OrlandoSingleCruiser Posted September 22, 2017 #1 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Is it just me or is the NCL pricing hideous? Let me explain. I just pulled up a few last minute cruises out of Miami to the Caribbean. I would be cruising solo so I check to see which cruises have deals for solo travelers. For example, look at the 10/28 sailing on the Escape. It shows $649 + Tax for a balcony cabin "sail away rate" which is their basic guarantee balcony. Ok that's fine, I don't really care about where the cabin is. But the catch is that you don't get the 2 free perks you would get with a regular fare. Now if you look at their regular cabin fares for 1 person it starts at $1,798 in a balcony cabin. Whaaaaat????? That makes absolutely no sense. I can go and pay full price on a beverage package and the price would bring me to about $1,400. Wouldn't it make sense to have a regular balcony cabin option with the free perks they offer for around $1,200-1,300? I don't know who does the NCL pricing but considering that even their studio cabins are sold out they should offer competitive pricing for singles in other cabins. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare shof515 Posted September 22, 2017 #2 Share Posted September 22, 2017 regular cabins is based on double occupancy. due to this, it is normal to charge a solo cruises 150% - 200% times the fare for a cabin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray98 Posted September 22, 2017 #3 Share Posted September 22, 2017 (edited) Just the way it shakes out as categories fill up. Be happy they still offer the GTY as a single. Most break all cabins down as double occupancy. Edited September 22, 2017 by ray98 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoSingleCruiser Posted September 22, 2017 Author #4 Share Posted September 22, 2017 What I'm saying is that all their guarantee categories don't have that single supplement. Inside, Oceanview, Balcony, or Mini-Suite. So why do the guarantee cabins not have it and regular ones do? NCL is losing out on revenue because of this. They'd rather give a balcony upgrade to someone in an interior cabin for $200 (upgrade program) then have a single cruiser pay $1,200-1,300 for a cabin to themselves. I don't disagree with charging more for a regular cabin...but triple the price is absurd! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Husky1987 Posted September 22, 2017 #5 Share Posted September 22, 2017 May not make much sense, but if this is the case and it'll save you money, can't you just book two and have the second person be a no-show at the dock? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoSingleCruiser Posted September 22, 2017 Author #6 Share Posted September 22, 2017 May not make much sense, but if this is the case and it'll save you money, can't you just book two and have the second person be a no-show at the dock? No, because the guarantee rooms don't have a single supplement. For 1 person the price is: Oceanview guarantee = $599 Balcony guarantee = $649 Mini-Suite guarantee = $999 Regular oceanview = $1,598 Regular Balcony = $1,798 Regular mini-suite = $2,398 If I book a second person then the guarantee room price is double and the regular rooms are the same cost. There's no advantage. I couldn't care less about where the room is located. Ok, well, yes...we all do but i'm ok with a guarantee. The point here is that with a guarantee you get nothing. You get the room and that's it. With a "regular" cabin booking they throw in a free beverage package that costs $79 per day otherwise. That's $553 for the entire 7 day cruise. So I can book a balcony guarantee for $649 plus an unlimited beverage package for about $1,200. Their regular balcony is $600 MORE!!! That's what doesn't make any sense to me. A regular balcony for 1 person should only be $1,200-1,300 at the most. Instead they'll give a balcony upgrade to someone in an interior room that bid $200 to upgrade. Realistically tho without the beverage package i'd probably have 2-3 drinks on sea days and maybe 1 for dinner on port days so I wouldn't buy the beverage package and NCL would maybe get $200 from me for alcohol meaning they just lost another $350 in revenue. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Love my butler Posted September 22, 2017 #7 Share Posted September 22, 2017 NCL is merely fishing for the ignorant and un-informed customer. Many, many of those out there. It's like a car salesman. They will gladly sell you that new Buick for 30k, after some negotiation, but if you walk in and offer to pay the 38k sticker price, they will let you pay full price and laugh all the way to the bank. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laedw Posted September 22, 2017 #8 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Is it just me or is the NCL pricing hideous? Let me explain. I just pulled up a few last minute cruises out of Miami to the Caribbean. I would be cruising solo so I check to see which cruises have deals for solo travelers. For example, look at the 10/28 sailing on the Escape. It shows $649 + Tax for a balcony cabin "sail away rate" which is their basic guarantee balcony. Ok that's fine, I don't really care about where the cabin is. But the catch is that you don't get the 2 free perks you would get with a regular fare. Now if you look at their regular cabin fares for 1 person it starts at $1,798 in a balcony cabin. Whaaaaat????? That makes absolutely no sense. I can go and pay full price on a beverage package and the price would bring me to about $1,400. Wouldn't it make sense to have a regular balcony cabin option with the free perks they offer for around $1,200-1,300? I don't know who does the NCL pricing but considering that even their studio cabins are sold out they should offer competitive pricing for singles in other cabins. I totally agree with your analysis. I was looking to book a solo cruise but with the significant markup and no free perks I'm going to pass! :( Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoSingleCruiser Posted September 22, 2017 Author #9 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Not to mention that the charge for the Unlimited Beverage Package on NCL is higher then any of the other cruise lines i've looked at and generally includes less. The beverage package on NCL doesn't even include bottled water AND you can't bring bottled water onboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray98 Posted September 22, 2017 #10 Share Posted September 22, 2017 What I'm saying is that all their guarantee categories don't have that single supplement. Inside, Oceanview, Balcony, or Mini-Suite. I'm aware of that. My point was the industry standard is double occupancy so you should look at their policy of allowing singles to book their GTY without supplement as a major bonus instead of focusing on the fares where they follow the standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoSingleCruiser Posted September 22, 2017 Author #11 Share Posted September 22, 2017 I'm aware of that. My point was the industry standard is double occupancy so you should look at their policy of allowing singles to book their GTY without supplement as a major bonus instead of focusing on the fares where they follow the standard. It's also the standard on Norwegian. But it's also not uncommon for cruise lines to drop or reduce the single supplement on last minute cruises to fill up the ship. If Norwegian has identified this sailing as one of the sailings where they drop the single supplement then why not apply it to the other categories as well? If you've already determined that you're willing to sell cabins without a single supplement then why still have an outrageous upcharge if someone wants a category that also has one of the perks that NCL offers everyone? It's irritating for me (and other single cruisers) but it's also bad business for NCL. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moby0215 Posted September 22, 2017 #12 Share Posted September 22, 2017 It's also the standard on Norwegian. But it's also not uncommon for cruise lines to drop or reduce the single supplement on last minute cruises to fill up the ship. If Norwegian has identified this sailing as one of the sailings where they drop the single supplement then why not apply it to the other categories as well? If you've already determined that you're willing to sell cabins without a single supplement then why still have an outrageous upcharge if someone wants a category that also has one of the perks that NCL offers everyone? It's irritating for me (and other single cruisers) but it's also bad business for NCL. There are reasons why they do what they do. Just cause you think it is bad business for NCL does not actually translate to lost revenue. Like a previous poster said, you are looking at it the wrong way. You should just be happy that you are able to get a cabin without a solo supplement. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beerman2 Posted September 22, 2017 #13 Share Posted September 22, 2017 OP It does make sense! What if the single price included the perks and us as a couple each booked seperate because it was less expensive. Thus now taking 2 cabins and using only 1. It's called lost revenue at that point. It's strictly business why NCL does it that way. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare BostonGal35 Posted September 22, 2017 #14 Share Posted September 22, 2017 if the ship is empty and needs filling, often times you can book the sail away rate within 30 days of sail adn they give you one or two of the perks. or, the run more solo sailer supplement offers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoSingleCruiser Posted September 22, 2017 Author #15 Share Posted September 22, 2017 OP It does make sense! What if the single price included the perks and us as a couple each booked seperate because it was less expensive. Thus now taking 2 cabins and using only 1. It's called lost revenue at that point. It's strictly business why NCL does it that way. Booking 2 cabins for 2 people rather than 1 cabin for 2 people will never be cheaper, and it's not what i'm advocating at all. A Balcony cabin in this instance is $1,798 for 1 or 2 people. It doesn't make a difference. That includes the perks. The balcony guarantee is $649 without the perks. I can go and buy the beverage package for $550 so that brings the cost to $1,200 for a balcony guarantee with the beverage package. So essentially the difference between a balcony guarantee ($1,200) with the beverage package bought and a standard balcony with the perks ($1,798) is $600...that's a 50% increase. That's what doesn't make sense to me. A standard balcony where you choose your room and you get the perks for 1 person should be $1,200-1,300...not $1,798. I'm not expecting a handout but one can see how the pricing doesn't make any sense. It's like those people that have reported getting upgrade offers with a minimum bid that is HIGHER then what it would actually cost them to upgrade at full price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wdsted Posted September 22, 2017 #16 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Yes, the pricing is a head-scratcher. But, a $649 balcony--even if guaranteed--for a solo guest is great deal. Why not book that and just pay-as-you-go for beverages and buy an upgraded dining package? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray98 Posted September 22, 2017 #17 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Booking 2 cabins for 2 people rather than 1 cabin for 2 people will never be cheaper, and it's not what i'm advocating at all. You apparently don't understand what Beerman2 is saying..... It would be the exact same price using your current example with the GTYs. Two people in a GTY balcony is $1298 or put each in their own cabin for $649pp since there is no single supplement. Most couples would not do that because they have no control over where the cabins are located. However, give people the ability to choose their own room on a regular rate with no single supplement then all one has to do is find 2 connecting cabins and book 1 person in each.....double the space for the same price. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoSingleCruiser Posted September 22, 2017 Author #18 Share Posted September 22, 2017 You apparently don't understand what Beerman2 is saying..... It would be the exact same price using your current example with the GTYs. Two people in a GTY balcony is $1298 or put each in their own cabin for $649pp since there is no single supplement. Most couples would not do that because they have no control over where the cabins are located. However, give people the ability to choose their own room on a regular rate with no single supplement then all one has to do is find 2 connecting cabins and book 1 person in each.....double the space for the same price. It wouldn't be the same price. What i'm saying is there should be an option for a single traveler to choose a cabin and get the perks for $1,200-1,300 instead of only having the option of the GTY for $649 or the normal room for $1,798. If 2 people select 2 different rooms in this instance they would pay $2,400-2,600 instead of $1,798 so they'd have to shell out about $800-1,000 for that extra cabin. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoSingleCruiser Posted September 22, 2017 Author #19 Share Posted September 22, 2017 Yes, the pricing is a head-scratcher. But, a $649 balcony--even if guaranteed--for a solo guest is great deal. Why not book that and just pay-as-you-go for beverages and buy an upgraded dining package? That's probably what i'll end up doing. At $10 per drink I would need to consume 55 drinks before the beverage package is worth it and with only 2 sea days I doubt i'll get to 1/2 that amount. The dining package is about $120 so that will take me to $649 + $250 (drinks) + $120 dining = $1,020 is what NCL will get from me plus tax & service fee. Instead they could have had a $1,200-1,300 rate and throw in the beverage package (I might have a few extra drinks but not much) and they would have pocketed $200-300 more. This is why their pricing is hideous. More so for the business then the customer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ray98 Posted September 22, 2017 #20 Share Posted September 22, 2017 If 2 people select 2 different rooms in this instance they would pay $2,400-2,600 instead of $1,798 so they'd have to shell out about $800-1,000 for that extra cabin. LOL....I think you are so invested in this you are incapable of entertaining any points that contradict your already formed opinion. I plainly said UNDER THE CURRENT GTY RATES it would cost 2 people traveling together the same no matter if they chose 1 cabin or 2 since there is no single supplement. I further explained if NCL expanded that policy outside of the GTY rates it would allow people traveling together to intentionally book connecting cabins with 1 occupant each since there would be no additional cost. The single supplement prevents that because it makes it more expensive. It really isn't needed with a GTY because people know the cabins will not be connecting and that in itself dissuades the practice. Good luck with your trip. Pricing Details for single ItemGuest 1Cruise Fare$649.00Govt Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses$137.89Total per Guest$786.89 Pricing Details for double ItemGuest 1Guest 2Cruise Fare$649.00$649.00Govt Taxes, Fees & Port Expenses$137.89$137.89Total per Guest$786.89$786.89 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike_DeA Posted September 26, 2017 #21 Share Posted September 26, 2017 That's probably what i'll end up doing. At $10 per drink I would need to consume 55 drinks before the beverage package is worth it and with only 2 sea days I doubt i'll get to 1/2 that amount. The dining package is about $120 so that will take me to $649 + $250 (drinks) + $120 dining = $1,020 is what NCL will get from me plus tax & service fee. Instead they could have had a $1,200-1,300 rate and throw in the beverage package (I might have a few extra drinks but not much) and they would have pocketed $200-300 more. This is why their pricing is hideous. More so for the business then the customer. You presume that everyone chooses the beverage package as their perk, and would be willing to spend that extra $200-400 in the base fare to get the UBP. Not so. I for one love the last minute Sail Away rates as I don't drink much. I'll just pay out of pocket for a few drinks and the Internet package. NCL's focus is to fill unoccupied cabins close to the sailing date, which is better for the casino, spa, shops, shore excursions, specialty dining, etc to sail full, and also the room stewards. I would cruise as much if the price was, say $1,200-1,300, since the value is not there for me. I'm sure their Revenue Dept. is much smarter than any of us when it comes to maximizing cash flow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garycarla Posted September 26, 2017 #22 Share Posted September 26, 2017 ... I'm sure their Revenue Dept. is much smarter than any of us when it comes to maximizing cash flow. BINGO - we have a winner. Why do they price the way they do? Because with millions of bookings, they have learned what is best for the OVERALL market and NCL. Pretty much every cruise line will allow certain segments to go elsewhere. They can not and will not try to serve every single type of customer. That is not why they are in business. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sverigecruiser Posted September 26, 2017 #23 Share Posted September 26, 2017 BINGO - we have a winner. Why do they price the way they do? Because with millions of bookings, they have learned what is best for the OVERALL market and NCL. Pretty much every cruise line will allow certain segments to go elsewhere. They can not and will not try to serve every single type of customer. That is not why they are in business. A absolutely agree with this. We may think that their pricing is ridiculous but they calculate how they shall earn as much money as possible. They have lost my business, at least for now, but as long as enough people book with them it's still good for them. I don't mind to pay a lot for my cruise but if I can find better value for money (read MSC Yacht Club) I rather choose that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OrlandoSingleCruiser Posted September 26, 2017 Author #24 Share Posted September 26, 2017 Another reason their pricing is ridiculous: I can book an inside cabin with the perks they offer AND a balcony guarantee for $50 less then a Balcony with the perks they offer. Balcony cabin with NCL perks = $1,798 Inside room WITH NCL perks & Balcony Sail Away rate = $1,748 So I can book 2 cabins on the same cruise with perks, get a balcony cabin AND an inside cabin for LESS then a balcony cabin with the NCL perks. Makes a ton of sense doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeaShark Posted September 26, 2017 #25 Share Posted September 26, 2017 So....if you can book it cheaper, just do so. Why complain about it? Do you want them to raise the pricing to be the same, because that is what they will do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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