Pricing on NCL Has Gotten Outrageous

[JamieLogical]

50 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Just looked at the fares for my last few NCL cruises…all include Free at Sea, all are per cabin (not per person).  All 7 nite (except for EPIC)

 

-Joy-Bermuda 06/24 Haven-$3,883

-Prima-Caribbean 02/24 Haven-$4,098

-EPIC 10/23 Haven 2BR Mediterranean 11 nite-$4,550

-Breakaway-New England/Canada 10/22 Balcony-$591

 

Granted, all solo, so only paid fees/taxes/grats 

for one.

 

Looking at Transatlantic 11-nite in December, solo Balcony with Free aT Sea for around $1,400.

 

 

 

I was on that CA & NE sailing with you back in 10/22. You are right that it was super cheap, which is why I booked it. However, those days of <$1000 sailings, solo or otherwise are LONG gone now. The Halloween cruise on the Breakaway out of NYC this years is currently, $2,705.80 for a solo in a balcony, not including DSC .

 

Meanwhile, my husband and I are booked in a balcony on the Meraviglia that same week and our price was $1357 total, not per person, not including DSC. Literally half as much as the NCL sailing....

[Shidah]

17 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Right. That is my point. Why are people continuing to pay these high prices on NCL when there are better prices to be had elsewhere for better products?

I don’t understand why other peoples choices bother you so much.  You do you, and we will do us.
 

 But if you have to understand, you can try to sell why MSC is such a great deal, but most people I talk to (actually talk to and know) have nothing good to say about their MSC cruises and vow to never repeat them.  Princess has a much older demographic, maybe in another 20 years will look there.  Would not bring my family on it.  I always said I would never cruise Carnival.   Well I tried it when I had a land casino comp.  And it wasn’t bad, but did pay $1000 for our drink packages and rented a cabana in loft 19 for the week at 2500ish for the week to make the vacation enjoyable.  So, much more than I would have paid for a comparable NCL room with say Vibe passes.  I gambled, a lot, and now have offers from Carnival that include drinks, but you would have to roll in my losses to compute what it took to get that.

 

You keep referring people to your 150 per day budget…that is your budget.  We all have different budgets and all like different things.  Not sure why that is hard to understand. 

[umpisoccer]

My wife and I have sailed on 15+ NCL cruises as well as 10+ cruises on Royal, Carnival and Celebrity. We love Norwegian!!   Last year we tried MSC Meraviglia out of NY twice (1 Yacht club and 1 basic inside)  We had such a great time we booked an 11 Night on Msc Seashore from Port Canaveral this past June on Yacht club.  It was once again one of the best cruises we have ever had.  We have now booked the Meraviglia again for Xmas and the Seaside next July.  MSC is definitely worth trying.  We are going on the Ncl Gem next week but would not hesitate to sail Msc anytime.

[JamieLogical]

19 minutes ago, Shidah said:

I don’t understand why other peoples choices bother you so much.  You do you, and we will do us.
 

 But if you have to understand, you can try to sell why MSC is such a great deal, but most people I talk to (actually talk to and know) have nothing good to say about their MSC cruises and vow to never repeat them.  Princess has a much older demographic, maybe in another 20 years will look there.  Would not bring my family on it.  I always said I would never cruise Carnival.   Well I tried it when I had a land casino comp.  And it wasn’t bad, but did pay $1000 for our drink packages and rented a cabana in loft 19 for the week at 2500ish for the week to make the vacation enjoyable.  So, much more than I would have paid for a comparable NCL room with say Vibe passes.  I gambled, a lot, and now have offers from Carnival that include drinks, but you would have to roll in my losses to compute what it took to get that.

 

You keep referring people to your 150 per day budget…that is your budget.  We all have different budgets and all like different things.  Not sure why that is hard to understand. 

 

I guess if people want to throw their money away, they are certainly free to do so. I don't understand a LOT of things that people waste money on (like designer purses or extravagant weddings), so this is probably just one more thing. I probably won't be convinced that the product NCL is currently offering is worth the price, but I probably won't convince anyone that it is not worth the price either. It does seem that I am not alone in my assessment that NCL is no longer worth the cost, based on a lot of replies in this thread, but most people will likely need to come to that conclusion through their own experiences.

 

I too have heard a lot of negative reviews of MSC, but after my five sailings with them so far, I have not experienced most of the negative things I read/hear about. I would say all of my MSC cruises have been good to great, whereas I have had a range of poor to great cruises on NCL and Celebrity. Princess I have only sailed twice. The first was terrible and the second was okay.

 

Right now, I feel that MSC is the best value for my dollar, but that could always change in the future. I would have said the same thing about NCL at one point.

[EllieinNJ]

I had one CN left because I booked my Feb. 2023 Bermuda cruise one week over the 4 month limit (would not accept two).  Then when we missed Bermuda they gave us all FCC.  So with that I booked the 10 day Prima r/t out of NY in Dec. as someone previously mentioned.  I booked an inside cabin for the price I was used to booking a balcony, hoping to bid up when the time came.  I now see that the insides are $400pp more than what I paid but the balconies have come down about $200pp.  Final payment is next month and will probably be my last NCL cruise.

 

I have three Princess cruises booked in balconies with tons of OBC from specials they have had.  I also have three Royal Caribbean balcony cruises booked with my TA's group rates, which are about half of what their website shows.  It would have to be a really great price or itinerary to book another one with NCL.  I did one MSC on Miraviglia in a regular balcony last year and did not care for it at all.

[graphicguy]

@JamieLogical  Yes...that NE/Canada cruise was a cheap one.  I find those every once in a while.  Also enjoyed it quite a bit.

 

I get where you're coming from.  You have expanded your cruise pallet.  I have done the same (just not recently).  I think that's a good thing.  It allows you to experience other lines.  You found others you like better. That's what's good about varying cruise experiences.

 

Some of us, (me included) find good deals on NCL.  We like the experience.  We continue to sail them. because we do like them.

 

 I've been trying to find some sort of decent fare on Royal Caribbean, for example. I'm curious about the Icon.  But....WHOA......even inside cabins are crazy expensive.  I sailed the Prima when it was new...in the HAVEN no less, for about 40% less than a balcony fare on the Icon.  And, that's with the drink, internet, excursion credit, etc perks with NCL.

 

MSC....you and I have discussed how they shafted me last time I tried to book them.  Still not over that.  Still look at their fares every once in a while.  Nothing really special to make me sail them over NCL.

 

Princess....no experience with them so can't comment.

 

I keep my eyes on Carnival, too.  But again, adding in what Free at Sea offers on NCL, there are no great deals there, either.

 

All due respect, I am having a hard time understanding why you think we're all "throwing our money away" if we book, sail, enjoy NCL.  I certainly don't believe I do. Quite the contrary.

[Saint Greg]

3 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Those are the reasons I keep sailing  NCL.   Those, and the fact i like their service and their ships.  I can always find a deal on their fares….especially for solos, which is what I mostly sail!

 

I have no issues with those who find any other cruise line more to their liking!

Yeah exactly. Just don’t tell me I’m paying more when I’m not. The last NCL cruise I booked is Prima for next March out of Galveston. It was like $1,250 after paying for the FAS. And I used a $500 FCC that I paid $250 for. So I actually paid 1k for that cruise and it includes drinks and a specialty dinner. I’ll add internet and gratuities and it’ll cost me about $1,235.

 

Compare that to my two Jubilee cruises out of Galveston. The one I did in February was like $1,350. That doesn’t include anything extra. So to make it equal I have to add Cheers. Carnival doesn’t sell a drink package day 1 out of Galveston. I spent about $80 on drinks the first day. Then cheers for the rest of the cruise was $420, internet was at least $100. Grats are $100. if I did a steakhouse dinner to match my NCL trip that would be $60 with an equal tip as FAS. 
 

So that $1,235 on NCL is over $2,100 on Carnival in that case. The base price for my next Jubilee came to $1,500. So with all of the same numbers that one would be about $2,300.

 

Edited July 28 by Saint Greg

[CWMixer]

We have 3 upcoming NCL bookings, 1 in '25 and 2 in '26.  In comparison to the closest matching cruises on MSC (#days, ports, room category, etc), NCL vs MSC is more than we booked:

'25: 7D Bermuda: +15%

'26: 7D western Caribbean: +42% (I ran it twice to be sure)

'26: 14D east/west Caribbean: +5%

 

And the fares for all 3 have gone up about 5% each since booked price.

 

We did a 15D Panama Canal in Feb '23 on Joy, Miami to LA.  The exact same cruise (cabin, etc) on Joy or Bliss is now +47% in '25 and +74% in '26.

 

As others have said, if NCL is still filling rooms at (relatively) higher pricing, why lower it?

Tesla didn't start offering discounts until their volumes began to fall off.

(interesting that as I've been typing this I've received 3 price drop email alerts from cruiseline, one for each of the above bookings).

 

Alternatively, as I'm certain other comparable lines monitor this, why continue to leave $ on the table unless it's a strategy to gain new customers?

 

We've never sailed on MSC.  We've sailed on RCCL & Princess but have preferred NCL.  At the very least I'll take closer look at comparable sailings on MSC before our next booking.

[graphicguy]

You start adding "cruise first" and "cruise next" certs into the mix and the fares drop even further for NCL.

[Saint Greg]

5 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

One option to consider with princess is to buy the plus package onboard on Day, just fyi. You can then use OBC to absorb the cost. So, if you have $125 OBC to use, your package is now $275. That $275 includes your daily gratuities for your steward and dining team, so now your cost for a far superior, more inclusive, Princess package is $165, similar to what you pay NCL for the beverage service charge and you have used your OBC on something you would have purchased anyway. You get unlimited WiFi, too. We find the NCL OBC rules to be quite restrictive, and we end up spending it on overpriced things we typically would have no interest in buying.

 

 

Most of my Princess OBC was refundable. The thing I didn’t like about that is they send you a check after the cruise. On Carnival I can go to guest services and take my refundable OBC in cash. Well on debarkation day my statement said about $50 of my OBC wasn’t refundable when guest services had told me it was all refundable. I would’ve spent that in the gift shop had I known that.

 

But yeah Princess plus would be a way to make sure it gets spent. The only downside is if you don’t have it ahead of time you don’t get free shipping on your medallion and there’s an extra line you have to wait in on embarkation day.

 

[Saint Greg]

1 minute ago, graphicguy said:

You start adding "cruise first" and "cruise next" certs into the mix and the fares drop even further for NCL.

Exactly. I also get a 10% discount with NCL as a veteran but that’s usually a wash since I can save 10% with gift cards on the other lines. The cruise first/next, solo cabins/stuidos, and not having to pay full price for a drink package are the big savers for me on NCL.

 

[schmoopie17]

4 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

You start adding "cruise first" and "cruise next" certs into the mix and the fares drop even further for NCL.

Not to mention the Veteran's discount (which is one key reason we stay with NCL). Also excursion discounts, etc.

 

We have looked into MSC because they supposedly offer status matching. However, their "match" doesn't really seem to be a true match. Seems like more of a gimmick than anything. But what do I know? Plus, their pricing system is confusing (at least to an old codger like me) with all the levels. 

[yakcruiser]

Maybe for those who travel as twosomes other cruise lines might have better deals but as a solo cruiser, I find NCL has better pricing for me.

 

[graphicguy]

20 minutes ago, Saint Greg said:

Exactly. I also get a 10% discount with NCL as a veteran but that’s usually a wash since I can save 10% with gift cards on the other lines. The cruise first/next, solo cabins/stuidos, and not having to pay full price for a drink package are the big savers for me on NCL.

 

 

15 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Not to mention the Veteran's discount (which is one key reason we stay with NCL). Also excursion discounts, etc.

 

We have looked into MSC because they supposedly offer status matching. However, their "match" doesn't really seem to be a true match. Seems like more of a gimmick than anything. But what do I know? Plus, their pricing system is confusing (at least to an old codger like me) with all the levels. 

Didn't mention the 10% Veterans Discount because not everyone qualifies.  But, it's a great perk.

 

MSC status matched me to Diamond (I think), which they keep renewing even though it's been years since I sailed with them.  Still can't find anything with them that makes me want to book.  

 

That said, if you enjoy MSC (or Princess) no judgement here.  I like NCL. Won't judge those who don't.

[LadyBerard]

3 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

 

Is that including DSC? If it is, that works out to $204 per person per day. If not that works out to $224 per person per day. That is WAY over my $150 per person per day target.

I don't know what DSC is.

[mking8288]

Just a few random thoughts while we are cooling our heels at the Jersey shore hotel resort for an extended holiday weekend - good grief, traffic on the parkway yesterday was mad crazy and the rest area - plaza was full of cars ... like cruise ships.  

 

Calling NCL’s pricing trend ahead for 2025-2026 outrageous might be a bit too extreme but we’ve certainly noticed the upward prices.  Definitely less for more, IMHO.  

 

We have 5 cruises ahead, 53 nights at sea – 2 of them with NCL for 23 nights, the rest with the competition … have several CruiseNext certs to use but since they don’t expire, we are only going to worry about devaluation over time if we don’t use it. We will likely use our remaining one-time Diamond upgrade on one of the NCL cruises booked (both in 2025).

 

Deals are out there and one has to do the research, pricing and stay on top of real offers vs. slick marketing … DW maintained her position of cruising on a balcony as being great & fine, we don’t need to sail in a suite or Haven/YC setting. Specialty dining is nice with minimal upcharge but given the NCL cutback on their “limited” menu, not a big deal.

 

DW hates dealing with air travel flying in a tiny single aisle metal tin-can and we still plan to consider an Asia cruise but there is no way that we will consider NCL with their limited offering options and routes, ports & pricing.

 

2 of the cruises involving airline travel, one being a round-trip and the other being TA or just 1-way, extra costs for hotel stays and land-based independent sightseeing.  We look and compare, and take those into consideration. It is sometimes not easy to generalize using a simple formula.

Edited July 28 by mking8288

[Saint Greg]

24 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

 

Didn't mention the 10% Veterans Discount because not everyone qualifies.  But, it's a great perk.

 

But worth mentioning for those who don’t know. I didn’t know about that or cruise first last year. My former PCC could’ve easily saved me a couple hundred bucks but chose not to.

 

 

Edited July 28 by Saint Greg

[KKB]

@JamieLogical Yeah, cruise pricing is all over the board these days.

I am finding that I have to do A LOT more comparison shopping & be a lot more flexible. 

NCL I have CruiseNext tucked away to use as well as MyVegas $500 vouchers...hoping to snag me a VERY cheap cruise in Sept with them. 

Luckily we have that luxury now that we are retired.

Learning when I see a good deal to BOOK IT.

We, too, like to keep our per day cruise cost around $150-200/day, including drinks, tips & wifi.

(We've got an MSC Yacht Club booking I'm looking at...$215pp/day. I'm willing

to consider it for that price!!)

Trying the MSC Seashore again next month...we shall see if my MSC opinion is changed. (hey, it was FREE--not even port taxes, so OK!)

Hopefully we will cruise together someday--would love to meet you.

 

 

Edited July 28 by KKB

[KKB]

16 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Like all cruise lines, a little shopping goes a long way.  NCL has some killer deals to

Alaska this October.  They also have killer trans-Atlantic sailings this December.  All less than $200/nite per cabin with FREE AT SEA!

 

I've been looking at these cruises for months...but the times in Juneau & Ketchikan are horrible...especially with where they are docking & tender & bus to town required. 

I mean--how much will be open in town at 6 or 7AM??!! 

I'm eyeing the Joy on Sept. 2. With a My Vegas $500 & CruiseNext it could be close to free...

Gotta wait 2 weeks to snag another MyVegas voucher.

[NJGeorge]

Pre covid19 we looked at a MSC cruise. MSC matched my platinum NCL status. It however took like six weeks to accomplish. I never booked the cruise because of the ponderous and ineptitude displayed by MSC customer service. 

My question is have they improved their customer service?

We have a 2025 cruise booked on the Getaway out of Barcelona. Thinking of canceling mainly due to the tourist revolt going on there. Come to think of it all the ports are tightening up.

 

 

[dexddd]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

Not to mention the Veteran's discount (which is one key reason we stay with NCL). Also excursion discounts, etc.

 

We have looked into MSC because they supposedly offer status matching. However, their "match" doesn't really seem to be a true match. Seems like more of a gimmick than anything. But what do I know? Plus, their pricing system is confusing (at least to an old codger like me) with all the levels. 

They used to match to highest tier which main benefit is specialty dining for room.  No laundry in top tier on MSC.  Yes, their pricing/room levels are confusing, took us awhile to understand, then just heck, threw up hands and only done ten trips all in YC.

Edited July 28 by dexddd

[dexddd]

11 minutes ago, NJGeorge said:

Pre covid19 we looked at a MSC cruise. MSC matched my platinum NCL status. It however took like six weeks to accomplish. I never booked the cruise because of the ponderous and ineptitude displayed by MSC customer service. 

My question is have they improved their customer service?

We have a 2025 cruise booked on the Getaway out of Barcelona. Thinking of canceling mainly due to the tourist revolt going on there. Come to think of it all the ports are tightening up.

 

 

MSC still gets lots of complaints about IT.  Had mixed issues with couple times we had any need to use their customer service.  Our match, one was within a day, other was lost, then reapply.

 

We always book via TA.

 

[dexddd]

54 minutes ago, mking8288 said:

Just a few random thoughts while we are cooling our heels at the Jersey shore hotel resort for an extended holiday weekend - good grief, traffic on the parkway yesterday was mad crazy and the rest area - plaza was full of cars ... like cruise ships.  

 

Calling NCL’s pricing trend ahead for 2025-2026 outrageous might be a bit too extreme but we’ve certainly noticed the upward prices.  Definitely less for more, IMHO.  

 

We have 5 cruises ahead, 53 nights at sea – 2 of them with NCL for 23 nights, the rest with the competition … have several CruiseNext certs to use but since they don’t expire, we are only going to worry about devaluation over time if we don’t use it. We will likely use our remaining one-time Diamond upgrade on one of the NCL cruises booked (both in 2025).

 

Deals are out there and one has to do the research, pricing and stay on top of real offers vs. slick marketing … DW maintained her position of cruising on a balcony as being great & fine, we don’t need to sail in a suite or Haven/YC setting. Specialty dining is nice with minimal upcharge but given the NCL cutback on their “limited” menu, not a big deal.

 

DW hates dealing with air travel flying in a tiny single aisle metal tin-can and we still plan to consider an Asia cruise but there is no way that we will consider NCL with their limited offering options and routes, ports & pricing.

 

2 of the cruises involving airline travel, one being a round-trip and the other being TA or just 1-way, extra costs for hotel stays and land-based independent sightseeing.  We look and compare, and take those into consideration. It is sometimes not easy to generalize using a simple formula.

Hate to break it to you, but if you are hoping to do cameo on Jersey Shore, it ended in 2012.  Even taking the white Cujo for TV cuddle factor won't help. Make sure she gets plenty of water in hot weather.

[Sugar Magnolia]

I echo what other solo travelers have said, having also sailed solo on other cruise lines…It is difficult to beat NCL’s solo pricing.

 

We should always compare prices if we are looking at sailing from a particular port during a particular time of the year. Though it might be true that MSC offers the best pricing on a 10-day Caribbean sailing during a particular time of the year, this might not be true on a different itinerary sailing elsewhere during a different time of the year.

 

However, even more important than mere pricing is identifying what is the best value to you, personally.

 

Not everyone takes the drinks package, not everyone cares about the premium brands of liquor, coffee or water, and not everyone feels the need for unlimited Wi-Fi while on a vacation, even if budget is not an issue.

 

Some people want to sail on a particular cruise line for a particular itinerary because of certain ports or because it is the only week they can sail, even if pricing is over their normal budget; they do not feel like they are throwing money away.

 

There are so many factors to consider, but it all boils down to what is the best value to you…what is important to you?

 

Very often on NCL, Inside cabins without access to the solo lounge is cheaper than a Studio cabin with access to the solo lounge. Studio cabins are smaller than Inside cabins and also do not have refrigerators like Inside cabins. However, some solo travelers will pay more for a smaller Studio because access to the studio lounge is important to them; they do not feel like they are throwing money away. Nowadays, it is possible to book a Solo Inside cabin with access to the solo lounge, but they sell out very quickly.

 

I am a budget-conscious solo traveler. However, I will not be booking the Studio cabin on the MSC Meraviglia as depicted in that video because a real bed that also does not impede access to the closet is more important to me than the lowest priced cabin.

 

[graphicguy]

14 minutes ago, KKB said:

I've been looking at these cruises for months...but the times in Juneau & Ketchikan are horrible...especially with where they are docking & tender & bus to town required. 

I mean--how much will be open in town at 6 or 7AM??!! 

I'm eyeing the Joy on Sept. 2. With a My Vegas $500 & CruiseNext it could be close to free...

Gotta wait 2 weeks to snag another MyVegas voucher.

Ketchikan isn’t all that interesting.  Been there twice.  I do like Juneau, though!  Haven’t dug deep enough on either port to see what they’re doing!

 

I know I took the bus from the Ketchikan port area and ended up coming back to the ship fairly quickly!

 

The Joy is a cool ship.  Sailed it last month and enjoyed it immensely!