NCL have changed my booking from US DOllars to Euros so it costs me more!!!

[raining cats and dogs]

Not sure why you think you could get US prices when you do not reside in the US

If you book through the NCL website you are quoted in dollars even if you do not live in the USA. I booked for our cruise on line and I stay in South Africa. The initial Rand/Dollar exchange was R11.64/1 $ in March when I paid the deposit . By the time I made my last payment in July the exchange rate was R13.51/1$ . It is now R14.07/1$. This may account for what appears to be an increase in price but definitely not a 300 UK pound rise.

[newmexicoNita]

I need some help please. I made a booking on NCL.com for a cruise on the NCL Spirit next year. The reason I made the booking on the US website rather than the EU or UK site is that it was about £300 cheaper. I paid my deposit in US Dollars and even printed the confirmation page as it showed the cost of the cruise, the deposit that I had paid and the outstanding balance. All of this was in US Dollars. I have noticed that when I log into my online NCL account, my booking is now showing as a different amount in Euros! This means the cruise I have booked is now costing me nearly £300 more than it should. I wrote to NCL and a very unhelpful lady called Katharina Merxhani is telling me that I made the booking on their EU site even though I sent them a scan of the page I printed which quite clearly showed everything in US Dollars and even had the US website address at the top of the page. Has this ever happened to anyone else and if so, what is the best way to handle it? Thanks for any help in advance.

 

I am not sure why you think you can pay in US $s. Have you dont this before? If you were actually in the USA when you booked and paid in full that might be one thing, but I can't understand why you think you can live in one country and book through anoter country's website. Maybe I am just not informed on these things. I am guessing the only thing you can do at this time, is to contact the UK NCL center and see if they can explain it to you.

Edited October 31, 2015 by newmexicoNita

[Demonyte]

I am not sure why you think you can pay in US $s. Have you dont this before?

 

 

If you had read the whole discussion, you'd have seen that doing this is completely normal and hundreds if not thousands of people do that all the time, and there are people posting already in this thread that have made the same wrong assumptions as you.

[hamrag]

If you had read the whole discussion, you'd have seen that doing this is completely normal and hundreds if not thousands of people do that all the time, and there are people posting already in this thread that have made the same wrong assumptions as you.

 

Agreed, we have the same experience and used a US T/A on numerous occasions for NCL cruises. Our most recent booking, for next year, was in CAD via a Canadian TA with fab rates due to the CAD rate right now!

 

Maybe the best solution is to stick with a US/Canadian T/A, rather than book directly with NCL. There are advantages in doing so, and I have never had a problem getting price drops when we ask!

Edited October 31, 2015 by hamrag

[cclarke12]

If you book through the NCL website you are quoted in dollars even if you do not live in the USA. I booked for our cruise on line and I stay in South Africa. The initial Rand/Dollar exchange was R11.64/1 $ in March when I paid the deposit . By the time I made my last payment in July the exchange rate was R13.51/1$ . It is now R14.07/1$. This may account for what appears to be an increase in price but definitely not a 300 UK pound rise.

 

The UK site quotes in Sterling not Dollars. If you are in mainland Europe the price is quoted in Euro.

[cclarke12]

What also makes no sense is why NCL would change to a Euro booking when the client is based in the UK. A few people are arguing that it is probably because someone has to book in country they are resident in and pay the relevant currency (which isn't true) - in which case the booking would have been transferred to the UK reservations and charged in Sterling.

[Demonyte]

Maybe the best solution is to stick with a US/Canadian T/A, rather than book directly with NCL. There are advantages in doing so, and I have never had a problem getting price drops when we ask!

 

That is so true. I find it funny how some people here think that paying a premium for booking direct is a good thing when you can get better service and significantly cheaper prices through a good TA. Each to their own.

[mypleasure]

I am not sure why you think you can pay in US $s. Have you dont this before? If you were actually in the USA when you booked and paid in full that might be one thing, but I can't understand why you think you can live in one country and book through anoter country's website. Maybe I am just not informed on these things. I am guessing the only thing you can do at this time, is to contact the UK NCL center and see if they can explain it to you.

 

 

I am another of those people who always books in the US with a Miami based, NCL employed PCC. My confirmation is always in my email in minutes and everything is priced in USD and the terms are as per US terms and conditions.

As for payment, I pay my deposit in USD on my American Express or other card or using a cruise reward and pay the final balance in USD via a card. I also pay my final bill when getting off the ship, which is always billed in USD with whichever card I put down at the port.

 

I have sailed on 16 NCL cruises this way and have a further 3 currently booked. I cannot understand what has gone wrong for the OP but it has caused me to log in to my NCL and check my 3 future bookings and can say that at this moment they are fine and still in USD.

 

I do think it odd that the question is about a cruise booked in USD being changed to Euro since that isn't the currency of the UK either. I am wondering if this is something to do with website cookies. As previously said when we try to visit ncl.com we seem to always be redirected as we have non us IP addresses so have to use the "back door" to get in. I wonder if ncl.uk and other offices are then placing cookies and it is this that is causing this problem to have occurred.

[js]

I did email them a scan of the page and they have confirmed that they received it and read it and yet they still deny I booked the cruise in USD!!!

 

 

Hi. I didnt read every post but how far out are you? Can you just cancel and rebook with a US agent over the phone?

[MSH from Norway]

I assume you are talking about VPNs to make it look like your PC is in the US so your browser doesnt redirect you to the UK or EU site???

 

 

Yes....:D

 

But not only US.

A lot of different countries......

[RDC1]

Interesting comment.

 

If NCL have changed the booking from US to UK, it can't be cancelled without loosing the deposit!

 

Not normally. However, if he does have documentation that he booked at price A and it was changed to price B under different terms and conditions and paid the deposit by credit card then he would most likely win a protest through his credit card.

 

What he would not win to be able to go on the cruise at the lower price, IF NCL term and conditions say that he needed to book at the non-US rate.

[RDC1]

There is nothing to say a UK resident can not book a cruise on the US website. Looking at many websites, thousands of people have done this with no problem. Of course, I supplied my real UK address and real UK passport number (it would be a bit stupid not to) The T&C has nothing stating I can not make this booking.

 

Not sure about that. Do a search on this site. People have off and on reported about not being able to book under US terms on the NCL web site, based upon country.

 

If I was not currently sitting on a Princess ship (Princess I know enforces that restriction when it comes to the UK), I would call the US office for NCL and ask if they allow UK residents to book directly under the US pricing terms.

 

The UK is a bit unique with the travel protection regulations. Under it if a cruise line actively offers it product for sale in the UK, which apparently they do with a UK web site. Then UK travel protections would apply. The law does not give protections to a company if the buyer goes around the UK web site (have not been able to find any case law to determine if legal interpretation does give such protections) and goes directly to the US web site. As such it is certainly possible that a UK resident could claim such protections, which places the cruise lines at higher risk of loss then under US law. The law simply says offers for sale within the UK.

 

As I understand it, from talking with some folks in the cruise industry, it is one of the reasons why some lines with a legal presence in the UK, do not allow UK residents to purchase from the US site. under US terms and protections and have even blocked US based TAs from booking such.

[Demonyte]

Not sure about that. Do a search on this site. People have off and on reported about not being able to book under US terms on the NCL web site, based upon country.

 

 

Please do such search yourself and prove those claims.

 

As said, I've booked through NCL's US site for years even though they try to redirect me to CE site if going on the frontpage. Redirecting from the frontpage has nothing to do with ability to book there under US T&C, in USD.