Upsell offered - did I miss the boat?

[ltturner]

Background info:

• We booked an AG guarantee for the Star's 11/25 sailing to the Mexican Riviera.
  
• We were immediately assigned an AF cabin. Yay!
  
• Final payment is due Sept. 11.
  
• After reading the advice here, I asked my TA to put a note on my reservation that I'd be interested in an upsell to an aft penthouse, an AD or AE category.
  
• Just an observation: I've created a Roll Call thread for this sailing, but no one has answered. I know it's still a long way away, but I wonder if this is an indication of how full the ship is.
  

I expected to hear an upsell offer after final payment was due, but I was surprised when my TA called on Thursday to say that NCL had offered an upgrade to a penthouse for $550 per person. When I checked on the category, though, this was an upgrade to an AB penthouse -- one on the side of the ship. The difference in price would normally be $1720, so that's quite a bargain! Still, I was looking forward to an aft cabin and I realized that if I agreed to an AB, there was about a 0.0001% chance that they'd offer to let me go back down to an AD or AE. (Hey, I'm from Vegas. We like to figure the odds. ;))

 

I declined their generous offer but asked that they please keep me on the list to offer an upsell to an aft cabin. Do these cabins always sell out before final payment is due? Do you suppose I have a black mark on my reservation now with the comment "Ungrateful wench"? Somehow I doubt that -- my TA says she spoke with the famous Monica at NCL and that she was as nice and helpful as she could be. I've looked up Monica on these boards, and it looks like she's come through for a lot of people. I also tried to be as nice as I could be in saying "Wow, that's great, but I had really been looking for an aft cabin."

 

Very important attitude note: My fingers are crossed that Monica will find an aft cabin for me...but if we have to "make do" (ha!) with a lowly AF cabin, we'll still have a fabulous time!

 

Thanks to you all for the great advice you always give. Best wishes for happy travels for all!

 

Amy

[immargaret]

I love the aft cabins and wouldn't have accepted the upsell, unless there were more than 2 people in the cabin (AB has 2 seperate bedrooms). The aft cabins sell pretty well but after final payment there should be some movement and you may be called again, this time with an aft offer.

[nurseone]

and it was wonderful - the bathroom is to die for with tub and shower with windows overlooking the water. There were 3 of us so the extra bedroom was great - due to the large (huge) bathroom the balcony is only normal size but was not a problem and the Butler was wonderful. We have had aft cabins on other ships and they are great also - hope you get your aft cabin.

[ltturner]

Thanks to both of you for telling me your experiences. I didn't realize the AB cabin had two bedrooms, which we really don't need. I'll keep my fingers crossed in hopes that an aft cabin will stay available, or maybe one of those occupants will move up to a bigger cabin. I'm still keeping my attitude in check, though. An AF will be plenty for us.

 

Thanks again!

 

Amy

[immargaret]

The AB has 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms, but the balcony's are generally smaller compared to the AFT balconies.

[Polish Falcon]

Go to ncl.com and look @ the inventory they have left....

Click on "voyages & pricing" - fill in the info and see what they have left and @ what price points.

[ltturner]

I did a search for the NCL Star between mid-August and mid-September to see what's available. The Star will be sailing to Alaska during that time frame and no NCL ships are going to Mexico, so this isn't a direct comparison. Final payment is already due for sailings September 15 and earlier, so this might give an idea of what will be available after final payment is due for our cruise.

 

Departure on 8/28: 1 AE, 0 AD

Departure on 9/04: 0 AE, 0 AD

Departure on 9/11: 4 AE, 3 AD

 

I'm heartened by the large number of aft cabins that are available on the 9/11 cruise becuase right now is just after final payment was due for that voyage. I'm not holding my breath, though, because these numbers could be skewed for several reasons. As mentioned above, these are Alaska cruises, not Mexico, so there might be a different demographic with different taste in cabins. Also, I wonder if the departure date might have made some people shy away from the 9/11 departure. (The date wouldn't bother me, but some people are extremely cautious.)

 

At this point, I'm no longer worried that I'll be passed over for an upgrade; I've switched to worrying that I'm overanalyzing this whole thing. (See, I'm very good at worrying, and I believe one should use one's talents.)

 

I'll let you guys know if I hear from the upsell desk again. If I do, then cool! If I don't, then...cool! ;)

 

Amy

[3dblouder]

I'm on the 9/04/05 sailing and did an upsell right before my final payment 2 weeks ago from a AF to an AE for $250.00 PP $500.00 total.

Todd

[ltturner]

Thank you, Todd! That's very good information to know. Hope we're as lucky as you!

 

Amy

[CharleneNY]

Does anyone have the "upsell" phone number...not sure I kept it from two years ago. Thanks!

[cruisingfromMN]

Does anyone have the "upsell" phone number...not sure I kept it from two years ago. Thanks!

 

Here it is...

 

1-800-625-4309

[1cruiselvr]

Don't waste your time calling the upsell desk. They won't work with you. They only call you or your TA when you are on their upsell list. It use to be that you could negotiate with them by calling direct but those days are over. Happy Sailing!

[cruisingfromMN]

Don't waste your time calling the upsell desk. They won't work with you. They only call you or your TA when you are on their upsell list. It use to be that you could negotiate with them by calling direct but those days are over. Happy Sailing!

 

Some people have had success even when they booked with a TA.

 

We have had luck twice, although we booked direct. One of those times was after they changed their policy of don't call us, we'll call you. We called anyway and it worked.