Did I make a poor choice??

[PureLuck347]

I am reading about suites, and perks in a suite, and balcony rooms, etc and am thinking I chose poorly. We decided last minute, literally bought two days ago, for the Boston to Bermuda trip on Aug 9. Looked online at sites for pricing, and called NCL figured I would get best price , and advice going direct.

 

This is the families first cruise, four of us, kids are 9& 11. I booked us in a picture window room on the 8th floor. At first I thought we booked a balcony, but I was mistaken. I was thinking the space would be tight, but manageable. Should we try to upgrade? The NCL girl said haven rooms were gone, I couldn't even begin to think what they would cost considering what we are paying for our window room.

 

Maybe I am naive to the cost of a suite, or haven, or balcony, but at almost 4k for a window room, I am now feeling like we should try to upgrade our room.

 

Can someone enlighten me as to 1) will we be ok in the small room 2) should we try to upgrade. 3) is the price mentioned above considered a "good" deal? Or did I get screwed? I did get a whopping 30$ OBC. thanks for the info in advance!

 

 

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[SissasMomE]

I am reading about suites, and perks in a suite, and balcony rooms, etc and am thinking I chose poorly. We decided last minute, literally bought two days ago, for the Boston to Bermuda trip on Aug 9. Looked online at sites for pricing, and called NCL figured I would get best price , and advice going direct.

 

This is the families first cruise, four of us, kids are 9& 11. I booked us in a picture window room on the 8th floor. At first I thought we booked a balcony, but I was mistaken. I was thinking the space would be tight, but manageable. Should we try to upgrade? The NCL girl said haven rooms were gone, I couldn't even begin to think what they would cost considering what we are paying for our window room.

 

Maybe I am naive to the cost of a suite, or haven, or balcony, but at almost 4k for a window room, I am now feeling like we should try to upgrade our room.

 

Can someone enlighten me as to 1) will we be ok in the small room 2) should we try to upgrade. 3) is the price mentioned above considered a "good" deal? Or did I get screwed? I did get a whopping 30$ OBC. thanks for the info in advance!

 

 

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Dawn doesn't have a Haven .... also, you booked last minute, which is why the price is so high. If it was that high for an ocean view cabin, I would not upgrade. You will be fine in that.

[SissasMomE]

Then again, call them back and see what the price would be for a balcony. It may not be that much of a difference.

[PureLuck347]

I thought the prices went down the closer to sailing you get, was I wrong?

 

 

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[SissasMomE]

I looked for you. The regular balcony cabins are sold out. You can get a mini suite (with a balcony) for $4348. You may want to switch.

[SissasMomE]

I thought the prices went down the closer to sailing you get, was I wrong?

 

 

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That's a gamble. They can go down ... most of the time they go up.

[Cruise_More_Often]

I thought the prices went down the closer to sailing you get, was I wrong?

 

 

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If your cruise is popular and selling well, no, the prices won't go down. If, on the other hand, the cruise isn't selling well, there might be a "sale" you can take advantage of.

[roger001]

I see the balcony rooms are sold out apparently. However, there are two different categories of mini suites available at $4448 or $4648, depending on towards the rear of the ship or more mid ship. They would give you a nice private balcony and a bigger cabin. You could see about upgrading to one of them...or hold out and see if they don't sell well and come down approaching cruise time. However, if the balcony (B category) cabins are already gone, I can't imagine the minis not selling also. And their prices might go up instead of down. If you paid $4000 for the OV, then I would go the extra $500 or so for a mini. Also...you didn't get screwed. Prices constantly fluctuate depending on the season and popularity of a particular cruise.

[oceanseagle12]

Last minute pricing varies wildly depending on how full the ship is, so it is hard to say whether you got a good deal etc. It does seem like the price for the third and fourth person for your sailing is higher than typical, so that is raising your overall price.

 

I just looked at options for your sailing. There are no regular balconies or regular suites showing for 4 people. There are what they call mini suites, which haves balcony for $4300 and change for a guarantee or $4400 and change for an MB category. Seems like that isn't much more than what you paid.

[Starry Eyes]

personally, I would call back. I'd ask to price two connecting cabins. I see two sets of connecting Oceanview cabins (5516/5518 or 5016/5018). They may not be the best cabins ever, but for last minute, it is great to be able to get connecting cabins at all. they are category O1, if I recall correctly. I think there is a Massachusetts residents rate that make cut a few dollars off. hopefully the total for both cabins will be about the same as your current cabin for four ( If if is perchance less you will not get a refund). With connecting rooms you will have more space and more privacy when desired. And most important, two bathrooms!

[PureLuck347]

Thank you for this info! And for looking into it for me as well!

Would you say a room on level 5 is good? Getting 2 rooms for almost the same price as the 1 would be a nice bonus! The room #'s you mentioned, are they outside cabins? I was reading room reviews, and noticed people saying this floor can be noisy.

 

I will call them tomorrow. Would you suggest that I call the NCL # directly,or should I call the NCL person who I booked with initially?

 

Silly question also, but how do you look up what is available? Do you go to the site and pretend to book? Just curios if there is another way to "see what's available" we are in room 8136 now.

 

 

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[SissasMomE]

Thank you for this info! And for looking into it for me as well!

Would you say a room on level 5 is good? Getting 2 rooms for almost the same price as the 1 would be a nice bonus! The room #'s you mentioned, are they outside cabins? I was reading room reviews, and noticed people saying this floor can be noisy.

 

I will call them tomorrow. Would you suggest that I call the NCL # directly,or should I call the NCL person who I booked with initially?

 

Silly question also, but how do you look up what is available? Do you go to the site and pretend to book? Just curios if there is another way to "see what's available" we are in room 8136 now.

 

 

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I would take the mini suite over 2 OV cabins on the 5th deck. Your kids are young. The bathroom issue shouldn't be that big of a deal. Being kept awake because of noise above you can end up being a huge issue.

[Sauer-kraut]

just pretend to book, and that will show what cabins are available. don't hit the BUY THIS CRUISE button!! :eek:

 

Can't help with the floor, but when you're doing your dummy booking make sure you are looking at connecting cabins, there should be a legend towards the bottom of the page.

[SissasMomE]

I just compared the decks for those connecting OV's on deck 5. You're under the theater, which isn't really too bad. It will probably be noisy until 11pm, but should be quiet after that. If it were me, with a 9- and 11-year old, I'd take the minisuite. That balcony will give you a whole extra "room" to hang out on.

[time2cruise1]

You did not make a mistake but you can move to a mini suite for about $600. That will take you from 159 SF to 238 SF including the balcony. The ocean view will be 3 single beds wall to wall at night and a pull down single bunk. The mini suite will be two twin beds that can be made up as a queen separated by a curtain to a double sofa bed the kids will share plus a balcony you can escape too.

 

Only you can decide what is important to you.

 

See you onboard.

[Twelvevman]

The balcony rooms are not sold out, the Dawn doesn't have any balcony rooms that sleep 4. To get a balcony with 4 you need to go to a mini suite.

[PureLuck347]

Thank you all!! Really! I am going to call them tomorrow. I see there is a mini suite w balcony noted as a guarantee room, which would cost us about $500 more, but it is much larger than what we are in now. Hmmm... Just need to sell the hubby on that one!

At the rate we are going we could've done the cheap Alaskan cruise with the mucho buck airline tickets for about the same!

 

Or the connecting rooms...

 

It looks like the mini suites that are open, are deck 11, and near the spa area. Would that be an ok place for the kids? I just know I don't want to be right next to the casino. (no offense to those who are frequenting the casino...)

 

 

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[Starry Eyes]

You are fortunate to have good options even though your cruise in around the corner.

 

looking at deck plans, the connecting cabins 5516/8 are below other cabins. they are close to the theater, so you might hear music or voices from some shows, but those wind down by 11 or so. Are the kids light sleepers? these rooms will have an oceanview, but they may be porthole windows. These cabins are further forward than I'd pick for new cruisers if a whole range of cabins were available (mid ship moves a bit less than forward or aft). but few connecting cabins are left. if you are trying to keep the price down, price out the connecting cabins. I'd take that set of connecting cabins over a quad on deck 8 if the price is right.

 

A mini suite will give you a balcony and more space than your current cabin. Most families do fine in one, though the space is cozier than the average hotel room. If the budget will stretch a bit, it is a nice choice, too.

[Love my butler]

4k for an ocean view room? You got screwed.

[dark star]

deck 5 on the dawn is o.k. not noisy at all stayed on that deck twice. more room with two cabins.

[coka]

I just did an MX (mini suite guarantee) for four and it showed 4348.16. This is definitely a better situation than what you paid for the ocean view. The 8th deck ocean view is showing 3808.16. The 540 difference is worth it to upgrade. keep in mind it is not a full suite with suite benefits. Bermuda sailings usually do not go down in price drastically although I do see them go down 25, 50, 75 or so. When they go up, the difference is usually higher. You did not get screwed...you may have made a poor choice due to not knowing your options before booking. Do not worry though, it happens to others too including myself. Thank goodness for these boards as everyone is very helpful with their thoughts.

 

Best wishes on getting it worked out. Please come back and report how it turns out for you.

 

coka