NCL $1,000 more expensive than Celebrity?

[DaCruiseBug]

Looking at Bermuda cruises at the end of August. I saw that the Escape and the Summit both sail out of NY, both on the same day, and both with the same exact itinerary. What isn't the same is the price...

 

Oceanview stateroom -

 

NCL = $3,613 with beverage package, dining package, and $50 shore excursion.

Celebrity = $2,632 with beverage package, prepaid gratuities, and $300 OBC.

 

Balcony stateroom -

 

NCL = $3,713 with beverage package, dining package, wifi package, and $50 shore excursion.

Celebrity = $2,832 with beverage package, prepaid gratuities, and $300 OBC.

 

Suite stateroom -

 

NCL Owners Suite 572 sq ft = $12,653 with beverage package, dining package, wifi package, and $50 shore excursion.

Celebrity Royal Suite 540 sq ft =  $9,632 with beverage package, prepaid gratuities, $300 OBC, and unlimited wifi.

 

 

Why such a big discrepancy in pricing? I've been on both Celebrity and NCL and for the most part Celebrity provides a higher standard of service compared to NCL. Do people really pay these prices?

[mjkacmom]

The escape is much newer with a lot more bells and whistles.

[Beer Belly]

I was thinking the same thing when comparing NCL to Royal Caribbean, and found that the Drink Package with Royal was somewhere in the $70 per person, per day....that brought the difference a little closer.

[NYcruzzer]

If you are traveling with kids then I would say go with the Escape. I have been on both ships. I would choose Celebrity and save the 1K  As a side note I believe their drink package still includes specialty coffees and bottled water. Summer time cruise from NY/NJ the crowds and vibe will be similar which every ship you choose.

[MikeBTN]

Just wait - about 45-60 days prior to sailing, prices on Escape will drop significantly to move inventory.  Late August kids are back in school.  Summit will have fewer kids in general, but I suspect NCL's pricing will fall pretty close in line to Celebrity closer to sailing.

[DaCruiseBug]

27 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

The escape is much newer with a lot more bells and whistles.

 

Yes, but the Summit is in an extensive dry dock right now. It will look like a new ship when she comes out in 6 weeks.

[DaCruiseBug]

9 minutes ago, NYcruzzer said:

If you are traveling with kids then I would say go with the Escape. I have been on both ships. I would choose Celebrity and save the 1K  As a side note I believe their drink package still includes specialty coffees and bottled water. Summer time cruise from NY/NJ the crowds and vibe will be similar which every ship you choose.

 

Celebrity also offers free parking at the port if you book balcony and above. That’s another $150-170.

[shof515]

I also noticed something similar with the Canada/New England cruises in September 2020. For the same price Norwegian wants to sail on the Breakaway, i can use the same money jumping ship to Princess to sail on the Sky Princess that goes to more ports

Edited February 19, 2019 by shof515

[PTC DAWG]

Just checked, FWIW, I can get $3800 on the balcony just as you stated, including airfare from ATL...every situation is different. 

 

That said, two really different ships...not trying to be a cheerleader, I have two cruises booked this year...neither on NCL.  

Edited February 19, 2019 by PTC DAWG

[Visigoth]

Since prices in a market economy are based primarily on a supply/demand curve.  assuming that there are cabins available on both lines, differences in price would probably be due to greater demand.

[newmexicoNita]

1 hour ago, DaCruiseBug said:

Looking at Bermuda cruises at the end of August. I saw that the Escape and the Summit both sail out of NY, both on the same day, and both with the same exact itinerary. What isn't the same is the price...

 

Oceanview stateroom -

 

NCL = $3,613 with beverage package, dining package, and $50 shore excursion.

Celebrity = $2,632 with beverage package, prepaid gratuities, and $300 OBC.

 

Balcony stateroom -

 

NCL = $3,713 with beverage package, dining package, wifi package, and $50 shore excursion.

Celebrity = $2,832 with beverage package, prepaid gratuities, and $300 OBC.

 

Suite stateroom -

 

NCL Owners Suite 572 sq ft = $12,653 with beverage package, dining package, wifi package, and $50 shore excursion.

Celebrity Royal Suite 540 sq ft =  $9,632 with beverage package, prepaid gratuities, $300 OBC, and unlimited wifi.

 

 

Why such a big discrepancy in pricing? I've been on both Celebrity and NCL and for the most part Celebrity provides a higher standard of service compared to NCL. Do people really pay these prices?

There are so many things to compare when quoting prices: the age of the ship, the activities, the size and the class. No two ships are exactly alike. If price is your main concern certainly go with the best price but remember price is not the only thing to consider. 

[happy cruzer]

If you are adults, then Summit should be the choice at those prices.  Dining, entertainment, and accomodations are a bit better plus the pools will be better and less crowded.  It will be a bit dressier and less smoking allowed.  Good to have a choice.

[tomservo]

1 hour ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

Celebrity also offers free parking at the port if you book balcony and above. That’s another $150-170.

How does this work? Do I have to request it?

[tomservo]

It's hard to compare the 2 lines apples to apples. Celebrity has better food and a more mature vibe, NCL has great Broadway-style entertainment and waterslides. I would expect a mainstream cruise line to cost the same or less than a premium cruise line, but I think there are a lot of factors here, mainly newer ship vs older ship (although the Summit is currently in dry dock) and different pricing algorithms. That being said, I think another reason is NCL prices do seem a little higher than normal and X prices seem a little lower than normal right now.

[david_sobe]

A better comparison of ships is Celebrity Edge Vs  NCL Bliss/Encore

I did a mock booking and the Edge was about 2k more for a similar yet smaller suite. Plus NCL had more perks

 

[NYcruzzer]

12 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

A better comparison of ships is Celebrity Edge Vs  NCL Bliss/Encore

I did a mock booking and the Edge was about 2k more for a similar yet smaller suite. Plus NCL had more perks

 

Not if OP is only interested in a Bermuda cruise from NY metro area..

[david_sobe]

36 minutes ago, NYcruzzer said:

Not if OP is only interested in a Bermuda cruise from NY metro area..

Half true.  The OP is comparing ships 15 years apart.  15 years in ship years is a lifetime.  I was giving a comparison of lines/ships of equal comparison not itinerary.  

Imagine someone posting :  The RCCL Oasis of the Seas is $ 1000 more than the NCL Sky.
Smell what I'm cookin?

[zactak]

You're comparing a four year old ship with water parks and things with a ship that is 18 years old. A ship with a recent dry dock is rarely ever going to be on the same price level as a newer ship.

 

What a person looks for in a ship/itinerary, the level of service, and the quality of food is pretty subjective. I was on the Celebrity Constellation years ago. I hated the environment, the service, and the food was just OK. I've almost always had great experience and food on NCL.

[DaCruiseBug]

16 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Half true.  The OP is comparing ships 15 years apart.  15 years in ship years is a lifetime.  I was giving a comparison of lines/ships of equal comparison not itinerary.  

Imagine someone posting :  The RCCL Oasis of the Seas is $ 1000 more than the NCL Sky.
Smell what I'm cookin?

 

Once a ship is 2-3+ years old the price premium goes away.

 

NCL also has the Gem out of Boston sailing to Bermuda (Friday-Friday instead of a Sunday-Sunday) and the cheapest balcony with perks is $4,233. Yikes!!!

[zactak]

53 minutes ago, NYcruzzer said:

Not if OP is only interested in a Bermuda cruise from NY metro area..

 

I don't think david_sobe's intent was for the OP to look at different ships or itineraries, but rather to point out the problem with comparing the Summit and Escape by illustrating how ships around the same age and technology is a more accurate comparison. 

[NYcruzzer]

20 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Half true.  The OP is comparing ships 15 years apart.  15 years in ship years is a lifetime.  I was giving a comparison of lines/ships of equal comparison not itinerary.  

Imagine someone posting :  The RCCL Oasis of the Seas is $ 1000 more than the NCL Sky.
Smell what I'm cookin?

lol I do.. Point well made.

[DaCruiseBug]

1 hour ago, tomservo said:

How does this work? Do I have to request it?

 

I'm not really sure. This is what it says...

[DaCruiseBug]

42 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Half true.  The OP is comparing ships 15 years apart.  15 years in ship years is a lifetime.  I was giving a comparison of lines/ships of equal comparison not itinerary.  

Imagine someone posting :  The RCCL Oasis of the Seas is $ 1000 more than the NCL Sky.
Smell what I'm cookin?

 

The NCL Sky doesn't have 7 night sailings so maybe that's why there's a price difference? I don't think it has anything to do with the ships age. The price premium on new ships is usually only for the first 2-3 years. After that a 10 year old ship is the same as a 20 year old ship.

[seahorse]

What am I missing here?

The Summit sails out of Bayonne. Most of NCL`s cruises are out of NY City believe me this is apples and oranges.

There is no comparison between the Summit and the Escape, I don`t care what the refurb is.

That parking promo is not offered by Celebrity it is by some agency.

There is so much misinformation on this topic it boggles the mind.

[david_sobe]

30 minutes ago, DaCruiseBug said:

 

The NCL Sky doesn't have 7 night sailings so maybe that's why there's a price difference? I don't think it has anything to do with the ships age. The price premium on new ships is usually only for the first 2-3 years. After that a 10 year old ship is the same as a 20 year old ship.

LOL.  I KNEW someone was going to post something like this after I read back my comment.  I am comparing apples to apples.  Its fine you want to ONLY compare itineraries but ship MATTERS.  For argument sake, lets say the RCCL Oasis and NCL Sky were both sailing to Bermuda 7 nights from NYC.  Which do you think would be more expensive?
That is my point.  Ships over 15 years apart are impossible to compare.  Actually my Sky/Oasis analogy is better because those ships are only 10 years apart 

Edited February 19, 2019 by david_sobe