Norwegian: Freestyle dress, drinks, and what you can bring aboard

The most useful thing to know about dressing for a Norwegian cruise is that the line has declined to tell you what to wear. There is no formal night. There is no equivalent of Royal Caribbean's Dress Your Best or Carnival's Cruise Elegant, no count of dressy evenings that scales with the length of your sailing, and no published tier system at all. What Norwegian offers instead, on its own packing page, is a paragraph about restaurants that reads like a mission statement rather than a rule: vacation style should feel effortless, a little polished, a little relaxed, completely you. Some guests love to dress up. Others keep it easy and laid-back. That is exactly how we like it. The line describes what you will actually see in its dining rooms as go-to shorts with a collared shirt, statement sandals, breezy linens, crisp denim, easy dresses and button-downs with personality, alongside guests who turn the evening into a special occasion, especially at the more elevated specialty restaurants. That is the entire dress code, and it is worth understanding what it does to your suitcase. On a seven-night Royal Caribbean sailing you would pack for two Dress Your Best evenings. On the equivalent Carnival sailing you would pack for two Cruise Elegant evenings, and Carnival will tell you which nights they fall on. On Norwegian you pack for none of them unless you want to, which for a family of four is a meaningful amount of luggage that stays home. The trade-off is that you lose the occasion if you were looking forward to it. Nothing stops you dressing for dinner on a Norwegian ship, and the line explicitly expects some guests to do exactly that, but you will not be part of a shipwide event on a scheduled evening, and the photographers will not be set up for one.

• Norwegian publishes no formal night and no tiered dress code on the pages we read.
• Its own guidance: some guests love to dress up, others keep it easy and laid-back, and that is exactly how the line likes it.
• The described norm is shorts with a collared shirt, statement sandals, breezy linens, crisp denim, easy dresses and button-downs.
• Specialty restaurants are where Norwegian expects guests to make more of an occasion of it.
• Practically, a Norwegian sailing needs no dressy outfits at all unless you want to bring them.

The restaurant and clothing wording is quoted from Norwegian's own What to Pack page on ncl.com; the comparison to Royal Caribbean's and Carnival's formal-night counts comes from those lines' own dress code pages, each read on the dates in the sources.

No formal night is not the same as no standards, and the parts of Norwegian's guidance that people skip are the parts that actually get enforced. The line asks that attire feels put-together and suited to the setting, and then names four specific conditions: shirts and footwear required, graphics respectful, and styles that offer appropriate coverage for a dining environment. It adds that swimwear should be saved for the pool and extremely short shorts for other activities. Read that list next to what the other lines publish and it is not far off. Royal Caribbean's two hard rules, which apply every night rather than only on formal night, are that bare feet are not allowed at any time in any venue and tank tops are not permitted in the Main Dining Room or specialty dining venues for dinner. Carnival names ripped or cut-off t-shirts, sheer or see-through clothing, athletic clothing or gear and swimwear as not permitted at either of its evening codes, and asks that guests entering the Lido Restaurant wear shirts, bathing suit cover-ups and footwear and dry off completely, since wet floors are a safety hazard. In other words, all three lines are governing the same behaviour: arriving at dinner straight off the pool deck. Norwegian simply does it in one sentence rather than a table. Footwear is the other place Norwegian gets concrete, and it is worth reading before you pack. The line tells guests to bring closed-toe comfortable shoes for shore excursions and onboard sports activities, and is specific that the Ropes Course and the race tracks require closed-toe flat shoes. If your teenager plans to spend the week on the top deck, sandals will not get them on the course. Norwegian's general packing advice is short and sensible: pack for the destination, since packing layers will be your best bet whether the destination is warm or crisp and cool, and bring a bathing suit for the spa, pool and hot tub along with flip-flops.

• Norwegian's four stated conditions: shirts and footwear required, graphics respectful, appropriate coverage for a dining environment.
• Swimwear should be saved for the pool, and extremely short shorts for other activities.
• Closed-toe flat shoes are required for the Ropes Course and the race tracks.
• Closed-toe comfortable shoes are recommended for shore excursions and onboard sports.
• Pack layers whatever the destination, warm or crisp and cool, plus a swimsuit and flip-flops.

Norwegian's conditions and footwear guidance are quoted from its own What to Pack page; the Royal Caribbean and Carnival comparisons are quoted from their own dress code pages, all read on the dates in the sources.

This is the rule that catches people, and it catches them at the security checkpoint rather than in the fine print. Norwegian states that effective for sailings from July 15, 2016 and beyond, guests are prohibited from bringing any beverages, including liquor, beer and non-alcoholic drinks such as water, soda and juices, on board either as carry-on or checked luggage. There are exactly two exceptions in that sentence. The first is purified or distilled water in factory-sealed containers for use in conjunction with medical devices or for the reconstitution of infant formula. The second is fully sealed or corked wine bottles for personal consumption, subject to screening and a corkage fee, for guests 21 years of age or older. The line also states that open beverages of any kind must be consumed or discarded at the security checkpoint, on embarkation day and at any port of call. Norwegian explains the reasoning rather than leaving you to guess: the inspection of large volumes of beverages has an impact on the embarkation process and security resources, and guests who attempt to smuggle alcoholic beverages onboard often try to do so in beverage containers, meaning every beverage has to be personally screened. It then answers the question everybody actually has. Guests who bring beverages to embarkation will be directed to return the items to their vehicle, and if the guest does not have a vehicle onsite, the items will be disposed of. That is the whole outcome, in the line's own words, and it is why a case of water bought at a supermarket near the port is a genuinely bad purchase before a Norwegian sailing. The rule extends to ports of call as well: guests are not permitted to bring any beverages onboard in ports of call, locally purchased beverages will be disposed of prior to embarkation, and no open containers of beverages, including water, are allowed aboard during a port day. If you need water for a medical device or for infant formula, do not turn up hoping for discretion at the pier. Norwegian directs guests with special needs, medical requirements, or families with infants who require water for formula or milk to contact its access desk in advance to verify whether an exception can be made and to obtain pre-approval to present to security at embarkation. That pre-approval is the mechanism the rule is built around.

• No beverages of any kind as carry-on or checked luggage, including water, soda and juice.
• Exception one: purified or distilled water in factory-sealed containers for a medical device or infant formula.
• Exception two: fully sealed or corked wine for guests 21 or older, subject to screening and corkage.
• Open beverages must be consumed or discarded at the security checkpoint, on embarkation day and in every port.
• Guests who arrive with beverages are directed back to their vehicle, and if there is no vehicle onsite the items are disposed of.
• Medical and infant exceptions require pre-approval arranged through Norwegian's access desk before you sail.

Every clause in this section is quoted from Norwegian's own Can I bring water or soda on board page on ncl.com, read on the date in the sources below.

Against that background, Norwegian's wine policy is unusually generous in one respect and unusually expensive in another. The generous part: the line does not publish a bottle limit. Royal Caribbean permits one sealed 750 ml bottle per guest of drinking age on boarding day, and Carnival permits one 750 ml bottle per person 21 or older in carry-on on embarkation day only. Norwegian says simply that guests may bring bottles of wine and champagne on board, plural, with no count attached on the page we read. The expensive part is the corkage. When bottles are brought on board and served or consumed in any restaurant, public room area or in the stateroom, Norwegian charges a corkage fee by bottle size: $15.00 USD for a 750 ml bottle and $30.00 USD for a 1,500 ml magnum. Note the scope of that sentence, because it is broader than the equivalent on other lines. Carnival's $15 corkage applies if you want the bottle opened in the main dining room, a specialty restaurant or a bar, which means a bottle drunk on your own balcony costs nothing. Norwegian's wording covers the stateroom as well. There are two further details worth knowing before you shop. Wine or champagne sent directly to the ship by travel agents, friends or family, or from another retail source, is subject to the same fees, so a gift bottle waiting in the cabin is not a way around the charge. And box wines are not allowed on board at all, which is also true on Royal Caribbean, whose policy prohibits boxed wine and other containers. The way most Norwegian guests avoid corkage entirely is the beverage package. The line states that guests who purchase a beverage package, or who have one as part of the Free At Sea promotion, will not be charged a corkage fee. If a package is already in your booking, carrying a couple of favorite bottles aboard costs nothing beyond the wine. Everything else alcoholic stays ashore. Norwegian's position is that with the exception of wine and champagne, all guests are prohibited from bringing alcohol on board its ships. What you buy in a port of call or in the onboard shops is not lost, though: the line stores those purchases safely and makes them available for pick-up in a designated area either on the final night of the cruise or on the morning of debarkation.

• Wine and champagne may be brought aboard, and Norwegian publishes no bottle limit on the page we read.
• Corkage is $15.00 USD for a 750 ml bottle and $30.00 USD for a 1,500 ml magnum.
• The fee applies in any restaurant, public room area or in your stateroom, not only in the dining room.
• Bottles sent to the ship by an agent, friend or retailer attract the same fee, and box wine is not allowed at all.
• A beverage package, including one through Free At Sea, waives the corkage fee entirely.
• Alcohol bought in port or in the onboard shops is stored and returned on the final night or debarkation morning.

Norwegian's wine allowance, corkage amounts and storage wording are quoted from its own Can I bring alcohol on board page; the Royal Caribbean and Carnival bottle limits come from those lines' own alcohol pages.

Norwegian opens its prohibited items list by saying that the safety and security of guests and crew is its number one priority, that the listed items are prohibited on board, that these items will be confiscated and not transported aboard, and that when an item is determined to be illegal the appropriate authorities will be informed. That last clause is the one to take seriously, and it sits directly above the first entry on the list: all illegal narcotics and drugs, including marijuana prescribed for medical purposes and other items used as drug paraphernalia, and all products containing CBD, oils, candies and gummies, or any product containing THC. A bag of gummies bought legally at a dispensary at home is on that list, and Norwegian has told you in advance what it does about it. Past the obvious weapons categories, the list has entries that surprise people every sailing. Anything containing any kind of heating element is prohibited, with immersion heaters, heating blankets, clothing irons, water heaters and coffee machines with heating or hot plates given as examples, and the packing page separately names irons and steamers among what to leave at home. Large batteries are prohibited. So are self-balancing hover boards, air wheels, scooters and Segways, and bicycles. Candles and incense burners are prohibited. Kayaks, canoes and rafts are prohibited, as are metal detectors, walkie-talkies, portable modems, ham radios, satellite phones, transformers, and lasers and laser pointers. Knives with a blade longer than four inches, or 10.16 cm, are prohibited, along with open razors, spears and spear guns. Fans are restricted rather than banned: no fans except small electrical or battery-operated ones, and Norwegian notes that even those are subject to confiscation by the ship's security team for inspection and approval. Personal grooming devices such as hair dryers, hair flat irons, curling irons and shavers are allowed when used with proper caution, but if such devices are determined to pose a hazard on board they will be removed by ship security and returned the last day of the cruise prior to debark. And then there is the entry that catches families who like to decorate a cabin door: for everyone's safety, Norwegian does not allow paper door decorations, due to their flammable nature. Finally, the catch-all. NCLH and ship management reserve the right to confiscate any item that may be perceived to be a threat to the safety, security, environment or overall operation of the ship. That sentence is why an item's absence from the published list is not a guarantee, and it is worth remembering when reading the row above about power strips, which Norwegian does not name either way.

• CBD in any form, including oils, candies and gummies, and anything containing THC, is prohibited alongside medical marijuana.
• All heating elements are banned, including clothing irons, steamers, immersion heaters and coffee machines with hot plates.
• Hover boards, air wheels, scooters, Segways and bicycles are all prohibited, as are large batteries.
• Candles and incense burners, kayaks and canoes, metal detectors, walkie-talkies, portable modems and lasers are named on the list.
• Only small electrical or battery-operated fans are permitted, and even those may be confiscated for inspection and approval.
• Paper door decorations are prohibited because they are flammable, which is specific to Norwegian among the lines we read.

Every item in this section is quoted from Norwegian's own Prohibited Items List, with the irons and steamers reference also appearing under What to Leave at Home on its What to Pack page.

Norwegian's embarkation-day instructions are shorter than Royal Caribbean's and Carnival's, and the difference is worth knowing if you are switching lines. Online check-in comes first. Norwegian asks guests to log in and complete Online Check-In at least three days prior to the sail date, then download or print eDocs, the electronic boarding pass, to move through embarkation. There is a timing detail buried in that instruction that trips people up: eDocs are only available to download 24 hours after Online Check-In has been completed, so leaving check-in until the night before means the boarding pass may not be ready when you want it. Luggage tags come from the same place. Once you complete Online Check-In, the link to view and print luggage tags appears on your eDocs, and the ship, deck location and stateroom number should be clearly labeled on each bag. Norwegian recommends attaching the tags before you arrive at the pier. The allowance is countable: each guest is allowed two pieces of checked luggage with a 50-pound maximum each, the same as airlines, with all luggage clearly labeled with your name, address and contact information. The line is also honest about the gap between boarding and seeing your suitcase. It advises bringing a carry-on or backpack packed with a bathing suit, sunscreen and camera so you can enjoy the ship, because it may take a few hours after embarkation for luggage to be delivered to your stateroom, and it suggests keeping medication, valuables and important documents in that same bag. Suitcases are collected on the last night of the cruise, which is the other end of the same problem. If you want the ship to move you from the airport, transfers must be booked at least four days before sailing, and are purchased during Online Check-In by entering your airline and flight number. Then there is the drill. Norwegian calls it the Life Boat Drill rather than a muster, and explains it plainly: the drill helps guests understand what they are supposed to do and where they are supposed to go in an emergency, and it is required by International Maritime Law and the United States Coast Guard. That framing matters. The drill is not a Norwegian policy that a line could choose to drop; it is a legal requirement that applies to the ship you are standing on. Finally, if you are weighing the line's own insurance, Norwegian sells two plans, NorwegianCare Travel Protection and Essentials Travel Protection. NorwegianCare reimburses the prepaid, nonrefundable, unused portion of the vacation for covered reasons such as unexpected illness, injury or job termination, and if the reason for cancellation is not covered for cash reimbursement, the line provides a 90 percent NorwegianCare cruise credit toward a future cruise, which it describes as a non-insurance feature. Essentials is the lighter plan, covering trip delays, emergency evacuation, medical, and baggage delay or loss. Both are available only to residents of the 50 United States, with the insurance benefits administered by Aon Affinity Travel Practice and underwritten by Arch Insurance Company.

• Complete Online Check-In at least three days before sailing; eDocs become available 24 hours after check-in is finished.
• Luggage tags print from your eDocs, and Norwegian asks that you attach them before arriving at the pier.
• Two checked bags per guest, 50 pounds maximum each, labeled with name, address and contact information.
• Expect a few hours between boarding and luggage arriving, so pack a carry-on with swimsuit, medication and documents.
• Transfers must be booked at least four days before sailing, during Online Check-In.
• The Life Boat Drill is required by International Maritime Law and the United States Coast Guard, not by Norwegian's own choice.
• NorwegianCare returns 90 percent as future cruise credit when a cancellation reason is not covered for cash.

Check-in, eDocs, luggage and transfer details are quoted from Norwegian's own What to Pack and New to Cruise pages, the drill wording from its Mandatory Life Boat Drill FAQ, and the plan details from its Travel Protection page.