NCL PRICES vs ROYAL

[luisc25]

 Hello, I'm not starting a thread to talk about the difference; I have cruised many cruises all were NCL. I'm a gold member for NCL almost Diamond in Royal term; Now I'm PRE-GOLD in Royal 😂
They both have great things to offer, but where NCL messed up and lost a loyal guest, it's on their pricing model. 
So recently,  I received a call from NCL agent: he wanted to see if I wanted to use a cruise next I have on my profile. I said I have a cruise coming up with the competitor in May. I want to compared prices.

 

Here is the breakdown:

 

So the cruise fare is higher with (FREE) drink package and dining package for 3 restaurants. 
Also they provide $50 dollars excursion credit per port, but as you can see above, the excursion is priced higher.
 
I checked the prices for NCL when I booked the royal, so the prices are almost the same back there.
 
Where I'm annoyed is in the packages, give your guest the option to get the package or not; The only way to get a low price is if you get a Guarantee Room.
I know this is all about maximizing their profit with this price strategy, but many guests will leave for other cruise lines.
 

So is this cruise in May it's good royal will have a loyal customer.

It would be good if Royal would have a Status Match Challenge! Like Airlines and some Hotels.

 

 

[Tulsacoker]

if you wait will you are Gold with RC the price will be $4,058, Then choosing RC is a no brainer 

[S.A.M.J.R.]

3 minutes ago, luisc25 said:

Here is the breakdown:

 

So the cruise fare is higher with (FREE) drink package and dining package for 3 restaurants. 
Also they provide $50 dollars excursion credit per port, but as you can see above, the excursion is priced higher.

I don't understand.  If the drink package and the dining package are free with NCL, why did you include them in your total?

 

Or who is "they"?  

[mafig]

4 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I don't understand.  If the drink package and the dining package are free with NCL, why did you include them in your total?

 

Or who is "they"?  

\I think you have to pay gratuities on both packages with Norwegian.

[time4u2go]

The prices aren't all that far apart, to me anyway.  Cruise prices fluctuate day-to-day, so I would wait a few days, then check again anyway.  Also, where does each cruise go?  That might explain the pricing.

[sparks1093]

Since Del Rio took over NCL I haven't found them to be very competitive price-wise and his entire philosophy is a huge turn off for me (i.e. "can I get $5 to $10 more per day from you and your wife" to raising the price of soda .25 and saying, well, if people want a soda they will pay for it). When we were booking our trip that eventually became our Anthem trip I compared CCL, NCL and Royal on sailings out of the northeast. NCL was $3600 (with the gratuities for their "free" drink package included), CCL was $2200 and Royal was $1880 for Anthem. Even with buying the drink package for Anthem came out a thousand better then NCL. Oh, when NCL started passing on the drink package gratuities to the customer NCL doubled their basic package price to $90-ish per day per person. I'll give NCL a chance if their price is ever right, but I don't see that happening any time soon (possibly when we can wait and book our cruise within 60 days of sailing, I've heard NCL has some good prices then). 

[luisc25]

51 minutes ago, S.A.M.J.R. said:

I don't understand.  If the drink package and the dining package are free with NCL, why did you include them in your total?

 

Or who is "they"?  

I include the prices of the gratuities.

[luisc25]

40 minutes ago, time4u2go said:

The prices aren't all that far apart, to me anyway.  Cruise prices fluctuate day-to-day, so I would wait a few days, then check again anyway.  Also, where does each cruise go?  That might explain the pricing.

Western Mediterranean; The Total price are not that far apart; but i didn't want to get the unlimited beverage with an intense port itinerary.

[luisc25]

48 minutes ago, sparks1093 said:

Since Del Rio took over NCL I haven't found them to be very competitive price-wise and his entire philosophy is a huge turn off for me (i.e. "can I get $5 to $10 more per day from you and your wife" to raising the price of soda .25 and saying, well, if people want a soda they will pay for it). When we were booking our trip that eventually became our Anthem trip I compared CCL, NCL and Royal on sailings out of the northeast. NCL was $3600 (with the gratuities for their "free" drink package included), CCL was $2200 and Royal was $1880 for Anthem. Even with buying the drink package for Anthem came out a thousand better then NCL. Oh, when NCL started passing on the drink package gratuities to the customer NCL doubled their basic package price to $90-ish per day per person. I'll give NCL a chance if their price is ever right, but I don't see that happening any time soon (possibly when we can wait and book our cruise within 60 days of sailing, I've heard NCL has some good prices then). 

Statement from Del Rio earning calls from 2015: 

… we have looked across the fleet to identify areas where marginal changes … can be implemented to improve performance. A few examples include a 6.7% average increase in beverage prices, the introduction of a nominal room service fee and lower costs from renegotiated shore excursion agreements. To put into perspective how these small changes can add up quickly, every dollar increase in yield translates to approximately $15 million to the bottom line.”

[Russ Lomas]

I guess it depends whether one ship has ports you would prefer over the other ship.  I also believe the Epic sails from San Juan, which some people prefer and others hate (we love it, but expect higher airfares to San Juan usually).

 

Personally, I would rather pay the lower amount for the Allure than the Epic unless the departure port or the ports visited was a determining factor.

 

We have done a couple cruises with NCL but hate the way they "force" you to take the package deal with the "free" amenities like the drink package and the dining package included.  They are not "free", they just bury the costs of those items in the cruise fare and make them mandatory.  I would rather have a base price cruise fare and pay for what I really want.

 

That said, I have the Epic and the Oasis booked for March 2021 right now.  The Epic costs more and includes all the perks.  I am very likely going to cancel the Epic cruise unless the fare drops considerably since the Epic is much more.  I booked both to hold the cabins I wanted and watch for price drops.  If price drops do not happen, I will be cancelling my NCL cruise since they are mandating I pay a higher cruise price for options I do not wish to have (pay extra for).

[luisc25]

1 hour ago, Russ Lomas said:

I guess it depends whether one ship has ports you would prefer over the other ship.  I also believe the Epic sails from San Juan, which some people prefer and others hate (we love it, but expect higher airfares to San Juan usually).

 

Personally, I would rather pay the lower amount for the Allure than the Epic unless the departure port or the ports visited was a determining factor.

 

We have done a couple cruises with NCL but hate the way they "force" you to take the package deal with the "free" amenities like the drink package and the dining package included.  They are not "free", they just bury the costs of those items in the cruise fare and make them mandatory.  I would rather have a base price cruise fare and pay for what I really want.

 

That said, I have the Epic and the Oasis booked for March 2021 right now.  The Epic costs more and includes all the perks.  I am very likely going to cancel the Epic cruise unless the fare drops considerably since the Epic is much more.  I booked both to hold the cabins I wanted and watch for price drops.  If price drops do not happen, I will be cancelling my NCL cruise since they are mandating I pay a higher cruise price for options I do not wish to have (pay extra for).

That’s what I hate paying for things I really don’t want!! I guess I will loose my cruise next unless I find a good deal!

[mugtech]

Those of us who don't drink alcohol will find RCI cheaper every time.  Also would not equate the Epic with any RCI Oasis or Quantum class ship.

[Tatka]

I guess it depends whether one ship has ports you would prefer over the other ship.  I also believe the Epic sails from San Juan, which some people prefer and others hate (we love it, but expect higher airfares to San Juan usually).
 
Personally, I would rather pay the lower amount for the Allure than the Epic unless the departure port or the ports visited was a determining factor.
 
We have done a couple cruises with NCL but hate the way they "force" you to take the package deal with the "free" amenities like the drink package and the dining package included.  They are not "free", they just bury the costs of those items in the cruise fare and make them mandatory.  I would rather have a base price cruise fare and pay for what I really want.
 
That said, I have the Epic and the Oasis booked for March 2021 right now.  The Epic costs more and includes all the perks.  I am very likely going to cancel the Epic cruise unless the fare drops considerably since the Epic is much more.  I booked both to hold the cabins I wanted and watch for price drops.  If price drops do not happen, I will be cancelling my NCL cruise since they are mandating I pay a higher cruise price for options I do not wish to have (pay extra for).

We choose Sailaway rates when sail with NCL so nobody can force anything on us.

NCL internet prices and quality on the other hand are not good at all. :(

[HalfHand]

We like Royal, we used to be loyal until we got screwed with the Empress of the Seas fiasco when she first came back. Our best option was to get our money back and eat the airline tickets instead of trying to find something "they" were okay with us substituting. At the last minute we found the Getaway still had rooms for the same cruise days, we booked.

 

On RCL we miss O'Sheehans (or the Local depending upon the ship), the free dinner show in Tropicana, Spice H2O, the much more laid back environment (RCL is overrun with status snobs. "We are Diamond +, we shouldn't have to WAIT for an elevator!!"). We think that's worth the extra $200 - $300 when we book NCL.

 

And to be fair...

 

On NCL we miss the elegance of the main dining room, having a set table with set servers and getting to meet new people for dinner (if you are a couple 6 top is ideal, as it will usually be 2 other couples. 8 works too, but you might get a family with kids. We enjoy both), a usable pool deck, usually better shows, and a diverse crew staff (NCL is 80% Philippians it seems)

[luisc25]

Seem like both programs have their perks, it’s easier to get more points with NCL if you book the latitude inside offers. 
 

[Tatka]

We actually prefer South Asians as crew especially room attendants than Haitians or Jamaicans. They do better job and don’t hassle for additional tips (which we give based on performance, but hate to be pressured)

[imlulu]

We decided to try NCL Encore for a change. We had the option of choosing the free at sea options or not and could still choose cabin. Ended choosing all including the beverage package. When priced out, it came to cheaper than symphony. We shall see in 3 weeks if much  difference. To be honest, I would have preferred to  book celebrity edge if the price wasn’t way up there. 😳

[luisc25]

1 hour ago, imlulu said:

We decided to try NCL Encore for a change. We had the option of choosing the free at sea options or not and could still choose cabin. Ended choosing all including the beverage package. When priced out, it came to cheaper than symphony. We shall see in 3 weeks if much  difference. To be honest, I would have preferred to  book celebrity edge if the price wasn’t way up there. 😳

Yes you can but the base price doesn’t change at all, the free at sea change because of the gratuities not the base fare. If you book a sail away it’s cheaper. 

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, luisc25 said:

That’s what I hate paying for things I really don’t want!! I guess I will loose my cruise next unless I find a good deal!

If that is the certificate that you pay for maybe you can sell it on eBay.

[CJDepew]

Was on the Epic several years ago and have done two NCL cruises and one RCI, with another coming up on the AOS next month. Pretty much the only thing we liked about NCL better was the relaxed atmosphere in the MDR and the fact that reservations were not needed. 

 

Paying for taxes and grats on the "free drink package" made the  NCL cruise fare no bargain. I believe the daily drink package rate when we sailed was in north of $75/day. I tend to like the fruity alcoholic beverages and the selection was much less on NCL. Additionally, bottled water is not included in the bev. packages.  We also found the service in general to be less friendly, although it could have just been those two ships. We were on both the Epic and the Dawn. The design of the Epic is just short of horrendous, and I'm guessing that's the reason it's the only ship of that configuration in their fleet. 

 

We're really looking forward to our AOS cruise next month and as far as my husband is concerned, RCI is the way to go for us from now on, after having sampled Carnival as well. 

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, luisc25 said:

Yes you can but the base price doesn’t change at all, the free at sea change because of the gratuities not the base fare. If you book a sail away it’s cheaper. 

Just checked their prices to compare what they offer with what we booked for this August. We are on Carnival on a 6 day cruise to Bermuda out of NYC for 3 people in a balcony cabin for $2880. NCL's sail away rate (out of Boston since it looked less than NYC) was $4358 for a 7 night sailing and $4568 with the free at sea promotion (I didn't make any selections but of course gratuities would need to be added in). 

[Russ Lomas]

On 1/6/2020 at 10:13 PM, Tatka said:

 

We choose Sailaway rates when sail with NCL so nobody can force anything on us.

NCL internet prices and quality on the other hand are not good at all. 😞

Due to our work situation and our children being in school, we can only sail summer, March Break and Christmas.  We do not wish to cruise in the summer when it is already warm back home.  Sailaway rates are rarely offered for Christmas and March Break cruises since they usually sell out easily.  Ultimately, this means we choose not to sail with NCL because for the times we wish to sail, they force us to pay for extras by including them in the rate that we must pay.

[Tatka]

Due to our work situation and our children being in school, we can only sail summer, March Break and Christmas.  We do not wish to cruise in the summer when it is already warm back home.  Sailaway rates are rarely offered for Christmas and March Break cruises since they usually sell out easily.  Ultimately, this means we choose not to sail with NCL because for the times we wish to sail, they force us to pay for extras by including them in the rate that we must pay.

Thank you for interesting information.
I didn’t know about Sailaway rates not being available on holiday cruises... As of late we don’t use NCL for these as there are no clear adult areas with pools, which means it will be a bit much with large families on board. RCCL has perfect adult areas and in some cases even covered solariums.

We prefer RCCL and sail majority of times with them with an exceptions to NCL from home or near port or if itinerary is amazing (which happens once a year lately) and rare Celebrity & Princess which we love, but don’t get to sail much due to logistics.
We would sail more with NCL out of Northeast if they start building ships with covered pools and even better adult covered solariums. We do like festive (without crazy parting) atmosphere on NCL ships, especially Jewel and Dawn class.

[Russ Lomas]

5 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

Thank you for interesting information.
I didn’t know about Sailaway rates not being available on holiday cruises... As of late we don’t use NCL for these as there are no clear adult areas with pools, which means it will be a bit much with large families on board. RCCL has perfect adult areas and in some cases even covered solariums.

We prefer RCCL and sail majority of times with them with an exceptions to NCL from home or near port or if itinerary is amazing (which happens once a year lately) and rare Celebrity & Princess which we love, but don’t get to sail much due to logistics.
We would sail more with NCL out of Northeast if they start building ships with covered pools and even better adult covered solariums. We do like festive (without crazy parting) atmosphere on NCL ships, especially Jewel and Dawn class.

Talking to someone who cruises NCL frequently, he tells me that the Sailaway rates are offered but the number of cabins offered on sailaway rates will vary greatly depending on how well the cruise is selling.  Sailaway rates are usually not offered when cruises are initially released and are offered closer to the date of sailing when they decide that their pricing structure is not working for that particular sailing.  Our friends often take advantage of the sailaway rates for trans-Atlantic sailings.

 

I agree that RCCL does a better job of creating "adult" pool areas on the ship.  I guess the Haven area on NCL may be similar, but we do not travel in suites, so this is something we have no experience with since us "regular" folk are not permitted in the Haven area.

 

We had a great 10 day New Year cruise for a great price on the NCL Dawn out of San Juan to 9 different ports.  Loved it for that itinerary, but would have been bored on that ship if there were too many sea days.

[4774Papa]

On 1/6/2020 at 5:08 PM, sparks1093 said:

Since Del Rio took over NCL I haven't found them to be very competitive price-wise and his entire philosophy is a huge turn off for me (i.e. "can I get $5 to $10 more per day from you and your wife" to raising the price of soda .25 and saying, well, if people want a soda they will pay for it). When we were booking our trip that eventually became our Anthem trip I compared CCL, NCL and Royal on sailings out of the northeast. NCL was $3600 (with the gratuities for their "free" drink package included), CCL was $2200 and Royal was $1880 for Anthem. Even with buying the drink package for Anthem came out a thousand better then NCL. Oh, when NCL started passing on the drink package gratuities to the customer NCL doubled their basic package price to $90-ish per day per person. I'll give NCL a chance if their price is ever right, but I don't see that happening any time soon (possibly when we can wait and book our cruise within 60 days of sailing, I've heard NCL has some good prices then). 

We started cruising when I retired in 2010 with NCL, because my Daughter talked me into a cruise with a bunch of family members.  We like it, but our next cruise was on Celebrity, which we loved.  Now we have done 11 on Celebrity, 7 on NCL and 2 on Royal C.  

Celebrity is our first choice, but not far behind is Royal C.  We still compare prices and itinerary with NCL, as well as Princess and HAL.

 

I agree with you about what Del Rio did by bundling promos like drink packages with the bottom line price.  I has hugely inflated the eventual price.  We did one NCL cruise in 2016 with the drink package (prior to the policy change adding huge gratuities you have to pay).  We didn't care for the cabernet choice.  The wine choices were slim.  There was a descent Chardonnay.  Now, when we take an NCL cruise we decline the beverage package (and the almost $20 a day per per charge for gratuities).   I bring our wine onboard and pay the $15 per bottle corkage fees and we still pay less for our wine (that is about 80% of the alcohol we drink) than we would pay in gratuities.

 

We love the happy hours we get on Celebrity and Royal C.  NCL doesn't provide that benefit, you get a couple of free meals at a specialty restaurant.  In fact, the Royal Diamond Club happy hour is great, going all the way to 8pm.  On both of our Royal cruises, we have not paid ANYTHING for alcohol for the entire cruise.

 

Royal's prices have been another attraction for us.   Without perks, Royal and Celebrity are more competitive than NCL.

 

Since Celebrity has the best dining and Royal is not far behind, sorry NCL is not there yet.  Entertainment is better on Royal, followed by NCL than Celebrity.

 

Prior to the drink packages, we would usually buy a wine package for 9 bottles for a 14 day cruise for around $300-$350.  We would spend a total of about $500 (including that wine) for the entire cruise for both of us.  We don't drink umbrella drinks and drink only in happy hour or evening.    Since we became Elite on Celebrity we spend even less on alcohol, usually less than $300 for a 14 day cruise.  On Royal we spend nothing on alcohol.

 

I know some people declare that the drinks packages don't require them to even worry about spending on drinks.  Sorry, I am happy when I spend less, so I can cruise more.