Shame on you NCL

[antsnanny]

I agree, that what I agreed to when I booked. Just to let you know that this happens all the time on the Breakaway.

 

The Breakaway is so big that I think there having a hard time filling it to capacity. If you like, you can do what I did. I waited for the price to drop and I booked it. Im curious as to why you didn't do that as you say you know it always happens on this ship? Perhaps you wanted to be guarantee a particular cabin or location on the ship? So many times I booked early, the ship filled fast and rates went up. NCL, nor any other cruise line ever asked me to pay the difference.

Normally,NCL will offer an upgrade of some kind, I think a 450.00 OBC is more than generous. I find myself wondering why you are not looking at this as a nice gift from NCL as many other posters said, they owe you nothing...

BYT, I lucked out booking when the prices dropped with a good cabin but my daughter did not, she has the first cabin forward on deck 12. Had she booked earlier she could have hand picked her cabin and paid more...

[cmdchiefthom]

This is not the way to treat loyal customers. We are Platinum, guest that does not matter.

Just be wear.. And book after final payment, and you will be treated like platinum

 

Imagine this concept, a business, making a profit. You know the rules, and after final payment date, its getting all the cabins full. As a Platinum, you know the drill, and with $450 OBC, you probably got the suite credit, early booking credit and perhaps AARP, or something else. You also know that the price goes down after the final payment date. If you wanted to save money, you could have waited until the price dropped, and rolled the dice to get the cabin category you desired, but without the OBC, but no, here you are believing you have been wronged by Corporate policy. Get a grip, and go enjoy you cruise.

[IWORK2CRUISE]

I would like to say something to NCL. I knew when I booked the cruise what the rules were. I understood, that after final payment NCL does not do anything for you.

But my March Breakaway cruise rate went down $1,000 after final payment. And NCL did very little for me. $450 OBC. That it, and that was like pulling teeth. "They went out of there way to do that. "

It just hurts when anyone, can book that cruise today at the lower rate.

I also know this is a patten on the Breakaway. Every cruise after the summer they did this. Even CHRISTMAS Week. Lowered the rate like $700 after final.

This is not the way to treat loyal customers. We are Platinum, guest that does not matter.

Just be wear.. And book after final payment, and you will be treated like platinum

 

Sorry jakeT but I don't feel for you. Apparently, you received a very generous OBC. Were you not comfortable with the price that you originally booked? If not, then why did you reserve at that time?

I work full time and husband is self employed. I need to plan vacation time in advance and would not book something that I was not comfortable with from the get go. Once, and only once, I noticed a price drop and received a cabin upgrade (*interior on an upper deck to ocean view on a lower deck.) Only because I just happened to see it, not because I counted on it.

 

One day, I may be able to travel on short notice and take advantage of last minute deals. In the mean time, I am happy to still travel.

[Crusin6]

Hmmm...not sure it "always" happens on the Breakaway. I just checked for my March 16th cruise, and my cabin category is still $800 MORE than what I paid...same price as before final payment.

 

It's college spring break week and there are loads of colleges within driving distance of NYC port.

[bobg529]

I kind of wish NCL would simply remove cruises from their website after final payment, i.e. stop listing them for sale, even if there are still cabins available. Sell any leftover vacancies through TAs and PCCs without publishing the discounted prices for all the world to see. So people who are already booked and paid in full can stop obsessing about last-minute price changes that have nothing to do with them.

 

 

My upcoming cruise on the Gem is the first time I ever played this game. I booked an oceanview right before final payment using a two category upgrade from my NCL card and got what I thought was a very good price for a nicely situated cabin. Then I held tight till the new year when the prices had dropped a bit. I called and was offered an upgrade to a balcony guarantee for $60, or an $80 OBC. Some may call me crazy, but I took the OBC and said thank you. I'd rather know where I am than take a pig in a poke. Besides, I'm sailing out of NYC in January. How much would I be able to use the balcony anyway.

 

On the other hand, I just booked an Alaska cruise for 2015, because I knew which ship I wanted and which cabin. There are only 6 Aft mini suites on the Sun, and I nabbed one. All 340 square feet of it, with a balcony big enough for lounge chairs. Double lattitude points and 5% AARP discount. Am I a happy camper? Hell yeah!:D

[Medtech2]

I would like to say something to NCL. I knew when I booked the cruise what the rules were. I understood, that after final payment NCL does not do anything for you.

But my March Breakaway cruise rate went down $1,000 after final payment. And NCL did very little for me. $450 OBC. That it, and that was like pulling teeth. "They went out of there way to do that. "

It just hurts when anyone, can book that cruise today at the lower rate.

I also know this is a patten on the Breakaway. Every cruise after the summer they did this. Even CHRISTMAS Week. Lowered the rate like $700 after final.

This is not the way to treat loyal customers. We are Platinum, guest that does not matter.

Just be wear.. And book after final payment, and you will be treated like platinum

I just bought Christmas cards at WalMart for 25 cents. WHY WEREN'T THEY 25 CENTS before Christmas? I am a loyal WalMart customer!!

[krzi]

I would like to say something to NCL. I knew when I booked the cruise what the rules were. I understood, that after final payment NCL does not do anything for you.

But my March Breakaway cruise rate went down $1,000 after final payment. And NCL did very little for me. $450 OBC. That it, and that was like pulling teeth. "They went out of there way to do that. "

It just hurts when anyone, can book that cruise today at the lower rate.

I also know this is a patten on the Breakaway. Every cruise after the summer they did this. Even CHRISTMAS Week. Lowered the rate like $700 after final.

This is not the way to treat loyal customers. We are Platinum, guest that does not matter.

Just be wear.. And book after final payment, and you will be treated like platinum

 

Do you use a travel agent? Any travel agent will tell you that prices for off season generally go down. I know my travel agent would have gotten me an upgrade of equal value to the cruise rate now and they have gotten me a minisuite for inside prices with additional OBC.

 

NCL has not done anything wrong. If you noticed a pattern you should have waited. You took a gamble and bet against the odds. Just because you are a platinum member in a casino, it doesnt mean the casino have to let you win each time you play.

[LMaxwell]

Thank you OP; you have made me more strongly consider TO book an NCL cruise.

 

Now I know that if the price drops and I call up and just belligerently beat them up I can get 50% of the reduction back as OBC. Sure beats the 0% every other line would be willing to offer me.

[sparks1093]

Seriously? And you are upset about the $450 OBC that they did not have to give you? Ask on other cruise line boards and you will learn that the Cruise line does not owe you anything. (Read your contract), yet NCL gave you quite a bit of OBC. Shame on you!

I learned my lesson on these boards in 2012 when my 2 cabins went down $900, and we got $100 OBC. Yes I complained too, but I also learned that I will wait til the last minute now that I live in Florida and will not have to deal with price drops. I hope you enjoy your Spring Break cruise as it will be packed!

 

With the weather we've been having lately it's a good thing you live in Florida now:eek:.

 

OP, I am probably mirroring what others have said but after final payment all cruise lines will lower their prices, sometimes drastically, in order to sail full. Heck, the last week of December I checked a one nighter on the Gem and the 1/10/14 sailing was $22 pp for an inside (plus taxes and gov't fees) and I am pretty sure that before final payment those same rooms were probably in the $199 pp range. As others have said they gave you a really decent OBC when they didn't have to- you should be singing their praises:).

[gra2172]

I stop shopping once the sale is final. To continue shopping serves only to make me crazy. I'd love to have a surprise $450 OBC. Here's hoping your cruise is fabulous.

 

Im the same way. I dont continue looking at the prices after Ive purchased a thing. Every product price everywhere swings. Id go crazy looking for deals.

 

My last cruise on the star dropped and they called and gave us credit either towards that one or our next one. We took the next one coming up. :D

 

I really dont know why the OP would post what they did, knowing it would stir everyone up. Maybe that was their intention... And yet here I am replying to it. :p

[CindyFooWho]

They have to fill as many cabins as possible, they can't be worried about hurting our feelings. You do want them to stay in business I assume?

[che5904]

I really dont know why the OP would post what they did, knowing it would stir everyone up. Maybe that was their intention... And yet here I am replying to it. :p

 

Or perhaps bragging, looking like a complaint.

 

This poster has been on the boards since 2008, I'm sure he's seen 1000's of posts of complaints that people can't get anything or next to nothing after final payment no matter what their status. The amount he was apparently offered was, to say the least, completely unusual.

 

There was a post a week ago that was pulled and all that poster got was the offer of an upgrade.

Edited January 7, 2014 by che5904

[hamrag]

I would like to say something to NCL. I knew when I booked the cruise what the rules were. I understood, that after final payment NCL does not do anything for you.

But my March Breakaway cruise rate went down $1,000 after final payment. And NCL did very little for me. $450 OBC. That it, and that was like pulling teeth. "They went out of there way to do that. "

It just hurts when anyone, can book that cruise today at the lower rate.

I also know this is a patten on the Breakaway. Every cruise after the summer they did this. Even CHRISTMAS Week. Lowered the rate like $700 after final.

This is not the way to treat loyal customers. We are Platinum, guest that does not matter.

Just be wear.. And book after final payment, and you will be treated like platinum

 

I have been around these boards, and similar threads, for a number of years and cannot understand how anyone could consider this gesture by NCL to be anything other than awesome! Well done NCL.

 

It may be that Breakaway rates go down frequently after final payment, but that is not the case with NCL in general. Our two most recent experiences, Dawn in Sep/Oct, the cruise sold out long before final payment. We have an upcoming cruise in Feb in Star, and it sold out very quickly within a couple of days of final payment without any significant price drops.

 

For us NCL remain good value, MDR food is not particularly great but if the itinery and price are right we will continue to cruise NCL as well as other cruiselines.

[newmexicoNita]

I would like to say something to NCL. I knew when I booked the cruise what the rules were. I understood, that after final payment NCL does not do anything for you.

But my March Breakaway cruise rate went down $1,000 after final payment. And NCL did very little for me. $450 OBC. That it, and that was like pulling teeth. "They went out of there way to do that. "

It just hurts when anyone, can book that cruise today at the lower rate.

I also know this is a patten on the Breakaway. Every cruise after the summer they did this. Even CHRISTMAS Week. Lowered the rate like $700 after final.

This is not the way to treat loyal customers. We are Platinum, guest that does not matter.

Just be wear.. And book after final payment, and you will be treated like platinum

 

Not this again: all cruise lines have the same policy and I bet, down deep you know this. You got an OBC, be happy. You originally must have been satisfied with the price or you wouldn't have booked. So, next time wait until the last month and book, take your chances. We too are platinum but I don't expect an adjustment to my rate just because of that. This applies to the airlines and hotel rooms as well. My thought on this: stop checking after final payment, be happy with what you have. Or maybe you would like NCL when the rates go up, charge you extra; how would that be?

Edited January 7, 2014 by newmexicoNita

[cruizinator]

....

I would like to say something to NCL. I knew when I booked the cruise what the rules were. I understood, that after final payment NCL does not do anything for you.

But my March Breakaway cruise rate went down $1,000 after final payment. And NCL did very little for me. $450 OBC. That it, and that was like pulling teeth. "They went out of there way to do that. "

It just hurts when anyone, can book that cruise today at the lower rate.

I also know this is a patten on the Breakaway. Every cruise after the summer they did this. Even CHRISTMAS Week. Lowered the rate like $700 after final.

This is not the way to treat loyal customers. We are Platinum, guest that does not matter.

Just be wear.. And book after final payment, and you will be treated like platinum

 

The $450 OBC was beyond generous! How long do you think cruise lines or airlines would be in business.... if they made up the difference for every passenger that paid a higher price.

I'm platinum on Carnival...and no way would I expect..or ask for a credit for the difference. I know you're frustrated but you booked the cruise at a fair price and now you wanna complain.

 

I bought a new car in April 2013. My brother bought the same make/model in Nov. 2013 for $1200 less. Guess I'd better call the car dealer and demand a check for the $1200 difference!

 

Shame on NCL? No..shame on YOU!

Edited January 7, 2014 by cruizinator

[ms.gloria]

I'm surprised you were treated like this. Makes you think, doesn't it?

 

 

Sent from my Carnival FS72k feature

[Dawnmcl123]

To the OP, I feel your pain. This happened to me on my past 2 cruises on the Breakaway. These price drops are huge, like 60%, compared to other price drops I have seen on my previous cruises (for past 9 years). I agree that NCL can/should have price drops prior to final payment when there will be drastic reductions like these recent ones on the Breakaway. To all the other posters, yes in general you will buy same product and have price differences but these price drops are rediculous!

[S.S.Oceanlover]

To the OP, I feel your pain. This happened to me on my past 2 cruises on the Breakaway. These price drops are huge, like 60%, compared to other price drops I have seen on my previous cruises (for past 9 years). I agree that NCL can/should have price drops prior to final payment when there will be drastic reductions like these recent ones on the Breakaway. To all the other posters, yes in general you will buy same product and have price differences but these price drops are rediculous!

 

They do have price drops prior to final payment.

 

You sound like the OP. You had it happen on 2 previous cruises but you still booked the same way again.

 

Repeating the same thing over and over and expecting a different outcome does not make much sense.

 

Bill

[S.S.Oceanlover]

I'm surprised you were treated like this. Makes you think, doesn't it?

 

 

Sent from my Carnival FS72k feature

 

Definitely makes me think. Makes me think NCL is a very fair cruise line and I'd love to book with them.:)

 

Bill

[Dawnmcl123]

They have very minor price drops prior to final payment. Very Very drastic price drops after final payment. Like I said previously, this has only happened recently on the Breakaway. I travel holiday times so I need to book early (not that I need to explain to you). The point is NCL is very aware of cabin availability prior to final payment and great customer service would be to have these drastic price cuts prior to final payment. It looks like they are overpricing the Breakaway.

[Dawnmcl123]

Please don't attack posters. Booking a cruise 2 times is not repeating several times. Anyone with common sense would be upset about this recent trend in price drops.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

They have very minor price drops prior to final payment. Very Very drastic price drops after final payment. Like I said previously, this has only happened recently on the Breakaway. I travel holiday times so I need to book early (not that I need to explain to you). The point is NCL is very aware of cabin availability prior to final payment and great customer service would be to have these drastic price cuts prior to final payment. It looks like they are overpricing the Breakaway.

 

Like you said you don't owe me any explanation and I guess i misspoke when I said several so my apologies. i also apologize if you took my comment as an attack.

 

Hope all your future cruises come at fair price for both you and the cruise line.:)

 

I don't think that just because there are a lot of cabins left before final payment that they have any obligation to drastically reduce the prices.

 

In an ideal world that would be great but it wouldn't be good business sense since it's before final payment everybody who booked at a higher price would make everybody eligible for a price drop which would cost the cruise line quite a lot of money.

 

Bill

[Demonyte]

They have very minor price drops prior to final payment. Very Very drastic price drops after final payment. Like I said previously, this has only happened recently on the Breakaway. I travel holiday times so I need to book early (not that I need to explain to you). The point is NCL is very aware of cabin availability prior to final payment and great customer service would be to have these drastic price cuts prior to final payment. It looks like they are overpricing the Breakaway.

 

Even if they were overpricing, there are people like you that are willing and have their reasons to pay the premium. Fire sales are for luring in the people who are not. To which group each of us belongs is our own choice.

 

Only people that I can understand this kind of whining from are the newbie cruisers - not the ones that have several cruises under their belt and especially not the people with a clue from reading CC. Price drops are part of cruise business - giving them to early bookers after the final payment would just mean higher prices all around because the income from already sold cabins would drop drastically. If NCL was giving out anything more to the loudest complainers than they usually are (upgrade if possible, else anything between 0-50% of the difference in OBC) I'd probably take my money elsewhere because I do think that the best customer service is to stand by the contract and keep everyone equal in that regard.

 

It has been said over and over again and I'm going to say it once more: It's completely up to the passenger to choose when they want to book and live with it. As we always need to book flights to embarkation ports etc, we prefer booking early but we are fully aware that the price we paid might not be the lowest price that people pay for their cruise in the same cabin category - that is a risk that we need to take all things considered, some others can wait for the fire sales to book.

[Dawnmcl123]

I have several cruises under my belt and I am very familiar with pricing and am all for great business practices. As I said previously this is DRASTIC, DRASTIC price dropping which is not fair to the customer. Last minute, yes, but 90 days out, no. These drastic price drops are something that has happened recently.

[Dawnmcl123]

These price drops are never seen on flights, btw.