littlelulu01

[quote name='Renstr']I work in the travel industry and I can confirm we are not allowed to cut prices on cruises and it must be advertised at the prices provided by the cruise line. There are repercussions for advertising lower than the price given including losing your contract with the cruise line. So most of us play within the rules because losing a contract is not good![/QUOTE]

I understand that you are not allowed to advertise lower prices but are you saying that if you cut the price to a specific client you have repercussions and cutting price to an individual client is not allowed? Advertising a lower price is different than cutting price on a case by case basis. No company advertised the cut prices to me on the bidding site I used but I did receive cut price individual offers and just took the lowest one. It took all of about 10 mins of my and the agent's time and I saved a bundle. If this is not allowed and I can end up losing my booking as a result I would like to know.

That's interesting ... fuel costs are only about 8% of the operating cost of a ship, and fuel costs are hedged so a recent drop in price isn't automatically realized. Did CCL announce this in an earnings call or something?

 

Considering that in 2008 ships fuel cost was around 25% of ships operating cost I would say that if it's now only 8%, the cruise lines profits are quite directly related to the low cost of fuel. Even united airlines, which by anyone's account, was terribly mismanaged and hedged oil in the wrong direction, made profits last year. I know airlines fuel cost are a much bigger portion of operating costs but fuel costs now only being 8% of ships operating costs only reinforces the fact that low oil costs have been quite a boon to the cruise industry.

 

Regarding the perks going away; can't imagine going back to not offering UBP as a perk. At almost $200/day per couple if purchased, very few would actually purchase. As a perk it seems to be a good deal for NCL and customers.

a Getaway cruise in April 2017.

 

And you have the option to pick one of the perks…here are your options;

Plus your choice of the perk and their added fees (one for inside and ocean view)

Free at Sea offer options;

• Ultimate Beverage Package (includes alcoholic drinks) and you pay an additional service fee of $227.52 per person

• 4 meal dining package – for specialty diners and you pay an additional service fee of $15.12 per person

• $50 per cabin/per port excursion credit – limit 4 ports

• Free 250 minutes of WiFi

 

the UBP and the dining package barely feel like a perk now when you have to pay those extra amounts, don't you think?

 

The fees are based on how many nights your sailing. The alcohol perk has a fee of $14.22 pp/pd. The dining perk fee is based on how many nights as well. I think it's only 3 dinners now for 5-9 nt sailings and 4 dinners on 10+ nt sailings.

 

As far as value it just depends on your desires.

 

I think the dining perk is a good value because I'd have to pay the grats if i purchased.

 

The "ultimate" beverage package is ultimate in the sense that it covers most alcohol and fountain soda. For someone who doesn't drink much there's not much ultimate about it at all because it doesn't even cover a speciality coffee or water bottle or can of soda. They should really just call it the ultimate alcohol package vs ultimate beverage. I guess they call it ultimate beverage because they throw in fountain soda. If you only want soda it's $8.50 per day and only one in the cabin needs to purchase so a much better deal not to take the UBP perk.

 

The $50 port excursion credit is per cabin max 4 ports. If two people are using the excursion it amounts to a $25 discount on each excursion. Since most excursions can be booked separate from cruise line for a fraction of the fees NCL charges it's not worth it to me but many people prefer to book thru the cruise line so may be a benefit to them.

 

Internet has a value of I think $125 but it can't be used toward the unlimited plan so good for someone who doesn't need the unlimited plan.

 

The alcohol package is a great bargain for a couple who plans on drinking a great deal every day. Also not a bad deal for the occupants who wants a couple alcoholic beverages and fountain sodas per day as its still a small savings.

 

All the mainstream lines offer similar packages and perks. The main difference with NCL UBP perk is that it costs more and includes only alcoholic beverages and fountain soda. The other lines include speciality coffees and such.

 

If you are booked in a suite the fees associated with perks are covered.

It depends on which sailing you are talking about and when you book. Promos change regularly. I booked getaway for 2017 Baltic last month. Insides were pick one, ov thru ms was pick 2. Now I think it's pick one for insides and ov, pick two for balcony and ms. all four for haven last mo and this month. Regarding ksf it just depends on sailing. I'm sure the other sailings for getaway are different promos again depending on sail date. They are also offering reduced deposits on my Baltic sailing for any room except suites. I think it was $250 per stateroom vs normal $800.

[quote name='Into Cruising']I spoke of the legal obligations between agencies/agents and NCL ( and many other lines) A TA can not advertise any discounted rate that is arrived at by rebating any of the commission.

That is the legal agreement...

Now whether or not all agents and agencies live by this, we all know they do not.

They can sell it for what ever they wish.

NCL provides every agency and agent the identical pricing. So the starting price is set. It may be a group price or it may be a FIT price, but it is what NCL is going to collect from the client. TA's book using the NCL booking engine which has all of the pricing set. two agencies looking to book at the same time are going to see exactly the same info as far as availability and prices. They do not negotiate anything, they simply choose to book or not.

That amount can be paid entirely by the client or it can be paid by both the client and the Agency/agent, but the total amount will be the same in both cases. An agency can throwback all of the commission, some of the commission, or none of the commission. In fact they could actually choose to lose money on the deal buy putting in more than they collect from the cruiseline.

Commissions do vary from agency to agency. and there are even some additional bumps based on performance. I know for a fact that the commission received on some inexpensive rooms would not even cover offering prepaid gratuities, without losing money. Commissions are not given on the total price of the cruise, as NCF items are typically deducted first, and the commission is calculated on what is left.

Now it is possible that the agency has a group booked for your sailing, and they can pass on the group perks. But typically, NCL does not offer lower pricing for groups, they offer GAP Perks and TC Credits.

Not trying to be argumentative, just telling it like it is.

I would appreciate you telling me how that agency can stay in business doing business the way it seems it is.[/QUOTE]

The companies are not advertising a lower price. On the bidding site you tell the site what sail date and category cabin you want. Then the site gives your info to several TA's. They then compete for your business and give you individual offers. Some come in at advertised price with same perks and obc that the cruise line will give you. Others will discount the price for you and I assume this discount comes from their commission. The one with the lowest price offer is the one I took. I have no alliance to a ta or company. I am solely looking for lowest price and best perks. The TA who gives me that will get my business. In my mind it's a sale they would not otherwise have. I don't see how this can be construed as going against their legal agreement. They are not advertising the lower price to everyone. They are offering a price on an individual basis to get a particular sale. If they will offer me a lower price I win and the ta also wins by getting my booking.

[quote name='jennas_mum']Not true! Just booked a NCL cruise thru an online site and the price on NCL website was $1149 per person. I got it for $629 per person. No the price I paid didn't include the so called free perk that NCL is offering (this is for an inside cabin) but I can drink or eat a lot for $520 per person. I am not a big drinker and never pay to eat at specialty restaurants so this is a good deal to me. May not be to someone else. But it does pay to look around. Not all pricing is the same.

I did call NCL to see if they would match the price without the perks and they said they do not.

Donna[/QUOTE]

I agree. I always thought the price would be the same but that perks may be different. When I used the site where you enter dates sailing and category you want and then get bid offers. It is great for getting a lower price. I was truly shocked how much the fares varied as well as the obc and perks. I simply went with the company that offered me both a hefty price discount on the cruise and all the goodies the others were offering me. Did it come out of their commission to offer me the price discount? Probably but like another poster mentioned better for them to get a $200 commission than none.

I will say that on inside staterooms I did not get the wide variety of price differences and in fact the only benefit was like $50 obc. I'm sure that's because their commission is not as big so no room to play with. For a $50 obc I'll pass but when booking a suite and they offer 1k off what anyone else is and also offer same obc and perks plus no cancel or change fees other than what the cruise line charges, I would be crazy not to take the offer.

I also googled the company with the lowest offer and they had good ratings/were a legit company that does lots of business. I assume the online company that gives you bids checks out the companies they give your information to but I'm always the skeptic and want to know the company I am giving my cc information to is legit.

The availability of suites last min is the risk you take if waiting. Many people would rather pay the going price to ensure they get the cabin they want. The same adage of book the least expensive cabin you will be happy with applies to all categories. My Europe sailing has been sold out of Haven suites for some time now and the cruise isn't till Sept. Well there is one GV left but for two persons it's priced at 45k. Unless there is a mass cancelation prior to final payment I just don't see the H suites opening up like they do on the Caribbean sailings. I watch prices pretty regularly and just don't see the same patterns for prime Europe months sailings.

 

I think NCL is just getting a lot more for the suites than they previously were so they are not discounting and are able to price higher from the start. For those who are happy with their inside, OV or balcony and willing to wait till last min in hopes of upsell that's great but on many sailings that method won't work because they sell out at the current higher prices. NCL is only pricing them at what people will pay so it's not price gouging, it's just what people are paying.

 

The lucky few who are getting upsells are most likely cc members so are reporting their successes online. I would guess that the majority of people who paid list price are not even on cc and so unless they hear someone bragging about their price onboard they will never know about the last min discount someone received. Even better that NCL doesn't advertise this discount. I would be pretty upset seeing the stateroom priced at a fraction of what I paid but I would be quite happy for anyone who scored a last min upsell and chalk it up to good luck and persistence.

 

It's really no different than booking an inside and hoping to upgrade to balcony if price drops after final pmt. You might get lucky and might not. Just depends on if you are happy in the inside should the balcony sell out. Many know they wont be happy with an inside so will pay for the balcony at the start knowing they might see a price drop after final payment.

We're booked in a BC balcony cabin for the 5/24/16 Baltic sailing and since final payment, the price has dropped about $300+. We booked through a membership discount club that we pay to belong to, and they told us too bad. They wouldn't even call NCL to try to move us to a different balcony cabin...like a BB or BA. I may try again, but it really stinks. I will also not reserve so early in advance again, especially for the beginning of the season.

 

I would definitely call again. Someone different answers phone each time. If the person you get seems to have an attitude I wouldn't even start explaining. Just call back and get someone else. They have some really great customer reps and some really inexperienced ones. I would price the room you want, know exactly what is advertised and avail on their website which is updated in real time and then ask them to call NCL on your behalf to upgrade to the room you want. Good luck.

The right TA can essentially give you the best of both worlds. I do all the research (I like to anyway) and then price shop the commodity (selected ship / sail date / cabin) for the best combination of price and perqs. I have done this countless times and have developed a stable of three TAs at online discount agencies. They are always very responsive if I need something worked with NCL and I always end up way ahead on value. My TAs always actively work the upsell angle for me too at my request. I can live with not being able to talk to NCL directly immediately on an issue / request as I find my TAs responsive enough for my taste. If you need immediate response then you can forgo the benefits of the right TA for the convenience of immediate access to an NCL PCC.

 

As an example - the value differential between NCL and my TA was $1450! (~12%) on four in a suite on an 18 day Star sailing in March 2017.

 

I will say the three I use are US based. One of the three allows me to book and pay in Canadian dollars (I'm Canadian) while the other two don't have that facility in the back room. I found all three through that CRUISE site that allows TAs to COMPETE for your business. Their business model is to compete on price for volume as opposed to being full-service travel planners. The three I use, however, are very experienced and knowledgeable.

 

I would, however, never use a TA that just quotes the NCL price and sticks to it.

 

Agree. I used this service for a couple upcoming cruises and was schocked how much more I was offered compared to direct and big box c. Example celebrity direct price was $6900. Ta took $900 off price plus gave me $400 more obc than celebrity. NCL direct price of $4900. Ta price of $4000 plus an additional $50 obc. I saw a price drop on celebrity and ta took off my already reduced price. So it pays to watch direct prices.

If you're proactive and keep an eye on cc boards for potential issues with your sailing I say go for ta if they give you a bunch of goodies and lower price. The big box "c" warehouse used to be great with lower prices, and extra obc. Now it's just extra obc so it will pay to shop around ta's. The nice thing about big box is that you can call them and whoever answers can help you with booking if you see a price drop or better perks. Also important to know if ta charges a change or cancel fee above what NCL does. Most don't but good to ask.

 

With a Haven suite booked with ta you're likely to have quite a few goodies, lower price in addition to what NCL will give you. With an inside stateroom I haven't found ta much better than NCL direct so just easier for me to manage booking vs get $25 obc from ta.

 

I had cruise cancelled and ta didn't notify me for quite some time. I read about it on cc. I only knew what my options were and who to contact via others reports on cc. Then had to call ta and coach them through process. Even then I was not given what others reported getting who had better ta's. Cc doesn't allow you to mention ta's so it's anyone's guess who these great ta's are.

 

Good idea to sign up for your roll call on these boards. If something come up with your sailing it's a good bet that another passenger will report it on cc. People on roll calls will also post price drops or good perk offers that may benefit you. Haven gets all four perks but sometimes those perks are dsc which is typically a much better perk than shore excursion or internet mins.

DD and I were on Alaska cruise and one of the activities staff invited us and another mom and daughter on a hike to a lake in Skagway. We had a great time, took him out for a meal afterward. He, Dd and the girl he introduced us to are still in touch. We also took him on our kayak trip in Ketchikan. He had to get time off approved but it didn't seem like a big deal to do so.

We have booked B2B from Barcelona over next Xmas and NY . This will be our first B2B experience with NCL. The paperwork is set out as if it's a continuos cruise, and when I booked they took one deposit then I had an email saying I owed them another deposit so I paid that no problem. We need 1 point to go Silver to Gold so I'm hoping that the second cruise we will be gold for us . The MyNCL page is an indescribable mess it seems to have randomly picked bits of each cruise to display. It's displaying the excursion for the first cruise but not the second and I particularly wanted to book an excursion in Casablanca but can't. I'm not really stressed out about it but it would be good to be able access all the information correctly.

 

One question If somebody can answer please . Will we have to settle our account at the end of each cruise? We've done B2B several times on other lines and it's always been a requirement.

 

Thanks

 

When I sailed b2b as two separate cruises there was one running account. I did have to get a new ship id card at guest services.

 

They had an informational meeting the day prior to end of first segment. We received, "in transist" stickers to put on shirts so that we could leave and return as we pleased with no line to get on or off ship. Our account remained open which was nice because we had $200 obc second leg that paid for charges on the first leg. Only one credit card charge after the second leg.

 

Things like spa sticker needed to be replaced at the spa which was a little bit of a hassle. They made me go back to my room and get the receipt proving that I had paid for both legs but other than that no problems.

I've been onboard for Mother's Day past two years. They had a beautifully decorated cake on the Jade and Pearl in the garden cafe. Think that's the extent of it unless you care to wish a mother a happy Mother's Day.

I've not sailed mega ships but differences between NCL non mega and our only HAL sailing aboard Zuderdam: nightly theater entertainment on NCL far superior. Food quality about the same but on HAL they really encouraged sharing a table and with NCL it is assumed you don't want to share a table unless you request it.

 

Pool area midship much nicer on Hal. Padded loungers and covered pool. Also not the disco party music that they play on NCL. Onboard music in crows nest was excellent. I'd pay to see the guy they had one evening whereas on NCL I've mostly seen duo groups from the Philippines who probably wouldn't make it to a second round on American idol. On NCL the equivalent to crows nest late night they have dj playing the same 15 dance party songs that even my young adult kids tired of after the first or second night.

 

I've not sailed NCL Caribbean but in Alaska and Europe the dance party scene was not well attended given the lack of younger passengers onboard. Wish they would change that for sailings that aren't attracting a young party crowd.

 

Hal had Much less smoking and smoke smell in public areas. The promenade on Hal has a more classic ship feel with teak decking and teak deck chairs.

 

I've found the overall staff much nicer and ships officers more visible on NCL. The staff on NCL have always gone out of their way to get to know us and make our vacations memorable.

 

NCL didn't seem to have as much hard sell on board but to some degree both do it. Spa on NCL was far superior to Hal but that could depend on the ship.

I've really noticed a dramatic increase in suite prices for Europe sailings.

 

Example: all in 11 nt epic sailing for 2016 was $4760 Haven spa suite on the epic for two. This included UDP, UBP, $200 obc, dSC, and 250 Internet.

 

When the epic was canceled and replaced with the Spirit the price for a suite same dates as the canceled sailing jumped to $8282 and now has the lesser perks ie no DSC and SDP.

 

The Jade Europe sailings are up quite a bit in price as well. The September 24, 2016 14 nt jade lowest cat OV is $5068. Lowest cat balcony is $7008. SE suite is $14k. A 14 night Celebrity Silhouette, exact same dates out of Rome vs Venice S1 suite all in $6000 with $1k obc, DSC, preimum drink pkg. that includes canned soda, water bottles, speciality coffees, unlimited Internet for two.

 

The Jade itinerary is much more appealing to us, (and we booked a while back so have a much better price) so will probably cancel the silhouette sailing but what a dramatic price difference! Ncl is selling the staterooms at these prices. I've been watching inventory dwindle and prices go up/perk value down and don't expect to see last min discounting.

I'm booked on the Jade b2b Europe and shore excursions are showing up in my NCL.

 

Last year I booked same cruise as two separate because the price was about the same but I received double perks so I could mix and match. Took $200 obc and udp for all in cabin one leg with grats and then second leg took different perks. This year I booked as one cruise vs the b2b because price was much lower when I booked and perks don't have the same value for me to factor in cost.

 

I think price just depends on when you book because price goes up and down depending how the sailing is selling. The room category in the b2b I have booked is almost sold out on the b2b so price has gone way up.

 

Taxes and port fees on b2b are usually lower.

 

Cabin availability is usually less choice on b2b because they only offer the cabins avail for both legs. This comes into play when looking for an upgrade. Chance to upgrade for little $ are usually better on two separate cruises vs a b2b.

Thanks everyone.... how well does the hairdryer work? I have thicker hair so need a decent powered one. Otherwise bringing my travel really is not a huge deal.

 

Hair dryer works great. Daughter and I have very thick hair and stateroom hair dryer works better than my expensive one at home.

I didn't know buying a Cruise Next deposit had any connection to getting $ 125.00 for slot play. I thought they charged you $ 250.00 and credited $ 100.00 to your on board acct so in reality you only pay $ 150.00 for the Cruise Next. Someone please explain this casino offer and where you saw it?

 

I got it from cruise consultant on board. You tell her you want the casino cash option. She gives you a form and you take to the casino. $250 is charged to your on board account for the Fcc but you have $125 in casino cash to play. if you plan on spending $100 in the casino anyways it's a good deal because essentially it's an extra $25 above the obc they normally would give you. I hit a hand pay on my last $2, but just have easily been my last $2 of "free" play. I made sure to tell my cruise consultant about the happy ending.

If last year is any indication the promos will likely decrease as the year progresses. Overall last year started with UBP, (grats included) and UDP (grats included) and a variation of dsc, $75 per port excursion credit or Internet. Pick one for ov thru mini suite, get four for suite. Last weekend of Jan, feb and March they had pick two for many sailings and some with an additional $200 obc. Insides never got the UBP or udp but got 100 Internet, or dining credit $50 I think.

 

As year progressed they instituted customer pay grats on packages, offered dsc as perk I think only in August, and replaced udp with SDP. Prices on dining and beverage packages also increased along the way which increased grats due on perks. Dsc also increased a couple of times.

 

In October, November and December, 2015 they had a couple weekend only sales where they gave two perks even to inside cabins (best deal I've seen so far for insides)

 

I wouldn't be surprised to see insides excluded starting when this sale ends and them going back to a lesser perk such as 100 Internet or $50 dining credit for insides. I also wouldn't be surprised to see some further increases in costs of perks as year progresses and smaller windows of booking availability for good sales such as weekend only.

 

I'm actually thinking it wouldn't be out of line to increase cost of UBP again this year by a good chunk but give some more value to plan such as speciality coffees or something. Last year when they raised price they upped the covered cost of beverage to $15. It would seem a little out of line to raise included beverage to $20 when the raise plan price. An included coffee is more palatable then to say we now charge $20 for drinks on board plus if they started including some na beverages they may stop getting all the flack about being the highest priced and least inclusive. People are schocked when they find out the Ultimate beverage package doesn't even include a speciality coffee and costs almost $100 per person each day.

Will be interested to see if they allow trades. Celebrity has the classic bev package (which includes canned soda, speciality coffee and bottled water) and they will let you trade it in on day one for the preimum non alcohol bev package which includes everything Classic na package has plus smoothies and the more expensive bottled waters etc.

 

Would be a nice gesture for those who have the UBP as a perk but don't drink. Still wish ncl program included coffee and canned soda, bottle waters but at least it's a baby step to offer something to a non drinker. I do think there's money left on the table by NCL by not including these items. If they did so many more non drinkers would pick as a perk and it really wouldn't cost NCL any more since they collect grats based on $69/day.

I was extremely impressed. The guy seemed to be everywhere, had an incredible memory, efficient and got things done immediately. I don't think he's the type to sit and chit chat all day but would check on us most meals, regardless of where we were dining, and if we had any needs they would just be taken care of. I swear it got to the point where if I thought I had a question he would show up. This was a couple years ago on the Pearl. The Haven is smaller so perhaps the concierge has more time to devote. I've not been on a mega ship Haven.

We are west coast and travel to Hawaii a couple times a year. We use Alaska Airlines. The sign up bonus for the visa is typically enough for a rt fare and then they also give $99 companion fare each year for each card. We both carry the card for double the companion fares. I don't usually see better fares on other lines and if Alaska fares go down they will credit you the difference for future flights. It all depends on time of year but we can usually snag very inexpensive flights. Not sure if Alaska flies to your city but they do have non stop to HNL from SEA, PDX, ANC, LAX, SFO and most west coast cities. There are plenty of others that google flights should show you and I usually track on there as well.

Enjoying your review and your daughter is adorable. We sailed the Jade 2 weeks in 2015 and plan to do the same this year. Our room steward, deck 8 midship was fabulous. So sorry yours was not.

 

I'm certainly not an NCL champion but Our stewards in ocean view and inside staterooms have been every bit as good as they were in the Haven. I wouldn't be surprised if this guy was at the end of his contract and not planning on returning.

 

I asked our room steward on ROyal Caribbean for an extra pillow, we only had two for the room. He told us they didn't have any and to buy one in port. Our room steward on HAL had the nerve to stand there the last day of our Cruise and ask for an additional tip above the DSC. This after he, "forgot" to both make up and turn down our room three days. I know both these lines have good reputations. I would sail HAL again and chalked it up to just one bad steward but actually swore off cruising for several years after our Royal Caribbean cruise. When we returned to cruising it was Ncl and the excellent staff is what keeps us coming back. Treating staff well and ensuring your staff are doing their job is paramount to repeat customers. We sailed the Jade in Europe. The staff and entire operation of the ship was top notch. I hope your experience was an anomaly.

 

Btw, happy birthday.

Not sure if the Jade alway docks in the same spot especially that she is no longer there year round but in 2015 the Aluguana boat was directly next to the Jade. You purchase tickets and can see the ticket booth and boarding area from the ship. It's 8 euro each way. No charter boat that I was aware of. Drop off direct to st Marc's square with no stops in between. Ticket people speak English and it was not a confusing process. Rick Steves book recommends purchase of one way in case you decide to make your way back to the ship another route. I think there's a little discount for rt but not much. Conversely there's a ticket booth at st marks square where you purchase return to ship.

There's a small chance that your cruise fare has not increased or only increased a small amount making it worth it to pay today's price and get the extra perk.

 

Ncl is not the only line that is always offering new perks to fill a ship. All lines do it, even the preimum and luxury brands. Prices are always changing and as the ship fills expect less perk offers on the sailing. If a particular sailing is not selling well expect price drops.

 

It's very easy to get the extra perk added when outside final payment even if it means cancel and rebook. When pick two promo came out in November, 2015 I called NCL and they just added additional perk. Same booking number and cabin. But price had not increased when I did it.

 

I've also had to cancel and rebook in the past when price had changed. Very simple process and kept my cabin number.