Price Drop?

[CruzinKristin]

I've noticed that my cruise that I have booked in June has went down about $400.  Will Norwegian give me the difference like other cruise lines will?

 

Thanks!

[luv2kroooz]

They may give you some or all back as an onboard credit, they may offer an upgrade, or they may do nothing. I would ask for what you want. Be polite and good luck.

[FranknBeans]

I would appreciate you posting your outcome for myself and others to  see. Thanks.

[CruzinKristin]

Just got off the phone... They offered me an upgraded room.  I went from Deck 7 to Deck 10.   I was also offered a room on Deck 11, but the room on 10 was better.

 

The lady on the phone, her name was Deb; was very helpful - I had asked if I could just get the "free at sea" offers since I booked a sail away rate.  I just wanted the dining and the internet.  She said that they won't do that, but will do upgraded rooms or sometimes a percentage of the difference in OBC, depending on what the supervisor wants to offer.

[wayneb1973]

My cruise in April went down by £80 last Friday (I only booked the just cruise rate), I spoke to my PCC and was given a 3 meal speciality dining package. I was happy with that. It's since gone by a further £80. So it's always worth asking to see if they will offer anything. 

[spanishguy1970]

3 minutes ago, wayneb1973 said:

My cruise in April went down by £80 last Friday (I only booked the just cruise rate), I spoke to my PCC and was given a 3 meal speciality dining package. I was happy with that. It's since gone by a further £80. So it's always worth asking to see if they will offer anything. 

we booked last Monday a last minute inside guarantee and then that same week on thursday the Balcony guarantee was a 100 dollars less than what we paid for the inside guarantee, needless to say we called our TA and we got the upgrade to a Balcony. It never hurts to ask :-)...

[LKJ5]

I had booked a guaranteed room back in October and the price has gone down. I called and apparently because they put me in a mid-ship room they will not do anything for me. Tried though.

Edited March 5, 2019 by LKJ5

[robin13]

I was past final payment when I saw that the mini suite was $400 cheaper than the balcony cabin I paid for.  I called NCL and they agreed to upgrade me for free to the mini suite as long as I agreed to a gty cabin.  I was fine with that as all of the mini suites were mid ship which is what I wanted.  I'm so glad that I called when I did as now the mini suites are sold out for my cruise.

[spanishguy1970]

On 3/5/2019 at 8:05 AM, CruzinKristin said:

I've noticed that my cruise that I have booked in June has went down about $400.  Will Norwegian give me the difference like other cruise lines will?

 

Thanks!

NCL is getting greedy and quite frankly annoying. We booked an inside guarantee cabin on our coming April, transatlantic cruise. A day later we were given our stateroom #. 2 days later the price went down and the  Balcony guarantee was a $ 100 dollars cheaper than the inside. Yes, we paid in full since it was passed the deadline. Our Travel agent upgraded us to the Balcony guarantee for free. We found out later that NCL wanted to charge us fees etc for changing cabins, fortunately she got them to agree to let it go, due to the fact we are Platinum Plus and cruise a lot with them.  We are also bidding for a Spa Balcony and  Spa mini suite. I just think is ridiculous that even though the Balcony was cheaper than what we paid for the inside they wanted to charge us more...unbelievable...

[zqvol]

On 3/5/2019 at 8:05 AM, CruzinKristin said:

I've noticed that my cruise that I have booked in June has went down about $400.  Will Norwegian give me the difference like other cruise lines will?

 

Thanks!

 

Is it prior to final payment? If so they will give you the new price but you get the current perks.

[Notnewtoit]

Just an FYI... Our August Alaska Haven booking has now gone down by $800pp in two steps ($600pp and $200pp). Happens that we are still ahead of final payment but I had paid in full anyway. On the occasion of both price drops I called NCL and asked for a price reduction and in both cases they honored the request in full with a refund back to my CC for each passenger without blinking, so overall I'm now $1600 better off. 

 

I'm not sure if they treat Haven (and/or Platinum) customers with a little more generosity due to the original high rack price or not (one might hope that they do recognize loyalty) . Nonetheless in answer to the OP, I cannot fault NCL based upon my experiences... a polite phone call has yielded great riches; always worth trying.

Edited March 6, 2019 by Notnewtoit

[Budget Queen]

1 hour ago, Notnewtoit said:

Just an FYI... Our August Alaska Haven booking has now gone down by $800pp in two steps ($600pp and $200pp). Happens that we are still ahead of final payment but I had paid in full anyway. On the occasion of both price drops I called NCL and asked for a price reduction and in both cases they honored the request in full with a refund back to my CC for each passenger without blinking, so overall I'm now $1600 better off. 

 

I'm not sure if they treat Haven (and/or Platinum) customers with a little more generosity due to the original high rack price or not (one might hope that they do recognize loyalty) . Nonetheless in answer to the OP, I cannot fault NCL based upon my experiences... a polite phone call has yielded great riches; always worth trying.

It's  the final payment date that matters,   NOT when you paid.   You were prior to final payment? 

 You also could have simply canceled and rebooked,   resulting  in the SAME outcome.   There are thousands of  Platinums/++,   I highly doubt any of that matters.   Although some seem to think it should.   I happen to not.    :)    

[FitchburgWIFamily]

Before final payment, you can re-book the same room and be refunded the difference, but you get the perks that are offered at that time.  I have done this twice so far for our upcoming November cruise which inexplicably is dropping in $80.00 increments (no, I didn't forget a zero there) as the perks haven't changed.

 

After final payment, you  can use the money you paid for your room to upgrade to another room.  I have done this do go from a family suite without a balcony to one with, and from a mini suite to a full-on aft suite.   

[esm54687]

3 hours ago, spanishguy1970 said:

NCL is getting greedy and quite frankly annoying. We booked an inside guarantee cabin on our coming April, transatlantic cruise. A day later we were given our stateroom #. 2 days later the price went down and the  Balcony guarantee was a $ 100 dollars cheaper than the inside. Yes, we paid in full since it was passed the deadline. Our Travel agent upgraded us to the Balcony guarantee for free. We found out later that NCL wanted to charge us fees etc for changing cabins, fortunately she got them to agree to let it go, due to the fact we are Platinum Plus and cruise a lot with them.  We are also bidding for a Spa Balcony and  Spa mini suite. I just think is ridiculous that even though the Balcony was cheaper than what we paid for the inside they wanted to charge us more...unbelievable...

Just curious if the situation was reversed and the inside guarantee increased $100....... would you call and insist on paying the additional amount?  What if you found out your neighbor paid more than you did for the exact room, etc would you hand them a check to split the difference? 

 

I think NCL is very generous to provide any type of refund (in the form of upgrade or OBC) when it's past final payment.....

 

[spanishguy1970]

13 minutes ago, esm54687 said:

Just curious if the situation was reversed and the inside guarantee increased $100....... would you call and insist on paying the additional amount?  What if you found out your neighbor paid more than you did for the exact room, etc would you hand them a check to split the difference? 

 

I think NCL is very generous to provide any type of refund (in the form of upgrade or OBC) when it's past final payment.....

 

are you seriously asking that question? would you? don't deflect on the issue here, The price went down, i caught it, we had just paid the final payment. They could have said no from the beginning and we would not have made an issue of it, however as i said, my Travel agent made the switch and once the switch was made that's when they wanted more money even though the balcony was cheaper than an inside....so with all due respect, your question and hypothetical  have no relevance...

Edited March 6, 2019 by spanishguy1970

[PTC DAWG]

3 hours ago, spanishguy1970 said:

NCL is getting greedy and quite frankly annoying. We booked an inside guarantee cabin on our coming April, transatlantic cruise. A day later we were given our stateroom #. 2 days later the price went down and the  Balcony guarantee was a $ 100 dollars cheaper than the inside. Yes, we paid in full since it was passed the deadline. Our Travel agent upgraded us to the Balcony guarantee for free. We found out later that NCL wanted to charge us fees etc for changing cabins, fortunately she got them to agree to let it go, due to the fact we are Platinum Plus and cruise a lot with them.  We are also bidding for a Spa Balcony and  Spa mini suite. I just think is ridiculous that even though the Balcony was cheaper than what we paid for the inside they wanted to charge us more...unbelievable...

But they didn’t charge you more.....my TA likes to make herself look good too. 🙂

[spanishguy1970]

1 minute ago, PTC DAWG said:

But they didn’t charge you more.....my TA likes to make herself look good too. 🙂

Lol,  no they did not and i thought of that....but we have had her for 6 years now, and she really is good...:-)😀

[esm54687]

5 minutes ago, spanishguy1970 said:

are you seriously asking that question? would you? don't deflect on the issue here, The price went down, i caught it, i had just paid the final payment. They could have said no from the beginning and i would not have made an issue of it, however as i said, my Travel agent made the switch and once the switch was made that's when they wanted more money even though the balcony was cheaper than an inside....so with all due respect, your question and hypothetical  have no relevance...

um, yes I am seriously asking the question..... you ended your post with "unbelievable" that NCL wanted you to pay to adjust your T&Cs that you agreed to by making final payment.

 

My hypothetical is certainly relevant because you wouldn't call NCL up and beg them to pay more if the price went in the other direction.

 

I do agree that my neighbor hypothetical makes zero sense but it made perfect sense when I wrote it. 

[spanishguy1970]

1 minute ago, esm54687 said:

um, yes I am seriously asking the question..... you ended your post with "unbelievable" that NCL wanted you to pay to adjust your T&Cs that you agreed to by making final payment.

 

My hypothetical is certainly relevant because you wouldn't call NCL up and beg them to pay more if the price went in the other direction.

 

I do agree that my neighbor hypothetical makes zero sense but it made perfect sense when I wrote it. 

Again they could have said no. I am hardly the only one that calls when prices go down asking for more OBC or an upgrade and i am sure that i wont be the last one. You question just makes no sense because no one in their right mind would do that, and i am sure you would not either, that is why your question just sounds silly IMHO....

[CruzinKristin]

4 hours ago, spanishguy1970 said:

NCL is getting greedy and quite frankly annoying. We booked an inside guarantee cabin on our coming April, transatlantic cruise. A day later we were given our stateroom #. 2 days later the price went down and the  Balcony guarantee was a $ 100 dollars cheaper than the inside. Yes, we paid in full since it was passed the deadline. Our Travel agent upgraded us to the Balcony guarantee for free. We found out later that NCL wanted to charge us fees etc for changing cabins, fortunately she got them to agree to let it go, due to the fact we are Platinum Plus and cruise a lot with them.  We are also bidding for a Spa Balcony and  Spa mini suite. I just think is ridiculous that even though the Balcony was cheaper than what we paid for the inside they wanted to charge us more...unbelievable...

 

I absolutely agree that NCL appears to be greedy and annoying.  This is my 1st experience with NCL and could possibly be my last.  I am shocked by the price differences compared to other lines.  The website is also clunky and hard to navigate.   The only reason that we chose NCL was for the itinerary.

 

At the time of the price drop, we were also paid in full since it was passed the deadline.  Are price drops past the full payment deadline typical for NCL?  If so, I could see how this could be a major turn off for current and prospective travelers.

 

I'm OK with the outcome after calling...however, I would have probably been happier getting my $400 back.

[CruzinKristin]

4 hours ago, zqvol said:

 

Is it prior to final payment? If so they will give you the new price but you get the current perks.

 

My booking was already paid in full.  Final payment was due mid February.   I had booked the sail away balcony rate that did not include any of the "free at sea" perks.   I still do not have perks.   I did ask if I could keep my balcony that was assigned upon booking and get the "free at sea" perks with the price difference.  My request was denied.

[luv2kroooz]

1 hour ago, esm54687 said:

Just curious if the situation was reversed and the inside guarantee increased $100....... would you call and insist on paying the additional amount?  What if you found out your neighbor paid more than you did for the exact room, etc would you hand them a check to split the difference? 

 

I think NCL is very generous to provide any type of refund (in the form of upgrade or OBC) when it's past final payment.....

 

I think this is a foolish suggestion. NCL customers are regularly hunting for bargains. People want the most for the least. It is human nature. So, to resolve your curiosity, I don't know anyone who would offer to pay a higher price today for something they bought yesterday for less money. 

 

It's like the price guarantees at the big box stores...if you buy something today, that price is guaranteed for 30, 60 , 90 days. If you find a lower price for the same item, they'll refund you the difference. 

 

I do agree it is nice of them to do anything after final payment. Many lines do nothing.

 

I know NCL regularly overstates their pricing early on, so I have solved this by booking last minute. I know this is not an option for many though. If I couldn't sail last minute, I would not sail NCL as their rates are not competitive far in advance.

[luv2kroooz]

19 minutes ago, CruzinKristin said:

 

Are price drops past the full payment deadline typical for NCL?  

Yes yes and yes.

They regularly dump cabins between 2 and 21 days prior to sailing to fill their ships.

Enough people book early on at inflated prices so they can dump cabins cheaply. The result is a huge price disparity for the same product.

I predict they will continue this practice unless or until enough people catch on to the scheme and start booking closer to sailing date.

[FitchburgWIFamily]

24 minutes ago, CruzinKristin said:

At the time of the price drop, we were also paid in full since it was passed the deadline.  Are price drops past the full payment deadline typical for NCL?  If so, I could see how this could be a major turn off for current and prospective travelers.

Price drops after final payment are common across all cruise lines.

 

If there are empty rooms after the final payment date, the rate on those rooms will be reduced to try to lure a few last minute lurkers to join the cruise.

 

NCL has limited the number of better rooms it drops the price on with its new bidding system...it can get more money by offering balconies and mini-suites and even suites to passengers who paid full price for insides or ocean views for an up charge.

 

Some cruise lines take all their unsold inventory off line and give it to brokers to sell at the discounted rates, so customers who paid more don't see those rooms as available at a lower rate.

 

Charging different prices is an travel industry standard: hotel rooms, plane tickets, Amtrak tickets all have different rates depending on when you book.

 

Our RCI cruise at the end of this month that we booked months ago is less now than we we booked it.  It is almost full, but they still have discounted fares.  However, they are no longer allowing 4 pax to a room, so I am glad I booked when I did.

 

This is not an NCL thing.

[esm54687]

46 minutes ago, blcruising said:

I think this is a foolish suggestion. NCL customers are regularly hunting for bargains. People want the most for the least. It is human nature. So, to resolve your curiosity, I don't know anyone who would offer to pay a higher price today for something they bought yesterday for less money. 

 

It's like the price guarantees at the big box stores...if you buy something today, that price is guaranteed for 30, 60 , 90 days. If you find a lower price for the same item, they'll refund you the difference. 

You are missing my point and based on your "big box" example you really don't understand what I said. 

 

The big box store has a price guarantee (T&Cs) that states they will will refund the difference whereas NCL (and many other cruise lines or airlines) have T&Cs that states price reductions that occur after the final payment date are not subject to refund.  

 

This is not a matter of bargain shopping, it is the unrealistic expectation that NCL should refund if there is a price reduction. Of course I would try for a refund myself but if I received a "no" my reaction would not be negative or of disappointment. 

 

If I buy a car in November for a price I was happy with but in December the same car at the same dealership has a $1,500 cash back incentive...... you bet I'm going to try and have them apply it to my purchase but if they so "no" then I don't say "well, Target will give me a refund on my radio purchase then you should"