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"WHEN" You Book Matters!

Just as is the case with all other cruise lines… CM TRAVEL 4FUN offers clients a wide choice staterooms on NCL cruises – from economy cabins to large suites.

While it is true choice of stateroom impacts cruise costs… there is another far larger determinate of cruise cost.

For any cruise line… the biggest single stateroom cost determinant is how long before the sail date (when) the cruise is booked!

To drive home this point… below are 2 different real world CM TRAVEL 4FUN quotes for NCL cruise stateroom offers.  Each stateroom package is priced for 2 sailings… one departing in September 2016, and the other in September 2017.

Each set of 2 stateroom offers is identical in every way, with each sailing on the same ship and itinerary, and having quotes created by CM TRAVEL 4FUN for the client on the same day (in July 2016).  The only difference is the sail departure date of the 2 cruises in each set:

  • One cruise is priced for departure in September 2017 with a price reflecting what the client would pay if they booked the cruise 14+ months in advance (in mid July 2016).
  • The other cruise in the identical pair is priced for a September 2016 departure with a price reflecting what the client would pay if they booked the cruise less than 90 days in advance (in mid July 2016).

UPSCALE 7-DAY NCL CRUISE

Example Quote #1 showing IMPACT OF LEAD-TIME on CRUISE COST

ALASKA CRUISE EXPERIENCE… ROUNDTRIP SEATTLE CRUISE ONLY
Total cost for this upscale cruise mini-suite accommodation:  $4559.54
Total deposit:  $500.00 due now     (Balance of $4059.84 due 5-20-17)
This early booking quote is for 2 passengers D/O departing September, 2017 (released for sale in July 2016)

Cruise overview:

Sleeps 2 in a luxury-lite 245 sq ft stateroom

Inclusions:  Unlimited beverage package and meals in 3 specialty dining restaurants

©NCL*
Learn more about this upscale cruise here!

HOWEVER… the cost of an identical upscale cruise and stateroom package:
…if booked in July, 2016 for a September, 2016 departure:

⇒  would cost over $937.00 more than the above quoted 2017 departure

⇒  would require full cruise payment as a deposit = $5496.78 payable at time of booking!

LUXURY 7-DAY NCL CRUISE PACKAGE

Example Quote #2 showing IMPACT OF LEAD-TIME on CRUISE PACKAGE COST

ROUNDTRIP RAIL SEATTLE-VANCOUVER, BC
+ PRE-CRUISE VANCOUVER HOTEL
+ ROUNDTRIP VANCOUVER CRUISE

Total cost for luxury cruise suite + included rail/hotel package:  $7614.94

Total deposit:   $1000.00 due now     (Balance of $6614.94 due 6-1-17)
This early booking quote is for 2 passengers D/O departing September, 2017 (released for sale in July 2016)

Cruise overview:

Sleeps 2 in luxury 500 sq ft 1-bedroom stateroom with large deck

Inclusions:  Stateroom butler, $50 shore trip credit, upscale hotel, biz class rail, unlimited beverage package, meals in 3 specialty dining restaurants

©NCL*
Learn more about this luxury cruise here!

HOWEVER… the cost of an identical luxury cruise and stateroom package:
…if booked in July, 2016 for a September, 2016 departure:

⇒  would cost over $4,114.00 more than the above quoted 2017 departure

⇒  would require full cruise payment as a deposit = $11,729.24 payable at time of booking!

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LEAD-TIME Impacts COST!

As demonstated above, a stateroom package for 2 can easily cost up to $4200 more (up to 55% more) when it is booked less than 90 days prior to departure (compared to booking the same exact stateroom package 14+ months prior to departure).

PLEASE NOTE:  When you compare the cost penalty of booking later (versus sooner) for the two staterooms above, you will discover that the more expensive (higher amenity suite) has a much higher cost penalty for booking late (~55% versus ~20%)… than the lower amenity level mini-suite.

It turns out this is a general rule applicable to all cruise stateroom costs!  The more desirable the stateroom amenity level (or the more desirable the stateroom within the same amenity level), the greater the penalty for booking that stateroom later (versus sooner).

Why?  Because… the most desirable staterooms (and best amenity level stateroom classifications)… always all sell out!  So, just like airline seats, as these staterooms sell… the price just keeps going up and up (and the most desirable staterooms rise in cost the fastest of all)!

On the other hand, the poorer the quality the stateroom, the lower the cost penalty for booking it later vesus sooner.

The staterooms you see advertised at what appears to be a sale price… are always the lower amentiy level staterooms (or very poorly located higher amenity staterooms).  These are the staterooms the cruise line has a hard time selling at all (because anyone who knows anything about those staterooms would never choose them except as a last resort)!  These "bad" staterooms are advertised from day one until just before each cruise sails… at or near the same rock bottom price.

Warning:  As you will learn (if you read related articles elsewhere on this web site), if anyone tries to sell you the illusion that "the shortcomings of these "bad" staterooms won’t matter because you won’t spend much time in your stateroom except to sleep"… be kind to yourself and them – just ignore their very bad advice! 

Three kinds of people purchase these "bad" albeit "cheap" staterooms:

  1. those who measure value of travel (and buy travel) based solely upon how little the travel costs (versus of the quality of experience provided).
  2. those who end up in these staterooms because the stateroom was an inclusion within a "deal" tour or travel package they found.
  3. those who have no clue because they did not take the time to do their travel research homework – so end up in a bad stateroom situation by default.
  4. those who were sold into these staterooms by an unscrupulous sales agent… not because the traveler was cheap, rather because it was all they could afford – and the sales agent did not want to lose the sale!

These four types of travelers account for over 90% of those travelers who cruise once – and have such a bad experience… they never cruise again!

SUMMARY:  If you want a good quality stateroom (or a well located stateroom of moderate quality) at a truly good price… you must book it very early!

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LEAD-TIME Impacts CHOICE!

SNOOZE… YOU LOSE CHOICES!

On standard cruises:

  • By or before 180 days prior to cruise departure… virtually all well-located higher amenity staterooms are sold out (mini-suite and above).
  • By 90 days prior to departure, well-located balcony, ocean view, and interior staterooms are sold out.

On popular cruises:

  • By or before 180 days prior to cruise departure… virtually all higher amenity and well-located mid and lower amenity staterooms are sold out.
  • By 90 days prior to departure, all but the worst located balcony, ocean view, and interior staterooms are sold out.

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LEAD-TIME LIMITS "DEALS"

SNOOZE… AND ANY "REAL DEAL" IS LONG GONE!

On standard cruises:

  • All advertised stateroom " low cost deals" offered less than 180 days prior to departure are for poorly located staterooms.
  • Remaining well located staterooms of any amenity level (if any) will always cost significantly more than any currently advertised "deal" price.

On popular cruises:

  • All staterooms sold less than 180 days prior to departure will cost significantly more than the same staterooms booked earlier regardless of amenity level or location.  True "deals" are rare to non-existent within 180 days of sailing.
  • Commonly, lower level stateroom categories that remain for sale less than 180 days prior to departure… will have an advertised price that is more than the higher level stateroom categories did earlier (one year or more prior to departure).  i.e. An inside category stateroom sold less than 180 days prior to departure… often will cost more than a balcony stateroom or even a mini-suite did (if booked one year or more prior to departure)!

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LEAD-TIME EXCEPTIONS

  1. CM TRAVEL 4FUN has back-curtain access to individual staterooms not visible to retail buyers (and which are not advertised by other agencies).  Access may be to blocks of rooms, and/or individual rooms that were canceled in last few days, and/or to any remaining single unsold rooms left over from blocks of rooms secured and sold to others at an earlier date.
     
  2. Staterooms that were secured at an earlier release date as a block of staterooms, then held by CM TRAVEL 4FUN for future sale… still offer significant discounts if deposited less than 180 days prior to sale date.  However, there are several limitations regarding the availability of "held" staterooms.
     
    >  "Held" statrooms are generally limited to interior, window, and balcony staterooms.
    >  Stateroom location options are as available at time of deposit.
    >  Availabiity of specific stateroom locations is limited to first come, first serve.
    >  The number of specific cruise sailings with staterooms held varies by month.

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BOOK WITH THE BEST!

When planned by a trained registered NCL Agent like CM TRAVEL 4FUN, NCL Cruise products offer consistent outstanding experiences!

Complete and submit the CM TRAVEL 4FUN Travel EZ Planner …and your agent will begin planning your NCL Cruise experience today!

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