Cruise price dropped - NCL plays dumb

[maddmaxx]

Hoping one of you seasoned cruise vets might have some advice... The Reader's Digest version is simply this... went to make a final payment on a November Pride of Hawaii Cruise and found that the price of the trip dropped about $800. Spoke with two different reps after a painstakingly long wait and was given two different but equally stupid responses when I asked for an adjustment... Customer no service rep one said my Cruise price was high because I booked a few days in a hotel on Oahu before the boat ride... customer no service rep number 2 said they were trying to fill the boat so they lowered the price... sorry, no adjustment and if you cancel we'll whack you with a big cancellatioin fee...

 

So, i paid off the cruise but am not going to let this go... typically, based on past experience, cruise lines find a way to make up the difference in price in cases such as this.... upgraded cabin, on board credit, whatever...

 

So, as I sit here on another long hold on the phone with customer no service has anyone out there in cruise land had a similar experience and were you able to resolve it. I sailed on the Pride of America last August and after a week on the Grayhound bus of the seven seas I swore never again on NCL... guess I should have stayed the course and made my way back to the islands my own way...

 

Any suggestions would sincerely appreciated...

[CruisinMK]

Is it still before final payment due date or not?

 

If it is then you should be able to adjust the price.

If not, then probably not. A few have gotten some compensation after final payment, but I wouldn't count on it at all, I personally don't expect anything after final payment.

[2inTul]

I agree with MikeKaye, If you haven't made your final payment you sould be able to completly cancel and re-book at the lower rate without penalty unless your final payment is past due. I would try to talk to them again and make sure they understand what you're asking for.

[KeystoneCruiser]

Spoke with two different reps after a painstakingly long wait and was given two different but equally stupid responses when I asked for an adjustment... Customer no service rep one said my Cruise price was high because I booked a few days in a hotel on Oahu before the boat ride... customer no service rep number 2 said they were trying to fill the boat so they lowered the price

 

So, as I sit here on another long hold on the phone with customer no service has anyone out there in cruise land had a similar experience and were you able to resolve it.

 

Any suggestions would sincerely appreciated...

 

 

Typical NCL Customer Service Department. Tell the customer whatever it takes to get them off the phone. Make up stories, tell lies, whatever it takes to make sure they make the most money they can.

 

In my case it was trying to locate a different/connecting cabin after NCL switch our cabins between the first payment and second payment. We wanted to look into moving up to an AB/AF connecting cabin after we were bumped from our connecting AF cabins. We were willing to pay the difference, but no matter who we talked to at NCL we were told: "sorry, they are not available."

 

Then when we pointed out that the cabins we wanted were on the website as available, we were told: "the website is not current, it is three or four days behind." Then when we found out from people here on CC that the website is instanteous updated and told them that, we were still told the cabins were unavailable and the website wasn't functioning properly. The cabins we wanted would then disappear for about 3 days off the web inventory then reappear. We would call again and be told they were not available.

 

We finally gave up. We believe that because we had been complaining so publically about our room switch, NCL thought we wanted the upgrade in cabins for free. In actuality, we just wanted a price to move up in cabins catagories so we could make our own decision about moving up. Couldn't even get them to give us a price and instead were met with one lie after another from the customer service people.

 

That is why I say about NCL: "NCL, great ships and crews but the worst Customer Service and Corporate officers in the cruise industry."

[DaisyL]

We had a significant price adjustment on the PoAm BEFORE final payment due date. No need to cancel booking, we kept the same cabins, and we kept the same pre-cruise hotel booking.

 

I saw the lower rate on the NCL web site, called my TA, the adjustment was made.... no problem. When the final payment date came around, it was indeed the lower balance.

[cruisingbug]

 

I saw the lower rate on the NCL web site, called my TA, the adjustment was made.... no problem. When the final payment date came around, it was indeed the lower balance.

 

 

I think that that's the difference - we've been able to get the lower price through our TA, but if you book directly with NCL, it seems like you get the runaround.

[lvtotrvl1]

Did you get your air through NCL? They have special discounts for rates with air....but, you cannot add a pre or post stay and get the discounts. Otherwise, NCL normally will give an OBC ...800 is alot of discount?

[shoreguy]

I think that that's the difference - we've been able to get the lower price through our TA, but if you book directly with NCL, it seems like you get the runaround.

 

Never had a problem getting the price adjusted prior to final. They do run some specials for new bookings only and getting those deals when you are already booked can be a tough.

 

What confuses me here is the penalties - if it was before final the only penalty would be $50 for air. If the OP was making final after the due date and the fares had dropped as do a lot to to fill the ship post final not sure what is expected.

 

If it was prefinal I would be on a email campaign. Two reason the failure to honor a reduction in fare (assuming it was not a promo for new bookings) and CS falsely stating he would have to pay huge penalties.

[mbisson]

What confuses me here is the penalties -

 

Ditto for me. It sounds like they were making final payment, but the NCL response (about the lower price) sounds like the final payment date had passed.

 

-Monte

[stasik]

I am a bit puzzled on a similar issue.

 

I booked a cruise on the Crown for $499 (yeah its the cheapest, but its my first cruise so I won't pay a lot until I know I'll like it.) That got me an inside guarantee. When I got my travel docs I was assigned to category J which is priced at $669 or something like that. Not sure why the price difference for the same cabin one deck up, but whatever.

 

So looking at the same cruise on *, the price of an oceanview has dropped to $449 (with $429 for the inside). Now based on what I have read here, NCL will not really do much as far as a refund since I have already paid up. However, when I called my TA about an upgrade to an oceanview, they checked and told me that I was looking at an additional $200 pp (That's Two hundred, not a typo).

 

What? Can someone explain the pricing because I obviously cannot uncover the method to their madness. One would think if the price of my cabin is listed at $689, they could let me have a $449 cabin and sell the my cabin to someone else.

[Merry_Sea_Witch]

If its before final payment you can get your price adjusted. It its after final payment NCL gets stricter and would rather upgrade you than refund any money. It happened to us twice. My sister (our TA) talked to her NCL rep who told her this and the rep offerd to upgrade to compinsate. We went from oceanview to balconey so we were happy !!! :) The sales reps on the phone never have the same answer so just bypass them and go to your TA to talk to their rep.:)

[shoreguy]

I am a bit puzzled on a similar issue.

 

I booked a cruise on the Crown for $499 (yeah its the cheapest, but its my first cruise so I won't pay a lot until I know I'll like it.) That got me an inside guarantee. When I got my travel docs I was assigned to category J which is priced at $669 or something like that. Not sure why the price difference for the same cabin one deck up, but whatever.

 

So looking at the same cruise on NAMELESS, the price of an oceanview has dropped to $449 (with $429 for the inside). Now based on what I have read here, NCL will not really do much as far as a refund since I have already paid up. However, when I called my TA about an upgrade to an oceanview, they checked and told me that I was looking at an additional $200 pp (That's Two hundred, not a typo).

 

What? Can someone explain the pricing because I obviously cannot uncover the method to their madness. One would think if the price of my cabin is listed at $689, they could let me have a $449 cabin and sell the my cabin to someone else.

 

Perhaps because the nameless online agency did not include all the fees in the price they flashed. I bet no NCF or Taxes.

 

I edited the quote to take out the agency name so it does not get deleted.

[newmexicoNita]

Hoping one of you seasoned cruise vets might have some advice... The Reader's Digest version is simply this... went to make a final payment on a November Pride of Hawaii Cruise and found that the price of the trip dropped about $800. Spoke with two different reps after a painstakingly long wait and was given two different but equally stupid responses when I asked for an adjustment... Customer no service rep one said my Cruise price was high because I booked a few days in a hotel on Oahu before the boat ride... customer no service rep number 2 said they were trying to fill the boat so they lowered the price... sorry, no adjustment and if you cancel we'll whack you with a big cancellatioin fee...

 

So, i paid off the cruise but am not going to let this go... typically, based on past experience, cruise lines find a way to make up the difference in price in cases such as this.... upgraded cabin, on board credit, whatever...

 

So, as I sit here on another long hold on the phone with customer no service has anyone out there in cruise land had a similar experience and were you able to resolve it. I sailed on the Pride of America last August and after a week on the Grayhound bus of the seven seas I swore never again on NCL... guess I should have stayed the course and made my way back to the islands my own way...

 

Any suggestions would sincerely appreciated...

If it is after final payment date, no you can not be guaranteed a price adjustment but in 7 years of dealing with NCL as a TA I have never had a problem with this. I have had them notify me of a rate drop. The hotel part, that could be true; whatever those rates are will most likely not change even if the price of the cruise itself goes down. Now, if final payment wasn't due yet (it sounds like it have been) as they are due 75-90 days out these days, you can cancel and there is no penalty.

 

Someone could probably help you a little more if we had a few more details: did you book air with them as well? When are you sailing? Obviously you didn't use a travel agent. If you had she/he would have been able to step in and hopefully get some adjustment.

 

NMnita

[98Charlie]

If it is after final payment date, no you can not be guaranteed a price adjustment but in 7 years of dealing with NCL as a TA I have never had a problem with this. I have had them notify me of a rate drop. The hotel part, that could be true; whatever those rates are will most likely not change even if the price of the cruise itself goes down. Now, if final payment wasn't due yet (it sounds like it have been) as they are due 75-90 days out these days, you can cancel and there is no penalty.

 

Someone could probably help you a little more if we had a few more details: did you book air with them as well? When are you sailing? Obviously you didn't use a travel agent. If you had she/he would have been able to step in and hopefully get some adjustment.

 

NMnita

I think that is the lesson from this. We have used an online agency (on of the major ones) and have one TA that takes care of our cruises. We have never had a problem with customer service on any cruise line because when we do have a problem she handles it, period.

 

Charlie

[jetskier]

What? Can someone explain the pricing because I obviously cannot uncover the method to their madness. One would think if the price of my cabin is listed at $689, they could let me have a $449 cabin and sell the my cabin to someone else.

 

It is real simple, your upgrade price is based on what you ORIGINALLY paid plus the difference to the new cabin. The price of the cabin to which you were assigned from your initial is NOT a factor as you never paid the higher fees.

 

Dave

[brooklynphil]

Hi all,

 

I booked the Dawn (2005) and the Spirit (2006) 6 months in advance. Price dropped on both cruises before and after final payments. On the before ones, they lowered the price with no problems. On the after, after complaining some, I had on board credits waiting for me for the difference.:)

 

You should never be penialized for booking early. That wouldn't be fair. I know some say that you get the room that you wanted and you're protected from rate increases. That's bull. First of all, I rarely see rate increases. They only go down as the date gets closer. You should always get the lowest rate and I have so far with very little complaining. That's why NCL's for me. They have always treated me right.

 

Phil:)

[honeymoongurl06]

You can get a refund for your money if cruise prices go down. My TA had to call and gripe and threaten to talk to the reps supervisor but the refund was given so be stern and be harsh and DEMAND you receive the same offers as are stated on their website! I got a 300 refund after final payment.

[kmacht]

It's not always true that prices drop the closer you get to sailing date. I paid $399 (big spender) per person with a $25 OBC for the 7 day NCL dream cruise out of Houston on 10/14. That was about 3 months ago. About a week after I booked the price went up to $449 and has stayed there since. Granted it is only $50 per person but $50 is $50.

 

Keith

[maddmaxx]

Thank you all.

 

Here's the deal... I learned a little trick many years ago... if you want to get a response from a major corporation, you know, one of those companies that when you call them you push one for this, two for that and, after many frusttrating minutes of pushing buttons you wind up with some poor schmuck that has to deal with your crappy attitude because you have been pushing buttons on your phone for the past twenty minutes... anyway, if you want a response, get the name and mailing address of the company's CEO and fire off a registered, return reciept letter... the CEO won't see it but somebody in the corporate suite will...

 

I kind of did that only I emailed NCL's CEO... darned if I didn't get a response... to make an already long story short I had a nice chat with the gentleman who dug in and stayed the course...

 

His argument was that I booked my ride on the POH with a two day hotel stay before the sailing date... hence, I was arriving in the islands two days prior to my cruise on a flight they had booked... the fact that I booked my cruise through NCL, booked a two day pre-cruise layover, and booked my air fare through NCL affected the price I paid for my "cruise fare."

 

I told the gentleman I appreciated the fact that someone in the head shed would take the time to contact me with an explanation which, incidentally, was fairly consistent to an explanation i had been given earlier in the day.

 

Fact is, I still maintain the explanation was BS. And here is my rationale...

 

The cruise fare (for two) yesterday was $1900... the cruise fare when i booked my ride was about $2750... the air fare when I booked was $80 cheaper than the air fare I was quoted yesterday... so, I don't see how the air fare is a factor in this scenario. Fact is, other cruise lines I have dealt with always offer their customers an adjustment or perk when this happens if a refund of the difference is not possible... I chose to eat the six or seven hundred bucks as the cost of doing business with a company that doesn't care too much about their customers or worry too much keeping their customers happy. Sure, it's possible the "Suits" explanation was on the money but it sure didn't sit well with me.

 

Bottom line... I'm going to Hawaii to scope out some property that I may very well call home in six or so years... who cares if it's close to the volcanos... We'll make the best of the boat ride... it should be a good one... bottom line is, the boat is just a ride to paradise... the beds are comfortable, the breakfast is palatable, the shower is hot, and the toilet might work most of the time... no, NCL, try as they may, can not ruin the magic and slendor of the Hawaiin islands...

 

Like the man in the carnaval says... you pays your nickle, you takes your chances...

 

Thanks for listening and thanks for you input...

[garycarla]

It has to one heck of deal for me to package hotels or air with a cruiseline trip. They sure take this opportunity to fire up the smoke and bring out the mirrors. In the end, you pay more than you could on your own. You are LOCKED into their schedule and you get treated like cattle. Not my way to travel.

[gregandamy]

We had a significant price adjustment on the PoAm BEFORE final payment due date. No need to cancel booking, we kept the same cabins, and we kept the same pre-cruise hotel booking.

 

I saw the lower rate on the NCL web site, called my TA, the adjustment was made.... no problem. When the final payment date came around, it was indeed the lower balance.

 

Same thing happened to us on The Wind, the adjustment came through today, and yes, we used a TA.

[Merry_Sea_Witch]

The cruise fare (for two) yesterday was $1900... the cruise fare when i booked my ride was about $2750... the air fare when I booked was $80 cheaper than the air fare I was quoted yesterday... so, I don't see how the air fare is a factor in this scenario. Thanks for listening and thanks for you input...

 

 

Im trying to understand your situation :) Did you book an air-sea package at $2750 that is now selling for $1900??? WOW that is to big a diffrence to ignore!! Can you seperate out the prices and know what each part costs-like when you bought XX for cruise, XX for air, etc versis the current XX for cruise, XX for air?? That would help in your arguement with NCL. Your TA can go to their district rep and argue for you. If no refund will come maybe to get you a heckofa upgrade!!:) Good luck. I think you shoudl get SOME THING for this big diffrence.:)

[maddmaxx]

Funny... I live in the Orlando area and took a fancy to the Disney boats until the priced their cruises somewhere in the stratosphere... I always booked my cruises (seven or eight of them) directly through the mouse... I always got a great rate, a great suite, and the one time I had an issue their customer "real service" folks sent me $250 disney dollars in the mail that I could apply to my on-board account, no questions asked... say what you want about the Disney way, when push comes to shove they treat you like the appreciate your business and want you to have a truly elegant cruise experience...

 

Last year, when I booked my first NCL cruise on the POA, I shopped around and had actually had one ready to go on Orbitz or one of the other on-line travel sites... on a lark I called NCL to see if I could get a better deal and, in a way, I did... they matched the price I had and threw in two nights in Oahu prior to the cruise... while the POA left much to be desired if you put the boat into proper perspective (I called it the Grayhound Bus of the seven seas... slip shod service, poor response to issues like a commode pumping raw sewage into the bath room... (I must have been on the poop deck), rude staff, and running of provisions as the cruise wound down (how do you run out of pineapple on a Hawaiian cruise?)... anyway... the dismal quality of the cruise could do nothing to spoil the absolute wonder of the islands...

 

Because of the great price I called the same gentleman who booked that cruise and asked him if he could match the price for the November '06 ride on the POH... he did so I signed up... was happy with the entire deal until I found out I could book it today for about $700 less... same cabin class, same dates... yeah, I'm still pretty steamed by their failure to work with me on the issue but again... I'm going to paradise and really don't have high expectations for the boat or the quality of the folks who work on it... based on some of the reviews I have read I may be surprised... sounds like they are trying...

 

Bottom line is NCL will not see another dime of my money nor will I recommend the line to anyone... and that, boys and girls, is what customer service is all about... you may have my money now but all too many bean counters seem to forget that every disgruntled customer won't be a repeat coustomer and every disgruntled customer most likely will share his or her experiences with their associates... may a business has gone belly up because they fail to see the big picture...

 

I can see the day when someone like Disney realizes the potential for a quality cruise line in that market... NCL will wish they had taken care of the folks they have turned off in years past when that happens...

 

Reckon it's time to put this thread in dry dock... to all of you fine folks... take the advice of those who are smarter than me and let a travel agent to your bargaining... it's like buying a house without consulting a realestate attorney... chances are you really don't need one but if you hit a bump in the road and things start going sideways you are going to wish you had one.

 

Aloha....

[CruisinMK]

I never saw him answer the key question of whether he was trying to apply the price drop BEFORE or AFTER final payment date.

 

It makes a huge difference in deciding whether the complaint is legitimate or not.

 

He definitely should be able to apply a price drop before final payment date.

 

He shouldn't expect to be able to after final payment date.

[2inTul]

Exactly! Was your final payment already made when the price dropped?

 

I have never heard of anyone getting an adjustment after final payment has been made due to a price drop.

 

You are being completely unreasonable if you think you can do that. No other cruise line would do that including Disney.

 

If you have been on as many "rides" as you claim you should know that.