The new promo is lame

I know a lot of people were hoping for "big" price drops when the March promo was done. Instead from what I can tell prices are the same and you get "choices" that don't measure up to the previous ones. Heck at least in the last promos you could have your gratuities paid. Now besides the 250 minutes of internet time the highest value item for most people is less than what they would gotten with the prior promo. Then just to rub salt into the wound as of this morning they still have the previous promo up with "expired" on it.

So are the days of low fares truly gone or do you think we will see a lowering of prices and no promos next month?

Sooner or later the cruise I'm looking at will have to come down. There are a LOT of empty berths on it. It's just a waiting game and Del Rio... bring it on... I'll out wait you. The only thing you could do is pull out of that destination completely to win this one. :D

The Internet package may appeal to the younger, hipster generation who can't put down their cellphones for a darn minute! :)

The last promo was great. They can't keep giving away that much stuff indefinitely.

The last promo was great. They can't keep giving away that much stuff indefinitely.

Gotta agree! Glad I booked a few!! ;)

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So are the days of low fares truly gone or do you think we will see a lowering of prices and no promos next month?

The thing about promotions is that the next one isn't always going to be better than the last one. In fact, one should not be expected to be.

The KSF + UDP + UBP + Service Charges + OBC or Excursion Credits was an incredible deal. We switched from our previous booking to take advantage of the savings, and I made note in advance - the base fare was not increased.

We all like the best possible price for the largest number of inclusions; but inventory management says that some pay less and some pay more... and different deals attract different people.

Everyone knew the April deal was going to end last night... anyone who wanted to hold it to see if it was better or worse than the May deal had that opportunity.

The Internet package may appeal to the younger, hipster generation who can't put down their cellphones for a darn minute! :)

Hey! I'm turning 50 this year and I had to buy several internet packages in March because a huge file in my office blew up. It sucked to have my vacation interrupted now and again by office stuff, but a free wifi plan would have saved me a lot... just not as much as the UDP/UBP and such together.

So glad I booked and put a deposit down for the Escape yesterday.

OP: You're right... this new promo does stink. The interiors and studios (ie... solos) got screwed again at $25 OBC only. Geesh... :mad:

I know a lot of people were hoping for "big" price drops when the March promo was done. Instead from what I can tell prices are the same and you get "choices" that don't measure up to the previous ones. Heck at least in the last promos you could have your gratuities paid. Now besides the 250 minutes of internet time the highest value item for most people is less than what they would gotten with the prior promo. Then just to rub salt into the wound as of this morning they still have the previous promo up with "expired" on it.

 

So are the days of low fares truly gone or do you think we will see a lowering of prices and no promos next month?

Does everyone expect great promos to go on forever? Do annual dept sales continue for ever or meat sales at your grocery store? All good things come to an end. Only time will tell what is next.

A promo is just that. It's a temporary thing. You may not see one again like that ever. Prices will always be set based on demand.... seasons, ports, and ships. If demand is still high while prices are higher than before, then no business would lower the prices....until capacity exceeds demand again. The prices will find their own level over time.

If the ships fill with these lesser promotions, I would guess that the next promotions would even be less.

Its seems the April promo is still going on for some sailings...

I was just pricing out my upcoming cruise, and the promo is still available when you get to the page to pick your cabin....

If the ships fill with these lesser promotions, I would guess that the next promotions would even be less.

Probably right: one ship starts a great promo and other follow. I believe it is called competition. When ships fill up, promos are inclined to vanish or good ones are anyway. Maybe it is time for some to join a Whinners annon. (spelling) group.

Did not book my trip for June yet still want to wait. Three years ago booked it about six weeks before, 2 days after I booked price dropped $350.00 pp. Was not happy did upgrade me from an obstructed cabin to balcony. Do not care that I missed last promotion, if it drops like last time I will still be ahead. Hoping it will since schools in the Boston area are going to be in school until end of June, due to all are snow storms this winter. Dont think it will fill up the week I plan on going

Demand will dictate both prices and promos. If sales start to lag, better promos will be offered and if that doesn't help prices are the next to go down... There is only so much you can do to create demand... The supply is constant... or at best INCREASING with new builds being added...

The last promo was great. They can't keep giving away that much stuff indefinitely.

They weren't giving away anything. The prices were and still are inflated and we the paying customers paid for those "free" things.

Bill

If you go to the UK site, the older promos are still live...

Did not book my trip for June yet still want to wait. Three years ago booked it about six weeks before, 2 days after I booked price dropped $350.00 pp. Was not happy did upgrade me from an obstructed cabin to balcony. Do not care that I missed last promotion, if it drops like last time I will still be ahead. Hoping it will since schools in the Boston area are going to be in school until end of June, due to all are snow storms this winter. Dont think it will fill up the week I plan on going

Exactly and if NCL is comfortable sailing ships with empty cabins then they may not drop it. The last minute rates on the Bermuda cruises have been much higher than anticipated and a lot closer in but now that the expensive packages are gone, here's hoping the close-in sales get better! :)

They weren't giving away anything. The prices were and still are inflated and we the paying customers paid for those "free" things.

 

Bill

I'm still trying to figure out this "inflated" price argument. Last October 25th I originally booked a M6 for @ 2680.92 with 100 OBC. Thanks to a no single supplement wave sale I ended up getting it for 1880.92 with 120 OBC. After final payment there was another price drop and they were selling the M6 for 1300 but the double occupancy price remained the same.

This year the Oct 24th cruise M6 is currently 2597.52 with the promos for double occupancy, so I could have gotten a drink package when that was available and paid $100 less than what I did last year. (Note: I booked a March 6th 2016 promo for a aft balcony that's @2600, the M6 would have been 3040).

Its all about timing. ;)

I booked my cruise in early Feb. My kids are sailing free... Booze is free.. AND my gratuities have been prepaid before the new prices went into affect. If I were to book the same cruise last week, I would have paid 3g MORE. The key is to been a savvy shopper. Know your prices. Track them weekly.

This free wifi does NOT appeal to me since one of the the perks of me taking a cruise is to leave the world behind for a week. No email, no facebook.. no worrying about work.

I'm still trying to figure out this "inflated" price argument.

Agreed. When I changed our 2016 booking to the most recent April deal, the base rate remained exactly the same but I got a bunch of valuable perks that I would have otherwise had to pay for.

I understand that they are factored into the price of the cruise; and therefore I do not consider them free. Nonetheless, they definitely enhanced the value of my purchase... and I experienced no inflation in the pricing of my cruise.

They weren't giving away anything. The prices were and still are inflated and we the paying customers paid for those "free" things.

 

Bill

My opinion differs from yours. My family of 3 did a Western Caribbean cruise in January of this year. When I booked that cruise the only thing NCL was offering with my booking was $300 obc for a suite. I booked the same cruise for this coming January at a mere $10 more (average cost pp) and were given the following perks for it.

1. $300 obc
   
2. UDP
   
3. UBP
   

After booking, MIL and FIL decided they wanted to join us. It was cheaper to get a larger suite for all 5 then it was for them to book an inside on their own (now we all get the suite perks). After I re-booked our cruise with the in laws added, the booking perks had changed and her is what I received. It is also fair to note that yes we did upgrade our suite but the prices did remain the same for all suite categories for the two bookings.

1. $200 obc
   
2. UDP
   
3. UBP
   
4. KSF
   

Yes we lost $100 obc but we saved a little over $800 with the KSF promo being offered at the time I made the switch.

If you see this as "inflated prices", NCL has my blessing to inflate the prices to offer these promos anytime! :)

This month's promo isn't any different from last month's promo. I still get $25 OBC. Fine by me, $25 will buy me a lot of diet soda. I wouldn't have used last month's promo even if I were eligible for it. YMMV.

The base price is still too high for what I'm looking for, though there's a geezer sale on right now for an earlier, similar, shorter itinerary.

This is the worst promo NCL has had in many months. They’d have to drop the pricing on my cruises by thousands for me to consider rebooking this month! Glad I took advantage of the other ones :).

my apologies to everybody. I guess I had a knee jerk reaction to all these post and that NCL must have moved up in the world of cruising.

I have never paid anywhere close to $2600 for a balcony cabin on any line for the first week of February.

Maybe higher prices are trending now in cruising. Maybe it is also time for me to look at different options for vacation.

Heck I only paid $1700 for a balcony cabin on the Oasis of the Seas in the off season.

I will say that every post i read that the people who are booked in suites have some great deals.

Oh well enjoy your future cruises.:)

Bill