Pay early, Pay More, Get Less

[conandrob240]

Basing my comments on what people tell me. I am in the travel biz. Remember, this is an NCL lovers board, for the most part. People on here are a small fraction of actual passengers and reflect a positive bias. Sort of like going on the Disboards and complaining about anything Disney does. LOL

Edited September 11, 2014 by conandrob240

[Starry Eyes]

Basing my comments on what people tell me. I am in the travel biz. Remember, this is an NCL lovers board, for the most part. People on here are a small fraction of actual passengers and reflect a positive bias. Sort of like going on the Disboards and complaining about anything Disney does. LOL

If you are their agent, is it your job to explain the pricing policies and cancellation penalties and such for before and after final payment?

Their reaction may have something to do with how the facts are presented. So, perhaps you might be seeing your own reflection in your client's comments.

 

I did a search of the topic on the Princess boards. On threads on this topic, posters explain that after final payment, many (probably most) of the Princess price reductions are "for new bookings only", so no price reductions on those for older bookings. sometimes there is a price reduction without that fine print; then people may get refunds. the posters also say results may vary depending upon the rep one gets on the phone (that type of inconsistency seems common among lines).

[conandrob240]

It has nothing to do with not understanding the policy. Just because you understand the rules doesn't mean you like them. It is about not thinking the policy is fair. Clients seeing prices drop dramatically close to travel is frustrating and makes many people not want to book early.

[Demonyte]

I'm still trying to figure out the op's statement about, "an upgrade to a lower cabin category". Who has been offered an upgrade that was down?:confused:

 

There is a disparency between how NCL categorizes their cabins and what some people consider "better" cabins.

 

While a higher category actually is an upgrade in cruise lingo, some people still claim that they have been downgraded because for example the location of higher category cabin or some other attribute is not as good in their opinion as the original category.

[mjkacmom]

It has nothing to do with not understanding the policy. Just because you understand the rules doesn't mean you like them. It is about not thinking the policy is fair. Clients seeing prices drop dramatically close to travel is frustrating and makes many people not want to book early.

 

As someone who has to book early, I totally support the policy. Why should thousands of people get their fare lowered to the last minute, bargain basement clearance price? The cruise line is trying to sell every last cabin, and if it's close to sailing, will reduce the fares to get bodies to get revenue.

 

In a few years, the kids will be gone, and we will finally be able to take advantage of last minute pricing, since we can drive to the port. Will we get our ideal cabin - probably not. That's one of the trade-offs - we might not even get to sail the week we want. It's always a gamble.

[Starry Eyes]

It has nothing to do with not understanding the policy. Just because you understand the rules doesn't mean you like them. It is about not thinking the policy is fair. Clients seeing prices drop dramatically close to travel is frustrating and makes many people not want to book early.

I think we all understand that feeling of "darn, it would have been cheaper if I had waited." It happens regularly, and not just with cruises. I think those airlines change their prices even more than the cruiselines, for example.

 

If cruisers wish to gamble and wait to book, more power to them. They might snag a wonderful deal in the perfect cabin on their favorite itinerary on theior favorite cruise line. Or prices might go up. Or their cruise/category may sell out. Or only undesireable cabin might be left. We all har from people who bragging about their great deal; we do not hear so much from the ones who missed out on the price, cabin or cruise they wanted.

 

Sometimes I book early to assure I get just what I want. Other times, I wait to see what is available in the final weeks. This month's cruise (Europe, so lots of planning) was booked before final payment once my vacation schedule was set. I have time off in November. If we feel like cruising again, we'll book late; demand tends to be low that time of year and we can be flexible on cabin, timing, port and line.

[sjbdtz]

I am the original OP and wasn't going to add to my original posting, but some of your replies are too much. I may not agree with what you have to say but will defend your right to say it. But some of your replies are nasty and unnecessary. We have cruised many times and booked this cruise when we got the email, 90 days before sailing. Payment was made on the last day it was due, all the time asking about what happens after payment date, We have never met anyone who has read the contract word by word.

 

Thank you for your replies, but there are more important things. In this world than to berate someone for trying to get the most for their money. In this economy it may make a big difference in their cruise.

 

 

Again. Relax and enjoy life. Be nice,

 

synet165

 

I find this post most amusing.

 

"I may not agree with what you have to say but will defend your right to say it." unless of course I deem it "nasty and unnecessary", in which case I no longer believe you have the right to express yourself.

 

"We have never met anyone who has read the contract word by word." Hi, I'm Stephen.

 

 

 

Stephen

 

.

[dollarbill7663]

NCL guar. lowest price is only for 48 hours from time of deposit and only matching official NCL pricing.

CCL has some lowest price guaranteed bookings and that is good to match price up to final payment. So if you want to wait to the last second and get deal book NCL, if you want to book early with more price protection book with CCL. I am not sure about other cruise lines.

[wichitastatecruiser]

I'm still trying to figure out the op's statement about, "an upgrade to a lower cabin category". Who has been offered an upgrade that was down?:confused:

 

Another poster already stated this but I will give an example: I am booked in a M6 (mini-suite with large balcony) for the Oct 25th sailing. After final payment the price dropped $300. I called and was offered a free upgrade to a M2-M4 class stateroom (family mini-suites), which have a smaller balcony than the M6, and the only difference is extra berths and a tub instead of a shower (I'm a solo cruiser). The other option was a Spa Mini-suite for $40 extra. Again I would have lost my big balcony so both those options were "downgrades" to me.

[Starry Eyes]

Another poster already stated this but I will give an example: I am booked in a M6 (mini-suite with large balcony) for the Oct 25th sailing. After final payment the price dropped $300. I called and was offered a free upgrade to a M2-M4 class stateroom (family mini-suites), which have a smaller balcony than the M6, and the only difference is extra berths and a tub instead of a shower (I'm a solo cruiser). The other option was a Spa Mini-suite for $40 extra. Again I would have lost my big balcony so both those options were "downgrades" to me.

I agree that "upgrade" can be in the eye of the beholder. Had I been in your shoes, I'd probably have taken the deal for a spa mini even though the balcony is smaller. We all weigh tradeoffs differently.

 

If the OP had said they were offered an upgrade to what the OP considered a less desirable cabin, most of would have understood. But, if that is what the OP meant, the upgrade to a lower category verbage was awkward enough to confuse people.

 

To look at it from the positive side, I am glad you booked early enough to get such a great cabin that makes other minsuites look like downgrades. Have a great time stretching out on that big balcony.

[cruisecritiquer]

We now have two mini-suites side by side instead of a balcony and a mini. It cost me $75.00 bucks. :) I feel better with them being right next door rather than a few doors down. All in all upgrading from an inside to a mini was $115.00 bucks. :)

Edited September 11, 2014 by cruisecritiquer

[Starry Eyes]

We now have two mini-suites side by side instead of a balcony and a mini. It cost me $75.00 bucks. :) I feel better with them being right next door rather than a few doors down.

Wow, that is a wonderful upgrade at a low cost. Enjoy!

[CasinoCruzGirl]

You just never know. I booked my son and his GF an inside GTY for our upcoming November cruise 2 months ago. Today that same cabin inside GTY is $500 more than his cost. Up up and away looks like prices are skyrocketing. Thankfully we booked when we did.

[dna529]

We now have two mini-suites side by side instead of a balcony and a mini. It cost me $75.00 bucks. :) I feel better with them being right next door rather than a few doors down. All in all upgrading from an inside to a mini was $115.00 bucks. :)

 

That is awesome!!

 

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[luvtheships]

I don't see that as a gamble because you can cancel anytime before final payment date and re-book. :) Although, I generally don't pay until it's due. I just don't see the point in letting them hold money that could be sitting in a savings account and collecting a little more interest. I understand it gives some people peace of mind just to have it all out of the way and then there's no risk of missing your PIF date by accident and losing your reservation.

 

I know you are joking about earning interest of course but the absolute main and most important reason to never pay anything in full ( unless required of course) is because the company you are giving your funds to could go Bankrupt!!!!

 

I do not suspect that is the case with Ncl but since they only ask for a deposit at booking why on earth would anyone pay in full? It is not as though they are giving you a cash discount ftlog!!!

 

The only time I ever paid in full upfront was for kid #4 braces

 

Ortho gave me huge family disc which would have been standard either way

 

Credit card gave me 12 months interest free and no upfront fee plus a nice cash bonus via points

 

And ortho gave me an additional 10% off to pay in full

 

I saved quite a bit as well as earned quite a bit from credit card points

 

Now lets just pray the ortho stays healthy because there is no way he could ever go bankrupt with all the patients he has!! Lol

 

Btw he has a backup guy!!

 

 

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Edited September 11, 2014 by luvtheships

[luvtheships]

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Edited September 11, 2014 by luvtheships

[acruisingcouple]

You just never know. I booked my son and his GF an inside GTY for our upcoming November cruise 2 months ago. Today that same cabin inside GTY is $500 more than his cost. Up up and away looks like prices are skyrocketing. Thankfully we booked when we did.

 

Our same cabin type for our cruise for 4 in March is now going for $2150 more than what we paid for it 6 weeks ago. I am very glad we booked when we did.

We got a great rate and we were able to pick the cabin we wanted.

[diskids2]

I never understood why people bother to check the price after final payment. You know darn well you are not entitled to a refund, or anything. Why do you even check??

 

When my sailing price dropped after final payment I got 25% of the price drop per person and then it dropped again and i got another 25% of the price drop. I still paid alot more than the price drop but that is the chance I took when booking early to secure exactly what I wanted.

 

I swore that I would wait until after final payments for the next cruise I took, but I did not. We want to take the NCL pearl..I want a minisuite in an exact location only about 6 rooms and I booked already. I know it will probably drop and I know to expect nothing in return but I am happy I have the location I want.

 

Next time if I don't care about the room category as much or the location, I think I will wait until after final payments are due for the cruise.

[cruisecritiquer]

I know you are joking about earning interest of course but the absolute main and most important reason to never pay anything in full ( unless required of course) is because the company you are giving your funds to could go Bankrupt!!!!

 

I do not suspect that is the case with Ncl but since they only ask for a deposit at booking why on earth would anyone pay in full? It is not as though they are giving you a cash discount ftlog!!!

 

The only time I ever paid in full upfront was for kid #4 braces

 

Ortho gave me huge family disc which would have been standard either way

 

Credit card gave me 12 months interest free and no upfront fee plus a nice cash bonus via points

 

And ortho gave me an additional 10% off to pay in full

 

I saved quite a bit as well as earned quite a bit from credit card points

 

Now lets just pray the ortho stays healthy because there is no way he could ever go bankrupt with all the patients he has!! Lol

 

Btw he has a backup guy!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

LOL, yes I was joking. The only bills I pay ahead of schedule are those with an APR. If there's no interest/fees/penalty, I don't see the point in paying ahead of time.

[cruisecritiquer]

I meant to mention that oddly, I priced the mini-suite before upgrade and I wasn't going to do it. It just so happens my CC called me because I had a hold reservation on an itinerary next year. When he was on the phone I told him I wanted to upgrade but I didn't like that price so I was going to wait. He told me to tell him what it was so I could price it. Not only did he put me in a cabin that I could not get to show up on the website, the price was also cheaper than what I priced on the website for the same category. :rolleyes: But, I'm not complaining. :D

[Starry Eyes]

When my sailing price dropped after final payment I got 25% of the price drop per person and then it dropped again and i got another 25% of the price drop. I still paid alot more than the price drop but that is the chance I took when booking early to secure exactly what I wanted.

 

I swore that I would wait until after final payments for the next cruise I took, but I did not. We want to take the NCL pearl..I want a minisuite in an exact location only about 6 rooms and I booked already. I know it will probably drop and I know to expect nothing in return but I am happy I have the location I want.

 

Next time if I don't care about the room category as much or the location, I think I will wait until after final payments are due for the cruise.

I enjoyed reading your story.

Sometimes when prices drop, people say they wish they waited to book; they declare that next time they certainly will wait. Diskids2 did it. I have done it, too.

 

Then, come time to plan for the next trip, the reasons for booking early re-enter the mind. For diskids2, it is cabin category and location. Sometimes for some people it is to lock in availablity of triple or quad occupancy. Sometimes it is the need to coordinate with other travelers. Or maybe concern that cruise may sell too well, causing availability to decrease and prices to increse. Sometimes I want to lock in the cruise so I can confidently buy expensive international air tickets and the like. There are reasons to book early.

 

As others have said: if the price seems fair when one books and also when one decides to make final payment, then the price should still seem fair weeks later even if somebody else gets a lower price on a leftover cabin.

[cruisecritiquer]

I get what another poster said partially about not looking anymore after you are totally satisfied. Now that we have side by side mini-suites and we are as high in our category as we are willing to go, I am not going to look at pricing anymore. Even though I would have no reason to complain because I think the prices we paid for a week's vacation is outstanding...it would still be disappointing if I checked and saw the decrease in price later on. So I see it both ways. If you are happy with what you chose but wouldn't mind an upgrade if the prices went down, I can see why you would continue to check pricing...on a just in case basis. But, after you have gone as high as you are willing to go....(sans a call from the upsell fairy which I don't even think we would do at this point...) it's time to stop price checking.

[TrumpyNor]

I always book early - usually 9-12 months ahead, and I always check the prices now and again, almost up until the sailing date. If the prices drops before the final payment is due, I just send an e-mail to my PCC and asks her to change my booking. And if the price drops after the final payment is made, I still check the prices in hope of doing a bargain on an upgrade to a higher cabin category. I have purchased upgrades during the last weeks before sailing date on several cruises, and a couple of times even been able to upgrade from a regular balcony cabin or minisuite to a Haven suite for a few hundred dollars p.p. and been very happy with that. What I never do, is getting annoyed if the room category I have booked has a price drop. I was happy with the price when I booked it, and I picked the location of the cabin myself, and if it is not possible to do a bargain on upgrading then I am perfectly happy with the cabin and the price I got originally.

Edited September 11, 2014 by TrumpyNor

[cruisecritiquer]

I always book early - usually 9-12 months ahead, and I always check the prices now and again, almost up until the sailing date. If the prices drops before the final payment is due, I just send an e-mail to my PCC and asks her to change my booking. And if the price drops after the final payment is made, I still check the prices in hope of doing a bargain on an upgrade to a higher cabin category. I have purchased upgrades during the last weeks before sailing date on several cruises, and a couple of times even been able to upgrade from a regular balcony cabin or minisuite to a Haven suite for a few hundred dollars p.p. and been very happy with that. What I never do, is getting annoyed if the room category I have booked has a price drop. I was happy with the price when I booked it, and I picked the location of the cabin myself, and if it it not possible to do a bargain on upgrading then I am perfectly happy with the cabin and the price I got originally.

 

That makes perfect since and is pretty much the way I look at it. I think it's irrational to think of the rate going down as being some kind of slight to the person who purchased in advance.

Edited September 11, 2014 by cruisecritiquer

[CPT Trips]

You just never know. I booked my son and his GF an inside GTY for our upcoming November cruise 2 months ago. Today that same cabin inside GTY is $500 more than his cost. Up up and away looks like prices are skyrocketing. Thankfully we booked when we did.

 

That's for sure, the prices go both ways. We booked our Jan cruise about three weeks ago. Less than a week later I looked and the price was $300 less than original booking, I called TA and they got the price. Then it went up to $200 more than our original price. Still about six weeks to final payment and we'll keep looking . . .