Will promos end? Will prices come down?

I get daily emails from my NCL PCC about taking advantage of these offers before they expire. But it seems they never expire and they keep sending the same promo. All I can imagine is NCL is making a fortune with lots of bookings with the UBP and UDP. Even more now that the UDP has increased in price from $119 to $141.

I can drink a lot but I could not or would not want to drink 9 drinks a day to make it feel I am getting my money's worth with the UBP.

I see quality declining and prices going up in the UDP. I no longer think its even a good deal especially since the MDR menus have changed and I really like them. In addition, I always thought the specialty restaurants were the best deal ever. Where could you get a good steak meal for $20, then $25, then $30 and now $35 (with the double gratuity added). I used to say you could not get the Cagneys meal on land for $25 so it was worth it. But now you can walk into any land steakhouse and get an equal meal for $35. IMHO the specialty restaurants may have passed the line of good deal.

The cruise prices are high and claim these offers are over $2000 in savings. Do you think these promos will stop? If so, will the cruise prices go down?

I get daily emails from my NCL PCC about taking advantage of these offers before they expire. But it seems they never expire and they keep sending the same promo. All I can imagine is NCL is making a fortune with lots of bookings with the UBP and UDP. Even more now that the UDP has increased in price from $119 to $141.

 

I can drink a lot but I could not or would not want to drink 9 drinks a day to make it feel I am getting my money's worth with the UBP.

 

I see quality declining and prices going up in the UDP. I no longer think its even a good deal especially since the MDR menus have changed and I really like them. In addition, I always thought the specialty restaurants were the best deal ever. Where could you get a good steak meal for $20, then $25, then $30 and now $35 (with the double gratuity added). I used to say you could not get the Cagneys meal on land for $25 so it was worth it. But now you can walk into any land steakhouse and get an equal meal for $35. IMHO the specialty restaurants may have passed the line of good deal.

 

The cruise prices are high and claim these offers are over $2000 in savings. Do you think these promos will stop? If so, will the cruise prices go down?

The crystal ball is in the shop for repairs, but until sales start to flatten, why wouldn't they continue to offer these deals? If it is a successful marketing campaign, then until someone else puts out a better deal and starts luring bookings away, NCL would be foolish to change things up...

With some of the changes they have begun to implement with auto-gratuities I admit I have looked around at other lines, but really there aren't many deals that come close to these.

I get daily emails from my NCL PCC about taking advantage of these offers before they expire. But it seems they never expire and they keep sending the same promo. All I can imagine is NCL is making a fortune with lots of bookings with the UBP and UDP. Even more now that the UDP has increased in price from $119 to $141.

 

I can drink a lot but I could not or would not want to drink 9 drinks a day to make it feel I am getting my money's worth with the UBP.

 

I see quality declining and prices going up in the UDP. I no longer think its even a good deal especially since the MDR menus have changed and I really like them. In addition, I always thought the specialty restaurants were the best deal ever. Where could you get a good steak meal for $20, then $25, then $30 and now $35 (with the double gratuity added). I used to say you could not get the Cagneys meal on land for $25 so it was worth it. But now you can walk into any land steakhouse and get an equal meal for $35. IMHO the specialty restaurants may have passed the line of good deal.

 

The cruise prices are high and claim these offers are over $2000 in savings. Do you think these promos will stop? If so, will the cruise prices go down?

I think they'll come down.....minus the $50.00 pp increase the big boss wants from everyone. It has to come down it if wants to be competitive with other lines.

One thing I never really thought of until now is this:

Every time someone pays to eat in a specialty restaurant not only is the ship getting that money for the specialty restaurant but also SAVING money on the food the passenger(s) are not eating at the MDR but is included in their

Harriet

I get daily emails from my NCL PCC about taking advantage of these offers before they expire. But it seems they never expire and they keep sending the same promo. All I can imagine is NCL is making a fortune with lots of bookings with the UBP and UDP. Even more now that the UDP has increased in price from $119 to $141.

 

I can drink a lot but I could not or would not want to drink 9 drinks a day to make it feel I am getting my money's worth with the UBP.

 

I see quality declining and prices going up in the UDP. I no longer think its even a good deal especially since the MDR menus have changed and I really like them. In addition, I always thought the specialty restaurants were the best deal ever. Where could you get a good steak meal for $20, then $25, then $30 and now $35 (with the double gratuity added). I used to say you could not get the Cagneys meal on land for $25 so it was worth it. But now you can walk into any land steakhouse and get an equal meal for $35. IMHO the specialty restaurants may have passed the line of good deal.

 

The cruise prices are high and claim these offers are over $2000 in savings. Do you think these promos will stop? If so, will the cruise prices go down?

I got in when they were first announced, and my cruise price was not high at all. In fact, my Escape cruise is priced lower than my Getaway cruise was. I think NCL raised prices since then to make up for the "free" packages. Not so sure I'd book now! We are looking at other lines for the next one though. Too many nickel and dime changes at NCL now for us to stay with them.

I get daily emails from my NCL PCC about taking advantage of these offers before they expire. But it seems they never expire and they keep sending the same promo. All I can imagine is NCL is making a fortune with lots of bookings with the UBP and UDP. Even more now that the UDP has increased in price from $119 to $141.

 

I can drink a lot but I could not or would not want to drink 9 drinks a day to make it feel I am getting my money's worth with the UBP.

 

I see quality declining and prices going up in the UDP. I no longer think its even a good deal especially since the MDR menus have changed and I really like them. In addition, I always thought the specialty restaurants were the best deal ever. Where could you get a good steak meal for $20, then $25, then $30 and now $35 (with the double gratuity added). I used to say you could not get the Cagneys meal on land for $25 so it was worth it. But now you can walk into any land steakhouse and get an equal meal for $35. IMHO the specialty restaurants may have passed the line of good deal.

 

The cruise prices are high and claim these offers are over $2000 in savings. Do you think these promos will stop? If so, will the cruise prices go down?

Yes, you could get a steak entree for $35 on land (at a steakhouse higher quality than Outback) but that would likely not include tax, tip, side dishes or any of the other courses Cagney's gives you for that price. And in a major city like NYC, you probably couldn't find steak for $35 of the same quality.

The price I am paying on the Getaway next year is the same price on Carnival I say the prices are excellent and so are the perks too! I don't think the price of the cruise go much lower than what is offered now.

I think all the free Promos were just a smoke screen to obscure that fact that cruise fares were increasing along with increased DSC, drink prices and new auto grats put in place. I don't see how they are making any money offering these for free, but maybe they are.

My guess is that the Free Promos will end soon, but that prices will remain elevated significantly from what they were before. May be time to start doing land vacations instead of cruising 2 or 3 times a year.

I think all the free Promos were just a smoke screen to obscure that fact that cruise fares were increasing along with increased DSC, drink prices and new auto grats put in place. I don't see how they are making any money on these packages, but maybe they are.

 

My guess is that the Free Promos will end soon, but that prices will remain elevated significantly from what they were before. May be time to start doing land vacations instead of cruising 2 or 3 times a year.

I'm sure they're making plenty of money by enticing customers to book an NCL cruise instead of another line, if they were in the decision making process of choosing which cruise line to sail. A "free" drink package, dining package, DSC or OBC is very enticing to people. And the Haven and suite guests get all of it...makes people more likely to book those categories as well and fill up the ships.

I don't find the cruise prices to be unreasonable at this point.

I think the current promotion ends April 6.

When it comes to land vacations I guess it depends where you go. We are going to Bermuda in May. The cruise was 3k for two. Having gone there on land I know the cruise is a good deal and I can walk to the ship. Sure beats messing with a plane.

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The upside for me to these promos is knowing that we aren't going to end up with a $1500 bill at the end of the cruise like we used to paying for drinks and dining individually. It justifies us now paying the higher price for the Haven now knowing that with virtually everything is now included in the price and we'll also have $300 OBC towards Ocean Blue or Wasabi etc.

The downside is that so many UDPs are taken, the speciality restaurants are now harder to book once you are on the ship.

But I agree, the current 'free' extras do seem to be hanging round for a long time.

I'm sure they're making plenty of money by enticing customers to book an NCL cruise instead of another line, if they were in the decision making process of choosing which cruise line to sail. A "free" drink package, dining package, DSC or OBC is very enticing to people. And the Haven and suite guests get all of it...makes people more likely to book those categories as well and fill up the ships.

 

I don't find the cruise prices to be unreasonable at this point.

I'm not so sure. Some people who had booked prior to the promos could have rebooked and gotten them included, but with the significantly increased fares, it was cheaper to keep the low fare and pay as they went for food and drinks. And I never got the impression that NCL was having much problem filling their ships to begin with. Didn't they always sail full with only some discounting of the final few cabins? And Del Rio has stated that he wants to get away from this "discounting" mentality.

And I have always heard that a cruise line does not make their profit in the fare, but in what someone spends on board. This is why there are casinos, specialty dining, bingo, excursions, paid dinner shows, etc. So now they are essentially giving away for free all drinks, all dining and for some, even the DSC if it was a freebie too. Some could literally not spend a cent on the ship the entire week. How long can they afford to do this? Unless, fares are raised enough, or enough fees are added to make up for the loss. And if that is the case, given the increased fares and fees, are you really saving anything over what you would have spent for your cruise prior to all these promos?

I think Del Rio intends to keep fares high and not offer discounts. I think the huge free promos will end. We will see how his philosophy plays out. JC Penney thought they were going to do away with the discounting mentality as well, and look where it got them.

The upside for me to these promos is knowing that we aren't going to end up with a $1500 bill at the end of the cruise like we used to paying for drinks and dining individually. It justifies us now paying the higher price for the Haven now knowing that with virtually everything is now included in the price and we'll also have $300 OBC towards Ocean Blue or Wasabi etc.

 

The downside is that so many UDPs are taken, the speciality restaurants are now harder to book once you are on the ship.

 

But I agree, the current 'free' extras do seem to be hanging round for a long time.

This is my first NCL and always wanted to try the Haven so because of the promo's here I am. If I like, I'm hooked, promo or no promo. I think they are looking for people like me when these offers go away!!:o;)

If you look at Oceania they really do not discount fares, they sometime add free Internet or tips or drinks. They do lots of up sells where you pay a small amount to move to a better room or at times to a different cruise. They also include air, if you do not use it you get a credit.

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The price on our cruise this September came down during all the promos so we got a lower price and free gratuities as well.

Don't think the prices are that bad. We're paying $3200 for a family of 3 to travel 10 nights on the Gem (balcony stateroom) and getting drinks for free. Plus we don't have to pay for airfare since cruise is out of NYC.

We couldn't fly to one of these islands, spend 10 nights in a hotel and pay for meals at that price.

Even the increase in gratuities makes it a value vacation.

Like the OP, I'm interested in seeing how all this shakes out. The various dining and drinking plans hold little interest to me, because I spend very little onboard anyway, and the DSC changes don't amount to enough for me to worry about. I realize it's a huge deal to other people, and they're entitled to their opinions.

However, I'm very much driven by total price. I have my eye on a particular cruise, and will see if pricing goes down after final payment is due this summer.

Like the OP, I'm interested in seeing how all this shakes out. The various dining and drinking plans hold little interest to me, because I spend very little onboard anyway, and the DSC changes don't amount to enough for me to worry about. I realize it's a huge deal to other people, and they're entitled to their opinions.

However, I'm very much driven by total price. I have my eye on a particular cruise, and will see if pricing goes down after final payment is due this summer.

If you look at Oceania they really do not discount fares, they sometime add free Internet or tips or drinks. They do lots of up sells where you pay a small amount to move to a better room or at times to a different cruise. They also include air, if you do not use it you get a credit.

 

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Oceania doesn't have to fill the thousands of rooms each week that Norwegian does. I don't think their pricing model will work for Norwegian.

Don't think the prices are that bad. We're paying $3200 for a family of 3 to travel 10 nights on the Gem (balcony stateroom) and getting drinks for free. Plus we don't have to pay for airfare since cruise is out of NYC.

 

We couldn't fly to one of these islands, spend 10 nights in a hotel and pay for meals at that price.

 

Even the increase in gratuities makes it a value vacation.

I am in the exact same "boat" as you. I always wanted to go to Bermuda, but to be honest with a family of 4, a balcony room was always out of my price range I wanted to pay and I could find a better value somewhere else.

Our BA Bermuda cruise in a large balcony with free drinks is cheaper than our Carnival Bahamas cruise from Baltimore in an obstructed balcony with no perks. Then again this is a kids sail free promo which is what really made me book it and I booked during the 50% deposit weekend.

All said and done NCL won my business that they never would have with this promo. Prices stay up high afterwards, I will always be happy with Carnival but then again I am the type of person who doesn't care where she is going as long as there is a balcony to read on!

I would put money on prices dropping slightly, but no where near enough to make up for the cost increase they caused on some cruises.

The price on our cruise this September came down during all the promos so we got a lower price and free gratuities as well.

I get daily emails from my NCL PCC about taking advantage of these offers before they expire. But it seems they never expire and they keep sending the same promo. All I can imagine is NCL is making a fortune with lots of bookings with the UBP and UDP. Even more now that the UDP has increased in price from $119 to $141.

 

I can drink a lot but I could not or would not want to drink 9 drinks a day to make it feel I am getting my money's worth with the UBP.

 

I see quality declining and prices going up in the UDP. I no longer think its even a good deal especially since the MDR menus have changed and I really like them. In addition, I always thought the specialty restaurants were the best deal ever. Where could you get a good steak meal for $20, then $25, then $30 and now $35 (with the double gratuity added). I used to say you could not get the Cagneys meal on land for $25 so it was worth it. But now you can walk into any land steakhouse and get an equal meal for $35. IMHO the specialty restaurants may have passed the line of good deal.

 

The cruise prices are high and claim these offers are over $2000 in savings. Do you think these promos will stop? If so, will the cruise prices go down?

I am wondering the same thing.

DW does not drink, I may have 2 beers in a week, we do not drink sodas, we are each Platinum, so get free Specialty restaurant meals, so the promotions are of no interest to us. Agree with you, we have found the MDR's dinners very good.

The suite perks of Cagney's are getting old, same ole menu for breakfast & lunch for years. On our last cruise, we skipped Cagney's half of the time.

But we have really noticed the prices increase in the last 6 months, there are cruises we are interested in booking, but we are not interested in them at the current prices. So will not book now.

I would assume when these promotions end, the prices will drop to compensate for the cost of the promotions.

But if not, we will change how we vacation in the future.

We like cruising with NCL, but will spend our vacation dollars in other ways.

We also can not go to the Caribbean every year, that is getting old.

May be selling a couple of FCC's in the future, bought 2 more last December.

Thanks for posting a good question.

Just booked a Bermuda cruise for sept. Did the same cruise last year with 4 of us in a 2 bedroom suite for $4400 with ksf. This year an aft suite for 2 was $5800 with the promos. We are in a balcony, just 2 of us. Our pcc said NCL can't wait to get rid of this promo. For what it's worth.

"Value added" promos are here to stay I think. Celebrity has been very successful with their 123Go and Pick your Perk promos. NCL seems to be following their lead. All the cruise lines are trying to scare off bargain shoppers. They want passengers who will spend more up front to have more value add, so that those same passengers then end up spending (hopefully) on board what they they would have spent for the value added item(s) ..... The hopeful mental thought train of the passenger should go something like this: "Oh we got free drinks, now we can afford to spend that money on the Casino, Spa, Shops, Dining or Shore Tours since we are saving so much".

The goal is higher upfront revenue coupled with flat to higher overall revenues. The days of the $299 7night cruise and spending nothing extra onboard are going the way of the Dodo bird. That kind of passenger is a loss-leader and ALL the cruise lines want to shed them.

Don't think the prices are that bad. We're paying $3200 for a family of 3 to travel 10 nights on the Gem (balcony stateroom) and getting drinks for free. Plus we don't have to pay for airfare since cruise is out of NYC.

 

We couldn't fly to one of these islands, spend 10 nights in a hotel and pay for meals at that price.

 

Even the increase in gratuities makes it a value vacation.

I guess it's not bad for a balcony but nothing beats my $2150 for 3 in an inside guarantee on the BA 12 day NYC in January 2015!! It was an incredible cruise and the cabin was perfect

We don't care for balconies anyway

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