NCL Distinctive Voyages

Wondering if others have had the same experience. Just put a deposit on an NCL cruise which is advertised with the "Distinctive Voyages" package. Seemed like a great offer on the surface but what a disappointment when you look into it. NCL is advertising a $200 rebate on flight and $100 rebate on the hotel as part of the included package. Firstly, what you dont get told up front is the premium that NCL puts on the flight that you have to book through NCL to get the rebate. My first online check showed the price to NY city round trip for me at under $400. NCL priced quoted me over $700 for that same class flight. When I pointed out the price difference to the sales rep she told me that most people just decline the offer and book themselves. I wonder why. Why not pay over $300 extra to get a $200 rebate. Secondly as for the hotel, I was told that she could'nt book a hotel for me as it was still too early for a cruise 8 months out. Still a chance for NCL to redeem themselves here on the hotel but Im doubtful.

Is it just me or does anyone else see this as false advertising? Sales rep told me that the only people who book with them are those that need someone to do the booking for them. I think its reasonable to conclude that the majority of people who meet that description are unsuspecting seniors who are uncomfortable looking online for prices and booking their own flights online. Great deal. Hey guys heres a $200 rebate on a flight that we sell for $350 over what you can book anywhere else as a stand alone purchase let alone as part of a cruise package. I guess buyer beware.

Any Thoughts?

We were told that Norwegian’s domestic flight prices are generally non-competitive. The only time we book flights with Norwegian is on one-way international flights (like coming back from a Transatlantic.) Otherwise, we do it ourselves.

The issue we had with Norwegian flights is that they tend to be “day of” and we usually fly in a day early, and if we’re going somewhere new, we may stay a day or so after the cruise ends. That causes exception processing, which is tedious.

Same with hotels - the first Transatlantic, we took the package hotel in Barcelona, but since then, we’ve booked our own, mainly to have more choices and to stay in the area of town we want to see.

It’s not really false advertising to say “$200 off” when it truly is a discount. They just don’t say it’s a discount off a possibly bad fare.

We have a Panama Canal partial transit next year that is a Distinctive Voyage, but I doubt we will use any of the discounts. It’s too early to do flights, but I’m pretty sure we can book DFW-Miami RT cheaper ourselves, and we’ve never had an issue finding a hotel there. We’ll ask for pricing anyway, and then decide.

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There's nothing false about it. If you can get a better price doing it yourself, go for it. Just because it doesn't work for you, doesn't mean it won't work for others. There are people that like the convenience of letting someone handle the details & they don't worry about pricing.

I think your statement about "unsuspecting seniors" is way off base and, IMHO, rather offensive. Many of us seniors are quite adept with computers and we're more than capable of ensuring we get the best deal for our needs.

Wondering if others have had the same experience. Just put a deposit on an NCL cruise which is advertised with the "Distinctive Voyages" package. Seemed like a great offer on the surface but what a disappointment when you look into it. NCL is advertising a $200 rebate on flight and $100 rebate on the hotel as part of the included package. Firstly, what you dont get told up front is the premium that NCL puts on the flight that you have to book through NCL to get the rebate. My first online check showed the price to NY city round trip for me at under $400. NCL priced quoted me over $700 for that same class flight. When I pointed out the price difference to the sales rep she told me that most people just decline the offer and book themselves. I wonder why. Why not pay over $300 extra to get a $200 rebate. Secondly as for the hotel, I was told that she could'nt book a hotel for me as it was still too early for a cruise 8 months out. Still a chance for NCL to redeem themselves here on the hotel but Im doubtful.

 

Is it just me or does anyone else see this as false advertising? Sales rep told me that the only people who book with them are those that need someone to do the booking for them. I think its reasonable to conclude that the majority of people who meet that description are unsuspecting seniors who are uncomfortable looking online for prices and booking their own flights online. Great deal. Hey guys heres a $200 rebate on a flight that we sell for $350 over what you can book anywhere else as a stand alone purchase let alone as part of a cruise package. I guess buyer beware.

 

Any Thoughts?

I'm happy with my extra 50$ shore ex credit. My 125 min of phone calls home. 250 free internet min valued at 125$

Sounds good to me

Wondering if others have had the same experience. Just put a deposit on an NCL cruise which is advertised with the "Distinctive Voyages" package. Seemed like a great offer on the surface but what a disappointment when you look into it. NCL is advertising a $200 rebate on flight and $100 rebate on the hotel as part of the included package. Firstly, what you dont get told up front is the premium that NCL puts on the flight that you have to book through NCL to get the rebate. My first online check showed the price to NY city round trip for me at under $400. NCL priced quoted me over $700 for that same class flight. When I pointed out the price difference to the sales rep she told me that most people just decline the offer and book themselves. I wonder why. Why not pay over $300 extra to get a $200 rebate. Secondly as for the hotel, I was told that she could'nt book a hotel for me as it was still too early for a cruise 8 months out. Still a chance for NCL to redeem themselves here on the hotel but Im doubtful.

 

Is it just me or does anyone else see this as false advertising? Sales rep told me that the only people who book with them are those that need someone to do the booking for them. I think its reasonable to conclude that the majority of people who meet that description are unsuspecting seniors who are uncomfortable looking online for prices and booking their own flights online. Great deal. Hey guys heres a $200 rebate on a flight that we sell for $350 over what you can book anywhere else as a stand alone purchase let alone as part of a cruise package. I guess buyer beware.

 

Any Thoughts?

It is not false advertising at all. They do state that you have to book the flight and hotel through them to get those two offers and they do indeed give you the offers if you book through them. Someone not reading the terms and conditions of an offer does not make it false advertising.

Is it a good deal? Well that is another question and subjective. In a pure dollars and sense, no it is not. However to many/some that is not the sole issue when making travel plans.

I guess buyer read the terms before making a purchase!

I remember when they first started this deal — they gave us unlimited calls from our stateroom. I will still take the 120 free calls along with the wifi and shore excursion credit — beyond the hotel and air credit.

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Be happy with the 3 other offers that goes in this promotion. Besides the hotel and the airplane tickets, the 3 other offers are still good depending on the total value of your cruise that you are going to pay for. It is not false advertising and people do read the term and conditions. If you find cheaper hotel pricing or airline tickets, then go book it yourself. Some hotels and airplane tickets are expensive depending on where they are coming from. These people that used it could get the discount.

I don’t view this as false advertising. I read the terms, noticed that the flight & hotel credits applied only to overpriced NCL bookings, saw the $50 credit for NCL excursions we hardly ever use anymore, appreciated the wi-fi minutes, and moved on.

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To me its not an issue of the value of the distinctive voyages package at issue here. That of course obviously will vary from individual to individual based on how each person values any of the particular offers. What I found disturbing was what NCL clearly must know, by admission of their agent, in the majority of instances the delta on their flight quotes are in such excess of the advertised rebate that the majority don't have the opportunity to benefit from the flight rebate offer. I ran a query with 10 different sites and all were in line with the $400 benchmark I used versus the NCL quote of over $700. Contrary to assumption I did read the terms and discussed them with the sales agent. I suppose one could argue that it isnt "false" advertising but I think its reasonable to expect that the flight quotes would be competetive otherwise it is very atleast misleading.

I don’t think it’s false advertising because the terms and conditions are really clear and it’s not like they’re hiding them. My pcc was also upfront and said that I could likely buy for less on my own. I do plan on at least getting a quote to see what the cost is when the time comes. Cruise airfare in general is highly restrictive tickets. That alone is cause for concern should something happen with delayed flights. Im sure there’s benefits to booking with the cruise line too. The biggest benefit probably being if the cruise line canceled your sailing I don’t think you’d be out the airfare.

the advertising gimmicks when booking cruises are industry wide. Personally I think it gives the cruise industry a used car salesmen appearance but it’s just how it is when booking a cruise.

As far as the other options- so far the Internet perk is a free perk as stated, The phone call credit is a nice novelty. They are definitely potentially fun goodies but they don’t have a value that I’d actually cancel and rebook at a higher fare just to get.

The shore excursion credit may or may not be benificial. They price their ship sponsored excursions a lot higher than the competition and independent. some folks don’t feel comfortable booking independently so any savings is a great savings. $50 for dv plus $50 for free at sea will probably bring down to around the same as independent booking so not a bad deal. Some excursions can be had for free or very little cost with a double shore excursion credit.

I noticed that Ncl has outlined some of the free at sea perk fees more clearly. When you’re picking a perk it now says, free beverage package you pay the bartender gratuities. So they do seem to be trying to make it easier for us to understand the perk choices and associated costs of choosing them.

Complaining about an optional free offer :rolleyes:

Valerie. Did you even read it?

Valerie. Did you even read it?

Yes. :rolleyes::loudcry:

Airfare is really fickle. On any given flight I can bet the guy in the row behind me probably paid half my fare and the guy in front of me paid twice what I paid.

Some people will book with the cruise line regardless of cost for a perceived assurance. It’s not an issue of being had though. It’s truly $100 off each way of ncl’s airfare quote. Just as the shore excursion credits are $50 off ncl’s shore excursion offered price. Many folks are happy to pay extra to just do one stop shopping and have Ncl take care of the rest. In your case the Ncl price is higher than diy. For others it could be a savings. For some it’s a wash.

I’m by no means a cheerleader for any one company but in this case it’s not about false advertising or something scammy. It’s just a fun little extra perk pkg that may or may not be beneficial to you. If even one component of dv is of benefit then you have a little extra goodie to look forward to. You’re obviously a smart shopper and can evaluate the components and take advantage of any that are going to save you some $, hassle or time. Have fun with the dv extra perk and I hope some portions of it benefit you.

And btw you can look up the cost of hotel rooms today. They are per person pricing. For example my hotel in Rome is $145 per person and includes transfer to the port and breakfast. Not a bad deal with the $100 credit. The hotels and rates can change but at least it gives an idea.

I believe the NCL flights include transfers to and from the airport, and the hotels include transfers to the ship, so that adds some value. There are plenty of people out there who either are not comfortable doing the research and booking for flights and hotels themselves or, are people who don't have the time to do it. For them, it's worth paying a bit more. It's good to have choices.

I guess I am missing something here. We booked a cruise; then at a later date when it was offered, added the distinctive voyages option. We booked at a very good rate because we booked early -- and added the additional perks/options at NO ADDITIONAL COST.

If we choose to use all or none of the distinctive voyage perks, the cost is exactly the same. It's nice to have additional options, should we choose to use them.

I don't get why anyone would be upset about getting something for nothing, even if that something holds no value for them personally.

Were not talking about getting something for nothing here. I didnt book a cruise then have NCL at a later date offer me the package for free. The promotion was part of the contract agreement that NCL and I entered into so no portion of the package is free and certainly is not something for nothing. The long and short of it is specifically that NCL advertised a $200 and $100 rebate on air and hotel to entice people into booking but to take advantage of it I would have to accept their quote for $755 on a flight that all major airlines are offering at under $400. So in other words, to get the $200 rebate I would have to pay over $250. And no, the transfers are not included in that inflated quote. As far as the hotel rebate goes I just got off the phone with NCL and they tell me that they have no hotels available for Feb 2nd so no $100 rebate despite an abundance of hotel rooms available at all major hotels for the night I requested when I went online myself.

Not saying the package on the whole is good or bad. Of course the value is different to each person depending on the value each unique person places on any of the perks. People make their own decisions based on their priorities. I just think it should be an informed decision and people should be aware of what I wasnt. That unless you are willing to pay double the air fare to have NCL book for you, you arent going to get the rebate on the air fare and as the NCL agent just told me moments ago, "we dont guarantee that we will actually have rooms available for you" so you getting the room rebate isnt guaranteed at all either.

Were not talking about getting something for nothing here. I didnt book a cruise then have NCL at a later date offer me the package for free. The promotion was part of the contract agreement that NCL and I entered into so no portion of the package is free and certainly is not something for nothing. The long and short of it is specifically that NCL advertised a $200 and $100 rebate on air and hotel to entice people into booking but to take advantage of it I would have to accept their quote for $755 on a flight that all major airlines are offering at under $400. So in other words, to get the $200 rebate I would have to pay over $250. And no, the transfers are not included in that inflated quote. As far as the hotel rebate goes I just got off the phone with NCL and they tell me that they have no hotels available for Feb 2nd so no $100 rebate despite an abundance of hotel rooms available at all major hotels for the night I requested when I went online myself.

 

 

Not saying the package on the whole is good or bad. Of course the value is different to each person depending on the value each unique person places on any of the perks. People make their own decisions based on their priorities. I just think it should be an informed decision and people should be aware of what I wasnt. That unless you are willing to pay double the air fare to have NCL book for you, you arent going to get the rebate on the air fare and as the NCL agent just told me moments ago, "we dont guarantee that we will actually have rooms available for you" so you getting the room rebate isnt guaranteed at all either.

The short version is "I did not read the details first so that means NCL used false advertising". The package was 100% free, you did not have to pay extra to get it. The fact that the free items were part of the initial deal does not change that they indeed were free. Bottom line, if the discount on NCL provided hotel and air is not valuable to you then simply do not use it. If you are all that upset simply cancel your cruise and move on. BTW you misunderstood about the cabins. If you book, you WILL have a cabin. If you books sail away or GTY they will not promise you a specific cabin type or location is all.

The short version is "I did not read the details first so that means NCL used false advertising". The package was 100% free, you did not have to pay extra to get it. The fact that the free items were part of the initial deal does not change that they indeed were free. Bottom line, if the discount on NCL provided hotel and air is not valuable to you then simply do not use it. If you are all that upset simply cancel your cruise and move on. BTW you misunderstood about the cabins. If you book, you WILL have a cabin. If you books sail away or GTY they will not promise you a specific cabin type or location is all.

I think you misunderstood. The OP was talking about hotel rooms, not cabins on the ship.

Bill

I think you misunderstood. The OP was talking about hotel rooms, not cabins on the ship.

 

Bill

In that case she is mistaken.

Were not talking about getting something for nothing here. I didnt book a cruise then have NCL at a later date offer me the package for free. The promotion was part of the contract agreement that NCL and I entered into so no portion of the package is free and certainly is not something for nothing. The long and short of it is specifically that NCL advertised a $200 and $100 rebate on air and hotel to entice people into booking but to take advantage of it I would have to accept their quote for $755 on a flight that all major airlines are offering at under $400. So in other words, to get the $200 rebate I would have to pay over $250. And no, the transfers are not included in that inflated quote. As far as the hotel rebate goes I just got off the phone with NCL and they tell me that they have no hotels available for Feb 2nd so no $100 rebate despite an abundance of hotel rooms available at all major hotels for the night I requested when I went online myself.

 

 

Not saying the package on the whole is good or bad. Of course the value is different to each person depending on the value each unique person places on any of the perks. People make their own decisions based on their priorities. I just think it should be an informed decision and people should be aware of what I wasnt. That unless you are willing to pay double the air fare to have NCL book for you, you arent going to get the rebate on the air fare and as the NCL agent just told me moments ago, "we dont guarantee that we will actually have rooms available for you" so you getting the room rebate isnt guaranteed at all either.

Admittedly, it was a while ago that I asked about the hotel and air credits in the DV package, but I do vaguely recall the NCL rep saying transfers were included. Did you get different information directly from them?

I fly....a LOT! For work, I stay in a lot of hotels, too.

Airfares and hotel rates are SO dependent on when they're booked, where they're booked from and where they're booked to, and what geographic area you plan on staying.

For example, a fare from Pittsburgh to NYC might look particularly good to one person, whereas a flight from Oakland to Miami might look terrible to another.

Try finding a hotel anywhere in NYC and let me know the rate. You might be shocked.

In that case she is mistaken.

Well she said she called and there was no availability for the date she inquired about.

Not sure how she is mistaken if that's what she was told by NCL. I'm sure there is availability for other dates just not the date she inquired about.

Bill

Well she said she called and there was no availability for the date she inquired about.

 

Not sure how she is mistaken if that's what she was told by NCL. I'm sure there is availability for other dates just not the date she inquired about.

 

Bill

She said she as told that even if she booked she might not get a room, she did not say that she was told the week in question was already sold out. Two different things.

Wondering if others have had the same experience. Just put a deposit on an NCL cruise which is advertised with the "Distinctive Voyages" package. Seemed like a great offer on the surface but what a disappointment when you look into it. NCL is advertising a $200 rebate on flight and $100 rebate on the hotel as part of the included package. Firstly, what you dont get told up front is the premium that NCL puts on the flight that you have to book through NCL to get the rebate. My first online check showed the price to NY city round trip for me at under $400. NCL priced quoted me over $700 for that same class flight. When I pointed out the price difference to the sales rep she told me that most people just decline the offer and book themselves. I wonder why. Why not pay over $300 extra to get a $200 rebate. Secondly as for the hotel, I was told that she could'nt book a hotel for me as it was still too early for a cruise 8 months out. Still a chance for NCL to redeem themselves here on the hotel but Im doubtful.

 

Is it just me or does anyone else see this as false advertising? Sales rep told me that the only people who book with them are those that need someone to do the booking for them. I think its reasonable to conclude that the majority of people who meet that description are unsuspecting seniors who are uncomfortable looking online for prices and booking their own flights online. Great deal. Hey guys heres a $200 rebate on a flight that we sell for $350 over what you can book anywhere else as a stand alone purchase let alone as part of a cruise package. I guess buyer beware.

 

Any Thoughts?

Some people see the word "FREE" and with no analysis, they run with it. Luckily, people like you can compare options and make an informed decision.