Never book early!

[CDR Benson]

49 minutes ago, amygutman said:

 

57 days 22 hours 30 minutes until we board the Encore in Alaska. 

Started at over 500 days. 

At this point I'm both giddy AND exhausted from the excitement!!!!!

Warmest, Amy

 

Gauging by your signature line, doctor, you've never cruised to Alaska.  You'll love it.  The first cruise the Good Mrs. Benson and I took, in 2018, was the inside passage to Alaska, out of Vancouver.  Alaska was the one destination on both of our bucket lists, so we made it our first cruise.

 

We live in the southeastern U.S. so, to be sure, flying to Vancouver was a genuine pain.  But, apart from that, it was a marvelous trip.  Just taking in Vancouver was a highlight.  Who'd have thought that some of the best Italian food I'd ever enjoy would be in a Canadian restaurant.

 

The ports we hit were picturesque and immersed us in the local culture.  (Expensive, though, I warn you---things aren't cheap in the forty-ninth state.)

At sea, the scenery was exquisite.  Especially Glacier Bay.  Serene, pristine, and positively breath-taking. 

 

We loved the sense of remoteness.  As the ship sailed northward, at night, we could make out the coastline from our balcony.  Nothing but hills of dense forest; yet, every twenty miles or so, we could just pick out the lights of a single, isolated residence, and we'd marvel at the idea of someone living so far away from everything.

 

I'm excited for you.  You'll have a wonderful experience.

 

 

 

 

Edited July 27, 2023 by CDR Benson

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, amygutman said:

@9tee2Sea and @ontheweb

57 days 22 hours 30 minutes until we board the Encore in Alaska. 

Started at over 500 days. 

At this point I'm both giddy AND exhausted from the excitement!!!!!

Warmest, Amy

But who's counting? 🤣

🤣

[kirtihk]

On 7/22/2023 at 10:09 PM, Savmom9801 said:

You said never book early - I have been waiting for a price drop for our May 2024 Mediterranean cruise and it is currently $5K more than we booked last summer. You can always get a price adjustment up until the day before final payment. I think the best rates are by booking early. 
 

Not always: any cruise line may have a reduced price available only for new booking and considering cancel and re-book as NOT a new booking (their system might "see" re-booking that way); then one wouldn't be able to apply the reduced price; besides, re-booking might also trigger a deposit cancelation penalty fee depending on a cruise lines rules at the time of an original booking (for example, if booked Celebrity non-refundable cruise, they used to have $200 pp cancelation fee applied meaning you would get back your deposit minus $400 per 2; recently they made it even worse - the entire deposit ($500 per 2 for 7-day cruise and $900 per 2 for more than 7-day cruise) is non-refundable if a cruise canceled if booking was non-refundable).

[kirtihk]

On 7/23/2023 at 10:00 AM, RocketMan275 said:

OK, but by forgoing a TA you're forgoing a 8% or more price savings.

Plus, since my TA is a small business, I always talk to the same person who has a personal interest in my cruises.

It's actually from 2% depending on a cruise line relation to TA's agency and your relation to a TA.

[RocketMan275]

8 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

It's actually from 2% depending on a cruise line relation to TA's agency and your relation to a TA.

Actually, no.  My TA grants an 8% price savings on all bookings on all cruise lines (except Carnival) to all that book through her.

Other TA may do it differently but I don't use other TA so that isn't relevant for me.

[hallux]

10 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Other TA may do it differently but I don't use other TA so that isn't relevant for me.

That was the point @kirtihk was making...

[kirtihk]

15 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Actually, no.  My TA grants an 8% price savings on all bookings on all cruise lines (except Carnival) to all that book through her.

Other TA may do it differently but I don't use other TA so that isn't relevant for me.

Your "by forgoing a TA you're forgoing a 8% or more price savings." statement was generic - "a TA " doesn't mean "my TA" (he-he!).  Others don't know what is not relevant to you.  Also, it's safe to think that you didn't travel with all cruise lines yet - not all cruise lines give the same commissions to any given travel agency.  For example, Ritz-Carlton Yacht gives a commissions amount close to what you wrote.  So, if you book with them through your TA, your TA would give up all commissions for you.  Perhaps, she/he is that generous, but it would be a different story. 

Edited July 27, 2023 by kirtihk

[RocketMan275]

4 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

Your "by forgoing a TA you're forgoing a 8% or more price savings." statement was generic - "a TA " doesn't mean "my TA" (he-he!).  Others don't know what is not relevant to you.  Also, it's safe to think that you didn't travel with all cruise lines yet - not all cruise lines give the same commissions to any given travel agency.  For example, Ritz-Carlton Yacht gives a commissions amount close to what you wrote.  So, if you book with them through your TA, your TA would give up all commissions for you.  Perhaps, she/he is that generous, but it would be a different story. 

My point remains valid.  By forgoing dealing with a TA that discounts, you are forgoing the discount.

This is an NCL forum so there's no reason to discount what a random TA might or might not do with Ritz-Carlton.

[kirtihk]

10 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

My point remains valid.  By forgoing dealing with a TA that discounts, you are forgoing the discount.

This is an NCL forum so there's no reason to discount what a random TA might or might not do with Ritz-Carlton.

We are not in a court room.  So, all discussions are valid and relevant as long as they are polite and close to a core of a thread's topic.

[RocketMan275]

21 minutes ago, kirtihk said:

We are not in a court room.  So, all discussions are valid and relevant as long as they are polite and close to a core of a thread's topic.

I see no reason to continue this irrelevant discussion.

[amygutman]

12 hours ago, CDR Benson said:

 

Gauging by your signature line, doctor, you've never cruised to Alaska.  You'll love it.  The first cruise the Good Mrs. Benson and I took, in 2018, was the inside passage to Alaska, out of Vancouver.  Alaska was the one destination on both of our bucket lists, so we made it our first cruise.

 

We live in the southeastern U.S. so, to be sure, flying to Vancouver was a genuine pain.  But, apart from that, it was a marvelous trip.  Just taking in Vancouver was a highlight.  Who'd have thought that some of the best Italian food I'd ever enjoy would be in a Canadian restaurant.

 

The ports we hit were picturesque and immersed us in the local culture.  (Expensive, though, I warn you---things aren't cheap in the forty-ninth state.)

At sea, the scenery was exquisite.  Especially Glacier Bay.  Serene, pristine, and positively breath-taking. 

 

We loved the sense of remoteness.  As the ship sailed northward, at night, we could make out the coastline from our balcony.  Nothing but hills of dense forest; yet, every twenty miles or so, we could just pick out the lights of a single, isolated residence, and we'd marvel at the idea of someone living so far away from everything.

 

I'm excited for you.  You'll have a wonderful experience.

 

 

 

 

@CDR Benson Sir... you are correct. We are so excited to see this part of the world and even more excited to share the experience with two friends - one from London, and one from Jamaica. Neither have ever been on a cruise and we will ruin them for life as we booked the DOS. Pricey? Yup. Worth the OT? Also yes as even if every port is cancelled we will still have the scenery as our backdrop (and crossing our fingers for whales and northern lights). 

 

Living in Bermuda, one of my favorite things was being in a small boat and just seeing the expansiveness of the ocean. From both working on cruise ships and sailing as a passenger, that "O'Dark Thirty" time on the water with nothing but the stars, moon and the sound of the ocean...it really does make you appreciate how small you are in this amazing corner of the universe. 

 

Maybe that's the essence of booking early - making sure you have the best experience in a way that makes you happy. Room, itinerary, ship, location...figure it out, secure it, and then wait excitedly until it happens. We decided long ago to stop waiting for "the right time", and live in the moment which is why we now look to book "bucket list" trips every 6 months of so. It's more than check boxes - it's exploring the world in a way few are privileged to do. 

 

Would love to cross paths with you and your lovely wife and hear about your adventures. The world and cruise ships are full of cool stories and I love collecting them one-by-one...

 

Warmest, Amy

[COcruise]

Our cruise dropped $5K and we were able to email the price drop and get a credit 😁😁 yay NCL

[roked]

This is an interesting thread for me, I wonder if NCL does it differently for the UK to the US. I am a long time cruiser though this is going to be my first time on NCL. On other lines, it is normally the case that the earlier you book you tend to get the best price like mentioned on here. However I have had the opposite case with NCL.

 

I booked our cruise 18 months ago and in that time the price has just kept dropping. I have cancelled (losing the £200 deposit) and rebooked twice so far to save money and I still could have done it a third time if I was going to bother with the hassle for another £80 saving (after losing the £200 deposit). 

 

It has gone back up in the last few months though even now with just over 4 months to go, the cruise is still £770 less than what I originally paid for it. I don't know now how to play it for future cruises..

 

[insidecabin]

6 hours ago, roked said:

This is an interesting thread for me, I wonder if NCL does it differently for the UK to the US. I am a long time cruiser though this is going to be my first time on NCL. On other lines, it is normally the case that the earlier you book you tend to get the best price like mentioned on here. However I have had the opposite case with NCL.

 

I booked our cruise 18 months ago and in that time the price has just kept dropping. I have cancelled (losing the £200 deposit) and rebooked twice so far to save money and I still could have done it a third time if I was going to bother with the hassle for another £80 saving (after losing the £200 deposit). 

 

It has gone back up in the last few months though even now with just over 4 months to go, the cruise is still £770 less than what I originally paid for it. I don't know now how to play it for future cruises..

 

I have been watching a lot of Europe cruises, the UK trend has been insides drop to rock bottom prices and no solo suppliments.

 

Plenty of availablity on many trips  of you can sail inside.

 

The last set of drops seem to be as the upgrade bids start getting processed and after US final.

 

Just look at similar trips 2023 and 2024 to see where prices should be. Some start out around 3X the price they drop to.

 

Some trips the higher(limited and not offered on GTY) cabins will stay higher and sell out.

 

One I am watching Viva  4 month out the insides are already dirt cheap(£50pppd with FAS), balcony ok and suite/haven high but loads left.

 

Although it no longer tracks UK prices the plum tracking site is interesting to see what is happening to US prices.

 

That one I am watching started dropping in Jan, inside around 25% of starting price balcony 30%

 

There is some extra discounts around as NCL are giving people coupons we have a 15% sitting in our account.

 

The prices out there are not the prices people are paying.

[Panhandle Couple]

For general info.

Interview this week with RCL CEO on CNBC.  Only 5 minutes.

Key points:

Bookings are up for 2024.

Price gap between land vaca and cruise was around 45%, now down to 35%.

RCL wants to move that to pre-pandemic of 10-15%. ( meaning they will keep raising prices)

Customers will spend 70 cents onboard for every $1 spent to get there.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2023/07/27/royal-caribbean-ceo-cruise-bookings-are-substantially-higher-than-pre-covid.html

 

 

[graphicguy]

39 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

For general info.

Interview this week with RCL CEO on CNBC.  Only 5 minutes.

Key points:

Bookings are up for 2024.

Price gap between land vaca and cruise was around 45%, now down to 35%.

RCL wants to move that to pre-pandemic of 10-15%. ( meaning they will keep raising prices)

Customers will spend 70 cents onboard for every $1 spent to get there.

 

https://www.cnbc.com/video/2023/07/27/royal-caribbean-ceo-cruise-bookings-are-substantially-higher-than-pre-covid.html

 

 

My guess is that would not count the savy cruisers here.  I can’t see anyone here spending 70% of the cruise fare once on board.  I know I wouldn’t even come close to that.  10% would be a stretch.

 

As my Mother used to say to me….”what you want and what you get are two very different things”.

 

That said, Royal tends to be higher when I try to book them.  I’m sure that’s not true all the time.  But, I also tend to book during “low season” for the itinerary I’m interested in (e.g. Spring and Summer for Alaska).

 

Not sure why they’re higher.  But, maybe the CEO’s discussion explains it.  They just try to charge more.  I’m Diamond with them, so obviously I find some fares with them that are decent, but not often.

[insidecabin]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

My guess is that would not count the savy cruisers here.  I can’t see anyone here spending 70% of the cruise fare once on board.  I know I wouldn’t even come close to that.  10% would be a stretch.

 

As my Mother used to say to me….”what you want and what you get are two very different things”.

 

That said, Royal tends to be higher when I try to book them.  I’m sure that’s not true all the time.  But, I also tend to book during “low season” for the itinerary I’m interested in (e.g. Spring and Summer for Alaska).

 

Not sure why they’re higher.  But, maybe the CEO’s discussion explains it.  They just try to charge more.  I’m Diamond with them, so obviously I find some fares with them that are decent, but not often.

We try to preload/prepay for the things we want.

 

onboard spends trend to zero of we get it right.

 

Some cruises  we don't take drinks package and spend less than the cost would have been.

 

Wonder where pre-booked things like dinners end up on the finances for different companies.

[Panhandle Couple]

1 hour ago, insidecabin said:

We try to preload/prepay for the things we want.

 

onboard spends trend to zero of we get it right.

 

Some cruises  we don't take drinks package and spend less than the cost would have been.

 

Wonder where pre-booked things like dinners end up on the finances for different companies.

He did say excursions, so my guess is everything.  Excursions, meals, drinks casino, bingo, shopping, photos.  I think he meant any income outside of the listed prices and gratuities.  It really doesn't matter if you purchase 90, 30 before before or after boarding.

 

I have also heard NCL reps say the same thing in the past.  Their figure might be lower than .70, but same concept.

 

[Panhandle Couple]

3 hours ago, graphicguy said:

My guess is that would not count the savy cruisers here.  I can’t see anyone here spending 70% of the cruise fare once on board.  I know I wouldn’t even come close to that.  10% would be a stretch.

 

As my Mother used to say to me….”what you want and what you get are two very different things”.

 

That said, Royal tends to be higher when I try to book them.  I’m sure that’s not true all the time.  But, I also tend to book during “low season” for the itinerary I’m interested in (e.g. Spring and Summer for Alaska).

 

Not sure why they’re higher.  But, maybe the CEO’s discussion explains it.  They just try to charge more.  I’m Diamond with them, so obviously I find some fares with them that are decent, but not often.

Try hanging out in the jewelry store for a couple of hours.  I don't know what the mark up is, but LOTS of $$$ being spent.

[insidecabin]

58 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Try hanging out in the jewelry store for a couple of hours.  I don't know what the mark up is, but LOTS of $$$ being spent.

I thought some concessions are fixed income for the cruise line.

Seen it buried in results forget which line.

[graphicguy]

2 hours ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Try hanging out in the jewelry store for a couple of hours.  I don't know what the mark up is, but LOTS of $$$ being spent.

That is ALL jewelry stores land or sea.

[RocketMan275]

4 hours ago, insidecabin said:

We try to preload/prepay for the things we want.

 

onboard spends trend to zero of we get it right.

 

Some cruises  we don't take drinks package and spend less than the cost would have been.

 

Wonder where pre-booked things like dinners end up on the finances for different companies.

Does it matter if you prepay or purchase on board?

It's still spending in excess of the fare.

[DesertJake]

I'm mystified by people who shop on board, but to each their own.

 

I imagine the casino is a good source of revenue as well.

[Panhandle Couple]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

That is ALL jewelry stores land or sea.

Yes, but somewhere between Oct 2022 and Jan 2023 NCL dropped their "relationship" with Diamonds International.  No more DI salesmen on board.  BUT, you can always get "better" deals at the on-board Effy store.  That's the sales pitch now.

[RocketMan275]

37 minutes ago, Panhandle Couple said:

Yes, but somewhere between Oct 2022 and Jan 2023 NCL dropped their "relationship" with Diamonds International.  No more DI salesmen on board.  BUT, you can always get "better" deals at the on-board Effy store.  That's the sales pitch now.

Don't forget the fabulous deals at Park West.