Imagine paying hundreds of dollars just to escape the crowds on your cruise ship. That’s exactly what some Norwegian Cruise Line guests do.
Vibe Beach Club is an adults-only retreat with comfy loungers, hot tubs and a quieter atmosphere. But access costs extra, and passes are limited.
So is it really worth the money? Before you book, there’s something important to know about what you’re actually getting for the price.
So what exactly is the Vibe Beach Club, and should you book it before your cruise sells out?
Vibe Beach Club Is an Exclusive Adults-Only Area
The Vibe Beach Club is an exclusive area on 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 it’s an exclusive 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 daybed without moving.
Vibe Beach Clubs Don’t Have Pools
Although some Vibe Beach Clubs have impressive infinity-style water features, these are hot tubs rather than swimming pools.
For example, Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Viva and Norwegian Luna feature infinity hot tubs where guests can relax while enjoying ocean views.
Don’t confuse these with the infinity swimming pools found elsewhere on some NCL ships, such as the Infinity Beach areas on Norwegian Luna.
If you’re hoping to swim, you’ll have to leave the club and head to the regular pool. The other Vibe Beach Clubs have smaller whirlpools only, not the big infinity hot tubs…
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.
Passes Can Cost a Whopping $99 Per Day!
You do need to pay for the Vibe Beach Club, and you need to book it in advance to secure a pass, as despite the high price tag, they usually sell out.
You can 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 price of these varies, typically between $200 and $350.
If your cruise is longer than a week, the price won’t jump up much – it’s unlikely that you’ll pay more than $350 per person for a full cruise up to two weeks, so the longer itineraries tend to offer even more value.
Cabanas Are Even More Expensive
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.
People Are Lining Up to Splurge
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.
Vibe Beach Club Isn’t Available on Every Ship…
The ships that have Vibe Beach Club for NCL are the Breakaway-class ships (Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway) and the Breakaway Plus-class ships (Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Joy, Norwegian Bliss, and Norwegian Encore).
It’s also the Prima-class ships (Norwegian Prima, Norwegian Viva, Norwegian Aqua and Norwegian Luna) plus Norwegian Epic, Norwegian Jewel and Norwegian Pearl (added in 2025 during dry dock). Norwegian Gem and Norwegian Jade have also had the area added since then.
This means you won’t find Vibe Beach Club on the following:
- Norwegian Dawn
- 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 Hot Tub |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Norwegian Aqua | YES | YES | YES | YES | 2 | YES |
| Norwegian Luna | YES | YES | YES | YES | 2 | YES |
| Norwegian Epic | YES | YES | YES | YES | 1 | No |
| Norwegian Gem | YES | YES | YES | YES | 1 | No |
| Norwegian Jade | YES | YES | YES | YES | 1 | No |
| Norwegian Jewel | YES | YES | YES | YES | 1 | No |
| Norwegian Pearl | YES | YES | YES | YES | 1 | No |
Take a look at this video for a closer look inside the Vibe Beach Club on Norwegian Prima…
You Can Get a Refund If You Change Your Mind
If you’ve booked Vibe Beach Club but change your mind, contact Norwegian Cruise Line to check whether your pass can be cancelled and refunded.
Cancellation conditions may depend on when you booked and how close you are to departure. Check the terms attached to your reservation before assuming you’ll receive a refund.
If you’re considering cancelling, it’s best to contact NCL before your cruise rather than waiting until you’re onboard.
Haven Suite Guests Should AVOID the 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.
When you book a Haven Suite, you’re essentially paying for access to the Haven, and so also purchasing access to the Vibe Beach Club would be a waste of money, in my experience.
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.
There’s No Smoking In the Vibe Beach Club
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.
Final Word
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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Viva has cabanas fyi
The Epic as Posh which is the same as the Vibre
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.