Please explain Cruise Next vs. Cruise First.

[dbrown84]

Just now, ChiefMateJRK said:

I'm the opposite.  I stock up on CNs and apply them during double ups to my many future inside bookings.  They have double-ups for insides like every month.

I know.  I've seen you post about that.  You have multiple bookings at all time, so it works for you.  I'm hoping to be like you when I grow up 😁

[ChiefMateJRK]

14 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

I know.  I've seen you post about that.  You have multiple bookings at all time, so it works for you.  I'm hoping to be like you when I grow up 😁

Careful what you wish for.  There's a fine line between "when I grow up" and "when I grow old." 🤣

 

At the end of the day/life, it's all good brother.😎

 

End of life?  Here's a special @ChiefMateJRKbonus from the great Warren Zevon.   Can't touch this one....

 

 

"there's a train leaving nightly called when all is said and done"  Best lyric ever?

Edited January 2 by ChiefMateJRK

[CRUIS4ME]

It may end up to how frequently one cruises, loyalty to a brand, and how much pre investment one is willing to make.  Not one answer fits all….happy cruising. 

[retiredyoungLV]

Wow, lots of info. Thank you everyone. I like to book the cheapest last minute (after final payment) deals I can find. So for my purposes, the Cruise Next is the way to go, right?

[dbrown84]

1 hour ago, retiredyoungLV said:

Wow, lots of info. Thank you everyone. I like to book the cheapest last minute (after final payment) deals I can find. So for my purposes, the Cruise Next is the way to go, right?

Cruise first would be better since you can apply a $500 cert to the booking.  Since you like to book last minute, you wouldn't be able to double up that often, so you'd be limited to just one $250 cruise next 

[Sugar Magnolia]

I know there has been chatter about the possibility that CruiseNext certificates will no longer have expiration dates once we noticed that our certificates started showing the valid date as through 12/31/2099. Yet, today I received a memo (from Katty Byrd herself 😆) which states:

 

"Congratulations on purchasing your CruiseNext Deposits(s). Each CruiseNext deposit is valid for a new reservations of 3 days or longer made within 4 years from the date of purchase and for one stateroom."

 

I purchased the certificates back in November and will likely use them prior to 2099.

 

Edited January 3 by Sugar Magnolia

[cruiseny4life]

34 minutes ago, Sugar Magnolia said:

I know there has been chatter about the possibility that CruiseNext certificates will no longer have expiration dates once we noticed that our certificates started showing the valid date as through 12/31/2099. Yet, today I received a memo (from Katty Byrd herself 😆) which states:

 

"Congratulations on purchasing your CruiseNext Deposits(s). Each CruiseNext deposit is valid for a new reservations of 3 days or longer made within 4 years from the date of purchase and for one stateroom."

 

I purchased the certificates back in November and will likely use them prior to 2099.

 

Exact same email received here today, as well. And we purchased ours in November. I dunno - maybe NCL wants the ability to renege by saying the 2099 is a mistake based on the email they sent today. 🏴‍☠️

[laudergayle]

I’m not exactly certain, but my educated guess is that NCL has removed expiration dates (probably not long term) to “pretty up” their balance sheet.  By having a longer window for redemption they can spread out the revenue liability over an infinite number of years.  The emails and T&Cs which state to use before 4 years are really to encourage you to use it so NCL can finally account for the CN purchase as actual revenue.  

[galveston gal]

On 1/1/2024 at 2:52 PM, ChiefMateJRK said:

Well, maybe?  If they have a double up offer, you should be able to use those two CNs.  Otherwise, just cash up to $500 and wait until the next double up offer (likely next week).  The math is compelling here.

I thought I was a fairly astute person but this math is very confusing.

[galveston gal]

Here is my situation.  We are cruising in 2 weeks.  What should I buy?

 

Will be booking Haven for 2025.  We already know the sailing date.

 

If we cancel for any reason prior to final payment are CN and CF saved on my account for future use?

 

 I’m not interested in a huge cash outlay, maybe $1000 at most.

 

Thanks to all you bargain gurus for your input.  I think it is better for me to know what to get ahead of time than get overwhelmed by the sales pitch process.

[julig22]

10 minutes ago, galveston gal said:

Here is my situation.  We are cruising in 2 weeks.  What should I buy?

 

Will be booking Haven for 2025.  We already know the sailing date.

 

If we cancel for any reason prior to final payment are CN and CF saved on my account for future use?

 

 I’m not interested in a huge cash outlay, maybe $1000 at most.

 

Thanks to all you bargain gurus for your input.  I think it is better for me to know what to get ahead of time than get overwhelmed by the sales pitch process.

You are entering uncharted waters to some degree as new terms apply soon, with the change to "credits" from "certificates."

Yes, if you cancel it appears the credits will still go back to your account.

You could get 2 regular CNs - pay $250, valued at $500, or 2 Haven CNs -pay $750, valued at $1000. Basically, you can save $250 with CN if you book during a double-up promo. 

CruiseFirst has 2 options - $300 and $500, you pay half the face value. So no need to wait for a double up if you catch the $500 option - but it's not always offered. You do have to buy the certificates for a future date.

Where the change appears to be, other than some administrative stuff, is that the previous loophole that allowed people to add a CN to an existing reservation when there is a double-up promo, may be closing.  Which means paying attention to what is offered when you book. CF already had that "loophole" covered.

[galveston gal]

3 minutes ago, julig22 said:

You are entering uncharted waters to some degree as new terms apply soon, with the change to "credits" from "certificates."

Yes, if you cancel it appears the credits will still go back to your account.

You could get 2 regular CNs - pay $250, valued at $500, or 2 Haven CNs -pay $750, valued at $1000. Basically, you can save $250 with CN if you book during a double-up promo. 

CruiseFirst has 2 options - $300 and $500, you pay half the face value. So no need to wait for a double up if you catch the $500 option - but it's not always offered. You do have to buy the certificates for a future date.

Where the change appears to be, other than some administrative stuff, is that the previous loophole that allowed people to add a CN to an existing reservation when there is a double-up promo, may be closing.  Which means paying attention to what is offered when you book. CF already had that "loophole" covered.

Do 2 regular $250 CN that are worth $500 satisfy the Haven deposit?

 

If so it makes no sense to spend $750 for 2 CN Haven for $1000 credit.  Can’t I get 1 CN Haven to cover the deposit?  How much is 1 CN Haven?

 

Assume all I want is to satisfy my deposit.

 

 

[julig22]

3 minutes ago, galveston gal said:

Do 2 regular $250 CN that are worth $500 satisfy the Haven deposit?

 

If so it makes no sense to spend $750 for 2 CN Haven for $1000 credit.  Can’t I get 1 CN Haven to cover the deposit?  How much is 1 CN Haven?

 

Assume all I want is to satisfy my deposit.

 

 

You can get a single Haven deposit which does take care of the deposit but you only save $100 by only buying 1. I don't believe you can use 2 Haven certificates unless it's during a double-up promo. And using 2 regular CNs during a doubleUp may not always satisfy the deposit requirement, terms vary.

 

You could wait for a $500 CF offer, although I don't believe it would necessarily satisfy the Haven deposit.

 

You might be able to find a single Haven Deposit for sale online for $250?

 

[UKstages]

On 1/3/2024 at 3:17 PM, laudergayle said:

The emails and T&Cs which state to use before 4 years are really to encourage you to use it so NCL can finally account for the CN purchase as actual revenue.  

 

i think they are more likely to be because they forgot to update the email template or haven't gotten around to it yet.

Edited January 7 by UKstages

[galveston gal]

2 hours ago, julig22 said:

You can get a single Haven deposit which does take care of the deposit but you only save $100 by only buying 1. I don't believe you can use 2 Haven certificates unless it's during a double-up promo. And using 2 regular CNs during a doubleUp may not always satisfy the deposit requirement, terms vary.

 

You could wait for a $500 CF offer, although I don't believe it would necessarily satisfy the Haven deposit.

 

You might be able to find a single Haven Deposit for sale online for $250?

 

You have been very helpful.  And what is the cost of the CruiseNext Haven?

 

I promise it’s my last question. 😉

 

All of these promos sound like a gambler’s dream!

[ChiefMateJRK]

13 minutes ago, galveston gal said:

All of these promos sound like a gambler’s dream!

Yep.  I "bet" $125 on a CN and it is guaranteed to pay out $250! 😎  They only let me pull that handle eight times per cruise, but DW can pull 8 herself.

[julig22]

1 hour ago, galveston gal said:

You have been very helpful.  And what is the cost of the CruiseNext Haven?

 

I promise it’s my last question. 😉

 

All of these promos sound like a gambler’s dream!

Value of a CN Haven is $500.  Cost for 1 is $400, cost if you buy in multiples is $375. The advantage is that 1 is valid for your deposit, which at 10% is usually more than $500.

[cruiser2015]

21 hours ago, julig22 said:

Value of a CN Haven is $500.  Cost for 1 is $400, cost if you buy in multiples is $375. The advantage is that 1 is valid for your deposit, which at 10% is usually more than $500.

What difference does it make if the certs. you use are short for making your deposit?

Simply add the additional cash required besides applying the CN or CF. 

[julig22]

1 hour ago, cruiser2015 said:

What difference does it make if the certs. you use are short for making your deposit?

Simply add the additional cash required besides applying the CN or CF. 

In the long run, it makes no difference. But using a CN that covers the full deposit means your "loan" to NCL is $375-$400 vs a 10% deposit which could be considerably more.

[Mjasp]

Ohhh, I need help, I'm so confused lol

I've cruised for many years but only 3 times on NCL.  I will be sailing on our 4th NCL cruise in May 2024 and already paid in full, then we have a wedding to go to on NCL Encore in February 2025.  I am trying to get the best price as the cruise in Feb. is quite pricey, my daughter and SIL booked in January, and I went to book now and it's 1k more for the same balcony type.  So I am trying to understand CF and CN.

 

From what I understand...

CF you pay half price and you get full amount.  $150 for $300 or $250 for $500.

Do you have to use it for a deposit only? or can you use it for payment towards the cruise if you buy it after you book the cruise?

 

CN from what I understand is that what you pay for the credit is what you get to spend.  If you buy one $250 CNC you get $250 credit to use on the next cruise deposit AND a $100 OBC for use on the cruise you are currently on.

If I got that right, my next question is, with CNC, is it only good for the deposit and can you use more than one certificate or do you have to wait for double up to use 2 certificates.  I'm asking because I want to book the "wedding" cruise before it goes even higher, so I'd rather just get one CNC if I can't use 2 when I book.
 

I thank you all in advance, and hope you understand all my questions.

[dbrown84]

45 minutes ago, Mjasp said:

N from what I understand is that what you pay for the credit is what you get to spend.  If you buy one $250 CNC you get $250 credit to use on the next cruise deposit AND a $100 OBC for use on the cruise you are currently on.

no, you don't have this part totally correct.  If you buy one CNC, it will cost you $150 and you get $250 credit to use on the next cruise.  If you buy two or more at once, it will cost you $125 each, and you get $250 to use on another cruise.  So you're not really get $100 (or $125) OBC to use.  It's the discount for the CNC.  It's best not to even think about the OBC.  It's there to confuse people and trick them into thinking they need to go buy something with it

[MoCruiseFan]

CN can be very confusing mainly because they over explain how it works.

 

They might say it is buy one get one free and they might say buy two and get $250 OBC on the current cruise.  It gets really confusing when they say both and maybe a third or forth description.

As others have said it really boils down to this.  If you buy two $250 cruise next, you will see those two CN certificates in your MyNCL account on NCL.com.  Your on board account will be charged $250 twice for the price of the two certificates AND you there will be a $250 credit to the account.  So the next effect is that you pay $250 for TWO $250 CN certificates.

Cb can only be used for deposits and normally only opne per cabin.  They ofetn offer the ability to use two per cabin.

Lastly, CN used to have a 4 year life span and would expire after that time period if unused.  They now have no expiration date.

Hope that all helped!

[Mjasp]

35 minutes ago, dbrown84 said:

no, you don't have this part totally correct.  If you buy one CNC, it will cost you $150 and you get $250 credit to use on the next cruise.  If you buy two or more at once, it will cost you $125 each, and you get $250 to use on another cruise.  So you're not really get $100 (or $125) OBC to use.  It's the discount for the CNC.  It's best not to even think about the OBC.  It's there to confuse people and trick them into thinking they need to go buy something with it

OMG!!!!  I think I get it now!  But let's see if I really do lol
So if I buy the four $250's I get $500 CNC and pay $500?   I hope it's right, so I don't frustrate you. 
Looking at the CNC grid, it all works out with the $125 for each $250 when you buy 2 or more.
Do you have to use it for Deposit or can you pay your balance with it? and is the max certificates you can use per booking only 2?
I really appreciate your reply, boy, you're right, they do try to fool you.

[Mjasp]

5 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

CN can be very confusing mainly because they over explain how it works.

 

They might say it is buy one get one free and they might say buy two and get $250 OBC on the current cruise.  It gets really confusing when they say both and maybe a third or forth description.

As others have said it really boils down to this.  If you buy two $250 cruise next, you will see those two CN certificates in your MyNCL account on NCL.com.  Your on board account will be charged $250 twice for the price of the two certificates AND you there will be a $250 credit to the account.  So the next effect is that you pay $250 for TWO $250 CN certificates.

Cb can only be used for deposits and normally only opne per cabin.  They ofetn offer the ability to use two per cabin.

Lastly, CN used to have a 4 year life span and would expire after that time period if unused.  They now have no expiration date.

Hope that all helped!

 

Yes it did help, So now I have to decide if I want to book now or wait till next month, I think I may wait, it would be worth it to wait.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, Mjasp said:

So if I buy the four $250's I get $500 CNC and pay $500?

Of course not.