New 30-day policy for last-minute upgrades

[hawkeyetlse]

I just called NCL about some upcoming reservations, and the topic of possible price drops or upgrades came up. The agent told me that they will now only accept such requests 30 days or more before sailing. I guess the idea is that when they offer super last-minute fire sale fares, they actually want to attract new bookings and fill up the ship. They no longer allow people who are already booked to use these price drops to negotiate a better deal for themselves well after final payment (last-minute category upgrade or OBC).

 

The agent told me that this is a new policy that started last week. Has anyone else heard about this? If this is confirmed, then for those of you who have played the last-minute upgrade game in the past, the rules have changed… For people who like to book super last-minute, the rules have changed, too (Freestyle Choice only available for bookings at least 30 days ahead of sailing, also since the beginning of November).

[Jane Don]

Yep. On top of that, any bookings made less than 30 days prior are not eligible for a freestyle perk.

 

They want to prevent last minute bookings and last minute upgrades.

 

Just another change that devalues your experience.

[darkprayer]

I just called NCL about some upcoming reservations, and the topic of possible price drops or upgrades came up. The agent told me that they will now only accept such requests 30 days or more before sailing. I guess the idea is that when they offer super last-minute fire sale fares, they actually want to attract new bookings and fill up the ship. They no longer allow people who are already booked to use these price drops to negotiate a better deal for themselves well after final payment (last-minute category upgrade or OBC).

 

The agent told me that this is a new policy that started last week. Has anyone else heard about this? If this is confirmed, then for those of you who have played the last-minute upgrade game in the past, the rules have changed… For people who like to book super last-minute, the rules have changed, too (Freestyle Choice only available for bookings at least 30 days ahead of sailing, also since the beginning of November).

 

 

Yep! Just got told this same BS less then 10 minutes ago. With all the changes NCL has done lately. They are really starting to put a nasty taste in loyal past cruisers!

[insidecabin]

What happened to no more late discounts.

 

Now those that don't benefit from the perks just need to wait for the fire sale with no CHOICE.

 

RCI/X don't give perks on gty rates that's where the bargains are for the non drinkers.

[insidecabin]

This has sort of happened before when the choice changed end of month the eligible cruises would start a few weeks ahead in one case 2months with a special week for sailings in those 2 months.

[hawkeyetlse]

They want to prevent last minute bookings and last minute upgrades.

Like all cruise lines do, and who can blame them? Last-minute bargain hunters are the bane of the industry, and they devalue the experience for all the other passengers, too. (And I say this as someone who has booked super last minute many times.)

[punkincc]

Well, they may end up cutting off their noses to spite their faces on those cruises which are not selling well. Many who are late bookers, do so because they are on a strict budget when it comes to cruise fares. So when late bookers call, and no insides or ov are available but there are plenty of more expensive balcony, MiniSuites and havens available which the callers can't afford, they may end up calling another cruise line, especially when there is no extra incentive to book, like a drinks package thrown in.

 

One thing the upgrades accomplish is that it opens up lots of lower grade cabins which are more easily resold. They have my $ from the ocean view I booked, plus the money I paid to upgrade myself to those harder to sell balcony or mini suites, and now they get to resell "my" ocean view, which should not be all that difficult, especially if they do not withhold the regular incentives for booking offered any other time.

 

So does this mean the "fairies" will not be calling to offer upgrades and up sells any more in order to fill empty higher priced cabins and resell the cheaper ones? When they will no longer allow people to "volunteer" to fill them, that will make the job of the fairy much harder. I hope they ask for raises. And if they are no longer allowed to let passengers within the time frame upgrade/upsell, I guess we will have lots more sailings with many unbooked cabins.

 

Maybe they know what they are doing, but given recent events, I doubt if this has been thought through.

[hawkeyetlse]

I guess we will have lots more sailings with many unbooked cabins.

They already said earlier this year that they would be OK with empty cabins. They were probably bluffing to some extent, but if they really don't make any money off those last few cabins, and they have no other reason to court the customers who tend to book them, it doesn't make much difference if they are filled or not.

 

I didn't get all the details from the agent, she did not say anything about the upgrade fairy. I am sure NCL still allows themselves to offer upgrades whenever they feel like it, to whoever they feel like.

[Loonbeam]

Bear in mind there is a huge difference between having upgrades requested and OFFERING upgrades/upsells.

 

Nothing in this policy prevents them from moving someone up at no or low cost to make cheaper cabins available if they will sell. They can also offer an upsell promotion as well to all booked pax, etc.

 

What this does prevent is people booking those cheap cabins and hoping to jump up last minute for a much lower price than they otherwise might have paid.

 

I was shocked when I found out how close NCL allowed upchanges. For example, Princess rates lock in at final payment, 75 to 120 days out. Any promos past that are new bookings only which means you have to cancel and lose cabin choice and deposit/cancel fee to get the new rate.

[newmexicoNita]

ok, now let's look at it another way: Do hotels call and tell you when they are running a special? Of course not. Were you satisfied with the price when you booked your reservation? If you weren't you shouldn't have booked? If there was an increase which usually does happen, from the time you book until you sale how would you feel if NCL raised the price of your original reservation? You will always find someone who got a better deal than you and you will probably always find someone who paid more than you.

 

We just got a call a few minutes ago from our TA. Our sailing is almost 10 months away: She called to let us know the rate went down on our cruise because of a special that was offered yesterday. Not only are we saving $50 a person we are getting the limited dinner package. So, for about less than $1,200 a person including insurance we are getting a balcony with unlimited drinks and 4 dinners. We are also platinum so we get 2 more dinners. I guess we will not be using the MDR much. Should we have turned it down?

[mking8288]

Heck, as a matter of fact, just went on a fishing check :D - there are still last minute bargains for certain ship/sailing/itineraries on NCL.

 

Cross-checked doing a mock booking for availabilities - rock bottom pricing, IX for $399 p/p and $549 p/p for OX for new bookings, just no perks (on the "free" beverages or dining with the 18% "charges" or shorex or free WiFi)

 

One way or another, they will probably get someone to snatch those few :eek: remaining, unsold cabins to sail - just making it not worthwhile for those booked early & often at higher rates to keep the "free promo" to upgrade.

 

Changing the rules of the games - what else is new ;)

[hawkeyetlse]

So does this mean the "fairies" will not be calling to offer upgrades and up sells any more in order to fill empty higher priced cabins and resell the cheaper ones?

Another thing is that there was never an "OBC fairy" who called to offer you free money when they lowered the prices last minute in your cabin category. That is only available to those who call to ask for it, and now it sounds like they will be saying "no" within 30 days of sailing (although I didn't specifically discuss OBC with the phone rep I spoke with).

[aubreyc1988]

I have a Cruise Next Ultimate Booking set for 2017 and I was going to wait until the last minute to change the sail date to Jan 16th 2016 sailing. I booked on board and picked UBP as my perk

 

Will this affect me at all?

[roger001]

Although many things that NCL seems to be doing lately aggravate me, this is not one of them. I don't have a problem with any company that has this or a similar policy. These last minute "fire sales" are intended to gain at least some revenue from remaining merchandise. If a chance to buy at the lowest possible price fits into your schedule, then wait until the last minute and see if anything you would want is available...and if it is indeed actually at a reduced price. It may very well be at a higher price than you paid though. However, if you prefer the cream of the crop merchandise, best selections, most convenient schedule, etc, then when you are comfortable with those offers, buy then. However, don't expect the company to owe you the last minute "fire sale" price later....although you still have up until final payment to get a lower price if available. The only way "fire sale" prices being offered to all previous purchasers would to also require any price increases later to be charged previous purchaser also. You can't reasonably expect one without the other.

[jmele999]

I have a Cruise Next Ultimate Booking set for 2017 and I was going to wait until the last minute to change the sail date to Jan 16th 2016 sailing. I booked on board and picked UBP as my perk

 

Will this affect me at all?

 

Hi Aubrey,

 

That is a very good question. The new rule is that you have to book the cruise 30 days prior to sailing. However, since you already have the UBP, I don't see how they can deny you making the change. I can, however, see NCL updating the rule for the Cruise Next Ultimate. I am sure that you are going to get a good rate for waiting until the last possible minute.

[aubreyc1988]

Hi Aubrey,

 

That is a very good question. The new rule is that you have to book the cruise 30 days prior to sailing. However, since you already have the UBP, I don't see how they can deny you making the change. I can, however, see NCL updating the rule for the Cruise Next Ultimate. I am sure that you are going to get a good rate for waiting until the last possible minute.

 

I'll call the rewards dept to make sure - I was PLANNING on hopefully booking before 30 days, as the pick 2 promo is only good for sailings more than 30 days out, but was hoping the price might go down a little or a good black friday promo

 

Guess we shall see

 

But all these changes make my head spin

[Casino Comp Chick]

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Edited November 11, 2015 by iimmie

[abe3]

Yep. On top of that, any bookings made less than 30 days prior are not eligible for a freestyle perk.

 

They want to prevent last minute bookings and last minute upgrades.

 

Just another change that devalues your experience.

 

 

Only devalues your vacation if you let it. If you are comfortable with the price at the original booking that is all that should matter. If you can get a better price later great otherwise there is no devalue involved.

[Kingmaker_inc]

Just another change that devalues your experience.

 

 

Doesn't devalue my experience in any way. I book ahead of time, in the category I want and at a price I like. There has never been a case where I wanted to change at the last minute, and never an advantage to me.

 

My experience and yours may differ.

[insidecabin]

Where cruises are already selling below UBP "cost to buy" if they remove the perk the discounts will need to be deep.

 

 

I suspect cabin dumping will happen earlier in the sale cycles to reduce inventory, been working on epic winter trips.

[rvsullivan]

In Mr. Del Rio's investor call a few days ago, that everyone was quoting, he made an interesting comment. Advance booking are already at, I believe he said, 50% and he didn't want it any higher than that. That is a huge advance booking percentage. They have no need for fire sales with that kind of advance booking.

We book 1-2 years in advance and have never once found a lower price that made sense to change for. We pick our deal and never look back.

It's a brave new world for cruisers on NCL, and I for one like it!!

[insidecabin]

Since CHOICE started they doubled the money sitting on account for advanced sales not seen the latest numbers.

[drvalo]

Yep. On top of that, any bookings made less than 30 days prior are not eligible for a freestyle perk.

 

They want to prevent last minute bookings and last minute upgrades.

 

Just another change that devalues your experience.

 

Actually, I would like to have rock bottom prices without the promos. I don't see this as a devalued experience at all. The current promos are of no interest to me. I would not even drink enough to break even on paying the gratuity...same pretty much goes for the dinners. We would use the wifi, but right now the prices on our next cruise would mean we could just pay for wifi and come out ahead. We might use the excursion one, but we usually don't pay for an excursion at every port, so no way to get full value and it would cost more money (we do usually book through NCL, though). When we booked, we got the comped gratuity/DSC which was of value to us as we always pay that.

 

We also had some good friends who wanted to cruise with us, but they chose a different line with a similar itinerary because of how high the fares were and that they, too, did not find much value in the promos last month.

 

All that said, someone on my December cruise roll call just this evening paid to upgrade from OV to Balcony. So, at least, it seems, NCL is still permitting paid upgrades, so the upsell fairy may still be calling. :)

[NMLady]

I just called NCL about some upcoming reservations, and the topic of possible price drops or upgrades came up. The agent told me that they will now only accept such requests 30 days or more before sailing. I guess the idea is that when they offer super last-minute fire sale fares, they actually want to attract new bookings and fill up the ship. They no longer allow people who are already booked to use these price drops to negotiate a better deal for themselves well after final payment (last-minute category upgrade or OBC).

 

The agent told me that this is a new policy that started last week. Has anyone else heard about this? If this is confirmed, then for those of you who have played the last-minute upgrade game in the past, the rules have changed… For people who like to book super last-minute, the rules have changed, too (Freestyle Choice only available for bookings at least 30 days ahead of sailing, also since the beginning of November).

 

I have no problem with that. I have always felt that final payment should be just that, final. If prices go up, people don't expect to pay extra. So, if prices go down and are for new bookings only, it should be for new bookings only.

 

I think the cruise line is being generous in letting folks change bookings without cancelling penalties after final payment.

[SuiteCruiser]

In Mr. Del Rio's investor call a few days ago, that everyone was quoting, he made an interesting comment. Advance booking are already at, I believe he said, 50% and he didn't want it any higher than that. That is a huge advance booking percentage. They have no need for fire sales with that kind of advance booking.

We book 1-2 years in advance and have never once found a lower price that made sense to change for. We pick our deal and never look back.

It's a brave new world for cruisers on NCL, and I for one like it!!

 

Sounds great, except for ships sailing far below capacity. FDR said there would be no dropping of prices after final payment date. That lasted maybe a month and a half when they realized they were in trouble.

 

This new move makes sense for a line struggling to meet their revenue targets. Why discount the room (which they said they would not do) and then on top of it provide free drinks and meals, when the whole point of discounting the room was to get the onboard revenue.

 

Clearly plan A backfired, so they're going with plan B.

 

I too, have no problem with it, I need to plan further out than 30 days, but it's a sign that their big plan has major cracks in it.