How Do I Get Upgrade Without Paying Too Much?

[holidaydebbie]

I am looking for advice. I am booked on the Jade in July in an Oceanview cabin (F - porthole) on deck 4. I would like to upgrade to a balcony because I am worried about lack of space with the pull down beds (2 adults, 2 children- my husband and eldest daughter are quite tall) and I don't like the idea of being on the lowest deck.

 

I had been told by NCL that as I booked through a TA, I have to go through them. I did and they quoted over £1,000 to upgrade.:eek:

 

I think I would have probably by now have accepted that I'm not going to get an upgrade, had I felt my TA had done their best but my biggest complaint is the fact that I have found my TA unhelpful, ever since they took my money. Eg. they denied knowing what I was talking about when I mentioned free parking at Southampton when I had booked and since then after several e-mails regarding the price of the upgrade, didn't feel I'd got anywhere and I wasn't happy with the tone of the e-mails - I felt as if I was a nuisance to them as I wasn't happy with the £1,100 price to upgrade. :mad:

 

Does anyone have any advice as to what I could try next? I know from reading the forums that the upgrade fairy rarely calls and perhaps this is most likely if you are from the USA or has anyone from the UK ever benefitted? Would I benefit from checking in online now? Does the NCL check-in form ask you if you would accept an upgrade? My travel agent never has! I don't mind paying something towards an upgrade but not over £1,000!

 

Any advice is appreciated - Looking forward to it.:)

Debbie

[Budget Queen]

An upgrade is going to cost you. There is nothing else at this point for you. You are unhappy with your cabin choice?? Not sure why you booked this to begin with??

 

You now need to decide, IF you want to wait for the chance of price discounting, or pay for the cabin, now, that you want.

[Brennbob]

I completly understand what you are saying and am trying for the same thing. We sail on the 11th and are in an OV 4th deck and am wanting a balcony. I really did not want a balcony because we have a two year old but after reading here on CC(very helpful) I realized that parents actually like having the balcony for some escape. I check online everyday to see if there is any drop in the price because like you they quoted me at $1,100 extra for the upgrade, and I am willing to do that but then I think would if it drops in the next couple of days. So I am going to wait for a week out, so next Saturday, and if there is still no drop I am going to call NCL and see if I can speak with the Reassingment Desk", and see if I can work some magic. Good luck to you and keep us updated.:)

[garycarla]

Are you able to just TOTALLY cancel with little or no cost? That is what I would do, and then do a new booking with what I want.

 

On the other hand, if you were to tall into the TA today (without giving your name) and tried to book the balcony, what would that cost be? Is that worth it to you?

 

I can bet you all your money you will not see a free upgrade. Not gonna happen. So try to BUY the cabin you want.

[Arwenmark]

Are you able to just TOTALLY cancel with little or no cost? That is what I would do, and then do a new booking with what I want.

 

On the other hand, if you were to tall into the TA today (without giving your name) and tried to book the balcony, what would that cost be? Is that worth it to you?

 

I can bet you all your money you will not see a free upgrade. Not gonna happen. So try to BUY the cabin you want.

 

I believe being in the UK that if the OP cancels outright they would lose the deposit. My suggestion is to keep an eye on the prices and if they drop call your TA and have them book the upgrade. Word to the wise, don't use a TA in the future, or use one you KNOW is helpful all the way through the process.

 

Also to the OP, you do realize that a balcony cabin only has 1 sq ft more than the F you are booked in right? with the exception of the balcony itself? The cabins are not bigger or really that different they just have a balcony.

[garycarla]

Somebody else can better answer, but I think the beds in your OV are better. In the balcony you have to put 2 people on a small pullout sofa, yes?

[challada]

Another question on upgrade...

 

I thought that I read here that some folks were offered to upgrade to a higher level cabin for less than the actual price difference between the grades....does this happen when YOU CALL NCL or does this call come from NCL to try to upsell you before the cruise?

 

We booked 2 rooms, one interior, one exterior but I now see that the exterior has a connecting door to another exterior....and no one in that other room. It's a $1200 difference for us on the published rate, but I'm wondering if I should count on getting a call from NCL to offer it to us for less than the $1200. (I'm not banking on a free upgrade....just wondering if I can get a better deal)

[garycarla]

Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT expect to get a call from NCL with an upgrade. It is rare.

 

The very few they do is when NCL calls YOU. Sometimes they do move somebody up. In fact, in your case, they MIGHT call to ask if you will give up that connecting room because somebody else wants two connecting rooms. In that case, they MIGHT offer a deal to move to a higher category room, which of course might not be good in your case.

 

Surprised the price from an inside to exterior is that much, but I guess it could be. Are your pricing it TODAY vs the original published rate? They do change sometimes. Sometimes higher, sometimes lower.

[Don Haynes]

While there are ways to improve your chances for an upsell or upgrade, there are no guarantees for either. No one has figured out the upgrade fairy to get an upgrade every time. If we did, I am sure NCL would drop the upgrade fairy. Why? Everybody would be buying cabins at least a grade less, something that would show up at the bottom line.

[smrtypnts]

What about the OP changing her/his entire reservation to a different TA that would be more helpful to her? I got the impression that the OP is more unsatisfied with her TA than her cabin, as she's getting no responses.

 

I did think the suggestion to call your TA's office and speak to someone else and ask the price of a balcony and see if the price is 1000 difference as you were quoted and then go from there.:confused::rolleyes::cool:

[challada]

Gary, we're going to Alaska where rates seem to be higher as a whole. The difference is actually the cost difference on the "one day sale" that has been running for a week and a half now, but I think it's actually a higher price differential on the brochure rates.

 

I'm certainly not booked that way in the expectations of getting a freebie upgrade...we booked last minute and took rooms across the hall from eachother as that's what was available. I don't know why, but now that connecting room became available since we booked.

 

Of course, cheapie that I am, I would rather get our interior moved to the exterior for a few hundred dollars instead of a few thousand! LOL

[newmexicoNita]

I am looking for advice. I am booked on the Jade in July in an Oceanview cabin (F - porthole) on deck 4. I would like to upgrade to a balcony because I am worried about lack of space with the pull down beds (2 adults, 2 children- my husband and eldest daughter are quite tall) and I don't like the idea of being on the lowest deck.

 

I had been told by NCL that as I booked through a TA, I have to go through them. I did and they quoted over £1,000 to upgrade.:eek:

 

I think I would have probably by now have accepted that I'm not going to get an upgrade, had I felt my TA had done their best but my biggest complaint is the fact that I have found my TA unhelpful, ever since they took my money. Eg. they denied knowing what I was talking about when I mentioned free parking at Southampton when I had booked and since then after several e-mails regarding the price of the upgrade, didn't feel I'd got anywhere and I wasn't happy with the tone of the e-mails - I felt as if I was a nuisance to them as I wasn't happy with the £1,100 price to upgrade. :mad:

 

Does anyone have any advice as to what I could try next? I know from reading the forums that the upgrade fairy rarely calls and perhaps this is most likely if you are from the USA or has anyone from the UK ever benefitted? Would I benefit from checking in online now? Does the NCL check-in form ask you if you would accept an upgrade? My travel agent never has! I don't mind paying something towards an upgrade but not over £1,000!

 

Any advice is appreciated - Looking forward to it.:)

Debbie

 

Debbie

 

It is too bad you are not completely happy with your Travel Agent. As for not paying much and upgrading, you are sailing in the highest season for Europe, the chances of getting a good price for a balcony are slim..All you can do is watch the prices yourself, check NCLs website. If you see them going down you can call your, not so helpful T.A and tell her. The best shot you have now will be after final payment date which will be very soon...I am sure you realize there is almost no difference in the cabin sizes, the advantage of a balcony cabin is escape from the cabin from time to time.

 

Please do not let this experience sour you on Travel Agents. They can be a dream under the right circumstances.

Good luck and enjoy the Jade..

 

Nita

[insidecabin]

Have you checked NCL for a price.

 

I get the following for a 4berth(2ad/2ch <12) 12 July.

 

F and cheapest balcony BD(before tips £91pp)

 

F 1249. 1249 706 706

BD 1499 1499 766 766

 

ex £250 + £250 + £60 + £60 = £620

 

Plus the NCL fees of £35pp + any agent change fees.

 

So a minimum of £760 on todays fares.

 

So depending on what you paid, If it was lower than these current prices then there is more to pay for the upgrades and if there was OBC that is no longer on offer so that would be another increase, if you wanted BA balcony that would be another £180 total.

 

So £1100 is not out of the question as the updrade cost.

 

The 26th is a bit different since they are not showing the reduced fares for 3-4pax but the differences are the same

 

 

Upgrade fairy cannot(last time we asked) make international calls so they don't normaly contact UK people.

 

 

Now if you had booked through the US the total for the F cabin today would be $5802 or £4039 UK is £3910, so cheaper in the UK.

 

What did you pay?

 

Just checked and the BD and BC were GTY so the lowest cabins would be BB at £120 more than the BD so min upgrade cost is £880 for allocated 4 berth cabin

[chapichapo]

i'm in a similar situation. But we have booked online via the ncl.eu website. I booked 2 insides on deck 4 which were the least expensive. Last year we also cruised on insides (on Celebrity) and it was wonderfull, the cabins were great and he floor was fine - we had the time of our lives. During the nights I sometimes felt it would be nice to know where I was (in the middle of the ocean, near the coastline?), but other than that we were fine.

One week fter booking I realised that there was the "one day sale" and prices started to be completely different from what I had booked. I can now book an inside and a balcony on deck 8 for the same price. But we have to pay the penalties to cancel because the prices are with TA's.

Also, while looking around and learning about all this sales and upgrades and etc, I realised deck 4 was the entrance deck which really looks unpleasant. :( Last year we were on deck 5 and the entrance was through deck 3, I believe. So I really started to think I had made a bad option when booking. Plus, we are traveling with children and a balcony would be nice. And we are traveling with my mother in law, deck 4 wouldn't be nice at all... I felt a bit responsible.

I complained to NCL and asked to transfer the reservartion to a TA and (after a lot of phone calls and e-mails) they have offered to upgrade us to deck 11 and give us $100 US OBC. It is a lot better, although I still think that for only the price of the penalties (around $300) plus the OBC that they gave us... I could be in a balcony... but oh well, I think I'll just let it drop. The $400 are actually almost what we will pay for the airline tickets to Barcelona... I think I'll just save the money and be thankfull for the nice deck. :)

[holidaydebbie]

Sorry it's taken me a long time to respond!

 

insidecabin: When I look at the USA prices, maybe I didn't do so bad. I booked in advance for my cruise in May 2008 and am sailing this July. I am paying £3,465 (+ service charge) for the cruise, no onboard credit and no free parking which is often offered in the UK.

 

smrtypnts: You are right when you say I am more unsatisfied with my TA than anything else! I got a good deal price wise when I originally booked and would have probably let the matter lie, had they handled my upgrade enquiry better. As I said, they have been unhelpful since the moment they took my deposit.

 

Budgetqueen: I booked the cabin before the 2009 brochure came out and as a first time cruiser, didn't know I was on lowest deck. Obviously, this is a lesson learnt by experience!

 

Thanks to you all for your advice. When I next get the chance, I might ring the TA for an up to date price and keep checking NCL's website.

 

Debbie

[smrtypnts]

Sorry it's taken me a long time to respond!

 

insidecabin: When I look at the USA prices, maybe I didn't do so bad. I booked in advance for my cruise in May 2008 and am sailing this July. I am paying £3,465 (+ service charge) for the cruise, no onboard credit and no free parking which is often offered in the UK.

 

smrtypnts: You are right when you say I am more unsatisfied with my TA than anything else! I got a good deal price wise when I originally booked and would have probably let the matter lie, had they handled my upgrade enquiry better. As I said, they have been unhelpful since the moment they took my deposit.

 

Budgetqueen: I booked the cabin before the 2009 brochure came out and as a first time cruiser, didn't know I was on lowest deck. Obviously, this is a lesson learnt by experience!

 

Thanks to you all for your advice. When I next get the chance, I might ring the TA for an up to date price and keep checking NCL's website.

 

Debbie

 

If, in the end you get no help from your TA, consider it a lesson learned and move on--don't let it have any affect on your first cruise. You're going to love it and in the future you'll book with someone more reputable. My TA is an online big biz type, but before I booked I asked if they'd continue to match ANY site I found a better price throughout the duration up until full pay, as well as getting a full 100% refund should I decide to cancel before full pay is due. I nag the TA somewhat often, and she's mostly pretty good.;)

[Budget Queen]

[quote name=chapichapo;18898360

Also' date=' while looking around and learning about all this sales and upgrades and etc, I realised deck 4 was the entrance deck which really looks unpleasant. :( Last year we were on deck 5 and the entrance was through deck 3, I believe. So I really started to think I had made a bad option when booking. Plus, we are traveling with children and a balcony would be nice. And we are traveling with my mother in law, deck 4 wouldn't be nice at all... I felt a bit responsible.

QUOTE]

 

In no way, does an "entrance deck" have much to do with "looking unpleasant"????? Not sure what your concern is, but this is a very stable sailing deck and cabins, quiet.

[insidecabin]

On a port intensive cruise being close to the gang plank can be an advantage.

 

Easy getting on and off the ship collecting and dropping off the bits and bobs you don't need to be carrying aound the ship.

 

Can get a bit busy but this is usualy only in the mornings.

[chapichapo]

I don't know 'cause I've never been on the gem but last year the entrance deck didn't seem pleasant at all, lots of people queuing around, sometimes it seemed a bit unorganized with buckets and stuff lying around near the security staff. Our deck looked a lot more confortable, tidy and even safe because with so many people passing by... but specially I think you loose a certain sense of privacy when you are neat the entrance. But I really have no idea how it is in the gem.

But anyway, we were moved to deck 11, I'm hoping it will be quieter.