Think through the real cost of "free perks"

[Markanddonna]

Here is our story:

 

13 day transatlantic, booked OX/GTY (oceanview). We are Platinum status, so will receive two free dinners, some wine, champagne, 30 mins free internet, etc. No service charge for them. The GTY means we qualify for no free at sea or other perks.

Total: $1,355 for two people in an oceanview GTY for 13 nights.

 

But wait! NCL came out with a new promotion a few days later with some seemingly nice perks with their distinctive voyage perks: what if we wanted those extra four dinners (free at sea), free drinks, and these new ones? $50 credit towards NCL excursions, more free wifi, free air credit, free hotel credit, and free phone call package.

 

The least expensive room that would qualify us for that perk would have been an obstructed cabin at $859 and the service charge would have added $496 to our bill making the total $2,512.

 

That would mean that our sailing with some more free perks would cost us an additional $1,157!!!

 

The distinctive voyage special they are running now would also have included a $200 pp. airline benefit and a $100 hotel benefit. I called and the airfare was about $450 pp. for a $229 flight (the average one I found on my own) and they could give me no flight details nor could they book a hotel 5 months out. So, there goes the value of that benefit to zero.

 

So, for $1,157 I saved, I can buy an occasional drink, if I choose, or book a dinner at another restaurant and come out way ahead. Of course, if I was a substantial drinker, I might look at these perks differently, but I rarely drink.

 

The moral of the story: do the math- the free perks are not all that free sometimes. BTW- I was assigned a cabin within two days of booking last week and it is in the highest oceanview category (twice the cost of our original GTY). So, I'd say it is a win-win for me. I'll spend my savings on souvenirs and tours in Europe.

Edited December 4, 2017 by Markanddonna

[casofilia]

....so will receive two free dinners, some wine, champagne, 30 mins free internet, etc.

No champagne but there will be a bottle of sparkling wine!!!!!!!!!

[gbcruise]

I echo what you said: Our experience: We too realized when booking a GTY cabin perks offered are voided. To qualify we had to purchase a NON GTY cabin which increased each persons cost a additional $200, plus the gratuities for both the drink package and food package. "FREE" meant another $650 we would pay. We kept our GTY, paid less and have been offered the same cabin category that we would of paid the additional $200 per person for. Thank you for posting this so all can really see if you choose this then you are paying for the "free" perks. The only way it would make sense is if your drank so much that your bar bill would be more then what you pay in gratuity plus all the additional perks if you intended to buy them as well.

[Captain-John]

Absolutely - it all depends on what you place the most value on. I like to pick my cabin, so I'm not down low or under the buffet with all the associated noise. I'm happy to pay a premium for that. I also like a few drinks, and find that they add up - in the days before drinks packages were offered I remember the pain of the bill at the end of the cruise! I'm happy to pay the service charges for the 'free' UBP in part because I roughly break even, and in part because I don't have the 'worry' of adding everything up as I go along to see if I'm ahead or behind. I just get a drink without having to think about it.

 

I always do 'cruise only' though and would never use a cruise line for flights or hotel - in 15 years of cruising I have never had a better deal through the cruise line than what I can do myself.

 

As you say, it's up to everyone to 'do the math' relative to their own circumstances and preferences.

 

Good to know that the 'base' fare for NCL is still quite reasonable though. I would have some worry about being assigned a poor GTY cabin and I'd rather avoid that by paying a bit extra.

[Markanddonna]

The good thing about this experience is that we know our cabin assignment. If we had been issued one that had a really bad placement, we might have canceled the cruise and tried again later. We are still 6 months out from sailing. We also like to know our cabin, but sometimes it is worth the gamble. As a cruise consultant once said when I was fretting about a GTY: "This isn't a prison ship." :eek::ship:

[vince_g]

This is well known to most people who follow this board. There are probably hundreds of threads about the true cost. I did ask about applying the distinctive voyages promo to one of my bookings, and was told it was not combinable. It would cost us an additional $600 something. That is on top of a fare that already includes the UBP and SDP.

Edited December 4, 2017 by vince_g

[Princess@Sea]

Basically nowadays if you want to choose your own room you have to pony up for these "free" perks.

[eileeshb]

NCL has just added a new pricing tier for European customers, they're calling it "just cruise" which is basically equivalent to the guarantee pricing for US customers. Previously since April we had "Premium All Inclusive" which includes the UBP, some free bottled water, and speciality coffee with meals. The new just cruise pricing appears to be about €600 cheaper than the PAI prices, given the UBP costs €650 (service and grats included) it looks like the non-drinkers have a decent price option now, but they can't choose their cabins.

[fstuff1]

For me, it would have been cheaper to book with perks than GTY!

 

My story: 11 day Carribean GTY $400, going solo (no single supplement)

 

inside cabin with perks would have been $575.

perks = free at sea, $150 Holiday OBC, and distinctive voyage offer.

 

i would chose 4 day sdp as my free at sea offer. that's about a $20 service charge.

so $575 + $20 = $595

 

then $595 - 150 obc - $85 4day sdp= $360

plus the $50 credit per excursion from the distinctive voyage offer..

there were 5 ports so i would have saved $250. :o

$360 - $250 = $110 :o :o

 

so if i took the cabin with perks, it would have effectively cost me $110 vs the $400 for GTY.

sigh.. unfortunately, i didnt price out the cabin with perks till AFTER i booked. :(

i didnt even look at the perks till i read another solo posting about the offers he got with his Inside room on the same cruise.

but by that time, there was a 100% single supplement on rooms with perks so that Inside room is now $1150. :(

 

i learned my lesson.

Price out BOTH gty and perks before you book.

 

Note:

Still happy to have paid $400 for an 11 day cruise!

my 2nd $400 11day (see my Sig)

Edited December 4, 2017 by fstuff1

[cb at sea]

Nothing is "free"....you will pay for it somehow!

[gourmetnotgourmand]

Here is our story:

 

13 day transatlantic, booked OX/GTY (oceanview). We are Platinum status, so will receive two free dinners, some wine, champagne, 30 mins free internet, etc. No service charge for them. The GTY means we qualify for no free at sea or other perks.

Total: $1,355 for two people in an oceanview GTY for 13 nights.

 

But wait! NCL came out with a new promotion a few days later with some seemingly nice perks with their distinctive voyage perks: what if we wanted those extra four dinners (free at sea), free drinks, and these new ones? $50 credit towards NCL excursions, more free wifi, free air credit, free hotel credit, and free phone call package.

 

The least expensive room that would qualify us for that perk would have been an obstructed cabin at $859 and the service charge would have added $496 to our bill making the total $2,512.

 

That would mean that our sailing with some more free perks would cost us an additional $1,157!!!

 

The distinctive voyage special they are running now would also have included a $200 pp. airline benefit and a $100 hotel benefit. I called and the airfare was about $450 pp. for a $229 flight (the average one I found on my own) and they could give me no flight details nor could they book a hotel 5 months out. So, there goes the value of that benefit to zero.

 

So, for $1,157 I saved, I can buy an occasional drink, if I choose, or book a dinner at another restaurant and come out way ahead. Of course, if I was a substantial drinker, I might look at these perks differently, but I rarely drink.

 

The moral of the story: do the math- the free perks are not all that free sometimes. BTW- I was assigned a cabin within two days of booking last week and it is in the highest oceanview category (twice the cost of our original GTY). So, I'd say it is a win-win for me. I'll spend my savings on souvenirs and tours in Europe.

 

 

 

I fully agree with the above statement. Be aware and see what your needs are. Personally I like to go for the good deal rather than free since there is no such thing. With over 50 past cruises and 8 more booked I have learned to take everything in stride. I do pack ear plugs, just in case. Don't drink much so that bill is negligible. To this point I have always received my GTY cabin ahead of departure. Once I thought it was an awful location and it turns out one of the best ever. Just so thrilled to be on a cruise going somewhere, meeting other people, basking in my contentment. And most of the time it will be attitude that determines the enjoyment.

 

 

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[IrieBajan54]

I agree that people should always "do the math." As a solo, I book Sail Away Rates only. The freebies are a racket.

[Markanddonna]

 

I always do 'cruise only' though and would never use a cruise line for flights or hotel - in 15 years of cruising I have never had a better deal through the cruise line than what I can do myself.

 

.

That is true for NCL but not RCL and Celebrity. You can often get REALLY great prices through Air2Sea and can see all the available prices and flight details before you book. With NCL, you have to call their consultant who can't give you any details except the price. We are booking our flight through Norwegian Airlines (not related to NCL) which has fantastic deals. We have flown with them twice and were very pleased.

[fstuff1]

I agree that people should always "do the math." As a solo, I book Sail Away Rates only. The freebies are a racket.

Not always!

Read my post (#9)

[Markanddonna]

When using the shore excursion credit, you need to consider if they are really what you want and the best value. We rarely do ship excursions, as we don't enjoy the big bus and overpriced experience. If you really were going to use a shore excursion, then maybe they are worth it.

 

Just like with the dining package, we each need to decide if it is truly worth it. Personally, I don't handle beef all that well, so while a dinner at Chops or Moderno is nice, I also suffer in the long run. That beef sure tastes good at the time!

[PTC DAWG]

The gratuities on the free drink package is well worth it to me...math is easy...

[phissy]

....so will receive two free dinners, some wine, champagne, 30 mins free internet, etc.

 

No champagne but there will be a bottle of sparkling wine!!!!!!!!!

Exactly correct! Bubbles do not always mean champagne :D cheers.

[phissy]

For me, it would have been cheaper to book with perks than GTY!

 

My story: 11 day Carribean GTY $400, going solo (no single supplement)

 

inside cabin with perks would have been $575.

perks = free at sea, $150 Holiday OBC, and distinctive voyage offer.

 

i would chose 4 day sdp as my free at sea offer. that's about a $20 service charge.

so $575 + $20 = $595

 

then $595 - 150 obc - $85 4day sdp= $360

plus the $50 credit per excursion from the distinctive voyage offer..

there were 5 ports so i would have saved $250. :o

$360 - $250 = $110 :o :o

 

so if i took the cabin with perks, it would have effectively cost me $110 vs the $400 for GTY.

sigh.. unfortunately, i didnt price out the cabin with perks till AFTER i booked. :(

i didnt even look at the perks till i read another solo posting about the offers he got with his Inside room on the same cruise.

but by that time, there was a 100% single supplement on rooms with perks so that Inside room is now $1150. :(

 

i learned my lesson.

Price out BOTH gty and perks before you book.

 

Note:

Still happy to have paid $400 for an 11 day cruise!

my 2nd $400 11day (see my Sig)

One item to mention.

You figured that the $50 per port credit would put you $250 ahead of the game. To receive that credit, you must book onboard one of their excursions per port. After excursion is completed, credit appears on you account as OBC, to be used on board. Not a discount on the excursion.

Not one of the better promos, imo.

[stjohnbeachlover]

I kept going back and forth whether to get the UBP or free gratuities. I typically only have one mixed drink and one soda during the day and a glass of wine at dinner when I am paying per drink. But one glass of wine, a soda, and one mixed drink with tips added is about $28. My husband can easily drink 3 beers and a glass of wine on a typical day (maybe more on sea days) which would also be close to $28. So paying per day would be a minimum of $56 just for our drinks. By picking UBP we paid close to $30 per day for the tips and can drink whatever we want. I am typically too cheap to pay close to $15 for a drink so I can enjoy myself and not worry about a big bar bill at the end of the cruise. Next month will be my second cruise with UBP and am looking forward to it. Plus I was able to pick the exact cabin I wanted. That in itself is worth a lot to me.

[fstuff1]

One item to mention.

You figured that the $50 per port credit would put you $250 ahead of the game. To receive that credit, you must book onboard one of their excursions per port. After excursion is completed, credit appears on you account as OBC, to be used on board. Not a discount on the excursion.

Not one of the better promos, imo.

holy...?!

thx.. did not know this!

can that obc be used in the casino? or used to pay the $14/day tips?

[deefer]

One item to mention.

You figured that the $50 per port credit would put you $250 ahead of the game. To receive that credit, you must book onboard one of their excursions per port. After excursion is completed, credit appears on you account as OBC, to be used on board. Not a discount on the excursion.

Not one of the better promos, imo.

 

It does end up putting you ahead the $250 at the end of the day if you are going to book ship excursions.

 

You initially get charged the full price for the excursion but then get the $50 OBC applied to your bill. This is the discount for the excursion.

 

 

If you were not to charge anything else to your on board account you would see It is the same as them initially just charging you $50 less for the excursion.

 

 

For example, we rarely book anything through the cruise line for excursions. But on one of the private islands we booked the clam shell for $30. This was billed to our on board account. We then got a $30 credit applied to our bill. Basically the clam shell was free. So in this case we came out $30 “ahead”.

[ray98]

One item to mention.

You figured that the $50 per port credit would put you $250 ahead of the game. To receive that credit, you must book onboard one of their excursions per port. After excursion is completed, credit appears on you account as OBC, to be used on board. Not a discount on the excursion.

Not one of the better promos, imo.

 

Ehhhh....no.

 

Same difference if you are charged $100 which is followed with a $50 obc or if they discount it up front and only charged $50.

[deefer]

holy...?!

thx.. did not know this!

can that obc be used in the casino? or used to pay the $14/day tips?

 

Please see my previous post. It actually is a discount. Having said that I am not sure if my explanation is a simple as it should be.

 

If it’s still confusing maybe someone else can jump in with a clearer explanation :)

[hladygirl]

I just dummy booked a few 7 night Caribbean cruises for February 2018. They were all about $650 more for a couple to get a regular cabin vs sailaway. Without the UBP and dining package my final bill would probably be a lot more tha $650 and I get to pick my cabin. Worth it for me.

[casofilia]

I kept going back and forth whether to get the UBP or free gratuities.

 

Not a choice, unless you are a BIG drinker then the free gratuities every time.