GRRRR - price reductions

[bccanadamom]

Thanks very much for all the feedback - as I said, I knew already that I was pushing for something outside the "policy" however what I was asking was if anyone had success in pushing it - as someone said, never hurts to ask!

What irks me is that they market their promos like if you don't book now you'll miss out - August 31st was the last day of their promotion and they were urging to book now before the offer ended (then they up the offer!)

I realize this is common practice - in Canada a lot of flights & vacations offer price protection in the form of a credit back (like I understand Southwest does) - that's all I was hoping for - some kind of acknowledgement (some have mentioned upgrades as well)... right now it's been "too bad, that's the way it rolls"...

We will have fun and enjoy ourselves regardless, but I will also be looking into price protection more carefully in future bookings.

Thanks again, appreciate the feedback.

[SullytheBFG]

In the UK if there is ANY kind of price drop you won't get it, doesn't matter when it is you won't get it!

[khaide612]

What irks me is that they market their promos like if you don't book now you'll miss out - August 31st was the last day of their promotion and they were urging to book now before the offer ended (then they up the offer!)

 

I've seen TAs on here say that they have been given advance releases of upcoming promos. Since you booked with a TA, your gripe should be with him/her. NCL's cancellation policy indicates that

"There is no Cancellation fee for guest 3-8 if cancelled outside of the 100% cancellation period. If the reservation is cancelled within the 100% cancellation period then the applicable cancellation fee will apply for guest 3-8."

You should ask your TA if they can cancel and rebook the child and what the result would be. Also, since you are dealing with a TA, you are relying on all they have told you unless you were listening in on their calls with NCL.

[hawkeyetlse]

They are having a Fire Sale to fill out an unsold ship.

While I agree with the overall sentiment, that is not exactly what happened here. The OP booked at the very end of August, and then it turned out that the September promo would have been better for them. This is not like a fire sale, which is ship by ship and mostly unpredictable. At the time the OP made their booking, TAs already had the details of the upcoming promo, and they were leaked online, too. A good TA would have given the OP a heads-up about this, and told them that by waiting a couple of days, they could get the 3rd passenger free (while also reminding them that the cruise fare for pax 1-2 could go up in the meantime).

 

It's still a gamble, like all last-minute bookings, but the OP could have reduced the risk by getting better information (and a better TA…) They would not have been guaranteed to save money, but they might feel better now about the choice they made.

[tempus137]

The example of the airline giving you the credit for a lower fare is fine, if you are going to fly that airline again (usually within the next 12 months).

 

In February, I booked flights on Hawaiian Airlines for December. I booked through my credit card company in order to use some points to lower my cost.

 

Now Hawaiian lowered their fare, and if I had booked directly through the airline, I would have gotten a credit. But I don't anticipate flying to Hawaii again in the near future. (I won't go into the problem where the airline wants to hit me with a change fee because I booked though an outside party. So I can save $180 a person but pay a $200 fee per person).

[bccanadamom]

Thanks - I'll ask about that... I think the extra 3rd person free is only on select cruises, so in fairness maybe the TA couldn't confirm that before the 1st.... anyhow, thanks for the reply!

[hawkeyetlse]

I think the extra 3rd person free is only on select cruises, so in fairness maybe the TA couldn't confirm that before the 1st....

Yes, that's a good point. But given the availability on this sailing (at a glance, it looks like at least 50 balconies still open, less than a month before saildate), I think it would have been a good bet. In fact, despite what everyone keeps saying about fire sales being a thing of the past, I really wonder if the September promo will be enough to fill this ship, and if not, will they really just let those cabins sail empty?

[rvsullivan]

Thanks very much for all the feedback - as I said, I knew already that I was pushing for something outside the "policy" however what I was asking was if anyone had success in pushing it - as someone said, never hurts to ask!

What irks me is that they market their promos like if you don't book now you'll miss out - August 31st was the last day of their promotion and they were urging to book now before the offer ended (then they up the offer!)

I realize this is common practice - in Canada a lot of flights & vacations offer price protection in the form of a credit back (like I understand Southwest does) - that's all I was hoping for - some kind of acknowledgement (some have mentioned upgrades as well)... right now it's been "too bad, that's the way it rolls"...

We will have fun and enjoy ourselves regardless, but I will also be looking into price protection more carefully in future bookings.

Thanks again, appreciate the feedback.

 

I think your real issue might be with your TA. There were posts on here well in advance of Sept. with the TA's having advance info on the upcoming promotions. Your TA should have known the kids sail free promotion was starting and advise you to wait. Unless you were booking one of the last or nearly last cabins in your category. Put this back on your TA, not NCL. Your TA should have advised you the "ins and outs" of last minute bookings, i.e. the chance of lower prices etc. The TA's pay is based on what you pay, so not much motivation to get you a lower price??

[jakesnana]

I think your real issue might be with your TA. There were posts on here well in advance of Sept. with the TA's having advance info on the upcoming promotions. Your TA should have known the kids sail free promotion was starting and advise you to wait. Unless you were booking one of the last or nearly last cabins in your category. Put this back on your TA, not NCL. Your TA should have advised you the "ins and outs" of last minute bookings, i.e. the chance of lower prices etc. The TA's pay is based on what you pay, so not much motivation to get you a lower price??

 

While the TA's knew (as did many on this board) about the KSF promo coming back for September, no one knew which sailings would be affected by this promo UNTIL September 1, so the TA had no way of informing him.

 

FWIW, NCL has been known to give passengers on OBC of up to 25% of a price reduction, so the OP should have his TA check into that and/or an upgrade.

[bccanadamom]

Update... I feel like I have a very great TA as I just heard ncl will match the price!!!! Definitely doesn't hurt to ask the question and I know I am lucky as this is outside their policy! Makes me very very happy though!

[rochelle_s]

CONGRATS... I am glad everything worked out so well for you. Just gpes to show it really does never hurt to ask.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

 

Rochelle

[littlelulu01]

Congrats. I'm happy to hear they worked with you. We did the same thing a couple years ago on the Pearl Alaska. I booked within the 30 days prior to sail and the next morning the price reduced. I was initially told their guarantee was not valid on a guarantee rate. In reading the fine print they were right but I did call back and tried again and was granted obc which I was very happy with. I had initially booked directly with ncl and in a last minute booking situation I wouldn't hesitate to go with ncl direct vs a ta.

 

It's nice to see they also worked with you. Much like the airlines will give you future credit if the fare drops so it does pay to keep checking with most airlines and the cruise company too.

[jakesnana]

Update... I feel like I have a very great TA as I just heard ncl will match the price!!!! Definitely doesn't hurt to ask the question and I know I am lucky as this is outside their policy! Makes me very very happy though!

 

Congratulations !! I'm glad it worked out for you.

 

So your TA DID come through for you :)

 

FWIW, I have found that sometimes the volume that certain TA's have with a cruise line will directly affect how willing they are to work with a TA in extraordinary circumstances. A person working directly with NCL does not have that same clout.

Edited September 5, 2015 by jakesnana

[4gomez]

They ain't a $1,000 to work with you. We booked 4 in the same balcony cabin(that may be a big mistake) for a 10 ni. out of nyc. I was pleased with the total price 4K with UBP for 2. One day just happened to pull up an email which I would blow out from the get go. Saw (for the EXACT SAME THING) $1000 less. Went back and forth with the boss and by the time she said (pull the trigger) the price had changed the cat. did also. Finally I booked the same for $1000 less than the 4 bill's. After that within a week the price skyrocketed to $5000. Check it periodically and move if you see it move.

Joe

[missintuitive]

I feel your frustration but it happens everyday in this industry specially with the airlines. I missed out on the NCL Jewel on this month's 10 day sailing. I was wacthing the fares going down and missed out when it bottomed out "thinking" it will go further down. But instead it started to go up and up and I finally gave up.

 

 

 

Then I got a great deal on a repositioning and then book my airfare to come back home. Lo and behold 2 days after I booked my aifare it went down $100pp. Was I upset? Of course. But somehow with the airlines we all take it and accept it. Why is it more acceptable when this happens in the airline industry but not with the cruiseline?

 

 

 

That's the nature of a lot of businesses nowadays. Are you in the stock market?..Prices go up and down within an hour!

 

 

 

Dont let it bother you and enjoy your trip.

 

 

 

Good

 

 

I don't think it's acceptable either way. Some airlines will adjust the difference in terms of a "credit." All you have to do is ask. This happened to me on a flight to Jamaica for three. I looked everyday and called when the price dropped, I called and received about $150 credit total and used it for seat assignments and luggage. I must admit that I tried this with a different airline and they didn't price adjust. Different companies have different policies. So I can understand why OP said she would comparison shop. It's what thrifty PPP like myself love to do[emoji56]

 

 

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[antsnanny]

I was wondering if the prices went up (which they do) do you think you should pay more?

[Medtech2]

[quote name='bccanadamom']Hi - thanks first to all the great advice I've found on this site :)
I just booked our first NCL cruise on the Sun on Oct 2nd - was a good deal, we are travelling with our son and got the beverage package and a reduced price for him (he's six).
Less than 2 days later the package now offers the beverage package AND 3rd/4th free. That's $387 less than what I paid less than 2 days ago! We are within 30 days of departure so no option to cancel and rebook. (and we are past the 48 hours for the online form submission as I didn't happen to notice this on their site until later in the 2nd day - but the promo was in effect earlier in the day according to my TA).
My travel agent has escalated this to management but they won't budge. Okay - so I knew booking that this could happen and that their policy isn't to match pricing - but the difference is more than 10%!!!
Leaves a very sour taste and although I won't let it ruin our holiday I will definitely NOT be putting NCL at the top of our list in the future based on their pricing policies. Especially when they "pressure" you not-so-subtly on their site to book now as their specials all end on August 31st!
Anyone have any more positive experiences with the same situation?
>>Please don't tell me I knew what could happen so I shouldn't complain - I have already had that talk with myself, but it really doesn't make me feel too much better tonight :([/QUOTE]
I paid over $650 a few months back for airfare this weekend. Last month my mother bought the same airfare for $550. Airlines don't give adjustments either.

Oh, well....

BTW, where was your TA when the price fell? If they saw it earlier why didn't THEY seek the adjustment? Isn't that part of why anyone would use them? JS...

[bmwman]

[quote name='DMH15']One time I was in your situation. Booked my cruise (on another line) within final payment time. I saw the price. But I waited a few days and the prices went up. Cost me. You could have waited and the price and perks could have easily gone up.[/QUOTE]

Well said:)