Booked a 2021 cruise 6 weeks ago and the price has since dropped...

[Rob32]

We booked and paid a deposit on a Haven cruise in 2021, we paid the deposit but are miles away from the final payment. 
 

I have done a “mock” booking after the latest Black Friday promotion and if we were to book the exact same holiday with the exact same benefits right now it would cost approx €800 less. 
 

I just rang NCL to see if I could avail of the lower rate and I was told that the only way I could do that would be to cancel the booking and book again. However, I was told that the cancellation fee would be €1,927 and therefore it would not be worth my whole as we would be losing money!
 

I have read loads of posts on here of people who have booked a cruise and then availed of lower prices when there’s been a price drop. However, in this case the NCL person told me I couldn’t do it. Am I doing something wrong?

 

I’m making the booking from Ireland in case there’s a difference between how US and Europe customers are treated. 
 

Any advice would be much appreciated. 
 

Thanks. 

[smplybcause]

I don't know about the rules in Ireland. I know in the US it's a refundable deposit so we can reprice/rebook to our hearts content until final payment.

 

I know reading on here that those in England cannot. They have non-refundable deposits and repricing the cruise counts as a cancel and rebook. Sounds like Ireland has similar laws/rules/whatever to England. 

Edited December 5, 2019 by smplybcause

[PTC DAWG]

That doesn't sound right to me....I agree on the cancel and rebook aspect, the cancellation fee doesn't seem correct to me

[jjc8]

This looks like a classic case of “call  back and try again”.  You might get a different outcome 

[KeithJenner]

Yes, as you are in Ireland, you would lose your deposit if you cancelled and rebooked.

 

I'm not sure of the exact rules in Ireland, but I suspect that the cancellation fee is that high due to it being a Haven booking. In non suite cabins, booking in the UK, it is usually somewhere between £100 and about £300 depending on deals. I know that Suites are often higher.

 

US rules are irrelevant, I'm afraid. Stories of cancelling and rebooking without losing your deposit generally come from the US.

 

By all means try phoning again, but I would be very surprised if you get a different outcome.

Edited December 5, 2019 by KeithJenner

[gmbhardy]

2 hours ago, KeithJenner said:

Yes, as you are in Ireland, you would lose your deposit if you cancelled and rebooked.

 

I'm not sure of the exact rules in Ireland, but I suspect that the cancellation fee is that high due to it being a Haven booking. In non suite cabins, booking in the UK, it is usually somewhere between £100 and about £300 depending on deals. I know that Suites are often higher.

 

US rules are irrelevant, I'm afraid. Stories of cancelling and rebooking without losing your deposit generally come from the US.

 

By all means try phoning again, but I would be very surprised if you get a different outcome.

if that’s the policy for customers over the pond, that really sucks, big time.

[mjkacmom]

1 minute ago, gmbhardy said:

if that’s the policy for customers over the pond, that really sucks, big time.

It is, I think due to their better consumer protection laws.

[DinaS]

I believe that's how it works over there.

 

Personally, I would never book anything with a "non-refundable" deposit that far out, but that's just me.

[KeithJenner]

It is very common for deposits to be non refundable over here. It is basically what I would expect whenever a deposit is required, unless it was stated otherwise.

 

However, the amount being talked about in this example is a lot higher than most people pay (due to being a suite). As I stated earlier, for normal cabins it is a lot less. Very often just £100.

[njkate]

On 12/5/2019 at 4:34 PM, KeithJenner said:

It is very common for deposits to be non refundable over here. It is basically what I would expect whenever a deposit is required, unless it was stated otherwise.

 

However, the amount being talked about in this example is a lot higher than most people pay (due to being a suite). As I stated earlier, for normal cabins it is a lot less. Very often just £100.

Yes the deposit is that high because it's a Haven, that amount of deposit is what you would also pay here in the US, but we are able to cancel and rebook before final payment without losing the deposit

[Trimone]

I booked about 6 months ago, using cruise credits as deposits, I cancelled the cruise last week and rebooked, I only lost £50 each deposits, I was refunded the balance on to the two cc I used. Always book directly with NCL, Tim Hancock and Nikki are brilliant at their jobs...

[zqvol]

On 12/5/2019 at 1:23 PM, Rob32 said:

We booked and paid a deposit on a Haven cruise in 2021, we paid the deposit but are miles away from the final payment. 
 

I have done a “mock” booking after the latest Black Friday promotion and if we were to book the exact same holiday with the exact same benefits right now it would cost approx €800 less. 
 

I just rang NCL to see if I could avail of the lower rate and I was told that the only way I could do that would be to cancel the booking and book again. However, I was told that the cancellation fee would be €1,927 and therefore it would not be worth my whole as we would be losing money!
 

I have read loads of posts on here of people who have booked a cruise and then availed of lower prices when there’s been a price drop. However, in this case the NCL person told me I couldn’t do it. Am I doing something wrong?

 

I’m making the booking from Ireland in case there’s a difference between how US and Europe customers are treated. 
 

Any advice would be much appreciated. 
 

Thanks. 

The rules in the US are different than in Europe. In the US a simply phone call would allow you to make the change. Your best bet is to rely on your tavel professional for assistance. If you booked on your own, all you can do is call NCL and ask. If you don't like the answer call two or three times to see if you get a different answer.

[SpainAlien]

On 12/7/2019 at 6:14 PM, Trimone said:

I booked about 6 months ago, using cruise credits as deposits, I cancelled the cruise last week and rebooked, I only lost £50 each deposits, I was refunded the balance on to the two cc I used. Always book directly with NCL, Tim Hancock and Nikki are brilliant at their jobs...

Hi Trimone

 

I am in Spain and having exactly the same trouble as the OP except my deposit was much lower.  When I booked I was told that if there was a better offer I could be moved onto that but when the Black Friday sale gave a better price I called my PCP and was told no way.  Could you posibly give the phone number for your PCP?

 

Many thanks

 

Gail

[KeithJenner]

20 minutes ago, SpainAlien said:

Hi Trimone

 

I am in Spain and having exactly the same trouble as the OP except my deposit was much lower.  When I booked I was told that if there was a better offer I could be moved onto that but when the Black Friday sale gave a better price I called my PCP and was told no way.  Could you posibly give the phone number for your PCP?

 

Many thanks

 

Gail

It depends a lot on what deals were on when you booked.

 

Recently, there have been £100 deposit deals, which I assume was the case when Trimone booked, and is why they just lost £50 each (£100 total). I had the same situation when I last cancelled.

 

Unfortunately, if you didn't book during one of those deals, your deposit will be higher (maybe €200-250).

 

I may be wrong, but I don't believe that the staff you speak to have much (if any) leeway with these things. The deposit is what it is and is extremely unlikely to change regardless of who you speak to.

[Trimone]

Tim Hancock NCL 023 8124 5156.

please note I was prepared to lose my two vouchers at £192 each, it’s only when he called back he told me I had only left £50 each deposits .