requires all passengers be on board at least 2 hours before departure, so boarding times generally will be between 10am and 2pm.
IF YOU FLY IN THE DAY OF DEPARTURE AND YOU ARE DELAYED FOR ANY REASON, YOU MAY WELL MISS THE BOAT. YOU WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO BOARD WITHIN 2 HOURS OF THE SCHEDULED DEPARTURE.
Hotels near the airport are generally cheaper and provide shuttle pick-up service. Hotels nearer the Terminal or Downtown generally have more restaurants and tourist attractions within walking distance if you like to spend the evening exploring a bit. Check with your hotel when booking to confirm if they provide shuttle service to the Port Terminal in the morning.
Returning home from SeaTac, we recommend scheduling your flight for noon or later on the day you disembark. You can catch an 11am flight if everything goes perfectly. Seattle is a busy and crowded airport, so lines can be long, and delays are common.
This is a tricky one.
Norwegian vets and inspects all excursion vendors and equipment listed on their cruise excursion site.
If you buy an excursion through NCL, they guarantee the ship will not depart before your excursion returns even if you encounter accidents, mechanical failures, etc. Many of the horror stories you read involving passengers being left behind started with an excursion or tour guide not licensed with the cruise line.
However, you will definitely pay more for a sponsored excursion than you do for the same experience through an independent guide.
Some of the best deals can be found at the vendor tents set up at the end of the pier when you disembark where they are selling excursion tickets at discount prices to fill up a bus or boat that already has people on it who purchased at a higher price through the cruise line. You get the advantage of a vetted tour at a discount rate.
Keep in mind that many of the most desirable excursions sell out early, so there is no guarantee that the excursion you have your heart set on will be able to accommodate you at the last minute.
My recommendation: If there is something you really want to do, book it through the cruise line. If you’re adventurous and looking for something to catch your eye, explore the vendor booths at the end of the pier for a good deal, or wander into town a block or two and mix with the locals.
Travel Protection Insurance (TPI) is most useful for covering medical expenses during the cruise. A visit to the ship’s doctor for a simple cough or scrape or twisted ankle will start around $300. A broken arm can be 10x that. TPI covers most medical expenses up to an air-lift evacuation from the ship to a land-based medical center in event of an emergency. While these events are extremely rare, they are devastating financially if/when they occur.
TPI also covers SOME cancellation expenses. If one of your party has to cancel within 120 days of sailing, the cruise lines often assess penalties – up to $1,000 for cancelling – leaving the remaining passengers to pay MORE for the trip. In those cases, TPI covers a percentage – usually 75% - of the cancellation penalty. It does not always reimburse for the cancelled fare. Each cancellation is evaluated separately, and while some are paid without issue, many are denied, delayed or only partially paid.
Conclusion: For medical coverage, it’s pretty good. For cancellation coverage, many passengers who file a claim are disappointed in the payout.
Yes. We can process multiple methods of payment from different individuals and issue separate personalized receipts / invoices for reimbursement purposes.
NCL limits passengers to 2 bags weighing no more than 50 pounds each, plus a carry-on, similar to the airline guidelines. All bags are subject to TSA inspection for illegal or restricted items. Electric appliances, weapons, and drugs are subject to seizure.
Your up-to-date passport is the best and most readily accepted form of ID for a cruise. It should be valid for at least 6 months after your sail date to be accepted by TSA.
If you do not have a passport, a certified copy of your birth certificate with a raised notarized seal PLUS a 2nd form of Gov’t picture ID is acceptable for US citizens, but not recommended. Non-US citizens will need additional documents.
The internet access on the Encore is limited by the mountainous terrain for most of the cruise. It is intermittent at best. Functional, but frustrating. You will not need internet for the CME class. Power Point slides will be sent out ahead of time.
NCL charges $109 for unlimited internet for one device for the duration of the cruise if you order before you have used all your 150 free minutes. It is $209 if you order after your free minutes are all used up. Internet access can be swapped from one device to another, but only one device can be used at a time per package.
Yes. Active duty, veterans, and military spouses receive a 10% military service appreciation discount. Follow the link below to verify your service, and your discount will extend to the entire stateroom. This is a 1-time verification and will automatically be applied to this sailing and all future NCL cruises.