sailaway rates

[enyliram]

wondering if  sailaway rates will be available.

[reeinaz]

They are usually available when an itinerary first opens up. Other than that, you just need to keep checking back for the cruise you're interested in. Usually if you see a nice price-drop in a cruise you've been monitoring, that price is a sail away rate.

[ggTexasGal]

There are some out there, but the availability can vary greatly, based on dates, itinerary, room type, etc! 

[EllieinNJ]

It looks like with the current promotion there are no s ailaway rates.

[casofilia]

@enyliram

 

wondering if  sailaway rates will be available.

 

It might help if you would give some indication of exactly which cruises you were interested in.

[MeHeartCruising]

The cruise I have booked for Oct 2021 (Spirit) has Sailaway Rates showing for the current promo.  In fact it is a Sailaway Rate that also includes the $50 per port shore excursion promo. 

[Cruise Wonderland]

12 hours ago, EllieinNJ said:

It looks like with the current promotion there are no s ailaway rates.

 

7 hours ago, MeHeartCruising said:

The cruise I have booked for Oct 2021 (Spirit) has Sailaway Rates showing for the current promo.  In fact it is a Sailaway Rate that also includes the $50 per port shore excursion promo. 

 

Sailaway categories IX (inside), OX (oceanview), BX (balcony), MX (club balcony) can only have the promotion "USD 50 shore excursion credits". This is the only combinable promotion. No other choices.

 

Other normal categories can choose 2 among the below 5 promotions :

USD 50 shore excursion credits

Internet Package

Beverage Package

Specialty Dining Package

3rd & 4th guest free or USD 99 (selected sailings only, not all sailings have this option)

[drsel]

The sailaway rate is the best deal, in my humble opinion

[EllieinNJ]

Sorry.  Several of the cruises I was looking at had "sold out" sailaway rates so I thought they were not included in this promo.

[notmyrealnameoremail]

5 hours ago, drsel said:

The sailaway rate is the best deal, in my humble opinion

Good morning,

 

We just booked our first NCL cruise in 25 years. We hope it will go well and we will booking more in future.  To that end, we are trying to learn as much as we can about what to look for when booking.

 

So, can you explain why you find the saleaway rate to be the best deal?  To me, it looks like a guarantee rate without the promo perks.

 

Tom

[drsel]

Good morning,
 
We just booked our first NCL cruise in 25 years. We hope it will go well and we will booking more in future.  To that end, we are trying to learn as much as we can about what to look for when booking.
 
So, can you explain why you find the saleaway rate to be the best deal?  To me, it looks like a guarantee rate without the promo perks.
 
Tom

Read "the intelligent cruiser" by a former cruise employee and you'll understand why

[drsel]

All Cruise lines including Norwegian sell the cabins at a loss and then recover the losses by onboard sales of alcohol, specially dining, casino, spa, art auctions, photos, gift shop, shore excursions, future Cruises.

There is also another thread on Cruise critic explaining the profitability of Cruises

[MeHeartCruising]

23 minutes ago, notmyrealnameoremail said:

Good morning,

 

We just booked our first NCL cruise in 25 years. We hope it will go well and we will booking more in future.  To that end, we are trying to learn as much as we can about what to look for when booking.

 

So, can you explain why you find the saleaway rate to be the best deal?  To me, it looks like a guarantee rate without the promo perks.

 

Tom

 

You are correct.  It all comes down to the math of what you will doing onboard the ship.  It will be the "best deal" if you don't mind a guarantee and you don't intend on spending money on the things that the perks cover.  If you're a non-drinker who doesn't care much about food or internet access, then the sailaway rate probably is the best deal.  Otherwise, it possibly isn't.

 

So, I don't think it's the best deal for everyone, necessarily.

[notmyrealnameoremail]

14 minutes ago, drsel said:

21 minutes ago, notmyrealnameoremail said:

Good morning,
 
We just booked our first NCL cruise in 25 years. We hope it will go well and we will booking more in future.  To that end, we are trying to learn as much as we can about what to look for when booking.
 
So, can you explain why you find the saleaway rate to be the best deal?  To me, it looks like a guarantee rate without the promo perks.
 
Tom

Read "the intelligent cruiser" by a former cruise employee and you'll understand why

I'm not sure where to find "the intelligent cruiser". However, if I'm understanding you correctly you think it is a good deal because you save enough money to make it worthwhile to have NCL assign the cabin and to give up up the add-ons.  Is that correct?

[notmyrealnameoremail]

Thanks,  it sounds like a numbers game.  I'm good at those.

[drsel]

I'm not sure where to find "the intelligent cruiser". However, if I'm understanding you correctly you think it is a good deal because you save enough money to make it worthwhile to have NCL assign the cabin and to give up up the add-ons.  Is that correct?

The non Sail away prices include the cost of the alcohol package, specialty dining, internet; but

1.Alcohol
for Norwegian the cost of duty free alcohol is peanuts.
So it is highly profitable for them to sell any alcohol package or bundle it together with the The Cruise fare.

2. Speciality dining
The food in the main dining room is pretty decent from what I remember and so is the food in the buffet.
so you don't really need to waste money on the specialty dining, because if you do, you will be wasting the dinners included and paid for in the main dining room and buffet.

3. Wifi
we try to avoid using mobile phones on a cruise because we want to enjoy the cruise.
Anyway, all the ports have plenty of free Wi-Fi in all the coffee shops and restaurants

[drsel]

If I provide any more information, I will be giving you the intelligent cruiser for free!

[casofilia]

@EllieinNJ

 

You may find that they do not introduce the "Sailaway" rates till they see how sales are going.   There is no need to if they can get sales at "inclusive" rates, that is making the large profit by including the alcohol in the price.   As has been said if they can include the alcohol in the price the profit margin increases.

 

If sales are slow then "Sailaway" will be offered in the hope that alcohol is going to be bought "by the glass"

[drsel]

Absolutely! alcohol, casino and shore excursions are the biggest profit centres for any cruise line

[drsel]

Don't forget to use a Cruise next certificate which you can buy at half price from the FB group.

 

A 250 dollar certificate is usually available at cost price, which is $125 and the price may drop further as the expiry date approaches.

You can buy 4 more $250 certificates @ $125 on your next Cruise

 

 

 

 

[notmyrealnameoremail]

1 hour ago, drsel said:

The non Sail away prices include the cost of the alcohol package, specialty dining, internet; but

1.Alcohol
for Norwegian the cost of duty free alcohol is peanuts.
So it is highly profitable for them to sell any alcohol package or bundle it together with the The Cruise fare.

2. Speciality dining
The food in the main dining room is pretty decent from what I remember and so is the food in the buffet.
so you don't really need to waste money on the specialty dining, because if you do, you will be wasting the dinners included and paid for in the main dining room and buffet.

3. Wifi
we try to avoid using mobile phones on a cruise because we want to enjoy the cruise.
Anyway, all the ports have plenty of free Wi-Fi in all the coffee shops and restaurants

Thanks. 

 

The concept is very close to what we do, start with least expensive price and seeing if what we get for the more expensive options is worth the difference to us. 

 

I will respectfully disagree with the idea that how much the cruise will make if buy one thing or another should be part of my decision process.  I agree that they make a ton of money when they sell us alcohol to drink while on the cruise, but I don't care about that.  I care if the single drink or drink package is worth the price they quote to me.  To be honest,  if they to make good money selling me something at price I can live with, it makes it more likely they will try to get me to come back.  But everyone has to make their own decisions. 

 

Tom

[MsTabbyKats]

I always get "sail away" rate....as close to sail date as possible.

If I get "a bad cabin" I upgrade myself to the next category.

In all my sailing days I only had one "bad cabin".

[4774Papa]

On 9/11/2020 at 12:50 PM, reeinaz said:

They are usually available when an itinerary first opens up. Other than that, you just need to keep checking back for the cruise you're interested in. Usually if you see a nice price-drop in a cruise you've been monitoring, that price is a sail away rate.

We haven't done an NCL cruise since Fall 2018 because whenever I pull  up cruises from NCL, Celebrity and Royal C., NCL is the only one that doesn't offer booking without perks.  I don't want any perks.

 

I tend to book early and I don't see spillway rates until a few months before the cruise and the rates are guarantee, with no specific cabin.