" Bait and Switch " on NCL ?

[Kapuna]

We have cruised many times with NCL but had an unpleasant experience in booking our next cruise .

 

NCL advertised a certain rate on their website , but when we tried to book it we were told that the rate had just gone up . Sure enough , when I went back to the web the rate had gone up . We booked the cruise anyway and had to make immediate full payment because the cruise date is less than 60 days from the time of booking .

 

However , when I checked the web again three days later , the original ( lower ) fare was again available .

 

This seems unfair to me .

[heelfan94]

I think the rate fluctuates contuinually based on availability, but it does seem unfair. I've noticed other posters complaining about not getting an advertised deal.

 

Speaking of booking, I need to get busy. I'm just over a month til my next cruise and I promised myself I wouldn't sail without having another one booked first.

[newmexicoNita]

It does seem unfair but rates do change and this can happen on a daily or even hourly basis. Certainly availbility plays a big part. It could have worked the other way; you could be prepared to pay the higher rate and hit upon a discounted one. Don't be too hard on NCL, these things do happen.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

 

Nita

[johnql]

This is pretty much standard industry practice with cruise lines and airlines. Given a random 100 passengers on a ship or airplane, you would probably find a wide range of fares paid for the same accommodations. It's all a matter of supply and demand, which fluctuates pretty much continuously.

[DrWally]

It's all supply demand. We had a GREAT deal on "hold" for the Thanksgiving weekend cruise but let it expire accidentally. Then decided to go ahead anyway for a "bit" more per person at the now higher price. Well, we found a great balcony cabin for a very fair price. Now we were called and offered an upgrad to a better room at a very fair price to make room for other upgrades (i.e., some lucky blok with a inside room might end up with a balcony room for no extra charge). NCL is going to fill up the ship if at all possible so maybe you can call and ask about any upgrades. Never hurts to ask, especially BEFORE you get on board.

 

To me cruising is a bargain anyway you look at it and NCL is great.

 

Just have fun and save the "tally of bills" for after vacation.

 

Cheers

[Michelle1234]

Kapuna,

 

This has happened to me a number of times. I am a last minute cruiser. So sometimes I see a great rate after final payment is due. These rates are the result of there being a limited number of cabins that they have to sell out the cruise and when they are all spoken for they are gone. But then sometimes someone who gets one can't get the vacation time or find a good airfare and then they release the cabin. Or they don't release it and it takes a few days to come back into the system. That is what you saw happening. If you miss the rate you want, you have the option to not book at the higher rate and hope the lower one comes back or to book. I've taken the not booking option and sometimes the rate never comes back. However sometimes the rate comes back and I grab it. I've also booked at the higher rate and been happy to get on the cruise. Good luck!

Michelle

[Scotch]

On our upcoming cruise I had "held" a cabin at a certain rate. I wasn't ready to pay the deposit within 24 hours, and my TA got me an extension to the next day. When we went ahead to pay for it, the price dropped by $100! So these sudden rate fluctuations can work in your favor sometimes.

[beachchick]

DrWally:

 

NCL is going to fill up the ship if at all possible so maybe you can call and ask about any upgrades. Never hurts to ask, especially BEFORE you get on board

.

 

Unfortunately, this is not true anymore. The Upsell department was so inundated with pax calling to ask/plead/beg for inexpensive upgrades (or that is upsells), that they no longer accept incoming calls either from pax or TAs.

 

Honestly, I think it would be kind of silly if everyone started calling in asking for free upgrades. I mean, don't most of us hope that it happens to us some day and wouldn't most pax call and ask? All they're going to do is say, "Don't call us, we might call you."

 

Upsell calls are now the luck of the call. And, of course, the always elusive free upgrade stays as rare as it ever was.

 

beachchick

[KeystoneCruiser]

I learned earlier this year not to trust the NCL website. When we were trying to find a cabin to move to because they had switched us without our knowledge, they kept lying and changing the site.

 

We would find a cabin open that fit our needs online and our TA would call them and they would tell her that that cabin was not available. When she told them that it was showing up on line, they told her the website is "usually three to four days behind real time." Then when I checked back the cabin was gone from the inventory. (it would reappear as available two or three days later.) When we found another open cabin and called, it was mysteriously "unavailable." So either the website was screwed up or NCL was purposely manipulating it to suit their needs at the time. I believe the latter and I believe they still do.

[KeystoneCruiser]

I learned earlier this year not to trust the NCL website. When we were trying to find a cabin to move to because they had switched us without our knowledge, they kept lying and changing the site.

 

We would find a cabin open that fit our needs online and our TA would call them and they would tell her that that cabin was not available. When she told them that it was showing up on line, they told her the website is "usually three to four days behind real time." Then when I checked back the cabin was gone from the inventory. (it would reappear as available two or three days later.) When we found another open cabin and called, it was mysteriously "unavailable." So either the website was screwed up or NCL was purposely manipulating it to suit their needs at the time. I believe the latter and I believe they still do.