Suite Upgrade!

[fayerussell]

We just got upgraded from an aft balcony on the POA sailing out March 21st to a Penthouse Suite room #10524. We have never been in a suite before. What are the perks? Also, anyone been in this cabin? Any pics? Thanks so much. I am so excited!!!! :)

Edited February 19, 2015 by fayerussell

[punkincc]

Congrats! The NCL deck plan shows that this is designated a handicapped suite and it appears to be slightly larger than the adjacent suites. You may find the bathroom is set up with a lower sink cabinet height and a shower that is "roll in" and surrounded with a shower curtain rather than a door. We had an accessible Family suite on another ship and these differences did not bother us at all.

 

You will find a lot of info about suite perks on the main Norwegian forum on CC. The best thing is having a butler and concierge as well as a room steward. The POA does not have a Haven Area with dedicated restaurant so suite breakfasts and lunches will be offered in one of the specialty restaurants. That is Cagney's on most ships. Not sure about the POA. Or you can order pretty much anything you want for these meals and have your butler serve it in your room. You can order dinner from anywhere on the ship ( cover charges will apply for specialties ) and have it served in cabin. Priority embarkation and debarkation via the concierge as well as any reservations you may need. Of course most will leave a tip for them at the end of the cruise as they are not included in the DSC ( butler and concierge ). Enjoy!

[fayerussell]

Awesome! Thanks so much!! My mom is not wheelchair bound but has mobility issues so that will work OK for us. How much do you usually tip them? I wondered about if that was added in gratuities or not. Do you base it off of how much you actually see them/how helpful they are?

[Lorey2007]

We just got upgraded from an aft balcony on the POA sailing out March 21st to a Penthouse Suite room #10524. We have never been in a suite before. What are the perks? Also, anyone been in this cabin? Any pics? Thanks so much. I am so excited!!!! :)

 

Congrats on the upgrade! How did you get the upgrade did NCL call you or did you inquire? We sail on 4-25, I have a B1 aft balcony booked but have been watching the price of SG suites dropping steadily over the last 2 weeks. I am hoping before the end of the month for it to drop enough, for what I am willing to pay, to upsell to one of those. Wish me luck.

[fayerussell]

Congrats on the upgrade! How did you get the upgrade did NCL call you or did you inquire? We sail on 4-25, I have a B1 aft balcony booked but have been watching the price of SG suites dropping steadily over the last 2 weeks. I am hoping before the end of the month for it to drop enough, for what I am willing to pay, to upsell to one of those. Wish me luck.

 

I have called them every 2 weeks for the last month and a half. lol It paid off! We were upgraded at no cost so you can't beat that! :D

[Lorey2007]

I have called them every 2 weeks for the last month and a half. lol It paid off! We were upgraded at no cost so you can't beat that! :D

 

Can I ask a few details? Did you just call and ask for a upgrade each time, if so what did they say....and did the last time did they just give it to you? How much in dollars would you say the upgrade was worth?

Over the last 4 weeks I have received 4 price reductions on the B1 balcony, the SG suites are now below the price I originally paid for the aft balcony so I would be willing to pay a bit to upgrade but if there is a chance they will just give it to me I'd take it. I've been working very hard on this and would love to get a suite never had one before.

[fayerussell]

Can I ask a few details? Did you just call and ask for a upgrade each time, if so what did they say....and did the last time did they just give it to you? How much in dollars would you say the upgrade was worth?

Over the last 4 weeks I have received 4 price reductions on the B1 balcony, the SG suites are now below the price I originally paid for the aft balcony so I would be willing to pay a bit to upgrade but if there is a chance they will just give it to me I'd take it. I've been working very hard on this and would love to get a suite never had one before.

 

Our cruise is March 21st so obviously we are past final payment. So we were not going to get any money back-which I knew. I called and told them the price had dropped and I should receive an upgrade or cruise credit. 2 weeks ago we were upgraded at no cost from a category bb balcony midship to an aft balcony. At that point my price had dropped a whopping $1200. I checked today and saw I could get a suite for the same price. Called again and got upgraded again. At this point the penthouse suite price was same price I paid originally for the midship balcony. Totally crazy!! If the suites on your sailing is less than what you paid for your balcony then definitely need to call!!!

[punkincc]

Awesome! Thanks so much!! My mom is not wheelchair bound but has mobility issues so that will work OK for us. How much do you usually tip them? I wondered about if that was added in gratuities or not. Do you base it off of how much you actually see them/how helpful they are?

 

Lots of tipping threads, and lots of different opinions. For butler, I have seen the guideline of $10 per person per day or around $140 for the week for a couple. Adjust higher or lower based on your experience. We usually tip the steward another $40 or so, concierge maybe $50 although I'm not sure they ( the concierge ) deserve it. I think they make a pretty good salary.

Edited February 20, 2015 by punkincc

[fayerussell]

Lots of tipping threads, and lots of different opinions. For butler, I have seen the guideline of $10 per person per day or around $140 for the week for a couple. Adjust higher or lower based on your experience. We usually tip the steward another $40 or so, concierge maybe $50 although I'm not sure they ( the concierge ) deserve it. I think they make a pretty good salary.

 

Wow. Ok, good to know. Thanks!

[Lorey2007]

Our cruise is March 21st so obviously we are past final payment. So we were not going to get any money back-which I knew. I called and told them the price had dropped and I should receive an upgrade or cruise credit. 2 weeks ago we were upgraded at no cost from a category bb balcony midship to an aft balcony. At that point my price had dropped a whopping $1200. I checked today and saw I could get a suite for the same price. Called again and got upgraded again. At this point the penthouse suite price was same price I paid originally for the midship balcony. Totally crazy!! If the suites on your sailing is less than what you paid for your balcony then definitely need to call!!!

 

Did you just call their toll free number and then select the "already have a cruise booked" number? Or did you ask for a different department?

My B1 stateroom is now only $600 total more than what I eventually paid after all my refunds. There are 10 SG suites showing available when I do a mock booking. I just want to make sure I have all my facts straight before I call.

[fayerussell]

Did you just call their toll free number and then select the "already have a cruise booked" number? Or did you ask for a different department?

My B1 stateroom is now only $600 total more than what I eventually paid after all my refunds. There are 10 SG suites showing available when I do a mock booking. I just want to make sure I have all my facts straight before I call.

 

I booked through ncl with one of their vacation specialists-not sure of their exact name. Lol. I had his name and nmbr so I called him. But if u booked online anyone should b able to help you. My guy at ncl was on vacay one week and I talked to someone else and they helped me. :). That time I did call the customer service number and hit the already booked cruise nmbr. If u get the wrong dept they will transfer u though. :). He also told me on Friday that prices are really dropping and to call back again in two weeks to see if he could add more stuff. lol.

[Lorey2007]

I booked through ncl with one of their vacation specialists-not sure of their exact name. Lol. I had his name and nmbr so I called him. But if u booked online anyone should b able to help you. My guy at ncl was on vacay one week and I talked to someone else and they helped me. :). That time I did call the customer service number and hit the already booked cruise nmbr. If u get the wrong dept they will transfer u though. :). He also told me on Friday that prices are really dropping and to call back again in two weeks to see if he could add more stuff. lol.

 

Thanks for all your help. I think I will wait until Thursday and see if they drop again it seems like it is every 3 days. I read on the NCL boards that March 1st they are adding another perk to the promotion they have already.

[fayerussell]

Thanks for all your help. I think I will wait until Thursday and see if they drop again it seems like it is every 3 days. I read on the NCL boards that March 1st they are adding another perk to the promotion they have already.

 

Ur welcome!! Good luck! Have a great trip!! :)

[Lorey2007]

Thanks for all your help. I think I will wait until Thursday and see if they drop again it seems like it is every 3 days. I read on the NCL boards that March 1st they are adding another perk to the promotion they have already.

 

Just a update, the price on the SG suite dropped again so I decided to bite the bullet and did a upgrade on Feb 27th. On March 1st the new promotion went into effect adding service charges paid. Since that date the rates on the next category of suites has dropped twice, I called once and it was still too much to my liking to pay for a upgrade. After seeing another price drop yesterday I decided to call again and low and behold they decided to do a complimentary upgrade to a SE which is the same as another price drop, yay! With the SG we are getting a huge bathroom with double sinks, tub and separate shower. This cruise better hurry and get here or they are going to end up paying us to go. Thanks for all your help.

[greatlakesgirl]

Nice! Hope you have a blast!

[fayerussell]

Just a update, the price on the SG suite dropped again so I decided to bite the bullet and did a upgrade on Feb 27th. On March 1st the new promotion went into effect adding service charges paid. Since that date the rates on the next category of suites has dropped twice, I called once and it was still too much to my liking to pay for a upgrade. After seeing another price drop yesterday I decided to call again and low and behold they decided to do a complimentary upgrade to a SE which is the same as another price drop, yay! With the SG we are getting a huge bathroom with double sinks, tub and separate shower. This cruise better hurry and get here or they are going to end up paying us to go. Thanks for all your help.

Lol. Awesome!!! We sail on Sat- so excited!! :)

[tlw3184]

Just a update, the price on the SG suite dropped again so I decided to bite the bullet and did a upgrade on Feb 27th. On March 1st the new promotion went into effect adding service charges paid. Since that date the rates on the next category of suites has dropped twice, I called once and it was still too much to my liking to pay for a upgrade. After seeing another price drop yesterday I decided to call again and low and behold they decided to do a complimentary upgrade to a SE which is the same as another price drop, yay! With the SG we are getting a huge bathroom with double sinks, tub and separate shower. This cruise better hurry and get here or they are going to end up paying us to go. Thanks for all your help.

 

Lorey,

Are you in a SE or SG now? I had the same thing happen to me. I was booked in a B1 aft balcony as well and have been looking at the prices for the last month. On Friday I checked prices again and the SE was less than $300 more than what we had already paid. I called NCL and they gave us a complimentary upgrade to a penthouse with large balcony (SE). I'm so excited I can't wait! Never been in a suite before so I am looking forward to some of the perks of the "suite life". Which room did you get upgraded to? Ours is now on deck 10, but I can't seem to find any pictures or video or our suite 10016. These boards have been a tremendous help to me for this cruise and the one I took in 2011.

[Lorey2007]

Lorey,

Are you in a SE or SG now? I had the same thing happen to me. I was booked in a B1 aft balcony as well and have been looking at the prices for the last month. On Friday I checked prices again and the SE was less than $300 more than what we had already paid. I called NCL and they gave us a complimentary upgrade to a penthouse with large balcony (SE). I'm so excited I can't wait! Never been in a suite before so I am looking forward to some of the perks of the "suite life". Which room did you get upgraded to? Ours is now on deck 10, but I can't seem to find any pictures or video or our suite 10016. These boards have been a tremendous help to me for this cruise and the one I took in 2011.

 

We got upgraded from a SG to a SE. I did a mock booking before I called to see which suites were available and I was able to request 13508 which I had seen many pictures of in Miicah's review. This cruise is now costing us less than when I originally booked the B1 last June.:)

For your next cruise sign up for a very small fee with the fish site and you can get price drop alerts for 4-5 different cruises. They have been right on the money for me.

Take good care of Pride of America and have a wonderful cruise.

[Lorey2007]

I just got a alert that the SH category for 4-25 had gone down $150. Keep checking until sail date that's what one rep told me.

[Retiring cajun]

how are you getting the info on price drops? fish site or looking on NCL? we sail in August.

[Lorey2007]

how are you getting the info on price drops? fish site or looking on NCL? we sail in August.

 

I was send a email "alert" from the fish site each time. But I also check NCL and once I saw a drop called NCL and after my call I got the alert. Best few buck I ever spent.

[pizzalady1]

I use the fish site and it helped me get free upgrades from aft balcony to aft suite 3 out of 7 sailings. Great site!

[Kapuna]

What is a " fish site " ?

[pizzalady1]

What is a " fish site " ?

 

www dot cruise fish dot net no space between cruise and fish

 

For $1 per cruise they will alert you to price changes. Very accurate.

Edited March 31, 2015 by pizzalady1

[baseballsandbows]

Can you get these same upgrades if you booked through a travel agent?