Never book early!

[graphicguy]

15 hours ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Yes, but somewhere between Oct 2022 and Jan 2023 NCL dropped their "relationship" with Diamonds International.  No more DI salesmen on board.  BUT, you can always get "better" deals at the on-board Effy store.  That's the sales pitch now.

Been a while since I went to any cruise line’s jewelry “shopper” pitches.  I give the same advice to everyone who is a novice to those pitches.  On board jewelry stores, those at the ports (Diamonds International, Etsy, etc)…if there’s something you like and there’s something you want as a remembrance of the cruise, buy it.  

 

Truth is, the prices on board aren’t bad, particularly given the tax and duty free prices.  But, if you’re going to ANY jewelry store ANYWHERE thinking you’re getting a deal, regardless of what they tell you, you’re naive.  Jewelry everywhere has the highest markup of any product or good that I’m aware of.

 

Long time ago I picked up one of the ubiquitous Tag Huer watches for probably $100 less than I could have bought it locally at my preferred jewelry store.  Great deal?  Not really.  But, I saw it, liked it, and wear it daily even today….a decade plus later.  Nice watch.  Great quality.  The amount saved  (I think 15% off) my local place would have matched.  What they could not match is the duty savings.

 

Those xx% Invicta sales are everywhere.  Plus, if you like the gaudy style of those watches, those aren’t bad deals either.  But, the ones the cruise lines carry are mostly the cheaper Chinese made ones….not the Swiss ones.

 

I found a jewelry store off the beaten path in the Dominican.  Small shop, mostly did repairs.  Wish I could remember the name of it.  The owner was there with his wife.  Said he had been there servicing the locals before the cruise ships frequented the area.  Bought an ORVIS automatic from him and stud ear rings for the then GF.  Was wondering if the watch was legit (and the studs, too).  Ended up getting a great deal on both and both were authenticated when we got home.  But, it was a place that was not sponsored on the ship’s shopping  recommendation list.

 

I sometimes have fun with the sales hawks in Diamonds International.  I’m something of a Swiss Watch enthusiast and keep up on the industry and the manufacturers and the movements used throughout their models.  The “experts” in DI are likely mostly wrong in their knowledge of $5K+ watches they’re selling.  But, if you work them a little, get a couple of their “managers” involved you can eke out a decent discount on their items if you grind them.  True on their jewelry, too.

 

Just like buying a car.  They hate to let a client go after you’ve been with them a while.

 

YMMV!

[Agent999]

On 7/27/2023 at 12:13 PM, Panhandle Couple said:

Yes, it is quite beneficial to read page 4 here, which seems to be all about Viking cruises...on an NCL thread.

 

Not the clever retort you intended.

 

I was only pointing out the benefit that comes from reading the topic before posting. Another benefit, even though I didn't mention it, is staying on topic. Unlike what you've done by bringing Viking cruises into the topic. 

 

Hopefully it made you feel better.

[wxtrix]

On 7/23/2023 at 6:54 AM, D_And_K_gocruising said:

Yup, pay attention to the dates.  Now if the price dropped after the 120 day timeframe, then that's a bummer, but before, you can 100% change,  My 120 is coming up and I'm gonna have them run the numbers 1 more time before then.   Already got 1 drop of about 400 bucks.. 

 

yep, our next NCL cruise has had 2 drops as of today (final payment day), totaling $1400. 

 

i took the first price drop on our mini-suite but rebooked us into a suite on the second one since the difference between our initial fare and the current suite fare was doable.

 

now to second guess myself if i should have instead kept the mini-suite and tried for an upgrade (the cruise is not selling well). ah well, at least this way there’s less anxiety involved.

[graphicguy]

17 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Don't forget the fabulous deals at Park West.

I've been cruising for 25+ years and the"art" exhibits/"sales" still befuddle me.  I just can't wrap my mind around someone going on a cruise and thinking a several thousand dollar art purchase from a dubious art vendor is a good idea.  But, they must make a lot of money on it as they dedicate a lot of space for it.

 

A while ago I read that there were a slew of artists that made paintings for the Park West cruise folks in the Peter MAxx style, and all he'd do was sign them.  Not sure if that's true, though.

 

Then again, I'm not an expert.  Maybe it's great art and it is a good deal.  I think I've seen may a half dozen pieces over the decades that I found mildly interesting.  Nothing I would smack down 3,4 or 5 figures for, though.

 

I don't know if they're still around, but there was an artist who depicted water scenes, nature scenes that galleries would be dedicated to in resort towns.  They would light them in a way where they looked almost three dimensional.  Cool effect.  But, I bet that effect went away when you got them home and hung them.  Can't recall the artist but the sales people were similar to the ones you find in Park West on board.  Long on hype, short on knowledge.

 

I've bought 3 pieces of art in my lifetime.  Knew and met the artists personally.  One was a local artist who was a friend of my parents.  She did a large painting depicting all of us as a family at a Sunday Dinner.  That's prized to me as it depicts us perfectly.  

 

One is a small painting from a local artist in Alaska, who had a studio that a friend turned me on to.  She had a bunch of oil paitingings of wildlife.  The last one is an oil abstract painting done by a friend's girlfriend.  She is a true starving artist.  She doesn't make much of a living from her craft.  But, she doesn't let that deter her.  She says she paints because that's the main way to get her emotions out.  Her paintings reflect that perfectly.

 

If I have $1,000 invested in ALL of those pieces, I'd be shocked.  And, they're priceless to me because they depict something, some place and some time in my life that means a lot to me.  

 

They'd be worthless to anyone else.

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 7/29/2023 at 5:33 AM, graphicguy said:

My guess is that would not count the savy cruisers here.  I can’t see anyone here spending 70% of the cruise fare once on board.  I know I wouldn’t even come close to that.  10% would be a stretch.

 

As my Mother used to say to me….”what you want and what you get are two very different things”.

 

That said, Royal tends to be higher when I try to book them.  I’m sure that’s not true all the time.  But, I also tend to book during “low season” for the itinerary I’m interested in (e.g. Spring and Summer for Alaska).

 

Not sure why they’re higher.  But, maybe the CEO’s discussion explains it.  They just try to charge more.  I’m Diamond with them, so obviously I find some fares with them that are decent, but not often.

Very true friend. Btw: I’m on the Sun right  now and our friend Zandy was at the Great Outdoors bar yesterday. She asked if I had been on the Bliss before I realized it was her. Fun times!!

[julig22]

Never book early - Hah.  As long as NCL continues to allow price adjustments at no cost for US bookings, there is absolutely no reason not to book as soon as you decide on an itinerary, IMHO.  That's why I have CruiseNext certificates waiting, already paid for so no extra money out of pocket.

 

I booked an upcoming cruise almost 2 years ago - and it's still more than 8 months away.  Since I've booked it:

• DSC price has increased twice - I'm grandfathered in at the old price
• Airfare has gone up 25% - grandfathered in at the original price
• I've done 2 price adjustments so far - net price reduction is about 35%. So booking early has made no difference in price, so far, but no negative effect either.

 

Same cruise, booked 1 year prior to cruise, for family members

• price decreased 29% 2 months after booking, repriced
• another minor price reduction shortly afterwards but only GTY and no guarantee of keeping cabin, did not reprice
• price recently increased, almost back to the original booking price. Cabin choice again available.

 

Early booking gets you first choice of NCL excursions, if you want to take them. And if there should be a major change or cancellation, you will most likely get some sort of additional compensation.

 

So with a small investment in time, I can usually take advantage of any early deals NCL may offer.  YMMV of course, especially if you are looking at last minute trips from a local port in the off season.

 

[graphicguy]

8 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Very true friend. Btw: I’m on the Sun right  now and our friend Zandy was at the Great Outdoors bar yesterday. She asked if I had been on the Bliss before I realized it was her. Fun times!!

Cool….love to hear about your cruise….thought about sailing the Sun.  I still have Cruise Next certs.  Please forward my regards to Zandy.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

I have four NCL cruises booked, all booked as soon after they were posted.  Last week I decided to price check them.  One was unchanged, but it’s only been a month since booking, the others had gone up.   Two were around $600 pp, the other was up $1500 pp 😳.

[luv2kroooz]

On 7/30/2023 at 2:35 PM, julig22 said:

Never book early - Hah.  As long as NCL continues to allow price adjustments at no cost for US bookings,

I don't believe they allow unlimited price adjustments after final payment. If you only want minimum rate interior room, don't care about cabin location and can be very flexible in your travel plans, booking last minute is the way to go for NCL. We've spent 22+ days per year on  cruise ships for what some people pay for a 7 days cruise.

[DCGuy64]

3 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

I don't believe they allow unlimited price adjustments after final payment. If you only want minimum rate interior room, don't care about cabin location and can be very flexible in your travel plans, booking last minute is the way to go for NCL. We've spent 22+ days per year on  cruise ships for what some people pay for a 7 days cruise.

@luv2kroooz is exactly right. You can request price adjustments before final payment, but after that, they can do ONE offer of OBC for any drop in price. That's it.

[julig22]

3 hours ago, luv2kroooz said:

I don't believe they allow unlimited price adjustments after final payment. If you only want minimum rate interior room, don't care about cabin location and can be very flexible in your travel plans, booking last minute is the way to go for NCL. We've spent 22+ days per year on  cruise ships for what some people pay for a 7 days cruise.

You are correct - I should have included in my comment. Final payment means just that. 

As to last minute, sure it's possible to find bargains.  Also possible to find the cruise you wanted is sold out or the price has increased or that buying airfare at the last minute negates any savings.

So a lot depends on whether or not you have a specific cruise in mind or are just looking for a cheap cruise to anywhere.

[DCGuy64]

One day when I'm retired, I hope to be able to jump on some of these last minute deals, because they ARE out there. However, we always have to book pretty far in advance, because I have to request time off from work. Last minute = NO GO. 😞 And we generally book based on itinerary, so a great deal on a place we've visited 10 times? Meh.

[luv2kroooz]

Yeah, I often times see posts from folks who are upset that they can't get a price match after final payment, so in the interest of full disclosure....

[MagnoliaBlossom]

DCGuy, you will love retirement.  But, the temptation is real!  We lived in Louisiana and had a steal on a AK cruise, in six days, but the airfare killed us.  We were three hours from NOLA then, now we’re a bit over four from Galveston so those deals can be very tempting.   Life is good.

[DCGuy64]

9 minutes ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

DCGuy, you will love retirement.  But, the temptation is real!  We lived in Louisiana and had a steal on a AK cruise, in six days, but the airfare killed us.  We were three hours from NOLA then, now we’re a bit over four from Galveston so those deals can be very tempting.   Life is good.

5 1/2 years to go! 😊

[destar]

39 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

5 1/2 years to go! 😊

DCGuy, I was lucky enough, I retired early at age 48. We cruise 3-4 times a year, but now trying to convince my wife of this last minutes deals.

[RocketMan275]

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

One day when I'm retired, I hope to be able to jump on some of these last minute deals, because they ARE out there. However, we always have to book pretty far in advance, because I have to request time off from work. Last minute = NO GO. 😞 And we generally book based on itinerary, so a great deal on a place we've visited 10 times? Meh.

Wife and I can only cruise once a year.  Dogs.  Therefore we're not all that interested in very cheap cruises.  If we can only go once a  year, we'll go in a Haven.  We've got cruises booked in 24 and 25.

[DCGuy64]

14 hours ago, destar said:

DCGuy, I was lucky enough, I retired early at age 48. We cruise 3-4 times a year, but now trying to convince my wife of this last minutes deals.

Wow, that's amazing, retired at 48. Lucky you, fantastic! 😄

[DCGuy64]

14 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

Wife and I can only cruise once a year.  Dogs.  Therefore we're not all that interested in very cheap cruises.  If we can only go once a  year, we'll go in a Haven.  We've got cruises booked in 24 and 25.

We have pets, too. We usually cruise once a year, once in a while it'll be two. But although I get a pretty generous 6 weeks of vacation a year, that has to cover not just a cruise or two, but usually a few days at Thanksgiving with family out of town, a trip to see my dad in Florida in the winter, a few days at the beach with other family, and times I have to take my wife or one of the pets to the doctor, etc. Next year I am planning to go to France for about 2 weeks to celebrate my 60th, and I have to save up the vacation days for that. I wish I could retire early, but it's way too expensive.

[cruiseny4life]

16 hours ago, destar said:

DCGuy, I was lucky enough, I retired early at age 48. We cruise 3-4 times a year, but now trying to convince my wife of this last minutes deals.

You're living life the right way!!!

[graphicguy]

Just hit retirement age last year.  But, COVID turned both my company and my work upside down, as it did with many.  It made me realize that going back to jumping on planes every week had worn me down.  When I didn’t travel and was able to take a step back during COVID, it struck me that I didn’t want to go back to living out of a suitcase anymore after the restart.  Told my financial guy (including me) to restructure everything to retire earlier than planned.  He did.  I did.  Glad I did.  And, have never looked back.
 

When the cruise lines started back up, I found a bunch of deals, that I booked immediately.  Some on NCL, Some on Celebrity, Some on Royal.

 

Now that the prices have gone back up on all of them, I’ll probably curtail my cruising.  But, for a couple of years, I was cruising every 3 months, or so.  Don’t regret one bit of it.

[MtnGolf4]

We booked our Spa Balcony at 2942.00 in August of 22 on the Bliss or cruise is currently 101 days out and the same package is currently 5221.00. At this point I'm booking my 2025 cruise soon.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

The COVID restart prices were reminiscent of post 911 when everyone was afraid to fly and being on an e posed target made cruise occupancy very low.   Well, the prices seem to have recovered but we did book a lot of cruises while they were down..  we are driving distance to Galveston and Royal and Princess have been having some excellent rates.  Booked a large balcony cabin on Princess Friday for $500 pp with some OBC thrown in.  We’ve not sailed PC in a fifteen or so years so I’m looking forward to a change of pace.  We’ll see. 

[Panhandle Couple]

23 minutes ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

The COVID restart prices were reminiscent of post 911 when everyone was afraid to fly and being on an e posed target made cruise occupancy very low.   Well, the prices seem to have recovered but we did book a lot of cruises while they were down..  we are driving distance to Galveston and Royal and Princess have been having some excellent rates.  Booked a large balcony cabin on Princess Friday for $500 pp with some OBC thrown in.  We’ve not sailed PC in a fifteen or so years so I’m looking forward to a change of pace.  We’ll see. 

You should go to the Princess board and review the comments on the Medallion program.

It is a different approach.

[D_And_K_gocruising]

Ours was another $500 lower the day before final booking, then a spa club balcony became available for $600 more.. Soooooo.. just upgraded to the spa club lol..