Upgrade question

[Chris931]

I have read about NCL offering upgrades at a cost or just upgrades without a cost as the cruise date gets closer. I booked my cruise through a travel agent. Is it still possible for us to get an upgrade offer from NCL or would it go through the travel agent?

 

Thanks.

Christine

[Why Knot Me]

I have read about NCL offering upgrades at a cost or just upgrades without a cost as the cruise date gets closer. I booked my cruise through a travel agent. Is it still possible for us to get an upgrade offer from NCL or would it go through the travel agent?

 

Thanks.

Christine

 

It is totally random who gets the call. Very rarely do they happen for free. If you do get picked to get the call and you used a TA, it goes thru the TA.

[Heads&Tails]

Your chance of a call are 1 in 1000. Don't hold your breath!

And It's one in a million for free upgrade.

Sorry to burst your bubble.

[Sparkylok6]

But they do happen, so don't totally lose faith. As long as you are happy with the category that you booked with, if you don't get the call it isn't the end of the world.

 

I have heard of the offerings coming to passengers booked through NCL and also through TA's.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[terrymtex01]

OP.. usually the free upgrades are because NCL needs your specific cabin for a specific reason. Reasons could vary. As others have said though it is totally possible for you to get an offer from the "upsell fairy" but it will be sent to your TA and then it is up to the TA to forward the offer to you. I know it is TOTALLY random who they call, or at least none of us have been able to figure it out who they call, but it does seem that first time NCL cruisers get the majority of the calls and especially if they are booked in non-suites.. LOL.. They get you hooked from the very beginning on the "Suite Life". Although it is rare to get a call, don't give up hope. I have literally read on here of a family that got the call when they were 30 minutes away from the pier to check in for their cruise.

 

No matter what happens, have a great cruise and come back here and tell us all about it.

[ubdkjrb]

If you don't use a TA, try calling NCL about 30 days prior to sailing and ask about upsells. I have seen several posts where this has been done successfully. If the first person you talk to is a little upset, call again and talk to someone else. I know they have an upsell desk for each ship because I have the number (have had it for years). I have called several times for different cruises and have negotiated an even better deal than the first upsell offer. This is why I always book direct. Try it - can't hurt.

 

Peter

[MrLee]

I'm curious...Has anyone heard of an upgrade/upsell offer for someone booked through CAS? :confused:

[linerode]

I booked direct and the agent I've been working with said he put a note on my account to specifically call for an upsell. He said it 'should' catch their attention when the upsell desk looks for victims, but he wasn't sure. Of course, I'll still start calling a month before to see what I can get.

[tbear2762]

I am confused if you can afford the higher cat then why not just book it to begin with. I mean if it were a free upgrade sure but why pay after booking???

[MrLee]

I am confused if you can afford the higher cat then why not just book it to begin with. I mean if it were a free upgrade sure but why pay after booking???

 

In general, people are happy with what they booked, but if a better cabin is offered for free or at a cut-rate price, they're happy to get it.

[TG2005]

I am confused if you can afford the higher cat then why not just book it to begin with. I mean if it were a free upgrade sure but why pay after booking???

 

The upgrade comes at a discounted rate, for example I could not afford a suite, but with the upgrade offer I was able to take the suite.

[lambs2]

The upgrade comes at a discounted rate, for example I have could afford a suite, but with thhe upgrade offer I was able to take the suite.

 

 

I believe you are referring above to an UPSELL. A true upgrade comes at NO COST and is VERY RARE. We have only had one true upgrade in all our cruises. It was from NCLA in Hawaii on the Pride of America. Our TA called us with the great news that we had been bumped up from an inside guarantee cabin to a portside balcony cabin! That was AMAZING!!

[TG2005]

I believe you are referring above to an UPSELL. A true upgrade comes at NO COST and is VERY RARE. We have only had one true upgrade in all our cruises. It was from NCLA in Hawaii on the Pride of America. Our TA called us with the great news that we had been bumped up from an inside guarantee cabin to a portside balcony cabin! That was AMAZING!!

 

 

Upsell, upgrade - potato, patato :rolleyes:

[ubdkjrb]

Upsell, upgrade - potato, patato :rolleyes:

 

It will make a big difference if you call NCL and ask to purchase an upgrade!

 

Peter

[riddle]

We have been given upgrades several times. We are cruising 8/2 through CAS and were given an upgrade at no additional cost from a K inside to a D ocean view. All I did was call and ask, wait a day or so for a callback and was given the option of the no additional cost ocean view or $188 per person additional for a balcony. We took the oceanview at no additional cost. I was polite, they were polite and we are very happy! It can happen. Don't bank on it but when it does it is very nice. By the way, we are not high rollers. This is our first booking with CAS and we got the typical 17% discount. I did not even get any comped dollars off on our last cruise 16 months ago.

[sjnyc323]

I called NCL today regarding upsells since I keep hearing about them here but was told I have to go through my travel agent who will have to contact them for info,however my TA said he never heard of an upsell.

[ubdkjrb]

I called NCL today regarding upsells since I keep hearing about them here but was told I have to go through my travel agent who will have to contact them for info,however my TA said he never heard of an upsell.

 

You made two mistakes. First, you booked thru a travel agent. Second, you asked a travel agent to do some work.

 

In order to be able to negotiate an upsell with NCL, you have to be able to talk to them. If you have a TA, you can't talk to them.

 

There are exceptions, but travel agents today enjoy the luxury of having the client book the cruise direct with the cruise line and then transfer to them just before final payment for a bottle of wine and a Christmas card.

This requires no work. Asking them to call for an upsell is asking them to do some work.

 

Peter

[njhorseman]

You made two mistakes. First, you booked thru a travel agent. Second, you asked a travel agent to do some work.

 

In order to be able to negotiate an upsell with NCL, you have to be able to talk to them. If you have a TA, you can't talk to them.

 

There are exceptions, but travel agents today enjoy the luxury of having the client book the cruise direct with the cruise line and then transfer to them just before final payment for a bottle of wine and a Christmas card.

This requires no work. Asking them to call for an upsell is asking them to do some work.

 

Peter

 

Yes, I made the mistake of booking my latest cruise through a travel agent and saved hundreds of dollars off the price NCL would have charged me.

 

I've made that same money-saving mistake many times in the past, and I'll continue to make the same mistake in the future. Some of us are just slow learners.

[Thatsright]

Yes, I made the mistake of booking my latest cruise through a travel agent and saved hundreds of dollars off the price NCL would have charged me.

 

I've made that same money-saving mistake many times in the past, and I'll continue to make the same mistake in the future. Some of us are just slow learners.

 

I don't understand what the distaste is for TA's around here. I booked with one - and while I probably won't get a call for an upsell - I got my cabin for over $500 less per person than NCL was asking. I don't understand why anyone would want to pay the extra $1000 for the cabin just in the hopes of a greater chance at an upsell.

[tjaker11]

We have booked through a TA many times and she works hard for us. DH checks on line price then calls her and we have always been happy with results, but we always book what we are happy with anf if upgrade happens great.

[lambs2]

We have only received one upgrade EVER. It was through a travel agent on the Pride of America. We had had an earlier cruise cancelled due to a mechanical failure of the propellor on the Pride of Aloha and were getting this cruise for free, but it was a few less days than our original cuise (7 instead of 10). About two weeks before sailing our TA called to say we had been upgraded from a guarantee inside cabin to a balcony on deck 8, portside! :D WOW!!! We hit the jackpot that trip! The whole vacation was amazing and we just added a couple more days pre and postcruise!

[rsohn65820]

I don't understand what the distaste is for TA's around here. I booked with one - and while I probably won't get a call for an upsell - I got my cabin for over $500 less per person than NCL was asking. I don't understand why anyone would want to pay the extra $1000 for the cabin just in the hopes of a greater chance at an upsell.

 

I have no distaste for TA's but I have heard many people on here say that saved hundreds of dollars by going through a TA instead of NCL. I don't see it. I tried between five to ten different TA's even one where they bid for your business none and I mean NONE came close to what I paid for my cabin through NCL. They tried to sell me a catogory BE balcony for the same price or more than what I paid for a catogory BA balcony through NCL. All the TA's came in at approximately the same price none of them competed for my business. So maybe if you are booking a high end suite you might be able to make a better deal by going through a TA but if you are booking just the standard cabins you are not going to be able to save that much if anything.

[njhorseman]

I have no distaste for TA's but I have heard many people on here say that saved hundreds of dollars by going through a TA instead of NCL. I don't see it. I tried between five to ten different TA's even one where they bid for your business none and I mean NONE came close to what I paid for my cabin through NCL. They tried to sell me a catogory BE balcony for the same price or more than what I paid for a catogory BA balcony through NCL. All the TA's came in at approximately the same price none of them competed for my business. So maybe if you are booking a high end suite you might be able to make a better deal by going through a TA but if you are booking just the standard cabins you are not going to be able to save that much if anything.

 

 

I can't comment on your personal experience, but no travel agent sells a cabin for more than the cruise line's asking price, so perhaps there was some mix up in categories that caused an apparent bid for a BE to be priced higher than a BA.

 

The amount of money saved will normally be higher for a high end cabin such as a suite for the simple reason that the agency earns a higher commission on the more expensive cabin and therefore has more money to rebate.

[ubdkjrb]

I don't understand what the distaste is for TA's around here. I booked with one - and while I probably won't get a call for an upsell - I got my cabin for over $500 less per person than NCL was asking. I don't understand why anyone would want to pay the extra $1000 for the cabin just in the hopes of a greater chance at an upsell.

 

Assuming that the TA gave up 10% of their 12-16% commission (average), your cruise must have cost you $10,000 in order for you to have saved $1000. Most of us aren't purchasing suites of that nature. More like $2000 so the savings is around $200, tops. Now if I can negotiate an upsell from a balcony to a penthouse suite for a total of $400 (and I have), I'd much rather be able to do that than save $200.

 

Peter

[hat776]

In the 'olden' days people would just go to their nearest TA. Nowadays with internet we've all learnt to shop around.