$150-$300 OBC misleading ad or mearly poor wording?

[realcindylouwho]

On the newly-reconstructed NCL website, a large promotion with the offer of $150-$300 OBC for booking of suites, is displayed. When clicked for more information, the ad states that when booking any suite above an AE a $150 OBC will be applied for 1-4 night cruise and $300 OBC for 5+ nights. It is stated very clearly that this is fleet-wide and other conditions must be met. Yada-yada. In the terms and conditions it has one short sentence that states "select sailing(s)". Our 2 AD suites, booked just last week, met all of the conditions. I called NCL. After being helped by George (poor man, I really put him through the wringer!) I am sad to announce that our 7 night sailing did not qualify for the $300 OBC per suite, but we did have $150 OBC as per our e-mailed documents showed. I was told that if were to book a GV, then I would have $300 OBC. I pointed out to him that this promotion was not based on suite level booked, but number of nights. I was put on hold a couple of times during the call. In the end, he agreed that the ad did seem confusing and that the short sentence, in the terms and conditions section, could possibly be phrased differently and placed into the main ad itself. I did ask for the select saling(s) that would qualify for the $300 OBC (just in case I could be flexible with my vacation dates) and he stated he didn't know what they were or where I would be able to find them on the website.

My question is, after looking at this ad, does anyone else find this misleading? If they are advertising a $300 OBC for a 5+ night cruise when booking a suite, shouldn't someone be able to tell me the dates for the Pearl that would qualify? After doing the "pretend" bookings on the Pearl I am not able to see the OBC amount for any suites. Am I missing something?

[FLAHAM]

Assuming you booked a suite at least nine months out and didn't get the $300 OBC, then I agree that the ad copy is very misleading.

[SeaShark]

After doing the "pretend" bookings on the Pearl I am not able to see the OBC amount for any suites. Am I missing something?

 

Using the booking engine will show you the price for the cruise. After obtaining the base price you can put in various discounts that you are qualified for (latitudes, union, military, etc) and you will see the price drop IF the discount is applicable to the sailing.

 

 

However....this in an OBC promotion. The pricing for the cruise will be no different with or without the promotion code. The difference is that you will have an OBC that will show in your ammenity confirmation...you won't see this on the booking engine.

 

Also...if you enter a promotion code that isn't applicable to the sailing you are viewing, you will get an error message back with the pricing...at least that is what happened on the "old" website...I have not tried to enter an invalid promotion code on the new website to see what happens.

[Philip217]

Is "mearly" a combination of "more" and "early" ????

[SeaShark]

Is "mearly" a combination of "more" and "early" ????

 

You should check out the following link: Click Here

[realcindylouwho]

SeaShark - Thank you for referring to this.

 

Phillip217 - You have a generous spirit, thank you for quickly pointing out my error. I'm certain others were so busy trying to decipher the meaning of "mearly", they were not able to understand my question. Goodwill spreads far and wide this first day of 2010! Knowing of my mistake certainly made my evening feel all warm and fuzzy. Thanks again, for the assistance my friend!

[InTheCruisingYearsOfLife]

You should check out the following link: Click Here

 

 

Here's a snippet from that link: "Please review your post carefully for typos, incorrect dates and spelling errors."

 

Notice that there is a comma missing between "dates" and "and".

 

 

InThe

[autrucheplume]

Here's a snippet from that link: "Please review your post carefully for typos, incorrect dates and spelling errors."

 

Notice that there is a comma missing between "dates" and "and".

 

 

InThe

 

I'm not sure if you're joking or not, but comma separated lists are not supposed to have a comma before "and".

[autrucheplume]

My question is, after looking at this ad, does anyone else find this misleading? If they are advertising a $300 OBC for a 5+ night cruise when booking a suite, shouldn't someone be able to tell me the dates for the Pearl that would qualify? After doing the "pretend" bookings on the Pearl I am not able to see the OBC amount for any suites. Am I missing something?

 

I think I have to agree with you! I reread the details of that deal, and the table at the top of the page clearly shows that you should get $300. I would be upset if I booked something 9 months out and didn't get that!

[InTheCruisingYearsOfLife]

I'm not sure if you're joking or not, but comma separated lists are not supposed to have a comma before "and".

 

I was taught it was necessary. A bit of research on the subject, I learn that it is now vogue to consider it "optional but never wrong". Hmmm. Here's a good argument in favor of how I always understood it: http://www.getitwriteonline.com/archive/052709SerialComma.htm

 

Nevertheless, the cheap shot at the link to posting etiquette was only intended to elicit a chuckle. I'm content to let it slide. And yes, correcting the earlier poster's spelling is nothing short of nekulturny -- a fact oft pointed out by my own DW (inasmuch as I so often, unwisely, give her occasion to do).

 

InThe

[realcindylouwho]

I searched NCL's site and used the current promo code for the OBC of "PGOBC". Three search results were found. The last of the three dislayed says nothing about restrictions concerning sailing(s). Our suites meet all of the conditions listed. I will call NCL again in the a.m. and wrestle* them for the $300 OBC per suite.

 

*poster is using the term "wrestle" in a non-literal way. No CCs were injured in the posting of this thread. This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations, and events portrayed in this thread are either products of the OP's imaginations or are used fictitiously. This is a rough draft, and has not been edited by a professional. This thread is printed on acid-free paper. ;)

[mafig]

On some of the large internet sites, they clearly list the cruises that are eligible for the suite obc. The one with the gnome has a

gold crown to designate eligibility.

[realcindylouwho]

Mafig - yes, that website agrees with the NCL site, AD and above for 5+ nights will receive $300 OBC, not $150 as NCL has credited me. Time to make another phone call.

[MsTabbyKats]

On the newly-reconstructed NCL website, a large promotion with the offer of $150-$300 OBC for booking of suites, is displayed. When clicked for more information, the ad states that when booking any suite above an AE a $150 OBC will be applied for 1-4 night cruise and $300 OBC for 5+ nights. It is stated very clearly that this is fleet-wide and other conditions must be met. Yada-yada. In the terms and conditions it has one short sentence that states "select sailing(s)". Our 2 AD suites, booked just last week, met all of the conditions. I called NCL. After being helped by George (poor man, I really put him through the wringer!) I am sad to announce that our 7 night sailing did not qualify for the $300 OBC per suite, but we did have $150 OBC as per our e-mailed documents showed. I was told that if were to book a GV, then I would have $300 OBC. I pointed out to him that this promotion was not based on suite level booked, but number of nights. I was put on hold a couple of times during the call. In the end, he agreed that the ad did seem confusing and that the short sentence, in the terms and conditions section, could possibly be phrased differently and placed into the main ad itself. I did ask for the select saling(s) that would qualify for the $300 OBC (just in case I could be flexible with my vacation dates) and he stated he didn't know what they were or where I would be able to find them on the website.

 

My question is, after looking at this ad, does anyone else find this misleading? If they are advertising a $300 OBC for a 5+ night cruise when booking a suite, shouldn't someone be able to tell me the dates for the Pearl that would qualify? After doing the "pretend" bookings on the Pearl I am not able to see the OBC amount for any suites. Am I missing something?

 

Maybe you are missing that this is for new bookings only.....cannot cancel and rebook etc.

 

Otherwise, it looks like the sailing & cabin qualify to me.

[billie5]

It is not "vogue" to consider the comma optional when not needed for clarification. That is what I was taught in school, and I am now 68, so you can figure how long ago that was. In fact, we were discouraged from including the comma in simple lists (no compound phrases or ambiguities). I've published more than one hundred books and articles in technical journals over the past 40 years, and never had an editor insert a comma before 'and' in a list.

 

Bill

[mafig]

Mafig - yes, that website agrees with the NCL site, AD and above for 5+ nights will receive $300 OBC, not $150 as NCL has credited me. Time to make another phone call.

 

 

Isn't it AE and above? :confused:

[realcindylouwho]

Sweet victory! Just ended my conversation with Lisa at NCL. She stated this promo was for stateroom AND length of cruise. I read her the PGOCB promotion terms and conditions, which clearly state length of cruise, not suite level. She agreed and put me on hold to speak to her supervisor. After holding for a few minutes, Lisa came back on the phone and told me that she had gone through several of the promo codes and came up with one that would keep us in the same ADs with $300 per suite!

 

I don't think that NCL will change the home page ad to reflect the addition of suite level booked, which they should do, in my opinion. I hope other cruisers who booked, thinking that they were getting $300 OBC, will look closely over their booking document to make certain it is reflected properly.

 

Thanks to Lisa at NCL for doing her job, not just being at her job. She gets the gold star for the day!

[newmexicoNita]

SeaShark - Thank you for referring to this.

 

Phillip217 - You have a generous spirit, thank you for quickly pointing out my error. I'm certain others were so busy trying to decipher the meaning of "mearly", they were not able to understand my question. Goodwill spreads far and wide this first day of 2010! Knowing of my mistake certainly made my evening feel all warm and fuzzy. Thanks again, for the assistance my friend!

 

hope your whole year is warm and fuzzy. Some ads are a bit hard to understand and sometimes really not fair..but this isn't just cruise lines, it seems to be all. I saw a wonderful one yesterday in our local paper. It was an entire page and right in the middle it said "just for 6 hours all furniture is 1/2 off.. Wow, sounds pretty good, huh? Well just above the bold print, in very small print it said, 1/4 to off.

[SeaShark]

Sweet victory! Just ended my conversation with Lisa at NCL. She stated this promo was for stateroom AND length of cruise. I read her the PGOCB promotion terms and conditions, which clearly state length of cruise, not suite level. She agreed and put me on hold to speak to her supervisor. After holding for a few minutes, Lisa came back on the phone and told me that she had gone through several of the promo codes and came up with one that would keep us in the same ADs with $300 per suite!

 

I don't think that NCL will change the home page ad to reflect the addition of suite level booked, which they should do, in my opinion. I hope other cruisers who booked, thinking that they were getting $300 OBC, will look closely over their booking document to make certain it is reflected properly.

 

Thanks to Lisa at NCL for doing her job, not just being at her job. She gets the gold star for the day!

 

 

 

Awesome!!!

 

Glad to hear everything worked out for you! This should help you enjoy your upcoming cruise just a little bit more! :D

 

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And for the rest of you....

 

, , , , , , , , , ,

 

Now if you find one missing...you'll have extras ;)

 

 

If your New Year's resolution included getting rid of your sense of humor, the above comment is a joke....:p

[garycarla]

Personally, it has come to my attention that each and every promotion that is ever advertised, says somewhere, in fine print, that our particular cruise and/or cabin is specifically excluded from said promotion.

 

Just the way it is!

[MsTabbyKats]

Over the years, I have found that if one representative cannot give you an answer...hang up and call back. The next one might be more knowledgeable.