Second Guest Flies Free Promo

[Smitheroo]

This is enough to drive someone to drink.

 

If I book an inside cabin for one person  air fare for the "first guest" is $490 with $112.50 ground transportation fees.  (I understand that these fees are not part of the promo)

 

 

If I book an inside cabin for 2 people, air fare for "first guest" is $980 plus $225 ground transportation fees and "second guest" is free.

 

How is the 2nd guest's air fare "free" when the first guest is double what it would have been if that guest was booking the cabin for one person.  $980 is twice $490. 

 

Please help me understand this.  

[hallux]

A solo cruiser gets a 50% airfare break since there is no second guest.  The first guest on a 2-guest room is paying full-fare for the flight.  On a per-person value it's the same price, there's just no second person to split the value with when you book only one.

 

This is actually noted in the T&C's of the promo if you looked...

https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions

Solo traveling guests will receive 50% off Norwegian Cruise Line's promotional airfare pricing each way

 

Edit: And then you have the person below that seems to have an axe to grind with NCL and takes every opportunity to bash them even though there's a full explanation for what is being seen...

Edited October 11, 2023 by hallux

[RocketMan275]

25 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

This is enough to drive someone to drink.

 

If I book an inside cabin for one person  air fare for the "first guest" is $490 with $112.50 ground transportation fees.  (I understand that these fees are not part of the promo)

 

 

If I book an inside cabin for 2 people, air fare for "first guest" is $980 plus $225 ground transportation fees and "second guest" is free.

 

How is the 2nd guest's air fare "free" when the first guest is double what it would have been if that guest was booking the cabin for one person.  $980 is twice $490. 

 

Please help me understand this.  

There is no such  thing as free.

Pretty much the same as NCL's 70% off second guest promo that alternates with 35% off both guests promo.  Do the math, same thing.

Bottom line is this;  any student of marketing will tell  you that the quickest way to make a sale is to convince the mark they're getting something for free.

[schmoopie17]

9 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

Bottom line is this;  any student of marketing will tell  you that the quickest way to make a sale is to convince the mark they're getting something for free.

Wait a minute...you're telling me there's no such thing as a free lunch?

I'm shocked...shocked, I say.

[RocketMan275]

13 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

Wait a minute...you're telling me there's no such thing as a free lunch?

I'm shocked...shocked, I say.

NCL will run their 70% off second guest promo for several weeks.  Each day, I get an email telling me that day will be the last day for that promo so hurry up and take advantage.  Next day, the 70% promo is still in effect.  This goes on for a week, maybe two.  Then the 70% promo is replaced by the 35% off both guests promo.  More emails telling me  that day is the last day...

[Smitheroo]

I would say that this is an example of fraudulent advertising.   I'm curious to know what these numbers would look like when the Air Promo isnt running.  

 

I've been told that the 2nd guest isnt free, the Air  promo really is one half off each guest.  But even that doesnt makes sense out of the example I gave.  Pay $490 for 1, $980 for 2. 

 

  Unless the air fare is really $980 for one guest, the 2nd guest is free, the numbers come from giving each half off.  I guess that would make it legitimate.  One problem is that I dont have a realistic idea of what an air fare from Rome to Boston would be.  Plus Boston to Cape Canaveral.  That total could be worth $980.  The confusion begins with me not realizing that $490 for these two fares for one person is absurd in today's air travel.  I planned to call anyway as I would want to make my own way to Port Canaveral.  I'd skip the Air Promo altogether except that choosing an international flight is a nightmare which has led to a long thread where I was quickly informed I was out of date with my expectations.

 

I just like things to make sense and not much does here.

 

Bottom line is $490 for one person (plus ground transportation) seems fine for me for a flight from Rome to Boston and it would probably be somewhat less than that since I plan to opt out of the first leg to Cape Canaveral (if that's allowed)

Edited October 11, 2023 by Smitheroo

[Smitheroo]

58 minutes ago, hallux said:

A solo cruiser gets a 50% airfare break since there is no second guest.  The first guest on a 2-guest room is paying full-fare for the flight.  On a per-person value it's the same price, there's just no second person to split the value with when you book only one.

 

This is actually noted in the T&C's of the promo if you looked...

https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions/promotions

Solo traveling guests will receive 50% off Norwegian Cruise Line's promotional airfare pricing each way

 

Edit: And then you have the person below that seems to have an axe to grind with NCL and takes every opportunity to bash them even though there's a full explanation for what is being seen...

I'm sure it is explained somewhere but it certainly doesnt make it easy to understand no matter how great you think NCL is.  I'm neutral on that, not enough experience to form an opinion one way or another and I keep looking to book cruises so.......    I've said it before, the bottom line is what counts and if I am willing to pay it. Forget about easy to understand lol

[hallux]

19 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

I would say that this is an example of fraudulent advertising. 

Do explain.

 

Will cabin prices drop once airfare can no longer be added?  Quite possibly.  Does that mean that everyone booking prior to that date is subsidizing the airfare for those that take the offer?  Maybe?  We don't know what NCL's actual calculations for the fares are, and it's an historical precedent that as it gets closer to embarkation day the fares will go down anyway as they try to fill the ship, unrelated to perks being present on the current bookings.

 

As a point of reference - I've been tracking the price on my currently-booked cruise that just passed 110 days (the deadline for adding or changes to airfare requests) before embarkation as well as the cruise before it which is now almost 3 weeks past that date.  Neither cruise has gone down in price, which would be commensurate with the "airfare subsidy" claim and the prior cruise actually seems to have gone UP a little.

 

I should add that you CAN do airfare only one-way.  You'll need to call NCL for that or have a TA do it, it can't be done through the online booking engine.

Edited October 11, 2023 by hallux

[complawyer]

welcome to the wonderful world of ncl arithmetic. if you follow the ncl sale adds, regardless of the wording, nothing ever changes. you might get lucky and find a price drop (some people have posted they have) or a great deal (depending on your perspective ) they now offer a 15 day cruise from tahiti to sydney with a really great price for a balcony cabin, this december, but in general they dont offer ice cubes in winter.

 

by the way, i am not knocking ncl, ive cruised with them since 2010 and at diamond status. its just when booking with them, study the offer carefully, examine "ALL" the costs, and most importantly caveat emptor!

[Smitheroo]

am I understanding correctly that the Air Fare promo can only be applied 4 months or more before the cruise?   The cruise I am looking at is April 4th so that means I have to call before Dec 4th. I will do that soon.  Normally I'm not very interested in their Air Promo but $490 (and possibly less) from Rome to Boston isnt too bad from the prices I've seen. Anything around that price or less is full of possible problems.

[Smitheroo]

2 hours ago, RocketMan275 said:

NCL will run their 70% off second guest promo for several weeks.  Each day, I get an email telling me that day will be the last day for that promo so hurry up and take advantage.  Next day, the 70% promo is still in effect.  This goes on for a week, maybe two.  Then the 70% promo is replaced by the 35% off both guests promo.  More emails telling me  that day is the last day...

I know, that drives me nuts also.

[hallux]

1 minute ago, Smitheroo said:

am I understanding correctly that the Air Fare promo can only be applied 4 months or more before the cruise? 

Again, this is covered in the T&C's of the promo, which I linked above - 

• Reservation must be made more than 110 days prior to sailing to qualify.

[Smitheroo]

3 minutes ago, hallux said:

Again, this is covered in the T&C's of the promo, which I linked above - 

• Reservation must be made more than 110 days prior to sailing to qualify.

Thanks. I knew I had read that somewhere

[DCGuy64]

20 minutes ago, Smitheroo said:

I know, that drives me nuts also.

Did you know that carpet store with the "going out of business" sale, isn't really going out of business at all? Amazing! That's what I think every time I see NCL's sensationalist ads.

[Liljo22]

If you price out flights on your own and NCL is cheaper, its a good deal.  If not, then its not worth it.  That's all you need to know.  Getting angry if the % matches is just dumb.  

[cruiser2015]

2 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

If you price out flights on your own and NCL is cheaper, its a good deal.  If not, then its not worth it.  That's all you need to know.  Getting angry if the % matches is just dumb.  

Totally right.

Especially if you have a preference for a specific airline or are fussy about the scheduling - more so if there are connecting flights needed. Booking on your own means you have much more control.

I would only book the cruise line air if there were a generous savings.

 

For my upcoming cruise, I needed flights from NYC to LA and Miami to NY.

Now, I did have a cheat - I had enough miles to cover the MIA-NY leg. That's about 1/3 of the total air travel. Anyway, my combo here was a lot less than the NCL promo. Plus, I fly my preferred airline which also gets me free checked baggage ($120 savings for two).

[julig22]

10 minutes ago, cruiser2015 said:

Totally right.

Especially if you have a preference for a specific airline or are fussy about the scheduling - more so if there are connecting flights needed. Booking on your own means you have much more control.

I would only book the cruise line air if there were a generous savings.

 

For my upcoming cruise, I needed flights from NYC to LA and Miami to NY.

Now, I did have a cheat - I had enough miles to cover the MIA-NY leg. That's about 1/3 of the total air travel. Anyway, my combo here was a lot less than the NCL promo. Plus, I fly my preferred airline which also gets me free checked baggage ($120 savings for two).

I often use the NCL airfare promo but booked my own flights for Seward/Vancouver recently.  I had a $200 voucher from United from a delay on a different trip (using NCL airfare) - so I used that, plus points, to book Alaska instead of BOGO, which wasn't much of a savings anyway, since I was only flying from Seattle.

Just got back from another trip and SW (using BOGO) gave me $100 for the inconvenience when my flight was delayed (didn't really affect my trip but I'll take it!). So my BOGO airfare has been paying off in unexpected ways!

[cruiser2015]

2 minutes ago, julig22 said:

I often use the NCL airfare promo but booked my own flights for Seward/Vancouver recently.  I had a $200 voucher from United from a delay on a different trip (using NCL airfare) - so I used that, plus points, to book Alaska instead of BOGO, which wasn't much of a savings anyway, since I was only flying from Seattle.

Just got back from another trip and SW (using BOGO) gave me $100 for the inconvenience when my flight was delayed (didn't really affect my trip but I'll take it!). So my BOGO airfare has been paying off in unexpected ways!

That's cool.

I have friends who recently got a credit of $100 for a delay of a couple of hours.

I had a flight from Austin to NY last year that was delayed several times, totaling at least 5 hours. We got zip.

[julig22]

Just now, cruiser2015 said:

That's cool.

I have friends who recently got a credit of $100 for a delay of a couple of hours.

I had a flight from Austin to NY last year that was delayed several times, totaling at least 5 hours. We got zip.

Yea, I've got a lot to say to Air Canada and United from my last trip - ended up sleeping at SeaTac because I missed my rescheduled flight AND my luggage didn't get rerouted correctly. Not expecting much but their service was awful! 

[cruiser2015]

1 minute ago, julig22 said:

Yea, I've got a lot to say to Air Canada and United from my last trip - ended up sleeping at SeaTac because I missed my rescheduled flight AND my luggage didn't get rerouted correctly. Not expecting much but their service was awful! 

Ouch!

[schmoopie17]

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Did you know that carpet store with the "going out of business" sale, isn't really going out of business at all? Amazing! That's what I think every time I see NCL's sensationalist ads.

Kind of like singers/bands on their "farewell tour". 

George Strait has been on his farewell tour for at least 10 years...we saw his "last" show in 2013.

[hallux]

3 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

For my upcoming cruise, I needed flights from NYC to LA and Miami to NY.

Now, I did have a cheat - I had enough miles to cover the MIA-NY leg

If I recall, I'm doing the same cruise but in the opposite direction the day you get off.  I had points on SouthWest and got both legs for FREE plus $5.50 per flight booking fee.  Got myself the EarlyBird upgrade for $25 for the return leg to ensure I could get A-group boarding and get a good seat for the LA-BWI leg (aside from Hawaii I think it's SWA's longest leg!!).

[cruiser2015]

2 hours ago, hallux said:

If I recall, I'm doing the same cruise but in the opposite direction the day you get off.  I had points on SouthWest and got both legs for FREE plus $5.50 per flight booking fee.  Got myself the EarlyBird upgrade for $25 for the return leg to ensure I could get A-group boarding and get a good seat for the LA-BWI leg (aside from Hawaii I think it's SWA's longest leg!!).

Oh, was that you sailing on the 27th?

Where are you starting from?

Obviously, you have to change at BWI, at least for the return flight. A bit annoying

I'm on Delta out of JFK. I only had enough points to cover the MIA flight. Then, just to add some pain, my DW pressured me to book first class for out flight to LAX.

 

I chose the eastbound voyage in order to have the shorter flight for our return and land at JFK about 2:30 PM on the 27th. We're staying overnight on the 11th, about half way between LAX and the cruise terminal (free night on my Best Western points). Also hoping to meet cousins for dinner that evening. They live about 50 miles east of LA.

[hallux]

6 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

Oh, was that you sailing on the 27th?

Where are you starting from?

Yes.  About 180 miles North - ALB. 

 

I couldn't justify the extra $400 for the cruise to go on the one you're on.  I'm staying the night in LA, near the airport, and still saving money by being able to use points for the flight and paying for the hotel vs. just paying for a flight on disembarkation day.  I was going to have to take Monday off anyway, this way I'm waking up at a time that coincides when I'd wake up (around 7 AM ET) to make the flight home and get home around 7 PM ET which will put me on schedule to return to work Tuesday.  Plus - a friend of mine, who is also cruising solo, has wanted to see some of CA which he is doing after the cruise and he might not have done it if we'd gone the other way.

[cruiser2015]

3 hours ago, hallux said:

Yes.  About 180 miles North - ALB. 

 

I couldn't justify the extra $400 for the cruise to go on the one you're on.  I'm staying the night in LA, near the airport, and still saving money by being able to use points for the flight and paying for the hotel vs. just paying for a flight on disembarkation day.  I was going to have to take Monday off anyway, this way I'm waking up at a time that coincides when I'd wake up (around 7 AM ET) to make the flight home and get home around 7 PM ET which will put me on schedule to return to work Tuesday.  Plus - a friend of mine, who is also cruising solo, has wanted to see some of CA which he is doing after the cruise and he might not have done it if we'd gone the other way.

That makes perfect sense.

I don't recall what the relative prices were when I booked back in July, but I don't believe there was much if any savings to take the next one. Also, I rebooked a few weeks later when there was a $600 price drop on my Club Balcony.

Perhaps that explains partially what I'm seeing today:

Club Balcony is $400 more for your sailing; Balcony is the same price.