Huge price difference between Oceanview and Balcony cabins

[massfamilyof4]

Hi! We just booked an Oceanview Window on the Dawn, 11 day cruise. I have not sailed without a balcony in years but had a hard time paying an $2440 for a balcony. Am I out of touch or is this the average price difference between the two categories?  Do you think we have a shot at seeing a price drop on the balcony staterooms? Thanks for your thoughts!

[tallnthensome]

I could see $1200 for an 11 day cruise or around $100 a day to move up from OV to balcony. No way would I pay $2440.

[jkrislc]

It really depends on the itinerary and the ship. Ships where the majority of cabins are balconies tend to have a lower price difference between OV and balcony. The itinerary also makes a big difference. If you're doing Norway, Iceland, Greenland, Alaska, etc., you can expect a significant price difference between the categories.

[Named-Tawny]

What jkjrislc said.  As a general rule, on the more 'scenic' iternaries, balconies cost a more significant premium vs on the 'sun' itineraries. 

$2500 sounds like about the price difference that I remember for the Greenland/Iceland 10 day, between OV and Balconies.

[kochleffel]

I agree that rates for balcony cabins on some itineraries tend to start out much higher than on others, but fares are dynamic and also influenced by how each category is selling. I recently made a booking for a winter cruise from the New York area (it's RCI from Cape Liberty) where the difference between OV and balcony was very small. It will be too cold to enjoy the balcony on the first and last days.

[Oxo]

Please clarify $2,400.

Is that per person?

With drink pkg?

Speciality Restaurant meal?

Thank you!

 

[massfamilyof4]

4 hours ago, Oxo said:

Please clarify $2,400.

Is that per person?

With drink pkg?

Speciality Restaurant meal?

Thank you!

 

$2440 per cabin

[ChiefMateJRK]

Isn't there a huge variation amongst OV rooms on different ships/decks?  I've never stayed in an ocean view, but I've seem some with fantastic forward facing picture windows and I've seen some with a port hole looking at the side of a lifeboat.  Could that be the reason for the large difference in this case?

[Oxo]

1 hour ago, massfamilyof4 said:

$2440 per cabin

Did you get the drink pk/internet pkgs, too?

Even without,  for 11 nites balcony, I consider that a fair price. $1,220/person.

What do you believe is a fair price?

[massfamilyof4]

21 minutes ago, Oxo said:

Did you get the drink pk/internet pkgs, too?

Even without,  for 11 nites balcony, I consider that a fair price. $1,220/person.

What do you believe is a fair price?

I was not referring to the price itself but the price difference between an ocean view and a balcony. I feel we got a good price but am really hoping for a price drop on the balcony cabins before final payment in October. I am used to a large difference between balcony and suite but not so much balcony and ocean view. I now have a better understanding from all the great information provide in this thread! 

[trivimp]

That seems like a pretty typical price variation to me.  Pro tip, If you book the OV & make final payment, and then the price of the balcony drops after final (which is also very typical,) you can no longer CANCEL without penalty, but you can purchase an UPGRADE & pay only the difference between the two fares.  You will be locked into whatever perks you had before & won't get any new ones they might be offering, but it's a good way to get into the balcony if you don't mind risking that the balconies could sell out or you might get a less-than-optimal location.  This is different from the bidding upgrade process.  Call your PCC or TA to request the upgrade.  You also cannot get any cash refund, so if the balcony drops below the price you originally paid for the OV, you're out of luck.

[ChiefMateJRK]

31 minutes ago, trivimp said:

you can purchase an UPGRADE & pay only the difference between the two fares.  You will be locked into whatever perks you had before & won't get any new ones they might be offering, but it's a good way to get into the balcony if you don't mind risking that the balconies could sell out or you might get a less-than-optimal location.

When I've upgraded like this, I've always been able to select my exact balcony room.

[trivimp]

7 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

When I've upgraded like this, I've always been able to select my exact balcony room.

Yes, that's true.  To clarify, I was saying that the risk is that no balcony cabins are left except the less-optimal ones.  In these days of not-full sailings, that's unlikely, but might happen when the ships start sailing full again. 

[MagnoliaBlossom]

1200/pp for an 11 day cruise does not sound bad to me.   If you have a Norwegian credit card you can use 30,000 points to upgrade to a balcony.  This may not help you now, but it’s something to consider for the future.

[Mlake09]

On 6/26/2022 at 6:35 PM, massfamilyof4 said:

Hi! We just booked an Oceanview Window on the Dawn, 11 day cruise. I have not sailed without a balcony in years but had a hard time paying an $2440 for a balcony. Am I out of touch or is this the average price difference between the two categories?  Do you think we have a shot at seeing a price drop on the balcony staterooms? Thanks for your thoughts!

We are going to Iceland soon and the balcony rooms were originally listed at $6,000 PER PERSON!!! Needless to say we booked an inside for just about $2,000 each. Fingers crossed we get an upgrade! After final payment balcony rooms dropped to $4,000.

[julig22]

1 hour ago, Mlake09 said:

We are going to Iceland soon and the balcony rooms were originally listed at $6,000 PER PERSON!!! Needless to say we booked an inside for just about $2,000 each. Fingers crossed we get an upgrade! After final payment balcony rooms dropped to $4,000.

Exactly why I used my NCL points to upgrade, OV to balcony.