NCLs policy on price drop

[Jetstreamer]

I'm from the UK.  My recent experience with a significant price drop is that they were happy to reprice the booking.  They just charged £35pp admin fee.  Saved me over £1000.

 

Big caveat is that you need to be before final payment. 

 

After final payment I experienced a further big price drop.  They wouldn't reprice without charging the cancellation fee.  However they were happy to process an upgrade from Club Balcony to 2 bedroom family suite for no cost (actually there is now a £60 credit on my booking as the new room was cheaper).

 

So my advice is to try again.  Note that my experience was for a direct booking with NCL.  I often hear people here saying TAs are better as they can do this and that for you but I always prefer to deal direct and take out the middle man. Much easier when things go wrong or you need to make changes.

 

Good luck.

[ontheweb]

14 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I'm going to need a little help with this one.....

He's just either ranting or looking for an excuse to stiff the hard working crew. There---help provided.

[nsitt]

Thank you all, for the answers and tips. Like I pointed out, NCL is not consistent with the way they are handling these situations which is confirmed from reading the answers. Knowing that the prices can be way lower just before the cruise date, I would probably wait to have the best deal or avoid NCL

Edited October 12, 2023 by nsitt

[nsitt]

12 minutes ago, ontheweb said:

He's just either ranting or looking for an excuse to stiff the hard working crew. There---help provided.

That's what you think? You think I should be more empathetic for the crew? What about NCL being more empathetic towards me? You think I don't work hard for my money? I know they are not obliged to do something about the price drop, but they do it for some people and it makes me feel bad. I am going to book another cruise with them? Not sure about that. 

Edited October 12, 2023 by nsitt

[ontheweb]

1 minute ago, nsitt said:

That's what you think? You think I should be more empathetic for the crew? What about NCL being more empathetic to me? I know they are not obliged to do something about the price drop, but they do it for some people and it makes me feel bad. I am going to book another cruise with them? Not sure about that. 

Yeah, take it out on the crew. It was obviously your room steward who denied you getting a price drop. Oh wait, maybe it was one of the waiters.

 

Are you going to let them know the reason you took off their tips was because you are mad at management?

[nsitt]

1 minute ago, ontheweb said:

Yeah, take it out on the crew. It was obviously your room steward who denied you getting a price drop. Oh wait, maybe it was one of the waiters.

 

Are you going to let them know the reason you took off their tips was because you are mad at management?

I think you are not getting it. People cancel gratuities for many reason: Mattress to stiff, noisy room, food poisoning, don't like the coffee, etc. It is a way to protest. Nothing to do with the crew. Where I live people get salaries and don't have to beg for tips. 

NCL are not consistent in how they are handling these situations and cutting the gratuities would make me feel a little bit better. What would you do in my situation? Have you been in this situation before? 

[ontheweb]

4 minutes ago, nsitt said:

I think you are not getting it. People cancel gratuities for many reason: Mattress to stiff, noisy room, food poisoning, don't like the coffee, etc. It is a way to protest. Nothing to do with the crew. Where I live people get salaries and don't have to beg for tips. 

NCL are not consistent in how they are handling these situations and cutting the gratuities would make me feel a little bit better. What would you do in my situation? Have you been in this situation before? 

And none of them are good excuses for cancelling the tips. None of them are in the control of the crew. More and more it sounds like you are just looking for an excuse to cancel the gratuities. 

 

And they are not "begging" for them. It is the way things are done, even if it is not the way and culture of your native country. If you went to the US, or basically any other country but the UK, and rented a car, would you drive in the left lane?

[mjkacmom]

9 hours ago, Ima Ginaree said:

You state in comment #10 that you’ve paid the gratuities in advance, which suggests you have paid the total outstanding cruise fare already. If so, that may be a factor in their decision.

 

Some travel companies give early bird passenger discounts if they pay in full early. Therefore, when I recently booked with NCL for a cruise which is over 12 months away, I specifically asked whether there was a discount for early payment. The advice I was given was essentially, think twice about paying earlier than you have to, because once you’ve paid in full the cruise price is locked in and therefore any future discounts can’t/won’t be passed on.
 

 

Here in the US, no discounts for paying in full early, but you can still get your money refunded.

[cruiseny4life]

30 minutes ago, nsitt said:

That's what you think? You think I should be more empathetic for the crew? What about NCL being more empathetic towards me? You think I don't work hard for my money? I know they are not obliged to do something about the price drop, but they do it for some people and it makes me feel bad. I am going to book another cruise with them? Not sure about that. 

Don't worry about the gratuity, daily service charge, whatever you want to call it. The crew doesn't get it anyway. This has been confirmed multiple times on Cruise Critic and by crew onboard. Sure, they may get an unlikely bonus or a new bicycle to clown around in while in port, but actual money? Nah. NCL doesn't do that...except to pay their salary which NCL has to do anyway. (A proud pre-pay service charge cruiser here). 

[mjkacmom]

40 minutes ago, nsitt said:

Thank you all, for the answers and tips. Like I pointed out, NCL is not consistent with the way they are handling these situations which is confirmed from reading the answers. Knowing that the prices can be way lower just before the cruise date, I would probably wait to have the best deal or avoid NCL

Prices can also be way higher, or only the worst cabins are left, or airfare is much higher… Get out your magic 8 ball.

[Yesimapirate]

2 hours ago, nsitt said:

I think you are not getting it. People cancel gratuities for many reason: Mattress to stiff, noisy room, food poisoning, don't like the coffee, etc. It is a way to protest. Nothing to do with the crew. Where I live people get salaries and don't have to beg for tips. 

NCL are not consistent in how they are handling these situations and cutting the gratuities would make me feel a little bit better. What would you do in my situation? Have you been in this situation before? 

Consider the possibility that it's not everyone else who doesn't get it. 

 

Realize you're punishing the absolutely lowest paid people because you're upset with management.  Do you really think anyone gives a damn about how you feel?  You agreed to a contract and now you're pissed because someone got treated better than you in your opinion.   Guess what?   Every business has the right to offer guest recovery in a way they see fit.  Maybe those other people have taken more cruises with the company.  Maybe they book much higher priced rooms?  Maybe they're friendly to the customer service people and you come off like an entitled customer from hell?  Grow up and get over it.  

[DCGuy64]

3 hours ago, nsitt said:

Like I pointed out, NCL is not consistent with the way they are handling these situations which is confirmed from reading the answers.

Your comments here and at the outset suggest you think NCL should stick to its stated policy 100% of the time, with no exceptions, period. Are you really in favor of absolute inflexibility, regardless of the outcome or circumstances? Be careful what you wish for... Personally, I would rather a company be fair, even if that means being able to bend the rules on occasion.

[rodndonna]

3 hours ago, nsitt said:

I think you are not getting it. People cancel gratuities for many reason: Mattress to stiff, noisy room, food poisoning, don't like the coffee, etc. It is a way to protest. Nothing to do with the crew. Where I live people get salaries and don't have to beg for tips. 

NCL are not consistent in how they are handling these situations and cutting the gratuities would make me feel a little bit better. What would you do in my situation? Have you been in this situation before? 

 

Not paying your gratuities is definitely not a way to protest and the first tine I have every come across someone suggesting it as a valid reason. Perhaps if you want to protest the service being awful .. maybe. If you want to protest what the cruise line offers as a product for a stated price, don't book it or any future one.

[julig22]

5 hours ago, nsitt said:

Thank you all, for the answers and tips. Like I pointed out, NCL is not consistent with the way they are handling these situations which is confirmed from reading the answers. Knowing that the prices can be way lower just before the cruise date, I would probably wait to have the best deal or avoid NCL

Guess my reading comprehension isn't what it used to be - haven't seen a single answer here that confirms that NCL isn't consistent. Actually pretty much confirmed that, other than paying administrative fees in the UK, price drops and upgrades are handled the same as in the US. But that's your story and you're sticking to it....

Now to call my PCC for a price adjustment, since the prices just went down on my cruise that's still before final payment.

[nsitt]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

.. Personally, I would rather a company be fair, even if that means being able to bend the rules on occasion.

Fairness that's what I am suggesting, too.How can it be fair if people are getting different answers for the same question?

[nsitt]

1 hour ago, julig22 said:

Guess my reading comprehension isn't what it used to be - haven't seen a single answer here that confirms that NCL isn't consistent. Actually pretty much confirmed that, other than paying administrative fees in the UK, price drops and upgrades are handled the same as in the US. But that's your story and you're sticking to it....

Now to call my PCC for a price adjustment, since the prices just went down on my cruise that's still before final payment.

From this thread it should be obvious that they are not consistent. What do you mean it is my story? They told me there is nothing they would do. Others are saying they would compensate in different ways.  I escalated trough other channels at NCL and now they offered me a FCC. Yes, they are very consistent. 

I even learned from this discussion that the gratuities are not paid out to the crew, I am guessing this information is alternative facts as it is called in your country  

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by nsitt

[DCGuy64]

14 minutes ago, nsitt said:

Fairness that's what I am suggesting, too.How can it be fair if people are getting different answers for the same question?

I re-read your initial post for context. You say that you booked your cruise 4 weeks ago. I don't know any of the following, which might have an influence on the response you get:

 

1. You appear to be from London, so I take it you booked with NCL through its UK site?

2. How soon does the cruise leave?

3. When is your final payment date?

4. Did you book directly through the website or did you use a travel agency/agent?

 

Our upcoming cruise (Nov 2) was booked by our travel agent back on January 5, 2023. Final payment date was July 5, 2023. At the time of final payment, our agent found us a price drop, and he was able to get NCL to reprice the cabin and get us $100 OBC. Now, if we found a price drop subsequent to that, we wouldn't have expected to get anything. The context is critical: NCL may or may not be able to make any adjustments depending how you booked, when, and when the final payment date and cruise are. It doesn't seem like you're taking any of that into account. To answer the question you asked me, different people get different answers for the same question because no two cruisers are alike. NCL might be more flexible with someone who booked direct vs someone like me who used a travel agent. And customer demand can make a big difference, too. Someone booked on a nearly full sailing might get less flexibility on price changes than someone on a relatively empty one. Every detail matters.

[nsitt]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

I re-read your initial post for context. You say that you booked your cruise 4 weeks ago. I don't know any of the following, which might have an influence on the response you get:

 

1. You appear to be from London, so I take it you booked with NCL through its UK site?

2. How soon does the cruise leave?

3. When is your final payment date?

4. Did you book directly through the website or did you use a travel agency/agent?

...

I stated that the new price for the cruise I booked has gone down significantly and when both, my TA and me, asked NCL if they can offer a form of compensation, like I heard others were getting, they said "no!" We are not talking about an inside cabin but about their premium product: Haven suite.

I complained about the lack of consistency in handling these situations. To me it matters whether a company has policies in place they would follow and that a situation like this shouldn't end up like a price negotiation at an oriental bazaar. 

Whether it is before or after final payment is not important. Important is how NCL is treating a customer who is ready to pay for their most expensive product. Here, from my point of view, they failed. 

They did not want to compensate, and now, after days of back and forth, they are willing to issue a FCC. Btw, it is not the full amount of the reduction in price. 

My personal opinion, not that it matters to anyone else, is that if companies do something that has the potential of annoying valued customers they should have a good plan how to handle it. Some customers may not be coming back if they are gone.

 

Edited October 12, 2023 by nsitt

[RD64]

Some customers may not be coming back, but there will always be new customers to fill those shoes. NCL will not be shedding any tears at your departure. True facts.

[rodndonna]

1 hour ago, nsitt said:

From this thread it should be obvious that they are not consistent. What do you mean it is my story? They told me there is nothing they would do. Others are saying they would compensate in different ways.  I escalated trough other channels at NCL and now they offered me a FCC. Yes, they are very consistent. 

I even learned from this discussion that the gratuities are not paid out to the crew, I am guessing this information is alternative facts as it is called in your country  

 

 

I think I need to see the evidence on this. NCL's site states these are distributed to the crew as incentive. I hope people aren't just stating the gratuities don't go to the crew to justify not paying them.

 

Why is there a service charge?
The reason there's a fixed service charge is an important one: Our Crew (as are the crew from other lines) is encouraged to work together as a team. Staff members including complimentary restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports. How much is the charge? Onboard Service Charges are additional.

[cruiseny4life]

8 minutes ago, rodndonna said:

 

I think I need to see the evidence on this. NCL's site states these are distributed to the crew as incentive. I hope people aren't just stating the gratuities don't go to the crew to justify not paying them.

 

Why is there a service charge?
The reason there's a fixed service charge is an important one: Our Crew (as are the crew from other lines) is encouraged to work together as a team. Staff members including complimentary restaurant staff, stateroom stewards and behind-the-scenes support staff are compensated by a combination of salary and incentive programs that your service charge supports. How much is the charge? Onboard Service Charges are additional.

Read the boards. For a while I was one of only two or three stating this. There have been several people who have stated crew members told them they don't see the service charge or tips added on the receipt at point of sale. I'm about to leave work or I'd go back and find several posts. If I remember, and you still would like Cruise Critic proof, I'll find it for you tomorrow (provided my work world doesn't blow up - I really only post from work). 

[hallux]

1 hour ago, nsitt said:

Whether it is before or after final payment is not important.

Except it is, in the US anyway. 

Before final payment the deposit is 100% refundable so the customer is free to cancel and re-book at the lower rate.  Understanding this, NCL just allows for a price reduction and perk adjustment (if needed) to match the current fare offering.

 

After final payment the customer is locked into the fare and subject to cancellation penalties. NCL has ZERO obligation to offer a fare adjustment - you (being the customer) booked and paid for a cruise at a fare you were happy with, otherwise you wouldn't have made the final payment.  At this point each request is evaluated (by someone) and some compensation is given or not.  I recall that at one point the compensation was 25% or 50% of the difference paid in FCC.

[rodndonna]

16 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Read the boards. For a while I was one of only two or three stating this. There have been several people who have stated crew members told them they don't see the service charge or tips added on the receipt at point of sale. I'm about to leave work or I'd go back and find several posts. If I remember, and you still would like Cruise Critic proof, I'll find it for you tomorrow (provided my work world doesn't blow up - I really only post from work). 

 

I don't doubt for a moment that there are posts on CC that would state that. There are many posts that state lots of things  on CC.. that doesn't make them fact.

As far as someone on CC saying some crew member told them they don't see the service charge on the receipt - I would have to know the more details of the conversation.. For sure - the server who served me does not get the 20% tip on the receipt for him/herself, perhaps that is what they are referring to? . That tip goes into the pool for beverage service staff. Same as specialy dining grats, the 20% is not allocated to your server for tat meal, but goes into the pool for the staff for specialty dining.

[cruiser2015]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

Except it is, in the US anyway. 

Before final payment the deposit is 100% refundable so the customer is free to cancel and re-book at the lower rate.  Understanding this, NCL just allows for a price reduction and perk adjustment (if needed) to match the current fare offering.

 

After final payment the customer is locked into the fare and subject to cancellation penalties. NCL has ZERO obligation to offer a fare adjustment - you (being the customer) booked and paid for a cruise at a fare you were happy with, otherwise you wouldn't have made the final payment.  At this point each request is evaluated (by someone) and some compensation is given or not.  I recall that at one point the compensation was 25% or 50% of the difference paid in FCC.

Not so much to defend NCL's practices, but try this analogy.

You just bought a new car. Paid $40,000.

The next week, there's a sale; or a shift in the market place.

The price goes down $2000.

Think the dealer of manufacturer is going to give you a partial refund? Not.

But, oyu still have a right to be pissed about how things went down - not so much at the company.

[RD64]

You booked a cruise at a price that you thought was acceptable.

 

You made the final payment because you thought the price was acceptable.

 

Now - for whatever reason - after you made the final “acceptable” payment it is no longer acceptable to you. What would your response have been had the price increased instead of decreased?