Any reason for fewer NCL cruises from NYC?

[JamieLogical]

On 2/26/2024 at 7:08 PM, JIMESOPUS said:

@Red-Sol Next year for us, only 10 days but we are back in the Yacht Club, inside cabin this time. MSC also will match the tier level.

 

 

 

My husband and I will be on that sailing!

[Red-Sol]

28 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

Every cruise we have taken from there as far back as 2011 has been sold out

Yep! Something (probably multiple reasons) is happening to cause NCL to slowly leave cruising from NYC. Those cruises in past years were always sold out. Not sure if any of the other cruise lines are reducing sailings from NYC but my guess is they aren't...but I really don't know for sure.

[PatJim]

On 2/27/2024 at 4:46 PM, Red-Sol said:

OK I appreciate very much everyone's comments on this thread. It really seems like the longer Winter NYC cruises on NCL will not be coming back 😢 However it does seem like it is MSC to the rescue. 🙂 We are about 75% there to make a booking on the cruise @JIMESOPUS Jim is on and hopefully a few others here can join us on that one. Sounds like fun!

Any cruise with  @JIMESOPUS IS fun!  But how about a 12-day Caribbean in February with NCL?  We’re booked for 2025 and 2026, to get to some warmer weather mid winter here.

We checked out MSC cruises, but their perks still don’t measure up to NCL’s re YC vs Haven. Though if the itinerary included Ocean Cay, it would be nice to experience Ocean House Beach, available to YC members.  NCL doesn’t offer anything at their private islands to Haven guests, except early tendering.  

Am with those who have no interest in going from FL., annd agree with those who don’t mind cold sea days sailing out of NYC.  We ❤️ sea days! 

Patricia

[Red-Sol]

11 minutes ago, PatJim said:

Any cruise with  @JIMESOPUS IS fun!  But how about a 12-day Caribbean in February with NCL?  We’re booked for 2025 and 2026, to get to some warmer weather mid winter here.

We checked out MSC cruises, but their perks still don’t measure up to NCL’s re YC vs Haven. Though if the itinerary included Ocean Cay, it would be nice to experience Ocean House Beach, available to YC members.  NCL doesn’t offer anything at their private islands to Haven guests, except early tendering.  

Am with those who have no interest in going from FL., annd agree with those who don’t mind cold sea days sailing out of NYC.  We ❤️ sea days! 

Patricia

I totally missed this one...I believe you are referring to the Escape here. The Escape and Bliss are my 2 favorite ships so you have now really got my head spinning as to what to book. Truth be told I am now leaning towards this. 

[PatJim]

4 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

I totally missed this one...I believe you are referring to the Escape here. The Escape and Bliss are my 2 favorite ships so you have now really got my head spinning as to what to book. Truth be told I am now leaning towards this. 

We’re looking forward to first time on the Escape.

The Breakaway is one of our favorites; we’re on her out of NYC February 2026

[bouy]

Well leave it to cruise critics for me to get the answers . I called my personal cruise consultant and asked how come there were no  round trip cruises leaving New York in January. Explain there’s some  in December and of course the ones in February. And he couldn’t answer. So now that I know I’ll be checking out RCCL out of Bayonne. The funny thing is I switch things up with different lines I left out of Baltimore this year , next year I’m leaving out of Florida and I had decided I was just gonna leave out of New York going forward. Guess not 🤓

[CGinMTL]

On 2/26/2024 at 6:22 PM, Red-Sol said:

What we usually do is to drive to Albany the day before the cruise...spend the night in an area hotel...and hop on a Yankee Trails bus in the morning...arrive at the Manhattan Cruise terminal around 10:30 am and are usually boarding around 11:30 am works well for us.

 

BTW Hi neighbor! 🙂

I am from Montreal and do the same

Love sailing out of nyc

[Red-Sol]

34 minutes ago, PatJim said:

We’re looking forward to first time on the Escape.

The Breakaway is one of our favorites; we’re on her out of NYC February 2026

If you like Breakaway you will probably like Escape too. The Escape is similar but slightly bigger. If you like doing the spa it is in front of ship. There is also a very nice Spice H2O section in the back. Some of the newer builds after Escape no longer have that. Escape also has what is called the "Supper Club" where they have different types of entertainment along with dinner (Usually complimentary) While the food and entertainment may not be the greatest...still a fun way to spend an hour or two.

[mking8288]

Our CAS friends' land-partner offers last Fall and this Spring are no longer from NCL, land casino (AC in NJ) switched their alliance to Celebrity & Royal ... They aren't sure if the changes had to do with NCL's reduced # of sailings out of NY or not, or is it the other way around.  They are going to pickup the latest voucher offer later this month & I will have a look with them together.  

 

Pre-Covid, there were NYC sailings with many CAS players onboard, donating generously to keep the casino busy all week long.  Nowadays, apparently ... not so much anymore.  

 

@PatJim   Wasn't it the Gem that we cruised together on with the CC M&G and the cabin crawl, a good 5 or 6 years ago.  It's been a while and all is well with both of you ... with best regards & wishes.  One of these days, our path should cross again   /Henry 

Edited March 2 by mking8288

[DuckTollerFans]

11 hours ago, mking8288 said:

 

@PatJim   Wasn't it the Gem that we cruised together on with the CC M&G and the cabin crawl, a good 5 or 6 years ago.  It's been a while and all is well with both of you ... with best regards & wishes.  One of these days, our path should cross again   /Henry 

Yes! It was 2018 and our first cruise ever. (Gem/Bahamas) I still fondly remember Pat walking around the terminal looking for the roll call folks and giving us beads!  Talk about a great welcome to cruising.  

That whole week had a lot of great activities onboard, thanks to @PatJim organization!

 

[geneticfreak]

On 2/26/2024 at 1:55 PM, FLAHAM said:

Who wants 2+ days of cold weather and uninteresting ports when a week out of Florida offers 7 days of warm weather and better ports?

Living in PA, it is much easier to get to and from Manhattan than Florida. Just an hour and half bus ride from Allentown the morning of sailing puts us on the ship just as the dining rooms open for lunch without getting up early and dealing with the hassle of airport security and other anxieties. Getting home is equally as easy, usually before lunchtime instead of some stupid time like 7 or 8 at night, if we are even lucky enough to get an earlier flight without delays.

 

As much as I like to see different ports, we've been to almost all of them in the Caribbean, and cruising is more about being on the ship than anything else.

[geneticfreak]

14 hours ago, mking8288 said:

 

Pre-Covid, there were NYC sailings with many CAS players onboard, donating generously to keep the casino busy all week long.  Nowadays, apparently ... not so much anymore.  

 

 

That might explain why I've been getting comped Haven suites recently instead of club balconies.

[TheAdventureSeeker]

10 minutes ago, geneticfreak said:

Living in PA, it is much easier to get to and from Manhattan than Florida. Just an hour and half bus ride from Allentown the morning of sailing puts us on the ship just as the dining rooms open for lunch without getting up early and dealing with the hassle of airport security and other anxieties. Getting home is equally as easy, usually before lunchtime instead of some stupid time like 7 or 8 at night, if we are even lucky enough to get an earlier flight without delays.

 

As much as I like to see different ports, we've been to almost all of them in the Caribbean, and cruising is more about being on the ship than anything else.

I totally agree!! Having to fly to Florida is such a waste of money with crazy airline prices + hotel + transport and the headache of being at the airport and hate it. NYC cruises are so much fun and easy for most of us here to get home. The past two years was a bit OK, but this year there is nothing to book, even the 7 day Florida, Bahama cruises are all gone. They used to have some nice ones on the Gem and those are gone also. There were so many cruises from NYC for many people to enjoy and pick a date that fits their schedule and now almost nothing to even book unless you want a transatlantic in April which I will pass. Really sad and looks like eventually like NYC might be gone as a port the way things are going. Come on NCL give us more cruises from NYC! :) 

Edited March 2 by TheAdventureSeeker

[yakcruiser]

Some of you NE folks make me chuckle when you complain about taking a short hop on a plane to Florida. Living up here in the PNW we get to spend 5-6 hours on a plane to go most anywhere outside of CA.  Even there is 2-3 hours.

[cooncat_mom]

We’ve stopped flying to FL for cruising too. The price (for the times we can fly) is expensive and I’m not fond of the Caribbean…or of flying, for that matter! We’ve cut down to the NY and Boston ports. We’ve dropped Bayonne too just because it’s a pain to get to unless we drive. We Amtrak to NY and we Amtrak to Boston as well, which makes for a more relaxed vacation.  It would be nice if they could figure out another southern route for Boston besides Bermuda since my cruisin’ buddy likes warm and does Canada once in a great while for me (I love Canada!)! Our next one will be later this fall on the Joy to Bermuda. 

[reeinaz]

On 3/1/2024 at 7:36 PM, PatJim said:

We’re looking forward to first time on the Escape.

The Breakaway is one of our favorites; we’re on her out of NYC February 2026

I’m doing a B2B on Escape, the 8 day Bahama and 5 day Bermuda in March 2025. I’ve been wanting to sail on her since I 1st started sailing on NCL. I’ve heard so many great things. I’m also on the 12 day Breakaway in 2026. 

[EllieinNJ]

I've done the Breakaway twice, the Getaway and the Joy, all out of NY and to me, except for the Observation Lounge on the Joy and the different shows, they are all the same ship.  Crowded atrium and very few places to sit.

 

In October we did MSC Meraviglia and February we did Carnival Venezia also out of NY area, just to try different ships.  Wasn't crazy about MSC but they had great shows and tons of places to sit and relax.  We surprisingly enjoyed Carnival but their shows were meh but their food was good and good venues and places to sit and relax.

[PatJim]

23 hours ago, DuckTollerFans said:

Yes! It was 2018 and our first cruise ever. (Gem/Bahamas) I still fondly remember Pat walking around the terminal looking for the roll call folks and giving us beads!  Talk about a great welcome to cruising.  

That whole week had a lot of great activities onboard, thanks to @PatJim organization!

 

 

On 3/2/2024 at 12:45 AM, mking8288 said:

 

@PatJim   Wasn't it the Gem that we cruised together on with the CC M&G and the cabin crawl, a good 5 or 6 years ago.  It's been a while and all is well with both of you ... with best regards & wishes.  One of these days, our path should cross again   /Henry 

Edited yesterday at 12:46 AM by mking8288

Those were such fun cruise days.  I hosted a number of Meet & Greets on the Gem sailing out of NYC (see expanded signature, which also lists future cruise dates—would be great to reconnect!), starting when Jenny Lim was hotel manager (2014?).  My favorite activity was planning cabin crawls.  
 

Jim and I were great fans of the smaller ships (Dawn preceded Gem), until we booked our 1st Haven cabin in a ship that had a Haven bar and restaurant.  Since then, it’s been Haven all the way.  And since restart after COVID shutdown, we feel a bit safer re getting the virus when staying in the Haven.  Nonsensical, I know, but smaller crowds.  However, I’ve just started going back to attend Meet & Greets, and really enjoyed the LCR game planned by Peg during last November’s cruise.

 

 

[PatJim]

On 3/1/2024 at 8:16 PM, Red-Sol said:

If you like Breakaway you will probably like Escape too. The Escape is similar but slightly bigger. If you like doing the spa it is in front of ship. There is also a very nice Spice H2O section in the back. Some of the newer builds after Escape no longer have that. Escape also has what is called the "Supper Club" where they have different types of entertainment along with dinner (Usually complimentary) While the food and entertainment may not be the greatest...still a fun way to spend an hour or two.

Thanks so much.
If you do book the Escape for February 23 next year, please get in touch.  Love to meet up for drinks or whatever.  We’re in cabin #17728.

BTW, just noticed from your signature that we were on the same sailing last November 4th😎 on the Getaway.

 

Edited March 3 by PatJim
Wrong name.

[striker]

Interested in MSC out of NYC but just haven't been able to out the logistics of getting from NJ to port.  We usually take the train .  Does anyone know the best way to get from Madison Square Garden to the port in Brooklyn  (best easiest and cheeapest)

[Red-Sol]

1 hour ago, PatJim said:

Thanks so much.
If you do book the Escape for February 23 next year, please get in touch.  Love to meet up for drinks or whatever.  We’re in cabin #17728.

BTW, just noticed from your signature that we were on the same sailing last November 4th😎 on the Getaway.

 

Yes the November cruise on Getaway was great fun! As I mentioned before we are always up for cruising out of New York for the Caribbean when it is cold here. (Although this winter has really been an easy and mild one...even in the Tundra of Western New York 🙂 ) 

I hope to know for certain about booking the cruise in the next couple days. We are waiting to hear from our daughter and granddaugher if either can help with watching our dog for 12 days. We also book all of our cruises through CAS (Casinos at Sea) so some of it may depend on what they can offer us.

 

By default though I am already excited for this...already signed up on the roll call!

[NYcruzzer]

49 minutes ago, striker said:

Interested in MSC out of NYC but just haven't been able to out the logistics of getting from NJ to port.  We usually take the train .  Does anyone know the best way to get from Madison Square Garden to the port in Brooklyn  (best easiest and cheeapest)

Cheapest way would be NJ to Wallstreet NYC ..I assume path train ? Then a short NYC ferry ride

https://www.ferry.nyc/

from Wall Street to Red Hook. From that ferry terminal it's a 5 minute walk to Brooklyn cruise terminal

Edited March 3 by NYcruzzer

[JamieLogical]

56 minutes ago, striker said:

Interested in MSC out of NYC but just haven't been able to out the logistics of getting from NJ to port.  We usually take the train .  Does anyone know the best way to get from Madison Square Garden to the port in Brooklyn  (best easiest and cheeapest)

 

The ferry from Wall Street to Red Hook would definitely be cheapest. I have just resigned myself to take Uber/Lyft as that is definitely the easiest.

[Red-Sol]

OK all you NYC Winter cruise enthusiasts.... time to step up and book the February 23rd, 2025 12 day Caribbean cruise (I know it's not 14 days but it may be the best we can hope for.) Officially booked it this morning and found out that it is selling very well. Posting another Pic of the Itinerary and after you look at it you will know for sure that you want to! 🤣

@JIMESOPUS MSC will need to be another time but I am sure sooner or later that will happen.

So who else wants to go? Many familiar people are already booked! 🙂

 

Edited to add...it doesn't hurt that the Escape is my favorite ship either

Edited March 4 by Red-Sol

[JamieLogical]

21 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

OK all you NYC Winter cruise enthusiasts.... time to step up and book the February 23rd, 2025 12 day Caribbean cruise (I know it's not 14 days but it may be the best we can hope for.) Officially booked it this morning and found out that it is selling very well. Posting another Pic of the Itinerary and after you look at it you will know for sure that you want to! 🤣

@JIMESOPUS MSC will need to be another time but I am sure sooner or later that will happen.

So who else wants to go? Many familiar people are already booked! 🙂

 

Edited to add...it doesn't hurt that the Escape is my favorite ship either

 

Man, you almost had me sucked in, because I do love the Escape, until I priced it out. For the two of us in a balcony, all in it comes out to $5,714.46+DSC. We will stick with our January Meraviglia 11-day where we are booked into a whirlpool suite (not Yacht Club, but we have our own hot tub on the balcony) and $650 of OBC for $5,594+DSC. The itinerary is pretty comparable.

 

 

Edited March 4 by JamieLogical