NCL Pricing

[SPB in da RVA]

NCL, in its latest bid to confuse and tick off their clients, has come up with a No Frills price. What does that mean? It means that you can get a room relatively cheap from your travel agent, but you CANNOT get any of the perks included (ultimate beverage package, dining package, shore excursion credit, internet package), even though the terms and conditions of the perks may state otherwise. No frills, is NO FRILLS! To add insult to injury (for those of us who love to find an all-inclusive bargain), NCL will increase their ultimate beverage package [uBP] price to $79.00 per day, per person. Who cares? You should! Well, if you look at the difference between the "no frills" pricing and (for instance) the UBP included pricing, you will see a significant difference (you are paying a large part of the UBP in that price). Don't forget that you now have to pay the 18% gratuities on the UBP and ultimate dining package on the new higher price. To add more insult, if you pick the shore excursion credit (of $50 per port - up to 4 ports) and the internet package, you are paying a much higher rate than what those packages would be worth. Also, look for more "ala carte" pricing throughout NCL. As the new CEO has tested the waters (so to speak) on the Escape, and doesn't care if his customers complain, he will, no doubt, start this practice on all the ships. Where will it end? I guess when the ships are empty. Do I love the NCL ships? Absolutely! The Escape was a "happy haven" for my husband who loved the District Brewhouse. The ship's design is wonderful, as is the entertainment and the staff is superb. However, we have noticed that the ships seemed to be understaffed lately, making us wonder what the heck is going on with the staff (they seem to be as unhappy with the new NCL as we customers are). Yes, I am very disgruntled, disgusted and unhappy with the way the new "NCL" is being handled - and yes I am an avid cruiser. Not too sure how long I can remain faithful to this new uncaring company, after our 73 planned cruising days are completed this year. :eek:

 

So having more options is a bad thing according to you! If they had all these option and took some of them away you would be complaining that they forcing you to buy with no choice! :rolleyes:

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

Ncl is not offering the discounted no frills price on their website (then they wouldn't be able to claim you are getting to pick "free" offers). However if you price around online, you will find that there is pricing that is a couple hundred dollars less per person. This is the no frills pricing. Some sites say you can call to add the additional offers but when you do the price goes up by 200.00 per person plus the 18% gratuity if you choose the dining or beverage (at this point it matches ncl's pricing).

 

If you can't find it online, call some online cruise travel agencies and ask if they have it. We ended up booking with an online agency that didn't have it advertised yet on their site but when we called they did offer it to us. It was a great deal as it was also combinable with the friends and family sail free promo.

 

There was a discussion about it here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2323061

but some of the posts ended up being deleted so it may not flow all that well anymore.

Edited March 11, 2016 by OneParticularHarbour 71

[spidybabe]

Ncl is not offering the discounted no frills price on their website (then they wouldn't be able to claim you are getting to pick "free" offers)..

This^

Safe sailing

[Gershep]

NCL offers a "No Frills" pricing option and yet people want a lower price. Where does it end? Oh wait, how about NCL pay us to cruise with them!! :eek:

 

Every time I have done a mock booking the price is the same for no frills or pick a perk. Yes lower price and no perk would be a good choice along with a choice with a perk.

[ready2cruzagain]

Ncl is not offering the discounted no frills price on their website (then they wouldn't be able to claim you are getting to pick "free" offers). However if you price around online, you will find that there is pricing that is a couple hundred dollars less per person. This is the no frills pricing. Some sites say you can call to add the additional offers but when you do the price goes up by 200.00 per person plus the 18% gratuity if you choose the dining or beverage (at this point it matches ncl's pricing).

 

If you can't find it online, call some online cruise travel agencies and ask if they have it. We ended up booking with an online agency that didn't have it advertised yet on their site but when we called they did offer it to us. It was a great deal as it was also combinable with the friends and family sail free promo.

 

There was a discussion about it here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2323061

but some of the posts ended up being deleted so it may not flow all that well anymore.

Thank you, finally figured out where to find the no frill prices.

[myra711]

I see how upset many of you are with the OP. I think I get OP's point - if "perks" are being offered, MY (naive?) assumption is that they are special incentives that you are getting for the same price as the usual fare. If there is a no-frills fare, then the "perks" are actually things you are paying for, ergo they are NOT perks. :confused:

[ColinIllinois]

I have a hard time generating sympathy for someone whining about money who is cruising for 73 days this year.

 

Nope. No sympathy here.

 

I'll even roll my eyes and shake my head for dramatic effect. :cool:

[Crusin6]

I wish NCL would offer the no frills at a lower price. We take the UBP as our perk but I really don't drink so if NCL offered no frills at a lower price I might actually save money by just buying drinks as we go.

 

 

So you don't drink much but take the ubp? And pay the ridulous 18% upfront?

 

We dont drink much either and the free ubp would cost us $173 in gratuities alone each

 

We wouldn't even drink $173 if we were paying it ourselves

 

 

Not fond of the specialties any longer either so if we feel the urge for le bistro ..which I doubt...we will just pay

 

 

Shore excursions? That's a joke...$50 per port....only means that in 4 incredible beach ports we would be required to take ncl excursions in each port....um no

 

So we took the the wifi...and will audio FaceTime with the kids....but with the great Verizon. 100/100/100. Package for $40 we really don't even need that

 

 

Ncl could have give us a $50 obc and we would have been happy....good thing our ta did offer that perk

 

We did get lucky...unbeknownst to us we booked a cruise that qualified us to use 2 cruise next certs....since I bought them bogo....a $500 deposit credit only cost me $250

 

 

 

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[detroitlions]

Celebrity has been doing the tiered pricing for a while I do not see much wrong with it except NCL upped the cost of UBP and UDP right after they started it which stinks for a couple reasons, your paying more in grats and if you go with the no frills cruise the UBP price is astronomical now at $79 a day which is prob the most in the industry for what it includes.

[renata102]

So you don't drink much but take the ubp? And pay the ridulous 18% upfront?

 

We dont drink much either and the free ubp would cost us $173 in gratuities alone each

 

We wouldn't even drink $173 if we were paying it ourselves

 

 

Not fond of the specialties any longer either so if we feel the urge for le bistro ..which I doubt...we will just pay

 

 

Shore excursions? That's a joke...$50 per port....only means that in 4 incredible beach ports we would be required to take ncl excursions in each port....um no

 

So we took the the wifi...and will audio FaceTime with the kids....but with the great Verizon. 100/100/100. Package for $40 we really don't even need that

 

 

Ncl could have give us a $50 obc and we would have been happy....good thing our ta did offer that perk

 

We did get lucky...unbeknownst to us we booked a cruise that qualified us to use 2 cruise next certs....since I bought them bogo....a $500 deposit credit only cost me $250

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

I love the old school way. Everyone pays a price and there is minimal on board charges (unless you are shopping on board or want a drink or if you want an ship sponsored excursion at ports. ). Gone are those days. Now there are specialty restaurants (like we didn't have enough food choices) and all these packages. So confusing.

[Gershep]

So you don't drink much but take the ubp? And pay the ridulous 18% upfront?

 

We dont drink much either and the free ubp would cost us $173 in gratuities alone each

 

We wouldn't even drink $173 if we were paying it ourselves

 

 

Not fond of the specialties any longer either so if we feel the urge for le bistro ..which I doubt...we will just pay

 

 

Shore excursions? That's a joke...$50 per port....only means that in 4 incredible beach ports we would be required to take ncl excursions in each port....um no

 

So we took the the wifi...and will audio FaceTime with the kids....but with the great Verizon. 100/100/100. Package for $40 we really don't even need that

 

 

Ncl could have give us a $50 obc and we would have been happy....good thing our ta did offer that perk

 

We did get lucky...unbeknownst to us we booked a cruise that qualified us to use 2 cruise next certs....since I bought them bogo....a $500 deposit credit only cost me $250

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

We paid $136 for gratuities which wasn't bad, DH and I will have a few drinks. Now I believe it is up to $199 for gratuities.

 

I'm not saying that the perks are a bad idea. My opinion is that adding the "no frill" choice may work for those people that don't want any of the perks and would rather have those savings to be used for something else on their vacation.

[bjlaac]

whethwer you are a fan of the "free perks" or not is not my point here but what's missing in this whole package from NCL is something for those of us that want to book months if not years in advance but have no choice to pay a higher price whether we accept the free offers or not.

[TruckerDave]

NCL, in its latest bid to confuse and tick off their clients, has come up with a No Frills price. What does that mean?:

 

When your post starts out this way...I lose interest real fast. And I agree with your question...what does this mean? But, of course I am talking about your long winded post. :rolleyes:

 

But then again....a member since 2014 and this is only the second post. hmmmmmmmm

[backsbanny]

I dont see any wrong with the no frills pricing or with the pricing with the offers..Thats what every big corporation does and is sth totally acceptable..You as a customer have the freedom to choose this price or choose an other cruiseline if you are not happy with that..The only thing that i feel is wrong are the constant changes being done and NOT informing customers about them..We always learn these changes first here on cruisecritic and i believe that this is very bad decision by ncl

[TowerOrchard]

Every time I have done a mock booking the price is the same for no frills or pick a perk. Yes lower price and no perk would be a good choice along with a choice with a perk.

Did you actually price it out all the way through? The price doesn't go down if you choose the no frills option, but if you choose the perks (UBP and/or SDP), the 18% service fee gets added. Even on the NCL site, you do pay less for the no frills option.

Edited March 11, 2016 by TowerOrchard

[asdjl]

Where do you find the no frills pricing? As someone who travels with 3 kids and who doesn't drink and would pay a la carte for things, I would love to see the difference.

Also not understanding your argument, if it's no frills pricing, then the fact that there are no perks makes sense. A perk is a frill, right?


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[can'twaittogoagain]

[quote name='Reimann_J']NCL, in its latest bid to confuse and tick off their clients, has come up with a No Frills price. What does that mean? It means that you can get a room relatively cheap from your travel agent, but you CANNOT get any of the perks included (ultimate beverage package, dining package, shore excursion credit, internet package), even though the terms and conditions of the perks may state otherwise. No frills, is NO FRILLS! To add insult to injury (for those of us who love to find an all-inclusive bargain), NCL will increase their ultimate beverage package [UBP] price to $79.00 per day, per person. Who cares? You should! Well, if you look at the difference between the "no frills" pricing and (for instance) the UBP included pricing, you will see a significant difference (you are paying a large part of the UBP in that price). Don't forget that you now have to pay the 18% gratuities on the UBP and ultimate dining package on the new higher price. To add more insult, if you pick the shore excursion credit (of $50 per port - up to 4 ports) and the internet package, you are paying a much higher rate than what those packages would be worth. Also, look for more "ala carte" pricing throughout NCL. As the new CEO has tested the waters (so to speak) on the Escape, and doesn't care if his customers complain, he will, no doubt, start this practice on all the ships. Where will it end? I guess when the ships are empty. Do I love the NCL ships? Absolutely! The Escape was a "happy haven" for my husband who loved the District Brewhouse. The ship's design is wonderful, as is the entertainment and the staff is superb. However, we have noticed that the ships seemed to be understaffed lately, making us wonder what the heck is going on with the staff (they seem to be as unhappy with the new NCL as we customers are). Yes, I am very disgruntled, disgusted and unhappy with the way the new "NCL" is being handled - and yes I am an avid cruiser. Not too sure how long I can remain faithful to this new uncaring company, after our 73 planned cruising days are completed this year. :eek:[/QUOTE]

I'm glad you posted this. We haven't cruised with NCL for 4 years, but we are Platinum with them and have a future cruise deposit to use before end of Jan, or we lose it. Frankly, I haven't paid much attention to the cruising industry lately because we were doing other things, but this past week I've been lurking around here and reading lots of posts.... ship and cruise reviews, and have seen the CEO is new, and am seeing some big changes. If it weren't for the cruise deposit, I'm not sure we would stay loyal to NCL, which is the only line we've cruised since 2002 when we first sailed...on the new NCL Sun. I am also wondering about the pricing I'm seeing and if the perks are even worth it. We're iin our 60's and not crazy about the huge new ships but would like a good Eastern Carib or Southern.

So...thanks for your post.

I'm going to go do some mock bookings and see whats up...

[luckyinpa]

on that other thread i just saw prices for 4 lower categories. id really love to know if there is such a thing as no frills haven pricing. my spa room is 2499. but if you take out the old drink cost (1139), internet (125) , port credit (150), dinners (148) the total cost of my cruise would go from 5387 to 3825

at 1900 PP out the door id probably be able to cruise haven more than this one time :)

however my econ 101 class tells me that with all ships sailing full they will never change this way of doing things.

the drink pack is a total waste of money for me though. id love the 1139 back and pay cash as i go.

[can'twaittogoagain]

[quote name='asdjl']Where do you find the no frills pricing?[/QUOTE]


Would like to know, as well. I did a mock on one sailing on NCL.com and saw no difference. Is this on specific sailings? How do you know which ones? Did you get this info through NCL or an independent TA?

[hun]

I've tried to figure this out as well (by trying to follow some of the clues/Googling) - we're booked for a Baltic September 2017, and would be very happy to save $ in lieu of one of the promos. Thanks for any further insights!

From the other thread, it seems it may be until March 15?

[luvtheships]

[quote name='Gershep']We paid $136 for gratuities which wasn't bad, DH and I will have a few drinks. Now I believe it is up to $199 for gratuities.



I'm not saying that the perks are a bad idea. My opinion is that adding the "no frill" choice may work for those people that don't want any of the perks and would rather have those savings to be used for something else on their vacation.[/QUOTE]


Lol lets be honest here.....it costs Ncl pennies to pour a drink....

We are all suspect of wether the crew ever actually sees the 18% anyway so we throw an extra buck their way per drink...

Ncl has just raised the ubp pricing anyway....although I can't remember the last time Ncl wasn't offering the ubp as a "free" perk

So my free ubp quote for gratuities lol was $173 per pax or $346 total.....seriously I wouldn't drink enough ever to even think of leaving $173 per pax in gratuities. Let alone spend &173 per pax at retail for drinks.

My take......Ncl has repriced the ubp downward and in our case it would cost us $346....only they dont want to say it in so many words


Even if you drink yourself silly having 30 or more drinks a day.....you still aren't costing Ncl more than a few bucks anyway....but they are charging you 18%

Remember it's not retail price for these drinks....that Ncl considers when giving the free ubp away....its Ncls incredible wholesale cost(remember they buy lots of liquor) plus overhead costs per drink....still pennies

Thanks to Andy Stuart going on dateline or whatever and saying that Ncl knows exactly how many drinks they need to sell and at what price per cruise to be profitable....I will never buy into Ncl seriously giving any free perk away like the ubp

It's just some marketing ploy for now

I prefer rock bottom prices anyway


Does anyone really pay for the ubp anyway at regular price? If you are you shouldn't be. Edited March 11, 2016 by luvtheships