mlmurrah Posted October 22, 2023 #1 Share Posted October 22, 2023 We booked an NCL cruise in Hawaii several days ago. The next day we received a sales brochure in the mail from NCL that included our cruise at substantially lower price per person. It also stated free airfare, free open bar, free specialty dining, and free wifi. To be fair we already had some of these in our reservation. I called United Cruises, our booking agent, and they knew nothing about these fares and suggested we call NCL directly. I did so, and the NCL person could not find the pricing I was talking about. She said only that prices in such brochures are subject to change and that I should consult the web site. That seems deceptive to me. Otherwise why even bother looking at mail offers from NCL? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketMan275 Posted October 22, 2023 #2 Share Posted October 22, 2023 1 minute ago, mlmurrah said: We booked an NCL cruise in Hawaii several days ago. The next day we received a sales brochure in the mail from NCL that included our cruise at substantially lower price per person. It also stated free airfare, free open bar, free specialty dining, and free wifi. To be fair we already had some of these in our reservation. I called United Cruises, our booking agent, and they knew nothing about these fares and suggested we call NCL directly. I did so, and the NCL person could not find the pricing I was talking about. She said only that prices in such brochures are subject to change and that I should consult the web site. That seems deceptive to me. Otherwise why even bother looking at mail offers from NCL? Brochure pricing is best described as: "Manufactured Suggested Retail Pricing". IOW, it's as valid as the window sticker on a car. It does have one usage in that some travel agents will base their 50% savings prices off of Brochure pricing. "free airfare, free open bar, free specialty dining, and free wifi." Nothing is 'free'. Included is a better word. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IAcruising Posted October 22, 2023 #3 Share Posted October 22, 2023 (edited) 9 minutes ago, mlmurrah said: The next day we received a sales brochure in the mail from NCL that included our cruise at substantially lower price per person. ... That seems deceptive to me. Otherwise why even bother looking at mail offers from NCL? Was price in the brochure for the exact same cabin/deck/section of the ship as you booked? Unlikely. "Deceptive" is a subjective term. Edited October 22, 2023 by IAcruising 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlmurrah Posted October 22, 2023 Author #4 Share Posted October 22, 2023 (edited) 14 minutes ago, IAcruising said: Was price in the brochure for the exact same cabin/deck/section of the ship as you booked? Unlikely. "Deceptive" is a subjective term. No way to tell. The NCL person could not find the fare even though it waw in their brochure and did not ask me about my reservation. Not very attentive customer service. Edited October 22, 2023 by mlmurrah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russiamomm Posted October 22, 2023 #5 Share Posted October 22, 2023 “Brochure” prices are never accurate, the price of any particular cruise depends on any number of factors, and can change daily, not the least of which is how close you are to sailing and how full the ship is. Check NCL’s website for the price any particular day. The “perks” you mention are pretty standard for any NCL ship. They are part of the “Free at Sea” packages, which are always offered, although some promotions (such as the 3rd and fourth traveler sails free” can change. As others have mentioned, these perks aren’t necessarily “free”. You need to pay the gratuities for the drink and dining packages, but you don’t need to take them. Spend some time on these boards and on NCL’s website. It’s all explained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
D_And_K_gocruising Posted October 22, 2023 #6 Share Posted October 22, 2023 I'm shocked they still waste their money on mailings like that.. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkacmom Posted October 22, 2023 #7 Share Posted October 22, 2023 7 minutes ago, D_And_K_gocruising said: I'm shocked they still waste their money on mailings like that.. I get Viking brochures 3 times a week because my parents went on a river cruise 20 years ago (they passed away years ago). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlmurrah Posted October 22, 2023 Author #8 Share Posted October 22, 2023 37 minutes ago, Russiamomm said: “Brochure” prices are never accurate, the price of any particular cruise depends on any number of factors, and can change daily, not the least of which is how close you are to sailing and how full the ship is. Check NCL’s website for the price any particular day. The “perks” you mention are pretty standard for any NCL ship. They are part of the “Free at Sea” packages, which are always offered, although some promotions (such as the 3rd and fourth traveler sails free” can change. As others have mentioned, these perks aren’t necessarily “free”. You need to pay the gratuities for the drink and dining packages, but you don’t need to take them. Spend some time on these boards and on NCL’s website. It’s all explained. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiefMateJRK Posted October 22, 2023 #9 Share Posted October 22, 2023 40 minutes ago, D_And_K_gocruising said: I'm shocked they still waste their money on mailings like that.. You would also likely be shocked by the number of people in this here 21st Century that have never accessed the internet or owned a smart phone. Many of them are part of the cruising demographic. Strange but true. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlmurrah Posted October 22, 2023 Author #10 Share Posted October 22, 2023 We are fairly new to cruising and have lots to learn. I am learning that cruise advertising should be approached with skepticism. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakcruiser Posted October 22, 2023 #11 Share Posted October 22, 2023 24 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said: You would also likely be shocked by the number of people in this here 21st Century that have never accessed the internet or owned a smart phone. Many of them are part of the cruising demographic. Strange but true. Me! Me! Me! The smart phone part anyway. I do own an old desktop that I use to check Cruise Critic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yakcruiser Posted October 22, 2023 #12 Share Posted October 22, 2023 25 minutes ago, mlmurrah said: We are fairly new to cruising and have lots to learn. I am learning that cruise advertising should be approached with skepticism. You learn quick! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketMan275 Posted October 22, 2023 #13 Share Posted October 22, 2023 38 minutes ago, mlmurrah said: We are fairly new to cruising and have lots to learn. I am learning that cruise advertising should be approached with skepticism. A bit of advice. Be very skeptical of anything advertised as 'free'. 'Included' is a much more accurate description. Any marketing professional will tell you the quickest way to making a sale is to convince the mark, that's you, that they're getting something for free. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiefMateJRK Posted October 22, 2023 #14 Share Posted October 22, 2023 17 minutes ago, yakcruiser said: Me! Me! Me! The smart phone part anyway. I do own an old desktop that I use to check Cruise Critic. That's funny. I used to miss my flip phone, but evolution happens (albeit at a glacial pace). DD has dragged me into this century. Did I like it? NO!! Did I survive? Sure. I've done one or two helpful things for her so it's all good. 😎 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruiser2015 Posted October 22, 2023 #15 Share Posted October 22, 2023 5 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said: That's funny. I used to miss my flip phone, but evolution happens (albeit at a glacial pace). DD has dragged me into this century. Did I like it? NO!! Did I survive? Sure. I've done one or two helpful things for her so it's all good. 😎 I still miss my flip (a little bit) when I feel that great big lump in my pocket. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruiser2015 Posted October 22, 2023 #16 Share Posted October 22, 2023 2 hours ago, mlmurrah said: We booked an NCL cruise in Hawaii several days ago. The next day we received a sales brochure in the mail from NCL that included our cruise at substantially lower price per person. It also stated free airfare, free open bar, free specialty dining, and free wifi. To be fair we already had some of these in our reservation. I called United Cruises, our booking agent, and they knew nothing about these fares and suggested we call NCL directly. I did so, and the NCL person could not find the pricing I was talking about. She said only that prices in such brochures are subject to change and that I should consult the web site. That seems deceptive to me. Otherwise why even bother looking at mail offers from NCL? This story doesn't track right. There's gotta be something missing. I doubt that the brochure price is made up. There's a discrepancy, as IAcruising mentioned. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Laszlo Posted October 22, 2023 #17 Share Posted October 22, 2023 1 hour ago, D_And_K_gocruising said: I'm shocked they still waste their money on mailings like that.. The amount of cruise line booklets, pamphlets we get is criminal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russiamomm Posted October 22, 2023 #18 Share Posted October 22, 2023 1 minute ago, Laszlo said: The amount of cruise line booklets, pamphlets we get is criminal. Agreed. The only one I want to see is one from Casinos at Sea saying I won a free cruise. 😂. The others go straight to the recycle bin, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zqvol Posted October 22, 2023 #19 Share Posted October 22, 2023 Mailing is likely not from NCL, but from a third party Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare cruiser2015 Posted October 22, 2023 #20 Share Posted October 22, 2023 47 minutes ago, zqvol said: Mailing is likely not from NCL, but from a third party Interesting observation. That would open up more possibilities for discrepancies. OP said it was from NCL - was it or wasn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlmurrah Posted October 22, 2023 Author #21 Share Posted October 22, 2023 52 minutes ago, zqvol said: Mailing is likely not from NCL, but from a third party Noop. The return address is Norwegian Cruise Lines. Postage paid by Norwegian Cruise Lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mlmurrah Posted October 22, 2023 Author #22 Share Posted October 22, 2023 (edited) Here ya go! Edited October 22, 2023 by mlmurrah Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russiamomm Posted October 22, 2023 #23 Share Posted October 22, 2023 3 minutes ago, mlmurrah said: Here ya go! NCL Brochure.pdf 949.62 kB · 1 download Looks like NCL’s standard language. They alternate between “35% off all cruises” and 70% off second guest”. It’s a marketing ploy. Same bottom line cost, which again can change daily. I don’t see anything in this about a specific cruise. What makes you think this is better than the fare you got? Have you checked the website and compared what you paid to it? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare ontheweb Posted October 22, 2023 #24 Share Posted October 22, 2023 3 hours ago, D_And_K_gocruising said: I'm shocked they still waste their money on mailings like that.. We received an NCL brochure in 2021, and fell in love with an itinerary on the then not yet built Prima. We booked it with our TA, and sailed that cruise this past August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChiefMateJRK Posted October 23, 2023 #25 Share Posted October 23, 2023 2 hours ago, cruiser2015 said: I still miss my flip (a little bit) when I feel that great big lump in my pocket. I'm pretty sure there is an old Mae West joke here. I'll let the peanut gallery weigh in. 🤣 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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