Uk based AI query

[ged1967]

Hi all

 

Havent cruised in over a year, prices appeared to have shop up in price!  We have 4 Cruise Next vouchers for NCL and need to use them by early 2021. However with prices of a weeks Med Cruise costing guts of £3,000 and the Caribbean over £3,600 it’s getting quite expensive. 

 

To reduce the price I’ve been looking at the “cruise only” price, which can make a substantial difference to the cost. However we do like a drinks package and we know we’d pay a lot more if we PAYdrink! 

 

So so my question to the UK cruising population is: 

 

- Can you buy Cruise only then purchase a drinks package separately (either online or onboard)?

- if you can then how much is the cost? 

 

We we are likely now looking at late 2019, or early 2020. We’re even considering an inside cabin to bring costs down and to let us save, although we know if we book a balcony or above & 6 months+ Out we can use 2 CNVs 

 

Any help or advice will be greatfully received. 

 

Or on on a lighter note (please take this with the humour intended) if there are any older women who would like the company of two gay men (45/51) we’d be more than happy to chapparone you. 

 

TIA

 

[ozscotart]

Hi there, we’re just off the Jewel, we booked via a well known US based travel agent (they have UK phone numbers) , they are cheaper than NCL in the UK and you don’t have to book the all inclusive UK package. We used our cruise next certificates with no problems. We did have the drinks package via that booking, you have to pay the service charge on the value of the package, not the individual drinks. I gather that you can buy the package on board on the first day, people were saying it was USD99, I think that might be per person, am not sure, plus 20%. We thought we had good value by booking via the US rather than in the UK, but you do have to do your sums. Drinks prices on board are in the $9-12 range +20%, so it is worth thinking about.

[YorkshireD]

I can second looking at the US travel agents and booking their free at sea offer rather than with NCL direct. I know you can't post specifics on here but a simple internet search points you in the right direction. Alternatively i booked our latest Voyage via a uk online travel agent and found their prices for AI were similar to NCL just cruise prices when we wanted to go. Where abouts are you in the UK?

[BaWBarmy]

The prices for European cruises are unbelievable. The Caribbean prices don't look too bad. I checked out an Oz cruise and it worked out nearly as cheap for us to cruise for 13 nights out of Sydney as it did for 11 nights out of Venice.

 

I've never used a US travel agent so I can't be any real help except to say to book your own flights rather than use the NCL fly-cruise option. You can save yourself quite a bit just doing that.

[ziggyuk]

If you have a VPN and use a US server even the NCL site will offer you the US fares in $ and you won't be offered the European AI prices, I have not booked this way but have used my VPN the see what offers are available in other countries, you could use an Australian server if you want to reveal their prices.

[ged1967]

6 hours ago, YorkshireD said:

 Where abouts are you in the UK?

We are based in Scotland. 

 

[ged1967]

5 hours ago, BaWBarmy said:

I've never used a US travel agent so I can't be any real help except to say to book your own flights rather than use the NCL fly-cruise option. You can save yourself quite a bit just doing that.

 

I have done mock bookings for Cruise Only & then looked at flights and it can save maybe £200 or more pp. 

 

However im always wary that the cruise line won’t wait for, or make arrangements for independent flights. So I’d need to factor in additional night(s) before embarkation

 

Oh why can’t it just be easy, and relatively cheap?

[Iggy68]

I have to say I’m really surprised at the high prices for Summer 2019 for Mediterranean cruises. NCL have 3 ships doing similar routes all summer in the eastern Med, yet all of them are way higher in price than this summer. Am I missing something or has demand really surged that much?

[fshagan]

20 hours ago, ged1967 said:

Im not sure how we can swap details privately as I’d love to find out more. 

 

You can private message someone by hovering over their screen name and selecting "Message". 

 

[ged1967]

I’ve tried clicking “message” but I’m only allowed to send 0 messages a day! 

Maybe simene can PM/DM me?

[ziggyuk]

2 hours ago, fshagan said:

 

You can private message someone by hovering over their screen name and selecting "Message". 

 

 

13 minutes ago, ged1967 said:

I’ve tried clicking “message” but I’m only allowed to send 0 messages a day! 

Maybe simene can PM/DM me?

 

I asked about this, messaging is disabled on this site:

 

LINK

Edited October 23, 2018 by ziggyuk