The larger thing to consider here is this: we have members who are "known" by NCL and are past passengers who got upgraded to nice suites. It is not going to be so for new cruisers with NCL, or any other cruise line. A newbie shouldn't be told they can expect an upgrade simply by accosting the Hotel Manager. It won't happen. I'd therefore like to suggest that those with "points" with a specific cruise line not put false hopes in the minds of other members. We all know it isn't going to automatically happen, and therefore please don't seed it.
My post of contacting the hotel manager does not imply that everyone gets an upgrade.
I clearly stated that Newlywed08 may get an upgrade if they are AVAILABLE. There is no guarentee. The Hotel manager is no different than any other managerial job in any US company. When a consumer wants service that others can not provide they ask for the manager. This happens everyday in American business.
Not every passenger that boards the ship will ask or seek upgrades. It is being diplomatic and being courteous, and being professional when making the request. All the Hotel manager can say is there is no upgrades available. It does not hurt to ask, and be professional in the approach.
I have not given bad advice here in any way. It is sad for anyone to imply that asking the Hotel Manager who is ultimately responsible for rooms is out of line or can be an embarrassing moment.
There is no indication that cruise line companies keep or hold back rooms for upgrades and I did not imply that in my post in any way.
In todays tough economic conditions many cruise ships are leaving the docks with empty staterooms, and are willing to make upgrades or make upsells to cruisers. It adds revenue to the bottom line of profitability when cruise ship companies do this.
It is totally wrong to advise any poster here NOT to ask for upgrades in fear of embarrasing themselves. As another poster stated NCL is a very hospitable cruise line company.
I can personally attest, that I have asked and have paid extra for better rooms on NCL after boarding the ship WHEN AVAILABLE. On my last cruise, our party of four specifically asked the Hotel Manager about the Vista Garden Villa which was empty. After discussing the upgrade, we moved from our mini-suite to the Garden Villa for a very reasonable rate. No other passengers on the ship considered asking the Hotel Manager, we did, we were not embarrassed in any way, we got the great stateroom, the best of the best and NCL increased revenue.
Newlywed08, despite the comments here by others, I strongly suggest that you still consider my post and give it a try. There is no need to feel embarrassed, and your not asking for much to upgrade to a balcony room if it is available. After my own experiences and experiences of other cruisers on NCL there is a good chance that if available and you are willing to pay the extra for an upgrade you just may get it and have a great honeymoon cruise. Don't let anyone deter you from doing this due to being embarassed.
I too have made many cruises over the years, and I know better, that it is perfectly ok to ask. Read the post of BillyBuzzy......he got his upgrade from balcony to penthouse, AFTER he boarded the ship....and this alone proves the approach works.
Go for it gal, as you may have only one honeymoon in life. It never hurts to ask, and certainly I know you will find the Hotel Manager to be professional and friendly on any NCL cruise ship.
Newlywed08, if you ask, hopefully can you report back to us first hand on your request and the response that the Hotel Manager gave you. Perhaps you can tell us if he was friendly, professional or rude. Once again, we have NEVER found any NCL Executive staff member to be rude to any passenger on an NCL ship. They are always there to help and make the passengers cruise better. I am sure you will find this to be true.
Richard, you where just asked NOT to seed false hopes in the minds of other members—but you still go ahead with it anyhow (not too smart). A person shouldn't have to go directly to the Hotel Director to check on an upgrade (which is the issue here), he has a well equipped staff that deals with that.
Once again, we have NEVER found any NCL Executive staff member to be rude to any passenger on an NCL ship. They are always there to help and make the passengers cruise better. I am sure you will find this to be true.
Of course the senior staff -- and all crew -- will not be anything but polite. But, that is not the issue at hand.
I reiterate what Dave said: I'd therefore like to suggest that those with "points" with a specific cruise line not put false hopes in the minds of other members. We're not doing this to be mean, but to act in the best interests of the owners of this site.
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Now, back to the original topic:
Newlywed08, have you contacted your TA about purchasing a possible upgrade? Let us know what happened.
I have to agree with Richard. I've been on a few cruises and while they say the ship is completely full, many times folks are able to switch to a better cabin. Ask at the pier if upgrades/upsells are available. Do your homework first. Check out NCL.com and see how many staterooms are still open. If any are open, you'll be able to see it right up until the day before your cruise. If they say no, and you're not happy with your original room ask at reception if anything is available to you. If you have a meet and greet arranged for your cruise, the hotel director generally attends. It would be a good time to introduce yourself and possibly ask for that upsell/upgrade.
Being a new member, I'll probably be censored, but IMHO SonnyV (a CruiseGuru) has been very rude to Richard. It appears to me he's an RCL fan. Shouldn't the moderator for this board be more informed about NCL?
Welcome to cruise-chat, CruiseLover267. It appears we have many NCL fans in Las Cruces.
The moderators were not chosen based on having in-depth knowledge of every cruise line. If that were true I doubt I could find anyone qualified, including me.
Since this thread has answered the original question, I'll now close it.
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