Alaska June 2018. HAL vs Norwegian pricinf

[Sandi07054]

planning our 1st cruise to Alaska. Glacier Bay a must.Not sure which cruise line. Was wondering why such a difference in price for a balcony. Hal is like $1,000 cheaper. I always think you pay for what you get. Like the fact that drink package is free on Norwegian but worried about the food.

What are your thoughts? Thank you

[TheCalicoCat]

two thoughts

 

First (How we made our choice the first time around)

 

When selecting our first AK cruise, we looked at "all" of them. (We did not look at Disney, Regent, & the other premium brands)

 

We selected HAL because the ship was smaller, the start & end date was mid-week, & it was a R/T out of Vancouver in addition to the Glacier Bay sailing - because those were important to us.

 

We were 30-somthings & we travelled with a 4.5 year old.

 

& we loved it!

 

Second thought

 

Since I need time to pay for my vacations, I book as soon as they are available. Since my time is inflexible, I choose what is a good value at the time. While I watch for price drops or better sales (for me), I do not spend a lot of time worrying about the price or comparing other cruise lines offers.

 

Luckily, my next cruise is a 14-night AK cruise & HAL is the only one with it, so I don't have anything to compare it to.

 

(I check prices/itineraries mostly to inform my responses on CC.)

 

Bottom line, if it is a good deal for you & an itinerary that appeals to you, then you should book it & start getting prepared to enjoy your vacation!

[Sandi07054]

Great advice - thank you!! I also like mid week - I will have to check that out.

[AryMay]

planning our 1st cruise to Alaska. Glacier Bay a must.Not sure which cruise line. Was wondering why such a difference in price for a balcony. Hal is like $1,000 cheaper. I always think you pay for what you get. Like the fact that drink package is free on Norwegian but worried about the food.

What are your thoughts? Thank you

 

The drink package is not totally free on NCL...you have to pay an 18% gratuity up front for the package. For our 14-day Alaska cruise that amounted to almost $400 for the two of us. Not worth it to us since we aren't drinkers.

[Sandi07054]

I did not know that. We are doing Celebrity to Bermuda in August and received free drink plan. I did not see that we paid 18 percent on that. Is that just NCL.

Thanks

[bUU]

NCL's hidden costs have twice now sent us around a bend. For our June 2018 Alaska cruise, we started off considering Holland America, Princess, and NCL, and NCL got bounced because how its excess of fees turned a little more extensive into a lot more expensive. For our November 2017 Yucatan cruise, NCL we in the mix again, and the "free is not really free" pricing knocked it out of contention.

 

This message may have been entered using voice recognition. Please excuse any typos.

[Sandi07054]

I just checked by booking with Celebrity and gratuities are 180.00 per person. I don't see where they charged on the drink plan

[Sandi07054]

I just contacted NCL

You are correct they do charge gratuities on free perks

$99 per person for drink plan for 7 day cruise

$12 pew person for dining

Still cheaper than paying full price

[Budget Queen]

What about the itinerary? Port times? I suggest you also figure out what activities you are going to include.

 

You don't mention what cruises these are. As an example, I find the NCL one way itinerary superb. :)

 

As for the drink packages, I'll suggest, with your Celebrity perk- cash tips are in order at least occasionally.

 

I'm a different type of traveler. I never include perks, and pretty much always go with NCL's X fares which are bottom line/lowest price. In Alaska, my travels- are for Alaska. :) I just booked a RCI sailing, and even with me being Diamond Plus, I'm not spending my time up in the lounge for hours each evening, like I may be more inclined to do so on other itineraries.

 

Perhaps, look further at these choices? It very well could be that HAL is a great deal. They do an excellent job in Alaska, BUT so do other lines- of which I have sailed all the majors in Alaska, multiple times with the exception of Disney.