Pricing on NCL Has Gotten Outrageous

[graphicguy]

11 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

We have an eye on an April repositioning cruise on the Silhouette which would get me to Elite, but the $900 non-refundable deposit is our main deterrent right now. My husband has a lot of negative things going on with work right now and is contemplating changing jobs, so we can't commit to a $900 deposit if he is going to change jobs and maybe not be able to get time off in April. It' costs something like $500 to book with a refundable deposit. So our options are to FOR sure lose $500 or to *maybe* lose $900. Neither is a great option, so we are holding off.

 

 

You're right.  Those options are not ideal.

 

Hope things work out for your Husband.  Job in tech is crazy right now.

 

Interestingly, when you and I sailed together a couple of years ago, the tech industry was crying for people.  Now, I'm retired but still getting resumes sent to me in the hopes of me putting them on "top of the pile" for the few job openings my former company has.  Can't help them as I've been gone for a while.

 

Even former colleagues are all nervous....many of whom have been there for many years.

 

Best wishes for your Husband's search.  I hope it all works out and you're sailing again soon!

[graphicguy]

7 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I can see that, however we booked our first Virgin cruise earlier this year, the cruise is in January 2025. They were offering a deal where we get a $400 bar tab for free, and since you can share the package it'll probably be more than enough for us. But I totally get that, I would prefer an all-inclusive package. The nice thing is that sodas, water, juices and non-premium coffees are included with the cruise fare.

I've been vacillating on booking a Virgin cruise.  Perks work (like the bar tab credit).  I'm curious, for certain.  But, I get this suspicion I'll either be the oldest guy on board, or the "outsider" compared to the rest of the guests for varying reasons.

[ngrund]

21 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Right, but if I don't wait until I am Elite on Celebrity, then I won't be Diamond on RCCL if/when I sail with them anytime before that and therefore won't get the free drinks from being Diamond. I have zero intention of sailing on RCCL before I get the Diamond benefits onboard.

Yes, you can book (if price is right), but then your sail date would need to be after you earn Elite.

 

One thing about RCL's drink package that makes it worth it to me is that bottled water and non-Starbucks specialty coffees are covered.

 

If wife and I ever get to Diamond, that would cover most of our alcohol but we'd then be buying water and coffee.

 

 

[JamieLogical]

16 minutes ago, pghflyer said:

 

This is another great feature about NCL that I often forget about until I am booking with another cruise line.  Most of them require non-refundable deposits to access their best fares, whereas NCL is fully refundable....or even better, just throw a CruiseNext certificate on there and forget about it. 

 

Celebrity is the only cruise line that I have sailed that has non-refundable deposits. NCL, MSC, and Princess are all refundable, as is HAL... I just booked a HAL sailing that I am not 100% committed to taking, but it was a $1 per person refundable depoit. I probably wouldn't have cried had it even been a non-refundable deposit and I ended up canceling! 😋

[JamieLogical]

4 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I've been vacillating on booking a Virgin cruise.  Perks work (like the bar tab credit).  I'm curious, for certain.  But, I get this suspicion I'll either be the oldest guy on board, or the "outsider" compared to the rest of the guests for varying reasons.

 

@Essiesmom Just did a great live blog as an "older" person sailing solo on Virgin. Besides the lack of a drink package, another major deterrent to me sailing Virgin is the size of the bathrooms in any cabin category below an XL Terrace. I don't know if you have seen photos or videos, but I am pretty sure I am too wide to sit on those toilets without both hips touching solid surfaces on either side of me!

[DrUrsula]

On 7/27/2024 at 9:05 AM, JamieLogical said:

 

MSC has a status match program to entice people from other cruise lines. No free laundry, but their top tier does have some decent perks, including a free Specialty Dining meal.

We haven't tried MSC yet but have a really high tier because of Royal (I think).

We were sticking with NCL as we are getting casino discounts despite not being big gamblers at all. Won the slot tournament and were suddenly getting 30% off . I think those days will be gone soon. Thanks for the heads up! 
 

Im still shaking my head over the price you quoted us. Royal has gone there as well. 
 

off to check out msc!

[DCGuy64]

36 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I've been vacillating on booking a Virgin cruise.  Perks work (like the bar tab credit).  I'm curious, for certain.  But, I get this suspicion I'll either be the oldest guy on board, or the "outsider" compared to the rest of the guests for varying reasons.

We thought that, too (we're 60 and soon-to-be 49), but have been assured there are plenty of 60s, 70s and even 80s on board. I'm not gonna lie: having no rugrats is a major draw for VV!

[DCGuy64]

36 minutes ago, ngrund said:

One thing about RCL's drink package that makes it worth it to me is that bottled water and non-Starbucks specialty coffees are covered.

One slight clarification is in order here: Royal's drink package DOES include Starbucks coffee when not served at a standalone Starbucks location. What does that mean? It means that if you order a Starbucks coffee while having dinner or at Café Promenade, the drink package DOES cover it. It's only those kiosks and Starbucks-only locations onboard where you have to pay extra.

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

One slight clarification is in order here: Royal's drink package DOES include Starbucks coffee when not served at a standalone Starbucks location. What does that mean? It means that if you order a Starbucks coffee while having dinner or at Café Promenade, the drink package DOES cover it. It's only those kiosks and Starbucks-only locations onboard where you have to pay extra.

 

You couldn't pay ME to drink Starbucks coffee so there is zero chance you will ever see me paying for it! I'd rather drink Princess' old syrup coffee from their buffets (thank God they got rid of that). I will say that on the lines I have sailed besides NCL, specialty coffee (thankfully NOT Starbucks) has always been included in my drink packages. 

[kristap]

Yeah.  I have a cruise next cert for $500.  Even with the "discount", I can't find a cruise with NCL that would be an equitable value compared to Royal, Princess, or even Celebrity! If you use CruisePlum.com, you can compare apples to apples (number of days, departure port, age of ship, and balcony), and sorting by cheapest total cost, NCL doesn't usually appear until the 2nd or 3rd page of results. Plus, they've gotten rid of much of the elements that made me love them in the first place, like some of their Broadway shows.  Oh well.  I was "forced" to try Royal and I love them! (Also discovered that I don't need a drink package...my party of 3 adults on a 7-day had a bill for a grand total of $150 for drinks.) I intend on trying Celebrity and Princess, and maybe a Carnival at some point too. 

[JamieLogical]

10 minutes ago, kristap said:

Yeah.  I have a cruise next cert for $500.  Even with the "discount", I can't find a cruise with NCL that would be an equitable value compared to Royal, Princess, or even Celebrity! If you use CruisePlum.com, you can compare apples to apples (number of days, departure port, age of ship, and balcony), and sorting by cheapest total cost, NCL doesn't usually appear until the 2nd or 3rd page of results. Plus, they've gotten rid of much of the elements that made me love them in the first place, like some of their Broadway shows.  Oh well.  I was "forced" to try Royal and I love them! (Also discovered that I don't need a drink package...my party of 3 adults on a 7-day had a bill for a grand total of $150 for drinks.) I intend on trying Celebrity and Princess, and maybe a Carnival at some point too. 

 

Yeah... I am pretty sure if I were paying per drink I could easily rack up a bill of over $100/day just for myself!

[pghflyer]

Yes - I have a super nerdy spreadsheet developed, pretty much for the express purpose of valuing all the FAS extras for how we value them so I can standardize package prices across the cruise lines. I will agree though that the "free" drinks on NCL are much more enjoyable than paying for them one at a time on RCL or the other lines.....just feels more like a vacation when the money thinking is over and done.

[DorothyB]

Are there any other cruise lines where I can wear jeans (without holes in them) to dinner?

[JamieLogical]

2 minutes ago, DorothyB said:

Are there any other cruise lines where I can wear jeans (without holes in them) to dinner?

 

Pretty much all of them? MSC, Celebrity, and Princess for sure as I have sailed on all three of those and people wear jeans to all three of those all the time... My husband will usually put on slacks for a "formal night," but none of those three lines require that.

[hernando52]

Yes...NCL has gotten very expensive....but we are having a difficult time finding another cruise line that sails from the locations we want (no more driving long distances or flying to a port as we are seniors who can't drive like we used to), goes to the countries in the Caribbean we like, and has ~2 week cruise durations without a ton of sea days.  That limits us pretty much to NCL unless we are missing something.  We've decided to just suck it up and enjoy our now once a year casual warm weather relaxation trip.....As I told my PCC, I'm too old and too slow to rob a bank for these trips!  We travelled quite a bit with NCL through the years but now their prices have limited us to only a single trip a year....... 

[elcuchio24]

Actually, many people (including us) in the northeast cruise right before school starts. Up here at least, it doesnt start til after Labor Day this year. NYC is also usually pricier because folks will book it without having to book flights, if in the NE Metroplex.

 

Maybe be a little more flexible with your dates and I'm sure you'd fine a much more reasonable rate. 

[JamieLogical]

8 minutes ago, elcuchio24 said:

Actually, many people (including us) in the northeast cruise right before school starts. Up here at least, it doesnt start til after Labor Day this year. NYC is also usually pricier because folks will book it without having to book flights, if in the NE Metroplex.

 

Maybe be a little more flexible with your dates and I'm sure you'd fine a much more reasonable rate. 

 

I imagine you just read my OP. In post #101 I actually did a search of ALL future NCL sailings currently available and, aside from trans-atlantics, none of them fall into my target price range. There's an NYC to Quebec sailing in September that comes the closest, but with cruises already booked for August and October, it's not possible for us to sail in September this year.

[elcuchio24]

40 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I imagine you just read my OP. In post #101 I actually did a search of ALL future NCL sailings currently available and, aside from trans-atlantics, none of them fall into my target price range. There's an NYC to Quebec sailing in September that comes the closest, but with cruises already booked for August and October, it's not possible for us to sail in September this year.

 

Yes thats true. I'm not reading 300 comments. We still find nice deals on NCL. We're doing a 7 day out of Boston to Bermuda in April, so no airfare for us (or you based on where you are). For 4 of us, with Free to see, free drinks, etc, it was $4200 for a balcony. Decent price in my book. 

[yakcruiser]

I agree the pricing is extremely high and food & services have been cut back but the ships are sailing at close to 100% occupancy. The idea in a free-market capitalist society is to make money. I don't expect them to lower prices because I don't like paying more when there are many people out there who are paying the higher prices.

[SeaShark]

17 hours ago, Fredrik said:

We’ve sailed with 12 different lines and when MSC started to status match we wanted to give it ago, especially since Yacht Club got good reviews.

 

in context we sailed in Europe and it’s different. So the top bad things at MSC.

 

1. Every port was embarkation and debarkation. Welcome onboard and goodbye. Bags in hallways every night. Crew had no clue if you were coming or going. Felt like a bus trip and not a cruise.

 

2. Every announcement was in FIVE languages so it absolutely never ended. Not only the safety drill (again every day), but also the case for pool activities and in the theatre etc.

 

3. Food was generally really bad. Even in YV it didn’t have a standard cruise quality.

 

4. Our fellow guests from all over Europe will large school groups. You will find loud people everywhere but 100% Europeans and a lot of smoking…

 

5. Crew were working really hard but constantly getting yelled by in languages they didn’t know and trying to help but I saw so many strange scenes were security had to intervene just because of the language problems.

 

To answer your other question. Here’s my current list of my favorite cruise lines:

 

Oceania

NCL

Holland America

Regent

Celebrity

Cunard

Royal Caribbean

 

- Fredrik

 

While I appreciate the run down on what was wrong with MSC, and your ranked list of lines, if you read my post you'll see I didn't ask for either. Sadly, you didn't answer what it was that I did ask.

[Panhandle Couple]

21 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Just did a search for all cruises for two in a balcony on NCL on the CruisePlum site. It definitely seems the best deals to be had are Transatlantics. Of course, those have their own challenges/expenses with airfare to or from Europe. The cheapest non-TA I could find was an 8-day on the Joy from NYC to Quebec in September of this year. I priced that one out on the NCL site and with FAS and DSC, it came out to $168.28 per person per day. So not TOO far off from my goal of $150 per person per day. The next cheapest non-TA is a 7-day round trip on the Getaway out of NoLa in December. That one comes out to $180.89 per person per day in a balcony with FAS and DSC.

NCL in their quarterly stock reports lists their cost per person per day, and it is around $235.

They will not likely sell many cruises below $150/day in any cabin category.

 

We have taken 2 cross country trips this summer (over 20 hours each way) that require an overnight stop.  We aren't picky about location, just something along the highway with a few eating options.  We stay in the big 3 (Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn) and their many offshoot brands.

 

It is next to impossible to find a hotel room for under $150 at just an average highway exit and no special amenities. Free breakfasts are disappearing, or being even more downscaled, or now a choice for the room charge at reservation. The more modern "boutique hotels" simply mean smaller rooms, no freebies.

 

If you haven't noticed, hotels are being built everywhere it seems, yet the prices keep going up.

[hernando52]

1 hour ago, elcuchio24 said:

Actually, many people (including us) in the northeast cruise right before school starts. Up here at least, it doesnt start til after Labor Day this year. NYC is also usually pricier because folks will book it without having to book flights, if in the NE Metroplex.

 

Maybe be a little more flexible with your dates and I'm sure you'd fine a much more reasonable rate. 

You are most likely correct but family visits, holidays, spring break cruisers and good ole hurricane season clip our wings on scheduling.  

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, yakcruiser said:

I agree the pricing is extremely high and food & services have been cut back but the ships are sailing at close to 100% occupancy. The idea in a free-market capitalist society is to make money. I don't expect them to lower prices because I don't like paying more when there are many people out there who are paying the higher prices.

 

Yeah, the gist  of my question was trying to understand why people are willing to pay these prices when there are much better deals to be had on other lines. Competition should conceivably keep prices lower.

[JamieLogical]

50 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

NCL in their quarterly stock reports lists their cost per person per day, and it is around $235.

They will not likely sell many cruises below $150/day in any cabin category.

 

We have taken 2 cross country trips this summer (over 20 hours each way) that require an overnight stop.  We aren't picky about location, just something along the highway with a few eating options.  We stay in the big 3 (Marriott, Hilton, Holiday Inn) and their many offshoot brands.

 

It is next to impossible to find a hotel room for under $150 at just an average highway exit and no special amenities. Free breakfasts are disappearing, or being even more downscaled, or now a choice for the room charge at reservation. The more modern "boutique hotels" simply mean smaller rooms, no freebies.

 

If you haven't noticed, hotels are being built everywhere it seems, yet the prices keep going up.

 

Hotel prices are definitely steep these days, but at least they aren't charged per person!

[kjquilts]

24 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Hotel prices are definitely steep these days, but at least they aren't charged per person!

 lol unless you book hotel through NCL