DaCruiseBug

You're most likely not going to be able to upgrade those flights. They are bulk tickets sold to NCL which don't allow for any kind of changes which generally include upgrades of any sort.

How is that even possible? You have at least $150 in port fees. Another $140 in beverage package service fees. Plus another $30-40 in specialty dining service fees. So the cruise fare had to have been at the most $270-280 for a mini-suite which I am unwilling to believe unless shown some evidence. Currently the cheapest 7 day NCL cruise for a solo traveler in a Club Balcony cabin is a New England cruise at the end of this month which shows a price of $589 plus port fees...and that's for a sailaway rate (no perks).

What's the fuss? The fuss is that they just announced another price increase for the beverage package and a basic drink like Baileys is no longer included. I don't care that it's only $1.20 each time I drink it...it's the principle. Also, no...not necessarily about Celebrity having a higher price point. You'll actually find them quote comparable and you have the option of buying just the cruise or also the perks with it. Right now you can book a 5 night sailing on Celebrity for about $975 per person ($1,950 for the entire cabin) in a balcony cabin with a drink package, unlimited wifi, and daily gratuities included. Can you find anything cheaper on NCL that includes as much? I don't think so...

NCL is very cheap when it comes to TV channels and shows. You're mostly going to see rugby, cricket, and soccer on TV. They'll likely show a game or two of football but that's about it. Pre-Covid I cruised during the World Series and they didn't show a single game.

It's funny because it's true. Also, these are the same people that will throw a temper tantrum if there's a change made to something they care about but dismiss any complaint from someone who cares about something different.

So to validate your point you went and pulled up the drink prices at the Ritz Carlton Central Park in Manhattan...perhaps one of the most expensive venues in the world...and comparing it to drink prices on Norwegian Cruise Line. Not to mention their labor costs are at least 4-5x as much as on NCL. You realize how bad that looks right?

Don't forget that on Celebrity not everyone in the cabin has to buy the drink package or pay to upgrade whereas on NCL you do. So if there's 2 adults in the cabin and 1 person wants to upgrade on Celebrity...they just pay $18 per day and they're done. On NCL they would both have to shell out $54.60 per day even if the 2nd person doesn't need or want it. So the difference can easily be $109.20 per day on NCL versus $18 per day on Celebrity.

Basically, NCL is slowly raising the price of the drink package (so they can pocket more in service charges) and raising drink prices so more and more is included. Soon enough we'll be left with mostly cheap off-brand liquor that's covered or you'll have to shell out $400 and upgrade your beverage package which is what they really want you to do anyways. The NCL standard drink package costs more money than any drink package on any other cruiseline ($109 per day) yet covers less than any other package. Perfectly legal but should tell you all there is to know about how NCL makes money.

Ok so the cruiseline can't handle the volume of customers going to specialty restaurants so instead of adding staff, space, or an additional restaurant...let's just cut down how many times they can go by as much as 80%. Put it all on the customer right? 🤔

I have, and it was about $9 for Baileys at the Ritz Carlton Macau. I uploaded a menu for you to look at if you don't believe me. Also, please stop justifying NCL drink prices. They're absurd. No other cruiseline even comes close to the prices they charge. It's like some of you are paid by NCL to defend their absurd policies or something.

It is a NCL issue because with bulk tickets they're the only ones that can make changes to it. Delta actually has a waiver in place that allows customers to change their flight dates without a change fee or fare difference if flying out of Fort Myers before October 11th.

Incorrect. The OP was flying on Delta which has a waiver in place until October 11th meaning that anyone can change their flight if they were flying at anytime up until the 11th. The waiver allows for any changes to the ticket without change fees and fare adjustments. The reality is that with NCLs tickets the airline isn't allowed to make any changes regardless but NCL could and it wouldn't have cost them anything in this specific instance. They refused to make the change because they simply don't care.

Smart for business does not equal smart for customers...and that's the point.

And as I said...the buffet isn't free. It's included in your cruise fare. Nothing on that ship is free. If there's no additional charge it's because you already paid for it...including the dining package.

You're basically making my point. The $109 per day for the beverage package is double the price what all the other cruiselines charge for their standard beverage package and generally offers LESS than what theirs offer. This is only done for 1 reason. NCL makes a KILLING off those daily gratuities. The higher the cost of the beverage package the MORE NLC gets to pocket in service charges that don't go directly to the workers but instead go into their profits and NCL simply states that it goes in part to pay for incentive programs for the workers. It's just another way NCL nickel and dimes people. Thank you so much for making my point for me without even trying. Just because NCL charges $130.80 per day for their beverage package doesn't mean it's worth anywhere near that. Imagine paying $10 for a half gallon of organic milk...that's what NCL is doing. For example, MSC charges $49 per person per day for their Easy Plus drink package which is the one closest to the NCL drink package. The NCL "open bar" drink package is 167% more expensive than the MSC drink package.

The difference in cruise fare in the above mentioned example is $502 per person. This fare difference includes the built in cost of the beverage package and dining package. It's not free. You're just paying for it with your cruise fare. They're not giving you anything...you're specifically choosing to pay MORE for your cruise fare so you can have the dining package included. If you buy an airline ticket and have a price of $100 for a basic economy ticket and $120 for a regular economy ticket which includes 1 checked bag instead of having to pay for it...is the checked bag free or did you just really pay for it in your airline ticket? Come on...

Hopefully this will help you understand...I don't think it will but there's a 1% chance it will. Cheapest 7 day Caribbean sailing with a Balcony cabin in the 1st quarter of 2023 on RCCL = Allure of Seas (2/26) at $1,420 Cheapest 7 day Caribbean sailing with a Balcony cabin in the 1st quarter of 2023 on NCL = Breakaway at (2/05) $2,091 with no perks Breakaway at (2/05) $2,593 with perks But keep telling us how the dining plan on NCL is "free"...

You're very obtuse aren't you? It's not free. It's built into your cruise fare. Go ahead and tell us how the buffet is also free, housekeeping is free, and how the onboard entertainment is also free. Everything is free...what you paid to NCL is just a charitably donation completely unrelated to the services and items you receive on your cruise isn't it?

Facts don't have goals. They're just facts. Thank you for contributing absolutely nothing to the discussion.

So basically those on a 5-6 day cruise have seen a 50% decrease, Those on a 7 day sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview cabin have seen a 67% decrease. Those on a 7 day sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 33% decrease. Those on a 9-10 day sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview have seen a 75% decrease. Those on a 9-10 day sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 50% decrease. Those on an 11 night sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview have seen an 80% decrease. Those on an 11 day sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 60% decrease. Those on a 12+ night sailing in a studio, inside, or oceanview have seen a 60% decrease. Those on a 12+ night sailing in a balcony or above have seen a 40% decrease.

Wait...what???? You're kidding right? The UDP isn't free, the price is built into the fare you paid. Using your line of thinking the buffet is also "free" right?

I did a 5 day sailing on the Sun out of Port Canaveral pre-covid and it was the only cruise I was actually happy to be done with.

So you won't try another cruiseline because the grass isn't always greener on the other side? But if you never try then how do you know? Most people I know took their first cruise on Carnival and thought it was amazing (myself included). Then people tried other cruiselines and saw just how crappy Carnival is compared to the competition.

Yes as a single cruise. Airfare from ARN-VCE roundtrip shows $36 on Ryannair as they’re the only ones showing non-stop flights. Even some of the legacy airline with a stop are under $200.

That's not a horrible deal for Greece in October but you could have gotten an Oceanview cabin on MSC with a drink package for about $900.