NCL Website has a tracking cookie

[Bennett'sCruise]

Ahem...

 

I do a search for a product on a site. I get to the point where I find how much the product will cost. I then leave the site without purchase. Site has a cookie on my system knowing this behavior now.

 

I return the next day and go through the same motion. Price is same. I leave site without purchase. Site now has this behavior logged.

 

I return the next day to see the price has gone up suddenly. Oh know ... Do I purchase before the price continues rising? Do I leave?

 

Please tell me this doesn't work on air line web sites if I'm trying to find the cheapest price to book air? :eek:

[cruizinwithkids]

Please tell me this doesn't work on air line web sites if I'm trying to find the cheapest price to book air? :eek:

 

Yeah, it does!!!

[MrLee]

Please tell me this doesn't work on air line web sites if I'm trying to find the cheapest price to book air? :eek:

 

 

There is a web site that will keep an eye on flights for you and let you know when the price goes down. I don't think I'm allowed to name it but a google search on "air price tracking" should locate it.

 

I use the 3rd one down the page. :D

[dak_friendly]

Please tell me this doesn't work on air line web sites if I'm trying to find the cheapest price to book air? :eek:

 

First up, MrLee has the right idea.

 

I was only presenting a worst case scenario that I have actually experienced. Searched a site for a flight several times over a couple of days. Suddenly the price had gone up (substantially). I verified my entry again, same high price. Had a friend living in another state do the same exact search moments later ... cheaper price. Cleared my cache and cookies. Repeated search and got the lower price. This was a couple of years ago ... it can happen.

 

Of course the converse could happen. Someone might lower their price slightly to see if that can cause enough impetuous to make a sale.

 

---

 

I turned off AdblockPlus in Firefox (a free add-on) to inspect the cookie file. When visiting ncl.com (with it turned off), I got a cookie from "traveladvertising.com" named "DropRedirectNorwegianCruiseline"

 

Looked up traveladvertising.com as best I could via "whois" information (since their website shows a web server "under construction" error).

 

It is ... surprise! ... a travel advertising company for websites! The cookie they put on your computer must let advertisements on specific websites know you visited Norwegian's website at some point in time.

 

Probably, to borrow a term from Douglas Adams, "mostly harmless". Though, AdblockPlus in Firefox specifically blocks it. Someone must find it "possibly harmful". Who knows.

 

I didn't know AdblockPlus prevented advert cookies too. Neat!

[Bennett'sCruise]

There is a web site that will keep an eye on flights for you and let you know when the price goes down. I don't think I'm allowed to name it but a google search on "air price tracking" should locate it.

 

I use the 3rd one down the page. :D

 

If you're talking about Yapta, I've been using it for about a month now.

~d

[MrLee]

If you're talking about Yapta' date=' I've been using it for about a month now.[/font']

 

~d

 

 

Okay...I wasn't sure if it was OK to name it here.

[Globaliser]

Look, if you're seriously that worried about tracking cookies, or that concerned about your privacy, the first thing that you should do is to go to this page and decide whether you want to install a HOSTS file. That's a technique that (in effect) blocks many of the tracking cookies, advertising banners and what not that everyone's talking about in this thread.

 

The result for me is that AdAware and Spybot always find almost nothing to report on my computer.

[isles1]

Not all "tracking cookies" are malicious. Some sites require acceptance of cookies to function. That should be the only harm to turning them off entirely, other than having to log into websites all the time that would otherwise remember your password and/or username (like cruisecritic).

 

Those suggesting AdAware and Spybot as the solution are a little behind the times as these are merely "cleanup" programs and not preventative (like an anti-virus prgram), and arguably are not kept up to date by the creators. These are good, free supplemental tools.

 

For those that really want to keep garbage off their computer in the first place, Webroot Spy Sweeper (combined with an up-to-date anti-virus program) is as good as you can get since it actively monitors items coming and going from your machine and is updated at least once daily by the vendor.

 

With all that said, I highly doubt an tracking technology used by NCL or any other legitimate company is going to be malicious. What you find malicious might be different from what I find to be malicious. If you do not want companies knowing what you clicked on or what site you just came from, then turn off the cookies. You better cut up that supermarket shopper card too since it is the same basic principle; tracking consumer behavior which lets companies better tailor their marketing efforts.