So Disappointed in NCL - price dropped IN HALF

[jskinsd]

7 hours ago, kelib said:

One thing to also consider with price drops on last minute bookings is that many people who have to fly last minute can get discouraged at higher airline fares. I have seen great last minute cruise fares only to be dissuaded by higher costs and limited airline availability. It works well for people who may be able to drive, but may not work for others. I look at total cost of trip and not just the cruise fare. 

Travel costs to and from a cruise port is another topic.   For some it is easy but for most it takes time and money. But we are discussing price drop compensation.  In most of my cruises my travel costs are more than cruise fare whether I book early or last minute. ✌️

[Daytonasailor]

17 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

Same. Never booking early again. From now on I'm booking the time off work and buying my cruise fare at the last minute. If my sailing isn't available, then I'll suck it up and go to another line or ship that week.

 

Agree 100%. We leave on the 13 of Mar on the Sun for a 5 day cruise. The price dropped $545. I saw the price drop on wed so I called my TA on thurs. They looked up the price but saw all the balcony cabins and above were sold out. Apparently after the price drop, everyone jumped on board. I asked for some OBC, but since they couldn't confirm the price drop they said, can't do. I'm not complaining, but this made me rethink as to when I'll book a cruise. I had been getting deals, some a year out. I think I'll go with Mark's method and wait till the last minute. I think of all the past cruises where the prices went up after I had booked and that makes me feel a little better.

Edited February 29, 2020 by Daytonasailor
change name

[4774Papa]

17 hours ago, susanf31 said:

I'm so disappointed in NCL.  We booked three cabins, two inside and one balcony. We made final payment. The price of all 3 cabins has dropped IN HALF.  We paid more for an inside cabin than the balcony cabins are now selling for. I wouldn't mind price swings of a few hundred dollars but we are talking about thousands of dollars.

 

It seems as a gesture of good-will and our future business as happy customers, they would offer an upgrade, spa pass, but no...nothing. So we are overpaying for this cruise about $3000.

 

 

 

 

Booking with NCL usually means overpaying if you are forced to buy perks.  We book early when you have to book with perks we don't want.  That is why we have not cruised with NCL since Fall 2018.

[Daytonasailor]

17 hours ago, EleventyBangBang said:

Current events (virus) might be driving this more than usual as well.  Noticed my sailing at 79 days out went down substantially this week. 

 

Just read something about how some cruise lines (but not NCL) are making exceptions to their cancelation/refund policy due to this. 

 

Edited February 29, 2020 by Daytonasailor
double post

[Daytonasailor]

Just got a call from NCL. They said no changes at all for the 13 of March sailing. Humm, hope that's true. Oh, by the way, we called it 11 boom boom back in 67'.

[luv2kroooz]

26 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Oh please, NCL is the same as the others. I’m a 20 minute drive from my cruise port, I book over a year in advance because I’m picky about cabin location, and prices on my cruises have always gone up, not down. You obviously are mad at NCL, move on.

I've been the beneficiary of lots of rock-bottom, last minute rates. I couldn't be happier with NCLs pricing strategy. Tough lesson to learn, though, for those that don't understand the strategy and think they are getting the best deal by booking early. Respectfully, you don't know what you are talking about.

Edited February 29, 2020 by blcruising

[mjkacmom]

17 minutes ago, blcruising said:

I've been the beneficiary of lots of rock-bottom, last minute rates. I couldn't be happier with NCLs pricing strategy. Tough lesson to learn, though, for those that don't understand the strategy and think they are getting the best deal by booking early. Respectfully, you don't know what you are talking about.

I’m a SAHM, and live 10 miles from the manhattan cruise port. My youngest are 17, I check last minute deals a lot for fun, knowing my nest is almost empty and we have the means to travel. I just checked prices for cruises in March, I have honestly never seen them this low ever! $276 sailaway inside leaving tomorrow (not including taxes and fees, DH and I could cruise to the Bahamas for under $1000). I have never seen that before.

[JamieLogical]

I have seen prices go way up and I have seen prices go way down on my sailings. My first sailing on the Bliss last February, prices were up $980 per person over what we paid for our BA by the time the ship sold out. On my Bliss sailing in December, prices had dropped $690 per person for my BA prior to sailing and we received half of the difference as future cruise credit (were also offered 25% as OBC or an "upgrade" to a mini-suite with large balcony). For my upcoming March sailing on the Bliss, prices spiked to $420 per person more than we paid for our BA then dropped back down once the coronavirus fears kicked in. Bottomed out about $40 per person less than we paid and then went back up to about $20 more than we paid, which is where it is today.

 

The point is, NCL bases prices on supply and demand. They try to guess at what that supply and demand will be and price accordingly, but multiple factors can cause it to fluctuate. What you can always bet is that NCL (and all other companies) wants to maximize their profits and will price at what the market will bear in order to do that. I think the fact that they offer ANY compensation for price drops is pretty generous. I was certainly happy with my 50% future cruise credit from the December sailing. That was a unique itinerary and we booked early at a price we thought was worth it to us. The fact we got some FCC out of the deal was just a complete bonus.

[Fun4Us2013]

I called early and got an upgrade to a MS. Na an na na na na.

[Dar & Bob]

16 hours ago, tutuwahineLV said:

these threads, and topics always make me think of other things that go on sale, right after 'we' buy them.  If you purchased, say a whole new living room set, for lets just say 3k,  and the week after it was delivered to you it went on sale for 1500$.....would you be back at the store asking for a refund?  or the coffee and end tables to complete the set??  NO, because you obviously were comfortable paying the 3k.  Or if the new car you just bought  went on sale for a much lower amount than you agreed to pay??  again, NO you wouldn't be back at the dealer asking to be compensated because you paid the higher price.  

I just don't understand expecting to be rewarded, or compensated, if the cost of what you purchased (at an amount your were comfortable paying) goes down.  

JMHO....

Yes I would and most quality stores would honor it but that is an entirely different animal.  

[Dar & Bob]

16 hours ago, susanf31 said:

I think it's a bad business model and will most likely keep me from cruising again in the near future.  If I order a sofa and don't take delivery of it for 6 months, and the price drops between now and when it's delivered, I would ask for the price reduction that everyone else is getting. The fact that cruise lines make you pay in full 3 - 6 months prior to the cruise, while continuing to sell the same cabins for lower is neither good business nor a gesture of good-will towards the customers whose money they've locked down.  Again, with the dropping prices, we are now paying MORE for an inside cabin than they are currently selling balcony cabins for.  The least the could do is offer a balcony since it costs them nothing and we've already paid MORE than what they are selling for.  Yes, I know we are locked in and that's fine. We will go on this cruise, but never will we book and pay for a cruise well in advance ever again.  They need to think about the kind of behavior they are pushing their previous cruisers towards. Instead of booking far out, we will cruise during the slower season, booking within 3 months of actual sailing.  

If had not booked that far in advance though I am assuming you would be paying more for your airfare. With NCL this is their policy not to refund the difference. On other lines we have gotten the difference refunded even a couple weeks before the cruise. We usually always look at them first but NCL comes out to a much more reasonable deal given the Free at Sea perks. We pick what fits our budget at the time of booking. I do watch the fares especially up to the time of final payment  

[RolandofGilead]

Really its about calculated risk. Do you need to travel on a specific date, from a specific port, on a specific ship?  This is usually how it works for us with school/kids sports/work schedules.  The majority of the time costs increase after I book.  Do you live near a port and/or have a flexible work schedule?  Then you are probably better to hold out for an undersold sailing, especially if you are flexible on cabin type/ship/itinerary.

 

I booked a late march cruise in january after final booking and it promptly went down 1k 24 hours after booking.  I filled the guaranteed pice form out within 48hrs of booking and had confirmation of a refund within 2 business days.  Then the price again went down about 1.5k this last weekend.  i called and once given a "one time offer" of 25% obc.  I asked about an upgrade instead but since the price difference to the only option for my 5 in a cabin was still higher that the price decrease it was not an option.  so yes, you can ask for an upgrade but it has to work within their cost formula.

 

That being said, with the current situation it is also a calculated risk for the cruise lines.  This is more of an isolated situation.  There is really no win for them.  

 

They can reduce rates and fill ships.  Then they get probably break even rate, have a chance of additional on board spending and they can get the service charges to pay the staff. (i don't know how the staff compensation works but i would guess they get a lower guaranteed wage with and "expected" bonus or gratuity from service charges).  The question is, are these the kind of guests that you can make more on the back end with?  are they more likely to be more loyal?  

 

The other option is to hold prices as sail with less volume.  The early booking won't feel like they got a poor deal.  The crew may not receive what they expect.  This is probably not a huge issue if it is an isolated sailing but this is most likely a pattern for a least a few months in a row.  This could become a huge HR/payroll issue for them in which they have to compensate them from a reserves or debt to maintain a crew.  The other issue is that passengers may not want to see lower prices than they originally booked, but sailing on a half empty ship (for most) would i think be an even worse deterrent for future sailings.  who wants to go on a cruise where there is no one in the bars after 9pm and the shows are half empty?  You may like being able to find a chair at the pool but part of having a good experience is created by the mutual benefit of others experiencing that with you, even if you do not socialize.

 

Sorry for my rambling, but at this point I think they are just trying to minimize their losses at this point. I am not asking you to feel bad for a multinational corporation but it is what it is.  My business partner has even offered to "buy me out" of my trip so that i don't run the risk of being quarantined on a ship.

[Beachiekeen]

This  happened to us last November on the POA.  My family had 3 regular suites.  The total price over the 3 cabins was $5k less than what we paid.  An OS was less than what we paid for our suite originally.  

 

We had booked over a year in advance.  We were a family of six coming from two different states.  Booking last minute was not an option.  We had 3 suites on Deck 12 right where we wanted them.

 

We called and asked for an upgrade.  The first agent was rude and seemed confused and my husband just gave up.  I posted here and the posters advised calling again and asking for the 25% OBC.  So we all ended up with around $450 in OBC.  So that was something.  My MIL and BIL got massages and my husband and I got a bottle of Dom Perignon for our 10-year wedding anniversary.  We also got lobster and crab cakes at Cagney's, ate and drank whatever we wanted, etc. 

 

Cruises would never sell if everyone could just book and rebook until sailing.  While we might not book so early again, sometimes you have no choice.  We had 3 beautiful cabins on a great deck and had a wonderful time.  Sure it sucks, but we paid the price we were happy with and got the cabins we wanted.  Enjoy your cruise, your OBC, have a wonderful time and don't worry about it.  Next time, maybe you can wait for a better deal or wait for a cruise you don't have to book so far in advance.  So learn from the experience but don't let it spoil your vacation.

Edited February 29, 2020 by Beachiekeen

[Lionkingrichard]

Remember you may not like the random room they upgrade you to. Not everyone goes from inside to Haven! 

[NLH Arizona]

46 minutes ago, Beachiekeen said:

Cruises would never sell if everyone could just book and rebook until sailing.  While we might not book so early again, sometimes you have no choice.  We had 3 beautiful cabins on a great deck and had a wonderful time.  Sure it sucks, but we paid the price we were happy with and got the cabins we wanted.  Enjoy your cruise, your OBC, have a wonderful time and don't worry about it.  Next time, maybe you can wait for a better deal or wait for a cruise you don't have to book so far in advance.  So learn from the experience but don't let it spoil your vacation.

Totally agree.  

 

I remember back in the olden days, Celebrity use to give you the difference between your fare and the price reduction difference, if any, up to about 5 days prior to the cruise sailing.  On one cruise, a couple and I started talking about how much we saved, mine was over half of what I paid for the cruise, and the other couples had never heard of doing that.  Well, a few years later Celebrity stopped doing it.

 

When I originally make a purchase, be it a cruise, car, etc., if I think the price is fair in my opinion and the price goes down, I'll ask for something, but if I don't get it, I can't complain because I'm still getting what I felt was a good price in the beginning and I understand how businesses work. 

 

 

[worktocruise610]

@JamieLogical thanks for the info - you always know what to say 🤗

[hamrag]

3 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

You obviously are mad at NCL, move on.

 

Yes, he seems to have an unhealthy obsession with it and his daily goal is to down NCL at every turn!

[luv2kroooz]

For the benefit of the uninformed on the boards that choose to continue to quote me out of context and slander me, it's all good. You go low I'll go high. Couldn't care less what you think of me. You don't even know me.

 

Let me be perfectly clear to the fair-minded members on here. I have no issues with the pricing methodology employed by NCL. I clearly understand it and use it to my advantage when I book my cruises. I book at rates that match the value I receive from NCL. I am happy with the price I pay and believe what I receive from NCL matches that price. If and when those two items don't align, I'll move on to another line or vacation offering, but until then, I'm off to find another last minute deal. You book at what works for you and I'll do the same. Catch up with you later.

Edited February 29, 2020 by blcruising

[elwood_98034]

We now have community spread of Covid-19 in the USA. No way I would be getting on a cruise ship right now.

[CruiseMH]

21 hours ago, susanf31 said:

I think it's a bad business model

 

Thats not a bad business model, that is the regular business model all over the world !(except USA)

If you can`t live with it, then yes,cruising might not be the right thing for you.

 

 

[bonvoyagie]

5 hours ago, JamieLogical said:

I have seen prices go way up and I have seen prices go way down on my sailings. My first sailing on the Bliss last February, prices were up $980 per person over what we paid for our BA by the time the ship sold out. On my Bliss sailing in December, prices had dropped $690 per person for my BA prior to sailing and we received half of the difference as future cruise credit (were also offered 25% as OBC or an "upgrade" to a mini-suite with large balcony). For my upcoming March sailing on the Bliss, prices spiked to $420 per person more than we paid for our BA then dropped back down once the coronavirus fears kicked in. Bottomed out about $40 per person less than we paid and then went back up to about $20 more than we paid, which is where it is today.

 

The point is, NCL bases prices on supply and demand. They try to guess at what that supply and demand will be and price accordingly, but multiple factors can cause it to fluctuate. What you can always bet is that NCL (and all other companies) wants to maximize their profits and will price at what the market will bear in order to do that. I think the fact that they offer ANY compensation for price drops is pretty generous. I was certainly happy with my 50% future cruise credit from the December sailing. That was a unique itinerary and we booked early at a price we thought was worth it to us. The fact we got some FCC out of the deal was just a complete bonus.

Very well put -  I have had similar experiences with pricing. If I can, I try to book about 2years out as that is usually when itineraries are first announced and the pricing dynamics are not yet in place. I get the category and room I want, lock in the Pre Paid DSC, port fees, and taxes then sit back and wait. Usually watching prices go up. I only ask for changes when the new price is substantially lower in actual $$ (not %).

 

With what has happened with COVID-19 has put the entire travel industry - along with the world economy into shock. It will take time to recover. I can't blame NCL or any company in the Travel and Leisure industries to be re-thinking their policies on handling price drops that are larger than normal. I would not expect much in the way of pricing concessions until they get a handle on this virus. 

 

[AL3XCruise]

5 hours ago, RolandofGilead said:

They can reduce rates and fill ships.  Then they get probably break even rate, have a chance of additional on board spending and they can get the service charges to pay the staff. (i don't know how the staff compensation works but i would guess they get a lower guaranteed wage with and "expected" bonus or gratuity from service charges).  The question is, are these the kind of guests that you can make more on the back end with?  are they more likely to be more loyal?  

 

As you suggested, the marginal cost of additional passengers is very low.  Add in the possibility of on-board revenue, and it makes sense to fill rooms at a steep discount.  Even if they are less loyal or spend less onboard, they are better than an empty cabin.  Of course, if thousands of cruisers got frustrated with dynamic pricing and went elsewhere the practice would need to be reviewed, but given the general consensus on threads like these that seems unlikely.  Those who need certainty book early, those who are more flexible book later.  

[KarenRB]

On 2/28/2020 at 3:40 PM, JustAPilot said:

Another week on CC another Karen poster “MAh CrUIse pricE DrOPPED! Gimme free stuff!” 

Karens of the world unite!  Take back our name and wear it with pride.

 

Karen RB

[blueslily]

On 2/28/2020 at 3:28 PM, tallnthensome said:

Do people complain the same way when they purchase everything else in their life? When you buy a car and then it goes on year end clearance 10 months later do you call the dealership and demand money back or say “I’ll never buy xxx again”? This goes for anything that might be cheaper then when you purchased it. Why does NCL owe anyone anything ? I agree that if you agree to buy at a certain price that is your decision and no one else made you whip out your credit card. The amount of price drop threads and people complaining is out of control. There is no one to blame but yourself when you buy something .

 

😁

 

[blueslily]

8 hours ago, blcruising said:

For the benefit of the uninformed on the boards that choose to continue to quote me out of context and slander me, it's all good. You go low I'll go high. Couldn't care less what you think of me. You don't even know me.

 

Let me be perfectly clear to the fair-minded members on here. I have no issues with the pricing methodology employed by NCL. I clearly understand it and use it to my advantage when I book my cruises. I book at rates that match the value I receive from NCL. I am happy with the price I pay and believe what I receive from NCL matches that price. If and when those two items don't align, I'll move on to another line or vacation offering, but until then, I'm off to find another last minute deal. You book at what works for you and I'll do the same. Catch up with you later.

 

☺