Strange price inconsistancies

[sally r]

Someone is pulling my leg or this is just nuts. A cruise I have booked on the Sun keeps dropping in price on the NCL website. I email my TA to get a reduction and she emails back that NCL doesn't show the price I have and she doesn't see it either! So I book the cruise on the NCL web site and give my TA the booking number and NCL will honor it! We have done this three times now and it is so crazy that NCL Reservationists (and my travel agent) don't see what I see (and print) on the NCL web site. NCL told my TA yesterday that the prices on their web site are cheaper because they don't have to pay the travel agent's commission and they want people to book there to free up the telephones.

 

 

Anyone else experiencing this?

[bizi]

I checked the sail I booked and there was no change in price. Also, the NCL web site alway quote with the insurance included? Heard that NCL is doing "no discount" policy like RCCL, is it true?

[BillB007]

This just happened on my Star April 14 cruise. On Wednesday, the price on NCL website dropped significantly - no online cruise data base reflected the reduced price. I placed the reservation thru the website and then had my TA take it over. She is talking to NCL to see why she could not access the same prices as posted on the website.

[rocktheboat]

Why not just book on their web site and forget about the TA if it's that much cheaper?

[immargaret]

Hi BillB007,

 

We have a roll call for the 4/14 cruise on the STAR. Stop by the roll call thread and chat with us. We're a little lonely over there....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=2830352#post2830352

[hazeleyez3]

Why not just book on their web site and forget about the TA if it's that much cheaper?

 

It might be that at the time of booking the TA has the better price.

[chatisfaction]

"Why not just book on their web site and forget about the TA if it's that much cheaper?"

 

If you are an experienced cruiser and know exactly what you want - why not. If you have questions or want more advice a TA can come in handy. I think NCL is trying to squeeze TA's out. I understand booking for less if possible but ask yourself if you will be sorry one day when you want a TA and find they are all out of business.

 

I think billB007"s solution

"I placed the reservation thru the website and then had my TA take it over."

 

might work well if you can do it. That way you get the lower price but still have a TA on your side.

[PA Cruisers2]

This may seem like a silly question, but why do you need a TA. We used one for our first cruise only because we didn't really know what we were doing. Since then we have booked on line and any questions we have we just make a phone call and NCL is ALWAYS very helpful. The only thing our TA did was give us some brochures and order the tickets which we had to go to the office and pick up. Since then they have come in the mail.

So please let me know what the benefits are of using a TA...maybe I am missing out on something? ;)

 

Thanks everyone.:)

[Philip217]

Airline fares are equally inconsistent and confusing.

Next time you fly - ask 10 different passengers what they paid for the flight. You will be shocked at the inconsistencies in thier answers.

Cruise Lines and Airlines have nearly identical operations and copy each other very frequently.

It is hardly surprising that you would encounter these inconsistencies with a cruise line.

[fodorspeter]

And when was the last time you used a TA to book an airline flight? Exactly! If the passenger is the one who has to keep in touch with the cruiseline for the lowest fares, find it, book it and then turn it over to the TA so they can keep their commission; what is the purpose of that? They obviously didn't deserve a commission - the passenger did all the work.

 

Peter

[hazeleyez3]

This may seem like a silly question, but why do you need a TA. We used one for our first cruise only because we didn't really know what we were doing. Since then we have booked on line and any questions we have we just make a phone call and NCL is ALWAYS very helpful. The only thing our TA did was give us some brochures and order the tickets which we had to go to the office and pick up. Since then they have come in the mail.

So please let me know what the benefits are of using a TA...maybe I am missing out on something? ;)

 

Thanks everyone.:)

 

In my case, the NCL price was about $700 more than the TAs cost for the same exact room. When I can save that kind of money I don't mind doing some extra work for a possible upgrade.

[Xoe]

Last summer I booked our January NCL Star Mexico cruise through an internet agency for several hundred dollars less than showed on NCL's web site; I frequently checked both those sites, + another internet site, in the months up until final payments were due, and once got a small reduction. NCL's prices were always a lot higher than either of the internet agencies. My internet agency TA was helpful and responded to inquiries promptly. I did not try for an "upsell" after final payment date because our mini-suite location suited us very well.

 

It seems TAs are an "endangered species". A nearby agency we used to use went out of business, and since then we've been on our own. This has worked fine, as I love ferreting out all relevant information and bargains -- for me, the planning and anticipation are a great part of the fun of travel! The internet has indeed changed travel planning.

[BillB007]

I don't "need" a TA, but she sure comes in handy - single point of contact for any questions/problems. Lots easier than dialing NCL 800 number and then pressing 2 -2 - 3 -5 -??? whatever to get to a live voice.

 

I have used other TAs or cruise line web sites when she cannot match (or approach) a cabin price, but she usually does.

 

Granted, I do all of the research for the cruise itineraries and prices myself, but that is part of the "fun" of taking a cruise.

[sally r]

Glad to see that I am not the only person (re:BillB007) that this has happened to. I had booked this cruise back in the old days of discounting and my TA's price was a lot less than NCL's.

 

One other thing that was strange with NCL was the increase in tax. When I first booked it was $138 on the higher price and now it is $210! My TA was able to grandfather the original tax.

[LynnH]

This may seem like a silly question, but why do you need a TA. We used one for our first cruise only because we didn't really know what we were doing. Since then we have booked on line and any questions we have we just make a phone call and NCL is ALWAYS very helpful. The only thing our TA did was give us some brochures and order the tickets which we had to go to the office and pick up. Since then they have come in the mail.

So please let me know what the benefits are of using a TA...maybe I am missing out on something? ;)

 

Thanks everyone.:)

 

I totally agree! We booked our first cruise through a TA and it was just a huge hassle! Our tickets were sent to the TA (5 states away from us) and had to then be forwarded to us, which took much longer to receive. Also, when NCL issued some refunds, they sent them to the TA, not to us. It was a big circle-jerk. I've actually noticed the prices much cheaper on NCL's web site anyway...I won't use a TA again. The NCL Reps are very helpful and I feel much more 'organized' going directly through them.