Booking next cruise while onboard?

[LVFire]

Has anyone had luck booking your next cruise while onboard? I have inquired about it during a cruise before and offered a 1 category upgrade, and of course buying cruise next certificates. I am boarding in 2 weeks and have another 2025 cruise in mind but asking/wondering what current offers are? Thanks in advance!

[The Traveling Man]

4 minutes ago, LVFire said:

Has anyone had luck booking your next cruise while onboard? I have inquired about it during a cruise before and offered a 1 category upgrade, and of course buying cruise next certificates. I am boarding in 2 weeks and have another 2025 cruise in mind but asking/wondering what current offers are? Thanks in advance!

The primary advantage to booking on board is that you pay for the least expensive stateroom in your chosen category but receive the best available room in that category.  Pay for the cheapest Balcony, for example, and get the best, i.e. most expensive, Balcony.  

[itsnotjustme]

In my experience, I see no advantage.

 

Also, you would be presumably book with NCL.  I get better deals through a TA.

[itsnotjustme]

1 minute ago, The Traveling Man said:

Pay for the cheapest Balcony, for example, and get the best, i.e. most expensive, Balcony.  

Can you pay for the cheapest suite, and get the best suite?  That could be a many thousand dollar advantage.

[The Traveling Man]

1 minute ago, itsnotjustme said:

Can you pay for the cheapest suite, and get the best suite?  That could be a many thousand dollar advantage.

Not sure.  We never have used this option when booking a suite and I never thought to ask about it.

[ChiefMateJRK]

I booked several future cruises two weeks ago while on the Bliss.  I booked the top inside (IA) and paid the lowest (IF) rate.  Savings ranged from $40 to $100 for each.  Beats a stick in the eye....  These were 2026 AK cruises, which just posted three or four weeks ago.  Knowing that I would be on board soon, I waited.  Otherwise, I would have booked them directly and skipped this.

[Middleager]

46 minutes ago, itsnotjustme said:

In my experience, I see no advantage.

 

Also, you would be presumably book with NCL.  I get better deals through a TA.

If you don't want to pay cheaper rooms and get the best room in the same category, i.e. don't want the possible savings,  then don't take the advantage by booking while onboard. 

 

We've taken such advantage by booking onboard several times.  Didn't save huge amount of money, but some saving is still some saving.

 

We can then transfer that booking to our TA, for additional saving/perks from the TA.  In fact, the last time when we were onboard and did a booking (and got the savings), the Cruise Next desk said they see we've booked with a TA before, do we want to go with this TA again, I said sure, and they booked it with that TA getting the booking.  We didn't even have to do the transfer afterwards.

[julig22]

2 hours ago, itsnotjustme said:

Can you pay for the cheapest suite, and get the best suite?  That could be a many thousand dollar advantage.

I believe it only applies to inside, OV and balcony.

[JIMESOPUS]

Please do your homework before booking. Our latest was for the Aqua, booked while aboard the Viva, we got an MB Balcony as the upgrade from an OA Oceanview. Current savings are averaging about $400 per person. 

The folks aboard will offer no help unless you want to buy a cruisenext.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, JIMESOPUS said:

The folks aboard will offer no help unless you want to buy a cruisenext.

They booked several for me and I didn't buy any new cruisenext certs.

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

They booked several for me and I didn't buy any new cruisenext certs.

Same here.

[Middleager]

3 hours ago, JIMESOPUS said:

Please do your homework before booking. Our latest was for the Aqua, booked while aboard the Viva, we got an MB Balcony as the upgrade from an OA Oceanview. Current savings are averaging about $400 per person. 

The folks aboard will offer no help unless you want to buy a cruisenext.

 

I booked with CN desk, without needing to buy any CN certs.  We did our homework.