pokerpro5

Remember when I said in early 2020 that people should simply charge back their cruise fares via their credit cards, and not count on NCL to make this right?

I got all kinds of hate, was called all kinds of nasty names, and was told I was a dishonest piece of trash.

Always take care of yourself first, and never worry about what big corporations want you to do.  You will always get shafted in the end if you don't take non-standard matters into your own hands.

They can't cruise again until they solve the problem as to what to do about dangerous infectious diseases breaking out onboard.

Up until 2020, it was assumed they could simply dock at the nearest port and get these people taken care of.

Now we've learned that's not true.  Ports will refuse ships with dangerous viruses on them!

Until this can be rectified, I can't see cruising starting again.  There is no easy solution to this.  The countries flagging these ships have already stated they do NOT want this responsibility.

2 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

Problem is,  logic isn't a perimeter,    Many factors go into the pricing,  and being this is a totally different situation,  I don't find the past will have much to do with future prices.    

 

There is no way to predict the future,  no matter what anyone proclaims.    🙂    I gave up a long time ago.   And can certainly can qualify as a very frequent cruiser.    

There is just about zero chance that they sail at higher prices, given the MUCH reduced demand.

You are correct that the past will have little to do with future prices, given this unprecedented situation, but something predictable is the fact that it will be cheaper after final payment date -- perhaps dirt cheap.  There is zero chance that there's going to be incredible demand for cruising once this is all over.  The public is terrified of cruising, and given the "older" population which typically cruises, that's exactly the people who will be most vulnerable and afraid.

17 minutes ago, BonnieJeanne said:

I booked for 2/14/21 on a Black Friday special. A couple of weeks ago it was higher than I paid. Now it is down almost 20%. I called my PCC for a price adjustment. I was very surprised it went down. Your logic seems very solid.
 

Hi, if you don't have a suite, I would suggest cancelling entirely and booking November 16 (the 90 day mark).  It will NOT sell out (nobody wants to cruise now due to the coronavirus), and you will get a much better deal a month after final payment (the 50% penalty phase).

You will also protect yourself against losing money in the case that NCL collapses before then, which is a real possibility. 

14 hours ago, mscdivina2016 said:

Not really.

Many perks are not worth much unless you are going to use them.

There have been many.

2 hours free phone calls

$50 off overpriced excursions

Booze package, but charge you a service charge

60 minutes of internet, but charge you an activation fee

dining package, but charge you a service charge.

We all know that those service charges are not going to the servers or bartenders.

 

Its the perception, "Get all 5 Free"....except you must pay service charges for your free stuff.  

Compare MSC with NCL drinks. MSC $6.00 NCL $15+

I have an upcoming cruise that my beverage service charge is $1782.00   and thats for my free perk. Yes its $1782.00 !

Steve

Agree.  The "free drinks" package is a joke because they just jacked up the base price and charge you that BS mandatory "service charge" of 20% or whatever.  Fortunately I don't drink so I just decline it.

Also agree about the excursions.  Even with $50 off they're a terrible value, and you're stuck in a large group usually.  No thanks.  I do my own excursions.

The internet and the dining package are the only good "perks".  I'm usually able to get them to upgrade the internet package to unlimited for a reasonable upcharge.  Each ship has a different policy on that.

10 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

 

You still have not disclosed the details of this "deal'.   ????      Was it a casino offer?    What cruise are you referring to?    

NCL Escape

West Caribbean from Miami 7 days, November (not Thanksgiving)

$479 for balcony 

No single supplement charge (1 person was booked in room)

Not a casino offer

I said $249 earlier for an inside, but I was getting cruises confused.  That was a previous cruise where I got an inside.  This one I got a second balcony for $479 with no single supplement.

11 minutes ago, Mrdodgy said:

Does any casino? Without going off topic I agree with you. If NCL comp a cruise it has to be for a reason. Basic business model . Look at the square footage covered versus income generated from it. That's why the casinos are so big. 

 

As you know loads of tables one payout booth!!

Yes, all casinos have the edge and everyone will be a long time loser, unless they engage in what is known as "advantage play" (which requires a lot of work, knowledge, and painstaking analysis to pull off).

However, cruise ship casinos (not just NCL) are notoriously bad, as their slots are tight, video poker machines have bad paytables, and table games have bad rules.  Even the poker, which you play against others, is raked FAR more heavily than land-based casinos, to where I won't even bother playing despite usually weak competition.

To those who enjoy gambling onboard, have fun, but be aware you the odds are more against you than they are in Vegas, and you're going to get creamed if you play long enough.  You can't beat mathematics.

7 hours ago, ray98 said:

 

Except they can't reliably fill the ships up last minute, especially in the after final payment time frame.  Many times they struggle with that even with the limited inventory left over after a cruise has been on the market 2 years.  Vacations just require too much planning if you aren't within driving distance of the port.

lol what???

Of course they can reliably fill the ships after final payment.  We're talking about 120 days, and 90 days in the 50% penalty phase.  That's a fairly long time.  They've been "filling the ship" this way for many years.

The lower the price, the quicker the ship fills.  For example, if they gave away cruises for $1, they could fill an entire ship within a matter of hours.  Yes, that's obviously an extreme example, but to say they can't fill empty cabins by lowering prices 3 months before sailing is absurd.

And yes, plenty of people farther than driving distance can plan a cruise 1-3 months away, myself included.

2 hours ago, Travelling2Some said:

which means dropping the prices to the market standard.  Once you do that then all the people using the credits will have the time to have their rates adjusted.

 

I don't disagree with you at all but wanted to point out that many (most?) of the cruising public have no idea you can get price drops.  While we CCer's regard these things as common knowledge, I have found that even frequent cruisers among my acquaintances have no idea.   I'm sure the cruise lines are counting on keeping  most of the recipients of FCCs in ignorance regarding their eligibility for price drops.  When NCL announced Peace of Mind I did assume prices would jump to cover their sudden generosity.  A "free lunch" is always quite suspicious!

Almost all of the substantial price drops occur AFTER final payment date, so the suckers who booked for high prices are stuck.

This is why those booking now with FCCs, figuring, "Well, if it drops, I'll just rebook at the new rate" are missing the point.  It won't drop until you can't rebook.

1 hour ago, GlamorousGirl said:

I don’t know about these “last minute deals.” I booked one 2 days prior to sailing, when the cruise wasn’t even up on their website anymore so the cabin I booked probably would have gone unsold.  (I saw it on the site in the morning but wanted to think about it. When I checked back later the cruise was gone, so I just called.) I ended up with an odd shaped, cramped cabin next to a noisy back room at a higher price than I would ordinarily pay booking much further in advance. 

Correct.  Some of the so-called "last minute deals" promoted on the site are exactly this -- not-so-great deals which stuff you into the last few cabins left on the ship.

That's why I advocate price-watching starting from the 90-day mark before sailing, as you will typically get the best prices between the 30-90 day mark prior to sailing, and there will be sufficient inventory to where you aren't stuck in the worst cabins on the ship.

The problem is that a lot of people don't understand what truly is a "good deal" on a cruise ship.  If you're paying anywhere near the price you'd have paid before final payment date, it 's NOT a good deal.

Here's an example of an actual good deal:  On my last cruise, I got an inside cabin on deck 11 (very close to my first room, a balcony cabin) for $249 with the single supplement fee waived, plus one free-at-sea choice.

3 hours ago, ellasmomanddad said:

Guilty, won 1500 on day 1 lost that plus much more but casino at seas offers me stuff all the time. My first ncl experience was thru a casino.

I'm happy for you, but I hope you quit gambling in the NCL casino, because the odds are way, way against you -- far worse than their land-based counterparts.

The NCL casino doesn't exist to give money away.

Signed,

A professional gambler

6 minutes ago, Murph269 said:

Your “fraud” argument has been debunked, so now you’re going to grasp at straws and suggest that a FCC is the same thing is a cash refund? They’re not even remotely the same thing, and if they were, NCL wouldn’t give the option for one or the other. There’s no way a credit card company would side with NCL because they issued a FCC for a cruise that didn’t take place. There’s no chance of “double dipping”. Once the chargeback is complete, NCL will remove the FCC, just like they are with people who requested refunds in lieu of the FCC. No cruises will be running before the chargeback process is complete, so there’s no chance of this person using the FCC on a sailing before the chargeback is resolved. 

There actually is a chance of double-dipping if NCL isn't careful (this commonly happens when large companies don't pay proper attention to chargebacks), but that's NCL's problem, not the consumer's.

NCL needs to monitor chargebacks and take those people off the refund list.  This is their job to do, and the consumer need not worry about this detail.

1 hour ago, ray98 said:

Cruising will be priced by what the market will bear. 

 

If they set it artificially high like is suggested to eat up cruise credits at some point you have to make sales which means dropping the prices to the market standard.  Once you do that then all the people using the credits will have the time to have their rates adjusted.

Yes and no.  The "market will bear" only half applies to cruising because of the final payment situation, which is different than any other travel payment model.  Most other travel products you're either paying up front with little-to-no-refund ability (most airlines), or paying after-the-fact with free cancellation almost up until the service is delivered (most hotels).

Cruises are in the middle of those two models.  There's a long, free cancellation/re-pricing period (before final payment), and a long, high-penalty cancellation period (after final payment).

This essentially creates two different markets -- the before-final-payment market (higher prices, except for some outlier high-demand cruises), and the after-final-payment market (lower prices).

The before-final-payment market only typically sees price increases (for high demand) or static pricing (for medium and low demand).  They will hold these prices relatively static (with only small adjustments down) if the cruise isn't selling well.  This is because people who paid higher prices already can adjust them down, so they don't want that occurring.

After-final-payment is somewhat related to what the market will bear (they will keep lowering prices until cabins are filled), but again it's not just a function of that.  They also use the upgrade bidding process to do this, so they can both keep the premium products from being discounted, AND relegate the bargain shoppers to the least desirable cabins (insides, often ones on the lower decks).

The bottom line is that this is a lot different than typical supply-and-demand pricing.  If a burger place can't sell burgers at $7 each, they might lower the price to $6.  If they are selling a ton at $7, they might raise the price to $8 and see what happens.  This isn't quite so simple, and it's instead more helpful to understand the pricing patterns, and what gives you the best chance for booking success.

Regarding the FCCs, these people booking at the bad prices will be stuck once final payment date passes.  Again, that's one of several reasons why you won't see the good deals until AFTER final payment date, and more likely after the 50% penalty phase starts.

45 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Not attacking your "research" but this is exactly how NCL and other lines have been operating for years LOL

The inside and ocean view cabins are always discounted 30 days before a cruise and are the last to be filled.  Not sure how much research can go into repeating the status quo.  So if nothing changes you will bump the thread to predict you were right?

IMHO this is a prediction and not research.  So everything stays the same and the sun will come up tomorrow.  I will bump this thread to see if I was right 🤣

 

 

Just teasing and messing with you.  Give me a break, I am locked inside too bored and eating myself to death 😷

 

Well I'm glad you're only teasing and messing, but to answer what you wrote anyway...

1) Inside/Oceanview cabins are not "always" discounted at any time.  The discounting can happen any time between 90 days prior to sailing and 1 day prior to sailing.  I'd ballpark the best deals to come 30-60 days prior to sailing, but it varies.

2) While some of what I wrote occurs normally anyway, I had to repeat a lot of that information so people could coherently follow my logic regarding pricing, and when it is likely best to book (and worst to book).

3) Whatever occurred in the past regarding bargain prices will occur to a greater extreme, most likely.  And then, of course, there's the matter of the mass issuance of FCCs complicating things, which I explained, as well.

I have been extensively been studying the cruise industry pricing model over the years, especially NCL, and have an excellent record regarding predicting pricing trends.

Based upon my studies of the recent (pre-COVID-19) pricing scheme, as well as current prices, I have applied it to come up with a theory as to the way NCL will price cruises once everything restarts

Be aware this is only a theory and not based upon any inside information, but I would be surprised if the actual situation turns out to be vastly different from what I have deduced.

1) Prices will remain high for as long as a substantial amount of recently-issued FCC remains unspent.  NCL needs desperately cash right now, hence their very difficult (and intentionally slow) behavior regarding refunds.  However, they also need to survive going forward, so they do not want the FCC they issued to be used to snag cruise bargains.  If bargains are to be had, they want that to come from new money, rather than already-captive money.  Thus, prices will be continue to be fixed artificially high until they feel a sufficient amount of the FCC has been spent.  Exceptions will be made on a case-by-case basis when cruises pass final payment date, depending upon booking levels (see below).

2) Prices for suites and mini-suites (now called 'club suites') will remain similar to what you remember before.  If you're looking for a deep discount on a suite when cruising returns, you're going to be disappointed.  Suites are a premium product which the industry (not just NCL) has long resisted discounting, as they do not want to degrade the perceived value of the product.  Since suites do not make a large percentage of the ship, NCL will let these go unsold if they don't manage to fill up at "normal" prices, and then use the bidding upgrade process to fill them (again, see below).

3) Prices for inside/oceanview/balcony rooms will be fairly similar to what you remember, prior to final payment date.  NCL does not want to attract an entire ship full of bargain cruisers, as this affects them in two ways.  First, these people pay less fare, so NCL makes less money up front.  Second, these people tend to be frugal in general, and are the least desired customers.  A ship full of these type of people (I'm one of them, by the away) would be a disaster for NCL, and they would lose money.  Additionally, if they sell these rooms at a discount prior to final payment date, many people (including FCC users) will notice and re-price their cruise to the current bargain rates.  Therefore, even in a terrible market (which it will be), they will attempt to sell as many non-suite staterooms as possible at "normal" prices, and you will not see deep discounts.  The deep discounts will appear once the 50% cancellation penalty phase begins (90 days before cruising, based upon the pre-COVID19 policy).  Want to know how the discounts will happen?  Once again, see below.

4) The deep discounts will be on inside cabins only at first, and the upgrade bidding system will be utilized to fill all other cabin types, as much as possible.  The discounts will be tremendous, but you may have to wait a bit, as they will likely come in phases, starting at the 90-day mark prior to sailing.  They will keep discounting these rooms as much as possible until they start selling.  You might see some of these go for practically nothing.  If they are not getting enough bids for upgrades to oceanview and above on a particular ship, they will start pushing existing reservation holders on that ship to do upgrade bids (via e-mail solicitations).  If they still don't get enough upgrades to oceanview and/or balcony, then those prices will drop as well.  Keep in mind that this was already their existing pricing policy BEFORE COVID-19, but you will see it take place even more often as they struggle to get people on cruise ships again.

5) Unsold mini/club-suites and suites will be filled by upgrading balcony pasengers.  You will perhaps even see phone calls being made offering flat price upgrades if there are not enough bidding upgrades.  If you have a balcony room, you might want to throw a cheap upgrade bid in for fun.

So how can you best use this information to your advantage?  Glad you asked.

First off, DO NOT make a cash booking right now.  Seriously.  Don't.  Keep that credit card firmly in your wallet.  NCL is on very rough seas right now, and there's a chance they may sink.  If they survive, there will be PLENTY of opportunity to book later.

If you have an FCC, DO NOT book anything except for a suite right now.  If you do, you're almost 100% going to get a bad deal, even with the "20% discount" being offered.  Do not assume you're getting a good deal by comparing the previous price you paid to the one being offered now.  The markets are not at all comparable!  However, if you're booking a suite, then go ahead and book now if you have FCC, provided that the price you're paying isn't HIGHER than what you got it for initially.  If the price appears high, just wait.  It will come down to normal when most of the FCC gets spent.  Trust me.

If you have an FCC and want to cruise in an inside/oceanview/balcony, DO NOT BOOK NOW.  You will be getting a horrible deal compared to the open market, as described above.  There will be PLENTY of these rooms open on future cruises.  And when I say plenty, I mean P-L-E-N-T-Y!  They are going to immensely struggle to fill these rooms.  Therefore, wait until at least 90 days before your cruise, and then start price-watching.  Do not jump on the first good deal you see at that point.  Watch closely, and only book when it seems the prices are hitting bottom.

If you really want to gamble for a balcony room for the very best price, book a bargain INSIDE cabin as described above after the 90-day mark, and then try submitting a fairly cheap upgrade to a balcony.  Decent chance you'll get it.

Of course, before you do any of this, make sure flights are available and reasonably priced before locking yourself into a cruise in this fashion.

I will bump this thread when everything gets going again, and you'll see I was correct.

Happy booking!

39 minutes ago, rachiem said:

Our Sept 21 Med cruise cost us £3500 for a mini suite with large balcony...todays price is £5200 so even with 20% off it's more expensive.

However our Nov 20 cruise is cheaper and yesterday we managed to upgrade from an inside cabin to balcony for £30pp. This cruise was already quite cheap, so I think it depends on the individual cruise but I'd imagine that a lot of people are cancelling this year's cruising and transferring to 2021/22.

I'm glad you got this cheap upgrade, but you'd probably get a much better deal by waiting.

This is because insides/oceanviews/balconies are likely to be dumped for extremely cheap once cruising starts up again (and once final payment for each cruise passes).

I am curious, how much are you paying per person for this balcony room now (after the upgrade fee), and how long is the cruise (and where?)

November 20 does encompass Thanksgiving for a 7-day cruise, so those will be more expensive, but only for cruises where the majority of cruisers are from the USA.

Anyway, given the cirumstances and the fear of cruising (which will not have subsided by November, no matter what happens going forward), you will almost certainly get a better deal after final payment date if you're buying an inside/oceanview/balcony.

Food for thought.

On 4/16/2020 at 7:37 AM, SeaShark said:

 

OK...then let's take the discussion to its reasonable conclusion. Since we are basically just drawing a line in the sand (in this case 21 days)...Why is 20 days acceptable and 22 days is not? Why do you "understand the argument for 30 days", yet 31 days is "insane"? What exactly happens at that cutoff to change the perception?

 

Also...the OP reported that AMEX gave them a 6/24/2020 date. That is 70 days after the filing of the complaint. 70 days. Not 21, not 30...70 days. Being that 70 is waaaaay beyond 30, would you also take the stance that AMEX's timeline is "insane"?

 

FWIW, as some people here just won't get it, I am just trying to demonstrate the problem with arbitrary timelines. This includes NCL, btw. Why 90 days? Why not 89? What happens between day 89 when you can't refund and day 90 when you can?

 

Anytime you create a fixed cutoff, you have to be able to justify its placement. 

There's a fixed cutoff for every date-related rule in life.

Why are children considered adults at age 18?  Are they more mature on their 18th birthday than they are at 17 years and 364 days?  Obviously not, but when setting a date for something, you need to pick something that makes sense, and make that it.

You asked me a question, I gave an answer.  With every day above 21 quoted to me for a refund, I would become less and less tolerant, and more likely to charge back.  I thankfully don't have a cruise booked, so I don't have to make that decision.

The justification for 21 days is simple:  3 weeks for a refund is already excessive, and anything past that is unreasonable and should be charged back.

Sounds like you understand all of this and are just choosing to argue for argument's sake.

For some reason, julig22 has been obsessed for weeks regarding people charging back.  He/she absolutely hates the idea of it, and believes that you're cheating the system somehow.

I gave up trying to argue with him/her as I was not getting through.

Anyone sensible can see that 90 days is not a reasonable refund time frame.  Additionally, all other large travel industry entities are processing refunds in 2-7 days, so it's absurd to say that 90 days is a reasonable amount of time to force customers to wait.

Also, I already established the unreasonable wait time thing with a chargeback I made in 2014.  An airline wanted me to wait 12 weeks (84 days) for a refund, due to "staffing issues".  I charged it back and told the full and complete truth to the credit card company.  They ruled in my favor and upheld the chargeback.  I got the temporary chargeback, and it never came back off my statement, so clearly I won.

When I last argued this matter with julig22, he/she stated that those charging back are "cutting in line" in front of others waiting for a refund.  That's false.  Anyone has the option to get out of line at any time and also do a chargeback.  Thus, your doing a chargeback does not harm other cruisers waiting for refunds in any way, nor is it giving you any kind of unfair advantage.

The 20% thing is a sham.  They've jacked up the prices because the only people booking cruises right now are the ones using their FCCs.

The smart play is to not book anything now, wait until the cruise industry starts up again, wait until after final payment, and snag some killer deals.

I promise you that you're getting a horrible deal if you're booking now, even with the 20% off.

7 hours ago, brovol said:

Actually, although it isn't a whole lot bigger, the "club-mini-suites" on the Breakaway ships, for example, are between 236 sq ft, as compared to the balcony cabins which are about 204 sq ft.  Not a ton of extra room, but more than what many think.  A 20-30 sq ft difference in a small room can make a difference over the course of a week.  I'm not certain, but I think the "bump-outs" on exterior of ships is where the mini-suites are.  

 

I believe the "food delivery" perk is more than just room service.  I expect that you can order dinner or lunch from any of the dining venues, or specialty restaurants (if you have the dining package, or pay for the meal, the perk provides the delivery, so you can eat it on your balcony if you want.

I think that 20-30 foot difference is in the bathroom.

I just found the entire "Mini-Suite" thing to be a tremendous misnomer (I know it's industry-wide), and the name Club Suite is even more misleading, because it removes the "mini" designation, and makes it sound like a suite!

I was almost a victim of the mini suite trick myself about 10 years ago, when the whole extended family was taking 2-week LA-Hawaii-LA cruise, and I let my mom book the whole thing.  She had always been good at booking things, so I fully trusted her to make the right decisions.  She was booking 4 people for us -- myself, my wife, and two children.  She booked far in advance (this was before I realized the mistake of doing such a thing!)

Well, I finally got around to asking her months later what she booked for us.  "Oh, great news, I got your family a mini suite, right next to us, and it sleeps 4!"

I went and looked up what a mini-suite was and couldn't believe what I saw.  I asked my mom, "Did you know what a mini suite was when you booked it?", and she replied, "No, I just told the rep on the phone what we needed, and she suggested a mini suite which sleeps 4, which sounded good."

I showed her the bad news of what she had actually bought, and she felt ripped off.  Fortunately it was before final payment date, so we switched it to a balcony and an inside... and it was actually cheaper overall, due to both the mini-suite being expensive AND the fact that we were no longer being charged for a "3rd and 4th person" (wasn't ever free in those days).

Crisis averted!  I didn't blame my mom because indeed "mini suite" was super misleading.  This was on Princess.  At the time I thought Princess was unethical to name their rooms like that, until I saw the entire industry did it that way.

Just now, SeaShark said:

 

Out of curiosity...I'll give you that 90 days is an excessive wait time. So, what wait time would have been acceptable...specifically, how many days would you accept without the need for a fraud chargeback?

21.  Which is three weeks.  That's more than enough time.

I could understand the argument for 30 days being the cutoff.  Anything beyond that is insane.

Do not make a new booking with cash right now.  The cruise prices are all very marked up.

To answer your question, you cannot use it for the mandatory gratuities, BUT you can use it in the casino and then just cash it out.

Just go to a machine, charge to your stateroom the amount of the OBC, then hit the cashout button without playing and take it to the cashier.  They will give you cash.

Then you will see that amount charged-and-credited from your stateroom, plus 3%.

So if you have $100 OBC, you will walk away with $100 cash, a $103 stateroom charge, and a $100 stateroom credit, for a grand total of $97 in your favor!

Great success! 

Waquoit (original poster) is correct.

Charging back IS a freeroll.  You have nothing to lose.  It's 100% legal.  And it's very ethical, since this is YOUR money.

It is true that Amex gave him conditional approval and an instant refund, which they noted they could claw back if they determine that he's in the wrong.  However, it is likely he will prevail and will never see the money be taken back.  A cruise line cannot say, "We're gonna give it back, the customer just needs to wait 90 days".  That's considered an excessive wait time for refunds, and they will lose.

I went through this with an airline in 2014.  I was quoted 12 weeks for a refund (84 days), and I charged it back because I felt it was excessive.  I was credited the money instantly like Waquoit was, and nothing further ever happened.

By the way, for you to lose the chargeback , NCL would have to respond and dispute it, PLUS be convincing enough to the credit card company to beat you.  They do not have time for this, nor do they likely have the staff to handle the huge influx of chargebacks.  My guess is that they will just cross the chargebackers off the list of refunds, and consider them done.

Either way, this is the right play.

1 minute ago, MechE31 said:

The issue with this for a lot of people is the deposits. My deposit was paid in 2018. For those that make incremental payments, some may be outside the dispute window.

It's not.  When you're paying for a future service, the clock starts ticking on the expected date of the service.  Go charge it back.

19 minutes ago, buckeyefrank said:

The $8 million in place of $1200 actually happened yesterday with the IRS payouts.  If it can happen with the IRS, something similar can happen with NCL.

 

My point with the banks is that even they do not have unlimited cash to payout.  If a customer comes in asking for a refund (withdrawal) and the bank is out of cash, they won't get it until the bank figures out how to get additional cash.  They could solicit other depositors, secure a loan against future income or apply for insurance proceeds.  Very similar to the options that NCL has.   

 

I am not saying that it should take 90 days normally to process a refund.  My point is simply that it's not EASY process for them to handle the huge amount of requests with limited staff.  Not to mention, they have to be prioritizing who to give refunds to with the limited cash they have, while the management tries to figure out how to secure additional cash to process the refunds.

 

I am going to be in the same boat when they cancel my June 5th cruise to Bermuda.  I am expecting that to happen any day now.  Again, I"m not being argumentative or disrespectful at all.  Just trying to point out that there is a lot more than right now to processing refunds than what generally would need to take place.

These are needless details which are pointless to debate, because there's no way for either of us to prove anything, without visibility into NCL's process.

Since we agree that the 90 day window is excessive, that's all that matters.  It is unethical for them to hold onto the money.  And again, if they simply can't refund the money, they should be giving huge incentives to those who agree not to take the refunds.

Instead, they are pulling dirty tricks to default the refunds into FCCs if people don't respond quickly enough, and they're marking cruise prices way up, so as to eat away the extra value people think they're getting with the 125-150% credits.  Oh, and the FCCs have an expiration date, which is absolutely horrendous.  They should be kissing people's feet for taking an FCC at this point, not trying to slap expiration dates on them.

Just absolutely entitled, dreadful handling of the loyal customer base.  And yes, I do realize it's industry-wide.  Still doesn't make it right.