Price drop 2 weeks before sailing

[ALS1214]

I'm leaving on the dawn in 2 weeks and I noticed that the price dropped by almost $300 from what I paid for midship balcony cabin . Does NCL still give some on board credit if I call this close to sail date?

 

 

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[rvsullivan]

Not likely, they might offer an upgrade if there is a room that now is the same cost or close to the same cost as you paid.

Last minute deals are to fill up the ship at the last minute. Best way to snag one of these deals is to not book in advance and hope that at the end there are still rooms for the dates that you want. Of course you will only have a choice of what is left over.

Up until final payment NCL is very good about giving the reduced rates. After final payment, not much help. Enjoy your cruise.

[rajones007]

In my experience NCL is pretty good when there's a price drop after final payment. Their rule of thumb is to offer 25% of the difference in OBC. It's not perfect, but it's something.

 

I've done it on my last 2 cruises. I look at it as 'free money'. Prior to finding out about the price drop I was quite content and satisfied with the fare I had already paid. So getting at least some of it back makes me a happy sailor.

 

Keep in mind they are not obligated to do anything, but my rep at NCL doesn't even think twice about giving it to me.

Edited June 28, 2014 by rajones007
ugh. post is not preview.

[TYSONBOXER]

My son booked a gty balcony and just upgraded to mini suite for the same price

 

 

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[david_sobe]

You could get an upgrade if available. Or you could get a small amount of OBC. It wont be $300 though. It is also possible you wont get anything.

But usually NCL is pretty good and you could get $50 OBC or at least something.

Keep us posted!

[meglet]

Hi OP

 

See if they'll give you the mini suite upgrade. I've stayed on Dawn balcony and mini and the mini will give you a tub in the bathroom, a little more space in the cabin, and your balcony will be a little bigger. We stayed on deck 11 aft, port side, a few cabins up from the spa last summer and it was nice and quiet. The hallway always smelled nice too.

[ALS1214]

I would love a mid ship mini suite if I could get it, but they seem to be under the garden cafe, I bet that would be noisy with chars moving around.

 

 

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[david_sobe]

I would love a mid ship mini suite if I could get it, but they seem to be under the garden cafe, I bet that would be noisy with chars moving around.

 

 

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Doesn't the Garden Café have carpet in the sitting area? I don't think you could hear chair banging on the carpet. Let us know how it turns out.

[Susie51]

NCL has allowed us to take advantage of a price break after final payment. We decided to move up to a suite by paying a little extra.

[mnh]

Mine dropped $550 per person 2 weeks before the sailing date. I am in an aft balcony....all higher cabins booked....No OBC.....I booked directly with NCL and my PCC is an idiot! Not because he can't offer me anything but because he is inept....he will email me to call him then when I do he will ask me what I want....I could go on and on, but this was his latest.

 

I have emailed NCL and asked for a new PCC!

[VickiD59]

We're 3 weeks out and our aft balcony (we have 3 of them) just dropped 420.00pp!! I called last night, knowing the answer was probably not going to be what I wanted to hear - after ONE HOUR on hold I was offered to be upgraded to an M3, which:

1. We don't want to move as there are other cabins in our family group in the very near vicinity of our afts what chose rooms because of our location.

2. Two of our aft cabins also have an adjacent insides for their kids (20, 20, 17, 15), and there aren't any insides near the M3s available.

3. Even if we would be willing to move, the M3s that are available are not in a location we'd would want anyway, plus again.. no insides available.

4. We booked over a year before specifically to select our 3 afts together with adjacent insides - again.. we have no desire to upgrade.

 

Now I know we wouldn't receive credit for the full 840.00 per cabin (but hell.. thats ALOT of money!), but the rep I talked to wasn't very compassionate at all. I never once said, or assumed we'd get a full dollar obc. But given the circumstances that we can't move away from our insides with minors.. toss us a bone.. a dinner... wine.. something?

My only experience with post final payment drops is with Carnival, who up until 2 weeks to sailing gives you 100% in obc.

That's my rant for the day... let the flaming begin. :(

[VickiD59]

Mine dropped $550 per person 2 weeks before the sailing date. I am in an aft balcony....all higher cabins booked....No OBC.....I booked directly with NCL and my PCC is an idiot! Not because he can't offer me anything but because he is inept....he will email me to call him then when I do he will ask me what I want....I could go on and on, but this was his latest.

I have emailed NCL and asked for a new PCC!

 

We must have the same one!! I stopped calling ours weeks ago - he will never return a call, and will take more than a week to respond to an email, but only after sending it twice. By the time he does respond, I have additional questions, which will start the cycle all over again. I know we're not his only customers, but we have 12 cabins in our group, with 25 fares. Really bad customer service - I'm more disappointed and frustrated by the day.

[VickiD59]

I would love a mid ship mini suite if I could get it, but they seem to be under the garden cafe, I bet that would be noisy with chars moving around.

Yes.. the so called "upgrades" are to cabins that are still available for a reason - no one wanted them to start with.

[meglet]

You could try doing a search on the site for a specific cabin review and see if there are noise complaints. Last summer we had 11678, under the Garden Cafe, but no noise.

[christinalvt]

I have a mid-ship mini suite booked and have always wanted to try an aft balcony, so when I noticed the huge price drop on aft balconies (it comes to less than what I paid), I called and asked to be changed to an aft balcony. My TA called NCL and they said that since an aft balcony category B1 is a lower pricepoint than a midship mini suite (MB), I can't DOWNGRADE!! I can't imagine why not! I told him I didn't care that it would cost less than what I paid, I would prefer an aft balcony. They still wouldn't do it.

I'm not looking for a refund or even OBC, I just wanted an aft balcony, and I can't imagine why they think this category is a downgrade from a mini-suite where the only difference is the size of the bathroom!

OK, rant over...

 

Christina

[christinalvt]

We must have the same one!! I stopped calling ours weeks ago - he will never return a call, and will take more than a week to respond to an email, but only after sending it twice. By the time he does respond, I have additional questions, which will start the cycle all over again. I know we're not his only customers, but we have 12 cabins in our group, with 25 fares. Really bad customer service - I'm more disappointed and frustrated by the day.

Vicki and mnh: Do you have to speak to the same agent each time you call NCL? Can't you just switch agents?

 

CHristina

[mjkacmom]

We're 3 weeks out and our aft balcony (we have 3 of them) just dropped 420.00pp!! I called last night, knowing the answer was probably not going to be what I wanted to hear - after ONE HOUR on hold I was offered to be upgraded to an M3, which:

1. We don't want to move as there are other cabins in our family group in the very near vicinity of our afts what chose rooms because of our location.

2. Two of our aft cabins also have an adjacent insides for their kids (20, 20, 17, 15), and there aren't any insides near the M3s available.

3. Even if we would be willing to move, the M3s that are available are not in a location we'd would want anyway, plus again.. no insides available.

4. We booked over a year before specifically to select our 3 afts together with adjacent insides - again.. we have no desire to upgrade.

 

Now I know we wouldn't receive credit for the full 840.00 per cabin (but hell.. thats ALOT of money!), but the rep I talked to wasn't very compassionate at all. I never once said, or assumed we'd get a full dollar obc. But given the circumstances that we can't move away from our insides with minors.. toss us a bone.. a dinner... wine.. something?

My only experience with post final payment drops is with Carnival, who up until 2 weeks to sailing gives you 100% in obc.

That's my rant for the day... let the flaming begin. :(

 

I don't even check price drops, because we always get two - three connecting/ajoining mid-ship balconies. NCL wants to move you to other cabins, in order to sell yours. This is also the reason we don't wait to book last minute - the prices would most likely be lower, but we wouldn't get the locations we need.

 

They're having a fire sale to get those cabins sold last minute - offering you $ doesn't do much for their profit.

[christinalvt]

Yeah, I realize they want to make a profit, but in my case they would be freeing up a mini-suite which is considered (to them) a higher and more desirable category, and I don't want any OBC, just to switch cabins. I don't understand it....:confused:

 

Christina

[mjkacmom]

Yeah, I realize they want to make a profit, but in my case they would be freeing up a mini-suite which is considered (to them) a higher and more desirable category, and I don't want any OBC, just to switch cabins. I don't understand it....:confused:

 

Christina

 

I think aft balconies are sometimes more popular than mini-suites. Do you know how many people that balcony holds vs. the mini-suite?

[christinalvt]

I think aft balconies are sometimes more popular than mini-suites. Do you know how many people that balcony holds vs. the mini-suite?

 

 

Yes!! Which is why I can't understand why it is considered a downgrade!

 

 

⚓️ You know you're a cruise addict if:

You know what DOtD and OBC mean.

You enter your bedroom at night and look for the towel animal.

You are reading Cruise Critic, and your cruise isn't for months, or you don't even have one booked (yet!) ⚓️

[VickiD59]

Hi Christina (Putnam Valley here) - we called again.. got another rep, who got yet another supervisor, who ultimately tossed us the small bone we were hoping for; which we were happy to take and thats that!

<hand over my heart> I will NOT look at prices anymore over the next 22 days... I am satisfied ;)

[newmexicoNita]

I'm leaving on the dawn in 2 weeks and I noticed that the price dropped by almost $300 from what I paid for midship balcony cabin . Does NCL still give some on board credit if I call this close to sail date?

 

 

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I can't believe this question is being asked again!! I am not upset with you, but at least once a week the same question is asked. The rule is the same pretty much: normally they will give you an upgrade if something is available, and if you are lucky maybe a small OBC but there are no guarantees. This is why, it is better not to even check the prices at the end. If you were content with what you paid, let it go. If you booked directly with NCL give them a call; who knows? If you booked through an agent they will have to call for you.

[christinalvt]

Hi Christina (Putnam Valley here) - we called again.. got another rep, who got yet another supervisor, who ultimately tossed us the small bone we were hoping for; which we were happy to take and thats that!

<hand over my heart> I will NOT look at prices anymore over the next 22 days... I am satisfied ;)

 

 

That's great Vicki! I guess the squeaky wheel gets the oil, huh?

Maybe I'll try again for my downgrade!

 

 

⚓️ You know you're a cruise addict if:

You know what DOtD and OBC mean.

You enter your bedroom at night and look for the towel animal.

You are reading Cruise Critic, and your cruise isn't for months, or you don't even have one booked (yet!) ⚓️

[Cruise bug69]

We cruise next week on the jade so I've emailed them our cruise has gone down by nearly £300 asking for upgrade or obc

[david_sobe]

I can't believe this question is being asked again!! I am not upset with you, but at least once a week the same question is asked. The rule is the same pretty much: normally they will give you an upgrade if something is available, and if you are lucky maybe a small OBC but there are no guarantees. This is why, it is better not to even check the prices at the end. If you were content with what you paid, let it go. If you booked directly with NCL give them a call; who knows? If you booked through an agent they will have to call for you.

Remember that not everyone is on cruise critic as much as me our you with over 27,000 posts ;)

Its a sacrifice for some of us to pay for a cruise vacation. To get a small upgrade if possible is more than reasonable. And the question is a lot better than some like maple syrup, endless butler questions, etc. Only open the threads that interest you.