Advertised promotions

[jhenry1]

I have been watching the NCL website for over a month now and everyday there is a countdown until the current discount expires but what the time is over the same discount appears with another countdown. What is the deal? Th3 discount has not changed.

[shof515]

its been that way for many many many many years

[BirdTravels]

12 minutes ago, jhenry1 said:

I have been watching the NCL website for over a month now and everyday there is a countdown until the current discount expires but what the time is over the same discount appears with another countdown. What is the deal? Th3 discount has not changed.

The promotions have been the same for years. The discounts per person vary which mostly impact solo and 3rd/4th passengers as the base cruise fares change. 
 

On rare occasions you see an additional promo like free pot taxes, free daily service charge, extra points. 
 

Pro Tip: if you want to book a cruise, book it. Don’t wait around for the next good thing. Being from TX, you can cancel any time through final payment. 

[MagnoliaBlossom]

Bird, does TX have different regs about cancellations?

Edited August 31 by MagnoliaBlossom

[Distinctive-Destinations]

NCL website is like a mattress store, there is always some “sale,” which essentially means that the price is basically the same always.

[Middleager]

I'm seeing some TAs advertising free gratuities for NCL balconies and up.  But those are not offers from NCL itself.  You'd need to book through the TAs to get that.  But not all TAs offer that (free gratuities), and that's a big chunk of difference.

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, MagnoliaBlossom said:

Bird, does TX have different regs about cancellations?

Not Bird, but here is my answer---No probably not, but it is part of the USA which has different regulations than Europe.

[RocketMan275]

2 hours ago, Middleager said:

I'm seeing some TAs advertising free gratuities for NCL balconies and up.  But those are not offers from NCL itself.  You'd need to book through the TAs to get that.  But not all TAs offer that (free gratuities), and that's a big chunk of difference.

Some TA will also discount NCL (and other cruise lines) by 8-10% in addition to whatever promotions NCL is offering.  I always book via the same TA.  It's a small woman owned business.  You always deal with the same person.  And, yes, if it's urgent or an emergency, they will respond if you leave a message on the weekends/holidays/overnight.

[Middleager]

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

Some TA will also discount NCL (and other cruise lines) by 8-10% in addition to whatever promotions NCL is offering.  I always book via the same TA.  It's a small woman owned business.  You always deal with the same person.  And, yes, if it's urgent or an emergency, they will respond if you leave a message on the weekends/holidays/overnight.

I saw a TA offering 10% credit, plus free gratuities, for NCL balcony and up.  Actually saw some other TAs offering similar free gratuities for balcony and up.  That's a big difference vs booking direct with NCL.

[RocketMan275]

10 minutes ago, Middleager said:

I saw a TA offering 10% credit, plus free gratuities, for NCL balcony and up.  Actually saw some other TAs offering similar free gratuities for balcony and up.  That's a big difference vs booking direct with NCL.

The amazing thing is the number of CC posters who adamantly insist that TA do not discount cruise line prices.

[julig22]

17 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

Some TA will also discount NCL (and other cruise lines) by 8-10% in addition to whatever promotions NCL is offering.  I always book via the same TA.  It's a small woman owned business.  You always deal with the same person.  And, yes, if it's urgent or an emergency, they will respond if you leave a message on the weekends/holidays/overnight.

 

1 minute ago, RocketMan275 said:

The amazing thing is the number of CC posters who adamantly insist that TA do not discount cruise line prices.

 

Some TA's will offer a rebate, which generally means they are giving back some of the commission they get from NCL. Others may be offering a discount because they have reserved a group of rooms, so are getting a group discount. 2 different scenarios.

As far as I know, there are no restrictions on what rebates a TA might want to give, but I have heard of people having issues when they are a part of a group booking, although I don't remember what they were, maybe price adjustments?

In either case, your booking would fall under the terms of the booking agency which might be different than NCL terms. So for example, limited # of price adjustments, different payment schedules, no participation in the BOGO or Upgrade programs. And of course, all issues go through your TA.

Good for some, maybe working directly with NCL is better for others.

[RocketMan275]

15 minutes ago, julig22 said:

 

 

Some TA's will offer a rebate, which generally means they are giving back some of the commission they get from NCL. Others may be offering a discount because they have reserved a group of rooms, so are getting a group discount. 2 different scenarios.

As far as I know, there are no restrictions on what rebates a TA might want to give, but I have heard of people having issues when they are a part of a group booking, although I don't remember what they were, maybe price adjustments?

In either case, your booking would fall under the terms of the booking agency which might be different than NCL terms. So for example, limited # of price adjustments, different payment schedules, no participation in the BOGO or Upgrade programs. And of course, all issues go through your TA.

Good for some, maybe working directly with NCL is better for others.

My TA offers a discount/rebate on all rooms on all cruise lines (except Carnival).  Therefore her discounts are not linked to group discounts.  Some cruise lines do not allow discounts but they cannot restrict rebates. 

My TA does not impose any additional terms/conditions beyond those imposed by the cruise line.  IOW, there are no additional restrictions such as limited # of price adjustments, different payment schedules, no participation in the BOGO or Upgrade programs.

Furthermore, not all issues have to go through the TA.  You can talk directly with NCL on all issues that do not affect the TA commission.  IOW, you can book excursions, air, hotels, rental cars, drink packages, specialty dining, upgrade to FAS+, etc., in any manner you wish.  And, yes, I have received all sorts of upgrade offers even when I've booked through my TA.  

I simply cannot imagine any reason to book directly with the cruise line. Well, maybe casino bookings or something similar.

Edited August 31 by RocketMan275

[julig22]

4 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

My TA offers a discount/rebate on all rooms on all cruise lines (except Carnival).  Therefore her discounts are not linked to group discounts.  Some cruise lines do not allow discounts but they cannot restrict rebates. 

My TA does not impose any additional terms/conditions beyond those imposed by the cruise line.  IOW, there are no additional restrictions such as limited # of price adjustments, different payment schedules, no participation in the BOGO or Upgrade programs.

Furthermore, not all issues have to go through the TA.  You can talk directly with NCL on all issues that do not affect the TA commission.  IOW, you can book excursions, air, hotels, rental cars, drink packages, specialty dining, upgrade to FAS+, etc., in any manner you wish.  And, yes, I have received all sorts of upgrade offers even when I've booked through my TA.  

I simply cannot imagine any reason to book directly with the cruise line. Well, maybe casino bookings or something similar.

Important distinction - YOUR TA.....

Not all TAs are the same.

As to booking excursions, etc. Of course you can, those aren't issues.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

Important distinction - YOUR TA.....

Not all TAs are the same.

As to booking excursions, etc. Of course you can, those aren't issues.

Yes, my TA is far superior to any bookings available from NCL.

Another advantage.  My TA can book any cruise on any cruise line.  Once upon a time, I decided to cancel two bookings on two different cruise lines and book two different cruises on two different cruise lines.  Had I booked directly with the cruise lines, I would have had to make four different calls.  Since I use my TA, I only had to make one call.  Less than 10 minutes and the changes were made.

Another advantage.  My TA takes cruises.  She can make suggests and provide insights based  upon her personal experiences.  Most NCL call center employees do not have this kind of experience.  BTW, she also ensures her employees also cruise so they have this kind of experience too.

It should be obvious that my TA isn't affiliated with one of the big box travel agencies.