Cruise Pricing Question

[Elocin]

I was told today by my TA that if the price drops on my cruise after I purchase it - that NCL will not price adjust - does anyone know if this is true or not? I wasn't sure if this was a TA story, she has been trying to get me to take a different line, she's not a fan of NCL. Any idea?

:confused:

 

Thanks

[johnql]

Untrue, up to a point. If the price drops after you book but before final payment is due, you can definitely take advantage of the lower fare by simply cancelling and rebooking. Usually, however, you don't even have to do that because the TA knows that you have that option. The problem arises after final payment is due. If the price drops after final payment, very often the cruise line is offering last-minute lower fares for "new bookings only". In that case, you can still have your TA fight for the lower fare, an onboard credit, or a free upgrade. CCers have reported mixed results but it never hurts to ask. Part of it will depend on how persistent and influential your TA is with the cruise line.

[Elocin]

Thanks for the info, I have been online looking as well as working with the TA and saw that the price dropped quite a bit in one day. I was unsure how the policy works since this is my first cruise with NCL.

[Guest nhrich]

You do not even have to cancel and rebook if the price drops before final payment. A good TA will simply make the adjustment for you.

 

Rich, ACC

Carefree Vacations

[Gypsea]

Commissions vary based on volume sold by the agency. Could be she is not earning as high a commission from them as she may from other lines. She is risking your business. The customer is always right but it sounds like she forgot. I sell cruises too and I love NCL because of the flexiblity in dining, disembarking and I think the staff is always friendly. They seem well treated and happy. That is important to me.

[fodorspeter]

Or you could check pricing direct with NCL and you might be surprised. If you wind up booking with NCL, you have the best of both worlds.

 

Peter

[Gigsjp]

Untrue, up to a point. If the price drops after you book but before final payment is due, you can definitely take advantage of the lower fare by simply cancelling and rebooking. Usually, however, you don't even have to do that because the TA knows that you have that option. The problem arises after final payment is due. If the price drops after final payment, very often the cruise line is offering last-minute lower fares for "new bookings only". In that case, you can still have your TA fight for the lower fare, an onboard credit, or a free upgrade. CCers have reported mixed results but it never hurts to ask. Part of it will depend on how persistent and influential your TA is with the cruise line.

 

Wouldn't there be some sort of penalty for cancelling the original booking?

Just curious.

[shoreguy]

Wouldn't there be some sort of penalty for cancelling the original booking?

Just curious.

 

Only if there is one from your TA or you are past final payment. The other issue is you most likely will have to put down a second deposit until the credit for the first booking hits your cc.

[chipandjohn]

I do consider myself as to having a great TA. I do fine and receive a lot of emails with cruise offers. However I do see the rate of my booked cruises lessen after I've booked. But more often I see those rates on lower cabins or inside cabin. My Alaska cruise started at 799 inside down to 499 10 days before sailing. As someone already posted these rates applied to new bookings only. But they were for cabins at the lowest level or poorest location. After searching out their offers I don't consider that my booking price have gone down.

I booked a cruise two weeks before leaving and got a great seven day on Cele Millm ship for 536 gaurt rate. They put us inside and we contested and was up'd to an outside, but it was on the lowest level and last cabin on the aft of the ship. It was the worst location but what a price and still a great cruise. It could payoff for last minute booking.

With the savings buy insurance. I had to cancel my Alaska cruise.

[Frannyfran]

I am booked on the 6/19/05 cruise in a penthouse suit with my husband and 2 teenage children. I noticed this past week NCL has dropped the price for the 3rd and 4th persons in the suit. It is a $450.00 difference per child! That is a big drop! Called my TA to see if she could do anything for us, since we have already made final payment. She called back with NCL on the line and they said no refund of difference, but they would upgrade us at no charge to an Owner's Villa. Woohoo, was I excited. My TA say's she'll get all the info. and get back to me with the new room number, etc. When she calls back she tells me the NCL person was in the middle of upgrading us and had the reservation taken right out from under him????? Said we would get the $900 difference refunded in a couple of months?? I am very confused and upset by all this from NCL. Why would they tell us we had the room if we didn't. And why a couple of months to get the difference, why not an onboard credit? Don't like the way they do business, hope it gets better.

Frannyfran

[McCutie]

Oh Fran! I was so excited for yoiu about the villa until I read the end of your post:(

....NCL or the t/a probably made a mistake or they found someone that paid more for the villa.....

 

who knows?

 

Can your t/a give you on board credit? $900 seemd like a lot but we always go over that w/ all the excursions, spa, drinks etc etc....

 

Good luck and have a great time regardless :)

[cmdchiefthom]

I believe that NCL has quite a bit of wiggle room in the price structure and the closer it gets to the departure date, down goes the price. However, most lines, and I believe NCL is one of them, demand full payment 75 days in advance of sailing. That allows them two and a half months of discounting in order to fill the ship. They really wouldn't have any reason to pass these discounts to paid up passengers. It doesn't make business sense.

 

I do find it interesting however, that I just checked the NCL price, before port taxes etc, on the AC suite I have booked for next year, and find that it is $400.00 per person higher than what I booked through my long trusted TA, and my price includes port taxes etc. :eek: Go figure how much wiggle room that gives NCL. ;) But, I sure do love their ships! :cool:

[geoherb]

I know it's disappointing to think you were getting a great upgrade only to find out you're not. But a $900 refund even a couple of months from now sounds great to me. It's more than they had to give you.

[Frannyfran]

Thanks for cheering me up! You're right, I should be grateful I am getting the credit back. I guess it was just the dissappointment of the moment of losing the upgraded Villa. I will think positive and spend away on board knowing I have a credit to look foward to. I guess NCL could have done worse. Getting excited now!!

Fran

[marvholly]

Look at it this way: that $900 refund on your cc will be available either for all the back to school bills (best) or to bingin your x-mas shopping (worst).

[redzz7062]

I purchased our cruise in Jan 2005 deposit of 1000 for 4 on the Crown balance due by 03/01. 2 days before the final payment was due I found the exact same cabin category etc $700 cheaper than what I booked thru the TA. So I called them on it. The president of the TA agency wound up handling the rest of our travel arrangements and whatever he did we received a certified check from them (TA) for the $700. NOw this may sound easy but it wasn't I had to make a scene but in the end it was worth it. I tried to upgrade instead but frankly we couldn't afford the suites or the penthouses. But it worked out ok. NCL wanted final payment 65 days in advance of sailing according to the TA I used.

Please note I will not use them again and will not recommend them to anyone.

Enjoy your cruise we did.

 

Linda

 

MS NCL Crown 05/01/05 Phila to Bermuda

[alinnj]

I just experienced this exact thing with my travel agent about three weeks ago before my final payment was due. I am on an August Pride of America cruise with balcony. Something told me to check the NCL site late one night and I found an $800 savings from my original booking. The next morning before contacting my TA I called NCL and double checked on the online price. I couldn't believe it when the NCL agent said that they had even better news and could lower the price $100 below the internet price for a now $900 savings. Gave me the promo code and said that I should contact my TA. I called the travel agent who said thats impossible , we already got you the lowest price and who did I talk with. When I explained NCL direct they said Oh.... ! I then gave them the promo code and said that I would be in their office in the next hour and to please research this. When I arrived the agent was on the speaker phone with NCL and the confirmed the savings of $900 with a $50 penality for each person. My agent asked me if this was ok, and I said that saving $800 , would there be any question!? I then asked about my room assignment and the other couple who also booked with us. Would we keep the same room #'s ? The NCL agent said I will be back with you I need to email my supervisor. While on hold, I had a discussion with the agent about how I was nervous booking this cruise. I then explained that there was a class action suite because of poor service on The Pride of Aloha, and commented that I hope this cruise would be better. The agent from NCL, on the other end, I think heard this discussion as when they returned they said, " We are pleased to inform your clients that they will keep their same rooms, wave the change fee, and save the full $900". NCL was very fair and nice to me as a first time NCL cruiser, and I thank them for the savings. I did notice this week on the NCL web site that when you look at their specials for my cruise that they have now added the words " For new bookings only". Thanks again NCL!!!!:D :D

[jcolley]

"I then explained that there was a class action suite because of poor service on The Pride of Aloha, and commented that I hope this cruise would be better."

 

Just curious, what is this class action suit about? We were on the POA last July when all the problems were occuring and I haven't heard anything about this. Please update me, we are sailing on the Dawn next month and I am trying to get NCL to give us some credits for our experience last year. (We did receive a 20% coupon last year but this doesn't really compensate us for our disappointing cruise last year on the POA!)

 

Thanks

[greenie]

We booked a future cruise while onboard last week--we have to pay in full 90 days before sail date. We booked an AC PH, I believe for Oceanview Balcony and lower you had 45 days, not 90. I asked if I ever decided to upgrade, would I still get the 200$ OBC, and was told no. I think that is likely to mean that the price went up before the 90 days and I re-booked it, I'd lose the $200 OBC that way too. So you might actually have something to lose by re-booking. Guess it depends on the price difference.

 

I'll just keep an eye on the price and in mid November, decide what to do. Seems like the best bet.

[greenie]

Question:

 

We decided to try booking directly with NCL this time ... if the price goes up, then what recourse do we have to get it back to what we signed on? We will no longer have a TA to do battle for us. That makes me a little uneasy and feeling like I should have stuck with going thru an outside agency. Anyone?

[Carolyn1950]

Greenie, when I was on the Sea, the guy who books the cruises was doing his presentation on the t.v. One of the things he said was if you book thru NCL one of the advantages was if the price drops, they honor it.. I remember it distinctly because I said to my dh that was a very good reason to book with NCL..

[Guest nhrich]

They'll only honor it for sure up to final payment, and even then, if you call them. They're not going to automatically give you a price reduction. After final payment, it's a crapshoot...sometimes you can get a reduction or upgrade, sometimes you can't.

 

Rich, ACC

Carefree Vacations

[mbisson]

Question:

 

We decided to try booking directly with NCL this time ... if the price goes up, then what recourse do we have to get it back to what we signed on? We will no longer have a TA to do battle for us. That makes me a little uneasy and feeling like I should have stuck with going thru an outside agency. Anyone?

 

I'm not sure that I understand your question completely. Are you asking that if the price goes up (after booking), will they increase the amount that they charge you?

 

If that's the question the answer is no.

 

-Monte

[Netnurse31]

Just got off the phone with my TA and managed to save almost $1000 off the price of an AB and connecting AF on the Dawn for August of this year. I checked the NCL site and the prices had dropped. When I called I originally met with some resistence. It took me almost 90 minutes on the phone and numerous phone calls back and forth between the TA and NCL but they dropped the price. $1000 for 90 minutes of work is well worth it. My advice is to be persistant, make sure they know you won't settle for anything but the best fare. I have to make final payment by May 24th and you can bet I will continue to check the pricing up to the very minute I do so!

[mbisson]

Greenie, when I was on the Sea, the guy who books the cruises was doing his presentation on the t.v. One of the things he said was if you book thru NCL one of the advantages was if the price drops, they honor it.. I remember it distinctly because I said to my dh that was a very good reason to book with NCL..

 

nhrich is correct. You'll notice on many of their "specials" and other last minute fares, they usually throw in the disclaimer that the price is only good with new bookings.

 

As long as you are outside the final payment window, you could always cancel and rebook at the lower price. They know that so they won't have any problems honoring a price reduction. One exception to this could be if you book through a TA that charges a cancellation/rebooking fee. Mine doesn't but but one of the questions I always ask is if they've changed that rule with his company.

 

-Monte