Cruise Prices

When we were looking at a Canada/New England cruise, NCL was about $3000. more for 10 days then Princess. NCL included the UBP but we won’t drink $3000. worth in 10 days. So after 10 years, we’re going back to Princess.

Sadly, we have found that cruise prices have gone up but hasn't everything? We booked MSC because my DH and I could sail in the YC on Seaside for less than $4,000. No way could we sail for this price in the Haven. We are sailing Black status due to NCL Platnium.

That said, my DD and I got great pricing on a spa angled balcony on the Getaway. My DD wanted to sail from New Orleans and no MSC sailings from this city. This fit our budget since we wanted the spa, however, MSC YC includes the spa amenities as well.

Yes this is why we are not cruising this year or next until I find a deal! Doing land vacations cheaper. I find NCL prices have gone crazy high and the food and service has declined. We are platinum with them and doubt our next cruise will be with them.

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We struggle as well to find a deal. We love to cruise and being retired we have cruised Celebrity the last 5 times but Celebrity is just pricing us out. Ive checked NCL pricing at first through the booking process it seems reasonable then the service promo charge gets added on. Taxes and fees and you cant book sailaway if you want drinks included so that adds to the price. I know taxes fees and gratuities are with all cruise lines but I just struggle to find a deal we can afford lately. We like a OV or bacony. We are in our 60’s and and like a somewhat older mature crowd which is why we havent looked at Carnival.

Maybe we should do a totally last minute cruise, pick it, follow till after final payment and see what the price goes to. Not sure... seems like alot of people are having a hard time finding a deal.

Obviously I'm either very lucky, or I sail at the right times. I rarely book more than 90 days in advance.

I posted this in another thread as I'm sailing next month and was looking at fares at the end of July. Looked this up today and had very little problem finding an NCL cruise for $2,200...

Still don't get it how somehow NCL is more expensive because of the drink tips. I'll make a certain assumption that most would, or want to sail in a Balcony Cabin. Not looking at all fares for all cabin types.

I'm booked on the Getaway next month. I looked at some random cruises on the Getaway for all of Sept. Not the cheapest, nor the most expensive....but, the fare I came up with for a Balcony cabin including what are probably the two most requested perks.....Ultimate Drinks Package and Specialty Dining Package. All in fare, with tips, fees....everything....$2,200 for two. $277 of that covers tips and service charges for the dining and drinks. You also get $100 OBC from NCL.

On RCCL....similar itinerary on Liberty of the Seas (much older ship than the NCL Getaway) Balcony Cabin, sailing at the same time as the NCL Getaway. No drink package or specialty dining package is offered as a perk, and no OBC. The fare is $2,564 for two, taxes, tips, service charges included. That fare INCLUDES the BOGO promotion they have going on now."

We struggle as well to find a deal. We love to cruise and being retired we have cruised Celebrity the last 5 times but Celebrity is just pricing us out. Ive checked NCL pricing at first through the booking process it seems reasonable then the service promo charge gets added on. Taxes and fees and you cant book sailaway if you want drinks included so that adds to the price. I know taxes fees and gratuities are with all cruise lines but I just struggle to find a deal we can afford lately. We like a OV or bacony. We are in our 60’s and and like a somewhat older mature crowd which is why we havent looked at Carnival.

Maybe we should do a totally last minute cruise, pick it, follow till after final payment and see what the price goes to. Not sure... seems like alot of people are having a hard time finding a deal.

Celebrities prices have gone stupid too for most future sailings. We have one booked for next year, the Mardi Gras 10 day and that's probably it until the prices settle down. We booked that one last year and got a pretty good deal. 10 day with booze and grats for under aroudn $4k. There are still some good deals. You can do a 7 day carribean with booze and grats on the Equinox, Verandas from $1000-$1200pp most sailings. the caribbean and west coast still seem OK, but Europe has gone crazy high.

Like most workin' folks, we don't have the luxury of waiting till the last 90 days to snag a good deal.

I often sail solo, and NCL is by far the least expensive of any line. No one else comes close.

Obviously I'm either very lucky, or I sail at the right times. I rarely book more than 90 days in advance.

 

I posted this in another thread as I'm sailing next month and was looking at fares at the end of July. Looked this up today and had very little problem finding an NCL cruise for $2,200...

 

Still don't get it how somehow NCL is more expensive because of the drink tips. I'll make a certain assumption that most would, or want to sail in a Balcony Cabin. Not looking at all fares for all cabin types.

 

I'm booked on the Getaway next month. I looked at some random cruises on the Getaway for all of Sept. Not the cheapest, nor the most expensive....but, the fare I came up with for a Balcony cabin including what are probably the two most requested perks.....Ultimate Drinks Package and Specialty Dining Package. All in fare, with tips, fees....everything....$2,200 for two. $277 of that covers tips and service charges for the dining and drinks. You also get $100 OBC from NCL.

 

On RCCL....similar itinerary on Liberty of the Seas (much older ship than the NCL Getaway) Balcony Cabin, sailing at the same time as the NCL Getaway. No drink package or specialty dining package is offered as a perk, and no OBC. The fare is $2,564 for two, taxes, tips, service charges included. That fare INCLUDES the BOGO promotion they have going on now."

 

I often sail solo, and NCL is by far the least expensive of any line. No one else comes close.

From what I've seen people who can book close to departure time and solo passengers can find some excellent deals with NCL. Some of the longer cruises they offer can also be had at a decent rate if booked at the right time. A lot depends on when you can book as to what kind of fares you'll see, each cruise line seems to have a sweet spot where one can get the best deals.

I'm booked on the Encore for March, 2020 for $3500.00 for a BA balcony with UDP and UDP. Last week, I was on the Princess site looking at their new ship, the Sky, and a comparable balcony with the same perks is only $2800.00. Something is definitely wrong with the NCL price structure. Of course, some of it is the grats they charge for for the "free pkgs". I love NCL, but am seriously thinking about cancelling the Encore.

A friend who usually only cruises on Royal Caribbean tried MSC and said it was the overall worst cruise experience they had. Bad food and bad service. They have gone back to only cruising with Royal Caribbean.

When I was still a TA I heard this more than once: also on a New England cruise a few years ago and talking to several cruisers on one of their ships, they pretty much said the same thing. As I mentioned our daughter said the ships were beautiful but that was about the only positive thing she had to say about MSC. Yes, their are prices are great, but as I mentioned. that is because they are trying to attract the American market. For those who are happy with MSC, that is wonderful. For so many, however it isn't a good match.

Yes, the length of the cruise can impact the price, but right now we can only book the 7 night cruises. The pricing I quoted was for similar ships (as I understand Anthem and Escape, with the exception of Pride for CCL) and the sailing dates were similar with similar category of cabin. So yes, Royal was half what NCL was asking for with all things being equal. And I'm not that hung up on ship class, as long as the itinerary is one we want to do we'll gladly sail on an older ship especially if it is significantly less money.

I am certainly not hung up of class either and prefer the smaller and older ships, but I was just giving an example of what has to be considered when comparing. This does not mean we shouldn't all go with what works for us. But the point still remains, one can not say such and such is higher or cheaper without using similar comparisons, such as age of the ship, itinerary, size, dates, perks, etc.

With the food and booze perks, the total price of an NCL cruise has actually become cheaper for us.

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i find this thread very interesting.

for past couple years I've had $1k+ on Carnival gift cards in my drawer...last four cruises I've booked:

NCL

MSC

NCL

NCL

I've found it difficult to book anyone BUT Norwegian recently, and I've tried!

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I am certainly not hung up of class either and prefer the smaller and older ships, but I was just giving an example of what has to be considered when comparing. This does not mean we shouldn't all go with what works for us. But the point still remains, one can not say such and such is higher or cheaper without using similar comparisons, such as age of the ship, itinerary, size, dates, perks, etc.

I think comparing Anthem with Escape is as comparable as one can get regarding all of those factors. I'm sure that the price I got is not a typical price for Royal and I may never find such a large difference in price again but the fact remains that the price for Anthem was half the price for Escape. The only real lesson is never assume anything about cruise pricing, always comparison shop when booking.

From what I've seen people who can book close to departure time and solo passengers can find some excellent deals with NCL. Some of the longer cruises they offer can also be had at a decent rate if booked at the right time. A lot depends on when you can book as to what kind of fares you'll see, each cruise line seems to have a sweet spot where one can get the best deals.

Excellent points.

Same thing I’ve found. Because of work, I rarely can plan out more than 90 days in advance. Maybe that’s why I’ve booked so many NCL cruises...their pricing matches up well for when I can cruise.

That said, it is more about the time of year, the ship, the itinerary as much as it is about how early you book, at least for me.

Sometimes, as you point out, the delta between pricing on different cruise lines for similar itineraries, sailing at the same time is large and inexplicable. Sounds like you found one of those times.

I'm booked on the Encore for March, 2020 for $3500.00 for a BA balcony with UDP and UDP. Last week, I was on the Princess site looking at their new ship, the Sky, and a comparable balcony with the same perks is only $2800.00. Something is definitely wrong with the NCL price structure. Of course, some of it is the grats they charge for for the "free pkgs". I love NCL, but am seriously thinking about cancelling the Encore.

We struggle as well to find a deal. We love to cruise and being retired we have cruised Celebrity the last 5 times but Celebrity is just pricing us out. Ive checked NCL pricing at first through the booking process it seems reasonable then the service promo charge gets added on. Taxes and fees and you cant book sailaway if you want drinks included so that adds to the price. I know taxes fees and gratuities are with all cruise lines but I just struggle to find a deal we can afford lately. We like a OV or bacony. We are in our 60’s and and like a somewhat older mature crowd which is why we havent looked at Carnival.

Maybe we should do a totally last minute cruise, pick it, follow till after final payment and see what the price goes to. Not sure... seems like alot of people are having a hard time finding a deal.

Don't rule out CCL due to age.....we sail CCL a lot (although their pricing has gone WAY up too)....just sail when kids are in school and you will find the crowd to be older. We, too are in our 60's and sail mid Jan-mid Feb, find very few children on board and most of the pax are our age or OLDER on CCL! That is a misnomer and a rumor that CCL only has young party pax.....so far from true. It just all depends on what time of year you book just like all of the main cruise lines. They all fill up with kids over school vacations....not just CCL!! Try it you may be able to afford a cruise then!

It all boils down to the luck of the draw when you are looking to book. I was "window shopping" when I found a GREAT deal on X for a 4 nt. Infinity sailing the end of October in AQ class for $534.00 per person. This pricing includes a $300 per cabin OBC. I was just looking at pricing for Carnival for the same dates (final payment is coming due) and a balcony cabin would cost $460.00 per person with NO OBC. So for $74 more per person we are getting an AQ cabin on X compared to a standard balcony on CCL AND $150 per person OBC. There ARE deals to be had :)

It all boils down to the luck of the draw when you are looking to book. I was "window shopping" when I found a GREAT deal on X for a 4 nt. Infinity sailing the end of October in AQ class for $534.00 per person. This pricing includes a $300 per cabin OBC. I was just looking at pricing for Carnival for the same dates (final payment is coming due) and a balcony cabin would cost $460.00 per person with NO OBC. So for $74 more per person we are getting an AQ cabin on X compared to a standard balcony on CCL AND $150 per person OBC. There ARE deals to be had :)

Shopping different lines, categories, perks and fares is something of a past time for me. Looks like you do the same! ;)

Yes, ticket prices are up. The company’s Alaska capacity is up 15 percent this summer, Del Rio said, with ticket pricing up 25 percent.

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/19472-norwegian-outlook-gets-even-more-bullish.html

Yes this is why we are not cruising this year or next until I find a deal! Doing land vacations cheaper. I find NCL prices have gone crazy high and the food and service has declined. We are platinum with them and doubt our next cruise will be with them.

 

 

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yeah same, going back to Princess and RCCL for a bit.. see how it goes..

Anyone else find that NCL has been going up on price by a lot? Within the last 3-4 years or so.. used to be able to get that sweet spot of about $2000 for 2 people, balcony, include tax and alcohol gratuity for 7 day cruise. Been hard to find that within the last year or so. I am finally platinum and haven't been on an NCL cruise since. The next two cruises I have booked are on Princess (with alcohol package included), and Royal (will pay for package, but will still be cheaper than NCL). (Also a little upset, since they keep taking away drinks from the package. The latest being Hendrick's which is my go to drink...)

 

Just wondering any others noticing the same? I always thought NCL had the best value for the quality of service, etc.

Do you know what other brands are excluded? I could have sworn that last year on Escape I got a Hendricks gin martini on the package, but merely had to pay the difference between $15 and the cost of the martini. But maybe I'm not remembering correctly.

Do you know what other brands are excluded? I could have sworn that last year on Escape I got a Hendricks gin martini on the package, but merely had to pay the difference between $15 and the cost of the martini. But maybe I'm not remembering correctly.

You remembered correctly. I got a Hendricks martini on my GEM cruise under the UBP a few months ago.