Haven pricing - How high will they go?

[Two Wheels Only]

16 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah...I’d never pay $8K-$12K in the Haven for 2.  

 

I think I tend to cruise during low season or between holidays or low demand times.

 

My situation is a bit different. We are 4 and often sail when the kids are out of school (higher prices). I'm also using final prices after all taxes, service charges, etc. are factored into the equation. 

[erdoran]

I tried to read the article and after a pop-up video kept showing up every 15 seconds I gave up!

 

We are paying $4k/each for a 2 BR haven PH on the Jade for a 14-day TA this April, with some nice Eastern Med ports, but looking ahead I don’t see anything comparable price-wise.  Oh, and we have $300 OBC from NCL as well - which helps offset the “gratuities” on the UBP.  But if I want to book something for 2020 or 2021 I don’t seem to be able to come close for something physically in the Haven.

 

With all the talk about UBP & the new price increases and how MSC’s yacht club is “better” I’ve started researching them.  Never thought i would as DH and I are very satisfied with the Haven product and really didn’t feel the need to look elsewhere but Haven is beginning to be too pricey for our blood.

 

As for the bidding system I feel stupid for paying full price for the Haven, but realistically DH would be too cranky in any other level, so we pay it to be sure we are ine Haven.  I’m sure if we ran into someone in the Haven who was thrilled to be there for 50% less than we paid I wouldn’t be happy, but I remind myself I am paying for that guarantee, and that’s how it is.  But yes, to some extent the bidding does indeed cheapen the brand - not that we’d complain if we won a bid to upgrade ourselves in the Haven!  

[tallnthensome]

16 minutes ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

I looked at the article and really have to disagree with what lots of people said.

 

"Bombarded with sales promotions" is not something we experienced on our Meraviglia cruise.

 

Confusing drink packages? Don't understand that at all. The old drink packages they had were absolutely not confusing, I think.

 

We were asked about 50 times to buy specialty dining on the Seaside. Also asked to buy drink packages but we alreay had the premium package. Up until recently the drink package offerings were pretty simple. From what I read now and after our cruise they've had a variety of offerings, too many,  and a downgrade as to what is in those packages now.

[Chelsea1]

Coming from the UK and knowing "Which" - the consumer association who carried out the survey - I would guess that the target population is rather limited - probably UK only, aged 50+.

 

While I just fall into that bracket, I would generally far rather cruise with the 5 "Worst" cruise lines (with the exception of Cruise and Maritime), than the 5 "Best" (with the possible exception of Viking).

[sverigecruiser]

8 minutes ago, tallnthensome said:

We were asked about 50 times to buy specialty dining on the Seaside. Also asked to buy drink packages but we alreay had the premium package. Up until recently the drink package offerings were pretty simple. From what I read now and after our cruise they've had a variety of offerings, too many,  and a downgrade as to what is in those packages now.

 

On Meraviglia they didn't asked a lot about specialty dining or drink packages.

 

We have only been on one MSC so far so maybe we were just lucky!

 

The old drink packages were not confusing, I think, but I can agree about the new one, mostly because we will be in the Yacht Club and I haven't been able to find out what's included. (Conflicting information from MSC and members here.)

 

 

[zqvol]

5 hours ago, MKsol said:

In looking back over the past several years Suite pricing on NCL has been skyrocketing with the rebrand of Haven rooms and it seems as of late it is reaching epic levels (pun intended).

 

Just 2 years ago the same suites would run in the mid 300 dollars per person per day.  In pricing several bookings in the past few weeks the pricing is now mid 500 to mid 600's per day per person.  The simple truth is there is no way the branding changes have added that much value and NCL is simply seeing how high they can go before no one is willing to book.  

 

Curious about others thoughts about the magical rising fares that are the Heaven.

 

I continue to maintain that if you are paying that much money you need to be on one of the luxury lines.

[littlelulu01]

I priced out msc suites for our Europe cruise this year.  Msc was actually higher $ and less desirable ports/port times.  We booked October 2019 over a year ago. The price for our Jade sailing on all rooms and haven was reasonable at the time and the itinerary is excellent. 14 night with only one sea day.

 

Everyone has a threshold on what they’re willing to pay for Haven.  Ncl jacked their haven prices WAY up a couple years ago and suites sat unsold.  I remember being floored with haven prices in 2015.  Our 2015 two week med had the gv at twice the price of our 2019 med. 2015 it went to a bingo winner. 2019 both were snapped up shortly after they started sales because they were priced right.  I suspect a certain % of the unreasonably priced haven suites are comped to casino high rollers early on to give the appearance rooms are selling at list prices.

 

They will offer new perk pkgs, reduce prices... when they Need to.  I think it’s more a high/low price game they play.  Ask over 1k/night and then when we see something at $700/night we will think we got a deal and snap it up.  In comparison to deluxe hotel rates right now, $700/night for a hotel suite isn’t out of line. When you get to 1k + /night, just about any other luxury vacation is going to be much more luxurious and cost less and you know ncl is well aware of that.

 

All the extra levels of added spending to get that haven suite to a luxury level are separated now because they would rather we pay extra for the better meals, drinks... especially when it’s a bid winner or comp likely getting many of their haven rooms.

 

i paid more for our October 2019 jade haven suite than I’d like to but it was just a little more than I was comfortable with given the perks associated.  Nice chunk of obc, distinctive voyage pkg and free at sea.  We didn’t take the ubp because even at only $500 in grats it wasn’t worth to us. I’ve got most of our shore excursions booked with ncl pretty much for free.  Hopefully we will enjoy the ship excursions- a first for us to use ship excursions pretty exclusively but I justified the haven cost by using the free  shore excursions so we’re gonna be off on bus loads this time around as a trade off. 

Edited January 27, 2019 by littlelulu01

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, jmele999 said:

NCL has ruined a great product.  They are only able to market the Haven at those prices because of the biding process.

So,,,, jmele, you do realize that NCL has always sailed with their suites full. And, you do realize that the "bidding process", in concept, is not new. There use to be a call center to get upgrades at discounted prices. You would start calling a couple of weeks out to see what was available for upgrade and the price. And the call center would adjust prices until the suites were sold out. 

 

But as NCL launched a new megaship every year, the manual call center could not keep up, so they went to an automated system to collect upgrade requests. The product has not changed. Each new ship adjusts for issues in their predecessors.

[Oceansaway17]

Hey I got a good price on new Carnival Panorama from LA in 2019 in their Cabana rooms that have the pool in the back and is secluded to just Cabana folks. They have cushiony seats and hot tubs nearby as well as some areas with hammocks too.

I have a nice aft Balcony that is surprisingly affordable.

Now I know this is NCL boards and the idea of the Havana is private, but the deck areas for Havana is in the front and can get breezy and sort of too enclosed feeling at the pool.  With Carnival's Cabana setup, Pool is in the back of the ship right at the edge of the bow and it is quite nice.

So just saying check it out.  The idea is the same in a way but different locations and cheaper on Carnival.  Newer ships are really good quality and they have Waterfront areas as well.  

 

Never hurts to check out other lines.  I usually do NCL, RCI, Disney, Carnival and Princess.  

[graphicguy]

4 hours ago, Paul from Maryland said:

 

We had about $500 OBC last March when we stayed in the Haven.  There are too many restrictions on how you can use the OBC.  We ended up buying about $250 of stuff we really didn't want (mostly alcohol, some jewelry) to use up the OBC. 

 

We had hoped to cash it out in the casino, but they no longer allow that.

Yeah....a little restrictive with OBC.  I had about $400 left on my last Haven Suite.  I was able to cash it out the night before disembarkation for cash, though.  But, they wouldn’t let me cash it out until the last night of the cruise.

Edited January 28, 2019 by graphicguy

[graphicguy]

3 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

On Meraviglia they didn't asked a lot about specialty dining or drink packages.

 

We have only been on one MSC so far so maybe we were just lucky!

 

The old drink packages were not confusing, I think, but I can agree about the new one, mostly because we will be in the Yacht Club and I haven't been able to find out what's included. (Conflicting information from MSC and members here.)

I liked that about MSC.  They didn’t try to up sell for anything.  That was nice!

3 hours ago, sverigecruiser said:

 

 

 

[bonvoyagie]

I don't know which is worse the upgrade fairy or the new bidding process. Anyway I book what I want and stay put. I was able to snag a corner suite on deck 10 of the Gem at a price that is now going up. While I don't really like spending twice as much for the penthouse over a balcony, on a longer cruise like the one we are going on next year we feel the extra space and most of the perks we get between booking under the free at sea and distinctive voyages plus our platinum status it will add to the enjoyment of this bucket list cruise.

[FPJC03]

Don't you all see that this is the "American way" using the bidding system? How many of you go to a yard sale and pay what the label says? You bargain and negotiate until you agree on a price you are satisfied with. Same here. We booked a midship minisuite that is a fine cabin and then bid on a Haven spa and courtyard suite in the lower FAIR price range. Having checked the availability of Havens, there are still more than 90 percent empty. So we expect to get upgraded for this March cruise.

As one other poster said, perhaps you are on a date that is fully booked. Same as an airline that is at capacity or hotel fully booked. If you want to be on it, you pay a higher price than if the plane or hotel were almost empty.

I was born and raised in New York, where you bargain for everything and only suckers pay retail. Might be a bit harsh but that is the reality of the capitalist system....

[Tapi]

11 hours ago, Oceansaway17 said:

Hey I got a good price on new Carnival Panorama from LA in 2019 in their Cabana rooms that have the pool in the back and is secluded to just Cabana folks. They have cushiony seats and hot tubs nearby as well as some areas with hammocks too.

I have a nice aft Balcony that is surprisingly affordable.

Now I know this is NCL boards and the idea of the Havana is private, but the deck areas for Havana is in the front and can get breezy and sort of too enclosed feeling at the pool.  With Carnival's Cabana setup, Pool is in the back of the ship right at the edge of the bow and it is quite nice.

So just saying check it out.  The idea is the same in a way but different locations and cheaper on Carnival.  

Little known tidbit of info: If you book a regular suite on the Carnival Vista/Horizon/Panorama you get access to the Havana pool deck and amenities as well. I priced out a Havana suite vs an Ocean suite and the difference is about $1,200 for our family of 4. 

[Tapi]

18 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I’ve sailed MSC a couple of times during their status match promo, both times in the YC.  MSC puts out a product that’s every bit as good as RCCL, NCL, Celebrity, etc.

It is because of the status match promo and pricing why we gave MSC a try. Our last cruise aboard the Meraviglia in the Mediterranean was absolutely fantastic! 

 

We had a choice between an Aurea Duplex Suite (bigger 2 deck suite but without YC perks) or a smaller YC suite. They were priced the same. We went with the Aurea Duplex because we were traveling with 2 small children. Although we didn’t have YC perks, the list of Aurea perks was still pretty generous. Priority embarkation, access to the Aurea Spa Thermal area, complimentary massages, unlimited drink package, access to a private solarium deck, reserved section at the MDR with open seating, and our own jacuzzi tub in our balcony. 

 

But the one thing that was beyond compare was the price. Our 7 night cruise for 4, including taxes was $4K total. Once again, we could’ve had a YC suite for about the same. For comparison purposes, a similar itinerary on Royal Caribbean in equivalent accommodations (a Crown Loft Suite) would’ve cost $16K!  NO way we would’ve done that! 

 

So thanks to MSC, we can now enjoy “the suite life” at a fraction of the cost of other cruise lines. When I first sailed on MSC, I thought that it would be a one time deal. Now they’ve become one of my favorite cruise lines and I find myself checking their itineraries and prices. 

 

Here’s what we got for $1K per person for a week in the Mediterranean:

 

 

 

[graphicguy]

@Tapi.....that’s outstanding.  We sailed the Meriviglia a little over a year ago, from Barcelona.  We were in the YC but we had two rooms instead of a family Suite.  Pricing was about $4K per suite.

 

Had a wonderful time.  Glad you loved yours, too.

 

That was probably my favorite cruise.  Lots of that was because of the circumstances....sailing with family, in Europe, in the YC.

 

That said, my last cruise was on the Getaway in the Haven.  Just a wonderful experience that’s hard to beat.  I think that cruise was $4,200 per suite.  So, pretty close in price to MSC.

 

Both offer great experiences.

 

At some point, I do want to try the Aurea experience on MSC.  Those Suites with the huge balconies looks mighty tempting.

 

 

 

 

[Tapi]

37 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

That was probably my favorite cruise.  Lots of that was because of the circumstances....sailing with family, in Europe, in the YC.

 

At some point, I do want to try the Aurea experience on MSC.  Those Suites with the huge balconies looks mighty tempting.

I feel the same way about our cruise on the Meraviglia. It was our first cruise as a family in Europe and it was an absolutely memorable experience, greatly enhanced by our decision to select this suite. 

 

About the Aurea Experience: we enjoyed it tremendously, and what it included was great for my family’s needs. But for someone who may be accustomed to the higher level of service and attention to detail found on the Yacht Club or Haven, Aurea may fall a bit short. For example, there are no upgraded toiletries, just a wall mounted shampoo and body wash dispenser. There’s no butler, concierge or dedicated cabin steward. While our steward was very friendly, he seemed unfamiliar with things that were specific to our suite. For example, he kept forgetting to replenish Nespresso pods or coffee mugs even after we asked for them. He also took our used bathrobes on day 2 and never gave us new ones. But while these may have been things that would’ve caused an uproar among more discerning suite cruisers, we just brushed them off. The size and layout of this duplex suite more than made up for the “downgrade” in service. 

 

Overall it was a great experience. I tell my wife that if we sail with the kids, we should once again go for the larger suite. But if we leave the kids at home, then I would most likely choose the YC and its better perks and exclusivity. 

[dexddd]

22 hours ago, Battle Bots said:

The prices will be fluid until price equilibrium is reached, it is the basis of the free enterprise system.  The buyer sets the price.

Welcome to CC.

[dexddd]

21 hours ago, jmele999 said:

NCL has ruined a great product.  They are only able to market the Haven at those prices because of the biding process.

Their recent tv ads also show 2 people only total in the Haven enjoying a bright sunny day.

 

Why not be real and show it jam packed with people and a net over the pool because some kid dropped a turd in the pool leaving it unusable the last 24 hours like our trip.

[graphicguy]

If interested, you can sail the NCL Dawn in an Aft Suite (the ship doesn't have a Haven) and you get ALL the perks and a Butler, and concierge.  Beautiful suite with a huge balcony.  Last I checked, it was $4,500 for that suite.

 

I've stayed in an Aft-Suite on the GEM, which is a similarly sized ship.  It was wonderful.

[yummysbakery]

23 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah....a little restrictive with OBC.  I had about $400 left on my last Haven Suite.  I was able to cash it out the night before disembarkation for cash, though.  But, they wouldn’t let me cash it out until the last night of the cruise.

I did somewhat of an experiment with my non refundable 500 obc on the dawn a few weeks ago. I charged my account for money in the casino for slots. I figured the worse case scenario is they would charge my credit card for that and I would shop on board the last night to spend the obc. When I went to guest services to see how they were going to handle it on the last night of the cruise they refunded me the balance in my account. Effectively letting me use the non refundable obc in the casino and giving me the balance in cash. Never charged my credit card a penny!

[Sailing12Away]

We're booked on the Jade sailing next month. Didn't intend on booking a short 5 night cruise to Mexico & Belize, but we got sucked in by the extremely low pricing. With the free at sea offers and free airfare, we're paying ~$500 pp/day for the deluxe owners suite.  Between the onboard credits, free dining, free (-ish, now with the UBP changes) drinks, free airfare, port credits.... to us it was an incredible deal to try out the DOS. If we end up getting our bid accepted for the 3 br villa, that will be the deal of the century.

[graphicguy]

15 hours ago, yummysbakery said:

I did somewhat of an experiment with my non refundable 500 obc on the dawn a few weeks ago. I charged my account for money in the casino for slots. I figured the worse case scenario is they would charge my credit card for that and I would shop on board the last night to spend the obc. When I went to guest services to see how they were going to handle it on the last night of the cruise they refunded me the balance in my account. Effectively letting me use the non refundable obc in the casino and giving me the balance in cash. Never charged my credit card a penny!

I was quite surprised because they refunded me the “non-refundable” portion of my OBC the last night of my last NCL cruise, too (Getaway).

 

Given the large OBC with the Haven, that meant sailing in the Haven Suite was reduced to under $4K, even after all the fees and tips.  Plus, I got all the perks in the Haven, too.

Edited January 29, 2019 by graphicguy

[TrinaLC]

On 1/27/2019 at 12:28 PM, casofilia said:

They will continue to raise their prices till people stop buying.  If you don't like the price don't buy.

 

I haven't updated my signature recently, but we stopped sailing NCL as soon as they moved to the bidding program.  We have sailed 2-3 times/year since then, almost all YC but we also enjoy carnival for the great value.  We typically don't get a suite on Carnival though since there are basically  no perks to justify the price (beyond "real estate").

 

We enjoyed staying in Haven suites, but will not pay the ridiculously inflated rack rate, nor pick a lower tier room and bid hopping for an upgrade at a reasonable price.  Ridiculous.

 

And if they hadn't lost us previously, this new crazy pricing scheme involving $19 drinks - pricier than the fanciest hotels in Manhattan/London/Wherever - would have lost us.

 

As another pointed out, price the drinks at a normal rate, raise the price of the drink package to compensate.  That would leave those who want one or two drinks a day the ability to buy them a la carte at normal prices.  

 

But NCL ship are still sailing full, lots of people just don't comparison shop I guess.  However, at some point they will start losing ... 

[newmexicoNita]

On 1/27/2019 at 10:17 AM, MKsol said:

In looking back over the past several years Suite pricing on NCL has been skyrocketing with the rebrand of Haven rooms and it seems as of late it is reaching epic levels (pun intended).

 

Just 2 years ago the same suites would run in the mid 300 dollars per person per day.  In pricing several bookings in the past few weeks the pricing is now mid 500 to mid 600's per day per person.  The simple truth is there is no way the branding changes have added that much value and NCL is simply seeing how high they can go before no one is willing to book.  

 

Curious about others thoughts about the magical rising fares that are the Heaven.

all I can say is: if you don't want to pay the price book regular cabins like 90% of those sailing do.