Suite/Have Pricing

[TOMTOMRN331]

Anyone else having sticker shock on the Haven and Suite pricing. I mean over $10 k (for 2)for Haven on the Breakaway class/+ ships just seems astronomical to me. 

 

We have stayed in suites and Haven our last three sailings. We really enjoy the amenities. 

 

Sorry for my rant, I have not searched for pricing in awhile and was shocked. 

[NYcruzzer]

4 minutes ago, TOMTOMRN331 said:

Anyone else having sticker shock on the Haven and Suite pricing. I mean over $10 k (for 2)for Haven on the Breakaway class/+ ships just seems astronomical to me. 

 

We have stayed in suites and Haven our last three sailings. We really enjoy the amenities. 

 

Sorry for my rant, I have not searched for pricing in awhile and was shocked. 

I suspect that the overwhelming majority of Haven/Suites are sold through the bid process and are being sold for less than half of the "retail value" of 5k pp

Edited November 29, 2018 by NYcruzzer

[TOMTOMRN331]

Meaning book your standard stateroom and wait for the upgrade/bid email to come before the cruise? 

[fabby50]

I was surprised on the minimum bid to upgrade to a garden villa on our cruise - a minimum of $1,250 per passenger, going up to $5,000 apiece for the range.  It's a week long cruise and we're currently in an owner's suite that was almost $8K to begin with.  I'm really curious if it's going to sail empty.

[zqvol]

27 minutes ago, TOMTOMRN331 said:

Anyone else having sticker shock on the Haven and Suite pricing. I mean over $10 k (for 2)for Haven on the Breakaway class/+ ships just seems astronomical to me. 

 

We have stayed in suites and Haven our last three sailings. We really enjoy the amenities. 

 

Sorry for my rant, I have not searched for pricing in awhile and was shocked. 

 

I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would pay Haven or suite prices on any NCL cruise when you can get a much nicer experience for less money on one of the luxury lines.

[TrumpyNor]

It is not only the prices for Suites and Haven cabins that have increased very much in the last couple of years, on average at least 30% increase in prices for regular cabins as well. We used to book balcony and mini-suites in the past, and even on a few occasions a Haven Suite - but for cruises for 2018 (already cruised but were booked in 2017), 2019 and 2020 we have only booked regular inside cabins and still paying more than we did for balcony cabins for cruises in 2017 and earlier. 

[david_sobe]

This is not new.  Suite prices doubled and in some cases more than doubled almost 2 years ago.  I used to say and think it was going to backfire and the old prices would come back.  WRONG.  The Haven sails full every sailing.  Most suites are sold at the sticker price.  The few remaining are sold through the bid process which yields still a higher than normal price.  This has been a gold mine for NCL and it wont change anytime soon 😞

What irks me is at the same time the prices doubled, perks were eliminated or cut back which makes it hurt even more 

BTW, my last NCL Suite cruise in Feb 2015 on a brand new ship (Getaway), I paid 5k for a penthouse suite.  Hard to believe these days.

Edited November 29, 2018 by david_sobe

[zqvol]

22 minutes ago, TrumpyNor said:

It is not only the prices for Suites and Haven cabins that have increased very much in the last couple of years, on average at least 30% increase in prices for regular cabins as well. We used to book balcony and mini-suites in the past, and even on a few occasions a Haven Suite - but for cruises for 2018 (already cruised but were booked in 2017), 2019 and 2020 we have only booked regular inside cabins and still paying more than we did for balcony cabins for cruises in 2017 and earlier. 

 

Most of these increases are a direct result of the "perks" None of them are free.

[NYcruzzer]

13 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

This is not new.  Suite prices doubled and in some cases more than doubled almost 2 years ago.  I used to say and think it was going to backfire and the old prices would come back.  WRONG.  The Haven sails full every sailing.  Most suites are sold at the sticker price.  The few remaining are sold through the bid process which yields still a higher than normal price.  This has been a gold mine for NCL and it wont change anytime soon 😞

What irks me is at the same time the prices doubled, perks were eliminated or cut back which makes it hurt even more 

BTW, my last NCL Suite cruise in Feb 2015 on a brand new ship (Getaway), I paid 5k for a penthouse suite.  Hard to believe these days.

I agree with much of what you say. However I'm not sure most Havens are sold at sticker price.. For example on my last few cruises the Havens were almost all available until about 2 weeks prior to sailing. Then miraculously they all sold out as bids were awarded. Last three NCL cruises I was able to go from Balcony to 2 bed Courtyard for well less than 1/2 retail. These were holiday sailings which go for a premium.. 

[thatjoeguy]

1 hour ago, zqvol said:

 

I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would pay Haven or suite prices on any NCL cruise when you can get a much nicer experience for less money on one of the luxury lines.

 

 We sale on NCL because we like the range of food and entertainment options, which is not something you get on the smaller luxury lines. 

[TOMTOMRN331]

 

1 hour ago, david_sobe said:

This is not new.  Suite prices doubled and in some cases more than doubled almost 2 years ago.  I used to say and think it was going to backfire and the old prices would come back.  WRONG.  The Haven sails full every sailing.  Most suites are sold at the sticker price.  The few remaining are sold through the bid process which yields still a higher than normal price.  This has been a gold mine for NCL and it wont change anytime soon 😞

What irks me is at the same time the prices doubled, perks were eliminated or cut back which makes it hurt even more 

BTW, my last NCL Suite cruise in Feb 2015 on a brand new ship (Getaway), I paid 5k for a penthouse suite.  Hard to believe these days.

We have sailed the smaller Jewel class and Spirit and were able to get suite prices for 3-4 K and I thought that was a steal. 

[TOMTOMRN331]

Thanks for all the feedback and back stories - I am glad I am not the only one feeling the sticker pain. 

[YVRBassElectric]

We are sailing on the Breakaway,  Feb 7 for 10 days, except for the Spa, Haven suites are sold out. Our Oct Transatlantic on the Getaway has been completely sold out for weeks - over a year in advance!!

 

I think NCL is attracting new passengers, who aren't interested in set dining & formal nights, are used to paying for land based vacations and aren't shocked at the prices

[Two Wheels Only]

2 hours ago, zqvol said:

 

I cannot for the life of me understand why anyone would pay Haven or suite prices on any NCL cruise when you can get a much nicer experience for less money on one of the luxury lines.

 

Luxury lines don't have water-slides, zip-lines, go-carts, etc. 

If you want luxury and fun, NCL Haven and MSC Yacht Club fit the bill. 

[sverigecruiser]

4 hours ago, NYcruzzer said:

I suspect that the overwhelming majority of Haven/Suites are sold through the bid process and are being sold for less than half of the "retail value" of 5k pp

 

I also think that's the reason. The bid process isn't available in Sweden and since we are only interested in a suite it shouldn't be an alternative for us anyway.

 

Because if that NCL isn't interesting for us right now.

[FLAHAM]

Well, I see a minimum suite for two on the Epic in February is $5,500.  I paid $3,600 for a minimum Epic suite for two in 2010 without "Free at Sea."  While this represents a price increase, I don't think it represents an outrageous increase.  

[momofmab]

I agree with you about the suite prices (at least during peak weeks which is when we have to travel, kids in school and all - I'm sure one can get a deal during the hurricane weeks) - not only on NCL but on RCI as well.  We used to cruise exclusively in suites and then took 2 years off from cruising - when we came back and priced out suites, it was a bit of a sticker shock (and this was on the mid-size ships, not even the newest and biggest ships).  I miss some of the perks and the nicer room, but can save a considerable amount opting for 2 balconies instead of one suite.  I just can't justify spending over $10k (pre-airfare) for 3 people for a one week trip to the Caribbean.  

[sverigecruiser]

 

One week on the Epic in the Mediterranean in July 2017 should cost us more than $9000 and we thought that was too much. We booked the brand new MSC Meraviglia instead for around $6000 instead and had a great cruise.

 

Our next cruise will be 11 nights on MSC Divina in February for around $6500.

 

[sverigecruiser]

1 hour ago, FLAHAM said:

Well, I see a minimum suite for two on the Epic in February is $5,500.  I paid $3,600 for a minimum Epic suite for two in 2010 without "Free at Sea."  While this represents a price increase, I don't think it represents an outrageous increase.  

 

The cheapest I can see is around $6800. (A spasuite February 23)

 

The difference between 5500 and 6800 may be because it's normally cheaper to book in the US.

[erdoran]

We have. 14 day transatlantic on Jade in a 2 BR family Haven suite for $8k for two, which I think is a really excellent price for Haven.  I agree many of the weeks are very high, we scouted and looked for lower priced Haven cruises.  Hubby will NOT cruise anywhere but Haven.  We had found a $5200 spa suite (for two) deal out of New Orleans in February 2019 by looking for the absolute cheapest option.  This was Breakaway, but ended up switching to Alaska on Bliss early September, $4k/person for a week...so lots of under $10k options if you are flexible about scheduling and itinerary.  OTOH I would love an Iceland/Baltic cruise and that’s much higher for Haven, out of my league.

[littlelulu01]

25 minutes ago, erdoran said:

We have. 14 day transatlantic on Jade in a 2 BR family Haven suite for $8k for two, which I think is a really excellent price for Haven.  I agree many of the weeks are very high, we scouted and looked for lower priced Haven cruises.  Hubby will NOT cruise anywhere but Haven.  We had found a $5200 spa suite (for two) deal out of New Orleans in February 2019 by looking for the absolute cheapest option.  This was Breakaway, but ended up switching to Alaska on Bliss early September, $4k/person for a week...so lots of under $10k options if you are flexible about scheduling and itinerary.  OTOH I would love an Iceland/Baltic cruise and that’s much higher for Haven, out of my league.

Your Jade ta was offered at great prices. When they released the Pearl fall ta it was considerably higher. There definitely seems to be a price point where the staterooms just sit/don’t sell.  They eventually drop prices and then the suites get gobbled up. Our Jade 14 night med October sailing had great prices too.  Havens and full suites sold out January 2018 for October, 2019. For those not willing to pay crazy prices, there are deals that pop up here and there. They’re just few and far between. 

[zqvol]

9 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Luxury lines don't have water-slides, zip-lines, go-carts, etc. 

If you want luxury and fun, NCL Haven and MSC Yacht Club fit the bill. 

 

Even in the Haven NCL does not have luxury.

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, zqvol said:

 

Even in the Haven NCL does not have luxury.

 

Even at the mahjong table, luxury lines don't have fun.

[dexddd]

They are crazy high.  Besides, how are bidders supposed to think they got a great deal unless the MSRP of suites is so high?

 

Next 3 cruises are non-Ncl.

[zqvol]

13 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Even at the mahjong table, luxury lines don't have fun.

 

You have clearly never sailed on one. I would much rather ride the free jest skis off the water sports platform than go on the ropes course, go karts or slides.