Ncl has raised their prices to a ridiculous level imho of course

[jacksonx]

It's simple supply and demand.

Good economy, people "demand" cruises, and the cost goes up.

 

Good news:

 

1- new ships are being commissioned, which will increase supply

2- there are cruise lines which offer better deals. MSC comes to mind.

[TMelendez]

I agree with you Maggie, that prices have gone WAY up.....however, NCL is just doing what ALL the mainstream lines are doing. Since I have not really been completely loyal to any one cruise line I have been aware of the prices creeping up for a while now on ALL the lines. And it amazes me because they keep building more and more Mega ships (all the lines are going 'bigger') with so many more cabins to fill and they are STILL raising prices season after season and filling those ships! There are really no bargains cruising any more....it is more a choice of just how you want to travel and then paying those increased prices if you choose cruising!! There is one caveat, even though the prices have indeed risen WAY up, if you book early they are the lowest (but they quickly go up as the ship begins to fill). We booked an NCL Med for Oct 2019 when it opened...just a few months back and it has already increased by $500 per person (and there is still lots of availability). It is unfortunately the way of all the mainstream lines!! :eek:

 

Yeah Maggie, prices have been going up, but it is not only NCL, I agree with buddylover. I was having this conversation with one of my traveling companions recently. One of us would run into a low fare somewhere and we would book it. Lately, we have been going on our own, because there are no fares out there that would makes us put our lives aside to get the good price. Case in point,we booked Celebrity in 2015 for $799 each to the Holy Land. That's when the random stabbings in Israel starting taking place, and so we cancelled. We have not gotten anywhere close to that price since then.

 

Back in 2006, when I was coming from doing the MED in RCL's Voyager of the Seas (1999/2000s 'Megaship'), there was a USA Today paper left behind in the inbound plane,with an article in the travel section about how more Americans were doing European cruises and how Cruise lines were planning on creating bigger ships, and station them in Europe for the season. Case in point as you NCL fan would know, the EPIC. And now the GETAWAY. On a side article, there was the previewing on RCL 'newest ship' The Oasis of the Seas!! That was 12 years ago.

 

Back in the 1990s, cruising used to be an older crowd thing, and a Caribbean thing. But all that has changed. So many boomers with good incomes, so many airlines flying from the US anywhere you want to go... Supposedly the industry grows its passengers 7% annually, and thats already 200million Americans cruising in a year. I also read that only 20% of the US population has cruised. In 2014 I had a birthday cruise; a 4 days Bahamas in a 19XX ship.. I had 100 paying guests, more than half had never cruised, and by now most of them have repeated!! My list of traveling companions keeps getting bigger, when back in 2006 it was just two of us. Once I bring them to a cruise (especially in the other side of the world), its like losing their virginity (no pun intended.. well maybe for points sake..) they are not afraid of doing it anymore. And I am sure you know plenty of people who are like "cruises, nah not for me" , "maybe one day"..

 

So yeah, demand will keep going up, and that drives prices up, among other things. Also, things are **peaceful** in the world right now (I scored a $399 Balcony on HAL that stopped in Egypt during the last part of the Arab Spring). I recently saw a NCL Jewel 12 days out of Singapore on Apr 16th, ending up in Tokyo for $499 OV. :o But, there were only 3 weeks to go and too short of a time to move life aside, and bring others that can do it also. I was so upset I had not seen it earlier.. but who goes looking into Asian cruises?? But, they will grow.. just like Dubai cruises would too. Just like all of Europe has.

[fstuff1]

If you have to sail in The Haven, of course it's going to be expensive!

 

However, last January, I sailed as a solo in an inside cabin on a 5 day Pearl trip to Cozumel for $259.

$50 a day for hotel, food, and resort accommodations? Sign me up!

wished there was a way to get instant notified of $50/day solo cruises :(

[SeaShark]

wished there was a way to get instant notified of $50/day solo cruises :(

Why not just ask you PCC/TA to notify you? YMMV, but mine does.

[MizDemeanor]

I was just perusing the 2019 ncl Med cruises and as a seasoned Med and ncl cruiser I find it ridiculous and somewhat amusing that ncl has almost doubled their cruise prices in this region over 2017/18 prices. On Older ships not new mega ships either

 

So what is it....

 

Higher fuel prices

Higher port charges

Higher profit margins

 

Or is it what I've be saying all along...

 

That ncl wants to rid itself of their loyal seasoned cruisers who know how to get a good price...which in turn means they cruise more often....and is ncl trading in those loyal savvy cruisers for less informed newbies who actually believe that an inside cabin on the Jade or the Sun is well priced at between $1200 to $1600 per person before port and tax for a 7 day cruise?

 

Of course prices will vary based on week etc but for the summer of 2017 that same itin and ship went for $600 to $800 per pax

 

Again...the loyal ncl cruisers will know this...but the newbies will just book and think to themselves that cruising is costly.

 

I'm not sure I care to use my 1 remaining cruise cert at all. Let alone sell it or give it to anyone at the current ncl pricing scam.

 

Disclaimer: I am well aware that a lot goes into pricing...boho..free at sea etc...but I've taken my family of 6 on 12 day Med cruises and paid close to or sometimes less in ocean views than what ncl is currently pricing 7 Day insides at. Especially since the pricing was so much lower last summer. Certainly not giving up on ncl or cruising but for our next cruise I won't be focusing only on ncl as I have in past years. I've spoken to too many fellow cruisers on ncl ships that have been very happy with MSC and even Pullman so I guess I'll be siding my search scope. It's all good.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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I'd suggest that the prices fluxuate based on supply and demand. I'm associated with a site that monitors cruise fares and its easy to see what starts out for fares and ends up as final pricing.

 

I will say that you may have a stronger appreciation of Med fares based on your experiences and I am only tracking Caribbean.

[fstuff1]

Why not just ask you PCC/TA to notify you? YMMV, but mine does.

i dont use a ta since i go thru CAS for all my cruises because it's either 20% off or free thanks to my land casino.

 

i dont have a pcc

how do you get a pcc?

[NancyW12]

wished there was a way to get instant notified of $50/day solo cruises :(

 

pour your morning coffee

Log on to NCL

advanced search

date range within the next 90 days

how many days you want to sail

1 passenger

sort by price

book if one works for you

[rtkenmore]

Exactly my sentiments as well

 

You as a seasoned cruiser may well do something different with your vacation dollar and that may very well be to leave ncl or cruising for the time being

 

Thus...that is my point ...ncl is driving seasoned cruisers who know the correct price point for cruising away....and is aiming at attracting the unseasoned cruiser who will just think that $1700 per pax in 2019 for a 7 day med cruise is a good price and not realize that same cruise is/was only $700 in 2018. Of course we all understand that this comparison needs to be apples to apples cruises..dates..itins etc...not a march 2018 Med cruise to compared to a July 2019 Med cruise. Just wanted to clarify that

 

 

I just dont believe the high cruise prices are in fact current "market prices" but I do believe they are an attempt to to artificially increase market prices

 

I was always taught that it was the consumer that determined market price

 

E.g. In November an item sells for x dollars and sits on the store shelf...because the consumer doesn't like the price and doesn't buy it...therefore the November price is NOT market price...it was just a price the store was hoping to get in November..but..by December 15 the store lowers the price by 1/2 and sells it...that is market price...which although set by the store was in fact determined by the consumer simply because they bought it

 

So ncl is NOT charging market price at all...they are just charging a price they hope to get and true market price will be determined much closer to sail date. This is true only because of these current artificially high prices. It was always true with the ncl product in the past though because ncl prices a year out used to be great. Somehow I don't see a $1700 price point a year out as being a bargain...nor do I see it jumping to $3400 8 months from now...lol..it will more than likely fall to $700 again...and we will all be calling that price the "market price" when the consumer buys it up...

 

The true facts are hidden though as we will never know how fast they are selling out 2019 cruises

 

While they (or a poster here ) might say the cruise is selling fast...we actually have no viable way to know that

 

A TA is no help either as they are a commissioned salesperson

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Obviously NCL is getting what they are asking other wise they would adjust the prices. This is still supply and demand regardless of how much you want to argue that they are just too expensive.

 

Beyond that, I don’t know where you’re looking to get your numbers but I’m finding 7 day western Mediterranean cruises next summer starting at $849/person.

 

 

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[rtkenmore]

It probably makes sense to resurrect this thread in January 2019 to see how much prices have fluctuated for April 2019 cruises.

 

Cruise prices have not ballooned in the last 20 to 30 years...what I paid for 2 in 1988 for 7 days inside on a rust bucket 7 day Carib cruise $2000 was high considering I've paid balcony $1400 for 2 on the Gem in 2016 for an 8 day cruise.

 

Prices for cruises have not risen. Of the contrary they have not only fallen..the ships have improved incredibly as has the service itins and entertainment

 

I stand by my theory that ncl is artificially currently raising their 2019 prices as a way to raise cash now and they will in fact lower those prices before those cruises actually set sail

 

 

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God I pray someone resurrects it in January just to prove how wrong you were. But first, someone needs to post multiple prices for different dates and ships to this thread for reference sake. And beyond that, pricing WITHIN cancellation period is irrelevant because that’s when all the rules get thrown out in an effort to book the ship to 100% capacity on the last remaining rooms. If you’re going to compare, it must be to rates in January that are still outside the cancellation window.

 

 

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[ray98]

God I pray someone resurrects it in January just to prove how wrong you were. But first, someone needs to post multiple prices for different dates and ships to this thread for reference sake. And beyond that, pricing WITHIN cancellation period is irrelevant because that’s when all the rules get thrown out in an effort to book the ship to 100% capacity on the last remaining rooms. If you’re going to compare, it must be to rates in January that are still outside the cancellation window.

 

 

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10 Jan 3,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $849

11 Jan 13,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $679

10 Jan 24,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $599

11 Feb 3,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $669

10 Feb 14,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $599

11 Feb 24,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $649

10 Mar 7,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $649

11 Mar 17,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $729

[SeaShark]

10 Jan 3,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $849

11 Jan 13,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $679

10 Jan 24,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $599

11 Feb 3,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $669

10 Feb 14,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $599

11 Feb 24,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $649

10 Mar 7,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $649

11 Mar 17,2019 Barcelona, Spain Barcelona, Spain Norwegian / Norwegian Spirit $729

 

 

Because people will go to great lengths to avoid admitting that they are wrong, you might want to be more detailed in your pricing list.

 

What is the cabin type offered at that price? Is it a regular cabin or a sail away rate? What perks are a part of the offer? etc.

 

More details will make it an apples-to-apples comparison when the time comes.

[rtkenmore]

10Jan 3,2019Barcelona, SpainBarcelona, SpainNorwegian / Norwegian Spirit$849

11Jan 13,2019Barcelona, SpainBarcelona, SpainNorwegian / Norwegian Spirit$679

10Jan 24,2019Barcelona, SpainBarcelona, SpainNorwegian / Norwegian Spirit$599

11Feb 3,2019Barcelona, SpainBarcelona, SpainNorwegian / Norwegian Spirit$669

10Feb 14,2019Barcelona, SpainBarcelona, SpainNorwegian / Norwegian Spirit$599

11Feb 24,2019Barcelona, SpainBarcelona, SpainNorwegian / Norwegian Spirit$649

10Mar 7,2019Barcelona, SpainBarcelona, SpainNorwegian / Norwegian Spirit$649

11Mar 17,2019Barcelona, SpainBarcelona, SpainNorwegian / Norwegian Spirit$729

 

 

 

More likely need to do April to August samples... the OP was referring to summer cruises and she wants to look again in January so it needs to be dates that are still outside the cancellation period in January.

 

 

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