NCL price drop after final payment policy

[masspector]

New to NCL.  We have a cruise Oct 29 2023 in a regular balcony.  Price has dropped $150 PP for balcony.  What is the NCL policy?  Can you get OBC?  I read if you want to upgrade cabin that it has to be more than you paid.  Currently the club balcony is less than we paid for the balcony.  TIA

[schmoopie17]

This has happened to us a couple of times. After final payment you can request a ONE TIME exception for FCC. Note, I said request...but we've never been turned down. Also note, the one time exception is per cruise...you can get more for future cruises.

[masspector]

Thanks for the quick reply.  What about upgrades?  We are not really interested in a FCC as we have an NCL cruise already booked in October 2024 and I heard you have to use the FCC within a year.  Thanks

[Asawi]

I'm i Europe so my experiences may be completely irrelevant for a US cruiser, but FWIW:

I have done two cabin upgrades this year after final pay when I saw prices dropped. Both times I reached out to my PCC and asked him what he could offer me. Neither upgrade was free, but one of them not far from (and the other very well priced too). 

My "policy": It doesn't hurt to ask!

[delaware32]

We had a price drop for our Fall cruise and because of the current price on the club balcony being less than our OA outside, our PCC was able to do the upgrade for us at no additional cost.

[OrcaGirl]

I was able to request and receive an upgrade from regular balcony to aft balcony after final payment for a January 2023 cruise on the Epic). The agent offered a percentage (like 20% or something) of the difference in what I paid for the regular balcony compared to the current price as FCC, but I had already checked the cabin availability and asked outright: "well, this aft cabin is now less than what I originally paid, can I just transfer to it instead". It took about 15 minutes of checking with supervisors, but the change got made.

 

(And then I had to cancel that cruise anyway due to a family medical emergency and didn't get anything back but taxes and port fees. 🤷‍♀️)

[bluesea777]

46 minutes ago, masspector said:

Thanks for the quick reply.  What about upgrades?  We are not really interested in a FCC as we have an NCL cruise already booked in October 2024 and I heard you have to use the FCC within a year.  Thanks

 

The FCC will be applied to your NCL account on completion of your October 2023 cruise, and it will still be valid to be applied to your October 2024 cruise.

 

 

[Langham1865]

I don't know if they have hard/blanket policy.  If you used a travel agent have them contact NCL to see what they can do.  If not, call NCL yourself.  Everyone is assigned a personal cruise consultant (or whatever they might be called these days), even if you've never used them.  Maybe they can do something.  If not call again and use the general reservations line.   Worst comes to wort, you get nothing.  But you won't get something if you  don't try... as you can see from previous responses, it is at least possible to get something.  

 

Good luck and most importantly, enjoy your cruise!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[masspector]

12 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

The FCC will be applied to your NCL account on completion of your October 2023 cruise, and it will still be valid to be applied to your October 2024 cruise.

 

 

So just to be clear.  I have already booked and put money down on the Oct 2024 cruise.  So, you are saying that I can apply the FCC toward what I still owe on the Oct 2024 cruise, like a credit.  I do not have to use the FCC to book a new cruise.  Thanks

[RocketMan275]

12 minutes ago, masspector said:

So just to be clear.  I have already booked and put money down on the Oct 2024 cruise.  So, you are saying that I can apply the FCC toward what I still owe on the Oct 2024 cruise, like a credit.  I do not have to use the FCC to book a new cruise.  Thanks

I booked a 2025 cruise in Dec 2022.

I received FCC for a price drop after final payment on a March 2023 cruise.

After completion of the March 2023 cruise, my TA applied the FCC from the March 2023 cruise to the 2025 Cruise previously booked.

[masspector]

11 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

I booked a 2025 cruise in Dec 2022.

I received FCC for a price drop after final payment on a March 2023 cruise.

After completion of the March 2023 cruise, my TA applied the FCC from the March 2023 cruise to the 2025 Cruise previously booked.

Awesome, thanks

[bluesea777]

30 minutes ago, masspector said:

So just to be clear.  I have already booked and put money down on the Oct 2024 cruise.  So, you are saying that I can apply the FCC toward what I still owe on the Oct 2024 cruise, like a credit.  I do not have to use the FCC to book a new cruise.  Thanks

 

You can use the FCC to pay for the October 2024 cruise.

 

Prices dropped on our two May/June 2023 Alaskan cruises (back to back) after the final payment. I requested FCCs for the price drops, and they were applied to our NCL accounts at the completion of the Alaskan cruises. Then I applied them all (4 FCCs) to our existing Nov 2023 Viva Transatlantic cruise before the final payment.

 

FCC is Future Cruise Credit and you can use it to apply as payment to existing and future cruises.

 

P.S. @RocketMan275 beat me to it, he is also correct. 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by bluesea777

[wolft927]

So after Final Payment, We were booked in a Balcony and watched the Haven drop heavy as well as our own balcony. We were allowed to changed our reservation from balcony to Haven and just pay the current difference at the time. Worked out great for us. 

[DCGuy64]

I realize this is slightly off-topic, but if you have to cancel, do you get any CN certificates back or are they forfeited? I am speaking about 0-30 days before sailing, when the 100% cancellation fee applies. Thanks.

[OrcaGirl]

4 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I realize this is slightly off-topic, but if you have to cancel, do you get any CN certificates back or are they forfeited? I am speaking about 0-30 days before sailing, when the 100% cancellation fee applies. Thanks.

 

I didn't get my CruiseNext certificates back when I had to cancel ~3 weeks before the sail date.

[bluesea777]

6 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

I realize this is slightly off-topic, but if you have to cancel, do you get any CN certificates back or are they forfeited? I am speaking about 0-30 days before sailing, when the 100% cancellation fee applies. Thanks.

 

When we cancelled a cruise a week before cruise date due to medical our CN was forfeited, but we were able to claim full cruise fare from AON insurance and that included the $250 .... 

 

 

Edited August 31, 2023 by bluesea777

[masspector]

Yay.  Just got off the phone with NCL and was able to move to a Club Balcony for no additional cost.  Thanks for all of the help and replies.

[DCGuy64]

21 minutes ago, OrcaGirl said:

 

I didn't get my CruiseNext certificates back when I had to cancel ~3 weeks before the sail date.

 

20 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

When we cancelled a cruise a week before cruise date due to medical our CN was forfeited, but we were able to claim full cruise fare from AON insurance and that included the $250 .... 

 

 

Thanks to you both. I'm deciding on how much travel insurance to buy, just in case, and it helps to know how much $ is at risk. Thanks again.

[bluesea777]

Just now, DCGuy64 said:

 

Thanks to you both. I'm deciding on how much travel insurance to buy, just in case, and it helps to know how much $ is at risk. Thanks again.

 

NCL Platinum. My medical case was not pre-existing at the time we booked the cruise.

 

NCL refunded all the extras, like tax/port fees, pre-paid DSC, booze/dining grats, excursions, etc.

 

AON insurance paid the cruise fare less the insurance cost.

 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, RocketMan275 said:

I booked a 2025 cruise in Dec 2022.

I received FCC for a price drop after final payment on a March 2023 cruise.

After completion of the March 2023 cruise, my TA applied the FCC from the March 2023 cruise to the 2025 Cruise previously booked.

I've done this several times.  I thought that you had to book AND SAIL within 12 months from the date the FCC was awarded.  Has this changed?  I just was granted FCC for a price drop later this year and the email says "These credits will be available for one year to book and sail, upon completion of your current sailing on Debarkation Day"

[DCGuy64]

14 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

NCL Platinum. My medical case was not pre-existing at the time we booked the cruise.

 

NCL refunded all the extras, like tax/port fees, pre-paid DSC, booze/dining grats, excursions, etc.

 

AON insurance paid the cruise fare less the insurance cost.

 

 

Thank you! We're going with IMG this time, per Steve's recommendation. There are lot of good plans out there, that's for sure.

[RocketMan275]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I've done this several times.  I thought that you had to book AND SAIL within 12 months from the date the FCC was awarded.  Has this changed?  I just was granted FCC for a price drop later this year and the email says "These credits will be available for one year to book and sail, upon completion of your current sailing on Debarkation Day"

Can't say definitively.  All I can do is recount my experience.

[clhealy5]

Who do you email? My TA said we have to email to see if they will offer us something? I am after final payment and price dropped 1000.  I tried chat they could not help

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, clhealy5 said:

Who do you email? My TA said we have to email to see if they will offer us something? I am after final payment and price dropped 1000.  I tried chat they could not help

Why doesn't your TA call NCL?

[Travelicious]

1 hour ago, clhealy5 said:

Who do you email? My TA said we have to email to see if they will offer us something? I am after final payment and price dropped 1000.  I tried chat they could not help

Yes, your TA should take care of this for you.  If not, you probably should find a new one for next time.