Where do you get your deal for a cruise on NCL

[pghflyer]

I will just add that for those who want to automate watching their cruise price up until 120 days, there are sites that do this for you for free....for example you can "watch" your cruise price or monitor the "plum" cruise pricing or have your "shipmate" alert you. 

 

Just remember price isn't the only factor. If you got OBC and get a new price, your OBC will likely go down. Same with perks, if you got free gratuities and that isn't offered now but your price went down, you will need to consider if the new price or paying gratuities on your own is the best package.

Edited July 18, 2023 by pghflyer

[ontheweb]

39 minutes ago, pghflyer said:

I will just add that for those who want to automate watching their cruise price up until 120 days, there are sites that do this for you for free....for example you can "watch" your cruise price or monitor the "plum" cruise pricing or have your "shipmate" alert you. 

 

Just remember price isn't the only factor. If you got OBC and get a new price, your OBC will likely go down. Same with perks, if you got free gratuities and that isn't offered now but your price went down, you will need to consider if the new price or paying gratuities on your own is the best package.

There also can be an increase in the amount of deposit required. Cruisers have been known to lost their reservation and deposit when they take the new fare but do not pay right away the extra on the deposit.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, pghflyer said:

After 120 days, they most likely will NOT adjust your price or give you money back. You always hear of occasional people getting On Board Credit (OBC) or some other small allowance, but generally once you have paid the total amount, they aren't letting that money go.

Multiple CC posters have reported receiving FCC as compensation for a price drop.

I received over $1000 on a cruise taken last march which I applied to a cruise this coming February.  This price drop happened about ten days past final payment.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, pghflyer said:

After 120 days, they most likely will NOT adjust your price or give you money back. You always hear of occasional people getting On Board Credit (OBC) or some other small allowance, but generally once you have paid the total amount, they aren't letting that money go.

Multiple CC posters have reported receiving FCC as compensation for a price drop.

I received over $1000 on a cruise taken last march which I applied to a cruise this coming February.  This price drop happened about ten days past final payment.

 

 

[pghflyer]

Good to know @RocketMan275....for some reason I have a neutral feeling on these FCCs, do they have restrictive use or timeframes?  Some of us still slaving away to the man and only take one or two big vacations a year (sad to say).

[RocketMan275]

3 minutes ago, pghflyer said:

Good to know @RocketMan275....for some reason I have a neutral feeling on these FCCs, do they have restrictive use or timeframes?  Some of us still slaving away to the man and only take one or two big vacations a year (sad to say).

I don't recall all the restrictions but here's the FAQ

https://www.ncl.com/fcc

I would look at it this way: if you get a FCC that  you can use, use it, you're ahead of the game.  If some reason you can't/don't use it, then you're in no worse condition than before the price drop.

[mcmomny]

fyi

AMEX is not the only credit card that offers deals, I used my airline credit card travel site to book my upcoming trip, they were cheaper than NCL for same cabin, got all the same perks of FAS plus $100 onboard credit, plus prepaid gratuities and double airline points for money spent! And could use my NCL FCC towards payments.

 

I was able to see my cruise reservation on NCL's site and the credit card companies site.

 

I was able to make reservations for dining on NCL's site as soon as they opened up along with excursions just as if I had booked directly with them.

 

When all said and done I really liked the process and will most likely do it again as I love flying with my airline points!

[cruiseny4life]

4 hours ago, pghflyer said:

Good to know @RocketMan275....for some reason I have a neutral feeling on these FCCs, do they have restrictive use or timeframes?  Some of us still slaving away to the man and only take one or two big vacations a year (sad to say).

We received a FCC for a canceled cruise. We received the FCC on/about May 1st'ish. We have until 9/11/24 to apply it and must sail by 9/14/24. Plenty of time! 

[WexIrl]

On 7/17/2023 at 2:21 PM, MsTabbyKats said:

 

But...he has messed up multiple times.  You have to know what you want, and then supervise to make sure things get done.

I have had a similar experience with a TA (not in Canada), even after providing them with an itemized list and screen shots of what I wanted (it included cruise, flights, transfers, hotel, insurance etc.) with associated prices of each at the time of printing (obviously not including the TA fee etc.) and of course subject to price flux. 

The TA made such a mess of it, incorrect departing port, wrong city for hotel, incorrect stateroom and no transfers!, from that moment on, I book everything separately myself, I use NCL.com for the cruise booking only.

[MsTabbyKats]

@WexIrl  Many TAs just do this as a sideline....which is why many TAs mess things up.

Mine isn't quite as bad as yours (not nearly as bad)....but his discounts are good enuf for me to "closely monitor".

If I were Ms John Q Public, who had no idea of what to do, I'd do what I used to do....use a big name TA and assume all is well.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

On 7/17/2023 at 8:21 AM, MsTabbyKats said:

If memory serves correct...I used that "cruise" website where TAs "compete" to get your business...and I called the TA with the best offer.

 

I used to use that site a lot, back when there was a link to it on CC.  I thought it had gone out of business.

[ecgz88]

17 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

 

Absolutely!  I forgot, so didn't mention....the great price I got on the cruise I mentioned in an earlier post included a $350 AMEX credit.  So, I got 2 cruisenexts, TA paid gratuities, TA  gave me a discount and the AMEX credit...all reducing the price!

 

I wouldn't have known about the AMEX offer if not for this forum.  It's my husbands card...he uses it about once a year, just to keep it alive.......

How to use 2 cruisenexts? I thought only allowed one per room?

[ecgz88]

17 hours ago, ontheweb said:

You do NOT have to book directly with NCL for AMEX offers. The payment by a TA should be charged directly to NCL which will make it compatible with the AMEX offer. This is what I did for our upcoming cruise back when we booked it and had one of those offers.

Mine is Canada AMEX card term says "must be charged to your registered Card online at www.ncl.com/ca/en/vacations", I don't know if booking in NCL CANADA/US site make any currency difference

[ggTexasGal]

5 hours ago, ecgz88 said:

How to use 2 cruisenexts? I thought only allowed one per room?

Occasionally, NCL runs promos when you might be able to use multiple certificates.  Generally speaking you would need to be in Balcony, or higher, category.

[rodndonna]

As a fellow Canuck - this is our very limited experience with NCL (one booking and looking at one for fall 2025).

 

We haven't really found TA"s in Canada offering worthwhile OBC deals, but also haven't spent a lot of effort trying (maybe we would if we booked more NCL's cruises we would look harder)

 

Flight costs are always a major component for us, and when booking really early (which I typically do) can get some great deals with NCL "free" air promo. The downside of that is if you are not a fan of NCL air (not having any control on the flight options etc.. We are looking at booking through our preferred airline which can also bundle the flight in as a flight/cruise vacation package. In that case we are more confident with better control (choice) over the flight arrangements and still get some form of "guarantee" in terms of flight cost and help in getting to the ship with delays and such.

 

 

 

 

[lakelivin2]

I have to agree with the previous poster.  There are really no deals to be had with a Canadian TA.  Some claim that they get good deals through the big box company in a coupon but, I've found that you are better off booking with a US agency and then work out the exchange rate.  It's a bit of a hassle but, you have to do the figures to see if it works...also then you have to get a VPN to see the U.S. NCL website to see if prices come down after booking.  🤔

[hladygirl]

Land based casino cruise certificates. I have been on three cruises with ncl from twin rivers casino RI. Got very dirt price cruises to Bermuda three times.

[ecgz88]

11 hours ago, lakelivin2 said:

I have to agree with the previous poster.  There are really no deals to be had with a Canadian TA.  Some claim that they get good deals through the big box company in a coupon but, I've found that you are better off booking with a US agency and then work out the exchange rate.  It's a bit of a hassle but, you have to do the figures to see if it works...also then you have to get a VPN to see the U.S. NCL website to see if prices come down after booking.  🤔

so maybe if want less hassle, just book through NCL Canada website then transfer the reservation to Costco travel to get Costco gift card?

[ecgz88]

18 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

Occasionally, NCL runs promos when you might be able to use multiple certificates.  Generally speaking you would need to be in Balcony, or higher, category.

Do NCL send these promos by email?

[ecgz88]

2 hours ago, hladygirl said:

Land based casino cruise certificates. I have been on three cruises with ncl from twin rivers casino RI. Got very dirt price cruises to Bermuda three times.

Do you have to gamble certain amount to get these offers?

[kasimir]

From my experience with NCL, it can vary quite a bit between using a TA or booking directly with NCL. 
 

I used to always book my cruises with a TA and got some perks like OBC, but my recent two cruises I booked directly with NCL as I noticed back in March 2023 that we received an additional 30% discount on our particular cruise that our TA didn’t offer. 
When onboard our last cruise in May they had an onboard promo when booking onboard we would receive 4x points for our next cruise in November 2023 that we were planning to book anyway, so we went ahead and also received a free cabin upgrade. Again, our TA wasn’t able to match.

For me the question is not where to get the best deal, but how to get the best deal! What always works for us, is to be flexible and have an open mind. What works now to get good deals, might not work tomorrow. Also, prices can vary extremely based on your travel dates and even when you book! 

[hladygirl]

17 hours ago, ecgz88 said:

Do you have to gamble certain amount to get these offers?

I believe it is 100 points on rewards card.

[josephine678]

I used to do it myself on the NCL site, I now call. After so many trips you get assigned a cruise consultant who will help. From research and talking to others I feel I get similar pricing.