When you cruise with NCL, you might have the option of booking a pass to the Vibe Beach Club. But what exactly is it, how much does it cost, and is it worth it?
In this guide, I’ll answer all these questions, along with listing the ships that have the Vibe Beach Club, and the pros and cons of using it.
What is Vibe Beach Club?
The Vibe Beach Club is an exclusive area of some NCL ships. It is an outdoor area that’s a little more sheltered and private, and you need to pay for a pass to access it. The Vibe Beach Club is open to anyone, no matter your stateroom category, but passes are limited.
The Vibe Beach Club isn’t some feature-packed area of the ship, but instead is just an upgraded sun deck space with whirlpools, loungers and a bar. Some of the ships have an infinity pool, and others have private cabanas you can rent for an additional fee.
Really, you’re paying for the exclusivity – the fact that only a limited number of guests are allowed to book passes to the area. That means it’s quieter, so you don’t have to worry about how loud or crowded the space is, and it just feels more serene and relaxing.
Because it’s quieter, the bar staff are able to be more attentive too. You’ll be able to enjoy fresh cocktails (including a couple of exclusive drinks, which can change throughout the cruise) with the bar attendants often wandering around the deck space, so you can relax on your lounger or day bed without moving.
The Vibe Beach Clubs don’t have pools
You might see some references to an infinity pool on the Prima-class ships (Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva), but none of the Vibe Beach Clubs have actual pools. These two ships do have extended hot tubs, but NCL does classify them as a hot tub rather than a swimming pool.
The other Vibe Beach Clubs have smaller whirlpools only.
Even with the exclusivity of the Vibe Beach Club, don’t assume that you’ll get a spacious pool area where you can enjoy a soak.
Which NCL Ships Have Vibe Beach Club?
The ships that have Vibe Beach Club for NCL are the Breakaway-class ships (Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway), the Breakaway Plus-class ships (Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Bliss, and Norwegian Encore) and the Prima-class ships (Norwegian Prima and Norwegian Viva).
This means you won’t find Vibe Beach Club on the following:
- Norwegian Dawn
- Norwegian Epic
- Norwegian Gem
- Norwegian Jade
- Norwegian Jewel
- Norwegian Pearl
- Norwegian Sky
- Norwegian Spirit
- Norwegian Star
- Norwegian Sun
- Pride of America
As a guide, here are the features you can expect to find on the ships that do have Vibe Beach Club:
| Ship | Bar | Loungers & Daybeds | Showers | Cabanas | Whirlpools | Infinity Pools |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Norwegian Breakaway | YES | YES | YES | YES | 1 | No |
| Norwegian Getaway | YES | YES | YES | YES | 1 | No |
| Norwegian Escape | YES | YES | YES | No | 1 | No |
| Norwegian Joy | YES | YES | YES | YES | 1 | No |
| Norwegian Bliss | YES | YES | YES | YES | 1 | No |
| Norwegian Encore | YES | YES | YES | YES | 1 | No |
| Norwegian Prima | YES | YES | YES | No | 2 | YES |
| Norwegian Viva | YES | YES | YES | No | 2 | YES |
Take a look at this video for a closer look inside the Vibe Beach Club on Norwegian Prima…
How To Book The Vibe Beach Club
You do need to pay for the Vibe Beach Club, and you need to book it in advance to secure a pass as they will sell out. Expect to pay around $99 for a day pass if they are available, although week-long passes are better if you want to secure your place for your whole cruise.
The Vibe Beach Club is designed to be exclusive so the prices aren’t cheap. The limited numbers also mean that you need to be quick to buy a pass once they become available.
While the number of passes sold hasn’t been revealed by NCL, it appears to be around 80-100 passes per cruise, likely depending on the capacity of the sailing. That’s not many at all.
And it’s important to note that they don’t have a set time to go on sale either. Some people have reported being able to call up over 200 days before their cruise to book a pass, while others say that they can book them via the NCL website from anywhere between 80-140 days before the cruise departs.
The best advice, if you want to get a pass for the Vibe Beach Club, is to call NCL directly and ask to add it on or ask when the passes will go on sale. Otherwise, check once a week once you get to 140 days out from your cruise date, and you should be able to secure one.
Another good idea is to check cruise forums and social media for discussions related to your specific sailing. People will often post in there as soon as the Vibe Beach Club passes go on sale (once they have secured their own pass, of course!)
Day passes will only be available if the week-long passes don’t sell out, or if there are cancellations.
The Vibe Beach Club isn’t cheap
The cost of the Vibe Beach Club can vary, but expect to pay around $99 per person for a day pass if they are available, and between $230 and $250 per person for a pass that lasts for a week, or the duration of your cruise if it’s shorter than a week.
If your cruise is longer than a week, the price won’t jump up much – it’s unlikely that you’ll pay more than $300 per person for a full cruise up to two weeks, so the longer itineraries tend to offer even more value.
For the ships that have cabanas, these need to be booked too. Instead of paying a solo price for a pass to the Vibe Beach Club, you have to buy a couples pass, and it’ll typically cost around $680-750 for a cruise. Per person, that’s only $340 to $375, so it’s not a huge sum more than buying the passes without the cabana hire.
Is Vibe Beach Club Refundable?
Vibe Beach Club passes are refundable if you purchase them before your cruise, provided you also cancel before you’ve boarded the ship. Some people on social media have reported being told they cannot be cancelled, but others have cancelled successfully, so it clearly is possible.
To cancel your Vibe Beach Club passes and get a refund, you’ll need to call NCL and ask for them to be removed. It seems like the answers can be inconsistent, so if you’re told you can’t, try again.
Do Haven Guests Have Access to Vibe Beach Club?
Haven Suite guests do not have automatic access to the Vibe Beach Club on an NCL ship. They are entitled to buy their own Vibe Beach Club passes if they wish, but there’s no need, since it offers a similar experience to the Haven sun deck anyway.
The Vibe Beach Club is open to all guests on an NCL ship, not just suite guests, provided you’ve bought a pass. Nobody gets a free pass, even if you buy the best suites on the ship.
Can You Smoke in the Vibe Beach Club NCL?
You aren’t allowed to smoke in the Vibe Beach Club on an NCL ship – it’s a non-smoking area, just like most of the spaces on the rest of the ship. This includes vaping, which is also only permitted in selected smoking areas on the ship.
So, is Vibe Beach Club Worth It?
Whether the Vibe Beach Club is worth it for you depends on how much you’ve paid for your cruise, and how much you value being able to relax in a quieter location on the ship.
If your main aim on a cruise is to take it easy and sip cocktails from a lounger or daybed, and you don’t like crowds, then it can be absolutely worth purchasing a week-long pass for the Vibe Beach Club, and getting an exclusive quiet corner of the ship to use.
But if you’re more likely to spend the week taking part in all the fun activities around the ship, or you don’t mind the busy vibe, then you can probably put the money to better use.
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Jenni Fielding is the founder of Cruise Mummy. She has worked in the cruise industry since 2015 and has taken over 30 cruises. Now, she helps over 1 million people per month to plan their perfect cruise holidays.
The Prima doesn’t have an infinity pool in the Vibe…those are two hot tubs just like in the other ships.
Thanks Amy – I’ve updated it now. I’ve definitely seen some past guests/vloggers calling them an infinity pool but I can see now they’re just extended hot tubs. Appreciate the help! Jenni.