How is $799.50 half of $1159.00?

[sailandcruise]

I'm looking at a cruise for which NCL is offering "Extra Stateroom Guests are Half-Price". This is for the Breakaway on December 20. I'm considering getting either one OV and one studio or just booking one large Family Oceanview with Large Picture Window -- category O1. I compared the price for two guests in this category with the price for three. For two guests, ncl.com gives me a fare of $1159 per person, plus $139.84 (also per person) in Government Taxes, Fees, and Port Expenses. For three guests the fare for the exact same rooms -- and there are over a dozen that are offered with the identical room numbers -- it quotes a fare of $1159 per person for the first two guests and $799.50 for the third guest, plus $139.84 per person in Government Taxes, Fees, and Port Expenses. Now half of $1159 is $579.50, not $799.50. $799.50 is actually about 70% of $1159, not 50%. So how is this Half-Price for the third guest? :confused: And how can NCL advertise it this way? :eek: Could this be a problem with the web site, in which case I should call my PCC and ask for the third guest to be charged $579.50? Or am I missing the fine print somewhere? (If so, please point me to it.) Or is the advertising deceptive? :eek:

[earlbird]

NCL definitely has their own way of figuring things, and obviously not to your advantage.

[SeaShark]

I'm looking at a cruise for which NCL is offering "Extra Stateroom Guests are Half-Price". This is for the Breakaway on December 20. I'm considering getting either one OV and one studio or just booking one large Family Oceanview with Large Picture Window -- category O1. I compared the price for two guests in this category with the price for three. For two guests, ncl.com gives me a fare of $1159 per person, plus $139.84 (also per person) in Government Taxes, Fees, and Port Expenses. For three guests the fare for the exact same rooms -- and there are over a dozen that are offered with the identical room numbers -- it quotes a fare of $1159 per person for the first two guests and $799.50 for the third guest, plus $139.84 per person in Government Taxes, Fees, and Port Expenses. Now half of $1159 is $579.50, not $799.50. $799.50 is actually about 70% of $1159, not 50%. So how is this Half-Price for the third guest? :confused: And how can NCL advertise it this way? :eek: Could this be a problem with the web site, in which case I should call my PCC and ask for the third guest to be charged $579.50? Or am I missing the fine print somewhere? (If so, please point me to it.) Or is the advertising deceptive? :eek:

 

Each room has a regular price for each guest that can be booked. For example, Guest #1, Guest #2, Guest #3, etc. Cruise pricing is done on a PER ROOM basis. However, for marketing purposes, cruise lines advertise the room rate on a "per person" basis. Thus a room that is priced at $1000 is advertised as $500 per person (double occupancy).

 

Guests past the first two in a cabin are on their own pricing scale which is much more tied into overall supply and demand and less into the rate assigned to the room.

 

Guests #1 and #2 each pay half of the room rate. Guests #3 and beyond pay the extra guest rate...which could be more than, equal to, or less than the rate paid by guests #1 and #2.

 

When they advertise "extra guests are half price" you have to ask "half of WHAT price?".

 

You will find that the extra guests are charged 1/2 of the extra guest rate. Your confusion stems from your thinking that it is 1/2 of the guest #1 and #2 rate, which clearly, it is not.

[sailandcruise]

Each room has a regular price for each guest that can be booked. For example, Guest #1, Guest #2, Guest #3, etc. Cruise pricing is done on a PER ROOM basis. However, for marketing purposes, cruise lines advertise the room rate on a "per person" basis. Thus a room that is priced at $1000 is advertised as $500 per person (double occupancy).

 

Guests past the first two in a cabin are on their own pricing scale which is much more tied into overall supply and demand and less into the rate assigned to the room.

 

Guests #1 and #2 each pay half of the room rate. Guests #3 and beyond pay the extra guest rate...which could be more than, equal to, or less than the rate paid by guests #1 and #2.

 

When they advertise "extra guests are half price" you have to ask "half of WHAT price?".

 

You will find that the extra guests are charged 1/2 of the extra guest rate. Your confusion stems from your thinking that it is 1/2 of the guest #1 and #2 rate, which clearly, it is not.

 

SeaShark, I understand what you're saying -- i.e., that there is some "hidden" price that they have cut in half. However, if there is no way to access this price, then I think their advertising is misleading. Further, for a cruise that doesn't appear to be selling well -- they just added a special $100 per room "Holiday Cruise Credit" most likely so they don't have to reduce the quoted price -- it makes no sense that a third guest would cost more than either of the first two guess on a per person basis.

[medicalma'am]

Just do the math. 1159 x 2 is 2318

799 x 3 is 2398

 

So....it is just only 80 more and that may be port fees for the third person.

 

[SeaShark]

SeaShark, I understand what you're saying -- i.e., that there is some "hidden" price that they have cut in half. However, if there is no way to access this price, then I think their advertising is misleading. Further, for a cruise that doesn't appear to be selling well -- they just added a special $100 per room "Holiday Cruise Credit" most likely so they don't have to reduce the quoted price -- it makes no sense that a third guest would cost more than either of the first two guess on a per person basis.

 

The price certainly isn't hidden. It is the price you would pay without the promotion. It is the extra guest rate that each and every TA has access to through the published rate brochure. Simply because one person doesn't see it, doesn't make it "hidden".

 

You are, of course, welcome to think the advertising is misleading. However, that is all the further it goes. You have to show misleading intent, and there is none...this horse has been kicked numerous times since its demise.

 

As to extra guest pricing...it happens more often than you realize that the extra guest rate exceed the guest #1 and #2 rate. The cruise lines are restricted on the number of people booked into sections of the ship because of lifeboat capacity. The closer they get to lifeboat capacity in a given area, the higher the extra guest rate becomes. You can easily have identical cabins side by side where the extra guest rates are HUGELY different.

 

 

Nothing different here than when the advertise Inside Cabins "starting at" $699 per person. That doesn't mean that ALL inside cabins are $699 per person...it just means that at least ONE cabin has that rate. The fact that the others do not does not make the advertising "misleading".

 

Remember...it isn't the deal you get, its the deal you think you get.

[sailandcruise]

Just do the math. 1159 x 2 is 2318

799 x 3 is 2398

 

So....it is just only 80 more and that may be port fees for the third person.

 

 

medicalma'am,

 

Thanks for your response. Unfortunately, I did do the math, correctly as explained above. Sorry if I wasn't clear that I didn't include the port fees, taxes, etc. and just compared the quoted fares and if I wasn't clear that the quoted fares when booking for three people were $1159 for each of the first two and $799.50 for the third, not $799 each.

 

The port fees are listed as additional for each person, at $139.84 each -- not included in the comparison I did.

 

The total due for two people is $1159+$139=$1298. times two is $2596.

The total due for three people is this same $2596, plus $799.50+$139=$938.50, for a total of $3534.50.

Edited July 3, 2015 by sailandcruise

[medicalma'am]

Oh sorry. I really mis-read.

 

[Got Tequila?]

Another thing to consider is that 3rd guest rate is the same in any cabin on the ship for that same sailing...........so it's more than a 50% discount in those higher end cabins. ;)

[sailandcruise]

Another thing to consider is that 3rd guest rate is the same in any cabin on the ship for that same sailing...........so it's more than a 50% discount in those higher end cabins. ;)

 

YES -- this explains it. When I do test bookings on cabins in all categories from inside through the haven suites, the third person costs $799.50 no matter which category of cabin is booked!

 

So I guess that a third person without this offer would cost $1599, which is more than than the cost of a separate studio cabin and almost as much as booking a separate inside even with paying for two people when there is only one who will stay in it. So basically the 50% off for a third person is really only worthwhile for people who book a suite or other high-end cabin.

 

They really should be clear about what the 50% off means, however. While I can find the third person price by making a (virtual) booking for three people, I don't know if that price is listed anywhere explicitly. It should be clear when they advertise a promotion of 50% off for third and fourth passengers what price they are reducing.

[Planefixer]

I'm looking at a cruise for which NCL is offering "Extra Stateroom Guests are Half-Price". This is for the Breakaway on December 20. I'm considering getting either one OV and one studio or just booking one large Family Oceanview with Large Picture Window -- category O1. I compared the price for two guests in this category with the price for three. For two guests, ncl.com gives me a fare of $1159 per person, plus $139.84 (also per person) in Government Taxes, Fees, and Port Expenses. For three guests the fare for the exact same rooms -- and there are over a dozen that are offered with the identical room numbers -- it quotes a fare of $1159 per person for the first two guests and $799.50 for the third guest, plus $139.84 per person in Government Taxes, Fees, and Port Expenses. Now half of $1159 is $579.50, not $799.50. $799.50 is actually about 70% of $1159, not 50%. So how is this Half-Price for the third guest? :confused: And how can NCL advertise it this way? :eek: Could this be a problem with the web site, in which case I should call my PCC and ask for the third guest to be charged $579.50? Or am I missing the fine print somewhere? (If so, please point me to it.) Or is the advertising deceptive? :eek:

 

HOW CAN YOU BE SO ALOOF? Obliviously NCL has adopted the new common core math curriculum.1+1=3

Edited July 4, 2015 by Planefixer

[BamaVol]

It looks like Ticketmaster has entered the picture and you are being charged a "convenience fee". :D