Upgrade Fairy, Non Responsive TA, Before Final Payment

[jmccon2]

Hello everyone. I am wondering if booking with NCL directly will increase my likely hood of getting a call from the upgrade fairy?

 

And yes, I understand that if an upgrade were to be offered that my TA is supposed to call me, but service has been very poor. I have sent emails that have gone unanswered, e.g., do I need a visa.

 

Final payment is due in 2 weeks, so I believe I can cancel without penalty and make a new reservation on NCL. Hence my question, will booking with NCL directly increase my likelihood of getting a call from the upgrade fairy?

 

Thanks, Janet

[Ilovesailing]

Personally I don't think so. Make sure before you cancel that the price has not increased and if you have obc that you don't lose it.

 

What cabin and ship?

Edited January 16, 2014 by Ilovesailing

[dfg1027]

IMHO booking direct with NCL does not increase the chances of getting that lucky call from the upgrade fairy....

What booking directly with NCL does do, is that they will not have to go through you TA in order to offer you an upgrade or and upsell.

If your TA is already not responding to your emails, it is likely that she/he would not contact you re and upgrades or upsells either

If you can cancel and rebook the same cruise for the same $$$ then the choice is yours :)

 

I always book directly with NCL....but many others on this board use a TA whom they trust, and do amazingly well. Me, I just like the pleasure of picking up the phone and calling my PCC with what ever question/problem I have. I don't like dealing with a "middle man" and as I do my own research, and know exactly what dates, cabin, ship,and price I want I find it just easier to deal with NCL directly

[kaylasnana]

Personally, I think the cabin you book has a lot to do with it. Last cruise we were booked in an AFT balcony and got upgraded (for $) to a suite. Then both my brothers (I think they were linked to me) got called. One was in a balcony and declined and one was in an inside and took the upgrade to a suite.

[tymike]

I've only been on three cruises, all with NCL and all booked directly with NCL. I was offered an upsell on a 2 night CTN on the Jewel from an aft PH to the OS (which we took and I'm forever spoiled!).

 

I have nothing factual to base this on, but I think that upsells come depending on what cabin NCL believes they can sell or upsell to a lower category cabin. In my case, we had an aft PH...a very popular category. I have no idea if NCL upsold the OS to the DOS, but I had a forward facing penthouse on my first cruise and never got a call.

 

I will continue to book directly with NCL but not because of upsells; I agree with the prior poster in that I don't want to go through a middleman and my PCC is wonderful and totally responsive.

 

I do, however, sometimes have twinges of envy when I read posts by folks who us TA's and get what appear to be really great deals!

[jmccon2]

It would cost me a $100 to cancel :(

 

The cruise I am on is April 24th, Spirit, out of Barcelona, 12 days, category SG, room 9212. I know that it is a fantastic room, and we really want it since it is our 25th wedding anniversary, but the $3000 difference between SG and B1 can buy a lot of meals in Cagney's.

 

Someone is going to be VERY happy that I'm changing rooms because this is the aft PH room.

 

I called NCL and they said the agency that I'm working with is a really good one and that I should call and speak with a manager because what is happening to me isn't normal. But since I've booked over a year ago, this is completely normal to me.

[Da-Painter]

It would cost me a $100 to cancel :(

 

The cruise I am on is April 24th, Spirit, out of Barcelona, 12 days, category SG, room 9212. I know that it is a fantastic room, and we really want it since it is our 25th wedding anniversary, but the $3000 difference between SG and B1 can buy a lot of meals in Cagney's.

 

Someone is going to be VERY happy that I'm changing rooms because this is the aft PH room.

 

I called NCL and they said the agency that I'm working with is a really good one and that I should call and speak with a manager because what is happening to me isn't normal. But since I've booked over a year ago, this is completely normal to me.

 

I'm confused.

The only cabins you could be upgraded to are the 2 Aft suites with large balcony. Theres really not much chance of that, especially, that upgrade fairys will usually call a few weeks before the cruise, and these two remaining cabins may be gone by then.

Or are you downgrading to a regular balcony? :confused:

 

(We have 9212 booked for the Canary Islands in December, there are only 3 of them, and they go fast).

[jmccon2]

I'm downgrading to a balcony. That is, if I can ever get my TA to respond. I checked again, and I made the request on Monday (not Tuesday as I originally posted).

[punkincc]

I'm downgrading to a balcony. That is, if I can ever get my TA to respond. I checked again, and I made the request on Monday (not Tuesday as I originally posted).

 

Why are you sending an email? Call the 800#. A phone call can't be so easily ignored or pushed down the list. I know it's a pain to be on hold sometimes, but it always gets my business taken care of.