Are ncl prices out of control?

[havanadaydreaming]

First, i love ncl.  And carnival.  Liked msc very much too.  

 

We have been looking to book a Feb 2024 cruise out of US port and ncl prices are waaaaaaay above our historical expectations.  

 

Saw a 7 nt oceanview(we are usually balcony)  from nola as low as $659pp but when we selected it lowest non sailaway cabin was $1500 pp. Plus fees, taxes and grat.  

 

Whooo boy.  We have a 12 nt CCL sailing booked at 1/15th (granted casino offer) the price.  Sure thats an outlier but i expected less than $200pp/day for cabin from ncl.  Non haven, of course.

 

 

[dexddd]

Yes.  I guess all those fcc's still need to be used up.  Haven, no way paying what asking but I do see most sailings in next few months highly sold out.

 

Not paying what they are asking.  There were some $299 insides to Alaska though.

[All-ready2cruise]

I know it looks like prices are out of control but really, everything is up and out of control.  Consider though what the cruise lines have had to endure.  No passengers, their "bread and butter" totally missing, plus they still had to pay for their ships, maintenance, new builds, lots of expenses.  Yes, costs are high.  

[mjkacmom]

13 minutes ago, havanadaydreaming said:

First, i love ncl.  And carnival.  Liked msc very much too.  

 

We have been looking to book a Feb 2024 cruise out of US port and ncl prices are waaaaaaay above our historical expectations.  

 

Saw a 7 nt oceanview(we are usually balcony)  from nola as low as $659pp but when we selected it lowest non sailaway cabin was $1500 pp. Plus fees, taxes and grat.  

 

Whooo boy.  We have a 12 nt CCL sailing booked at 1/15th (granted casino offer) the price.  Sure thats an outlier but i expected less than $200pp/day for cabin from ncl.  Non haven, of course.

 

 

Does overlap with Mardi Gras?

[Russiamomm]

Yes, prices are very high.  But the ships are largely sailing full.  There aren’t even good last minute discounts.  As much as I hate it, why should they lower prices if they are commanding and getting the higher fares?  It’s capitalism.  Charge what the market will bear.

[omahabob]

I've found them to be fairly competitive when comparing like to like in ships and itineraries. There are outliers of course, as there always are, but I don't see any glaring excesses.

[Two Wheels Only]

If I'm selling a widget, I can double, triple, or quadruple the asking price. If people still buy at the inflated price, the widget isn't overpriced.  

[www3traveler]

My guess is like the rest of us, there prices keep increasing-- food, booze, shore excursion vendors, port fees and taxes, cost to ship things to ships sailing around the world.  You name it, it cost more right now.

[Agent999]

37 minutes ago, havanadaydreaming said:

ncl prices are waaaaaaay above our historical expectations

 

Perhaps the issue is more with your expectations than the pricing.

 

That said, I'm sure that NCL is in control of the pricing. I don't know why you think there is no control in place.

[Liljo22]

34 minutes ago, omahabob said:

I've found them to be fairly competitive when comparing like to like in ships and itineraries. There are outliers of course, as there always are, but I don't see any glaring excesses.

I agree.  Prices are up from where they were pre COVID but I have found them to be competitive and most of the time are coming in cheaper than Royal.  Once you factor in having to add the drink package and dining to the Royal fare, it’s an even better deal.

[mking8288]

Flexible and off-season travel dates an option ?? - there are deals to be found with NCL, and ... other lines for that matter.  Heck, one of the nieces just got back from a 7 nights New England/Canada cruise on Cunard's QM2 out of Red Hook, Brooklyn - a quick 15 minutes ride, curbside to curbside as she lives that close to the pier, didn't cost an arm and her leg.  

 

Check out Port Canaveral, Florida this winter instead of NOLA ... 2 ships running donuts; and, of course, Miami or even Tampa.  Flights costing a lot more these days.  Prices of jumbo eggs on sale (non-organic) at our favorite local supermarkets are down to $2 a dozen again.  I walked out of a local BK place as they priced their tiny breakfast sandwich at $6, hence no deal for being lazy & not in a mood to fuzz around in the kitchen.  Control of prices - their choice but cash / credit or debit card or Google/Apple Pay tap-n-go, it's under my control.  😉 😁 

[hallux]

I found what I consider to be a bargain for a cruise in January 2024 - $1579 (plus taxes and port fees) for an inside on a 15 day Panama Canal.  That's as a SOLO!!

 

Is there a possibility I'll be on deck 5?  SURE, but there's also some 'room' to get moved up if the prices go down, and I can bid for a balcony upgrade...

[WexIrl]

Supply and demand prices with some offers thrown in the mix over the calendar year up to sailing date.

Cost of living and everything that goes with it has gone up, .. its up there with death and taxes from a control perspective if you are resigned to booking a cruise! 

 

[graphicguy]

Key to getting decent fares…on any of the cruise lines….is to be flexible.  There are very few cruise lines I’d cross off my list.  But, I can usually find a good fare by shopping NCL, Royal and Celebrity.  Then, I look at my 2nd tier of Carnival or Princess.  

 

Specifically to NCL, I can find good fares the majority of the time.  If not, I look elsewhere, or change my dates!

 

Looking back at what I’ve paid historically over the last 10 years (this would be before FAS), total out of pocket with drinks, specialty dinners, etc, I am paying about the same.  I’ve found some really good fares here and there.  But, overall if shopping and taking advantage of perks and coupons (a recent NCL pricing tactic), I can find deals!

Edited July 9, 2023 by graphicguy

[schmoopie17]

1 hour ago, Two Wheels Only said:

If I'm selling a widget, I can double, triple, or quadruple the asking price. If people still buy at the inflated price, the widget isn't overpriced.  

I find widgets are much cheaper at Widgets R Us. That's the only place I buy my widgets.

[IrieBajan54]

Fares are definitely higher than pre-covid for solos. The way I cope is to cruise when schools are in session. I book last minute and long cruises only which provides me with a lower per day rate. I haven't done a 7-day cruise since 2014. Plus, I always book sail-away since type of cabin and location is not important to me, My last cruise in April was 15 days and the next in the fall is hopefully 12 days pending price reduction.

[Oboedot]

Just booked a 14 day cruise for February on the Sky. Ocean view with large picture window. Took Free at Sea promotion but without drink package (we won’t drink the $600 service charge).  Including gratuities and all port taxes and fees, $3022 for 2 people.  I think that’s quite reasonable.  

[complawyer]

it all depends on what category cabin you want, and where you want to go.

 

i found a 14 day cruise from iceland to southampton on the star this oct, and a penthouse suite is 7500.

i dont think that's outrageous for a 2 week cruise, obviously, the price goes down for a lessor category cabin/

 

we're booked on a b2b 10 day each segment next oct from venice to athens, athens to tel aviv. total costs for club balcony is about $11,000 . i dont think that's excessive for 2 people for 20 days, when you factor in the food, beverage package, and (IMHO) the itinerary is amazing!

[Panhandle Couple]

We booked a 7 day Christmas cruise out of NOLA (Breakaway) with std balcony, deck 13 for around $3700.

 

I just checked CCL Glory out of NOLA for 8 day, leaving the day before, Verandah deck, at $3500.  Room is slightly smaller.  Balcony the same size, but no drink pkg or specialty dining.  Add those and it will easily be $200 more, so very comparable.   

 

It's like going to Lowes or Home Depot, the std prices are exactly the same on 90% of their items.

Edited July 9, 2023 by Panhandle Couple
wrong ship name

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, havanadaydreaming said:

We have been looking to book a Feb 2024 cruise out of US port and ncl prices are waaaaaaay above our historical expectations.  

 

Saw a 7 nt oceanview(we are usually balcony)  from nola as low as $659pp but when we selected it lowest non sailaway cabin was $1500 pp. Plus fees, taxes and grat.  

Is this the one?  Price per person, $679 in Oceanview.  $1687 after FAS gratuities but before taxes and fees?  Are you certain that yours was $1500 PER PERSON?

 

7-DAY ON NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY

Caribbean: Harvest Caye, Cozumel & RoatanfromNew Orleans, Louisiana

1. NUMBER OF GUESTS & DATES

• 2 Guests
• Feb 25 — Mar 3 2024

[rattla]

2 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

I agree.  Prices are up from where they were pre COVID but I have found them to be competitive and most of the time are coming in cheaper than Royal.  Once you factor in having to add the drink package and dining to the Royal fare, it’s an even better deal.

I guess pre Covid was 4 years ago though now, and we’ve also had some hefty inflation the last couple of years.

when you look at the rise of food and drink prices, and note that most cruise line drinks package costs have gone up about 25-33% it’s not surprising NCL need to do the same.  It’s just with their FAS deals they really need to add the higher cost onto the cruise price?

[rnfulk]

13 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Is this the one?  Price per person, $679 in Oceanview.  $1687 after FAS gratuities but before taxes and fees?  Are you certain that yours was $1500 PER PERSON?

 

7-DAY ON NORWEGIAN BREAKAWAY

Caribbean: Harvest Caye, Cozumel & RoatanfromNew Orleans, Louisiana

1. NUMBER OF GUESTS & DATES

• 2 Guests
• Feb 25 — Mar 3 2024

I was thinking the same thing. The NCL website is showing per person pricing for me on the search page, but once I select a sailing the pricing changes to per room. It’s certainly jarring if you don’t notice the change in pricing structure. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

12 minutes ago, rnfulk said:

I was thinking the same thing. The NCL website is showing per person pricing for me on the search page, but once I select a sailing the pricing changes to per room. It’s certainly jarring if you don’t notice the change in pricing structure. 

Yep.  It kind of deflates the "OMG, out of control!!" reactions.  I guess maybe the answer to the original question is now obviously "no."

[Montanagirlalways]

I also have noticed that once you click on the price per person for the cabin of choice it takes you to the cabin price for 2. At first I wondered why the price shot up but then noticed it is per cabin. 

[tomk3212]

IMHO all of the cruise lines are carrying very heavy debt loads due to the loans they had to take out during the Covid to keep themselves afloat financially (pun intended…lol). That’s the biggest reason prices are so high. But as other posters have pointed out, the ships are running at or very close to 100% capacity.  So no more last minute deals available and they can charge whatever they want because it’s now a sellers market for them.
 

Carnival, for example, who just came out of a bad quarter financially, has stated that they are assuming a 100% occupancy rate for the next year. While I think that’s rather optimistic on their part in this post pandemic environment, they may just hit that number. People spent two years cooped up wherever they were due to the pandemic, and now they just wanna get out and travel.  That’s a rather simplistic explanation, but it seems to be holding true.

 

My two cents, for what it’s worth. Lol.