Stateroom upgrades?

[deppong]

About how much of a discount did you get. We are in a DD on the sea March 26th. Is it too early to start nagging the T/A? How do you make the deal if you try to do it yourself. What questions did you ask other than do you have any upgrades for this week? thanks

[fodorspeter]

Knightcruiser - why didn't you just book the cruise yourself with NCL? What good is the TA doing for you if you're the one who has to do all the work?

 

Peter

[Knightcruiser]

I booked thru a Cruise broker who had cheaper prices than NCL did....I would be happy to book thru NCL directly if they would give me the lower prices to begin with!

Cruise brokers operate on a thin margin and usually do not give you the same service that full service TA might. They expect you be knowledgable about what you want and can't do a lot of "hand holding" for the money they are making on the deal. As a business person, I understand and accept this. So it's up to me to try and negotiate the best upgrade I can. I have had success in doing this twice thru the Reaccomodations (or Upsell) desk at NCL directly. I learned how by reading the threads on the CC NCL boards.

 

Timing it right seems to be essential. I keep checking the NCL site to see which cabin categories are left on the cruise I have booked. As you might guess the more expensive cabins are usually the last ones to get sold. Based on my experience, it seems if you call approx. 60 days from the sail date and ask to purchase an upgrade, you stand to get one for a good price (assuming there is availability on the cruise). Of course, what's a good price for one person is not for the next. I notice that I have gotten increasingly "spoiled" over the years and now only want to cruise in suites!

[singitalto]

The last time my husband and I sailed on the Dawn (4/04) I found a really great price($960 for the both of us for taxes and all) at a large online travel agency. We booked a low level inside cabin gaurantee(J). It was not assigned until about 2 weeks before sailing(small upgrade to inside deck 9-JJ). I started to call re-accomodations a couple of months before the sailing-each time being told nothing was available. I left my number a couple of times. Once I even got a girl that didn't want to give me any information since I booked with a travel agency, I was really sweet to her and even she looked(eventually) and said at the time nothing was available.

 

Sorry to be so long winded. But here's the good part. The Friday before sailing, re-accomodations called me!!! We ended up negotiating an upgrade from JJ to a balcony cabin(BA) for $550 total more.

 

Hopefully that can happen again since right now we are booked in a G. We'll see what the upgrade Gods have instore for us !!!! :D

[farmerconn]

We just received a Bring-A-Friend Onboard Credit Certificate which says if our friends book a cabin on the same cruise, we will receive a $50.00 onboard credit and our friends get a 1 category upgrade.Our friends already booked a cabin across from us and would like to keep it.Do you think NCL would take the price of the upgrade off their price?

[Colorado Babe]

Called the upsell desk this morning and I received an upgrade for $675.00 from an oceanview to an oceanview with balcony. Alot less cheaper than what our TA quoted us at, $2000.00. Thanks for all the advice.

[hazeleyez3]

Called the upsell desk this morning and I received an upgrade for $675.00 from an oceanview to an oceanview with balcony. Alot less cheaper than what our TA quoted us at, $2000.00. Thanks for all the advice.

 

 

I was under the impression that if you went through a TA the TA would have to call the upsell desk??

 

If you could let me know I'd appreciate it - I'd rather do the calling myself, and not leave it to the TA.

[Knightcruiser]

Called the upsell desk this morning and I received an upgrade for $675.00 from an oceanview to an oceanview with balcony. Alot less cheaper than what our TA quoted us at, $2000.00. Thanks for all the advice.

 

Good for you, Colorado Babe!

[cosmo1027]

I was under the impression that if you went through a TA the TA would have to call the upsell desk??

 

If you could let me know I'd appreciate it - I'd rather do the calling myself, and not leave it to the TA.

 

I booked through a TA and tried to call myself. The first time, the NCL rep would not discuss any details with me since I booked through a TA. I tried again and spoke with someone who was willing to tell me that there was a mini-suite available for upsell, but said that she could only discuss price with my TA, not with me. My TA put it through, but I wondered if I could have done better pricewise if I had been able to negotiate with the upsell desk myself. The upsell was less than had I booked the mini-suite originally, but not as good of a deal as I had hoped. I may not have been able to get a better price myself, because I watched the availability of the mini-suites go from 8 to 2 to Guarantee status in a matter of just a couple days. The day I called the upsell desk, they were at GTY status. So, if they were going the quickly, maybe that was the going rate.

 

Anyway, you can try to call the upsell desk yourself and see if they will discuss it with you. From what I have read, it seems like how much they will discuss with you if you are booked through a TA, varies depending on the NCL person you speak to.

 

Good luck!

[mthayer295]

Just upgraded from category C to a Penthouse AC for $500 each on 1st and 2nd passenger for the POA 2/27 sailing. Seemed like a good deal to me. We got called by them. Our friends went to AB for just a few hundred more. They have 3 kids in the room so they needed the slightly larger room. Does anyone know where we can see cabin shots of POA?

[fodorspeter]

There is no question you can negotiate with the upsell desk. I've done this three times now and have always counter-offered and was accepted. Again, to beat the horse one more time, booking NCL thru a TA will cost you money in the end. There is no need to use one - even if its your first cruise. Their reservation people are every bit as helpful as a TA.

 

Peter

[Colorado Babe]

I had no problem talking to the upsell desk this morning even though I booked through a TA...I told the girl at the desk that my TA was not being very helpful so she told me she would see what she could do since I was military and they didn't give me a discount. When she offered me the $675 upgrade for all three of us total, I told her definitely since my TA said $2000. Once we agreed on the price, the rep called my TA to tell him what we had agreed upon and the upgrade was confirmed...If I had booked this reservation with NCL from the beginning, it would have cost me $1,853.00 more. So, sometimes its pays to book through a TA and then do an upgrade with the upsell desk.

[GNisme]

Stupid question alert!!! I booked my cruise through Cheaptickets.com on the internet, do you guys consider them to be a travel agent? Because I don't, but I could be wrong. (Don't tell my husband I admitted that.)

[Colorado Babe]

I would say their a TA..

[Knightcruiser]

There is no question you can negotiate with the upsell desk. I've done this three times now and have always counter-offered and was accepted. Again, to beat the horse one more time, booking NCL thru a TA will cost you money in the end. There is no need to use one - even if its your first cruise. Their reservation people are every bit as helpful as a TA.

 

Peter

 

Peter,

Would like to book with NCL from the outset, but will they negotiate the initial price of the cruise with you to match a cruise broker's cheaper price?

[fodorspeter]

You all have to understand how the upsell desk works. They have your reservation so they know how much you paid and whether you went thru them or a TA (that they pay commission to). The upsell price they quote you is based on what you currently have and what you paid for it. A couple of times they said to me things like - well I see you paid $xxx for your oceanview, so to upgrade to a balcony would be $yyy more. If you paid more because you went thru them, your upsell will be less than if you booked thru an agent. I'm guessing that net net, you'll save the commission in the end if you book directly with NCL.

If you find this hard to believe, ask the next reaccomodation desk person you talk to.

Peter

[hotspur]

If this is really true, it sounds like the only way to recover from having paid too much by buying directly from NCL initially is to do a subsequent "upsell" to make up the initial overcharge.

[hazeleyez3]

Peter,

There's another aspect of it... I am contacting the upsell desk just to see what I might be able to get; however, if I don't get one I'll have saved money with the TA.

I'd love to use NCL directly, my checkbook would disagree

[mflynn9999]

i booked thru a ta i was given a cabin ba but i was put on a waiting list for a gty my ta called ncl offered me an upgrade to a mini suite for 400.00 ea but by the time she got back in touch they were gone so ncl offered us a ab penthouse for 625.00 which i jumped on we are going on the dawn 3/20 cruise i can't wait to experience the whole butler and conc. thing

[shoreguy]

[quote name='hotspur']If this is really true, it sounds like the only way to recover from having paid too much by buying directly from NCL initially is to do a subsequent "upsell" to make up the initial overcharge.[/QUOTE]

That can be the case sometimes. I looked at it differently. The prices for the Dawn next month continued to climb. I continued to wait. Last month I was put put in the position of paying way to much for a cabin I did not want. All the balconies sold out last June. The best discount for an outside Cat K GDT was more then I paid for a BA last year same cruise. For that matter so were the inside GDTs. :eek:

I booked direct knowing I was paying about 180 more then the best online price on a Friday. I wanted to control my own booking. Worked the upsell on the next Monday and ended up in a Mini for 1000 less then the best online price. It ended up costing me the same as a bb had I booked online last March. You roll the dice sometimes you win sometimes you don't.

I didn't feel overcharged. The 180 extra was worth it to me to control my own booking rather then emailing/calling and agent and hoping they would in fact call the upsell desk and if they did work for a great deal for me.

Too many times I had the same experience as mflynn9999 " by the time she got back in touch they were gone"

[greenie]

I have a question ...

at present, we are in an AD Suite. I have been trying to figure out if it's worth it to try for an upgrade to an AB. The AD seems to have a bigger balcony area, that's a plus for that. The AB has more square footage in the suite itself, but part of that is an extra bedroom which we wouldn't be using anyway. And the master bedroom in the AB, while very nice, doesn't have any windows.

So am I wrong in thinking the only real advantage to the AB is the bathroom (larger and with a whirlpiil bath)?
I could use your advice on this.

Thanks so much.

[hotspur]

[quote name='shoreguy']That can be the case sometimes.[/QUOTE]
The situation you describe confirms what I said above.

[shoreguy]

[quote name='hotspur']The situation you describe confirms what I said above.[/QUOTE]

It depends on what you call "too much". I many cases the prices direct are as good or better then the discout TAs. Sometimes you would be crazy to book direct when the online rates are 15-30% higher. For me if it is within a couple hundred dollars I will spend that for the value of controlling my booking.

No matter which way you book you have to shop and spend your $ with wisdow. Either way NCL's upsell program can make a good deal a great deal. You can not count on it especially during peak times. You have to be comfortable with the intial booking.

The new advertising policy is going to make that shopping more difficult.

[bigsweeps]

[quote name='greenie']I have a question ...

at present, we are in an AD Suite. I have been trying to figure out if it's worth it to try for an upgrade to an AB. The AD seems to have a bigger balcony area, that's a plus for that. The AB has more square footage in the suite itself, but part of that is an extra bedroom which we wouldn't be using anyway. And the master bedroom in the AB, while very nice, doesn't have any windows.

So am I wrong in thinking the only real advantage to the AB is the bathroom (larger and with a whirlpiil bath)?
I could use your advice on this.

Thanks so much.[/QUOTE]

If you don't need the extra bedroom, I would stay with the AD. You won't get any extra perks in the AB that you wouldn't in the AD (as far as butler service, concierge, VIP treatment, etc). Now the AA is a different story - I would upgrade to that again in a heart beat. The AA h as many more perks than the AB, AC, AD, etc.

[rmcder]

I called this moring and was told by NCL that they had no upgrades available for March. Anyone else? I called back and tried again and again was told no upgrades available. We are on the Sun 3/19.