I got those waiting on a price drop blues...

[WashyWashyHappyHappy95]

Trying to squeeze in one last run on the BA before she switches to her Bermuda itinerary.

 

NCL.com still shows 45+ balcony rooms for 4/16, and the cruise is barely a week away, but no price drop. What happened to filling the boat?

[javalsu]

I think they try to get upgrades out of the way first.

[MellyMel612]

I have the opposite blues. 60ish days out and balcony cabins are $600 less per person than we paid. Ugh. Oh well, what can you do.

 

Good luck with yours. I love spontaneous trips (I'm not good at waiting)

[BobaLouFTL]

Living in South Florida, I used to wait for the last minute price drops too. Haven't seen them in a long while.

[BostonGal35]

i think the upgrade (dis)advantage program coupled with the UBP for all has changed everything.

[April42749]

I booked the 4/18 Gem a little over a week ago, which was "early" for me. I didn't check the price again until yesterday because I was fearing a price drop so close to sailing. No, drop. Still the same price.

 

The last cruise, in Dec, on BA...there was an almost give-away price for a balcony about 3 weeks out so I booked it instead of waiting until "almost boarding time". At the time there were loads of cabins available. A day or so after I booked, and very suddenly, the cruise was sold out. After that, I decided not to wait until the last moment in the future. If you get price you're happy with, go for it, and don't keep checking.

[SeaShark]

Trying to squeeze in one last run on the BA before she switches to her Bermuda itinerary.

 

NCL.com still shows 45+ balcony rooms for 4/16, and the cruise is barely a week away, but no price drop. What happened to filling the boat?

You're a couple years too late. FDR believes in market to fill. The days of discount to fill are long gone.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

You're a couple years too late. FDR believes in market to fill. The days of discount to fill are long gone.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

Not only that, but, by targeting the last minute penny pinching bargain hunter, this might not be the kind of person you want onboard anyway. There's a higher chance that they're going to be tight with their purse strings not to mention that it could attract some less than desirable folks - though those do come in all shapes/sizes, so to speak!

 

Having said that - sometimes in the past I wish we could have taken advantage of some great deals. Our schedule is just not flexible enough. :)

 

Tom

Edited April 7, 2017 by Tom-n-Cheryl

[WashyWashyHappyHappy95]

You're a couple years too late. FDR believes in market to fill. The days of discount to fill are long gone.

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N910A using Tapatalk

 

You must have missed the GTY balconies on the 13-day BA cruise this past January for $749 without a solo supplement, or the GTY balconies on a 7-day BA cruise last november for $499 without the supplement.

 

It still happens.

[SeaShark]

You must have missed the GTY balconies on the 13-day BA cruise this past January for $749 without a solo supplement, or the GTY balconies on a 7-day BA cruise last november for $499 without the supplement.

 

It still happens.

Still part of market to fill. GTY cabins with no perks....the prices for the other cabins are not discounted.

[Abr155]

Trying to squeeze in one last run on the BA before she switches to her Bermuda itinerary.

 

NCL.com still shows 45+ balcony rooms for 4/16, and the cruise is barely a week away, but no price drop. What happened to filling the boat?

 

How are you able to figure out that there are 45+ left? I know they load the "best" 15!

 

Stalking the Star's April 23 cruise to gauge potential upgrade advantage likelihood!

[WashyWashyHappyHappy95]

How are you able to figure out that there are 45+ left? I know they load the "best" 15!

 

Stalking the Star's April 23 cruise to gauge potential upgrade advantage likelihood!

 

I counted?

[cruisinmeme]

It is certainly a diferent ball amen these days.

We always book real early (usually 2 years early) in the past I have noticed most suites sale out fast. Prices never drop for us.

We are booked on dawn for April 16. Prices have never dropped in years. They have gone up and back down. A few days ago they soared.(we have family suite) with lots of family suites and many more family suites with balcony (didn't pay attention to other suites) my take is they are hoping a few people may book that didn't know the prices had been much lower. If that doesn't work they will snatch all the people that bid thinking they won a prize. I hate to tell those people but had they upgraded a long long time ago they would of won, but now you are paying inflated prices. I got the offer to upgrade twice. Minimum bid was what the difference was anyway .

I am happy with what we have. Have had the family suite quiet a few times. I would of booked the one with balcony if that is what I wanted. The biding thing to me was a joke. Sorry! I do watch my prices often.

Each cruise may be different but no bargain here.

[April42749]

How are you able to figure out that there are 45+ left? I know they load the "best" 15!

 

Stalking the Star's April 23 cruise to gauge potential upgrade advantage likelihood!

 

There are certain TA sites that show the full inventory.

[April42749]

Still part of market to fill. GTY cabins with no perks....the prices for the other cabins are not discounted.

 

The gty cabins don't seem to get discounted much now either.

 

I am an example of someone who books gty .....it's not that we're cheap or poor but because the perks are of zero use to me.

(Don't drink, am very careful about what I eat and the buffet is much better for that, do private excursions, leave the office at home and would rather stay home that have #3 & #4 in the same cabin)

 

I really wish that "a cabin cost $XXX/pp".....and leave it at that.

[Gershep]

I have my eyes on a few cruises and no price drops yet either. Miss the old days!

[hladygirl]

I don't get it. My cruise on the dawn is 49 days away and it appears that the insides are sold out, the ov almost sold out but there are tons of balconys and suites left. The prices of those cabins are pretty high and have not gone down. Does NCL plan on cruising with Aton of empty cabins if they can't sell them at current rates?

[WashyWashyHappyHappy95]

I don't get it. My cruise on the dawn is 49 days away and it appears that the insides are sold out, the ov almost sold out but there are tons of balconys and suites left. The prices of those cabins are pretty high and have not gone down. Does NCL plan on cruising with Aton of empty cabins if they can't sell them at current rates?

 

Ditty on this 4/16 BA sailing. Still 45+ balconies left, spread across various categories. And almost 20 Haven rooms..

 

No way NCL lets the ship sail with these rooms unfilled just to make a point. Their costs are set whether they have those rooms filled or not, so may as well get people into them, right? Especially if no perks are offered, that means more people to spend money at the bar, specialty restaurants, use the spa, etc...

[SeaShark]

Ditty on this 4/16 BA sailing. Still 45+ balconies left, spread across various categories. And almost 20 Haven rooms..

 

No way NCL lets the ship sail with these rooms unfilled just to make a point. Their costs are set whether they have those rooms filled or not, so may as well get people into them, right? Especially if no perks are offered, that means more people to spend money at the bar, specialty restaurants, use the spa, etc...

 

But that logic is a part of discount-to-fill. As previously discussed, FDR operates under a market-to-fill schema. That "need" to fill all of the cabins no longer exists. They will sail with empty cabins if they have to. After all, it is working. Their profits are up, and more importantly, onboard spending is up...even though they are giving away drinks and meals as promos.

[WashyWashyHappyHappy95]

But that logic is a part of discount-to-fill. As previously discussed, FDR operates under a market-to-fill schema. That "need" to fill all of the cabins no longer exists. They will sail with empty cabins if they have to. After all, it is working. Their profits are up, and more importantly, onboard spending is up...even though they are giving away drinks and meals as promos.

 

Sailing with those empty cabins can't save them any money. Everything that is needed for next weeks sailing has already been purchased or is at least funded. They're not waiting to see what happens to 40 balcony cabins to decide how much food to buy for the buffet.

 

It's a distinct minority of cruisers that can book that last minute anyway. Anyone that's committed to a cruise on a certain date has already pulled the trigger, and enough cruises sell out regularly so people know you can't gamble with waiting until the last minute if you REALLY want to go.

 

So yeah, market to fill at first...but if you're a week out from the departure date and still have a glut of empty rooms, it's insane to not do a price drop.

[SeaShark]

Sailing with those empty cabins can't save them any money. Everything that is needed for next weeks sailing has already been purchased or is at least funded. They're not waiting to see what happens to 40 balcony cabins to decide how much food to buy for the buffet.

 

It's a distinct minority of cruisers that can book that last minute anyway. Anyone that's committed to a cruise on a certain date has already pulled the trigger, and enough cruises sell out regularly so people know you can't gamble with waiting until the last minute if you REALLY want to go.

 

So yeah, market to fill at first...but if you're a week out from the departure date and still have a glut of empty rooms, it's insane to not do a price drop.

Yet, it is working in spite of the assumptions you are making.

[WashyWashyHappyHappy95]

But that logic is a part of discount-to-fill. As previously discussed, FDR operates under a market-to-fill schema. That "need" to fill all of the cabins no longer exists. They will sail with empty cabins if they have to. After all, it is working. Their profits are up, and more importantly, onboard spending is up...even though they are giving away drinks and meals as promos.

 

And again it's not like they don't still do this. In January you could take a 13 day cruise solo in the BA for $749. That's an insane price drop. They had to fill the rooms.

[SeaShark]

And again it's not like they don't still do this. In January you could take a 13 day cruise solo in the BA for $749. That's an insane price drop. They had to fill the rooms.

But you know that a rare exception doesn't disprove the rule...it would be foolish to think otherwise.

[WashyWashyHappyHappy95]

But you know that a rare exception doesn't disprove the rule...it would be foolish to think otherwise.

 

You could do a 7 day Canadian balcony solo on the Gem in September for $649.

 

I did a 7 day on the BA in December for 749 (price dropped just under 2 weeks out).

 

Last November, GTY balconies on the BA were going for $499...lowest I've ever seen them.

[SeaShark]

You could do a 7 day Canadian balcony solo on the Gem in September for $649.

 

I did a 7 day on the BA in December for 749 (price dropped just under 2 weeks out).

 

Last November, GTY balconies on the BA were going for $499...lowest I've ever seen them.

...and?