Originally Posted by FABismonte View Post
Hi Dan:

Sorry to tell you this, but NCL has changed its policy on odd numbered people. Starting last week there is no longer any additional staterooms which can be booked through "casino" bookings. Yesterday the NCL representative read me out the email. If I want a second room for my daughter, I now need to pay the price of a double occupancy room. (NO THANKS) In fact the NCL casino line operator could not even entertain or quote me a second room. I needed to be transferred to a separate operator who did not have any access to the casino line information on my voucher.

I could, however, use the NCL casino line operator to book another person in my stateroom and I wound up booking (for now) a mini-suite pending the 75 day deadline for the cruise since I wanted enough room to breath as the standard balcony my wife and I are entitled would be pretty crowded.

Regards, FAB
This is terrrrrrrrrrrrrrible news. But thanks for alerting me to it.

To be honest, I've never understood why NCL's Casinos at Sea department gave those perks for the 2nd room. Obviously they were getting very little out of it, because the second room is likely to be inhabited by a non-gambler (or a light gambler). Amazingly, this "third person by themselves" perk was available to any CAS booking, including those cheapo inside cabin vouchers that Caesars and other casinos hand out like candy.

I had a feeling this might be coming, as they had already taken away another 2nd room perk (10% discount) earlier this year.

Have you ever been in a mini suite on an NCL cruise?

I ask this because I think the mini suite is the worst value type of room on the ship. It's basically a balcony room with a little more room, but much more expensive, and without the usual suite perks.

How much are they charging you to upgrade? I imagine it's a lot.

When are you taking your cruise?

You might want to look for "free upgrade" promotions, as you can cancel and rebook your balcony room and get the upgrade for free. That's how I got my upgrade from Oceanview to Balcony on the Alaska cruise I just took.

In general, upgrading these "free" cruises is a bad idea, as you usually end up paying a lot of money and wipe out most of your 7 Stars discount. In fact, you should see if buying the minisuite outright for 35% off (Seven Stars discount) will work out better than upgrading!

Is your daughter still going on the cruise? You might want to wait until fairly close to the cruise (14-50 days out) and look if they are "dumping" inside cabins for very cheap. It may end up cheaper to put her in a 2nd room (and pay the single supplement charge) than adding her to your minisuite! Even if she's under 18, you can put your wife in that 2nd room and put your daughter in yours, and then just sleep with your wife, with your daughter in the other room. You can cancel out a third person up to 14 days from sailing at NO CHARGE, so this is always a trick you might want to consider.

I am pretty much an expert at gaming the NCL system at this point, so tell me your situation and I'll try to give you the best advice.