NCL Pricing

[Gaprofitt]

Hey All,

 

Looking at cruising Feb 2020 to the Carribean on NCL.  Is it just me or is the pricing super high?  Is it just because I'm so far out?  Do you typically just book and cancel or get a price adjustment or what strategy should I go with?  Looking at Encore, perhaps it's just because it's new.  Should I expect price drops?  $2500 for two, sailaway, no promo for a guaranteed balcony seems really pricey to me..

 

 

[PTC DAWG]

New ship makes a difference...

[GA Dave]

The economy is making a big difference too.  Unemployment at or near record lows, etc.  We just booked a room at Walt Disney World last night for September (our daughter, SIL, and granddaughter are coming down from MI), and it was triple what we last paid for the same resort, same room a couple of years ago.

[bonvoyagie]

Some of it is for that new ship smell, some is also because you are not going to one of NCL's private islands of GSC or Harvest Caye where they can squeeze more extra money out of you.

 

It also depends on which part of the Caribbean you want to see - there are lots of possibilities in Feb 2020 out of the three main FL ports. There are also similar ships to the Encore including its sister the Escape and older ships including the Dawn and Breakaway.

 

My strategy is to book early and usually the initial pricing is the best you will get. Pricing seems to vary with how well the cruise is selling based on past experiences - if it is selling too fast they will ramp up prices - too slow and they come back down. Some folks have also suggested that the prices ebb and flow with the promotions being offered. The more "free" stuff they offer the higher the prices.

 

I have booked cruises the instant my TA can book them - my last cruise had a TA booking window that was a couple of days before the rest of the world could book them. We got the early bird rate and it never went lower - in fact it rose several hundred $ in the 700+ days we waited. On our upcoming cruise through the Panama Canal we booked it about 400 days out - got the cabin we wanted and watched the prices go up and down but never below the initial rate.

[JOHNHOWARTH2]

Last Friday, (May 31st) I booked a studio cabin on the Epic leaving Rome on 24th July at a base price of £659. Today, the same studio cabins (only 5 left now) are priced at £1194, an increase of 81%. The same cabin on July 22nd next year is priced at £1774. An increase on this year of 169%. Just where do they get their pricing from? Also remember that in the UK, if you decide you cancel at any stage, you lose your deposit

Edited June 9, 2019 by JOHNHOWARTH2

[luv2kroooz]

That price is artificially inflated by a lot.  I would expect prices to adjust downward. Certainly won't go much higher.

[luv2kroooz]

3 minutes ago, JOHNHOWARTH2 said:

Last Friday, (May 31st) I booked a studio cabin on the Epic leaving Rome on 24th July at a base price of £659. Today, the same studio cabins (only 5 left now) are priced at £1194, an increase of 81%. The same cabin on July 22nd next year is priced at £1774. An increase on this year of 169%. Just where do they get their pricing from?

 

NCL set prices without regard to supply and demand when you are greater than three months before sailing. They hope to book as many cabins as they are able to at these artificially inflated rates.  Nothing but a money grab for them. Once they get inside the three month mark, they begin to adjust prices to market levels. 

[tallnthensome]

1 hour ago, Gaprofitt said:

Hey All,

 

Looking at cruising Feb 2020 to the Carribean on NCL.  Is it just me or is the pricing super high?  Is it just because I'm so far out?  Do you typically just book and cancel or get a price adjustment or what strategy should I go with?  Looking at Encore, perhaps it's just because it's new.  Should I expect price drops?  $2500 for two, sailaway, no promo for a guaranteed balcony seems really pricey to me..

 

 

Feb 2020 is not far out. I booked the Encore for April 2021 back in January of this year. With that being said the price you mentioned is very high. I paid $3897 for four people in family angled balcony, 2 drink packages, specialty dining for two, and internet. That was a 3 day price on the website due to an error and it went up to $5397 and stayed there since. Prices are high on every line and I sail pretty much all of them. Deals are very hard to find unless off peak and last minute. My Celebrity sailing next year is up over $2000 and when I sailed the Bliss this past April on my 15 day Panama Canal cruise it was up over $2000 more. Best deals are usually when bookings open and that's two years in advance and what I do. 

Edited June 9, 2019 by tallnthensome

[smplybcause]

Well for one it's a cruise on a ship that will be less than 4 months old, so that definitely is part of the reason. You could get some deals - my friend went on Bliss in Dec after it came out and got a great deal but I canceled my Bliss in Feb as I decided it was too high a price and was hoping it'd come down like my friend's cruise did but it never did. 

[adam_s_allen]

If you’re flexible enough with dates and ship and just want a sail away rate no perks I’d wait and book last minute.

[FLAHAM]

My last three transatlantics went nowhere but up from the dates they were first listed.  Bargain hunters are still at the pier. 

Edited June 9, 2019 by FLAHAM