When will I learn

[Joe Dandy]

I booked a balcony cabin on the Breakaway in Oct.for a cruise in Jan. In Nov. the price was almost cut in half. My broker had me upgraded to a mini- suite. Im still not happy. So my advice to all is to book NCL the month prior to your cruise. I also find this embarassing as I have abour 45 cruises under my belt but most on Celebrity and RCL. When will I learn.

[Novastar]

What are you unhappy about? You booked a cabin that you wanted at a price you were presumably willing to pay. You have since been upgraded. I don't get what all the doom and gloom is about.

 

If you bought cancel for any reason insurance you could cancel and cruise with your preferred lines.

 

What are you looking for from NCL? A full refund of the price difference? Ain't gonna happen.

[SeaShark]

I booked a balcony cabin on the Breakaway in Oct.for a cruise in Jan. In Nov. the price was almost cut in half. My broker had me upgraded to a mini- suite. Im still not happy. So my advice to all is to book NCL the month prior to your cruise. I also find this embarassing as I have abour 45 cruises under my belt but most on Celebrity and RCL. When will I learn.

 

If I follow your advice and the price is higher than my original intended booking date, will you make up the difference or will that be a lesson that I have to learn?

 

 

If I follow your advice and the cabin that I want has been taken by someone else, will you compensate me or will that be a lesson that I have to learn?

 

 

If you're not happy, you might want to consider a broker who can and does make you happy. Its got to be better than where you are right now.

Edited December 19, 2013 by SeaShark

[luddite]

When will you learn......what?

That cruises in January don't sell out excepting the New Year's trip? That they will have a fire sale to fill the cabins when they aren't sold? That coming here with these complaints won't get any sympathy?

I could go on with things you could learn.... but....what would be the point?

 

No sympathy for a non-existent problem.

[roger001]

If I tried to book my next cruise (April) the month before the cruise, I'd be standing on the dock as the ship sails away. The mini suites, which we like, are already fully booked. So your logic does not work on many, many cruises. The last cruise we took, last month, from the time we booked it until it sailed, the price of our cabin (mini suite) had increased a total of $1400. A year ago, after final payment for a cruise on the Pearl, the price of our cabin (balcony cabin that time) went down to a point below the price then being asked for the remaining mini suites. We requested, and were given an upgrade to a mini then. Wow. Nice. There is no way to accurately determine what the pricing on a cruise will ever do. If you don't really care if you go or not, and you have the flexibility to go at the last moment, yea......wait until the last month. Maybe you will get a super good deal on a remaining unbooked cabin.....or maybe you will find nothing available for any price. What to do!

[KweezyCruiser]

Why are there so many critical and ignorant people on this site

 

Don't be so hard on yourself.

[luddite]

Don't be so hard on yourself.

Oh thanks! I just spewed beer over the monitor!

[Love my butler]

I booked a balcony cabin on the Breakaway in Oct.for a cruise in Jan. In Nov. the price was almost cut in half. My broker had me upgraded to a mini- suite. Im still not happy. So my advice to all is to book NCL the month prior to your cruise. I also find this embarassing as I have abour 45 cruises under my belt but most on Celebrity and RCL. When will I learn.

 

You are very correct. To get the best deals you have to be flexible. Willing to take an inside or OV or maybe not even make a particular sailing. Lots of people don't have or want that much flexibility. Makes the deals that much better for those of us that do!

 

Ignore the cheerleaders. They have a monthly quota of snarky posts or they could be removed from the squad.

[Bluewake]

Joe Dandy - We may be on the same January 2014 Breakaway cruise. I had the same experience and felt some of the same frustration as you when we saw how much the price dropped for our cabin category. We made our reservation as soon as bookings were available..drawn to being on a new ship, etc.. Because of my job, we can take vacations only at a couple of points during the year. What I would hate more than paying a higher price is waiting to book because I am gambling on there being a lower price and getting shut out because nothing was left. So, even though we thought the price was a little bit high, we decided to go with it. We are cruise veterans and understand price drops so I tend to check the rates almost weekly - - hey, you never know!

 

At the time of our final payment, the rate was still a bit above what we paid. But after the final payment, right at the point where the penalty for cancellation was 50% of the total, the price dropped by quite a bit. I decided to call to ask about a possible on-board credit and was informed of NCL's limited (as compared to other lines) policy about price drops. Like you, we were offered an upgrade. I was happy because if we had paid for the upgrade we received, it would have been just about the same as the price drop.

 

It's so hard to know whether to wait to book last minute or not...such a gamble. My experience has been that there has been no price drop at all on about 60-70% of the cruises we've taken, in fact, the price usually has gone up after we booked. So, the upgrade I received was more than fair, as far as I was concerned. Hope you enjoy your cruise.

[Godiva830]

I've booked cruises and the prices have gone up since I booked. I booked an Epic cruise and the price went up $600 the next day after I booked! My Breakaway cruise went up $900 and that same cruise went up another $300 so $1,200 more than my original booking.

[taymiss2]

I am actually debating this right now. Decided this week to bookon a cruise this March. The final payment date is December 31, like one week after I put down deposit. Right now was able to get mini fior price of balcony. I can't decide if at this point I should just wait to see what happens to price after final payment date or keep my mini and be happy. I have looked at prices for cruise in Feb whose final payment date has all ready passed. Their prices really haven't dropped. So far keeping my mini!

[triptolemus]

You are very correct. To get the best deals you have to be flexible. Willing to take an inside or OV or maybe not even make a particular sailing. Lots of people don't have or want that much flexibility. Makes the deals that much better for those of us that do!

 

Thank you Captain Obvious! Too bad the OP didn't have your gift of impeccable insight, huh? :rolleyes:

[hpecorari]

So my advice to all is to book NCL the month prior to your cruise. When will I learn.

 

Can't agree with you here.

 

I have a cruise booked with NCL for January 19. As of last week that ship is totally full. It's not even listed anymore as a cruise date.

 

I have a cruise booked with NCL for February 2nd. As of this week that ship is totally full. It's not even listed anymore as a cruise date.

 

Had I taken your advise.......

I wouldn't be cruising January or February.

 

I booked the rooms I wanted at the price I accepted when I booked these two cruises almost 6 months ago. In my case, none of the prices went down at all.....only up.

 

Harriet

[Medtech2]

I booked a balcony cabin on the Breakaway in Oct.for a cruise in Jan. In Nov. the price was almost cut in half. My broker had me upgraded to a mini- suite. Im still not happy. So my advice to all is to book NCL the month prior to your cruise. I also find this embarassing as I have abour 45 cruises under my belt but most on Celebrity and RCL. When will I learn.

I upgraded from a balcony to a mini on our BA sailing and was very happy for that!

 

On my next sailing on the Getaway I have gone from an inside to a balcony, still almost a year out...

 

I have been on cruises where the price rose and some, like that one, where the price fell. Always ended up happy because I originally booked at a price I was comfortable with.

 

You want cheap? Try tent camping...

[Cubechick]

I booked a balcony cabin on the Breakaway in Oct.for a cruise in Jan. In Nov. the price was almost cut in half. My broker had me upgraded to a mini- suite. Im still not happy. So my advice to all is to book NCL the month prior to your cruise. I also find this embarassing as I have abour 45 cruises under my belt but most on Celebrity and RCL. When will I learn.

 

Unfortunately, NCL ran up the prices on the Breakaway, and you fell victim...as did I on the TA. :rolleyes: It's the premium you pay to sail on a new ship.

 

However, you were obviously happy with the price you originally booked, so why sour grapes now?

 

Presumably you were happy with your cabin selection and rate? Second guessing that will make you mental...

 

Go on your cruise and enjoy.

 

Countless others are in the same position

[Froggitt]

To the OP......if you want to guarantee the cabin you want on the ship you want, book in advance at whatever the going rate is. If you want to take the chance that the boat is full, or your class of cabin in gone, try booking last minute at a discount price.....if its still available.

[nlsoftly]

DH and I have two kinds of cruises:

 

1) It's on the bucket list, we want the itinerary, the time of year, and/or the particular ship. These we book well in advance - our budget is designed to handle two (or three :D) of these each year. That way we are sure we get the cabin (usually a suite) we want and the vaycay we want.

 

2) The cruise sounds like fun, we have the time, let's book it if last minute OV or balcony prices drop enough to fit in our budget. I always seem to have one or two cruises I am monitoring...just to see what happens. We have had to pretty much book and run out the door for a few of these (and they were great!).

 

Telling the difference between the two is the big challenge for us...we want them all!

Edited December 20, 2013 by nlsoftly

[HokiePoq]

Can't agree with you here.

 

I have a cruise booked with NCL for January 19. As of last week that ship is totally full. It's not even listed anymore as a cruise date.

 

I have a cruise booked with NCL for February 2nd. As of this week that ship is totally full. It's not even listed anymore as a cruise date.

 

Had I taken your advise.......

I wouldn't be cruising January or February.

 

I booked the rooms I wanted at the price I accepted when I booked these two cruises almost 6 months ago. In my case, none of the prices went down at all.....only up.

 

Harriet

 

Think we're on the Star with you! You are so right about those two cruises. I watched closely hoping to upgrade the cabin if there was a price decrease. Didn't happen! I guess it's all about supply and demand. The waiting strategy might work for a big ship like the Breakaway when one lives close by and can be flexible, but not for itineraries that sail less often.

[LaPrincesa]

I booked a balcony cabin on the Breakaway in Oct.for a cruise in Jan. In Nov. the price was almost cut in half. My broker had me upgraded to a mini- suite. Im still not happy. So my advice to all is to book NCL the month prior to your cruise. I also find this embarassing as I have abour 45 cruises under my belt but most on Celebrity and RCL. When will I learn.

 

 

I too am on a sailing in January on the Breakaway and also have seen prices for my cabin drop drastically. It is a roll of the dice..sometimes you can get a good deal last minute, sometimes you cannot. But I think from now on I am going to take a chance and book closer to sail away..

 

I hope that you will enjoy your cruise

 

 

~ La Princesa