Prices drop

[SueCTlady]

Boston to Bermuda on Spirit 7/24/09. I already paid for the cruise and I see the prices have dropped. Is there anything that NCL will do for me? Just wondering if its worth it to call and what should I say. Thanks Sue:)

[noreddye]

Boston to Bermuda on Spirit 7/24/09. I already paid for the cruise and I see the prices have dropped. Is there anything that NCL will do for me? Just wondering if its worth it to call and what should I say. Thanks Sue:)

 

If you have made your final payment, then probably not. You can always call NCL and ask but don't be disappointed if they say no.

 

As a general rule, after you make final payment, don't look at the prices.

[hxdirect]

We went on the NCL Sun Alaskan cruise 10th - 17th May and just prior to departure I discovered our BA GTY category stateroom had decreased by nearly $1000. I had already checked online and found they had allocated a BA category room to us. So having booked the cruise myself online and having checked advice on this forum I called NCL and explained what was happening and asked them what they could do for me in the way of either significant OBC or an upgrade. I pointed out that according to their website higher category rooms were still available. They chose to upgrade us to an AE category stateroom. We were happy with that and the room was lovely. If you booked through a travel agent get them to approach NCL for you it is easy to check yourself on the NCL website what rooms are still unsold and pass the information on to your travel agent.

 

I booked this cruise well in advance because that was the recommendation at the time. Obviously the credit crunch has meant a reduction in travellers and hence the massive price reductions.

[fridaythe13th]

Boston to Bermuda on Spirit 7/24/09. I already paid for the cruise and I see the prices have dropped. Is there anything that NCL will do for me? Just wondering if its worth it to call and what should I say. Thanks Sue:)

 

That just happened to us. I'm glad I looked at the prices after final payment. I actually upgraded to a balcony from an inside for only $300 more (total). You can always ask if they can give you an onboard credit for the difference in price of your category. It won't hurt to ask but be prepared that they have no obligation to give you anything. Good luck and let us know how you make out. If you booked with a TA you need to go through him/her.

[newmexicoNita]

Boston to Bermuda on Spirit 7/24/09. I already paid for the cruise and I see the prices have dropped. Is there anything that NCL will do for me? Just wondering if its worth it to call and what should I say. Thanks Sue:)

if there is availbility they will upgrade you so give them a call. They will not refund any money.

 

Nita

[sparks1093]

If you have made your final payment, then probably not. You can always call NCL and ask but don't be disappointed if they say no.

 

As a general rule, after you make final payment, don't look at the prices.

 

Actually it's if the final payment date has passed, not whether or not final payment has been made. I believe the final payment date is 60 to 90 days prior to departure depending on length of cruise, etc. and it's after that point you don't want to look at the prices.

[fridaythe13th]

Why does everyone say don't look at the prices after final payment? That is how I was able to upgrade to a balcony from an inside for far less than what I would have paid for a balcony when I originally booked my inside. When I booked the inside, a BA balcony was just over $1,200 pp and it is now $900 pp. I would say that $600 is quite a savings. So yes, it does pay to look after final.:D

[SueCTlady]

Thanks to you all that gave advice. I did call and unfortunatly they said they would do nothinng. If I wanted to upgrade from balcony to suite I would have to pay the difference that everyone would pay. And at this point it would be around 1,400. I tried and I failed. I'm still going to have a blast!!! Sue

[Don Haynes]

Unfortunately this year's bad economy and the current banking credit crunch has led to the cruise lines dropping fares significantly. Its a good year for those who waited until the last minute for the low fares, its not a good year for all of those who booked early. Many early bookers have upgraded for almost nothing, but everyone has not been able to swing that deal.

 

Its not like the cruise lines have hiked the fares significantly anyway. If we're thinking in terms of last year's fares, most have received a good fare anyway. Its just that some did better than others.

[tdcjerry]

We worked out a deal 30 days before our cruise, final payment had also been made. Our deal was thru the upsell fairy, we had a BB balcony to start, did a upsell to a AC for $150 pp more, and the next day with two other couples we worked out a deal for the Garden Villa at $2900 per couple,so we had the GV for $8700 for the week with all the perks. We did all this after final payment.

[SueCTlady]

OMG! I am losing my mind! OK heres the deal I was offered...I had a BD balcony #9032 and a JJ inside #9019. They said at ncl they could offer me a BA balcony #11530 and interior 11531. They said this was an upgrade because these rooms were midship. When I looked they don't seem to be a heck of alot better than what I had. Being this is my first cruise I want to kno if I was taken advantage of....HELP!!!! Thanks Sue

[Arwenmark]

what ship would this be on?

[Don Haynes]

They are the same sized cabins, the difference being the BAs are on the eleventh deck while the BDs were on the ninth deck along with the fact the BAs are more amidships. NCL considers a BA an upgrade over a BD, plus they charge more for a BA.

 

However as a passenger its more or less the same cabin two decks higher. All of the cruise lines play this trick with booking guarantee cabins as well. Book you in a BE guarantee, and you'll end up in a BB. They are the same cabin, just in another location usually higher up.

 

Hotels play this trick as well, charging more for cabins higher up and with a better view.....

[Ms belp]

I prefer higher up. Deck 11 is usually closer to "stuff". I think you'll enjoy it more.

[Philly Steve]

Thanks to you all that gave advice. I did call and unfortunatly they said they would do nothinng. If I wanted to upgrade from balcony to suite I would have to pay the difference that everyone would pay. And at this point it would be around 1,400. I tried and I failed. I'm still going to have a blast!!! Sue

 

Definitely the best attitude to have! :)

Still, it couldn't hurt to ask again upon check in, explaining that you just missed the price reduction before paying full fare. Good luck! ;)

[Ms belp]

I paid off my cruise to Venice/Greek Islands yesterday.:) I know it's not until April 2010 but it means that much to me. Now I can concentrate on airfare and hotels. It was a good deal at the time of booking and still seemed so.

[garycarla]

No big deal to most people. These are more expensive cabins, but still about the same. Not sure if you were "taken advantage of", assuming they upgraded you and did not charge you more?

[mll]

Our deal was thru the upsell fairy, we had a BB balcony to start, did a upsell to a AC for $150 pp more, and the next day with two other couples we worked out a deal for the Garden Villa at $2900 per couple,so we had the GV for $8700 for the week with all the perks. We did all this after final payment.

 

Hi -- thanks for all of the information about price drops. We're looking at Alaska cruises on NCL for next year. I've read a lot of references to "upsell fairy" but I'm not really sure what it means. Is it through contacting NCL or your travel agent? Thanks in advance for the clarification!

 

Margie

[pokeypoke]

I may be wrong so someone please correct me if I am. After final payment date on almost every cruise (NCL at least), doesn't the price always drop if the ship is not booked to capacity? I think NCL has been doing this for many years and not just recently. The purpose of booking early and paying full price is so that you get the room and location you want. Otherwise, if you wait 30 days prior to sailing and the price drops, you may not get a HC cabin (if needed) or you may get a balcony in an awful location that sits below a noisy workout room.

[rsinj]

OMG! I am losing my mind! OK heres the deal I was offered...I had a BD balcony #9032 and a JJ inside #9019. They said at ncl they could offer me a BA balcony #11530 and interior 11531. They said this was an upgrade because these rooms were midship. When I looked they don't seem to be a heck of alot better than what I had. Being this is my first cruise I want to kno if I was taken advantage of....HELP!!!! Thanks Sue

 

If the prices dropped and you are entitled to a lower fare (based on your fare rules), then ask for the reduced fare. If you are not eligible to receive the reduced fare, or you've made final payment, or whatever, then take the "upgrade" because they're not going to give you anything in the way of cash.

 

Howard

[cliffd64]

I may be wrong so someone please correct me if I am. After final payment date on almost every cruise (NCL at least), doesn't the price always drop if the ship is not booked to capacity? I think NCL has been doing this for many years and not just recently. The purpose of booking early and paying full price is so that you get the room and location you want. Otherwise, if you wait 30 days prior to sailing and the price drops, you may not get a HC cabin (if needed) or you may get a balcony in an awful location that sits below a noisy workout room.

 

There is a lot of "if's" in that statement...

 

The price doesn't always drop after final payment... it's a function of supply and demand just like anything else..

 

For example, repositioning cruises tend to sell out months in advance, and even cabins that become available at final payment date are not usually discounted severly... Prices seem to change with the seasons... The price we booked our next cruise for was at the lowest that cruise had been priced at, and that was 11 months out... I have no reason to believe it will approach that level again between now and November 1, 2009 ... So in our case, we managed to get the best deal at a very early booking time.

 

Basically, booking strategy depends on how important your choice of cabin is... If you want a specific cabin in a specific location, you will probably need to book earlier. If you are more flexible cabin-wise, you can wait to see how prices are going, but realize, you may not have all the choices available to you.

[tdcjerry]

Hi -- thanks for all of the information about price drops. We're looking at Alaska cruises on NCL for next year. I've read a lot of references to "upsell fairy" but I'm not really sure what it means. Is it through contacting NCL or your travel agent? Thanks in advance for the clarification!

 

Margie

 

I only book thru NCL and have the upsell fairy call a couple of times, and have also called her less then four weeks before our cruise. The way it has worked for us, is that NCL needs to sell the last of the high end cabins, they start calling ( this is from my PCC) latitudes members who have booked balcony or mini suites and offer them a upsell to a high end for anywhere from a couple hundred $$ or more. You need to know your cabin prices to know if the offer is a good one or not.

[mll]

Thanks for the explanation... that helps!