littlelulu01

The square footage analogy is stupid. The GV should cost whatever the market will bear. An apartment in Manhattan has nothing to do with the Garden Villa.

I never said it did.

What difference does the composition of the six people make, that does not impact the price per person!

If husband and I took our kids on a cruise in the gv it would cost about 70k for two weeks on the ship. We would pay the cost of taking kids. If I decided to sail with six friends my cost would be much less. I would only pay 1/6. Of course the stateroom cost is the same. 14k plus air and land portion is still more than I would pay for a girls getaway with my friends but certainly less than if I had to pay for myself, husband and the kids and only our immediate family were in the room.

Fair enough. In Toronto you can buy an 1800 sq ft house for about $800,000.

 

A 6,000 sq ft mansion however, will run you about 10 million.

 

 

 

The mansion isn't only larger, but also costs more per sq. ft.

 

 

The cheapest inside doesn't have a butler & concierge. Nor a grand player piano, etc.

 

A 5 star hotel in a big city will cost you $1k / day for a suite.... why shouldn't a ship?

 

 

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I was not saying that a gv shouldn't cost that much. I am a firm believer it should cost whatever the market will bear just like everything else in the free world. You were comparing sq ft and I just compared sw ft of lowest priced stateroom. Obviously there's a big difference between the lowest and highest priced rooms on a ship and not just price. I had not seen the gv priced at 5k /nt previously.

It's a sign of economic recovery for sure. The gv was all in priced at $7,500 in 2012 for Alaska.

I believe the new Viking Ocean Cruise ships are still calling the Turkish ports.

 

In the news a few days ago

"The Viking Star was sailing from Istanbul to Venice as the Sea headed in the other direction towards Turkey to begin the same route.'

 

I guess the Vikings are more brave than others. I wish I had signed up with them.

There's an article on cruise critic news dated 3/22 about how Viking has become the latest to replace Turkish calls. Not sure to what extent but they have altered and replaced due to the safety issues/warnings and events.

Couple of points to clarify the post above. VAT is for everyone, not just Europeans and HAL has not cancelled Kusadasi. They stopped there last week. I haven't read that Princess has pulled out of there either but I may have missed that

 

Edit. Princess are still showing Istanbul and Kusadasi on their schedules so

It looks like Carnivals main lines have not pulled out of Turkey

I don't necessarily think vat is that much of a deal breaker. The other lines replacement ports subject them to vat. And many sailings in Europe never called on non eu country so were/are subject to vat.

HAL also called on Istanbul last week and didn't let anyone off the ship except those crew and passengers who were either embarking or debarking. Passengers report understanding due to circumstances but idk how understanding I'd be. Obviously don't want to get off ship if cruise lines is making the call for passenger safety but I think I'd be looking at allthe other lines who proactively changed embarkation/debarkation and ports of call and think... Wait a min. How is it that everyone else got really valid alternative ports replaced and I have these extra sea days and have to embark on this ship from a city where even my own cruise line isn't letting passengers off due to safety. That's kinda messed up.

So if you had 6 people, it would be $64k + (4 x $1200) for an average per person of 11,466.

 

That's for 2 weeks. Per week, that's $ 5,733 per person which isn't that out-of-line with the other Haven suites.

 

Since it's the Jade, I'm guessing the itinerary for 2 weeks is something semi-exotic. There would be a premium for that too.

 

 

 

 

Looking at it another way:

 

Cabin = 5500 sq ft. Cabin = $ 68,800 with 6 people.

 

Price per square foot, per person, per day = $0.15

 

 

15 cents! That's less than the price of a cup of coffee!

 

 

Stephen

 

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I wasn't looking at it from a standpoint that six financially separate persons would book the stateroom. I was thinking of one or max two families and what an expensive family vacation. But if 6 financially separate individuals split the cost then all in with taxes, bev and dining pkg, DSC for everyone it would amount to about 1k per person per day. So for about 14k if I wanted to share a room with someone.

I guess you could look at it as a less than the price of a cup of coffee per sq ft. but that coffee will cost the same as a 4 year college education at a state university if one family is paying.

Compare the lowest priced stateroom on the same sailings, and most 14nt Jade med sailings this season. Inside stateroom for two all in around $4450 with UBP and DSC. So cabin wise all in with taxes, port fees, DSC and bev pkg; the insides run around $317/nt and the GV around 5k/nt.

The Jade out of Houston costs about the same per week for an inside stateroom as one night on the Jade out of Venice. The Jade out of Venice is selling quite well. Suite availability is very limited and so are the other cat. Yes they will probably have some last min price drops to fill the last few on the ship but some sailings have only ov and ms left. It is a great sailing, port intensive. I loved it so much we are doing the same sailing again this year.

I was being sarcastic. It's obviously a good price for NCL and the people purchasing them, just not me. More power to NCL for creating this market. When people post the suite prices have not increased I'll beg to differ. At least on the med sailings.

It's no wonder they didn't price protect my Haven suite when they canceled my sailing last year. I guess they knew what they were doing last August and from a money making standpoint who can blame them.

Do I mind that I had purchased a haven suite for a true fraction of the cost and the next day it was canceled? Kinda, but at least now I understand why.

I know a lot of folks report that suite prices have not increased over the past year. Just checking various dates this summer on the Jade. 64k for the two week sailing. Some weeks it's as low as 52k. Those prices are for two in the stateroom. Extra persons look to be only about $1200.

Of course DSC isn't included but you'll get a couple speciality dinners for the first two in the stateroom, 250 Internet and $50 per cabin per port shore excursion credit max 4 ports. That's a lot of free stuff!

What a bargain. Grab them while you can. Inventory on these is limited.

Of course I'm being selfish for wanting the stop to not be cancelled. The ones I feel bad for are the people who were worried enough that they actually cancelled the cruise before final payment. If they'd hung in there, they would still be on what's going to be a wonderful itinerary and not have to stop at that "scary" port in Turkey.

 

This is a bucket list cruise for me and the main reason I booked was to see Ephesus. So, yeah, I'm disappointed.

 

And, yes, of course I understand the cruiseline's dilemma over whether to keep the stop or cancel.

 

And, yes, of course I'm aware that ports can be cancelled or changed.

 

It was just frustrating to read posts for weeks with people saying they wished Carnival would just cancel the stop when I personally was wishing very strongly that they would not.

 

Why is it that I never seem to get my wishes? :(

 

I'm much more likely to die driving the 6 miles to work on I-40 than I am in a terrorist attack in Europe! Doesn't mean I'm going to stop driving!

 

I hate that fear/concern/whatever-you-want-to-call-it is impacting what I can and cannot do. Especially since it's not even me who's afraid!

I'm sorry your port day in Izmir may be replaced with an extra sea day. When NCL canceled Turkey a few months ago to some it seemed premature but they made decision based on the Intel they subscribed to.

They also got a jump on replacement ports. I was bummed about an extra day in Santorini to replace Kusadasi but thankful they extended port time in Split and didn't give extra sea days. Also very thankful they made a decision early on.

For me what is so frustrating is the wait and see approach because those lines who wait too long don't seem to get an alternative port. With Izmir I don't think it's been even a remote option since the travel warning update with order of all non mission critical to leave. The frustration is that people aren't told what the cruise lines have decided to do and that their decision is too late.

I would not be happy with extra sea days and want to know about changes so I can make an informed decision. The lines who haven't announced port changes probably don't have a replacement port option because they plain and simple waited too long. Many of these summer cruises are falling into past final pmt now so those waiting for a favorable replacement are out of luck when they find out they got extra sea days.

I've got two deposits down. This year I picked one with celebrity and one with NCL. With all the potential changes I figured it best to go this route this year. Still waiting to see if celebrity will make changes.

Perhaps you'll get longer hours in the ports you are visiting and can plan extra to do on the remaining port days.

Not sure on the upsell because I've never tried that avenue but I have done the west coast repositioning cruises by booking a few days prior to sailing. Price of tax and port fees often around same as fare.

I would say odds of upgrading close to sail are fairly good.

the insurance is priced on how much you pay for your cruise. Not sure how NCL insurance works but if you have insurance through a 3rd party you must insure all non refundable portions of the vacation. Since the cruise is non refundable after a certain point it needs to be insured and insurance cost is largely based on fare.

I assume you purchased insurance thru NCL and that is why they contacted you. If you don't insure the correct non refundable portion of cruise, a policy claim will likely be denied.

NCL refunded our dining package and the one excursion we booked through them. It took three months, but we did get that back.

 

We always book our cruises through the airline and take their insurance. I suppose they have some kind of formula based on the cruise cost. The policy covers trip delay, medical, and trip interruption.

 

The one think I'll do different next time is make sure the medical is primary. My private insurance covered most of my onboard medical bill, but it took months because NCL wouldn't/couldn't provide medical codes.

 

NCL's customer service ended when the ambulance took me away. They promised help making arrangements and we got nothing. Regardless of cruise quality, they've lost us as potential passengers because of their horrible customer service.

Thanks and so sorry about your hassle. I called NCL rep again yesterday. I know the reps don't always know the right answers but I wrote down time and date of call just in case there is an issue. The rep told me that govt taxes, port fees, dining/bev service fees, dsc are refundable even after the final payment. She said that if I had purchased their insurance, they would only have me insure the guest cruise fare, not all the other refundable stuff.

The insurance company mandates that all non refundable fees are covered and if not they can refuse any claim, including a medical claim. I think it's best to over estimate the cruise amount.

I think where it can get tricky is in your case where you started the cruise. Some of the port fees, taxes, one night dsc, would be used so it would make sense these refunds were prorated. And perhaps port and taxes are only refundable up till cruise commences?

I guess it get a bit trickier now with the new setup of the perks. Say you are on a two or three week cruise. The free perks of dining and beverage package would include quite a hefty price now that you pay the service fees on those perks. Not to mention the taxes and port fees. Add all these extra fees and you can look at paying a lot more for insurance if included in no refundable fees.

The pre existing coverage waiver is the reason I purchased a policy months ago when I placed cruise deposit. I will lose that if I add to the cruise fare the taxes, port fees, and service charges. Should I need to make a claim I feel keeping the pre existing coverage outweighs the potential I won't get taxes and service charges back.

If you ever get a portion of the taxes and port fees refunded please report back. Good luck.

Great. So now I need to request refund of fees, etc. from NCL. It took three months for them to credit our dining package back to our card. Am I correct presuming fees should have been refunded automatically?

 

Insurance is only required to make you whole. I knew that, but didn't even think about refundable fees.

 

(I'm still working on my claim because it took so long to rectify the onboard medical expense.)

 

OP, first and foremost, spend the extra to make sure you buy primary medical coverage. It will save time processing a claim.

Please come back and report on the outcome.

When I took out insurance policy I did not include the taxes, port fees, service fees for dining and beverage package with NCL. NCL told me they were refundable. I booked insurance through travel guard, purchased policy within 15 days of deposit so pre-existing condition also covered.

After reading these posts I called to have the dining and beverage package service fees and taxes and port fees added to the policy. Since these fees were always itemized on my bill the insurance company said if I add them to my cruise fare as "non refundable fees" I will negate the pre existing coverage portion of my policy. I initially only insured the cruise guest fare.

Furthermore, the insurance company said that if in fact these are considered non refundable fees that should I need to make an insurance claim and didn't properly list the non refundable fees that the claim would be denied.

All this hassle because the ncl rep on the phone said the din/bev service charge, govt taxes and port fees were refundable past final payment and that the only thing subject to no refund was the cruise guest fare.

I read the cruise contract and I don't see any specific mention of these items being refundable or not.

If you get a more specific answer from NCL regarding not refunding these fees I would love to know about it because I cant get anything specific from them. At this point I guess I should go ahead and add the DSC, spa pass purchase... to the fare if they are non refundable as well?

It's not about if I would get these fees back or not. It's about if someone had some significant incident that cost 50k or more and the insurance company refused a claim because I didn't include these minor fees.

Were they able to just get beer or wine or could they get spirits or cocktails? Did they cut or mark their cards to show they were under 21?

They were able to drink any kind of alcohol including spirits and cocktails. No cut corner on card. The only thing they can't do is have or purchase the ultimate beverage package. There is no form needed. I'm positive on this for Europe sailing for my 20 year-old.

I wasn't allowed to sign for my daughters friend, they were both 20. I was allowed to sign the waiver for my daughter. I also needed to show proof she was my daughter (different last names).

For a Europe sailing? I am certain that for Europe sailing No waiver is needed for a 20 year old.

I was aboard the Jade last year Europe sailing. My 20 year old was allowed to drink and no waiver needed. They are not allowed to have the UBP, even if given as a perk. DD got a soda sticker. They were allowed to purchase whatever drinks they desired, no questions asked, no forms to fill out.

There were probably about 20-30 kids onboard that were in the same age range. While waiting to board in Venice the kids around the same age range started talking to each other and by that evening they had quite a group. DD met her first true love on the Jade, well in Venice while waiting to board. They are still mad about each other. We sailed in May though and there were quite a few study abroad kids with their parents who picked them up from school. I imagine the same would be true for an August sailing with the parents planning a cruise prior to dropping kids off for study abroad year.

Hal prisindam pulled into Istanbul scheduled port but only stayed for 5 hours to drop off and pick up some crew. Passengers not debarking were not allowed off the ship. They did stop in Kusadasi today.

What you guys are missing is the passengers disembarking and embarking Istanbul. What would Celbrity do with these passengers . What port could they change for them Aussie

NCL Spirit had some cruises embarking and debarking in Istanbul . They changed the embarkation and debarkation ports. I think substituted with Venice. Istanbul and Kusadasi port calls substituted with ports in Croatia and Greece.

Regent pulled out because they have to dance to NCL's tune these days. Celebrity makes their own decisions.

And NCL, MSC, Disney... They pulled out for a reason. NCL didn't pull out of Turkey just to show Regent and Oceana that they can't make their own decisions. The situation has worsened since those lines announced their decision.

I am not a fearful traveler. I took my two daughters to Turkey last year, by myself, and had a wonderful time. But let's face it. When the US government has issued a travel warning that includes Izmir, has ordered all non mission critical military, their families... out and warned citizens of the dangers, I personally don't think it's prudent to hop on a loaded tour bus full of a bunch of western travelers with our Celebrity bags, and head off for my tour to the quaint village of Selcuk in the Izmir Provence. Not to mention Kusadasi is right on the border.

I mean what's the wait and see at this point given that kind of govt warning in post number one? Wait for the first few ship filled tour busses to come back from Selcuk?

For Americans, airlines have to credit you the airfare if the State Department puts a country or city/airport at a certain degree of security warning or if strikes interrupt travel such as air traffic controllers who strike which closes air space.

 

And the Stars and Stripes just reported that all military dependents are being evacuated first to Germany and then new assignment housing as the units rotate members in and out. This is all military dependents all over Turkey as well as diplomatic dependents and non-essential personnel. We were trying to book a Regent cruise when they pulled Instanbul. Seems Celebrity will soon follow.

This is good information for those who have booked flights.

Again I will say it's not a debate on what your chances of safety are in Turkey vs home or somewhere else. The travel Warning has been posted. It's not a matter of where people think there is more danger. It's about when Celebrity will notify booked passengers what changes will be made so they can start to make alternative plans.

I honestly wouldn't mind even major changes to the Silhouette cruise. Disney did it this year and they seem to be going along fine. I would be fine if Turkish and even ports in Isreal were replaced. Just want to know so that I can make an informed decision what company I'm giving my thousands to this year.

Forgot: blue lagoon on deck 8, if it's more convenient also had tea. Our room was on deck 8 and we used blue lagoon often for morning coffee and late night snacks. They are open 24/7. Closed debarkation breakfast.

The atrium bar on deck 7 seemed very busy upon embarkation. Might be easier to grab a drink and seat pool deck or one of the other many bars. main dining room served lunch on embarkation. For breakfast and lunch in garden cafe use la cuchina for overflow seating. Less crowded.

The outdoor seating area aft of garden cafe is also a great place. There's a bar, usually food such as cheese, olives... Make up a snack plate and sit back there some afternoons after a port day. Typically not many people back there.

Deck 7 has full walk around with some lounge chairs too.

Thank-you all for the replies. All very helpful and such quick replies.

 

I take it we are not supposed to take kettles for use in our cabins. I never quite understand that rule as many lines supply kettles on European sailings and I assume all ships are created with equal electrical safety. Therefore, why is it safe on one line, but supposedly not on another?

 

Still very excited to try a new cruise line and am just compiling my packing list. It is the first time we have done completely freestyle cruising. Do many people dress up in the evenings or is it all quite relaxed?

 

Sue

It truly is dress up or not. No shorts in Le bistro or main dining room. Even on Norwegian night out you will see suits, fancy dress, a few in tuxes, jeans, sundress ... With the majority just in smart casual. Very relaxed ship that you can make into a fancy experience or just kick about clothes.

The all you can fit laundry bag is a very thin paper. If you place a pillow case in the bag and then fill bag you'll be able to stuff a lot more in the bag. Don't forget to itemize as you are filling the bag. Otherwise it will come back unprocessed. Offer will be about midway through each segment and was so worth it to have clothes returned clean, folded in a wicker basket.

Sail away parties on pool deck with bbq weather dependent. If weather turns you can slip into forward observation bar on 13. Great spot for Venice sail away and comfy chairs. Most of your alcohol beverages and all fountain soda covered. If in doubt just ask bartender. Drinks in souviner glasses not covered but you can order same thing in a non souviner glass.

Have a wonderful cruise and report back. How lucky three segments! We did two last year and will do two in September. I was surprised how quickly it went and in no time we were on our last night. I could have easily stayed aboard for another few weeks with the busy med itinerary.

Lulu,

 

Where's Prius? We got extra hours in our scheduled ports when Istanbul was cut short by one day last year on our Equinox sailing ;).

Sorry. Athens/Piraeus which in my opinion is not a great overnight. I guess my concern is that many lines have already canceled Turkey and replaced with Santorini, other ports in Greece or Croaita. The lines who cancel last or last min may not get a viable replacement at this point due to all the other lines who already grabbed them in lieu of Turkey. I know Israel is anyone's guess and things can change at the last min so never a sure thing. But at this point Turkey does not seem viable.

People post things like your risk could be just as high at home or look at what happened in Paris...which is true but I'm looking at it from the probability of Turkey being canceled which in my opinion is extremely probable. It's not really a debate on odds of becoming a victim of an attack. It's about odds the cruise will be actually visiting these ports or any replacement ports and not wanting to shell out all this money just to sail around at sea with very few ports or get stuck with overnights in less desirable ports because all the good ports are taken.

One way around the vat for beverages and speciality dining is to purchase packages prior to cruise. Last year on NCL Jade out of Venice we sailed a b2b. First segment subject to vat. Second segment called on Kusadasi so no vat.

We had the UBP both segments and I never had a vat tax charge, not even for drinks ordered during sail away from Venice. I know for fact because I was worried about alcohol consumption with my college kids and went to guest services to see if I could get an itemized print of bar bill. Was told they don't keep track of that and there was no way to check. So even though every time they ordered a drink and signed for bar receipt there was no record of consumption on my account.

We had a speciality dining package perk as well. Each night we would sign dinner bill and there was never a record of it on my account- the only extra charge was for an extra tip that was clearly labeled as such.

One thing noted was that people couldn't purchase cigarettes in the store on the first (all EU leg). They had to purchase them from a bartender and limit was one pack per person per day. It was quite a process with the bartender taking time to procure keys to locked cigarette packs, have customer sign some form...Second leg that called on Turkey sold cartons and had the typical ship displays set up in the store which probably made bartenders happy not to have to waste so much time. I have no idea how much more they cost per pack but assume the strange process had something to do with vat.

The med cruise we have deposit on has a considerable obc attached. It's also an incredible price in a s1 suite with all four perks. Our final payment is due soon. The NCL Jade 14 nt with Turkey cancelled which we also have a deposit on actually costs more for a ocean view than our 14 nt silhouette suite sailing that calls on Israel and Kusadasi. I would much rather sail in a suite on the Silhouette but will probably be canceling and opting for the Jade. The fact that Celebrity hasn't announced port changes leads me to think it may turn into extra sea days. I don't want the hassle of long flights just to have potentially a ton of sea days. The sailing already has 5 sea days with a Kusadasi, Haifa and overnight in Ashdod. Should those ports get replaced with a few more sea days it will not be worth the suite life. Granted anything can happen between now and sail but given what other lines have done and the travel warnings, I doubt at this point Turkey is on the table for 2016. What they plan on doing to replace is anyone's guess but don't want to find out after final payment that our cruise has x # extra sea days or is overnighting in lovely Prius like last year when guests were informed at the last min.