Ship sailing capacity

[kugamuga]

We are sailing on the Bliss on December 17 and I am interested in what the sailing capacity will be then on NCL ships. I have read recently that ships are currently sailing at 65%. Does anyone have any inside info on what it may be in December?

[shof515]

ships been sailing near 100% since the summer started

[Bowmanvilletravel]

We were just on the bliss and there were 3500 people there. 

[planefring1]

just off the Joy. I talked with the hotel manager.  he said there were 363 unsold balcony cabins on the 8/23 Joy sailing. However, due to many cabins holding a 3rd or 4th guest were all but sold out. the ship sailed at 3950 or 102 % occupancy.

[cruiserbear55]

Pearl was just a touch over 2000 pax, or roughly 85% 8/26-9/2.

[kugamuga]

25 minutes ago, shof515 said:

ships been sailing near 100% since the summer started

Oh. Thank you

 

[kugamuga]

17 minutes ago, planefring1 said:

just off the Joy. I talked with the hotel manager.  he said there were 363 unsold balcony cabins on the 8/23 Joy sailing. However, due to many cabins holding a 3rd or 4th guest were all but sold out. the ship sailed at 3950 or 102 % occupancy.

That is interesting

[debdel]

We sailed on the Jewel in August and ship was not crowded at all. The room steward said it was about 60% capacity.

[complawyer]

how can anyone anticipate or even attempt to predict how many people will be on that sailing?

 

any number anybody gives you here is just  a guess (and not even an educated one) unless it's coming from someone in ncl booking (which i doubt)!

 

you could just have easily asked what are the chances that ncl will cancel the cruise, or change ports.

 

so ask yourself. at the end of the day, how will the number of other passengers affect my cruise. if the ship sails full are you going to cancel?

 

why dont you start from the premise that you are going to sail with a ship at full capacity, and when you board if it's less than that, you won!!. we were on jade in april with about 1/3 of the total passengers, we were on the bliss early august and it was almost entirely booked.

[Trimone]

Easy answer the popular cruises will be 100% less popular discounted about 35% and 60% full…no atmosphere dead ships

[ChiefMateJRK]

18 minutes ago, Trimone said:

Easy answer the popular cruises will be 100% less popular discounted about 35% and 60% full…no atmosphere dead ships

???

[pickle11]

Occupancy.  Why is this important?  Never seem to be a topic before covid. The real topic should be how fully staffed the ship is and how many crew members are not working because of covid.

[ChiefMateJRK]

33 minutes ago, pickle11 said:

Why is this important? 

It's not that important in the grand scheme of things, but many of us would prefer a ship sailing at less than capacity because of less crowds/waiting/etc.

[Landl cruiser]

On the Spirit Aug 24-Sep 2 , in Alaska.   Ship had 1000 passengers or about 50 percent capacity.   No lines anywhere.  It was delightful, although not profitable for NCL

[pickle11]

11 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

It's not that important in the grand scheme of things, but many of us would prefer a ship sailing at less than capacity because of less crowds/waiting/etc.

And what happens if you do not get your preference?  How do you book a less crowed ship to get the elbow room you prefer if you book over a year out?  Do you monitor the cruise cancel and rebook another to get the preference you want?  Or do you just live with it and hopefully do not bump into anyone?  Even small ships get crowed.

And cruising is all about waiting in lines and hopefully you have someone to help you save your place.

[graphicguy]

Most sailings have been at or near capacity over the summer.  Whether that makes a difference to you, or not, is up to you.

 

I sailed on the Getaway in July at capacity.  Had no issues at any of the dining venues or bars around the ship.  Sea days were crowded around the main pools, but I expected that and stayed away.

[kasimir]

I fully understand where the OP is coming from and why some prefer sailings at lower capacity. 

 

We took a cruise last year October to Bermuda, literally weeks after cruising was resumed again and the ship was at 40% capacity and with no kids onboard. The experience for us was absolutely great and very relaxing, everywhere was plenty of space, no lines and it felt extra relaxing to us. 

Combined with the fact that our flights were half full and that NYC was less crowded and quiet at that time, it made our post-cruise stay in NYC also very enjoyable and overall it was one of our most relaxing trips ever. 

 

For those that enjoy a more calm cruising environment, there are specific months and/or itineraries that are less crowded where you can enjoy that and on top of that find a great deal on the cruise fares as well. 

 

But lets also remember these big disruptive events (like COVID or 9-11 etc) are like once every 10-15 years and history has shown that things will go back to normal. So enjoy the calm, less crowded ship while it lasts, because sooner then later we will be back to pre-covid levels. As an example, I remember when we went to Disney World in December 2001 (months after 9-11), the park was fairly empty and you could take the same ride multiple times without standing in line. Best Disney experience ever... But as others said, these are not sustainable circumstances for any companies in the leisure industry. 

[pickle11]

Cruising at 50% capacity was nice so why do people think this is the new norm.  Cruise ships need to make money again and how can they at 60 to 75%.  And when covid restrictions ends expect full ships with lots of children.

[cruisebug722]

Sailed NCL Breakaway 8/21 from NYC.  4400 was the count the captain and crew gave out.  Largest number they said they had since the restart.  Largest number I've sailed with since last July but it is what they were built for so back to normal.  Guess for those who liked the empty ships - Party is over! 

[complawyer]

youve got the wrong perspective.  the cruise line's objective is to sell cabins. you should always anticipate a full ship, and if its not, you scored a bonus.

 

i think your position shows a little to much sense of entitlement. if you want exclusivity, book a haven suite. no waiting in long lines, your own pool area, restaurant and bar, and a separate seating area at the theater, or book with silversea or windstar.                   PROBLEM SOLVED!

 

imagine someone else booking that ship and hoping it sails at less than full capacity, and now resents your being on the ship taking away some of their valuable space. while i rarely (if ever) use the pool area, i find that the only place on the ship where a large crowd is gathered is at the pool or buffet.

covid caused this problem, and now that it seems to have died down, ships are sailing at full or near full capacity. this was always the norm.

 

so just enjoy your cruise. isnt that why you booked in the 1st place?  would you feel the same way if you  bought tickets to   the super bowl, or a concert by a major artist. personally? i'd rather be on a cruise ship sailing with over 3,000 people, then at a stadium with over 50,000                                  

[styxfire]

15 minutes ago, complawyer said:

youve got the wrong perspective…

 

i think your position shows a little to much sense of entitlement…                              

Ouch.

 

But anyway…. capacity…  a recent article from the cruise industry made some comparisons for the last quarter (April thru June) — Norwegian was averaging 65% capacity, Carnival at nearly 100%, and Royal Carib at 82%.

 

I am one who sailed Bliss at 25% capacity.  There was a lonely ambiance around the ship, and the deck parties were a major dud, and some entertainment was cancelled.  But on the other hand, it was the first time EVER that our whole party got poolside chairs.  And finding theatre seats was easy, and we got dining and entertainment reservations easily at our desired times.  Never ANY waiting at food lines, bars, at getting off at ports, nor final disembark,… we literally got everything we wanted WHEN we wanted.  So yes, a nice foray into upper-crust experiences.  (But then again, the price of the cruise was higher than I had ever paid before either, just due to basic price inflation and inflation in the cost of add-ons.)

 

 I’m aware that future cruising will be at the “new normal” costs but with much longer wait times and competition for seats & excursions.

 

I would guess that the best chances for a lower-capacity sailing are:  

—mid-Oct to early-Nov.

—Early Dec.

—Late-Jan to late-Feb.

[ChiefMateJRK]

6 hours ago, pickle11 said:

And what happens if you do not get your preference?  How do you book a less crowed ship to get the elbow room you prefer if you book over a year out?  Do you monitor the cruise cancel and rebook another to get the preference you want?  Or do you just live with it and hopefully do not bump into anyone?  Even small ships get crowed.

And cruising is all about waiting in lines and hopefully you have someone to help you save your place.

You asked a question.  I answered it, beginning with "it's not that important."  I don't understand why you're now bringing all this other crap to the table.

[Av8torcrj]

Cruise lines were intentionally limiting capacity for a time secondary to covid. My interpretation of the OP’s very simple question was is Norwegian continuing to purposefully limit capacity and if so, what’s that free space margin for December. Consensus seems to be the company is selling to capacity if demand will fill the ship. As with so many posts, a simple question has been turned into an opportunity to savor the apparent endorphin release that comes with gnawing at each other’s necks which seems to happen here with regularity.  

[kasimir]

2 hours ago, styxfire said:

I would guess that the best chances for a lower-capacity sailing are:  

—mid-Oct to early-Nov.

—Early Dec.

—Late-Jan to late-Feb.

 

Correct... Also, specific itineraries tend to be less busy, like repositioning cruises. 

 

Other tips from my experience to avoid crowded ships (and score cheaper rates): 

• Try avoiding brand new ships in their first year 
• Be flexible and follow price trends and see if specific cruises keep dropping (especially after final payment date). That can be a big hint that the cruise is booked at lower capacity and the cruise line is trying to get folks on the ship. 

 

3 hours ago, complawyer said:

if you want exclusivity, book a haven suite. no waiting in long lines, your own pool area, restaurant and bar, and a separate seating area at the theater, or book with silversea or windstar.

 

Completely agree! There are many cruise lines out there and each of them have their pro's and con's and its good to try out the competition... I was fortunate to have tried most of the cruise lines and currently NCL overall fits our needs very well.

[blueslily]

8 hours ago, pickle11 said:

And what happens if you do not get your preference?  How do you book a less crowed ship to get the elbow room you prefer if you book over a year out?  Do you monitor the cruise cancel and rebook another to get the preference you want?  Or do you just live with it and hopefully do not bump into anyone?  Even small ships get crowed.

And cruising is all about waiting in lines and hopefully you have someone to help you save your place.

 

I think the person was just sharing a preference. that's ok. I cruised early during the restart and enjoyed it as well. Before the pandemic, we experienced what we experienced and that's what we knew and expected going forward.  During the pandemic, some of us were able to have a different experience and some of us enjoyed that different experience. It's just stating a preference.