Jump to content

Anyone of the same opinion pricing is starting to get alittle high?


Bestvalue82
 Share

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, ray98 said:

.....but all cruise lines start with an unrealistic 'brochure price' that all the marketing feeds off.  It is just math, don't get caught up in how they spin it.  Nothing is 'free' or 'discounted', the consumer just needs to decide if the final number at the end is worth it for the package or it isn't.

 

I'm aware of those marketing strategies. But following prices and special offers over time makes it very obvious and this is still disturbing ...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just booked a Carnival Vista Havana Cabin for $1,600 (for the cabin, not pp) for end of Feb. Throw in $300 for the drink package and that’s still under $2K for a premium cabin for a week, on one of Carnival’s best ships.

 

Looked at NCL Escape for the same time frame and pricing was similar.  The better value was ~$4K for Haven Cabin with all the goodies thrown in.

 

As @JamieLogical stated...deals are out there.  You just have to keep your eyes open and pounce on them when they’re available.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

The pricing for the 3/1 Bliss is starting to fall.  I paid $496/balcony sail-away/pp before port fees etc back around Thanksgiving.  It went up to $909/pp.  Now it's down to $713/pp for a mid-ship guarantee (and includes 1 shore excursion $50 credit).

When I was originally looking at this trip it was $599/pp for the sail-away balcony and I thought that was a good price.  So, $713 is more of "the normal" range for this cruise.

That's telling me something.

I'm going to follow the pricing until I'm on that ship....and my prediction is that by the end of Feb it will be back down to "a great bargain".

Edited by April42749
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/5/2020 at 6:39 PM, _Mr.G_ said:

Norwegians CEO made very clear, that increasing prices is one of the top priorities:

 

Frank Del Rio, president and CEO of Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings, said the passengers were booking future cruises even earlier than they did a year ago.
“So we’re focusing on price; we’re pushing price higher everywhere we can both in 2019 and 2020,” he said. “While we still have a lot of cabins to fill, the emphasis will be on raising prices across all three brands.”

 

https://skift.com/2019/02/21/norwegian-cruise-boss-zeroes-in-on-higher-prices/amp/

 

I'm watching prices for an upcoming NCL cruise nearly every day. The price level for this specific cruise remains nearly the same over the last weeks/month. Yesterday the "Biggest sale of the decade - 30% off" was introduced. And guess what! The prices are still the same as before this "giant sale" 🤨

 

I'm not even sure why so many people are so shocked by this. We are in a good economy and travel demand is STRONG. That causes prices to raise. This isn't just happening to cruises either. Planes, hotels, all travel is seeing it. All of them follow supply and demand.

 

NCL has clearly made a killing with their free at sea offer. Many people are so obsessed over "Free" stuff that they don't always notice that they're paying more for it.

 

Most companies are going to charge as much as they can. When demand is higher, price will go up. You can shop around to see if other times, lines, itineraries, etc have a lower demand. Some will, some won't. Waiting for a specific cruise to go on sale isn't always the best strategy either. If it's in high demand, why would they discount it for you? I've watched too many high demand cruises go way up in price, and not come back down.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

32 minutes ago, bob brown said:

That's the "bottom line"...😉

And, thus, why the price on my sailing went from $496 to $909 to $713. Sales weren't happening!

 

I like to book close to sailing as I live walking distance to the port and am retired, so no airfares or vacations to schedule.  I never would have booked in Nov for Mar except that the price was "unbelievably" low for "one day only". My benchmark is $100/pp/day (excluding fees etc)....so I would have gladly booked at the current $713.

 

I wish NCL would stop playing these games.  Other cruiselines have fluctuating prices, but not to the same degree as Norwegian. I don't mind paying, but I do mind knowing that my neighbor got the same product at half the price.

Edited by April42749
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/6/2020 at 7:25 AM, angalyse said:

... scare of the Coronovirus might be the derailing factor in NCL's price gouging strategy. 

Hello, how are you.  Rails might not be broken but definitely a broken wheel or two, perhaps an axle.  Oversea travelers, like the ones we had on our December Gem cruises aren't coming back anytime soon, no tourist visas and cannot get flights w/o tourist visas, at any price, to land them at JFK here in NY (EWR flight options drastically cut back) ... even air cargo are getting hit in-bound.   I'll say they probably accounted for easily 10% of the overall headcounts onboard.  Local ones, I found out afterward were booked & lead by a bulk T/A based here in NYC (wasn't easy to figure out who & where they're from ... giveaway was the buffet vs. MDR crowds)

 

I wasn't surprised entirely that some were on the westbound Panama Canal crossing (in smaller numbers, from what I read).  They're "big" spenders onboard, hoarding high-end goods in duty-free store & busy on their unlimited satellite WiFi (hence, made it worst & slower than slow already)

 

6 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Just booked a Carnival Vista Havana Cabin for $1,600 ... a premium cabin for a week, on one of Carnival’s best ships ... just have to keep your eyes open and pounce on them when they’re available.

Congrats for scoring one, loyalty to the wallet - T/A and card deals with OBC, etc. I assume.  Enjoy !!!  Semi/live blog, trip report including their WiFi (I assume ??) and ports, pix, etc. coming soon from you.  

 

4 hours ago, April42749 said:

... I wish NCL ... Other cruiselines have fluctuating prices, but not to the same degree as Norwegian. I don't mind paying, but ... the price.

Should be an interesting conference calls on the 20th about NCLH outlook.  I'm sure FDR is going to be asked about the strong headwinds ahead.  

 

Prices are crazy high this year so we aren't sure of sailing again anytime soon on NCL.  Our planned trip to Vietnam via Beijing has been called off for early April, might just be a good time to see good old Canada behind the wheels ... fresh cold water lobsters & favorite dollar exchange rates.  

Edited by mking8288
  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

8 hours ago, ray98 said:

 

.....but all cruise lines start with an unrealistic 'brochure price' that all the marketing feeds off.  It is just math, don't get caught up in how they spin it.  Nothing is 'free' or 'discounted', the consumer just needs to decide if the final number at the end is worth it for the package or it isn't.

 

I have always paid that unrealistic brochure rate, or at least very close to it.

 

I really don't know how to find a lower price if I want to book in Sweden.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/7/2020 at 4:27 PM, mking8288 said:

Hello, how are you.  Rails might not be broken but definitely a broken wheel or two, perhaps an axle.  Oversea travelers, like the ones we had on our December Gem cruises aren't coming back anytime soon, no tourist visas and cannot get flights w/o tourist visas, at any price, to land them at JFK here in NY (EWR flight options drastically cut back) ... even air cargo are getting hit in-bound.   I'll say they probably accounted for easily 10% of the overall headcounts onboard.  Local ones, I found out afterward were booked & lead by a bulk T/A based here in NYC (wasn't easy to figure out who & where they're from ... giveaway was the buffet vs. MDR crowds)

 

I wasn't surprised entirely that some were on the westbound Panama Canal crossing (in smaller numbers, from what I read).  They're "big" spenders onboard, hoarding high-end goods in duty-free store & busy on their unlimited satellite WiFi (hence, made it worst & slower than slow already)

 

Congrats for scoring one, loyalty to the wallet - T/A and card deals with OBC, etc. I assume.  Enjoy !!!  Semi/live blog, trip report including their WiFi (I assume ??) and ports, pix, etc. coming soon from you.  

 

Should be an interesting conference calls on the 20th about NCLH outlook.  I'm sure FDR is going to be asked about the strong headwinds ahead.  

 

Prices are crazy high this year so we aren't sure of sailing again anytime soon on NCL.  Our planned trip to Vietnam via Beijing has been called off for early April, might just be a good time to see good old Canada behind the wheels ... fresh cold water lobsters & favorite dollar exchange rates.  

Of course....will post over in the Carnival threads.

  • Haha 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/7/2020 at 4:42 PM, sverigecruiser said:

 

I have always paid that unrealistic brochure rate, or at least very close to it.

 

I really don't know how to find a lower price if I want to book in Sweden.

Have followed your posts for awhile.  Pricing for cruises in Sweden sounds much higher than what we pay in the U.S.A.  Not sure why.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Anyone of this opinion...the prices are back to normal (at least for the 7 day Bliss out of NYC)

This is the only itinerary that I'm following since I'm one the 3/1 sailing

The balcony sail-away is down to $664 (it was at $909) and for later in March it's down to $559.

I can safely assume that bookings were not what were expected.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 2/8/2020 at 11:01 PM, graphicguy said:

Have followed your posts for awhile.  Pricing for cruises in Sweden sounds much higher than what we pay in the U.S.A.  Not sure why.

It could be because all of their taxes, fees, gratuities, etc are rolled into the price. No surprises but a higher posted cost.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

6 hours ago, Zippeedee said:

It could be because all of their taxes, fees, gratuities, etc are rolled into the price. No surprises but a higher posted cost.

 

I assume that when someone say how much they pay for their cruise it's with taxes and fees included.

 

DSC has not been included when I have cruised on NCL but that might have changed since I cruised on NCL.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share

  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...