It's one idea to take a loss on the few remaining cabins left unbooked, it's another to take a much larger loss on every cabin.
Then why lower prices at all? There are cruise lines out there that maintain price integrity until sailing, particularly to maintain yield management and not have thousands of passengers wait until the last minute to see if prices go down.
Can you give us some examples of what NCL promises that other cruise lines do not? That may make it easier for price sensitive cruisers to consider NCL, even those who don't like the policy we're discussing.
Originally posted by Sandy:
Then why lower prices at all? There are cruise lines out there that maintain price integrity until sailing, particularly to maintain yield management and not have thousands of passengers wait until the last minute to see if prices go down. Sandy
Because NCL makes no money at all from an empty cabin. By lowering the fares at the last minute for new bookings, NCL is gambling they may make some money from those few cabins.
Note: I wrote gambling. They can still lose money on those cabins. But it's a risk they are willing to take on the FEW remaining cabins, just not with EVERY cabin if NCL adopted a Guarantee Lowest Fare deal for early bookers.
Originally posted by Sonny V:
I agree 100% with Sandy. I also think that the analogy of 1,000 people on 11 ships, every week for the entire year is preposterous. Sonny
Why? Explain please.
Almost every NCL ship has 1,000 cabins. Do you deny that?
If you're going to have a Guarantee Lowest Price deal, wouldn't you make it automatic for every cabin if the fares drop?
What's preposterous was the $100 per cabin figure. It could easily be $200, increasing NCL's lost by twice the $57 million simple math proved earlier.
Originally posted by Sandy:
Can you give us some examples of what NCL promises that other cruise lines do not? That may make it easier for price sensitive cruisers to consider NCL, even those who don't like the policy we're discussing. Sandy
NCL suite perks with butlers! 5,000 sq. ft. Garden Villas! The ship within a ship concept.
I could name more, but why should I?
Butlers for suites is not something exclusive to NCL. We've had butlers for years on Celebrity for example. Garden Villa? Nice but well beyond the reach of most cruisers, and therefore meaningless to most of us.
Quote:
I could name more, but why should I?
True. We can all read the NCL promotional hype in their pamphlets so there is no need to restate it here.
You book early to make sure you will be going on the cruise that you want and have the room that you want....simple as that...You agreed on the price at the time you booked....Just go and have a great time.....I've waited for prices go go down, and have missed out on some really nice trips just to save a few bucks...wasn't worth it.....this happens all the time with airfares....fill the plane and fill the ship...but at least when you do book early, you know you will be going.....and of my 21 cruises, 14 have been on NCL....I have no problems with them.....Happy sailing at any price....
If you book a special cabin like a triple or quad, chances are the price won't go down, and probably go up. If you want a special location, or category, chances are you wouldn't want to change for something you rather not have just because of a lower price. If the company policy is not to adjust prices after final payment, then so be it. I could live with it as long as I was aware of that policy. Usually when prices drop, it's for a guaranteed category, and you don't know which cabin you'll be in until it's assigned to you. I'm I right? I only have one cruise with NCL and I have only good to say about it - same goes for the 50 cruises on RCCL. After a cruise vacation people will remember the great time they had, and not how much they had to pay for their cabin.
I booked in advance so that I could get the cabin I wanted and on the deck that I wanted with NCL, if I waited for the price to drop, I would probably end up next to a kitchen or something and not enjoy my cruise because I wanted to save a few dollars. Only cruised once before on NCL and loved it, going again in June!
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