Be careful when booking B2B cruises

[BlueLadyBlue]

My DH & I decided to book the "around the horn" cruise from Santiago (Valp), Chile to Buenos Aries, Ag. We noticed that the ship carried on to Rio and then back to BA so we decided to treat ourselves to that cruise as well. We called NCL and booked the two cruises and when we did the gal at NCl put them together under one reservation number.

 

Knowing what I now know, I would have asked her to create two separate reservations. Long story short, our second cruise is now $400. pp less then when we booked so I decided to call and change our second cruise. I also, wanted to change our perks from UBP & SDP to UBP & prepaid gratuities.

I saw that our first cruise was no longer showing on the NCL site so I thought it may be sold out. With that in mind I told the gal who answered (we were not assigned a PCC) I only wanted to change the second cruise and not to touch the first.

 

She didn't know how to do that and after a long time on hold, she came back to say it can't be done! (She was very pleasant and did try to help.) Our first cruise is indeed sold out and she couldn't even bring it up on her computer.

So if you book b2b you may want to ask for two separate bookings in case you end up in the same position as us and only want to change one. I estimate this cost us close to $1,200. Live and learn.

 

Also, on the NCL web site only our first cruise shows up but apparently that is a well known issue.

 

We were happy with the price when we booked so we'll just carry on and have a great time I'm sure. Just wanted to let others know the possible pitfalls.

 

There may be disadvantages to booking as two separate cruises but I don't know what they are. Someone else may be able to comment on that.

[bilmo]

With two reservations it may be more difficult to stay in the same cabin or like us have to accept a less desirable one so we didn't have to change cabins. You may end up with more perks with two reservation. In our case after the first leg, we become gold level not that it gives you much.

[quillwercruisers]

We had booked a b2b, and our PCC recommended doing it as two reservations. We got the perks for both trips instead of only getting it for one. Also, we ended up having to cancel the 2nd leg, but we didn't lose anything on the first leg as nothing changed. We had originally booked far enough in advance that we were able to get the same cabin, so that is what we will do the next time we book a b2b.

[rochelle_s]

If I were you i would call back and get a second opinion on the matter. Escalate to a supervisor if need be.

 

Did you receive a discount when they booked the two cruises together as one?

If not I would be asking for the reservation to be severed so that you can take advantage of the price drop. You are before final payment and therefore are entitled to it. If they still insist that it cannot be done then politely inquire about some OBC to help make up for it.

 

At the very least there should be no reason why you cannot change your promotions and be able to take advantage of the pre paid gratuity option.

 

I am surprised that a cruise for late January is already showing sold out. I wonder if there is a group booking or a block of cabins being held by a travel agency?

 

I hope that by calling again and speaking to someone you get a resolution that works more in your favour. And if still not I would check back again closer to final payment date, there are often many cancellations at that time.

 

Good luck and please let us know if anything new happens.

 

 

Rochelle

[don't-use-real-name]

If you can not keep the same cabin for next B2B leg it is not that real big a deal or hassle.

You do not have to totally disembark from the ship and start the check-in all over again.

Your baggage and stuff stays with you and your cabin steward will move your gear to your new cabin digs.

Only thing that you need to do is arrange all the details with Guest Services the day/evening before i.e. key cards etc.

You will have to disembark from the ship briefly to zero out the head count

but will be given an Intransit pass to reboard when the ship boards ahead of the waiting crowd.

Yes it would be frustrating to not have the same cabin if it was more desirable than the 2nd one.

[casofilia]

{Snipped} We had booked a b2b, and our PCC recommended doing it as two reservations. We got the perks for both trips instead of only getting it for one.

 

You will still get all the Platinum level perks whether booked as one or two.

Edited September 19, 2016 by casofilia
added piece

[Level six]

If you can not keep the same cabin for next B2B leg it is not that real big a deal or hassle.

You do not have to totally disembark from the ship and start the check-in all over again.

Your baggage and stuff stays with you and your cabin steward will move your gear to your new cabin digs.

Only thing that you need to do is arrange all the details with Guest Services the day/evening before i.e. key cards etc.

You will have to disembark from the ship briefly to zero out the head count

but will be given an Intransit pass to reboard when the ship boards ahead of the waiting crowd.

Yes it would be frustrating to not have the same cabin if it was more desirable than the 2nd one.

 

Hi, thanks for the input. Have you done this?

I am thinking of booking a B2B guarantee, is that the way it works? I called NCL and was told I would need to take all my luggage off the ship and go thru the boarding process again, which would mean I would lose the port day.

I don't care about the room really, but taking all my stuff off, waiting to reboard, etc, does not sound much fun.

I know guarantee makes it more complicated, but, for the price, I am willing to just move where ever they put me, but don't really want to lose a day in Singapore.

Thanks for any help.

[casofilia]

{Snipped}

I am thinking of booking a B2B guarantee, is that the way it works? I called NCL and was told I would need to take all my luggage off the ship and go thru the boarding process again, which would mean I would lose the port day.

I don't care about the room really, but taking all my stuff off, waiting to reboard, etc, does not sound much fun.

 

We have never used a Guarantee but have done lots of B2B cruises.

 

While we often have to have a clean ship between the cruises we have NEVER had to take our luggage off the ship. If you are staying in your cabin then it is just like another port day with time ashore. If you are moving cabin then pack your luggage; label it and your steward will see it is moved for you.

 

The last night of the first part of the cruise go to Guest Services and get the room key for the second part. The old key will get you off the ship and become "dead" thereafter and the new one will be activated so that you can get back on the ship and into your new room.

 

Guarantee may make a difference but I don't see why it should as Guest Services will have all the details if you are to change rooms.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

OP, thanks for sharing your experience. I'm thinking about booking a B2B for next year and I wouldn't have know this if you hadn't shared your experience. I'll be sure to book them as two different cruises.

 

Thanks!

[easyboy]

My DH & I decided to book the "around the horn" cruise from Santiago (Valp), Chile to Buenos Aries, Ag. We noticed that the ship carried on to Rio and then back to BA so we decided to treat ourselves to that cruise as well. We called NCL and booked the two cruises and when we did the gal at NCl put them together under one reservation number.

 

Knowing what I now know, I would have asked her to create two separate reservations. Long story short, our second cruise is now $400. pp less then when we booked so I decided to call and change our second cruise. I also, wanted to change our perks from UBP & SDP to UBP & prepaid gratuities.

I saw that our first cruise was no longer showing on the NCL site so I thought it may be sold out. With that in mind I told the gal who answered (we were not assigned a PCC) I only wanted to change the second cruise and not to touch the first.

 

She didn't know how to do that and after a long time on hold, she came back to say it can't be done! (She was very pleasant and did try to help.) Our first cruise is indeed sold out and she couldn't even bring it up on her computer.

So if you book b2b you may want to ask for two separate bookings in case you end up in the same position as us and only want to change one. I estimate this cost us close to $1,200. Live and learn.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience. Will take note of that when booking b2b.

[Level six]

We have never used a Guarantee but have done lots of B2B cruises.

 

While we often have to have a clean ship between the cruises we have NEVER had to take our luggage off the ship. If you are staying in your cabin then it is just like another port day with time ashore. If you are moving cabin then pack your luggage; label it and your steward will see it is moved for you.

 

The last night of the first part of the cruise go to Guest Services and get the room key for the second part. The old key will get you off the ship and become "dead" thereafter and the new one will be activated so that you can get back on the ship and into your new room.

 

Guarantee may make a difference but I don't see why it should as Guest Services will have all the details if you are to change rooms.

 

Thanks so much and thanks to OP for bringing this to light. I appreciate it.

[Demonyte]

 

So if you book b2b you may want to ask for two separate bookings in case you end up in the same position as us and only want to change one. I estimate this cost us close to $1,200. Live and learn.

 

Sorry this happened to you but unfortunately that is not the universal truth - there have been many cases where the situation is opposite and booking B2B cruises separately can end up costing hundreds or thousands more than one combined booking.

 

One can never tell in advance how the pricing goes on two specific cruises or the combination thereof - it's all based on supply and demand.

Edited September 19, 2016 by Demonyte

[pokerpro5]

If I were you i would call back and get a second opinion on the matter. Escalate to a supervisor if need be.

 

Did you receive a discount when they booked the two cruises together as one?

 

If not I would be asking for the reservation to be severed so that you can take advantage of the price drop. You are before final payment and therefore are entitled to it. If they still insist that it cannot be done then politely inquire about some OBC to help make up for it.

 

At the very least there should be no reason why you cannot change your promotions and be able to take advantage of the pre paid gratuity option.

 

I am surprised that a cruise for late January is already showing sold out. I wonder if there is a group booking or a block of cabins being held by a travel agency?

 

I hope that by calling again and speaking to someone you get a resolution that works more in your favour. And if still not I would check back again closer to final payment date, there are often many cancellations at that time.

 

I agree with the above advice. It's very good.

 

Don't take "no" for an answer. You were speaking to a PCC who lacks the power or access to fix the situation, so you were told to kick rocks.

 

Call the Miami corporate office at 305-436-4000 between 8:00am and 5:30pm ET.

 

Be calm but forceful.

 

You are probably best off claiming that you were promised that two bookings on one reservation is 100% equivalent to two separate reservations, and you are frustrated that you were given the wrong advice.

 

Even if they cannot separate it, they can probably give you a refund for the difference, or at the very least, give it to you in OBC.

 

If you do receive it in OBC, there is an easy and legal trick you can use onboard to convert it to CASH at just a 3% loss (let me know if you want instructions on how to do this).

 

Good luck.

 

BTW, as an aside, two separate reservations IS usually cheaper than booking a back-to-back as one cruise. This is because the "long cruise" product is aimed at people with more money, and thus it is (correctly) assumed more that these people will pay more for a 14-day cruise than simply double the price of two 7-day cruises. It's counter-intuitive, but it tends to be true.

 

Also, some itineraries DO sell out early, especially if they are rare. For example, my 2015 Canada and New England cruise on the Dawn, which had only 2 Boston departures the entire year, sold out about 6 months in advance.

[BlueLadyBlue]

First, thank you to everyone for reading and responding to my post and a special thank you to Pokerpro for suggesting calling Miami corporate and providing the phone number. It worked and our second cruise is now $800 USD (we're Canadian) less! I didn't bother to try to change from SDP to prepaid grats as it took an hour for them to just make the price change.

 

I was on hold for half an hour or so and then she said I could either continue to hold or she would call me back when they had it sorted and she did call me back with the good news. The gal I spoke to was great, she got her supervisor involved and the supervisor had to make the change. They have sent me a new confirmation with the updated pricing and a new amenities form showing all our perks.

 

Next time, I will make sure to book as two (or more, wishful thinking) cruises with separate reservation numbers unless there is some upfront benefit in booking as one.

 

Thanks again. Now time for my happy dance!

[rochelle_s]

First, thank you to everyone for reading and responding to my post and a special thank you to Pokerpro for suggesting calling Miami corporate and providing the phone number. It worked and our second cruise is now $800 USD (we're Canadian) less! I didn't bother to try to change from SDP to prepaid grats as it took an hour for them to just make the price change.

 

I was on hold for half an hour or so and then she said I could either continue to hold or she would call me back when they had it sorted and she did call me back with the good news. The gal I spoke to was great, she got her supervisor involved and the supervisor had to make the change. They have sent me a new confirmation with the updated pricing and a new amenities form showing all our perks.

 

Next time, I will make sure to book as two (or more, wishful thinking) cruises with separate reservation numbers unless there is some upfront benefit in booking as one.

 

Thanks again. Now time for my happy dance!

 

 

Great news and thank you for reporting back!

 

Dance away :)

 

 

Rochelle

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Wonderful! Good for you!

[Jana60]

If you do receive it in OBC, there is an easy and legal trick you can use onboard to convert it to CASH at just a 3% loss (let me know if you want instructions on how to do this).

.

 

I have non-refundable onboard credit coming my way on my cruise next month so I would love to have the instructions on how to convert this to cash!

 

Sent from my SM-N910T using Forums mobile app

[cml4958]

At the very least there should be no reason why you cannot change your promotions and be able to take advantage of the pre paid gratuity option.

 

Rochelle

The only promotions that would be available would be the promotions that were available at original booking. Unless it's a cancel and re-book situation. Then the current promotion would apply. But then you might lose you cabin you chose.

 

So it's a definite coin toss situation.

[rochelle_s]

The only promotions that would be available would be the promotions that were available at original booking. Unless it's a cancel and re-book situation. Then the current promotion would apply. But then you might lose you cabin you chose.

 

So it's a definite coin toss situation.

 

That is true...I think for the OP it worked out pretty well. They still have their two original promotions and the savings they were able to get applied should more than cover their gratuities. Win Win for them. :)

 

 

Rochelle

[sjbdtz]

My DH & I decided to book the "around the horn" cruise from Santiago (Valp), Chile to Buenos Aries, Ag. We noticed that the ship carried on to Rio and then back to BA so we decided to treat ourselves to that cruise as well. We called NCL and booked the two cruises and when we did the gal at NCl put them together under one reservation number.

 

Knowing what I now know, I would have asked her to create two separate reservations. Long story short, our second cruise is now $400. pp less then when we booked so I decided to call and change our second cruise. I also, wanted to change our perks from UBP & SDP to UBP & prepaid gratuities.

I saw that our first cruise was no longer showing on the NCL site so I thought it may be sold out. With that in mind I told the gal who answered (we were not assigned a PCC) I only wanted to change the second cruise and not to touch the first.

 

She didn't know how to do that and after a long time on hold, she came back to say it can't be done! (She was very pleasant and did try to help.) Our first cruise is indeed sold out and she couldn't even bring it up on her computer.

So if you book b2b you may want to ask for two separate bookings in case you end up in the same position as us and only want to change one. I estimate this cost us close to $1,200. Live and learn.

 

Also, on the NCL web site only our first cruise shows up but apparently that is a well known issue.

 

We were happy with the price when we booked so we'll just carry on and have a great time I'm sure. Just wanted to let others know the possible pitfalls.

 

There may be disadvantages to booking as two separate cruises but I don't know what they are. Someone else may be able to comment on that.

 

 

 

Thank you for a reasonable post, without an agenda. It's refreshing.

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[mugtech]

Another advantage of using PCC is booking the same cabin on b2b and avoiding the life boat drill on the second cruise. We are leaving San Juan at 9 PM, so avoiding the drill will mean we can be off the ship all day until 8:30 PM. Not sure what time the drill will be, but it is nice to not participate.

[TSUmom]

This has all been great information. We have been looking at a B2B out of San Juan. They offer a 14 day also but it appears to be cheaper doing two 7 day back to backs.

[mugtech]

This has all been great information. We have been looking at a B2B out of San Juan. They offer a 14 day also but it appears to be cheaper doing two 7 day back to backs.

 

It was more than $300 cheaper to book as two cruises, plus we used 2 next cruises on each 7 day cruise, so we saved an additional $250 by booking 2 cruises. PCC put us in the same cabin both legs, so it has the same affect of not having to do a second life boat drill.

[TSUmom]

We have two cruise next deposits also and I thought the same thing, use one for each separate cruise. Thanks

[mugtech]

We have two cruise next deposits also and I thought the same thing, use one for each separate cruise. Thanks

 

And if you had four cruise next deposits you could use two on each cruise:D