Extra costs due to changes since booking - A test

On another thread, I just saw this:

My suggestion to combat this nonsense is to keep track of the extra charges you incur because of changes since you booked.

 

File for reimbursement from the DSC for that amount.

As I'm boarding the Star on Tuesday, I thought this would be a good opportunity to try it. My opinion is that I don't think the changes do cost much more (for someone like me - you may be different), but is that really the case. Lets have a look.

I have another thread where I'm reporting live from the cruise. This one will follow the same rules. Depending on what we are up to, posting may be a little irregular. However, I will try to note anything where I think changes will mean it is costing me more money now compared to when I booked.

I may need some people to help me out. Obviously, I won't be able to check what things cost when I originally booked, but maybe others will be able to find out.

Lets see how this works out.

Edit to say that I have absolutely no intention of altering the DSC. This is a totally theoretical exercise.

Keith I respect your ethic and effort, but just ask receipts of every purchase onboard and do the homework AFTER your cruise. :D

Keith I respect your ethic and effort, but just ask receipts of every purchase onboard and do the homework AFTER your cruise. :D

There aren't many receipts and things to worry about. I always keep the receipts and check my account anyway and the final amounts will be done at the end, but I will mention anything that I think has changed since I booked. It's best to note that when it happens.

I'm quite happy to post things as I come across them. It only takes a few seconds to post comments on here, and I always find it a reasonable way to fill those times when sitting in the balcony waiting for the wife to get ready to go for dinner. :)

Ok, just to show where we are to start with:

The booking that I'm travelling on was made in January this year, but that isn't the date that I'm going to compare to. We originally booked the Star for this Summer in January 2015, but had to change the date.

Purely for reference, cancelling and rebooking when I did cost us about £40 in DSC and we lost some OBC ($200 from memory) plus our sons soda package as only one perk was being offered when we rebooked and the beverage packages only applied to the first 2 people.

I only mention these as an aside, as the extra costs were only caused by our having to change the date. The cruise price had also gone up a bit as well, but again that was our fault, I mention the change in the perks as it does show how these have been cut back.

We prepay the DSC so, again, these only changed as we rebooked.

We have purchased two 4 day dining packages and one 3 day package. I believe that the prices of these have gone up since booking, although I don't know the amounts. Unless anyone can say how much it went up by between Jan 2015 and this Summer when we purchased it, I'm going to assume that it's cost us an extra $10 plus tip each, so about $35 in total.

We will also buy the unlimited internet package. I'm not sure this was even available when we booked , in which case it is probably a saving.

Unless anyone can tell me different, I'm going to say that I've already spent $35 more than the prices when I booked would have suggested.

I'm not expecting to have anything else to add here for a few days, but if anyone wants to correct these numbers then feel free.

What is the point of this? Wouldn't you already know any cost implications before boarding? I don't understand what being on the ship is going to reveal. You would already know if you DSC went up or you now had to pay for room service or whatever.

My price for my cabin has gone up 7,000 dollars since I booked, more then double what I paid, pretty sure I will come out ahead

What is the point of this? Wouldn't you already know any cost implications before boarding? I don't understand what being on the ship is going to reveal. You would already know if you DSC went up or you now had to pay for room service or whatever.

Yeah, I think you are right. As far as I can think right now, the $34 extra for the dining package is all the extra that I can come up with. I can't think what else I will spend when I'm onboard that I wasn't expecting to when i booked.

I may be wrong though. If I am then I'll note it here and we can see the effect of 18 months worth of NCLs sneaky increases.

I have my views on what it will show, but sometimes these things can surprise us.

Right? Lol. But you know this going in. It's not like all of a sudden things are unexpectedly going to cost more.

..and I always find it a reasonable way to fill those times when sitting in the balcony waiting for the wife to get ready to go for dinner. :)

My girlfriend always beats me LOL. :D

What is the point of this? Wouldn't you already know any cost implications before boarding? I don't understand what being on the ship is going to reveal. You would already know if you DSC went up or you now had to pay for room service or whatever.

Well, I think it's interesting to see if the general feeling that has been around for a while now is holding up to the facts.

An good example (altough not for this cruise) would be the Margaritaville case; free when booked, a la carte charge when cruising; annoying idea, frustrated threads but how much would it actually cost and how would it relate to the total onboard account.

And I think that is what Swedish meant too.

Right? Lol. But you know this going in. It's not like all of a sudden things are unexpectedly going to cost more.

You'd think so wouldn't you, but sometimes you can surprise yourself.

From reading these boards it would appear that I'm some rare creature that just isn't affected by all the things that have got everyone else so worked up. Maybe I am, or maybe in kidding myself. This is a chance to see.

Considering that my onboard account will probably only have a couple of dozen lines on it, it's not as if this is going to take up too much of my time.

I too am unhappy about the increases but I'll have to be fair if the numbers prove only a slight increase (but bringing on my own Coca Cola is.. err was priceless), as we all assume the worse. So the idea of the experiment is nice I think :)

What is the point of this? Wouldn't you already know any cost implications before boarding? I don't understand what being on the ship is going to reveal. You would already know if you DSC went up or you now had to pay for room service or whatever.

I have a slightly different take on this . I did not and will not alter the DSC . I was aware of NCL's reputation for nickle and diming so figured that into deciding whether to take my recent cruise . The price was low ( perhaps because of this rep ) so I went ahead and booked latel , but prior to the last minute take-on beverage prohibition .

The cruise was fine but NCL will continue to require extra low prices before I book them again to compensate for N & Ding and their less then honorable business practices .

You'd think so wouldn't you, but sometimes you can surprise yourself.

 

From reading these boards it would appear that I'm some rare creature that just isn't affected by all the things that have got everyone else so worked up. Maybe I am, or maybe in kidding myself. This is a chance to see.

 

Considering that my onboard account will probably only have a couple of dozen lines on it, it's not as if this is going to take up too much of my time.

I notice you didn't say you have UBP. The cost of drinks has gone up, so depending on how much you drink there will be some extra expense. I think the difference is about 2$ per drink?

I'm not sure if this is very cool or something that is going to aggravate me [emoji848] hmmm.

Thanks for doing it though.

A few things that have changed and will now cost me more money since I booked a year ago are:

1. DSC - was $12.95 pp pd

2. UBP cost went up - that won't cost me, but their $6 increase in two specific brands I/hubby drink will now cost me a per drink surcharge of $2.30.

3. Room service was free.

4. I can no longer bring on a case of water or the caffeine free Pepsi that I drink.

I will not let this ruin my vacation, nor will I adjust the DSC.

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Good point hopes4. The drinks that i indulge in were once part of the UDP and will now cost me between $3-$7 more per drink as they are now part of the Ultra premium level. At 2-3 drinks per day that can add up to over $150 more for the week. Also some of the adult beverages that used to be Ultra premium are now off the menu altogether.

Of course, from a British perspective, there is also the dip in the value of the £ Sterling to consider. You can't pin it on NCL but it sure as hell is a factor to consider, depending on what you have paid for ahead of your cruise.

I paid for our excursions and the service charge about 10 days ahead of the recent referendum. With 20:20 hindsight I should have waited until the Tuesday of the week it took place when the Sterling recovered briefly. That said, I covered just over half our anticipated expenses when we were over $1.41/£ and now we're at around $1.30/£ so I cushioned the blow, but we may be headed even lower by the time we get back home and there's still a good few $ to spend yet. :eek:

I estimate that between the time we booked in Feb this year and now, the cost of our cruise has gone up by almost £300 based on our current status, and almost £400 if you ignore the forward purchases when rates were slightly more favourable.

My price for my cabin has gone up 7,000 dollars since I booked, more then double what I paid, pretty sure I will come out ahead

Illogical.

If you could sell your cabin back to NCL at a profit that's one thing.

You can't.

Ok, quick check in.

I know this is probably pointless, as I have a good idea of how it will work out, but I'll carry on anyway.

Things like currency aren't NCLs issue, as noted. We've managed to avoid the extra costs anyway, as we bought some OBC to take advantage of the fixed exchange rate. I bought $500 at 1.47 a few days ago. :)

We've got the beer package, so no extra costs there.

All we have bought so far is the Internet, as mentioned earlier.

I have filled in the form for 2 future cruise credits, which will cost $250. I would have expected them to cost $300 when booking, so it seems that so far the net effects of the recent changes mean that I'm better off so far.

I knew I'd find things that I hadn't taken into account before I got here.

Service is no different to what I had experienced on previous cruises so far.

There are cruise websites that allow you to fish through the history of cruise prices. :)

Illogical.

 

If you could sell your cabin back to NCL at a profit that's one thing.

You can't.

I don't know if it would ever happen, I've been talking to Oceania and it's strange. NCL could adopt their practice of continuing to sell "sold out" categories, they call it "wait listed", at higher prices then contacting those that booked at lower rates to offer incentives to give up their booking. Speculation over cabin prices could bring in a whole new aspect to NCL.

I'm glad Keith is doing this. Like him, I am another rare creature who is only barely, insignificantly affected by any changes. Like him, I am often told I am wrong when demonstrating how my costs have hardly changed. Maybe posting live will help put it in perspective.

(And for the record, neither of us say that no one is affected. Some obviously are. I just get tired of being called a liar when I share my own experiences, which seems to happen more and more.)

I think the idea is interesting and I appreciate KeithJenner's efforts. But I would keep in mind that it's not enough to look at what you actually buy on board and compare the prices to what you paid in the past. That's pretty easy and I think most of us do that already to some extent. But you also have to consider if there's anything you would have enjoyed in the past, but you decide against it now because you know the price is higher. And sometimes it can be hard to honest about that, even to yourself. If you spend your cruise saying no (or saying yes less often) to extras for yourself and your family because of the cost, at the end of your cruise you may have the exact same folio charges, or even lower charges, compared to previous cruises, but you can still say truthfully that the higher prices affected your cruise negatively. You can't prove it by pointing at lines in your stateroom account summary, but it's still true.

I think the idea is interesting and I appreciate KeithJenner's efforts. But I would keep in mind that it's not enough to look at what you actually buy on board and compare the prices to what you paid in the past. That's pretty easy and I think most of us do that already to some extent. But you also have to consider if there's anything you would have enjoyed in the past, but you decide against it now because you know the price is higher. And sometimes it can be hard to honest about that, even to yourself. If you spend your cruise saying no (or saying yes less often) to extras for yourself and your family because of the cost, at the end of your cruise you may have the exact same folio charges, or even lower charges, compared to previous cruises, but you can still say truthfully that the higher prices affected your cruise negatively. You can't prove it by pointing at lines in your stateroom account summary, but it's still true.

There is also the flip side of this, the items you get because you only have to pay gratuities that you would never pay full package price for. In our case that would be the UBP and the SDP. I would never spend the money to purchase these packages if they were not included in our promo. I did a little analysis on another thread of what I am paying per day as a couple for the balcony room and separately for the "extras" on our CCL Sunshine in a couple months and NCL Escape next year. It turns out we are paying $2 more per day per couple for our NCL Escape balcony (which is a larger angled balcony and worth the $2 per day IMHO) and $1 more per day per couple for the "extras".

The extras on CCL include 6 alcoholic drinks $60 (what we would normally purchase), 1 photo $20 (for our anniversary), 1 Steakhouse dinner $70 (we normally do not purchase this but we will for our anniversary), $100 casino (about what we normally spend on CCL), and $40 in Bingo (about what we normally spend on CCL). This was for a 5 day cruise. The extras on NCL for our 7 day cruise includes gratuities on UBP $200 (promo with booking), gratuities on SDP $30 (4 dinners ea. promo with booking), $140 casino (about what we normally spend on NCL), $0 Bingo (we have never played on NCL...too expensive from the start), $0 photos (No special reason to purchase on this cruise).

In summary, on CCL we will get a photo and Bingo that we will not get on NCL. On NCL we will get unlimited alcoholic drinks and pop and 3 more specialty dinners (all things we normally would not purchase without the current promos offered by NCL)....all for $1 more per day per couple. We will enjoy both our cruises for different reasons, but I think value wise, we will be getting more for my money on NCL this time after these 2 cruises. That may not be the case in the future. We make each vacation decision based on our wants, needs, and budget for that vacation. Sometimes we will get more value for our $ than other times. That's ok if it meets our needs and wants for that vacation, which usually isn't the same as the vacation before or our next vacation.

I think the idea is interesting and I appreciate KeithJenner's efforts. But I would keep in mind that it's not enough to look at what you actually buy on board and compare the prices to what you paid in the past. That's pretty easy and I think most of us do that already to some extent. But you also have to consider if there's anything you would have enjoyed in the past, but you decide against it now because you know the price is higher. And sometimes it can be hard to honest about that, even to yourself. If you spend your cruise saying no (or saying yes less often) to extras for yourself and your family because of the cost, at the end of your cruise you may have the exact same folio charges, or even lower charges, compared to previous cruises, but you can still say truthfully that the higher prices affected your cruise negatively. You can't prove it by pointing at lines in your stateroom account summary, but it's still true.

I wanted to post the same idea but had trouble putting it into words. Drinking the cheaper wines now included in the UBP won't cost me any more - I will not pay extra for non included ones. I will do without the sparkling water I can no longer bring on board - no added cost. I will drink Bulliet or Jameson rather than The Glenlivet or Macallen - no added costs, just diminished enjoyment value from what I booked.

I think the idea is interesting and I appreciate KeithJenner's efforts. But I would keep in mind that it's not enough to look at what you actually buy on board and compare the prices to what you paid in the past.

Yeah, it seems like a flawed and pre-determined exercise to a respond to a point that those of us disappointed in NCL recently aren't actually making.