Pricing on NCL Has Gotten Outrageous

[wncretired]

On 7/28/2024 at 9:15 PM, 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.

My wife and I did the Getaway out of NOLA in Feb., 2024. Balcony (BB), for $192.00 per person, per day. About the same price that you are looking at. 

[Wayward Son]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

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.

 

In theory, you are correct. It seems ridiculous to pay more than you need to. But for us, familiarity and comfort with a certain brand is worth $50-100 pp/day. We know the ships, we like the people (staff, crew, and passengers). We know what to expect and easily fall into a comfortable routine. It also helps that a couple thousand $'s doesn't mean a whole lot to us. 

 

I know that Wal-Mart has some excellent "Great Value" labelled products, but I still spend more on the name brand. Why would I do that? Because that's what I'm most comfortable with.

 

[Fredrik]

8 hours ago, SeaShark said:

 

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.

Well, to be honest I did answer why I tried MSC, and also added why I wouldn’t go back.

 

Prior to MSC none were worst or really bad. There will always be pros and cons to every line, sailing, destination etc. That’s why I ranked the top seven cruise lines I’ve sailed the most with.

 

Possibly right above MSC I would put Disney, also I line I’ve only sailed with once and probably would not go back to because of the value proposition.

 

I now think I have answered both your questions 🎉

[graphicguy]

13 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

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.

I was booked on that cruise, until some oft postponed surgery got in the way.  Good fares on that one.

 

That said, regarding fares, I don't book cruises...on any cruise line, that doesn't fit in my cruise budget.  

 

I do SHOP cruises,  And, the ones that fit my time frame, my budget and an itinerary I like, are booked.  It just so happens those cruises happen to be on NCL.

 

If you limit yourself to a certain week, a certain ship, a certain itinerary, you really limit your ability to get a "cruise deal".

 

Plus, if you add in the Free at Sea perks, the deals become even better compared to other cruise lines.

 

Speaking of Starbucks coffee...No way I'd buy that on board, or drink it even if it's included in a drink package.  Sail a ship with an Observation Lounge with NCL, or in the Diamond Lounge on Royal.  They have coffee machines that are way better than the coffee from Starbucks (unless you're a "foo-foo" drink from Starbucks).  And, they're free.

 

Truth is, I take those instant coffee packets from Starbucks you can buy by the bundle that work as well as  the regular Starbucks on board.

[vswan]

I am a long time follower of cruise live reports and appreciate the time and wisdom of those postings - you have made my vacations better. Although I do not want to pay higher prices, it is helpful and interesting to follow my favorite posters as they try new/different lines. The major problem is that by the time I realize that someone is on a Celebrity/Princess/RCL/etc.  ship the review is 20+ pages long.

[JamieLogical]

21 hours ago, graphicguy said:

 

 

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!

Good news! I was able to find a TA offering the Celebrity Silhouette sailing with a refundable deposit. It's still $900, which is pretty steep, but at least it is refundable. We were able to book a balcony for two with drinks, wifi, DSC, and port fees for $138.60 per person per day. I will likely go ahead and upgrade from the Basic to the Premium drinks package, which will bring it to $156.60 per person per day. A little over my $150 target, but probably worth it to get the premium drinks.

 

This sailing will net me 30 more points with the Captain's Club, which will put me to Elite (24 points away right now). Then I can match to Diamond on RCCL and maybe give them a shot later in 2025 or sometime in 2026.

 

This definitely means no NCL sailings in my near future with my next four sailings being on Princess, MSC, and Celebrity. I will be booked up through April/May of 2025 so the next dates I would be looking at would be September-ish of 2025.

[Travelling2Some]

9 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Good news! I was able to find a TA offering the Celebrity Silhouette sailing with a refundable deposit. It's still $900, which is pretty steep, but at least it is refundable. We were able to book a balcony for two with drinks, wifi, DSC, and port fees for $138.60 per person per day. I will likely go ahead and upgrade from the Basic to the Premium drinks package, which will bring it to $156.60 per person per day. A little over my $150 target, but probably worth it to get the premium drinks.

 

This sailing will net me 30 more points with the Captain's Club, which will put me to Elite (24 points away right now). Then I can match to Diamond on RCCL and maybe give them a shot later in 2025 or sometime in 2026.

 

This definitely means no NCL sailings in my near future with my next four sailings being on Princess, MSC, and Celebrity. I will be booked up through April/May of 2025 so the next dates I would be looking at would be September-ish of 2025.

Glad you found something that works for you!  That Celebrity non-refundable $900 deposit has really put me off booking with them again.  Even though I bought (3rd party) insurance the hefty commitment still generated stress for over a year.  I didn't like the worry that "something" would happen to prevent us sailing since we booked it over a year out.  Insurance doesn't cover everything and they can be slippery when it comes to paying out.

 

We too wanted to book that September sailing NY to Quebec but it conflicted with a family event.  That's actually a good example of something insurance would not have covered and I would have either lost $900 or had resentful relatives. NCL's refundable deposit and FAS have been important reasons that we booked so frequently with them.

[JamieLogical]

44 minutes ago, Travelling2Some said:

Glad you found something that works for you!  That Celebrity non-refundable $900 deposit has really put me off booking with them again.  Even though I bought (3rd party) insurance the hefty commitment still generated stress for over a year.  I didn't like the worry that "something" would happen to prevent us sailing since we booked it over a year out.  Insurance doesn't cover everything and they can be slippery when it comes to paying out.

 

We too wanted to book that September sailing NY to Quebec but it conflicted with a family event.  That's actually a good example of something insurance would not have covered and I would have either lost $900 or had resentful relatives. NCL's refundable deposit and FAS have been important reasons that we booked so frequently with them.

 

Yeah, Celebrity is the only cruise line I have ever booked with that doesn't have refundable deposits. Glad I was able to find a TA that offered them. I've never used a TA before, so we'll see how this goes. I'll have to look up what Celebrity's final payment date is. One thing I have liked about Princess and MSC is that final payment isn't due until 90 days out. I know on NCL it is 120 days.

[graphicguy]

@JamieLogical..glad you found something you like.  I like Celebrity, too!

 

Not familiar with the Silhouette.  Number of days?  Itinerary?

 

 

 

[JamieLogical]

35 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

@JamieLogical..glad you found something you like.  I like Celebrity, too!

 

Not familiar with the Silhouette.  Number of days?  Itinerary?

 

 

 

 

Silhouette is an S-class ship. I have sailed on the Equinox and the Solstice (both S-class) but not the Silhouette. It's a 10-day repositioning cruise from FLL to NYC that stops at each of the ABC islands.

[graphicguy]

15 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Silhouette is an S-class ship. I have sailed on the Equinox and the Solstice (both S-class) but not the Silhouette. It's a 10-day repositioning cruise from FLL to NYC that stops at each of the ABC islands.

That sounds fun.  I've sailed the Solstice.  That's the only "S Class" I've been on.  It's been a while.  I remember the Bocce courts and glass blowing demos.

[JamieLogical]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

That sounds fun.  I've sailed the Solstice.  That's the only "S Class" I've been on.  It's been a while.  I remember the Bocce courts and glass blowing demos.

 

The Solstice was in worse shape than the Equinox when I sailed on her to Alaska, but both the Equinox and the Silhouette have been partially "revolutionized," so I am expecting the Silhouette to be more in line with what I've experienced on the Equinox which is one of my favorite ships. I LOVE the Lawn Club with the real grass growing.

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Silhouette is an S-class ship. I have sailed on the Equinox and the Solstice (both S-class) but not the Silhouette. It's a 10-day repositioning cruise from FLL to NYC that stops at each of the ABC islands.

Our VV cruise goes to 2 of the ABC islands. I looked at both Virgin Voyages and Celebrity before booking our cruise (my wife is a big fan of Captain Kate McCue), but Virgin was much cheaper so we went with them. I'd definitely like to try Celebrity one day.

[JamieLogical]

1 minute ago, DCGuy64 said:

Our VV cruise goes to 2 of the ABC islands. I looked at both Virgin Voyages and Celebrity before booking our cruise (my wife is a big fan of Captain Kate McCue), but Virgin was much cheaper so we went with them. I'd definitely like to try Celebrity one day.

 

I've been to the ABCs several times. In fact, I will be there again two weeks from now aboard the Enchanted Princess. They are always a great port experience. I am happy to have found a Celebrity sailing there that worked out to be so cheap. Hard to beat $139 per person per day all in for a balcony with drinks, wifi, gratuities, port fees, and we even get $50 of OBC.

[graphicguy]

8 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Our VV cruise goes to 2 of the ABC islands. I looked at both Virgin Voyages and Celebrity before booking our cruise (my wife is a big fan of Captain Kate McCue), but Virgin was much cheaper so we went with them. I'd definitely like to try Celebrity one day.

Met Capt Kate twice (Edge and Apex).  She is Celebrity's best asset.  First, she probably offered the best interactions with guests I've seen with any Capt on any cruise line.  Plus, she's just a genuinely nice person.

 

I'd sail any ship that she's the Capt of for her presence, alone.

 

Now, you're making me look at Virgin, again.

 

I probably won't book anything for a month, or so, though....maybe even later.  Most likely, it will be an NCL cruise, as I've been able to find good deals, and there's a gaggle of us CC friends who are looking to cruise together on NCL.

Edited July 30 by graphicguy

[DCGuy64]

11 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I've been to the ABCs several times. In fact, I will be there again two weeks from now aboard the Enchanted Princess. They are always a great port experience. I am happy to have found a Celebrity sailing there that worked out to be so cheap. Hard to beat $139 per person per day all in for a balcony with drinks, wifi, gratuities, port fees, and we even get $50 of OBC.

Very nice and well done! That IS a bargain. I think we paid something like $230 or so per person, but that does include the $400 bar tab and of course taxes and gratuities. Have a great, great time on your upcoming cruise!

[kirtihk]

4 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Yeah, Celebrity is the only cruise line I have ever booked with that doesn't have refundable deposits. Glad I was able to find a TA that offered them. I've never used a TA before, so we'll see how this goes. I'll have to look up what Celebrity's final payment date is. One thing I have liked about Princess and MSC is that final payment isn't due until 90 days out. I know on NCL it is 120 days.

Celebrity final payment is 90 days prior to sailing.  It appears you cruise fare (actual cruise price before any fees, taxes, and additions) is almost free (like $40 pp per day in a balcony cabin).  Does your TA actually pay you back your full deposit as his/her (company's) perk if you cancel your cruise for any reason?  I've never heard of that from ant TA.

[D_And_K_gocruising]

Dunno where you live, but prices of EVERYTHING have gone up crazy since 'rona made an appearance.. Well, everything except my wages... They sure havent gone up.  

 

And I'll let others take the cheapest route.. I'll pay more to avoid a good number of them.  Because in my experience normally folks that look for the cheapest also complain about the silliest things that they arent getting because they went cheap lol..  So I'll let them go find the cheapest prices and go there. 

[JamieLogical]

6 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

Celebrity final payment is 90 days prior to sailing.  It appears you cruise fare (actual cruise price before any fees, taxes, and additions) is almost free (like $40 pp per day in a balcony cabin).  Does your TA actually pay you back your full deposit as his/her (company's) perk if you cancel your cruise for any reason?  I've never heard of that from ant TA.

 

I am not sure what the base cruise fare was because my invoice is showing the cruise fare as $1200 per person and then the Always Included as $0. Clearly, that was not the reality of the situation. Gratuities were $360 ($18 per person per day) and port fees/taxes were $262.78. There are two discount codes on there.. one for $50 and one for $200, bringing the total to $2772.78.

[ngrund]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Silhouette is an S-class ship. I have sailed on the Equinox and the Solstice (both S-class) but not the Silhouette. It's a 10-day repositioning cruise from FLL to NYC that stops at each of the ABC islands.

Is this the one next April? I looked at that one  but decided to go on Beyond in March (Partial Panama Canal).  You said it is going to NYC, but for flights you did see that it is going to Port Liberty in NJ.

[JamieLogical]

8 minutes ago, ngrund said:

Is this the one next April? I looked at that one  but decided to go on Beyond in March (Partial Panama Canal).  You said it is going to NYC, but for flights you did see that it is going to Port Liberty in NJ.

 

Yes, the April 28, 2025 sailing. As for Cape Liberty/NYC, same difference.  It will be a long time until I am worrying about flights. Though I do hate the Newark airport.....

[ngrund]

1 minute ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Yes, the April 28, 2025 sailing. As for Cape Liberty/NYC, same difference.  It will be a long time until I am worrying about flights. Though I do hate the Newark airport.....

Everyone hates Newark

[ontheweb]

32 minutes ago, ngrund said:

Everyone hates Newark

Is there an airport that everyone does not hate?

[kirtihk]

19 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

Is there an airport that everyone does not hate?

Yes, there is. It's Buffalo, NY.

Edited July 30 by kirtihk

[kirtihk]

1 hour ago, JamieLogical said:

 

I am not sure what the base cruise fare was because my invoice is showing the cruise fare as $1200 per person and then the Always Included as $0. Clearly, that was not the reality of the situation. Gratuities were $360 ($18 per person per day) and port fees/taxes were $262.78. There are two discount codes on there.. one for $50 and one for $200, bringing the total to $2772.78.

Could you please answer my question (from my original post # 167)?