Current cruise fares and ships booked full?

[El_Rolfo]

Hey, been monitoring the prices for some time now as I have two certificates expiring in Dec. Seems all prices are heavily inflated vs. what they were a couple of years ago. Is this just because of demand? Are people still happily paying 200/day for a balcony on a "been there done that" cruise to the Eastern Caribbean? The Just Cruise prices are also just plain wrong imo. Over here in Europe NCL is now promoted as an all-inclusive cruise and then quoting the just cruise prices. Argh, makes me so mad.

 

For the first time I'm actually having a hard time finding a cruise where the price is "right". I don't see this equivalent rise in prices for other lines, though? Or at least not as significant rises. There are more and more ships competing for the same markets, but still NCL succeeds in keeping the prices high. Cruises the Caribbean in March -15 and the total price for a good mid-ship balcony with tips and drink packages was below 900, now the prices start from something like 1200-1300?

 

Just curious whether the ships sail full still or not?

[Bootman4U]

Have you looked at any discounters fares   NCL cruises are routinely discounted on those sites and I would never pay the brochure price unless I were absolutely forced to do so but to each their own.

Edited February 5, 2019 by Bootman4U

[shof515]

for most itinerary, i noticed Norwegian has increased the pricing to an insane amount of money. for what norwegian wants for some cruises, i noticed it is better to jump ship to a different cruise line. 

I guess somehow someway we have to pay for all of the promos and new ships and everything else. 

 

 

[El_Rolfo]

Ye, I tend to book via a couple of big "outlets", either via one with a UK office or with a big one on the US east coast. Still, the prices are high (even higher booked through a local agent).

[ksmcdonald]

I totally agree about their prices being much higher recently.  I was just pricing out an Alaskan cruise and decided to look at other lines for comparison.  Here's what I came up with.  I was trying to compare apples to apples and stay within the same week, same length of cruise, balcony etc.  NCL is the most expensive!

 

May 27th Celebrity - Solstice - 7 day - $3903 for balcony (includes $150 OBC, classic drink pgk and Internet)

May 24th Celebrity - Eclipse - 7 day - $3914 for balcony (includes $150 OBC, classic drink pgk and Internet)

May 26th Carnival - Spirit - 7 day - $3593 for balcony (no perks)

May 30th NCL - Joy - 7 day - $5157 (includes drink pkg, spec. dining and shore excurisons)

May 25th NCL - Jewel - 7 day - $4614 (includes drink pkg, spec. dining and shore excurisons)

 

These are all Alaskan cruises.  WTH NCL, $5,157 for two people!??  That is crazy!  All the above cruises are basically going to the same ports in Alaska, just different orders.

 

 

[misguy]

If you book the sail away rate, the prices are much lower.  I booked the Jewell for 3 of us in an inside cabin for about $2200 dollars with port takes included.  They are currently advertising rates for May cruise from $1,199 pp plus taxes.  That should wind up about $2,800 pp for a balcony cabin to Alaska.  No perks, but that is what you quoted on other lines.

[graphicguy]

Just noticed for some reason, the cruises on NCL’s older ships are significantly higher than they are on their more recent ships (except for Bliss).  Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

 

Anyway, I looked at a cruise invoice I took on the Epic several years ago when the Epic was brand new.  The fare for two in a balcony cabin was $2,100, all in.  I’m looking (not booked yet) at a 7 day cruise on the Escape, in a balcony cabin THIS MONTH, and it’s $2,350.  But, it includes the dining package, the drink package, internet and an excursion credit.  

 

If I don’t want the “perks”, it’s $450 less.  I’ve been known to run up $1,000+ liquor bills on a cruise, so I think they are pretty competitive with their newer ships.

 

For $4,500 to $5,000 you can cruise in the HAVEN.  

Edited February 5, 2019 by graphicguy

[luv2kroooz]

If you want value, the only way to sail NCL is last minute, interior sailaway rates. Prices are artificially inflated until the last week or so prior to sailing. Strange business model. Of course, this is the general rule. There are always exceptions.

 

7 day Jade, $399, 2-17-19

7 day, Getaway, $599, 2-17-19

7 day, Bliss, $599, 2-9-19

10 day, Breakaway, $696, 2-7-19

11 day, Spirit, $719, 2-24-19

19 day, Jewel, $1,099. 2-13-19

[RedwingHockeyFan]

17 minutes ago, blcruising said:

If you want value, the only way to sail NCL is last minute, interior sailaway rates. Prices are artificially inflated until the last week or so prior to sailing. Strange business model. Of course, this is the general rule. There are always exceptions.

 

7 day Jade, $399, 2-17-19

7 day, Getaway, $599, 2-17-19

7 day, Bliss, $599, 2-9-19

10 day, Breakaway, $696, 2-7-19

11 day, Spirit, $719, 2-24-19

19 day, Jewel, $1,099. 2-13-19

 

I'm guessing this goes along with the upgrade bids.  They fill the higher tiers first and move to the lower tiers.  By the end it is the interior sailaway that is left.  And this all happens just weeks before the cruise.

[jbethel11]

2 hours ago, Bootman4U said:

Have you looked at any discounters fares   NCL cruises are routinely discounted on those sites and I would never pay the brochure price unless I were absolutely forced to do so but to each their own.

What is a discounter fare? Please tell me!

[shof515]

22 minutes ago, jbethel11 said:

What is a discounter fare? Please tell me!

 

sounds like a travel agent rate..cruisecritic rules prevents naming names of travel agents

[newmexicoNita]

3 hours ago, El_Rolfo said:

Hey, been monitoring the prices for some time now as I have two certificates expiring in Dec. Seems all prices are heavily inflated vs. what they were a couple of years ago. Is this just because of demand? Are people still happily paying 200/day for a balcony on a "been there done that" cruise to the Eastern Caribbean? The Just Cruise prices are also just plain wrong imo. Over here in Europe NCL is now promoted as an all-inclusive cruise and then quoting the just cruise prices. Argh, makes me so mad.

 

For the first time I'm actually having a hard time finding a cruise where the price is "right". I don't see this equivalent rise in prices for other lines, though? Or at least not as significant rises. There are more and more ships competing for the same markets, but still NCL succeeds in keeping the prices high. Cruises the Caribbean in March -15 and the total price for a good mid-ship balcony with tips and drink packages was below 900, now the prices start from something like 1200-1300?

 

Just curious whether the ships sail full still or not?

for the most part ships are going out full or close to full. Of course prices have gone up, haven't most prices increased in the past few years. You can wait and see if they go down in the next few months,  but there isn't much else one can say.. Hope you find a price you can live with. I know it is getting harder and harder find cruises that meet some of our budgets. But this goes for hotel rooms and resorts as well. We are on the Dawn leaving out of San Juan tomorrow and the ship has been sold out for weeks now. 

[Lionkingrichard]

2 hours ago, ksmcdonald said:

I totally agree about their prices being much higher recently.  I was just pricing out an Alaskan cruise and decided to look at other lines for comparison.  Here's what I came up with.  I was trying to compare apples to apples and stay within the same week, same length of cruise, balcony etc.  NCL is the most expensive!

 

May 27th Celebrity - Solstice - 7 day - $3903 for balcony (includes $150 OBC, classic drink pgk and Internet)

May 24th Celebrity - Eclipse - 7 day - $3914 for balcony (includes $150 OBC, classic drink pgk and Internet)

May 26th Carnival - Spirit - 7 day - $3593 for balcony (no perks)

May 30th NCL - Joy - 7 day - $5157 (includes drink pkg, spec. dining and shore excurisons)

May 25th NCL - Jewel - 7 day - $4614 (includes drink pkg, spec. dining and shore excurisons)

 

These are all Alaskan cruises.  WTH NCL, $5,157 for two people!??  That is crazy!  All the above cruises are basically going to the same ports in Alaska, just different orders.

 

That includes FREE AIR? $650 per person from Detroit added onto that price!

 

[jbethel11]

25 minutes ago, Lionkingrichard said:

 

Honestly, I feel like the “Take All 6” offers is NCL’s way of making money. I’m waiting for the regular take 2-3 offers and that’s when I hope to find a better rate! How ironic!

[luv2kroooz]

There is significantly more last minute inventory on NCL compared to the competition. They are known to dump cabins on a regular basis in order to fill ships. This is a general rule, and there will always be exceptions. If you can sail last minute, you'll find rates comparable or cheaper than 10 years ago. Good luck!!

[luv2kroooz]

2 hours ago, RedwingHockeyFan said:

 

I'm guessing this goes along with the upgrade bids.  They fill the higher tiers first and move to the lower tiers.  By the end it is the interior sailaway that is left.  And this all happens just weeks before the cruise.

Totally agree. But upgrade advantage only comes into play because they can't sell out the ship at their full rates. They'd much rather get full rates for their cabins. Since they can't get full rates for the cabin, they take a lesser amount through the upgrade program and then dump whatever is left at really low rates. It is an interesting model, resulting in some people paying really high rates and others sailing for next to nothing.

[misguy]

If you book the sail away rate, the prices are much lower.  I booked the Jewell for 3 of us in an inside cabin for about $2200 dollars with port takes included.  They are currently advertising rates for May cruise from $1,199 pp plus taxes.  That should wind up about $2,800 for two passengers for a balcony cabin to Alaska.  No perks, but that is what you quoted on other lines.

Edited February 5, 2019 by misguy
bad data

[misguy]

We booked sail away inside on the Breakaway and could bid on a balcony, spa balcony, and ocean view cabins.

[tallnthensome]

2 hours ago, blcruising said:

It is an interesting model, resulting in some people paying really high rates and others sailing for next to nothing.

Like some paying full Haven rates and the reading about others who upgraded through bidding only to get the same cabin for thousands less. Goes to show you what they are really willing to sell the Haven to you for and how overpriced they are to start. 

[4774Papa]

The pricing for most cruise lines have really jumped these past couple of years.  One reason is inflation, but the main reason, in my opinion is the price bundling of promos with the baseline price.

 

We don't like the NCL beverage package and on Celebrity and Royal we have a great free happy hour benefit that significantly reduces our demand for buying alcohol.

 

Fortunately, we have done 19 cruises all over the World and generally don't repeat cruises, except for TransAtlantics.  We like them since we plan a land tour in Europe and use the TA to same airfare in one direction.  Celebrity and Royal don't bundle their TA cruises, so we can still get good deals.

[thetaro]

The NCL price jumped so much and I will probably sell my NextCruise on eBay. I booked two more cruises on MSC for half of what NCL wants and I got my status matched to Gold.

[IrieBajan54]

9 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Just noticed for some reason, the cruises on NCL’s older ships are significantly higher than they are on their more recent ships (except for Bliss).  Doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.

 

 

I find this to be true more often than not. I mainly cruise on the Jewel Class ships. Comparing them to the BA, GA and Escape going out of the same port, the former is generally more expensive. I am thinking that it has something to do with the capacity of the ships. Most times, I have seen Gem Insides/balconies on 10/11 day cruises out of NYC more expensive than  12/14 days on  BA and Escape sailing within a day of each other to the Southern Caribbean.

 

ETA: Another reason might be preference. Certain cruisers like me don't like newer ships so that could increase demand for the smaller and older ship.

Edited February 6, 2019 by IrieBajan54

[luv2kroooz]

3 hours ago, thetaro said:

The NCL price jumped so much and I will probably sell my NextCruise on eBay. I booked two more cruises on MSC for half of what NCL wants and I got my status matched to Gold.

I was able to use my last cruisenext on a casinos at sea free-to-us cruise. I am very curious about MSC. I see heard good and bad but want to experience it for myself. I am looking to other cruise lines for value, too.

[El_Rolfo]

It seems the prices are not competitive when compared to other cruise lines however they still sail close to full by dumping the prices just before teh cruise then? Too bad, as from the other side of the pond it's close to impossible to snatch deals like that last minute.

 

Really feel bad about having to dump my certificates on something like Ebay, but whaddaya gonna do.

[ksmcdonald]

21 hours ago, Lionkingrichard said:

 

 

I just check that same Joy cruise for May 30, 2020.  It has raised in price $600 from when I posted this.  And if I select the "FREE AIR", the price jumps to $6,535!    Not Today, NCL, Not Today....