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NCL Mail Brochure Prices

mlmurrah

By mlmurrah,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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mlmurrah

mlmurrah

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We booked an NCL cruise in Hawaii several days ago.  The next day we received a sales brochure in the mail from NCL that included our cruise at substantially lower price per person.  It also stated free airfare, free open bar, free specialty dining, and free wifi. To be fair we already had some of these in our reservation.

 

I called United Cruises, our booking agent, and they knew nothing about these fares and suggested we call NCL directly.  I did so, and the NCL person could not find the pricing I was talking about.  She said only that prices in such brochures are subject to change and that I should consult the web site. 

 

That seems deceptive to me.  Otherwise why even bother looking at mail offers from NCL?

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RocketMan275

RocketMan275

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1 minute ago, mlmurrah said:

We booked an NCL cruise in Hawaii several days ago.  The next day we received a sales brochure in the mail from NCL that included our cruise at substantially lower price per person.  It also stated free airfare, free open bar, free specialty dining, and free wifi. To be fair we already had some of these in our reservation.

 

I called United Cruises, our booking agent, and they knew nothing about these fares and suggested we call NCL directly.  I did so, and the NCL person could not find the pricing I was talking about.  She said only that prices in such brochures are subject to change and that I should consult the web site. 

 

That seems deceptive to me.  Otherwise why even bother looking at mail offers from NCL?

Brochure pricing is best described as: "Manufactured Suggested Retail Pricing".  IOW, it's as valid as the window sticker on a car.  It does have one usage in that some travel agents will base their 50% savings prices off of Brochure pricing.  

 

"free airfare, free open bar, free specialty dining, and free wifi." Nothing is 'free'. Included is a better word. 

 

 

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IAcruising

IAcruising

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Posted (edited)
9 minutes ago, mlmurrah said:

 The next day we received a sales brochure in the mail from NCL that included our cruise at substantially lower price per person. ... That seems deceptive to me.  Otherwise why even bother looking at mail offers from NCL?

 

Was price in the brochure for the exact same cabin/deck/section of the ship as you booked?  Unlikely. "Deceptive" is a subjective term.

 

Edited by IAcruising
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mlmurrah

mlmurrah

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14 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

 

Was price in the brochure for the exact same cabin/deck/section of the ship as you booked?  Unlikely. "Deceptive" is a subjective term.

 

No way to tell.  The NCL person could not find the fare even though it waw in their brochure and did not ask me about my reservation.  Not very attentive customer service.

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Russiamomm

Russiamomm

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“Brochure” prices are never accurate,  the price of any particular cruise depends on any number of factors, and can change daily, not the least of which is how close you are to sailing and how full the ship is.  Check NCL’s website for the price any particular day.  The “perks” you mention are pretty standard for any NCL ship.  They are part of the “Free at Sea” packages, which are always offered, although some promotions (such as the 3rd and fourth traveler sails free” can change.  As others have mentioned, these perks aren’t necessarily “free”.  You need to pay the gratuities for the drink and dining packages, but you don’t need to take them.  
 

Spend some time on these boards and on NCL’s website.  It’s all explained.  

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mlmurrah

mlmurrah

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37 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

“Brochure” prices are never accurate,  the price of any particular cruise depends on any number of factors, and can change daily, not the least of which is how close you are to sailing and how full the ship is.  Check NCL’s website for the price any particular day.  The “perks” you mention are pretty standard for any NCL ship.  They are part of the “Free at Sea” packages, which are always offered, although some promotions (such as the 3rd and fourth traveler sails free” can change.  As others have mentioned, these perks aren’t necessarily “free”.  You need to pay the gratuities for the drink and dining packages, but you don’t need to take them.  
 

Spend some time on these boards and on NCL’s website.  It’s all explained.  

 

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ChiefMateJRK

ChiefMateJRK

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40 minutes ago, D_And_K_gocruising said:

I'm shocked they still waste their money on mailings like that.. 

You would also likely be shocked by the number of people in this here 21st Century that have never accessed the internet or owned a smart phone.  Many of them are part of the cruising demographic.  Strange but true.

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yakcruiser

yakcruiser

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24 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

You would also likely be shocked by the number of people in this here 21st Century that have never accessed the internet or owned a smart phone.  Many of them are part of the cruising demographic.  Strange but true.

Me! Me! Me! The smart phone part anyway. I do own an old desktop that I use to check Cruise Critic.

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RocketMan275

RocketMan275

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38 minutes ago, mlmurrah said:

We are fairly new to cruising and have lots to learn.  I am learning that cruise advertising should be approached with skepticism.

A bit of advice.  Be very skeptical of anything advertised as 'free'.  'Included' is a much more accurate description.  Any marketing professional will tell you the quickest way to making a sale is to convince the mark, that's you, that they're getting something for free.

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ChiefMateJRK

ChiefMateJRK

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17 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

Me! Me! Me! The smart phone part anyway. I do own an old desktop that I use to check Cruise Critic.

That's funny.  I used to miss my flip phone, but evolution happens (albeit at a glacial pace).  DD has dragged me into this century.  Did I like it?  NO!!  Did I survive?  Sure.  I've done one or two helpful things for her so it's all good. 😎

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cruiser2015 Holiday Sharing Rare

cruiser2015

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5 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That's funny.  I used to miss my flip phone, but evolution happens (albeit at a glacial pace).  DD has dragged me into this century.  Did I like it?  NO!!  Did I survive?  Sure.  I've done one or two helpful things for her so it's all good. 😎

I still miss my flip (a little bit) when I feel that great big lump in my pocket.

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cruiser2015

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2 hours ago, mlmurrah said:

We booked an NCL cruise in Hawaii several days ago.  The next day we received a sales brochure in the mail from NCL that included our cruise at substantially lower price per person.  It also stated free airfare, free open bar, free specialty dining, and free wifi. To be fair we already had some of these in our reservation.

 

I called United Cruises, our booking agent, and they knew nothing about these fares and suggested we call NCL directly.  I did so, and the NCL person could not find the pricing I was talking about.  She said only that prices in such brochures are subject to change and that I should consult the web site. 

 

That seems deceptive to me.  Otherwise why even bother looking at mail offers from NCL?

This story doesn't track right.

There's gotta be something missing.

I doubt that the brochure price is made up.

There's a discrepancy, as IAcruising mentioned.

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Russiamomm

Russiamomm

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3 minutes ago, mlmurrah said:

Here ya go!

 

 

NCL Brochure.pdf 949.62 kB · 1 download

Looks like NCL’s standard language.  They alternate between “35% off all cruises” and 70% off second guest”. It’s a marketing ploy.  Same bottom line cost, which again can change daily.

 

I don’t see anything in this about a specific cruise.  What makes you think this is better than the fare you got?  Have you checked the website and compared what you paid to it?

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ontheweb

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3 hours ago, D_And_K_gocruising said:

I'm shocked they still waste their money on mailings like that.. 

We received an NCL brochure in 2021, and fell in love with an itinerary on the then not yet built Prima. We booked it with our TA, and sailed that cruise this past August.

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