Does NCL not need the business?

[JesterPlaying]

Back in December we booked a cruise our first NCL cruise for June on the Majesty out of Baltimore. We chose this cruise primarily because it did go out of Baltimore. We knew at the time it was an older smaller ship, but the convenience of just driving to the ship was what sold us. At the time we booked there was an On Board Credit promotion of $150 for Ocean view and $500 for a Suite. We got one of the largest Ocean Views and the $150 On Board Credit.

 

My wife became concerned about the size of the cabin so we decided to upgrade to a Suite. This was not an upgrade offer , but us paying the full difference between what we paid for our existing booking and the current Suite price. The cost was $3,000 but worth it if it stopped my wife's panic attacks about being in a small room.

 

We made the change which was under the same booking. I asked my TA about the OBC, kind of hoping the additional $350 would help offset the pain of the switch. When she contacted NCL they told her I had no OBC, that when they upgraded they removed the OBC. This is something they didn't inform her at the time they processed the upgrade.

 

I really didn't expect to the get the increase, but to be denied my original credit after paying full upgrade price? After further discussion by the TA and being told I would consider taking my business elsewhere, they reluctantly agreed to give me an OBC of $100.

 

So I looked elsewhere and found a sailing 5 days later on another competing cruise line out of Baltimore for an even larger Suite for $2,000 less. So even with the cancellation penalty the trip was $1,500 less than NCL.

 

So for $50 NCL gave up $8,000 in revenue (cabin, onboard spending and casino) and sent me to a competitor. Doesn't seem to be the way to run a business in this economy. I wanted to try NCL, but not if this is how they treat their customers.

[garycarla]

All companies price their product where they think the market will bear it. The original booking you had was at one price point where they gave out the OBC. OBC is nothing more than a marketing gimmick. In this case, it looks like they would have been better off in charging you $3,300 for the upgrade and giving you an OBC. They did not and now you are unhappy with them.

 

Still, you should not look at this with the feeling they took something away from you. They did not. You booked something different at a different price point. Prices change often,sometimes up and sometimes down. In fact, it is possible if you tried to book your original cabin today, it would not have the OBC at all.

 

As to going with another cruiseline, that is always an option. I hope you are getting a similar suite type product. And I hope the product is good for you.

 

Did NCL make a mistake? Possibly. But, like most companies, they are not in the business to give money away to make a customer happy. They have to gamble as well.

[knuts1]

have you tried to go to a store and get the sale price a month after the sale is over. That is the same thing. You booked the cruise on a sale that offered the OBC and then upgraded so they set up a new booking and the OBC was not offered at that time.

I am going to bet the new company would do the same thing to you if you tried to upgrade after their sale is over as well!!:confused::eek:

[ziggypup]

I think you need to find another Travel Agent. I've been using the same on for 10 years now and have canceled a few cruises over the years. I've never been charged a cancellation fee.

[cynbar]

I also have recently felt that NCL did not value my business. About a month ago, NCL sent me an e mail announcing a special 1 day (or 2 or 3 day) 2 for 1 sale on all categories for their best customers. But when I contacted them, there didn't seem to be any sign of a sale, rates had gone down about $50 on most cabins-- and I was pretty flexible re dates, etc. And no, these prices were still so high that they couldn't be 1/2 of the original brochure price. I never did hear of anyone elver booking that great 2 for 1 price on any of the ships, any of the sailings. Frankly, it seemed a little insulting. Why advertize a sale that is really no sale? I certainly understand the law of supply and demand, but NCL should have just left it alone.

[CruisenLexie]

JesterPlaying...good for you. Sometimes you have to take a stand and you saved money doing it which makes it all the better :)

 

It dosen't matter which line it is because they all seem to do some pretty silly things sometimes.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!

[CruisnGram]

I think you need to find another Travel Agent. I've been using the same on for 10 years now and have canceled a few cruises over the years. I've never been charged a cancellation fee.

 

The cancellation fee had nothing to do with the TA, it was NCL I'm sure. I'm pretty sure I know who this poster is and what sailing date they are talking about in June. And final payment for this trip was due last week.....thus the cancellation fee by NCL which the TA can do nothing about.

 

CG

[LadyShiva]

I thought suites had a higher non-refundable deposit than $500? I think the switch cost the OP a bit more than he expected.

 

Stinks to see the bargain after you make the payment, though. :o

[CruisnGram]

I thought suites had a higher non-refundable deposit than $500? I think the switch cost the OP a bit more than he expected.

 

Stinks to see the bargain after you make the payment, though. :o

 

The suites that are available on the Majesty for that sailing in June are AB's. There are only 2 AA's (Owner's Suites) on the Majesty and they are booked for that sailing. The deposit for AB's is still $250 per person, not the higher deposit. They are also refundable if cancelled prior to final payment date.

 

CG

[blackerbys17]

Back in December we booked a cruise our first NCL cruise for June on the Majesty out of Baltimore. We chose this cruise primarily because it did go out of Baltimore. We knew at the time it was an older smaller ship, but the convenience of just driving to the ship was what sold us. At the time we booked there was an On Board Credit promotion of $150 for Ocean view and $500 for a Suite. We got one of the largest Ocean Views and the $150 On Board Credit.

 

My wife became concerned about the size of the cabin so we decided to upgrade to a Suite. This was not an upgrade offer , but us paying the full difference between what we paid for our existing booking and the current Suite price. The cost was $3,000 but worth it if it stopped my wife's panic attacks about being in a small room.

 

We made the change which was under the same booking. I asked my TA about the OBC, kind of hoping the additional $350 would help offset the pain of the switch. When she contacted NCL they told her I had no OBC, that when they upgraded they removed the OBC. This is something they didn't inform her at the time they processed the upgrade.

 

I really didn't expect to the get the increase, but to be denied my original credit after paying full upgrade price? After further discussion by the TA and being told I would consider taking my business elsewhere, they reluctantly agreed to give me an OBC of $100.

 

So I looked elsewhere and found a sailing 5 days later on another competing cruise line out of Baltimore for an even larger Suite for $2,000 less. So even with the cancellation penalty the trip was $1,500 less than NCL.

 

So for $50 NCL gave up $8,000 in revenue (cabin, onboard spending and casino) and sent me to a competitor. Doesn't seem to be the way to run a business in this economy. I wanted to try NCL, but not if this is how they treat their customers.

 

I can understand how you feel. I have had similar issues with NCL too. If it were me I would have done the same thing you did, cancel with NCL and get just as nice a room on another line for less. I still like NCL but if I can save a bundle then money talks and you know what walks. Enjoy your cruise!

[BruceMuzz]

NCL - my least favourite cruise line - is playing the same financial game that you are.

 

You booked them only because you got a deal.

When that deal turned out to be less than you expected, you switched to somebody with a better deal.

 

When you switched to the better deal, NCL sold your cabin to somebody else for more money. So NCL got a better deal as well.

 

You both won.

 

Even with this poor economy, it is still a "Seller's Market".

The cruise lines still have more potential customers than they have beds to sell.

 

They don't need more customers. They have too many already.

They only need more customers who are willing to pay more money.

[Cruisin from Utah]

NCL - my least favourite cruise line - is playing the same financial game that you are.

 

You booked them only because you got a deal.

When that deal turned out to be less than you expected, you switched to somebody with a better deal.

 

When you switched to the better deal, NCL sold your cabin to somebody else for more money. So NCL got a better deal as well.

 

You both won.

 

Even with this poor economy, it is still a "Seller's Market".

The cruise lines still have more potential customers than they have beds to sell.

 

They don't need more customers. They have too many already.

They only need more customers who are willing to pay more money.

 

 

I don't see how it is a seller's market at all. Yes NCL is sailing at or near capacity, but that is only because they are selling their cruises at some of the lowest rates I have ever seen. It is all with Supply and Demand. They would sail no where near full if they were charging top dollar for their rooms. They must lower the cost in order to fill the beds.

[JesterPlaying]

In response to few of the above posts. The On Board Credit was a promotion to book on that cruise in December. I was still booked on the same cruise. Upgrading, was not a cancellation and re-booking. In fact there is a current promotion, that if I did cancel and re-book would of entitled me to a $150 On Board Credit for a Suite.

 

True OBCs are promotions, but they are part of the price. For my original $2,300 I was to receive a cabin and an additional $150 of goods and services. When a price quote was requested I should of been informed that I would not be receiving those additional services before I made my decision to pay the higher price.

 

In this instance the price for the Suite was even higher than it was in December. I was paying a higher full price. There really is no justification on NCL's part for removing the credit. But even if there was, reducing the value of what I was purchasing and not informing me of that fact prior to taking my money is not acceptable.

 

 

CruisnGram is correct in that I am past the point where a penalty is not applicable. In some ways I feel NCL breached our agreement in intent, if not in fact, by failing to disclose this reduction in value.

 

I want to be very clear. This is not sour grapes because I found a better bargain. I sincerely did not consider alternatives until this action occurred by NCL. We were fully invested in this trip and that is why I decided to do the upgrade. I was looking forward to doing free style. I am disappointed that I was treated significantly less than other customers just because I wanted to buy more from NCL.

 

Does it honestly make sense to charge more and give less than what is being provided to customers who booked at the same time and who are booking now?

[G'ma]

I also have recently felt that NCL did not value my business. About a month ago, NCL sent me an e mail announcing a special 1 day (or 2 or 3 day) 2 for 1 sale on all categories for their best customers. But when I contacted them, there didn't seem to be any sign of a sale, rates had gone down about $50 on most cabins-- and I was pretty flexible re dates, etc. And no, these prices were still so high that they couldn't be 1/2 of the original brochure price. I never did hear of anyone elver booking that great 2 for 1 price on any of the ships, any of the sailings. Frankly, it seemed a little insulting. Why advertize a sale that is really no sale? I certainly understand the law of supply and demand, but NCL should have just left it alone.

 

Just FYI: The buzz words here are "brochure price".... If you've ever looked through a paper brochure, you would see that the so-called brochure rates are extremely high......nobody pays these rates. The sale they advertised says it's 50% off the brochure rate which brings the rate down to what is usually advertised and sold.

[Bocadude85]

In response to few of the above posts. The On Board Credit was a promotion to book on that cruise in December. I was still booked on the same cruise. Upgrading, was not a cancellation and re-booking. In fact there is a current promotion, that if I did cancel and re-book would of entitled me to a $150 On Board Credit for a Suite.

 

True OBCs are promotions, but they are part of the price. For my original $2,300 I was to receive a cabin and an additional $150 of goods and services. When a price quote was requested I should of been informed that I would not be receiving those additional services before I made my decision to pay the higher price.

 

In this instance the price for the Suite was even higher than it was in December. I was paying a higher full price. There really is no justification on NCL's part for removing the credit. But even if there was, reducing the value of what I was purchasing and not informing me of that fact prior to taking my money is not acceptable.

 

 

CruisnGram is correct in that I am past the point where a penalty is not applicable. In some ways I feel NCL breached our agreement in intent, if not in fact, by failing to disclose this reduction in value.

 

I want to be very clear. This is not sour grapes because I found a better bargain. I sincerely did not consider alternatives until this action occurred by NCL. We were fully invested in this trip and that is why I decided to do the upgrade. I was looking forward to doing free style. I am disappointed that I was treated significantly less than other customers just because I wanted to buy more from NCL.

 

Does it honestly make sense to charge more and give less than what is being provided to customers who booked at the same time and who are booking now?

 

How do you know they did not inform your travel agent that you would not be getting the $150 of OBC? This is why I always book direct with NCL, when I have questions I want answered I want to speak directly to the person who can answer them, not some third party. When I upgraded to a suite on our upcoming cruise one of the first questions I asked was if I could keep my OBC or not.. luckily not only did I get to keep my OBC they gave me an additional $450 of OBC.

[flashdog_1]

Make no assumptions. Print out what the rates are at the time you book and what the going OBCs are from the ad. You are right, it's not a cancelation and rebooking to upgrade on the same sailing. I think you got a dumb agent (whether that was on NCL or your TA I can't guess) because as stated in the prior post, it should not have happened as it did. I was booked on Majesty a year ago in a small ocean view, got the upsell call for the 145 sq ft ocean views, took it, and my OBC increased as well. Sorry that happened to you.

[CruisnGram]

Make no assumptions. Print out what the rates are at the time you book and what the going OBCs are from the ad. You are right, it's not a cancelation and rebooking to upgrade on the same sailing. I think you got a dumb agent (whether that was on NCL or your TA I can't guess) because as stated in the prior post, it should not have happened as it did. I was booked on Majesty a year ago in a small ocean view, got the upsell call for the 145 sq ft ocean views, took it, and my OBC increased as well. Sorry that happened to you.

 

I agree with you Phyllis. I think the TA got someone at NCL who had no clue what they were talking about. Booking via TA's is good in many ways, but in a case like this, it's a problem. Had the booking been directly with NCL, he could have called back, and spoke to a supervisor, and they very well have fixed the problem.

 

I'm not saying this to criticize the OP as I completely understand why he is upset. And, it's most likely too late now anyway. I just wish that NCL would get their CS reps educated and informed so that they could provide correct information.

 

OP: You sound as if you are happy with the way this worked out..ie: changing to another cruiseline. However, if for some reason, you would still rather sail the Majesty in the suite,(NCL has absolutely the best suite perks at sea) then I would suggest you call NCL directly and immediately ask for a supervisor. Since your previous reservation has been cancelled, there is no TA involved now so they should speak to you directly. Explain exactly what happened to you and ask them what they can do about it. Heck, even if you have no intention of changing back to the Majesty, a supervisor just MIGHT work out something on that cancellation penalty...it's worth a try. Just expect to spend a couple hours on the phone and be persistent, making sure to stress how much you wanted to try NCL and now, you probably never will due to their treatment of you.

 

Good luck.

 

CG

[electricron]

I always though upgrading cabins was cancelling a previous booking and booking again. :confused:

[JesterPlaying]

It was the supervisor that eventually offered the $100 credit. You may be right that my TA was not as effective as she could of been, but she was truthful in that NCL did not inform her of the change. All that was requested was that I was made whole from the original agreement. I wasn't expecting more, just what was contracted for at the price quoted. Unfortunately, NCL lost a customer not only for this cruise, but future cruises.

 

A lot of existing and potential future revenue lost for $50. Not the way to run a business.

 

Some will think I was stupid. Others will think NCL was stupid. Maybe someone will know what to look for in the future. I voted with my feet and will do so again if in the same situation. I am done venting and justifying my position.

 

Off to enjoy my next cruise.

[BIG_Steve]

Jester,

Your travel agent dropped the ball. They either should have been aware of NCLs policy, or been savvy enough to double check about the OBC. That's not to defend NCL. Their policy on that stinks.

 

You picked up the lemons and made lemonaide. Good job. Hope you have a great cruise.

[gtalum]

NCL will likely sell the suite at a highe rprice closer to sailing, so it was probably a wise decision for them. Don't take it personally.

[BIG_Steve]

NCL will likely sell the suite at a highe rprice closer to sailing, so it was probably a wise decision for them. Don't take it personally.

 

Probably so, and in the short term, they may be ahead. In this economy, it's hard to think beyond the short term. But one thing that applies to almost every sucessful business is the fact that it's much cheaper to keep customers than to find new ones.

[gtalum]

.it's much cheaper to keep customers than to find new ones.

 

While that's a good generality, it's not always true. I own a business, and I actively "fire" customers from time to time.

[retiredonthesea]

Jester,

 

I feel sorry that you won't beable to experience the great "suites" that NCL offers. They have the best perks in the cruise industry. Maybe you will give it a try some other time. Don't let this one incident keep you from enjoy the experience of NCL's "suite life"!:) Maybe you should do like most posters have mentioned--book direct with NCL.

[retiredonthesea]

While that's a good generality, it's not always true. I own a business, and I actively "fire" customers from time to time.

 

LOL--So true, I know exactly what you mean!;)