NCL price dropped - so they offered me a "downgrade!"

[drbabe]

Boy am I sorry that I booked ahead of time. Booked an oceanview guarantee, figuring I'd get an obstructed view on deck 8. Price dropped $100, so I called, hoping for an upgrade. They offered me an "upgrade" - to a porthole on deck 4! I realize that they consider this an upgrade, but for a family with kids, a porthole by the smoky casino is no upgrade. They did offer me a $25 cabin credit as an alternative - but the price dropped by a hundred. I even offered to pay the difference between the "upgraded" porthole on deck 4 and a balcony guarantee - but they refused. Clearly, they don't think their "upgrade" is worth anything, either. Not a happy cruiser.

[luddite]

Oh stop!

[garycarla]

Did NCL give you exactly what you booked and paid for?

 

Did they keep their end of the contract?

 

Did NCL do something bad to you?

 

Was the price you agreed to acceptable?

 

If they price went up, would you be willing to pay the higher price?

[Siora7777]

I understand your frustration. Last year when I booked early prices dropped more than a $100. I had to just accept what I couldn't change. Don't let it steal your joy. You're gonna have a great trip. I just let it go and had a great time. Once the money is gone it's gone. Sometimes it's better not to keep checking the rates, it can work a person up. Sometimes what you don't know it's better that way.

[shealea]

Hi! I did exactly what you are trying to do last summer when cruising to Alaska on the Jewel. I would try calling again.

 

About 3 weeks before the cruise date, I bought an inside guarantee. The price dropped down some. I had hoped I could get some OBC. My TA called and they didn't want to give me obc, but they upgraded me for free to a porthole room. The price dropped again. My TA called and NCL wouldn't upgrade me again or give obc.

But they did let me pay the difference between the price I had on the porthole to a balcony. I paid $300 more for the two of us.

I had never had a balcony before on a cruise, and gosh, we absolutely loved it.

[rvsullivan]

What Norwegian ship has ocean views on deck 4 that are next to the casino? There is no configuration on any NCL ship that I know of that would put you next to the casino?

You booked an ocean view guarantee and got exactly that, because you didn't get the level and room you hoped for does not make it a problem. You can purchase a higher level room if you want to. Just offer the difference between what you paid and the current rate for the room you wish to have. Easy?

Or, take the room assigned and go have a blast!!!

[NLH Arizona]

Boy am I sorry that I booked ahead of time. Booked an oceanview guarantee, figuring I'd get an obstructed view on deck 8. Price dropped $100, so I called, hoping for an upgrade. They offered me an "upgrade" - to a porthole on deck 4! I realize that they consider this an upgrade, but for a family with kids, a porthole by the smoky casino is no upgrade. They did offer me a $25 cabin credit as an alternative - but the price dropped by a hundred. I even offered to pay the difference between the "upgraded" porthole on deck 4 and a balcony guarantee - but they refused. Clearly, they don't think their "upgrade" is worth anything, either. Not a happy cruiser.

I'm confused. Did they take you from an oceanview guarantee to a non-guarantee oceanview and gave you $25 OBC?

[garycarla]

What Norwegian ship has ocean views on deck 4 that are next to the casino? There is no configuration on any NCL ship that I know of that would put you next to the casino?

You booked an ocean view guarantee and got exactly that, because you didn't get the level and room you hoped for does not make it a problem. You can purchase a higher level room if you want to. Just offer the difference between what you paid and the current rate for the room you wish to have. Easy?

Or, take the room assigned and go have a blast!!!

 

There you go putting FACTS in play.

[NMLady]

Boy am I sorry that I booked ahead of time. Booked an oceanview guarantee, figuring I'd get an obstructed view on deck 8. Price dropped $100, so I called, hoping for an upgrade. They offered me an "upgrade" - to a porthole on deck 4! I realize that they consider this an upgrade, but for a family with kids, a porthole by the smoky casino is no upgrade. They did offer me a $25 cabin credit as an alternative - but the price dropped by a hundred. I even offered to pay the difference between the "upgraded" porthole on deck 4 and a balcony guarantee - but they refused. Clearly, they don't think their "upgrade" is worth anything, either. Not a happy cruiser.

 

I don't know of any NCL ship that has casino on deck 4.

In fact I don't know of any NCL ship that has cabins on the same deck as the casino.

So I don't understand what you are talking about.

[IWORK2CRUISE]

I don't know of any NCL ship that has casino on deck 4.

In fact I don't know of any NCL ship that has cabins on the same deck as the casino.

So I don't understand what you are talking about.

 

I do know that Dawn has 4 cabins right near the casino on deck 6. We met people who chose to stay there because they were a party of 3 and the public restrooms were right nearby.

http://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/dawn/decks/2/6#tab_detail

[Starry Eyes]

I'm confused. Did they take you from an oceanview guarantee to a non-guarantee oceanview and gave you $25 OBC?

Perhaps I am confused, too, because that is how it sounds to me.

 

op, did you offer to pay the difference between what you paid and the balcony? Or we're you trying to get it for less by using a higher number than you paid:confused:?

 

if you book an OX or OK Oceanview gty, you should be prepared to get the worst OV cabin (the worst in the eyes of the cruiser, whatever that might be). You cannot assume you'll be on deck eight. You cannot assume you'll be in a quiet cabin.

[dalgirl]

How far ahead did you book? Have you already paid final payment?? The best time to ask for an upgrade is after final payment. And $100 difference is most likely not a big enough change to justify anything really better. If you do not like what NCL chose for you or is offering you, then you should not have booked guarantee. And if you wanted a balcony guarantee, then that would have been the better choice.

 

I don't see any reason to complain here.

[butterflys]

I would call back and request to pay the difference for an upgrade again. They rarely refuse being paid more money.

 

Additionally, I normally choose when I call and request an upgrade after final payment wisely so I am not making multiple requests. Before final payment is fair game because you can just cancel and rebook for a better price.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Starry Eyes]

I would call back and request to pay the difference for an upgrade again. They rarely refuse being paid more money.

 

Additionally, I normally choose when I call and request an upgrade after final payment wisely so I am not making multiple requests. Before final payment is fair game because you can just cancel and rebook for a better price.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

I think they'd let the OP pay for an upgrade if she pays the current balcony price less the price she has already paid.

 

Unfortunately, I think the OP is trying to paly the numbers differently.

 

Here is my guess (loosely based on pricing for an Oct Jade cruise as OP did not tell us ther actual numbers)....

Let's say the customer paid $779 pp for an OX.

Now after final payment, OX is being offered for $729 pp (so $100 drop for double occupancy).

The next category up is an OG, currently kindly offered for $949, so NCL offers to let customer pick an OG without paying more.

But customer declined offer, insisting it is downgrade:confused:.

NCL kindly offers a $25 OBC as a good will gesture.

The BX balcony gty is $1199 pp, so NCL would likely let customer upgrade from OX to BX for 1199-779= $420 pp.

The customer instead wants to pay the difference between BX and current OG price (not what custer paid), so customer is asking for balcony for 199-949= $250 pp.

If that is roughly what happened, then I think NCL is in the right.

 

 

Lets imagine it is an airline. I book a discount coach flight for $300 two months in advance. The day of the flight, coach ticket price has risen to $900 while first class is $1000. Do you think the airline would/should upgrade to customer to first calss for $700 or for $100? I say the cost likely would be $700 (unless the airline makes a special offer that day).

 

Buying an airline ticket or cruise ticket is not like buying stock. You can resell stock for a higher price if the value increases. On the other hand, the value of your travel booking does not increase as the travel company raises prices, largely because the ticketed passenger must use that ticket; ordinary customers cannot just resell their ticket to the somebody else at a higher price.

[cruzsnooze]

Boy am I sorry that I booked ahead of time. Booked an oceanview guarantee, figuring I'd get an obstructed view on deck 8. Price dropped $100, so I called, hoping for an upgrade. They offered me an "upgrade" - to a porthole on deck 4! I realize that they consider this an upgrade, but for a family with kids, a porthole by the smoky casino is no upgrade. They did offer me a $25 cabin credit as an alternative - but the price dropped by a hundred. I even offered to pay the difference between the "upgraded" porthole on deck 4 and a balcony guarantee - but they refused. Clearly, they don't think their "upgrade" is worth anything, either. Not a happy cruiser.

 

You booked a GTY so you have no valid complaint. You agreed to let NCL assign you a cabin at the category you booked or better and they did just that. This is why people carefully pick their cabins.

[rochelle_s]

I think they'd let the OP pay for an upgrade if she pays the current balcony price less the price she has already paid.

 

Unfortunately, I think the OP is trying to paly the numbers differently.

 

Here is my guess (loosely based on pricing for an Oct Jade cruise as OP did not tell us ther actual numbers)....

Let's say the customer paid $779 pp for an OX.

Now after final payment, OX is being offered for $729 pp (so $100 drop for double occupancy).

The next category up is an OG, currently kindly offered for $949, so NCL offers to let customer pick an OG without paying more.

But customer declined offer, insisting it is downgrade:confused:.

NCL kindly offers a $25 OBC as a good will gesture.

The BX balcony gty is $1199 pp, so NCL would likely let customer upgrade from OX to BX for 1199-779= $420 pp.

The customer instead wants to pay the difference between BX and current OG price (not what custer paid), so customer is asking for balcony for 199-949= $250 pp.

If that is roughly what happened, then I think NCL is in the right.

 

 

 

This is exactly how I read it. The post has nothing to do with getting a poor cabin assignment from their initial booking. This is about price drops and looking for a comp upgrade because of said drop in price. The upgrade they were offered is considered by the OP to be a downgrade. They would now like to use the value of the offered upgraded cabin to be the basis for establishing the cost to pay to upgrade to a balcony.

 

I agree with you that NCL is in the right here and this isn't going to happen. To the OP you have to pay for an upgrade based on the money you actually paid. Sorry but if I were you I would take the $25 OBC. They do not have to offer you anything at this point I would accept that, think positive and consider it a bonus.

 

Have a great cruise.

 

 

Rochelle

[Bars7816]

Seems to me people booking guarantee cabins just assume they will be upgraded to something better than that category! Too many stories about good upgrades are clouding their thinking. A guarantee cabin is usually going to be a leftover that no one else wanted -- like the first cabin forward! You pay less, you get what they give you and get over it!!!

[Theodorable]

for the New Year cruise on the Star. I only booked last week and it is also an oceanview guarantee. I was looking on the online agency site that I use to book and saw that the price had dropped for my category. I called them this morning, was on hold for 5 minutes while they called Norwegian, and then I had my cruise fare adjusted to reflect the new price. I am very happy saving money and still keeping my $150 onboard credit I received.

 

Maybe rather than asking for an upgrade, just keep your guarantee and take the cheaper cruise fare. When the guarantee comes through, if you don't like where your cabin is, ask to be put back into the guarantee pot again.

 

Nicola

[Starry Eyes]

Seems to me people booking guarantee cabins just assume they will be upgraded to something better than that category! Too many stories about good upgrades are clouding their thinking. A guarantee cabin is usually going to be a leftover that no one else wanted -- like the first cabin forward! You pay less, you get what they give you and get over it!!!

Oh, it may be worse than that.... This OP seems to assume their gty booking will get the an obstructed cabin on deck eight. This OP likes those OK cabins better than porthole cabins on deck 4 (OG or OF, perhaps), and those declares such cabins a "downgrade". I actually feel the same way about cabins with small portholes, but if I really wanted to avoid one I'd know to book a substantially higher category.

 

So this OP booked an OV gty and and will probably be unhappily screaming about downgrades if they get a modest upgrade.

 

Note to OP:On most NCL ships there are more porthole cabins than obstructed OV, so if you book an OX or an OK gty, your odds of getting a porthole cabin are substantial. Do not book a gty if you cannot be happy in ANY cabin in that category or higher....

[rochelle_s]

 

When the guarantee comes through, if you don't like where your cabin is, ask to be put back into the guarantee pot again.

 

Nicola

 

This is not possible. This is exactly the opposite of how guarantees work. There is no pot you can re-enter hoping for something different/better.

 

If you book a guarantee and do not like your assignment your only option is to pay for a higher category. I know of only once where there was an exception to this rule.

 

 

Rochelle

[Theodorable]

"This is not possible. This is exactly the opposite of how guarantees work. There is no pot you can re-enter hoping for something different/better. If you book a guarantee and do not like your assignment your only option is to pay for a higher category. I know of only once where there was an exception to this rule."

 

 

 

Well...maybe we can agree that my experience and yours might be a bit different!

Edited August 8, 2014 by Theodorable

[rochelle_s]

"This is not possible. This is exactly the opposite of how guarantees work. There is no pot you can re-enter hoping for something different/better. If you book a guarantee and do not like your assignment your only option is to pay for a higher category. I know of only once where there was an exception to this rule."

 

 

 

Well...maybe we can agree that my experience and yours might be a bit different!

 

That is interesting. I have never heard of anyone on NCL booking a guarantee and when they got an assignment they disliked being able to ask for a reassignment within the same category. Can you give more details how you were able to get this to happen? Were you working through a TA? Or with a long time PCC?

 

Thanks

 

Rochelle

[Starry Eyes]

for the New Year cruise on the Star. I only booked last week and it is also an oceanview guarantee. I was looking on the online agency site that I use to book and saw that the price had dropped for my category. I called them this morning, was on hold for 5 minutes while they called Norwegian, and then I had my cruise fare adjusted to reflect the new price. I am very happy saving money and still keeping my $150 onboard credit I received.

 

Maybe rather than asking for an upgrade, just keep your guarantee and take the cheaper cruise fare. When the guarantee comes through, if you don't like where your cabin is, ask to be put back into the guarantee pot again.

 

Nicola

Nicola, I believe you got that price reduction because you are before the final payment date. Congrats on snagging the price drop:)...good job

 

The OP, on the other hand, is probably after final payment (based on cruises mentioned in prior posts). After final payment, price reductions should not be expected, per cruise line policies. Even so, OP got some kind, conciliatory offers from the cruise line (modest upgrade or a small OBC). Perhaps the OP is not familiar with the advice about looking gift horses in the mouth.

 

I have the impression that NCL is pretty firm with gty assignments. Other cruiselines tend to let people swap within the assigned category, but I do not hear of that working with NCL. I have never asked to go back in the pool, so I do ot know if it would work. I'd never count on that to work; if I cannot contentedly sail in ANY cabin in my gty category or higher, then I will not book that gty. Those are the terms of gty, and if one does not like the terms, one should make a different (possibly more expensive, sometimes much more expensive) booking choice.

[Theodorable]

Nicola,

I have the impression that NCL is pretty firm with gty assignments. Other cruiselines tend to let people swap within the assigned category, but I do not hear of that working with NCL. I have never asked to go back in the pool, so I do ot know if it would work. I'd never count on that to work; if I cannot contentedly sail in ANY cabin in my gty category or higher, then I will not book that gty. Those are the terms of gty, and if one does not like the terms, one should make a different (possibly more expensive, sometimes much more expensive) booking choice.

 

 

You are right Starry Eyes...I have been on so many cruises that I am probably getting the lines mixed up as to where we went back into the guarantee pot. I know that with a guarantee I totally don't care where we are...we are happy to be on the ship....it is sometimes just fun going back in and seeing where we eventually end up.

 

Nicola

[Starry Eyes]

You are right Starry Eyes...I have been on so many cruises that I am probably getting the lines mixed up as to where we went back into the guarantee pot. I know that with a guarantee I totally don't care where we are...we are happy to be on the ship....it is sometimes just fun going back in and seeing where we eventually end up.

 

Nicola

Yeah, for me seeing where we end up with a gty is part of the fun. Unless I really had the absolute worst possible cabin assigned from a gty booking, I'd worry that begging to go into the pool would net me that worst cabin:eek:.

Only once I did get one of the two (tie) worst eligible cabins from a gty booking. Of course, we just accepted it and it really was fine for us (or I would not have booked gty). If that happens again, maybe I will call and ask to go back into the pool to see what they say. The worst they will say is "no", so the only thing I could lose is a bit of my time.