NCL using old Bait and Switch?

[deege]

I'm going to have to side with NCL on this one. Obviously the cruise isn't selling at the rate they need so they are trying to entice people to booking. You already booked and paid your money to the cruiseline, why would they just give money away like that? If you got onboard credit when you booked and then NCL did not offer it to anyone after you booked would you want them to take away your OBC? I doubt it. IT's all the luck and timing of when you book. NCL has been more the gracious at times when we booked. Last year we booked an inside cabin probably at the highest price they were going to be at. Once it got closer to the cruise date balcony prices were about $25 dollars more than what we originally paid. I asked for an upgrade and NCL gave us the upgrade at $25 a person and we kept all of our original OBC.

[LAWTONCRUISE]

Thanks for all the responses, Interesting to say the least.

 

I previously said I wouldn't post anthing else on this subject knowing I would probably get slammed, but after this reply:

 

"It is frustrating when people blame their inability to understand something on someone else."

 

Now, let me see if I can explain this to our consending friend so that even his superior knowledge can fully understand my point. (See, I can be consending too)

 

As one poster already noted, nowhere on the webpage, even in small print does it say that ONLY certain cabin categories would receive the OBC.

 

This is one case. You book your cruise, you get your reservation, than see there is no OBC. You call NCL and are told, Sorry, you cabin doesn't qualify for OBC but, for a SMALL increase (in this case $150 per person) you can move to a different category and get a $50 doller per cabin OBC.

 

Yes, there are always different promotions going on and yes there are different pricing. However, if they advertise something on the website then one would reasonably expect it to be accurate.

 

As another poster said, maybe not bait and switch. True, but not exactly above board either.

 

I suppose as a brand loyal cruiser, I was just frustrated by what I felt was deceptive practices. Like everything else, a person's perception on a matter is subjectve. Again, thanks for your thoughts and have a great next cruise.

[Quincella]

I had a similar situation when booking my upcoming cruise.

 

I booked during the free UDP promotion. They also had free cabin upgrades, Kids Sail Free, and Latitudes credits at the same time.

 

When you looked at the website, you could clearly see that each of the promotions for each sailing were represented by different color bars. Not all four colored bars (promos) were available for every sailing, but all were for mine. That tells me that I should be the UDP, the cabin upgrade, Kids Sail Free, and the credit.

 

Didn't work that way. I got the cabin upgrade and Kids Sail Free, but I could get either the UDP, or the $50 credit. How stupid is that? Unless you hate every optional restaurant on the ship, or if you get free nights all the time because you booked through a CAS promo, you're both Platinum, and your TA comps you dinners (or whatever), who in their right mind would take $50 over free specialty dining all week?

 

Anyway, it was not a big deal, really. I'm still very happy with the price I paid for the cabin I got, and we'll gladly use our dining package. Still, why even put the credit on the site? It bugged me a bit, for sure.

[LAWTONCRUISE]

Please ignore the typos in the above post, sometime (often) the brain works faster than the fingers. LOL I suppose I should have proofed it.

Edited May 10, 2014 by LAWTONCRUISE
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[figgifumi]

OP, I understand your frustration! Here is my similar experience: we were doing a brand new booking during the free UBP / UDP promo for suites and our sailing was also a lattitude sailing with 150 OBC for suites if you were lattitude. We were sent thru 6 phone calls over 3 days to get what the website indicated we should recieve. In the chart it had a color for each promo and our sale date and cabin catogory showed all three colors stacked together. Fine print at the time didn't indicate they were not combinable. Front screen advertising them together. PCC told us we get all 3. But all 3 would not go on the booking. First he said no free UBP since you are lattitude, then next day ok you can get UBP if you want but no UDP if lattitude, next day ok no OBC but free UBP and UDP.... ugh so I can have parts of a promo but not all. So I ask PCC to call agian, he speaks to resolution desk who says its because they are not combinable. .. odd because at one point I had each half of the promo combined. Finally I said "This is false advertising I want a supervisor" , then my PCC magically got them all on the booking after a hold. He told me that basically they have a point where you are getting too good of a deal and then system kicks one out... well then advertise correctly NCL.

 

I am a big NCL fan, and Love to cruise with them :) but the booking advertising is all messed up...

 

We also got kids sale free... very happy... and this was all in a new booking

Edited May 10, 2014 by figgifumi

[BOS_CruiseGuy]

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Edited May 10, 2014 by BOS_CruiseGuy

[gizmo911]

OP ...why shouldn't we have our cake and eat it too, especially when we have been a loyal customer. I don't think that any of these companies have any loyalty (gone are those days), it is all about making money. So go ahead and vent because you have every right to. They want what they want so why not attempt to get what we can within reason. For the money you are spending and I am sure have spent in the past, I think they are being really cheap. Perhaps you should consider spending $3000 somewhere you can get the most out of it.

Edited May 10, 2014 by gizmo911