Norwegian to offer "All Inclusive"

[Starrgazer50]

AI Update:

 

Solo travelers who book studio cabins can no longer avail themselves of All Inclusive special. Yesterday, we could. Today, not. And while we're required to pay double for any other cabin, if you book as a single traveler, and enter the promo code ALLIN, you get the same warning studio passengers get: Promo code not valid on selected sail date and/or stateroom type.

 

Love your father's red wagon quote, Starrgazer! ;)

 

HS2U :)

 

Hi HS2U,

 

Thanks!:)

 

I just did an psuedo booking, all the way to entering your personal info, on a 2015 Breakaway sailing and the ALLIN did work. Maybe there was some glitch in the system.

[violettewaits]

Yes! Exactly! I am with you 100%.

 

I'm sorry, but I don't understand how the smokers and UBP connect. I use to smoke so I know that I enjoyed it more when I would drink alcohol, but Isn't the issue with smokers due to not smoking on the balcony, but in designated area? Will the smokers be able to smoke at the bar? I don't get it.

[hpecorari]

Yes! Exactly! I am with you 100%.

 

Smokers can always get their drink and take it to wherever they're allowed to smoke and enjoy a smoke along with their drink.

 

Harriet

[violettewaits]

Right, but lulu's statement was that the AI package was rolled-out in order to appeal to heavy drinkers - most of whom are statistically smokers - who may not be sailing on NCL any longer due to the changes in balcony smoking policies. This AI would be beneficial to smokers. I have a hard time seeing the correlation, considering that an unlimited beverage package has existed for a very long time.

 

 

Smokers can always get their drink and take it to wherever they're allowed to smoke and enjoy a smoke along with their drink.

 

Harriet

[GrabMyWrist]

Just spoke with my PCC regarding this package. I was about to bite for our 2015 sailing but wanted to clarify a few things first. Straight from her mouth.

 

If you rebook after purchasing the All-In package, whether it be for a lower rate, different cabin or whatever, you will lose the All-In option.

 

In other words, once August 29th hits, you're locked in until your cruise or you lose the option.

[tarheelmjfan]

AI Update:

 

Solo travelers who book studio cabins can no longer avail themselves of All Inclusive special. Yesterday, we could. Today, not. And while we're required to pay double for any other cabin, if you book as a single traveler, and enter the promo code ALLIN, you get the same warning studio passengers get: Promo code not valid on selected sail date and/or stateroom type.

 

Love your father's red wagon quote, Starrgazer! ;)

 

HS2U :)

 

That's surprising. I was expecting the first exclusion to be suite passengers. The 10% discount would practically pay for the AI package. I'm surprised they're willing to give 10% off the suites, but it's a good deal for those who can take advantage of it.

[dcollette]

$899 per person regardless of cabin. The price is in addition to the price of whatever cabin you choose, but you'll get 10% off the cabin at time of booking if you buy this.

 

Yes, it is $899 per person as an add on to an already existing reservation. They also have some pricing (for Getaway only I believe) with it included to make it easier. I received an email about this promo, and I checked it out because about a week or two prior, I had received a survey about just this promo. The main differences were in the proposed survey--the price was lower and covered the entire cabin--guess they decided against it. Oh well.

 

For me--traveling with my three youngest children-- this package is not worth it. I am unsure if all the people in the room have to pay for it (I'm guessing yes, as they already do that with UBP for all people over 21) or if they offer a lesser rate for children (which I somehow doubt). We don't generally spend $200 per person on excursions (never mind that this only includes ones booked through NCL), I can't ever recall purchasing 20 photos (let alone 80 if I had to purchase the package for each person) the UBP is pointless to me as I have maybe one coctail per cruise, if that and even the soda package for my teens on the last cruise ended up not being worth it either; I NEVER purchase bottles of water onboard, the specialty dining is enticing, but I can purchase that myself if I desire.

 

For some folks, I can see how this would be a great deal, however. If you normally get the UBP and/or the dining package--this might be worth it. I also could see some folks figuring that with what they paid extra, they may feel the need to "make" it pay. If you like dining exclusively in specialty restaurants, and take advantage of the UBP, the other stuff could work out in your favor. I have a feeling they are trying to entice people to pay one price and not worry about the rest. For me, not so much, as I generally don't spend that much per person on our regular fare, so how can I justify the added cost? For others, this would be a great way to budget your trip-- you would only need money for trinkets and such.

 

NCL wouldn't be offering this if there wasn't a market. People want to pay one price for everything and now they can. Great idea. If not, you can still decide to "freestyle" it and pay for what you want. Just opens up NCL for a wider range of customers. ( you know, the ones who constantly whine about being "nickeled and dimed" to death on NCL :p )

[conandrob240]

So, if this is valid on existing bookings, how does the 10% work exactly? Do I get a refund on 10% of what I paid?

[littlelulu01]

Right, but lulu's statement was that the AI package was rolled-out in order to appeal to heavy drinkers - most of whom are statistically smokers - who may not be sailing on NCL any longer due to the changes in balcony smoking policies. This AI would be beneficial to smokers. I have a hard time seeing the correlation, considering that an unlimited beverage package has existed for a very long time.

 

It's a long explanation but here goes:

 

I was just expressing potential reasoning behind the AI offer. It very well may not be accurate as many point out due to people drinking more on a cruise than at home.

 

NCL's big offer is all inclusive and sold as one stop shopping for my cruise. That idea appeals to me. I've been researching cost of my excursions, what I'll spend on ship, transportation in venice etc and it sounded like an exciting opportunity to just pay once and be done with it. Then go on vacation and not worry about most of the extras, dollar, euro, kuna conversions etc. I know I'll pay more for excursions thru the ship but with AI the hassle factor is removed.

 

So the offer is revealed and it does not include children, and has a mandatory UBP for all over 21. Ok so now I see if there is any benefit for me. I have a 23 year old who I hope would not benefit from the UBP but certainly would not want to give her the opportunity to try. My 19 year old is excluded. Now we are at two other adults, one non drinker and one picky wine drinker. Of course the math is going to exclude my group. Bummer but perhaps I'm just the minority?

 

I can't help but analyzing so I start to look at who this ai is targeted to. Seems odd that the offer is AI but not if you have kids, not if you don't drink, not if you don't drink enough to benefit from UBP. That's a lot of nots for a first attempt at an AI for a company who I assume has an excellent marketing dept. How does the TA selling this pkg to a family of 4 (2 adults/2kids) as AI except not AI for half of you? Just explain that AI is a great deal because most of your stuff is pd for but well not really because you pay for DSC, speciality dining for kids, soda pkg for kids, your kids are not included in your shore excursions and no you can't use your credit for them etc...

 

And then I did a little research. AI ncl pkg is a good deal for the big drinker, the big spender on this ship and really a terrible deal for everyone else. In fact the bigger spender you are the more youll save with the 10%. That alone is probably the simple answer. It's just when I was trying to fig out what percentage of people benefit from the UBP I learned that only five percent of Americans are heavy drinkers. That seems low to me but pretty universally the standard answer. I'll bet it's higher on cruises and at land based ai's.

 

So the smoker theory: fact are there are less and less places a smoker can smoke. I think smokers may tend to gravitate to cruises for vacation because its one of the last places they can still do so on vacation. Smokers are only 20% of the population and so not the majority. The group as a whole does not probably constitute a big spender group especially If they sit on the balcony most of the vacation. But 80-95% of heavy drinkers smoke. So smokers who are big drinkers are big spenders on the ship. Big spenders in the casinos, big spenders on alcohol etc... And on the smoking boards you can read about many of these big spenders who are not happy about the upcoming balcony change. They are switching to land based AI's supposedly. Why not offer an AI pkg that they will perhaps save a bundle on and stay on the ship vs jump to land based AI with all their big spender $? I guess that's an explanation that made sense to me. A lot are specifically talking land based AI. If you were a smoker who didn't drink and didn't spend big you wouldn't switch to land based AI because you would be paying for AI options that didn't benefit you. But a big spender who goes to land based AI can still smoke, drink, gamble, shop etc as long as they pick the right AI. Offer that person a great deal and he may realize he can still have fun on the ship despite the fact he can no longer light up on the balcony. heck if he books a grand villa he can still light up on the balcony too and his AI pkg is most likely free. Let him walk away now and you might not get him back.

[GrabMyWrist]

So, if this is valid on existing bookings, how does the 10% work exactly? Do I get a refund on 10% of what I paid?

 

You get a 10% discount on the current price of the cruise when you rebook it, up until August 29th.

Edited August 7, 2014 by GrabMyWrist

[MrMan]

It's a long explanation but here goes:

 

I was just expressing potential reasoning behind the AI offer. It very well may not be accurate as many point out due to people drinking more on a cruise than at home.

 

NCL's big offer is all inclusive and sold as one stop shopping for my cruise. That idea appeals to me. I've been researching cost of my excursions, what I'll spend on ship, transportation in venice etc and it sounded like an exciting opportunity to just pay once and be done with it. Then go on vacation and not worry about most of the extras, dollar, euro, kuna conversions etc. I know I'll pay more for excursions thru the ship but with AI the hassle factor is removed.

 

So the offer is revealed and it does not include children, and has a mandatory UBP for all over 21. Ok so now I see if there is any benefit for me. I have a 23 year old who I hope would not benefit from the UBP but certainly would not want to give her the opportunity to try. My 19 year old is excluded. Now we are at two other adults, one non drinker and one picky wine drinker. Of course the math is going to exclude my group. Bummer but perhaps I'm just the minority?

 

I can't help but analyzing so I start to look at who this ai is targeted to. Seems odd that the offer is AI but not if you have kids, not if you don't drink, not if you don't drink enough to benefit from UBP. That's a lot of nots for a first attempt at an AI for a company who I assume has an excellent marketing dept. How does the TA selling this pkg to a family of 4 (2 adults/2kids) as AI except not AI for half of you? Just explain that AI is a great deal because most of your stuff is pd for but well not really because you pay for DSC, speciality dining for kids, soda pkg for kids, your kids are not included in your shore excursions and no you can't use your credit for them etc...

 

And then I did a little research. AI ncl pkg is a good deal for the big drinker, the big spender on this ship and really a terrible deal for everyone else. In fact the bigger spender you are the more youll save with the 10%. That alone is probably the simple answer. It's just when I was trying to fig out what percentage of people benefit from the UBP I learned that only five percent of Americans are heavy drinkers. That seems low to me but pretty universally the standard answer. I'll bet it's higher on cruises and at land based ai's.

 

So the smoker theory: fact are there are less and less places a smoker can smoke. I think smokers may tend to gravitate to cruises for vacation because its one of the last places they can still do so on vacation. Smokers are only 20% of the population and so not the majority. The group as a whole does not probably constitute a big spender group especially If they sit on the balcony most of the vacation. But 80-95% of heavy drinkers smoke. So smokers who are big drinkers are big spenders on the ship. Big spenders in the casinos, big spenders on alcohol etc... And on the smoking boards you can read about many of these big spenders who are not happy about the upcoming balcony change. They are switching to land based AI's supposedly. Why not offer an AI pkg that they will perhaps save a bundle on and stay on the ship vs jump to land based AI with all their big spender $? I guess that's an explanation that made sense to me. A lot are specifically talking land based AI. If you were a smoker who didn't drink and didn't spend big you wouldn't switch to land based AI because you would be paying for AI options that didn't benefit you. But a big spender who goes to land based AI can still smoke, drink, gamble, shop etc as long as they pick the right AI. Offer that person a great deal and he may realize he can still have fun on the ship despite the fact he can no longer light up on the balcony. heck if he books a grand villa he can still light up on the balcony too and his AI pkg is most likely free. Let him walk away now and you might not get him back.

 

Your not getting it, and overanalzing this. They are doing this to compete with the all inclusive resorts in Carribean and Mexico all of which offer drinks and meals. You are looking at this at the cost side and not the revenue side. They are trying to poach customers who say cruise or Mexico, well if I go to Mexico I won't have a huge tab at the end of the trip, if I go on a cruise I will. This has nothing to do with smokers and such.

[wichitastatecruiser]

Just spoke with my PCC regarding this package. I was about to bite for our 2015 sailing but wanted to clarify a few things first. Straight from her mouth.

 

 

 

In other words, once August 29th hits, you're locked in until your cruise or you lose the option.

 

Great, this means even more math when the price drops to make sure I come out ahead. I think I saved @ $100 by going All in over what I was already planning on spending. Will have to see if the NYE Escape sailing comes down at all.

[mike123abc]

I ran the numbers in my case, not too bad a deal.

 

I just booked 12 day British Isles BA (mid ship balcony) with ALLIN.

 

I am single so I have to pay the full freight of the cabin:

 

Without All In: $5718.95+144 grat+ 100 internet + 200 shore = 6162.95

With All in 6462.15

 

This is strait off of NCL's web site.

 

I have to always do some work on cruises so I usually use $200+ in internet, so that is useful to me, I mix my own shore and some ship shore excursions, so $200 will be used. The gratuity has to be paid either way. So it costs me $299.20 to add in UD and UB. I am not a big drinker, but any drink on the ship is pretty expensive, so I essentially would have to eat in a specialty restaurant most nights and have 1-2 drinks a day to come out ahead.

 

It looks like the real bargains are for single travelers or suite travelers.

[tarheelmjfan]

Your not getting it, and overanalzing this. They are doing this to compete with the all inclusive resorts in Carribean and Mexico all of which offer drinks and meals. You are looking at this at the cost side and not the revenue side. They are trying to poach customers who say cruise or Mexico, well if I go to Mexico I won't have a huge tab at the end of the trip, if I go on a cruise I will. This has nothing to do with smokers and such.

 

I'm not sure why there was so much negative reaction from one person's theory, but NCL probably has more than one reason for offering these packages. Without sitting in board meetings at NCL headquarters, all anyone can add is an opinion. Everyone should be able to offer a theory w/o the knee jerk reactions posted here. How about, "that's an interesting theory, but I doubt that's the reason", instead of "I'm right, you're wrong?" The truth is we don't really know the exact reason.

 

MrMan, I'm not addressing this to you specifically. This is a reply to every who jumped to tell littlelulu01 she/he was wrong, when in fact we don't know the true reason(s). Some of us find all theories interesting to consider.

[GrabMyWrist]

I bit the bullet this morning and went "All-In" on our upcoming Mexican Riviera Cruise.

 

Prior to the "All-In" 4 people booked in a 2BR Non Haven Suite on the Jewel was $5400ish with $300.00 OBC.

 

After going all in, just a tad over $8000.00 and kept the $300.00 OBC.

 

Was it worth it? Only time will tell. That said, I plan to take full advantage of everything that was offered.

[tarheelmjfan]

I bit the bullet this morning and went "All-In" on our upcoming Mexican Riviera Cruise.

 

Prior to the "All-In" 4 people booked in a 2BR Non Haven Suite on the Jewel was $5400ish with $300.00 OBC.

 

After going all in, just a tad over $8000.00 and kept the $300.00 OBC.

 

Was it worth it? Only time will tell. That said, I plan to take full advantage of everything that was offered.

 

If you were planning to purchase UBP anyway, it was probably worth it. At any rate, you'll have a fantastic time partaking of all the goodies. :D

[littlelulu01]

I'm not sure why there was so much negative reaction from one person's theory, but NCL probably has more than one reason for offering these packages. Without sitting in board meetings at NCL headquarters, all anyone can add is an opinion. Everyone should be able to offer a theory w/o the knee jerk reactions posted here. How about, "that's an interesting theory, but I doubt that's the reason", instead of "I'm right, you're wrong?" The truth is we don't really know the exact reason.

 

MrMan, I'm not addressing this to you specifically. This is a reply to every who jumped to tell littlelulu01 she/he was wrong, when in fact we don't know the true reason(s). Some of us find all theories interesting to consider.

 

Thanks. I don’t take offense to the comments and actually see what others are saying. Did not look at the single passenger potential savings either, which sounds like it could be a really good deal in addition to potentially being a good deal for suite passengers. I agree with Mrman and I get that this offer is for someone who is debating cruise vs. AI land vacation.

 

I’ve only done one AI and it was years ago. It was nice to have no extra bill to worry about. X amt for those who drank and X amount for the kids and no big tab at the end of cruise. I was shocked at our tab after our first cruise, also years ago. Husband and I watched what we spent but did not factor in kids running up such a big tab.

 

I understand that NCL is appealing to this customer who is debating AI or cruise who is not on a port intensive cruise. The $200 pp credit on a 14 nt port intensive European cruise covers potentially one excursion over the duration of the trip, leaving a lot of excursion $ that the customer may book outside the cruise line. On a seven nt Caribbean cruise $200 is probably in line with what the customer would pay, well except that the kids are not included and you can’t share your credit with them because they can’t be AI.

[cruisecritiquer]

Interesting.

 

The reason they are offering it is to make money. You don't have to sit in on a board meeting to know that. If they thought they were going to lose money on the deal, they wouldn't be offering it. All decisions businesses make are for the benefit (bottom line) of the business - they do very little or nothing out of the kindness of their heart. And, there's nothing wrong with that. If they can entice someone to spend more money than they otherwise would have, then that's their choice. Some people are willing to do more for a slight discount and so in some cases it is a win-win. People try more things because the price looks enticing and the cruise line makes more money. However, we should stop acting like cruise lines are there to be generous and giving. They exist to make money.

Edited August 10, 2014 by cruisecritiquer

[SeaShark]

Interesting.

 

The reason they are offering it is to make money. You don't have to sit in on a board meeting to know that. If they thought they were going to lose money on the deal, they wouldn't be offering it. All decisions businesses make are for the benefit (bottom line) of the business - they do very little or nothing out of the kindness of their heart. And, there's nothing wrong with that. If they can entice someone to spend more money than they otherwise would have, then that's their choice. Some people are willing to do more for a slight discount and so in some cases it is a win-win. People try more things because the price looks enticing and the cruise line makes more money. However, we should stop acting like cruise lines are there to be generous and giving. They exist to make money.

 

 

You are exactly right...and Kevin Sheehan himself basically said the same thing in BusinessWeek when discussing the All Inclusive Package: “The people who take this program … are actually doing more than they probably otherwise would do, so you are getting more revenue.”

 

 

 

Me? I'm just waiting for the debate over why it's called "All Inclusive" and not "All Included". ;)

[Feelin' Nauti']

Regular prices of components:

 

7 Day Ultimate Dining: Regular Price $119

7 Day Ultimate Beverage: $434.70

$200 Shore Excursion Credit: $200

$12 daily Service Charge: $168

 

 

That comes out to $921.70, so you're getting the strawberries, wine, Internet, photos, bingo, and water for "free".

 

.

Is it worth it? Say for a 7 day cruise... Package $899 x 2+ $,1798....

Dining $238,

Strawberries $24,

Internet $200, Wine $60,

Gratuities $168,

Excursions $400,

not sure what photos cost,

beverage package $756,

bingo ? not sure..

 

Total...$1846

 

Could bingo and photos be about $50? :confused::rolleyes:

[Got Tequila?]

Is it worth it? Say for a 7 day cruise... Package $899 x 2+ $' date='1798[/b']....

Dining $238,

Strawberries $24,

Internet $200, Wine $60,

Gratuities $168,

Excursions $400,

not sure what photos cost,

beverage package $756,

bingo ? not sure..

 

Total...$1846

 

Could bingo and photos be about $50? :confused::rolleyes:

 

don't forget you save an automatic 10% off the cruise fares.

 

Photos run between $10 - $20 or possibly higher depending on the size you order, you can get any size with the package.

 

also includes 6 bottles of water.

[Feelin' Nauti']

don't forget you save an automatic 10% off the cruise fares.

 

Photos run between $10 - $20 or possibly higher depending on the size you order, you can get any size with the package.

 

also includes 6 bottles of water.

Wow, you can unlimited amounts of booze but only 6 bottle of water...:eek:

Didn't notice there was a limit.:rolleyes:

 

As for the 10% you really can't tell if you're getting it or not. :cool:

 

Receiving 20 Photos any size does sound like a nice perk.

[azgkrudi]

I think this was a brilliant idea for NCL to do. It's great that everyone has a choice - you can go a la carte like before, or opt in for all inclusive.

 

For those of us who have become accustomed to all-inclusive on the small luxury lines, this makes us much more likely to book NCL. In fact, we did book the June 21, 2015 Gem cruise. By the time the 10% off fare was taken, the A/I charge per day evens out to about $103 pp. We almost always dine at Cagney's, so there's $30pp right off the bat. We do like to have alcoholic beverages while on vacation, so we more than make up for the UBP charge. And remember, the gratuities are included in BOTH of these. Not to mention the daily service charge of $12pp per day. Then as a bonus, 250 internet minutes, $200pp shore excursion credit, and then minor things like the photos, chocolates, bottled water and an additional bottle of wine.

 

We're getting $300 OBC as well! We'll have to try to find a way to use it!? I mean, to us, this is a smoking deal. Again, I think NCL was smart to roll this out. I suspect they will find several of us who are used to the A/I concept on board their ships in 2015.

[njsonja]

someone mentioned gratuities being included....is that the service charge? if you are in a suite, do you tip separately? thanks...

 

s

[azgkrudi]

The daily $12pp service charge is included AND the gratuities for both the dining & beverage packages are included. Being in a suite is a separate thing, and we'll tip the suite staff as we always have.