I just saw the pricing of the above cruise, and figured I should mention it. Given that we're less than a month out from the cruise, NCL has priced it to look like another "Unicorn" is out there for hunting. The key differences between this cruise and the cruise I took in December are: (1) the replacement of the port of Charleston, SC with Nassau and (2) my cruise took place on the Gem, while this cruise takes place on the Getaway.
If I were to take this cruise, I'd go for the mini-suite again, and possibly sail as Mario. Why Mario, you might ask? Well, I might want to get off in the Bahamas, and don't want any hassles with Bahamian customs. At $749, plus taxes, port fees, and gratuities for a mini suite, this is a bargain! But I am not interested in this cruise, as I was bored when I was in Nassau with XGFJ, and that there is nothing worth doing in Port Canaveral.
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My brother looks at auctions to occupy his time. I look at cruise deals. In this age of the pandemic, good deals keep coming around. Although ship capacity is often limited to 50% these days, it is possible that added capacity will only serve to raise prices. Recently, one video blogger prognosticated that when cruise lines start creeping back to sailing at 100% capacity, that pandemic suppressed demand will cause cruise prices to go up instead of down. A cruise group he organizes had cabin prices double since he organized that group.
Right now, I expect that there will be a lot of last minute price drops until people get wise to the fact that cruise ships are no longer floating Petri Dishes. It's too bad that I couldn't take advantage of last minute discounts for the Hawaii cruise I'll be taking later this year. I simply love the idea of a good bargain.
On the topic of my Hawaiian cruise, I wonder if I will have a traveling companion by then. If so, will she be comfortable with me sailing as Marian? Who knows? But it will be a very interesting situation of this were to come to pass. And if it comes to pass, will I be able to get her a cruise ticket without putting the deal I have at risk?
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Originally, I was planning on taking my Hawaii cruise in Marian mode. I am hoping that I will be able to do so later this year. Keep your fingers crossed for me....
