Up Sell Fairy

[jrs7306]

I do not answer my phone unless I know who it is.If I get the call will it say NCL on caller ID.Also I booked through TA how is only for NCL direct bookings.How about if your not home and miss the call? Can you call them?

[DMH15]

I do not answer my phone unless I know who it is.If I get the call will it say NCL on caller ID.Also I booked through TA how is only for NCL direct bookings.How about if your not home and miss the call? Can you call them?

 

If you have a TA NCL will only call them. You should call your TA and tell them you are interested and to call you ASAP if they get the call or better yet conference you.

 

 

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[seaotter15]

I got a phone call and an e-mail.

 

I saw the e-mail first and responded to that, and called right away as well.

 

Got the phone message first in the evening as it was on my voice mail (!).

[Starry Eyes]

As DMH said, since you have a TA, the TA will get the call if it happens at all. If you wish to be proactive, you cold email the agent so he or she knows you'd like an upsell. And be sure you answer calls from your agent. Reading about upsells here on CC can be exciting, but keep reminding yourself that upsell calls are relatively uncommon. The vast majority of people sail in the cabin they booked. Do not get your hopes up too high lest they be dashed.

Edited January 4, 2014 by Starry Eyes

[limeyalchemist]

Don't bother waiting for an upsell. Just call your TA and see what NCL will offer you for an upgrade. If your sailing is about 28 days out, and they have a bunch of rooms to sell, you'd be amazed at what they can up upgrade you to. They will always prefer to upgrade your room type before offering any OBC.

 

In Nov, on the Breakaway, I managed to go from one O1 family ocean view to TWO side by side balconies for no up charge. Thanks to a very tenacious TA and several phone calls to NCL on my behalf. We also got whatever OBC they were offering from the TA and we were very, very glad that we called.

 

In fact, we were traveling with three other families, and all three got upgraded from inside or OV to balconies for little to no cost.

 

Don't wait for NCL, take the bull by the horns, what do you have to lose.

[Cubechick]

Don't bother waiting for an upsell. Just call your TA and see what NCL will offer you for an upgrade. If your sailing is about 28 days out, and they have a bunch of rooms to sell, you'd be amazed at what they can up upgrade you to. They will always prefer to upgrade your room type before offering any OBC.

 

In Nov, on the Breakaway, I managed to go from one O1 family ocean view to TWO side by side balconies for no up charge. Thanks to a very tenacious TA and several phone calls to NCL on my behalf. We also got whatever OBC they were offering from the TA and we were very, very glad that we called.

 

In fact, we were traveling with three other families, and all three got upgraded from inside or OV to balconies for little to no cost.

 

Don't wait for NCL, take the bull by the horns, what do you have to lose.

 

True...but at the same time, calling NCL directly won't reap you the significant discounts and upgrades the upsell fairy can provide.

 

I have my cell listed with NCL so I make sure that when the fairy calls I am there! Only happened twice in 25 cruises, but it was glorious both times. ;)

[shmoopea]

We are set to sail in 45 days and when I saw that balcony cabins were available for $50 more than what we paid for an inside cabin, we called the TA and had them upgrade us. Happy Day!

Edited January 5, 2014 by shmoopea

[cruisebear84]

We just took our first cruise and got a call to upsell less than a week before we sailed (we didn't take it, as we were already cutting it close to our budget). As mentioned already, I got a phone call and an email-- saw the voicemail first and called back. I recognized the area code, and my iPhone said it was a call from Florida.

[HokiePoq]

We just took our first cruise and got a call to upsell less than a week before we sailed (we didn't take it, as we were already cutting it close to our budget). As mentioned already, I got a phone call and an email-- saw the voicemail first and called back. I recognized the area code, and my iPhone said it was a call from Florida.

 

Wow! Thanks for sharing the info. We've been on a bunch of NCL cruises and never been called by the upsell fairy. Now I'm wondering if the TAs got any calls we never found out about.

[newmexicoNita]

We have sailed on most mass marketed lines, including 14 on NCL. We have never gotten that call, but still keep waiting. I often wonder how they decide who wants a visit from the fairy princess.

[B6ConMe]

The OP is dealing through a TA so they are unlikely to get a call or email from the NCL upsell fairy. As previously stated, the OP should contact the TA and advise them that they are interested in an upsell and get the TA working towards that end.

 

Don't sit on your hands waiting... find someone who can make it happen...;)

 

PS: I've don't the whole Upsell thingy so I know it can be done. But we worked directly with NCl PCC.

Edited January 5, 2014 by B6ConMe

[punkincc]

True...but at the same time, calling NCL directly won't reap you the significant discounts and upgrades the upsell fairy can provide.

 

I would have to disagree! Do you think being upgraded from an ocean view to TWO balcony cabins for free is not a significant discount or upgrade!? It is the same deal they would have gotten if they had won the upsell lottery and gotten a call initiated by NCL. Instead, the cruiser initiated the call himself and got the deal while someone sat at home waiting for the phone to ring. Now if someone is expecting a free upgrade from inside or ocean view to a suite, it is probably not going to happen even if the upgrade fairy calls.

 

On the Sun, weeks before sail date when prices were falling, we were able to go from a mini to an aft facing penthouse for about $80 per person. That is a pretty significant discount in my book. We initiated the call. The deal you are offered is going to depend on what cabin type you are in and what you paid for your cabin, how many empty cabins they have and what they are. But if there are deals and upgrades to be had, you will increase your odds of getting one by 100% if, at the right time, you make the call yourself.

[RikkuCat]

For those who have called NCL and asked to upgrade, what's the best tactic? Do you wait until a few days before the cruise, or is it best to call a few weeks or months in advance? Was the price to upgrade the same as the cost of the new cabin on the website, or do they give you a better deal if you call? If you've already checked in online, can you still upgrade?

 

We're sailing on the Breakaway in late Feb. When we booked, I was intensely debating between a regular balcony cabin or a spa balcony. We ended up booking a regular balcony (I think category BC, but I'd have to double check) and we'll be perfectly happy with it if we don't upgrade...but if I can get us upgraded into a spa balcony for less than we were originally looking at, I'd take the upgrade. When should I call?

Edited January 5, 2014 by RikkuCat

[punkincc]

For those who have called NCL and asked to upgrade, what's the best tactic? Do you wait until a few days before the cruise, or is it best to call a few weeks or months in advance? Was the price to upgrade the same as the cost of the new cabin on the website, or do they give you a better deal if you call? If you've already checked in online, can you still upgrade?

 

We're sailing on the Breakaway in late Feb. When we booked, I was intensely debating between a regular balcony cabin or a spa balcony. We ended up booking a regular balcony (I think category BC, but I'd have to double check) and we'll be perfectly happy with it if we don't upgrade...but if I can get us upgraded into a spa balcony for less than we were originally looking at, I'd take the upgrade. When should I call?

 

Watch the prices on the website by doing dummy bookings for the spa cabin. Usually, if prices are going to drop at all, it will be the last weeks before sail date. If you see the price drop, that's the time to call. How much of a discount you could get is anyone's guess. It could be the difference between what you paid and the current price, which could still be a great deal, or they might discount even more depending on how many of those cabins they want to fill, how badly they'd like to resell your cabin, and how close to sail date it is. No, it does not matter if you've checked in or it is after final payment.

[shmoopea]

Watch the prices on the website by doing dummy bookings for the spa cabin. Usually, if prices are going to drop at all, it will be the last weeks before sail date. If you see the price drop, that's the time to call. How much of a discount you could get is anyone's guess. It could be the difference between what you paid and the current price, which could still be a great deal, or they might discount even more depending on how many of those cabins they want to fill, how badly they'd like to resell your cabin, and how close to sail date it is. No, it does not matter if you've checked in or it is after final payment.

 

Well said! That is exactly what we did, besides it never hurts to ask. Don't expect the TA to call you, you have to watch the prices and be proactive.

[shmoopea]

One more thing to add...we have upgraded at the port during check in. But to be perfectly honest, what we paid was not discounted and as you can imagine the price was higher due to an almost full ship during February vacation. The best time to do this is weeks before the cruise sets sail.

[RikkuCat]

Watch the prices on the website by doing dummy bookings for the spa cabin. Usually, if prices are going to drop at all, it will be the last weeks before sail date. If you see the price drop, that's the time to call. How much of a discount you could get is anyone's guess. It could be the difference between what you paid and the current price, which could still be a great deal, or they might discount even more depending on how many of those cabins they want to fill, how badly they'd like to resell your cabin, and how close to sail date it is. No, it does not matter if you've checked in or it is after final payment.

 

Thanks for the helpful info! I've been watching the prices already, and while the price on my cabin category has gone down by about $60pp since we booked, the spa cabins look about the same, or just slightly lower. I'll keep an eye on them as we get closer to our sailing date. There are a number of spa balconies left unsold at this point.

[Cubechick]

I would have to disagree! Do you think being upgraded from an ocean view to TWO balcony cabins for free is not a significant discount or upgrade!? It is the same deal they would have gotten if they had won the upsell lottery and gotten a call initiated by NCL. Instead, the cruiser initiated the call himself and got the deal while someone sat at home waiting for the phone to ring. Now if someone is expecting a free upgrade from inside or ocean view to a suite, it is probably not going to happen even if the upgrade fairy calls.

 

On the Sun, weeks before sail date when prices were falling, we were able to go from a mini to an aft facing penthouse for about $80 per person. That is a pretty significant discount in my book. We initiated the call. The deal you are offered is going to depend on what cabin type you are in and what you paid for your cabin, how many empty cabins they have and what they are. But if there are deals and upgrades to be had, you will increase your odds of getting one by 100% if, at the right time, you make the call yourself.

 

Never said you couldn't get a good deal on your own. But the fairy can yield larger discounts and category jumps. Both of our upsells were to suites that had not budged in price, and our discount was more than 50% off of the price on the website.

[punkincc]

Never said you couldn't get a good deal on your own. But the fairy can yield larger discounts and category jumps. Both of our upsells were to suites that had not budged in price, and our discount was more than 50% off of the price on the website.

 

What I am saying is that with the cabin you had at the time, and the circumstances which existed at the time of your call from the fairy in terms of pricing and availability, you could have gotten the same deal had you made the call on your own before someone else grabbed it, and you were very lucky that someone else did not get it first, leaving you out of luck.

 

This is just my opinion, but I think when NCL puts you on hold while they check to see what they can do for you, they are actually consulting with the "fairy" department who looks at your reservation and decides on a free upgrade, or upsell, and to what and for how much. There is no "fairy". Just a department who is responsible for making sure the ship gets filled for the max amount of money possible and they can do that either by randomly calling those in various cabin categories depending on their goals or by offering the same to those who initiated a call themselves.

 

I very much doubt that the regular reservations department handles these requests.

Edited January 5, 2014 by punkincc