Convincing Spouse

[Tutone56]

We are booked on the Escape for a New England/Canada cruise the September.  This will be our 6th cruise.  The 5 previous cruises were on smaller ships such as the Pearl, Jewel, POA.  I'm looking forward to cruising on a large ship.  My wife is concerned with the amount of passengers, which I understand.  I'm looking at booking the Escape again for March 2024.  She wants to see what the large ship experience is like before we book again.  I'm not sure how to alleviate her concerns. Also, at what point would I loose money if I booked now for March 2, 2024 and we decide to cancel in mid September 2023?

[ggTexasGal]

10 minutes ago, Tutone56 said:

We are booked on the Escape for a New England/Canada cruise the September.  This will be our 6th cruise.  The 5 previous cruises were on smaller ships such as the Pearl, Jewel, POA.  I'm looking forward to cruising on a large ship.  My wife is concerned with the amount of passengers, which I understand.  I'm looking at booking the Escape again for March 2024.  She wants to see what the large ship experience is like before we book again.  I'm not sure how to alleviate her concerns. Also, at what point would I loose money if I booked now for March 2, 2024 and we decide to cancel in mid September 2023?

You may cancel up to 121 days prior (don't wait until day 120 prior).  Therefore, mid-November.

https://www.ncl.com/about/payment-schedule

[zqvol]

Under the circumstances that are described cancelling in September would not cause you to lose anything. 

[Tutone56]

Thanks, that’s good to know.  

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, Tutone56 said:

We are booked on the Escape for a New England/Canada cruise the September.  This will be our 6th cruise.  The 5 previous cruises were on smaller ships such as the Pearl, Jewel, POA.  I'm looking forward to cruising on a large ship.  My wife is concerned with the amount of passengers, which I understand.  I'm looking at booking the Escape again for March 2024.  She wants to see what the large ship experience is like before we book again.  I'm not sure how to alleviate her concerns. Also, at what point would I loose money if I booked now for March 2, 2024 and we decide to cancel in mid September 2023?

One way to alleviate her concerns would be to book a short cruise on a larger vessel.  Joy has several 3 day cruises to the Bahamas.

[ColeThornton]

10 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

One way to alleviate her concerns would be to book a short cruise on a larger vessel.  Joy has several 3 day cruises to the Bahamas.

 

 

Not a bad idea but in my experience the short weekend cruises tend to be party cruises.  Not knowing the O.P's  wife that may or may not be a consideration.

[Tutone56]

Neither of us are the partying type these days.  I was looking at Port Canaveral cruises because we normally try to find a rental for a couple of weeks in the Orlando area so that port is closer.  We enjoy eastern or southern Caribbean so Tampa would not be an option.  

[www3traveler]

Personally I would NOT book any cruise from the middle of February until after the 7th of April 2024 (after Easter Sunday which is the 31st of March). Other than the Christmas holidays, the Spring Break timeframe is the  busiest time of the year for the cruiselines and more expensive than other times of the year.

[dbrown84]

32 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

Personally I would NOT book any cruise from the middle of February until after the 7th of April 2024 (after Easter Sunday which is the 31st of March). Other than the Christmas holidays, the Spring Break timeframe is the  busiest time of the year for the cruiselines and more expensive than other times of the year.

great point about it being spring break season.

[Tutone56]

I guess that’s something to consider.

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, Tutone56 said:

We are booked on the Escape for a New England/Canada cruise the September.  This will be our 6th cruise.  The 5 previous cruises were on smaller ships such as the Pearl, Jewel, POA.  I'm looking forward to cruising on a large ship.  My wife is concerned with the amount of passengers, which I understand.  I'm looking at booking the Escape again for March 2024.  She wants to see what the large ship experience is like before we book again.  I'm not sure how to alleviate her concerns. Also, at what point would I loose money if I booked now for March 2, 2024 and we decide to cancel in mid September 2023?

The basic argument goes like…

 

While there are more people, the ship is much bigger with a lot more facilities and restaurants. There are facilities like the adults only Spice H20 sundeck. And the expansive Waterfront that provides shaded sofas and chairs around the ship on Deck 8. Weather permitting, a lot of the specialty dining restaurants offer Al fresco dining, seating outside. 
 

The big ships offer Broadway style shows like Choir of Man and Malevo. The Escape, specifically, also offers a few complimentary dinner shows in the Supper Club (admittedly, the food and entertainment is more like that on a small ship). 

Yup, if you go the buffet on embarkation day, it will be crowded, but it is 3 times larger than on the Jewel with only double the number of people. 

 

NCL does a pretty good job at spreading the passengers out so it feels less crowded. 

[Linda the Book Lover]

I have to agree with BirdTravels. I have sailed with my husband and separately with my adult daughter on different size NCL ships and we never had an issue with too many people. It gets real busy at the bars closest to the "paid dining rooms" and before and after shows. We have also sailed on the Pearl, Jewel, and POA, and enjoyed the smaller ship feel. I do have to say the larger ships have more venues to relax in and more restaurant choices. If there are any tendering ports there can be a back-up in the waiting to get off and on the ship. My daughter and I have the Escape booked to celebrate her birthday in June and we are really looking forward to it. 

[Tutone56]

Thank you all, great information!

[zzdoug]

Is it really necessary to book your March 2024 cruise over a year in advance? Why not wait until you take your September cruise and then decide? That still gives you 6 months until March 2024 which I would guess is probably early enough for most discounting. Plus so much could change in 15 months. NCL may cancel or reroute the cruise, something that has been happening somewhat frequently lately. 

Edited December 27, 2022 by zzdoug

[Tutone56]

2 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Is it really necessary to book your March 2024 cruise over a year in advance? Why not wait until you take your September cruise and then decide? That still gives you 6 months until March 2024 which I would guess is probably early enough for most discounting. Plus so much could change in 15 months. NCL may cancel or reroute the cruise, something that has been happening somewhat frequently lately. 

That might be the best way to go, thanks.

[Travelicious]

5 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Is it really necessary to book your March 2024 cruise over a year in advance? Why not wait until you take your September cruise and then decide? That still gives you 6 months until March 2024 which I would guess is probably early enough for most discounting. Plus so much could change in 15 months. NCL may cancel or reroute the cruise, something that has been happening somewhat frequently lately. 

Prices are usually better when booked way in advance.  I say lock it in now and cancel before final payment if you don't want to go.  If prices go down before final payment, you can get price adjusted.  

Edited December 27, 2022 by Travelicious

[disfan13]

On 12/26/2022 at 7:07 AM, Tutone56 said:

We are booked on the Escape for a New England/Canada cruise the September.  This will be our 6th cruise.  The 5 previous cruises were on smaller ships such as the Pearl, Jewel, POA.  I'm looking forward to cruising on a large ship.  My wife is concerned with the amount of passengers, which I understand.  I'm looking at booking the Escape again for March 2024.  She wants to see what the large ship experience is like before we book again.  I'm not sure how to alleviate her concerns. Also, at what point would I loose money if I booked now for March 2, 2024 and we decide to cancel in mid September 2023?

You can cancel up until final payment. When are you looking to travel over the summer? You may want to consult with a knowledgeable travel advisor. They may be able to answer questions that may or may not help your spouse's concerns.  

[cruiseny4life]

In April, my husband and I went on our first cruise. We were on the Getaway over spring brink (week after Easter). It was spring break for NY/NJ/CT schools, including where I was an administrator. Hence, we cruised over spring break. It was one of the first cruises since the restart that was at over 100% capacity. 

 

Thankfully, we booked in the Haven. We strolled out of our room to take a look at the pool deck and Atrium a few times. We quickly retreated back to the Haven, before extremely thankful we didn't have to share a pool deck with that mass of humanity. I'm an introvert, he's an extrovert, but neither of us enjoy being around 1,000 of our newest friends. 

 

I'm in my 30's, he's in his late 20's and neither of us enjoy partying, so I'm thinking we might be a little like you/your wife. If you're able, I'd encourage you to book the Haven where you'll never have a crowded sundeck and you'll have some space. Your wife will probably like being spoiled. I know my husband really enjoys how friendly the staff is and that they'll do virtually anything to ensure a wonderful cruise. 

 

Regardless, enjoy your cruises! 

[Linda the Book Lover]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

In April, my husband and I went on our first cruise. We were on the Getaway over spring brink (week after Easter). It was spring break for NY/NJ/CT schools, including where I was an administrator. Hence, we cruised over spring break. It was one of the first cruises since the restart that was at over 100% capacity. 

 

Thankfully, we booked in the Haven. We strolled out of our room to take a look at the pool deck and Atrium a few times. We quickly retreated back to the Haven, before extremely thankful we didn't have to share a pool deck with that mass of humanity. I'm an introvert, he's an extrovert, but neither of us enjoy being around 1,000 of our newest friends. 

 

I'm in my 30's, he's in his late 20's and neither of us enjoy partying, so I'm thinking we might be a little like you/your wife. If you're able, I'd encourage you to book the Haven where you'll never have a crowded sundeck and you'll have some space. Your wife will probably like being spoiled. I know my husband really enjoys how friendly the staff is and that they'll do virtually anything to ensure a wonderful cruise. 

 

Regardless, enjoy your cruises! 

I admit that if you can booking the Haven is the way to go during spring break and also the summer says this retired mom who travels with an educator daughter and her daughter. Everyone is different in likes and dislikes and also their fiscal circumstance. My granddaughter who is a quiet high schooler was thrilled last summer when she found out we would sail in a POA (not a true Haven) suite. Since we sailed before on this ship together in a balcony cabin, she was able to weigh in on the differences. It was worth the money on POA since it is a port intensive cruise we have sailed before and we had not planned to lay around at a pool. My daughter and I are sailing this summer on the Escape in the Haven to celebrate her special birthday. The husband and I decide what type of cabin based on the itinerary, but I admit we enjoy the extra comforts of the Haven. 

[Tutone56]

I would love to book the Haven but it’s a little pricy for me.  We hope to rent a place for a couple of weeks prior to the cruise so a balcony is in our budget.

[Travelling2Some]

3 hours ago, Travelicious said:

Prices are usually better when booked way in advance.  I say lock it in now and cancel before final payment if you don't want to go.  If prices go down before final payment, you can get price adjusted.  

This is what I always do.  No downside since deposits are refundable.  Things do come up with our large family but you can always cancel with just a phone call as long as you haven't passed final payment.  We intend to take every cruise we book but lately have ended up taking only about 2/3rds of them.

[Linda the Book Lover]

2 minutes ago, Tutone56 said:

I would love to book the Haven but it’s a little pricy for me.  We hope to rent a place for a couple of weeks prior to the cruise so a balcony is in our budget.

Yes, I agree you are having two vacation experiences for the price of one!

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Is it really necessary to book your March 2024 cruise over a year in advance?

Probably not necessary, but why not?  As many others have stated, you can easily cancel and quickly have your deposit refunded at any time up until the final payment date.  Some of us here always have a variety of future NCL bookings as placeholders.  I currently have more than ten such bookings.  I am constantly amused by folks that wait until later and then claim that "NCL prices have skyrocketed!  They are now twice (or fill in your preferred hyperbole) as much as they were a year ago!!"  So, why didn't you book a year ago?

[zzdoug]

6 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Probably not necessary, but why not?  As many others have stated, you can easily cancel and quickly have your deposit refunded at any time up until the final payment date.  Some of us here always have a variety of future NCL bookings as placeholders.  I currently have more than ten such bookings.  I am constantly amused by folks that wait until later and then claim that "NCL prices have skyrocketed!  They are now twice (or fill in your preferred hyperbole) as much as they were a year ago!!"  So, why didn't you book a year ago?

Wow.  Out of curiosity, of those ten advance bookings, how many do you actually expect to pay for and use?  Are any of them concurrent; i.e. same week but different ships; or same sailing on a particular ship but different rooms?

 

I have done this in the past to a lesser extent with hotel rooms in Las Vegas, and I will still book a room if I see a deal whether or not I know I can go, but I'm not super strategic about it.  I never thought about it for cruises until now.

[ChiefMateJRK]

18 minutes ago, zzdoug said:

Wow.  Out of curiosity, of those ten advance bookings, how many do you actually expect to pay for and use? 

Five are in 2023 and we'll likely actually sail on two to four of them.  The rest are in 2024 - 2025 and several are just placeholders.  NCL hasn't released the 2025 itineraries for most of their smaller ships.

22 minutes ago, zzdoug said:

Are any of them concurrent; i.e. same week but different ships; or same sailing on a particular ship but different rooms?

None are concurrent.  I tend to book insides as a baseline and revisit if when prices change.  I do have several B2B bookings where booking early maximizes your chances of having the same desirable room on each leg.