I found a GREAT price for a Haven Suite, and here it is!

[graphicguy]

In the end, it’s total out of pocket for the cabin.  That’s why I quote fares that way….total out of pocket!  

 

And yes, solos usually pay for the entire cabin, unless NCL runs a sale for solos, ordinarily ship and/or itinerary specific.

 

But, I understand why you quoted per person.  You can actually quote even less per person if you add more people to your Suite.  Total price paid would remain the same, however!

[rattla]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

In the end, it’s total out of pocket for the cabin.  That’s why I quote fares that way….total out of pocket!  

 

And yes, solos usually pay for the entire cabin, unless NCL runs a sale for solos, ordinarily ship and/or itinerary specific.

 

But, I understand why you quoted per person.  You can actually quote even less per person if you add more people to your Suite.  Total price paid would remain the same, however!

Yes exactly that it could be a variable amount if 1, 3 , 4 people in a cabin.  I’m simply quoting the way that NCL quotes this as standard as it’s what I had the historic screenshots of, and the primary purpose was to show how the prices had consistently dropped in quite a short period of time. 😊

 

[Monica887]

So where IS the best price usually? Website? Travel agent? The NCL consultant people who call randomly? What about Casino at Sea (I don't have it but my frequent travel partner does)? 

 

I work on a teacher's schedule and have my own kids. I do ditch the kids sometimes and go myself, but I can only go during peak times and only for a week. There's no way to be flexible there. 

[xcell]

52 minutes ago, Monica887 said:

So where IS the best price usually? Website? Travel agent? The NCL consultant people who call randomly? What about Casino at Sea (I don't have it but my frequent travel partner does)? 

 

I work on a teacher's schedule and have my own kids. I do ditch the kids sometimes and go myself, but I can only go during peak times and only for a week. There's no way to be flexible there. 

 

Unless the TA buys a block of rooms (and if they did, I doubt it would be in the Haven area), I find most prices are similar between website and TAs.  The TAs may be able to sweeten the pot by offering free tips or additional OBC but I usually just monitor the prices on the website.  When I book, I then transfer to be TA depending on what I want (i.e. some big box TA won't allow for bidding later on, so if you wanted that, I would steer clear from transferring to them).

[rattla]

1 hour ago, Monica887 said:

So where IS the best price usually? Website? Travel agent? The NCL consultant people who call randomly? What about Casino at Sea (I don't have it but my frequent travel partner does)? 

 

I work on a teacher's schedule and have my own kids. I do ditch the kids sometimes and go myself, but I can only go during peak times and only for a week. There's no way to be flexible there. 

I think the key to getting the best deal isn’t about where to buy it, it’s more about when.

From my experience the best bargains are to be had with very late deals, normally a few weeks/a month before sailing. You will unfortunately also find that the best late deals are likely to be for off peak sailings, which understand you are limited on.

yes there are schemes where you can get it cheaper, such as Casino at Sea but as I understand these can be somewhat restricted and limited, and I don’t think it will necessarily be a pathway to the best Haven Suite deals ?

 

ultimately I think you last statement will make it difficult for you due to your lack of flexibility, as to get the best deals you need to be flexible and be able to travel at relatively short notice.

Edited September 4, 2023 by rattla

[RocketMan275]

17 minutes ago, xcell said:

 

Unless the TA buys a block of rooms (and if they did, I doubt it would be in the Haven area), I find most prices are similar between website and TAs.  The TAs may be able to sweeten the pot by offering free tips or additional OBC but I usually just monitor the prices on the website.  When I book, I then transfer to be TA depending on what I want (i.e. some big box TA won't allow for bidding later on, so if you wanted that, I would steer clear from transferring to them).

 

Some TA do offer reduced fares because they buy a 'block' of rooms.   Other TA will also discount the cruise fare offered by the cruise lines by 8-12% while still offering the same perks as does the cruise lines.  The cruise lines prohibit advertising fares below the cruise line price.  One cannot find those 'discounted' fares by 'monitoring' websites, one has to contact the TA directly.

 

 

[Monica887]

9 minutes ago, rattla said:

I think the key to getting the best deal isn’t about where to buy it, it’s more about when.

From my experience the best bargains are to be had with very late deals, normally a few weeks/a month before sailing. You will unfortunately also find that the best late deals are likely to be for off peak sailings, which understand you are limited on.

yes there are schemes where you can get it cheaper, such as Casino at Sea but as I understand these can be somewhat restricted and limited, and I don’t think it will necessarily be a pathway to the best Haven Suite deals ?

 

ultimately I think you last statement will make it difficult for you due to your lack of flexibility, as to get the best deals you need to be flexible and be able to travel at relatively short notice.

Follow up question, how can I retire at 50? Sigh. 

[Russiamomm]

On the Casinos at Sea issue, I always book through them.  Maybe I just don’t gamble enough, but my guy has always told me he can’t discount a Haven cabin.  😢

[destar]

29 minutes ago, Monica887 said:

Follow up question, how can I retire at 50? Sigh. 

All the stars have to be aligned for this to happen. I was lucky enough to retired at 48, from a career where you collect a pension when you retire. Now I can take on any other work if I want to and when I want to, but I rather travel.

[RRSeeker]

2 hours ago, Monica887 said:

So where IS the best price usually? Website? Travel agent? The NCL consultant people who call randomly? What about Casino at Sea (I don't have it but my frequent travel partner does)? 

 

I work on a teacher's schedule and have my own kids. I do ditch the kids sometimes and go myself, but I can only go during peak times and only for a week. There's no way to be flexible there. 

Casinos at Sea basically a discount that you pay an upgrade fee to go to a higher category but no matter what you pay for it either by losing $2000 on one cruise and the getting a discount on the next one. 
 

My last cruise in 2022 I ended up losing about $2500 in the casino, not sure how much I played though the machines but I received a free oceanview that i upgraded to a Haven 2 bedroom for my Sept 10th Escape New England/ Canada cruise. All in with free at sea and dsc is about $6,500 for 2 people. I also booked my own flights with frequent flyer miles.

 

I think I probably saved about the $2500 I lost. Now if you don’t enjoy the casino it doesn’t really make sense to dump money in the machines or at the tables just for a discount. I don’t plan to do a lot of gambling on this cruise because my husband doesn’t gamble so I probably won’t get many offers after this one.

[graphicguy]

You can’t get ANY discounts via the Personal Cruise Consultants who work for NCL.  As mentioned, there are certain Tavel Agents who offer discounts or On Board Credit that amounts to roughly 7-8% off the totals cruise fare (fare only, not including fees).

 

In the example I showed above on my Epic Cruise next month, I get about $400 off (either check, credit card credit) after I complete the cruise.  Or, an on board credit of the same amount while on the cruise.

 

If you’re a military veteran, you get a 10% discount from NCL.  Not sure how they figure it because I try to come up with their formula, but it is never exactly 10%, but no complaints.  Further, if you’re an NCLH stock holder (100 shares minimum) you get $100 OBC.  I sold my shares earlier this year, so this cruise doesn’t qualify.

 

Some of us (me included) know some of the credit card “perks”.  For example, I book all of my cruises with my American Express Platinum card.  Again, check with your travel agent on whether they participate in the AMEX Cruise Perk program.  Some do not, and neither does NCL direct booking.

 

NCL offers a one time $200 OBC if you apply for and use their credit card to make some minimum amount of purchases.  I applied for, received the card, used it for some appliances I needed for my home, got the OBC and then paid it off.  I’ll hang on to it for a while since it doesn’t have a fee to see if they offer any more promos on it.

 

Using the Amex, I get a sliding scale of OBC.  Going from memory, but I think it’s $100 OBC for a Balcony Cabin, $200 OBC for a Club Balcony Cabin and $300 OBC for Haven Suites.  They also give you a dinner at a “French Restaurant” (their words, not mine) which ends up being LeBistro and a bottle of wine.

 

From time-to-time, AMEX offers a statement credit when you book, too.  I’ve seen it as high as $250, and sometimes it’s not limited to the Platinum Card.

 

I probably spend an inordinate amount of time researching, shopping, perusing credit card perks, etc.  But, I’m retired.  It’s not a hobby for me.  LOL!

 

As a result, the above referenced H6 Epic Suite ended up costing me as follows (using round numbers)…

 

$4,900

-less $400 from my TA after I take my cruise.

-less another $450 military discount.

Cruise fare with taxes, port fees, etc ends up being $4,050

 

Plus, I get $300 OBC from AMEX for using their credit card to book and the French Dinner + bottle of wine.

 

Plus, another $200 of OBC from buying appliances with the NCL Credit card.

 

That doesn’t even begin to talk about Latitudes perks.

 

IF you know what to look for, and shop a little, you can get some really good deals with NCL.  But, I’m more familiar with their deals vs other cruise lines.  The others may be similar.

 

I play table games in the Casino.  Those are tough to track to get any sort of perks.  So, they’ve never offered me diddly.  However, I hear that slot play is tracked by time, not by winnings or losses.  True?

 

Edited September 4, 2023 by graphicguy

[rattla]

5 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Further, if you’re an NCLH stock holder (1,000 shares minimum) you get $100 OBC.  I sold my shares earlier this year, so this cruise doesn’t qualify.

 

 

Small point, isn’t it 100 shares?  Seems a bit high otherwise? 😊

[graphicguy]

6 minutes ago, rattla said:

Small point, isn’t it 100 shares?  Seems a bit high otherwise? 😊

Bad me.....I stuck one too many zeros on there.  You get $100 OBC for owning 100 shares of NCLH stock.  I think there's also a time factor on how long you have to buy and hold them.  Can't recall those terms, though.

 

Fixed it.  Thanks for pointing that out.

Edited September 4, 2023 by graphicguy

[Sailing12Away]

32 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

You can’t get ANY discounts via the Personal Cruise Consultants who work for NCL.  As mentioned, there are certain Tavel Agents who offer discounts or On Board Credit that amounts to roughly 7-8% off the totals cruise fare (fare only, not including fees).

 

For my NCL trips, I've used the same PCC once she was recommended to me by a fellow traveler. She's always been able to find extra coupons, OBC, or hidden promos that I'm eligible for that I didn't know about. Or if I had expired coupons has found ways to make them no longer expired. She does some fancy shuffling on her side because the trips that I've booked with her have been pricey Haven ones, as well as referring other folks to her. So since she always finds some bonuses for us, I'll keep using her for NCL trips.

Our upcoming Prima one we booked on our own due to time sensitivity of the booking (those H4 cabins were getting snatched quick) then transferred to a TA who offered egregious OBC (1K+ that the PCC would never be able to match). I personally can't stand them though and will never let them touch a reservation of mine ever again - but my buddy loves them and doesn't like my PCC - so to each their own.

 

For that TA though, NCL told me about my non working hot tub 3 days ago, TA still hasn't said a word to me.... Got my flight info from NCL about a week before the TA shared it with me.

[Sailing12Away]

If I was going to Iceland in 2 days I would have jumped on this deal. One way from NY to Quebec on the Joy.

https://www.ncl.com/cruises/JOY9NYCBOSPWMSYNCHALBIQUE?itineraryCode=JOY9NYCBOSPWMSYNCHALBIQUE

 

[Sailing12Away]

Too lazy to look up these others, but at a quick glance they look decent as well (prices listed are the listed prices on NCL before FAS, taxes, etc and are per person):

 

I looked up the RT out of Marseille and the final price for an Epic Haven aft penthouse is $4200.... so yeah, these are all great prices if you ask me. Well below our $500/pp/day price point.

[graphicguy]

18 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

For my NCL trips, I've used the same PCC once she was recommended to me by a fellow traveler. She's always been able to find extra coupons, OBC, or hidden promos that I'm eligible for that I didn't know about. Or if I had expired coupons has found ways to make them no longer expired. She does some fancy shuffling on her side because the trips that I've booked with her have been pricey Haven ones, as well as referring other folks to her. So since she always finds some bonuses for us, I'll keep using her for NCL trips.

Our upcoming Prima one we booked on our own due to time sensitivity of the booking (those H4 cabins were getting snatched quick) then transferred to a TA who offered egregious OBC (1K+ that the PCC would never be able to match). I personally can't stand them though and will never let them touch a reservation of mine ever again - but my buddy loves them and doesn't like my PCC - so to each their own.

 

For that TA though, NCL told me about my non working hot tub 3 days ago, TA still hasn't said a word to me.... Got my flight info from NCL about a week before the TA shared it with me.

Nothing wrong with any of that.  

 

My TA is part of one of the big WEB  "American discount travel agencies".  Have used her for years. She seems to find discounts and promos I wasn't aware of.  She used to send me deals that were particularly good on all the cruise lines her agency reps.  And, she was great during the restart keeping me abreast of all the intracacies of the health protocols and the great deals all the cruise liens were offering. 

 

This year, she has been a bit flaky, though.  She took extended time off.  Nothing wrong with that.  But, she's been tough to reach recently, too.  Plus, she's become a bit testy.  Not sure if it's me.  But, I've booked a lot of cruises through her and her agency over many years.  I'm pretty easy to work with, I think.  I like to think I'm a friendly person.  I'm an experienced cruiser, so don't need a lot of hand holding, either.

 

So, may start looking elsewhere myself.

[graphicguy]

7 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Too lazy to look up these others, but at a quick glance they look decent as well (prices listed are the listed prices on NCL before FAS, taxes, etc and are per person):

 

I looked up the RT out of Marseille and the final price for an Epic Haven aft penthouse is $4200.... so yeah, these are all great prices if you ask me. Well below our $500/pp/day price point.

Those are great Haven prices on that Epic Cruise.  I'll have to look up the date.  Although, I'm done with cruising in 2023 after the Epic next month.

[Sailing12Away]

Here's some of the cheapest Haven rooms for 2024 & 2025, sorted by price/day. Again, lots of deals to be found, especially for those of you who like transatlantic trips. Too many sea days for my liking, but I am eyeing that New Orleans one on Breakaway. Never been on that ship yet, and we've been toying with a trip there for some good gumbo. Nicely priced Prima trip too for anyone that wanted to try her out.

 

[Ellaleah]

I hate to show my ignorance, but how does one search for Haven cabins on the NCL website?

[cruiseny4life]

2 hours ago, Ellaleah said:

I hate to show my ignorance, but how does one search for Haven cabins on the NCL website?

Click on the More Filters button, then click "Haven." It'll show you all the cruises with Haven, but this includes those Havens that aren't real Havens (to me). I mean those like Gem that have Haven rooms, but not a Haven proper area with courtyard/observation lounge, restaurant, sundeck, etc. While I never say "never," it's highly unlikely I'd sail on one of those. You could further refine the search by selecting only those ships with a (my definition) real Haven.

 

[Sailing12Away]

4 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Click on the More Filters button, then click "Haven." It'll show you all the cruises with Haven, but this includes those Havens that aren't real Havens (to me). I mean those like Gem that have Haven rooms, but not a Haven proper area with courtyard/observation lounge, restaurant, sundeck, etc. While I never say "never," it's highly unlikely I'd sail on one of those. You could further refine the search by selecting only those ships with a (my definition) real Haven.

 

Keep your eyes out for a lowball price on those 3br garden villas. They're the only thing which makes the Haven on those ship worth the price tag. We would always consider those ships, but my price point for what I'm willing to pay for them is much lower than on the "full" Haven ships. Usually the price for a non-Haven suite is about half what they're charging for Haven, and that is more than enough for us.

But those garden villas.... I've been spoiled. Was hoping the refurb on Joy was going to have something similar, but it looks like the 3BR they're putting in on there won't have anywhere close to the total sqft that the Jewel class 3BR have.

[cruiseny4life]

15 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

Keep your eyes out for a lowball price on those 3br garden villas. They're the only thing which makes the Haven on those ship worth the price tag. We would always consider those ships, but my price point for what I'm willing to pay for them is much lower than on the "full" Haven ships. Usually the price for a non-Haven suite is about half what they're charging for Haven, and that is more than enough for us.

But those garden villas.... I've been spoiled. Was hoping the refurb on Joy was going to have something similar, but it looks like the 3BR they're putting in on there won't have anywhere close to the total sqft that the Jewel class 3BR have.

Someday. Someday, I would absolutely love booking a 3 bedroom garden villa. I see absolutely no reason to leave the "room" if we are somehow able to ever snag one of those. I'm definitely not a "never" kind of guy, but, unless my income increases drastically I'm thinking they are well out of reach. But, one never knows. I believe you were able to get one at quite a discount a year or two ago. Maybe I'll luck into that. It would be well worth not having the normal Haven amenities found on the larger ships.

[schmoopie17]

On 9/4/2023 at 9:36 AM, graphicguy said:

You can’t get ANY discounts via the Personal Cruise Consultants who work for NCL.  As mentioned, there are certain Tavel Agents who offer discounts or On Board Credit that amounts to roughly 7-8% off the totals cruise fare (fare only, not including fees).

 

 

If you’re a military veteran, you get a 10% discount from NCL.  Not sure how they figure it because I try to come up with their formula, but it is never exactly 10%, but no complaints.  

 

 

 

 

 

The TA I most recently used offered $375 "rebate" after the cruise...plus free prepaid gratuities. A good deal if you can get it.

 

I'm right there with you on the "10%" Veteran's Discount. I have no clue how they calculate it...it's not even 10% off the base fare, as you would expect. They use some sort of fuzzy math because it never comes out to 10% of anything that I can determine. But it's still nice to be recognized with at least something off.

[Sailing12Away]

5 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Someday. Someday, I would absolutely love booking a 3 bedroom garden villa. I see absolutely no reason to leave the "room" if we are somehow able to ever snag one of those. I'm definitely not a "never" kind of guy, but, unless my income increases drastically I'm thinking they are well out of reach. But, one never knows. I believe you were able to get one at quite a discount a year or two ago. Maybe I'll luck into that. It would be well worth not having the normal Haven amenities found on the larger ships.

The first time we did it was on the Pearl. That was a charter cruise that was cancelled at the last minute, so NCL was trying to fill the ship. We put 4 people in there on a 5 day cruise for 8K total. We lived like kings and a queen.

 

Second time was on the Star (no Haven at all, but they do have those 3BR villas). That was a last minute upgrade bid that got accepted the day we were flying to Barcelona. Couldn't find anyone to tag along as it was an international departure with practically no notice, so just the 2 of us in that big villa. Our final price on that was about $600/pp/day since there was only 2 of us. If we had more sharing with us, obviously it would have been an even better steal of a deal.

 

Keep an eye on the Pearl specifically - it has a lot of charter trips, so odds of one opening up last minute are higher. And if you see it - book first and ask for permission later.