NCL Steals and Deals

[KKB]

32 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Looking at that 10/30 sailing seriously.  If I book, I’ll do it next week.

OH CRAP.

We have concert tickets the 30th. 

DANGIT

[complawyer]

sell the tickets on stub hub.

[graphicguy]

3 hours ago, KKB said:

OH CRAP.

We have concert tickets the 30th. 

DANGIT

Who are the tix for?

[KKB]

18 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Who are the tix for?

Luke Combs

 

[complawyer]

WHO??? LOL

[Sailing12Away]

There's lots of last minute deals to be found for September... Regular cabins:

 

Less options for suites:

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, KKB said:

Luke Combs

 

I get it.  I’m not a Country Music fan, but he’s one of the popular and well known stars in that genre.

[graphicguy]

4 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

There's lots of last minute deals to be found for September... Regular cabins:

 

Less options for suites:

Saw a lot of those.  Not a HOlland American fan, so hadn’t looked at those, and would probably not consider HAL.  Other good deals out there, for sure.  I’m kinda focused on that New England cruise, as it’s an itinerary I have never done, on a ship that I like (Breakaway).

[KKB]

6 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

I get it.  I’m not a Country Music fan, but he’s one of the popular and well known stars in that genre.

DH is a huge country fan--he pretty much listens to sports talk or country on the radio.

The other 5 of us going have a wide range of music interests, but do like him.

 

 

[Sailing12Away]

For simplicity, just looking at October cruises that go to Halifax and comparing prices for only a balcony room... lots of bargains out there. These prices below are for a solo traveler.

[graphicguy]

6 minutes ago, KKB said:

DH is a huge country fan--he pretty much listens to sports talk or country on the radio.

The other 5 of us going have a wide range of music interests, but do like him.

 

 

Not a talk radio fan, either.  LOL!

 

I’m a renaissance man.  I listen to Jazz, Apple pod casts, and Audible Books.

 

That said, I do like Allison Krause and the late great John Prine, who was about as country as I get.

[graphicguy]

1 minute ago, Sailing12Away said:

For simplicity, just looking at October cruises that go to Halifax and comparing prices for only a balcony room... lots of bargains out there. These prices below are for a solo traveler.

Very Cool!  Thanks a bunch!

[KKB]

1 minute ago, graphicguy said:

Not a talk radio fan, either.  LOL!

 

I’m a renaissance man.  I listen to Jazz, Apple pod casts, and Audible Books.

 

That said, I do like Allison Krause and the late great John Prine, who was about as country as I get.

Only SPORTS talk...big ol' difference there!😉

 

[graphicguy]

11 minutes ago, KKB said:

Only SPORTS talk...big ol' difference there!😉

 

Well...OK then.  That makes him a really cool dude!

 

I know whenever I am in a friend's car as a passenger, and they are playing talk radio, my eyes glaze over.  Sports talk is a wee bit better.  But, none of the radio personalities know anything more than I do.  And, I already have an over abundance of opinions, and don't need anyone else's.  So, what's the point?

 

Actually, I think all music is good, regardless of my preferences.

 

Always happy to talk sports, as long as you're a fan of my teams.  LOL!

 

 

[graphicguy]

Just a quick note, sent Harry Sommer, president of NCL an email, or what has been reported as his personal email address. Have done so many times before.  Did so during the start up and voiced my displeasure about how they handled some of our FCCs, cruise cancellations and refunds during the restart.

 

I also send emails that praise NCL and individual crew when it's warranted.

 

Usually, I get a form email back stating how they're glad I took the time to write, happy I'm a loyal customer.....blah...blah...blah!

 

Sent one last week about how much I liked my cruise last July and how I'm looking at another next month to New England.  This time, I received a voice mail this past Friday, presumably from his exec assistant, wanting to discuss my email(s).  I missed the call, but she said she'd call again tomorrow.

 

Hmmmmmm.....wonder what that's about?

[complawyer]

KKB. i will not attempt to disparage country music in any way. i am aware there are probably millions of fans out there, and i dont want my head handed to me. country music is just not my cup of tea. about 10 years ago my wife had tickets to see tim mcgraw and  faith hill  at the mgm grand in vegas.  

one of her friends cancelled at the last minute so she dragged me along. i didnt know any of the songs, never listened to either of them except when faith hill sang the opening song for snf. not much of an evening for me.  it's "0" fun when you go to a concert and dont recognize any of the songs being performed. ive been in the same position a couple of times, and even though i really wanted to see the show, i gave away the tickets, rather than miss the cruise.

 

being a 74 year old baby boomer, i only appreciate music from 1975 back. in fact we just saw 3 dog nite, and im debating seeing blood sweat and tears this saturday. if there's an oldies but goodies concert somewhere near me, i'm there. 

 

that being said, my wife, daughter and grandson when to a kenny chesney concert. my wife knew the promoter, and my daughter got a guitar autographed by himself. go figure!

[PATRLR]

3 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

There's lots of last minute deals to be found for September... Regular cabins:

 

Less options for suites:

I don't suppose there is anyway you can communicate what web site you were using to get that view?

 

 

[Sailing12Away]

4 hours ago, PATRLR said:

I don't suppose there is anyway you can communicate what web site you were using to get that view?

 

 

Cruise Plum .... all one word. You can sear for last minute deals based on good/better/best, or you can do general searches with other filters applied. That one was filtered only for October 2022 sailings for a solo traveler, with at least one stop in Halifax, and only showing balcony rooms. There's tons of ways you can search depending on how picky you are, or just go with the 'best deals now' and it will show you all last minute steals.

[styxfire]

"Deals" don't seem to exist anymore.  I know the price/perks NCL offers by booking direct.  And I know which websites USED to offer additional perks.  But these days I can't find a single T.A website that gives anything beyond the NCL free-at-sea deals.  

 

I sometimes feel suspicious when I read posts on CC about people whose T.A gives them so many more things.  I don't have a T.A.  I have a NCL PCC who gives me the same deal as the website, including CruiseFirst/Next which I already know about.  

 

Back in the day, when cruising on Royal & Carnival, I used a website that allowed travel agents to compete with each other for what discounts they could offer you.  But NCL doesn't participate in that website.  I've read tons of online articles claiming different companies that may give you an OBC... but when I do a mock booking, they give nothing for NCL cruises.  At this point I basically feel too stupid to cruise NCL, because everyone else cruising them gets extra deals from their TA (supposedly) while I don't.  So I booked with Royal for 2024.

 

In the meantime, I found a nice cruise for family members in late 2023 on NCL...  but again, i can find no perk other than the NCL online prices available for every human alive.  Mock bookings yield nothing.  Cruising for a decade yields nothing.  No extra OBC anywhere.  If those things exist, they are only for big spenders, not for frequent-but-cheap cruisers like me. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

59 minutes ago, styxfire said:

"Deals" don't seem to exist anymore.  I know the price/perks NCL offers by booking direct.  And I know which websites USED to offer additional perks.  But these days I can't find a single T.A website that gives anything beyond the NCL free-at-sea deals.  

 

I sometimes feel suspicious when I read posts on CC about people whose T.A gives them so many more things.  I don't have a T.A.  I have a NCL PCC who gives me the same deal as the website, including CruiseFirst/Next which I already know about.  

 

Back in the day, when cruising on Royal & Carnival, I used a website that allowed travel agents to compete with each other for what discounts they could offer you.  But NCL doesn't participate in that website.  I've read tons of online articles claiming different companies that may give you an OBC... but when I do a mock booking, they give nothing for NCL cruises.  At this point I basically feel too stupid to cruise NCL, because everyone else cruising them gets extra deals from their TA (supposedly) while I don't.  So I booked with Royal for 2024.

 

In the meantime, I found a nice cruise for family members in late 2023 on NCL...  but again, i can find no perk other than the NCL online prices available for every human alive.  Mock bookings yield nothing.  Cruising for a decade yields nothing.  No extra OBC anywhere.  If those things exist, they are only for big spenders, not for frequent-but-cheap cruisers like me. 

Wow.  That's a whole lotta pain.  I just book NCL, cruise NCL and have a great time.  Deals?  We don't need no stinkin' deals!   (I do watch prices and reprice if I get a drop before final payment and/or upgrade if prices drop after final payment).  I like the drink package, so comparing NCL to brand X without free drinks is apples and oranges.

[complawyer]

styxfire.  for a change, i agree with chiefmatejrk.

 

i book a cruise for it's price and itinerary, and as ive said many times, ncl gives me the best bang for my buck.  any perks are secondary. while i appreciate whatever they may have, perks do not enter the equation when  making my decision. yeah, a couple 100 obc's would be nice, but not enough to tilt the scales. im perfectly happy with 2 free bags of laundry.

 

perhaps you should lower your expectations and be happy with what  you're getting. for me, sitting on my balcony, drinking a cold heineken, watching the sea go by, is more than enough.

 

 

[PATRLR]

7 hours ago, styxfire said:

I sometimes feel suspicious when I read posts on CC about people whose T.A gives them so many more things.  I don't have a T.A.  I have a NCL PCC who gives me the same deal as the website, including CruiseFirst/Next which I already know about.  

 

You say you don't have a TA but somehow you know there are no TA added benefits for cruises you book.  Hmmm..   Well, I too am a frequent but cheap cruiser and I get something more every single time I book with a TA.  One difference might be that I use the telephone to do my bookings after I find what I want online.  There is an online agency with "cheap" in their name that claims to have "cheap cruises".  Call them and ask about the 2023 cruise you're looking at.  There is another based in NH with 6 characters in their name.  I've used both and always got more than NCL offers.

Sometimes the difference might only be a small amount of OBC.  But many times it's quite a bit more.

Edited September 6, 2022 by PATRLR

[oteixeira]

Deals do exist if you are willing to wait until the last minute and be flexible.  I just booked a 10 day for the end of October with NCL in the Haven for about 60% of what I was paying pre-pandemic.  Remember this is the only line that claims they are not doing any price cutting, so my guess if I broadened my search I might find more.  I focused on a specific week and suites only.  I could have done MSC on the newest ship going for about the same cost (8 day).  Celebrity only had a 5 day in the time frame and it was very expensive, 2x these other 2 cruises.

Just keep looking, utilize sites like the one @Sailing12Away mentioned, and don't be afraid to wait it out and see if a price drops if you have multiple options in front of you (all of which you are willing to go on).

 

Just my .02

[Sailing12Away]

9 hours ago, styxfire said:

In the meantime, I found a nice cruise for family members in late 2023 on NCL...  but again, i can find no perk other than the NCL online prices available for every human alive.  Mock bookings yield nothing.  Cruising for a decade yields nothing.  No extra OBC anywhere.  If those things exist, they are only for big spenders, not for frequent-but-cheap cruisers like me. 

My best advice is to talk to fellow passengers on your next cruise and ask them who they use to book their trips and if they're happy with them. I always swore off TA's and PCC's... until I found the right ones.

 

There's an online TA that @oteixeira introduced me to which offers a straight 10% in OBC for NCL trips. Not the total price, but the cruise fare itself (pre-tax, fees, etc). I didn't believe it was possible, but transferred our booking for our Alaska trip last year to them and got an extra $700 the day I stepped foot on the cruise. Thankfully we had it, as all of our excursions were cancelled and had to be rebooked... so instead of having a negative balance to chip away at, I didn't have a sudden expense of an extra few hundred when I had to rebook those excursions on board.

 

When we knew we wanted to sail on Prima (despite the scary insane high costs), we transferred that booking to them as well. So there will be $1,300 in OBC waiting for me on that trip. My only complaint with them is that they suck at responding to you when you need them. It took them over a week to fix my air deviation request and to remove the transfers from that sailing, so I'm a bit nervous about any other changes I may need to make going forward.

 

On that fated Alaska trip we talked to another couple who gave me the name of an NCL PCC they loved. I reached out to her when we got home and although she couldn't do anything with the trip I had already transferred to the TA, she has since saved me several hundred dollars on other trips and throws in extra OBC to me anytime I use her. I've referred a bunch of other people her way, and she always finds them the best deals and then magically finds extra ones to add on for me as a thanks. They know every single valid promotion code - even ones that aren't advertised, and she can find ways to stack them up as high as my head.

 

So I've become a believer (to an extent) and will always use her for my NCL trips. For other ones, it will depend... I don't like not having control over my reservation when they're moved under a TA, so I may forgo those extra dollars and just keep my power.

[graphicguy]

2 hours ago, oteixeira said:

Deals do exist if you are willing to wait until the last minute and be flexible.  I just booked a 10 day for the end of October with NCL in the Haven for about 60% of what I was paying pre-pandemic.  Remember this is the only line that claims they are not doing any price cutting, so my guess if I broadened my search I might find more.  I focused on a specific week and suites only.  I could have done MSC on the newest ship going for about the same cost (8 day).  Celebrity only had a 5 day in the time frame and it was very expensive, 2x these other 2 cruises.

Just keep looking, utilize sites like the one @Sailing12Away mentioned, and don't be afraid to wait it out and see if a price drops if you have multiple options in front of you (all of which you are willing to go on).

 

Just my .02

Yeah...if you're a "shopper", you can find deals.

 

Nothing against booking with NCL direct.  It's been a while since I've done so.  The PCC I had kept changing.  I kept getting bombarded with email with "alleged" cruise deals they were offering.  

 

I've had the same TA for years, now.  She takes care of me when/if things go sideways (when you need them most).  She offers me some of her commission as either a refund or OBC.  Her agency sometimes runs specific to them promos, that NCL can't match.

 

Those of us who do shop around, more or less know when demand is high (like when school is out) or the itineraries that tend to cost more (thinking POA/Hawaii) and which fares on which ships cost more (like Prima is right now).

 

Late in the season for New England and Alaska tend to cost less than sailing those itineraries in July.

 

This is just some of the info most of us rely on.  Sometimes NCL fares are more than the fares for another cruise line.  Sometimes not.  

 

The cruise I've been referencing earlier in the thread is a good deal because it's late in the season for the New England/Canada itinerary.  Alaska itineraries for this month and next will yield some good deals, too for the same reasons.