Is Norwegian Abandoning New York

[bjlaac]

We are emerald on NCL but since the start of covid in 2019 have just started to sail on NCL again in 2023.  We have been cruising routinely but just not on NCL for a number of reasons which are irrelevant to my question.  Typically we sail in the winter months, December through February out of New York.  We were going to book cruises for 2025 and noticed that except for a cruise here and there, NCL has no routine sailings during the winter from NY, the same holds true for 2026.

 

Gone are the routine 10 day cruises in December, January February and March and the same holds true for 2026.

 

MSC and RCCL seem to have a thriving NY winter business  yet NCL is disappearing, anyone know what's going on?

[shof515]

its way too early for 2026 cruises so that why you do not see them. for 2026 it appear sometime late 2024 or early 2025. typically usually it is a year and half in advance when they release the itineraries 

 

for 2025, it looks there is a one month gap with no Norwegian cruises. Prima leaves NYC on the January 2nd and the Escape arrives on February 15. most likely bookings for January was very poor in the past and it did not make sense to have a sail sail at reduced capacity in colder winter climate  

[SeaShark]

1 hour ago, bjlaac said:

We are emerald on NCL but since the start of covid in 2019 have just started to sail on NCL again in 2023.  We have been cruising routinely but just not on NCL for a number of reasons which are irrelevant to my question.  Typically we sail in the winter months, December through February out of New York.  We were going to book cruises for 2025 and noticed that except for a cruise here and there, NCL has no routine sailings during the winter from NY, the same holds true for 2026.

 

Gone are the routine 10 day cruises in December, January February and March and the same holds true for 2026.

 

MSC and RCCL seem to have a thriving NY winter business  yet NCL is disappearing, anyone know what's going on?

 

First, "emerald on NCL"? Sorry, but there is no such thing as "emerald on NCL", and even if there were, it likely wouldn't be relevant to your question.

 

Second, "cruising routinely but just not on NCL" actually IS relevant to your question. It is, of course, a business, and must cater to the supply and demand of the market. When people choose "not on NCL", the demand goes down and the line leaves for greener pastures. Thus you lose the option to cruise them from that port.

 

In short, NCL can make $x by sailing out of NY in the winter, and $y by sailing elsewhere in the winter. Obviously, in this case, $y > $x.

[NYcruzzer]

I don't think NCL is completely abandoning NY. This cut in sailings is a trend that has been going on for the last several years. I have a few theories. 

1. NCL figures that they can increase revenue by putting a ship elsewhere.

2. MSC has a ship in Brooklyn year-round that they now have to compete with to fill cabins.   

3. Other cities like Miami have built shiny new Terminals while MCT continues to be a relic of years gone by. Perhaps they want to make a statement to NYC officials by reducing sailings ?

 

I am on the 2/6 sailing on Getaway.  Ship close to sold out. Prices up. Doesn't appear that there will be those last minute "fire sales" of previous years. 

[detroitlions]

I am glad in Florida we have at least 4 cruise ports so I do not have to sail out of New York. I did notice there are months where there are not many cruises available I know April there was not much for 2024 when I booked my March cruise.

[schmoopie17]

I don't think they're abandoning New York. April 2025 shows both the Pearl and the Prima doing transatlantics from New York to Southampton. We're currently trying to decide which of these to book.

[ellewoods]

I have also noticed less cruises. We have RCCL booked out of Jersey for February 2025. 

[UKstages]

3 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

We're currently trying to decide which of these to book.

 

pearl over the prima any day of the week. twice on sundays.

 

is there anything else i can help you with? 

[Laszlo]

NCL in NYC for years had a pretty set and good schedule. Lots of 10 and 14 day cruises, I haven't ween a 14 day in a number of years. They used to have one BA and one Jewel class ship. 

[Laszlo]

4 hours ago, NYcruzzer said:

I don't think NCL is completely abandoning NY. This cut in sailings is a trend that has been going on for the last several years. I have a few theories. 

1. NCL figures that they can increase revenue by putting a ship elsewhere.

2. MSC has a ship in Brooklyn year-round that they now have to compete with to fill cabins.   

3. Other cities like Miami have built shiny new Terminals while MCT continues to be a relic of years gone by. Perhaps they want to make a statement to NYC officials by reducing sailings ?

 

I am on the 2/6 sailing on Getaway.  Ship close to sold out. Prices up. Doesn't appear that there will be those last minute "fire sales" of previous years. 

Does anyone really care if a terminal is shiny and new? MCT works fine, its not new, its not shiny but its very easy to get around and its clean, its not like you are spending the weekend hanging out at the terminal. Most weeks it's used for about 24 hours. 

[schmoopie17]

24 minutes ago, UKstages said:

 

pearl over the prima any day of the week. twice on sundays.

 

is there anything else i can help you with? 

Actually, having already been on the Prima and (how do I say this nicely?)...well, other than the new ship smell and the nice stateroom...not impressed.

 

Leaning toward the Pearl. But first we want to see how we like the Jade next month.

[NYcruzzer]

18 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

Does anyone really care if a terminal is shiny and new? MCT works fine, its not new, its not shiny but its very easy to get around and its clean, its not like you are spending the weekend hanging out at the terminal. Most weeks it's used for about 24 hours. 

Passengers may or may not care. However there's a good chance cruise lines do. That was my point.  NCL signed exclusive agreements with port of Miami and Port Canaveral committing to a certain amount of sailings per year. More ships sailing out of Florida and elsewhere means a ship that would have otherwise sailed out of NYC is no longer available.

[kitkat343]

1 hour ago, Laszlo said:

Does anyone really care if a terminal is shiny and new? MCT works fine, its not new, its not shiny but its very easy to get around and its clean, its not like you are spending the weekend hanging out at the terminal. Most weeks it's used for about 24 hours. 

I liked the Manhattan cruise terminal.  There's a lot of public transportation options to the Manhattan terminal, and if you park there are walkable options that are cheaper than parking directly in the terminal.  The terminal itself seemed totally fine - elevators work, there were adequate numbers of counters available).

 

It's also pretty close to Gothem West Food Hall, the Intrepid and Dim Sum Palace. 

 

The Brooklyn terminal was a longer drive from where we live, plus there were no walkable options for parking besides the at the terminal itself.    I'd far prefer the Manhattan terminal due to logistics, but as long as the terminal itself is in decent condition I couldn't care less about how old or new it is.  

Edited January 23 by kitkat343

[bjlaac]

8 hours ago, SeaShark said:

 

First, "emerald on NCL"? Sorry, but there is no such thing as "emerald on NCL", and even if there were, it likely wouldn't be relevant to your question.

 

Second, "cruising routinely but just not on NCL" actually IS relevant to your question. It is, of course, a business, and must cater to the supply and demand of the market. When people choose "not on NCL", the demand goes down and the line leaves for greener pastures. Thus you lose the option to cruise them from that port.

 

In short, NCL can make $x by sailing out of NY in the winter, and $y by sailing elsewhere in the winter. Obviously, in this case, $y > $x.

Good catch on Emerald, actually Sapphire, I always mix those stones up, must be my old age LOL  I already said it wasn't relevant. 

 

We take lots of cruises on lots of different lines so to say by "us" not sailing on NCL has contributed the drop off in bookings is silly.  All of the cruise lines had reduced bookings and only NCL couldn't make NY work? If its because of reduced bookings then there are lots of people bailing on the brand in NY.  I already could see there was a reduction in NY choices and was just trying to find out if there was an official word from NCL on their strategy.

 

We were on NCL twice in 2023 and the ships were basically full with all the available sailing dates last  year so the reduction makes no sense.

 

I guess its just best to keep an eye opened but for those of us who book a year in advance, 2024 is shaping up to year we bypass NCL altogether which is unfortunate.

 

 

[SoloAlaska]

Was at MCT for 2 days and it was not the most pleasant. We went to leave one evening and we had such a hard time figuring out how to even get out of the building. I would not have felt comfortable leaving the port alone at night. Everyone had to get off the ship and then could get back on and customs was quick but security was very very slow with LONG lineups. Getting to a transfer is a long walk and a disorganized mess and porters are rude at best. I had a quick transfer to the airport but my friend went a little later and hit insane traffic, it took him almost 3 hours to get to the airport.

 

MCT needs some major improvements in order to match other ports. It may be convenient if your from the area but that is about it. Not surprised NCL is pulling back a little.

[mking8288]

(Very) Limited as to what I heard from CAS friends, they used to consistently get land-based casino offers in "partnership" with NCL ... until last Fall, switched loyalty to Princess and Royal/Celebrity in the Northeast/NY market - perhaps, just maybe, a small factor in the complex calculus.   Over the years, we've heard from shore-based cruise terminal employees saying as much as 15% to 20% pax on select off-peak sailings were CAS guests ... no way to facts-check and reaffirm those were valid or not.

 

Well, be interested to hear from currently active CAS players from the Northeast as to whether they are still getting those Comp'd certificates on NCL.    

 

 

[SeaShark]

Ah, so you like semantics. Ok, I'll play along.

 

3 hours ago, bjlaac said:

Good catch on Emerald, actually Sapphire, I always mix those stones up, must be my old age LOL  I already said it wasn't relevant. 

 

You said it wasn't relevant, but you mentioned it anyway. I'd ask why, but I don't really care.

 

3 hours ago, bjlaac said:

We take lots of cruises on lots of different lines so to say by "us" not sailing on NCL has contributed the drop off in bookings is silly. 

 

Nobody said "us". I actually said "people" in the general sense...I didn't even say "you". It certainly isn't silly to think that NCL is going to put their ships where they make the most return for their stockholders.

 

3 hours ago, bjlaac said:

All of the cruise lines had reduced bookings and only NCL couldn't make NY work? If its because of reduced bookings then there are lots of people bailing on the brand in NY.  I already could see there was a reduction in NY choices and was just trying to find out if there was an official word from NCL on their strategy.

 

Again, creating arguments that don't exist. I didn't say they "couldn't make NY work", I simply pointed out that someplace else must be working BETTER. While a B is a passing grade, an A is still more desirable.

 

That said, NO...there is no "official word from NCL on their strategy". NCL doesn't make a habit of explaining or announcing their strategy on internet forums.

 

3 hours ago, bjlaac said:

We were on NCL twice in 2023 and the ships were basically full with all the available sailing dates last  year so the reduction makes no sense.

 

Oftentimes it is easier to say something makes no sense than to admit we don't understand it. And just because we don't understand and/or agree, doesn't mean it is wrong. Ports were evaluated and NCL choose to position themselves to maximize their potential earnings. Simple. Makes perfect sense.

[BirdTravels]

11 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

I don't think they're abandoning New York. April 2025 shows both the Pearl and the Prima doing transatlantics from New York to Southampton. We're currently trying to decide which of these to book.

Pearl = Very old and unloved,,, but will be cheaper because it is unloved. 

Prima = New and elegant 

[BirdTravels]

11 hours ago, detroitlions said:

I did notice there are months where there are not many cruises available I know April there was not much for 2024 when I booked my March cruise.

Starting April, ships are repositioned out of the Caribbean for the much more popular and profitable Alaskan and European markets.

 

Bottom line, no cruise line used to keep their ships in the Caribbean during the very hot summer months plagued by hurricanes. It used to be very low demand. And when a ship diverts due to a hurricane, people complain about not going to the planned itinerary... in the middle of a hurricane. 

[luv2gonow]

I think NY would work fine if they could change the usual winter itinerary.

port canaveral, private island amd bahamas.

all which can be hit and miss weather.

 They need more sailings farther south including 2 wknds.

 

[UKstages]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Pearl = Very old and unloved,,, but will be cheaper because it is unloved. 

Prima = New and elegant 

 

pearl = older, smaller ship that has - generally speaking - top notch senior management along with a dedicated team in most customer touch points

 

prima = new, but poorly maintained ship with spacious staterooms, which are now a little rough around the edges after only a year and a half. venues are exceedingly small and design flaws abound;  the ship has an executive leadership team that is - generally speaking - one of the least effective and most incompetent at sea.

 

3 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Well, be interested to hear from currently active CAS players from the Northeast as to whether they are still getting those Comp'd certificates on NCL.    

 

 

i travel on NCL exclusively through casinos at sea. and while i originally came back to NCL on a caesars entertainment offer (an annual seven stars cruise), i now get far better offers directly through CAS. the same would likely be true for most players, i imagine.

 

as for whether NCL is losing market share with land-based casino offers, i would say - anecdotally - that they are. CZR has long been affiliated with NCL and still is. (CZR, though, since eldorado bought the company has lost considerable market share itself... because it's taken one of the most famous names in gaming and destroyed the product. but i digress.) MGM has long been affiliated with RCCL. everybody else is up for grabs and i have seen some smaller casino brands move away from NCL.

 

i don't see this, however,  as being a factor in any real or perceived reduction in journeys from the NYC port(s). 

[kitkat343]

2 hours ago, luv2gonow said:

I think NY would work fine if they could change the usual winter itinerary.

port canaveral, private island amd bahamas.

all which can be hit and miss weather.

 They need more sailings farther south including 2 wknds.

 

I would also love to see more interesting itineraries out of my home port of NY, but someone pointed out on a previous discussion of this that most people can't afford to take more than a week of vacation at a time, and that's what limits a huge percentage of cruises to 7 day itineraries from NY to Bermuda or Bahamas/Florida.  I'd assume NCL has tested more frequently sailing interesting/longer itineraries and it wasn't profitable enough (they have a few two week cruises but most of all the cruise lines itineraries from NY are the same one week routes you mentioned).  

[JIMESOPUS]

As an NYS lifer, the answer is simple, yes NCL has reduced the number of cruises and the reason is money.

I can't even imagine the additional cost of doing business in NYC. 

I'm sure MSC and Carnival got some type of incentive to sail out of NYC, that's how things work here in New York, give them a tax break, throw some cash at them. 

It appears by looking at MSC cruises out of NYC the first stop is in Florida, they get restocked and fuel. Looking at recent data the cost of " bunkering " is about 30% cheaper in Florida.

 

[AndyCapn]

12 hours ago, mking8288 said:

Well, be interested to hear from currently active CAS players from the Northeast as to whether they are still getting those Comp'd certificates on NCL. 

Not sure if you consider up up upstate New York to be the Northeast, but the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino partnered with NCL as recently as September.

[ontheweb]

18 hours ago, kitkat343 said:

I liked the Manhattan cruise terminal.  There's a lot of public transportation options to the Manhattan terminal, and if you park there are walkable options that are cheaper than parking directly in the terminal.  The terminal itself seemed totally fine - elevators work, there were adequate numbers of counters available).

 

It's also pretty close to Gothem West Food Hall, the Intrepid and Dim Sum Palace. 

 

The Brooklyn terminal was a longer drive from where we live, plus there were no walkable options for parking besides the at the terminal itself.    I'd far prefer the Manhattan terminal due to logistics, but as long as the terminal itself is in decent condition I couldn't care less about how old or new it is.  

From not that far upstate, when we have cruised from Manhattan we just took a bus to the Port Authority and walked to the terminal. (If the weather was bad we could do a cab.) It was a lot cheaper than any parking in NYC.

 

I would not even know how to get to the Brooklyn embarkation port with out luggage. I don't know if public transportation would be possible. I do know for sure we would no be able to walk there.