CarolinaMamma

I think if you cancelled under POM, you are stuck with the FCC.
 

The bummer about FCC is that you don’t know what future prices will be, so there’s no guarantee you’ll be able to get the cruise you originally booked for the same price. When NCL offered me the “bonus” FCC I went and priced out cruises a year out, and they were at least 25% more than what we originally paid, so it wasn’t really a bonus. Made the choice to opt for a refund that much easier. 
 

I hope you’ll be able to find a decent price on a future cruise at some point and get something comparable to the cruise you originally booked. Best of luck!

15 minutes ago, southerngirloutwest said:

We're in the same boat with most of you.  We requested a refund on March 23 for our spring break cruise and were told it would be 90 days.  In April, we called NCL to request an update on our refund status and were given the biggest run-around ever so we filed a complaint with Citi VISA.  They reversed the charges, but now we are seeing them returned to our card.  NCL's response documents state that we were given a FCC, but it neglects to mention anything about refund requests.  When they responded to Citi, they made it sound like an FCC was our only choice.  

I can't believe they have time to fight all of the credit card reversals, but they don't have time to refund our money.  We won't be sailing with them again.  

Wow! Do you have a confirmation email of your refund request that you can provide to Citi to prove that you requested the refund?  NCL sent me a confirmation email, but it was super vague and sketchy. Did not contain our reservation number, sail date, passenger names, amount, or any other details. I’m beginning to think they did that on purpose. 
 

Would be interested to know about the run-around you got. Mine was something like, “I don’t handle those things. I have no way of checking the status. They’re busy. I’m sure they’ll get to it soon.”  
 

Please  keep us updated on your status. I hope you get your refund soon. 

2 hours ago, drsel said:

 

 

 

 

 

$10000? For how many people? How many nights?

It's a lot of money for a family cruise.

There are cruises around Europe for upto $60 per person per night including all port fees and taxes.

 

 

5 people in a Haven 2-bedroom family villa, 7 nights. Plus we upgraded to premium beverage package for the 2 adults. 

On 6/5/2020 at 9:30 AM, cruiser4801 said:

Yes, but others like AMEX Platinum have credited their customers' accounts and charged the cruises back to NCL and the other companies.  There are lessons to be learned by everyone's actions.

 

I now carry the AMEX Platinum Card and will never sail with NCL again.

Yep. NCL cancelled my April 4 cruise, I filled out he refund form the first day it was available, and with no refund or status updates as of early June, I decided to call Amex. I had my money back within ten minutes of making the phone call. I should have done it sooner. I understand that NCL needs to look out for their cash flow, but I don’t owe them an interest-free loan for 3 months, especially after the would-have-even sail date has long passed. 

Added my info to the spreadsheet. Will be interesting to check back on June 23rd when the 90 days are up for the people who filled out the refund request form the first day it was available. 

16 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Make sure you disclose to your credit card company that you have received a refund in The form of a FCC and have already requested that they convert that to a cash refund. So, their cash will be on top of the refund you already received. 

No one is trying to cheat or double dip here, so please don’t imply that. Of course I disclosed to Amex that I had requested a cash refund from NCL, and I am not expecting the Amex refund “on top of” NCLs refund, but in lieu of NCLs refund. The Amex customer service rep completely understood my frustration with NCLs delay and has been hearing similar stories from other customers. 

When I was told by NCL on March 23 (The first day the refund request form was available) that the refund for my April 4 cruise could take up to 90 days, I gave NCL the benefit of the doubt, thinking that maybe the 90 days was because they had such a huge volume of requests to work through. It has since become apparent that NO refund requests on fully-paid, NCL-cancelled cruises have been processed, and they are holding onto our money to help their cash flow situation. They’ve had plenty of time to call me And my family members and try to sell us another cruise though. Again, I feel badly for them, but I don’t owe them a 3-month interest-free loan on the $10,000 cruise whose sail date has long past. 

My only regret is not calling Amex sooner. 

17 minutes ago, Hrhbob said:

Was part of a 5 cabin group booking on Breakaway NYC-Canada Oct 5. I elected to cancel on May 5 and received full refund today. A success story.

There seems to be a different process for cruises that were paid in full (harder to get refunds) than for future cruises pending final payment. It’s crazy that those of us with March and April 2020 cruises paid in full and cancelled by NCL have not yet received refunds. They’ve had our money for a long time. 

4 minutes ago, Capitan Obvious said:

 

So clear thing up for me. If it is the latter, everyone knows that the cruise lines were forced to shutdown in March and cease operations. Thus everyone knows that the service could not be provided. Since everyone knows and everyone agrees on that, what then would you be disputing?

 

Don't forget that when operations ceased, everyone with a cancelled cruise was compensated by either a 150% or 125% FCC award. In addition, the cruise line offered each guest the OPTION to CHOOSE to forgo that compensation in exchange for a 100% refund in 90 days. All you had to do was fill out and submit the online form.

 

By submitting the form, you agreed to give up your awarded FCCs. You agreed to accept a refund of only 100% of what was paid. You agreed to a 90 day period for those returns. You might not like it, you might want it to be faster, but the 90 day period was clearly stated so you opted in the second you hit SUBMIT on the form.

 

Just not sure what the dispute is as "I want it faster is not a dispute".

In my case, yes, I wanted it faster. I don’t think it’s right for NCL to hold onto $10,000 of my money for 3 months after they cancelled the April 4 cruise. EVERY other thing I bought/booked (theater tickets, kids’ summer camps) refunded my money within a couple of weeks of cancelling, I sympathize with NCL’s cash flow problems, but I don’t like giving them an interest-free loan for 3 months.  
 

Furthermore, their poor communication about the refund process (making the refund form hard to find, one vague confirmation email that didn’t contain my reservation number, pax names, amount that would be refunded, Phone number to contact with questions, sail date or any other specific information, and their continuing to call me about using my FCC to book another cruise, even though I had opted out of the FCC) left me feeling a lack of trust that they would refund my money as promised.  Every other company I have dealt with that has had to cancel things has been specific, timely and transparent in their communication, so NCL stood out as doing a poor job and it just didn’t feel right. What if they file for bankruptcy and no longer have to pay their creditors?  
 

I’ll wait and see if a bunch of folks get their refunds on June 23, but I’m glad I called Amex and got my money back. 

Well, I just called Amex, customer service was great, and they put a credit on my account for the full amount within 5 minutes of the call. They did say that if NCL tries to dispute they may re-bill, and that if I don’t hear anything by August 2, I can assume the matter is resolved. I will update here if there are any issues or changes, but this makes me want to book all future travel with my Amex card. I should have done this sooner. 

3 hours ago, phire said:

Hi, I just spent 45mins calling my credit card. I won the dispute!!!! Yay!

They changed it, in the beginning of the phone message the automatic voice e said "you have 60days to dispute from the end of your travel date". It is TD Canada trust credit card, I live in Canada.

NCL discriminated Chinese and cancelled my cruise just because of that (haven't left Canada for couple of years). So my case started in February thats why I am at 115th day. When I called in April, they also stated I will get refund in 90 days.

I am so happy to hear you got your money back! 

4 hours ago, phire said:

I am on my 115th day waiting for refund. NCL will not refund you if you paid in full! They had my money since last October.  

I only learnt about CC dispute last month, and started it already waiting for the temporary credit to become permanent. 

Do not wait until your 90 days to dispute it! Caz I disputed within 90 days, and my CC dispute phone line had this automatic message in the beginning "you have 90days to start a dispute for travel that is COVID19 related". 

NCL is "smart" and sneaky.

90 days from when? The date NCL cancelled, the date you made final payment, or the scheduled date of your cruise? 
 

Also, do you mind telling me which type of cards? I may call Amex and see if they have a similar 90-day policy. I’m past 90 days from final payment, but coming up on 90 days is when NCL cancelled my cruise. 

1 minute ago, kapetan5 said:

We were booked on the NCL Pride of America Hawaiian Island 3/14/20 cruise.  Arrived in Hawaii on 3/12 and called NCL that day because we heard from our driver that all Hawaiian cruises had been cancelled, but were told by NCL that the cruise had NOT been cancelled.  Then we received an email on 3/13 from NCL informing us that our cruise had been cancelled.  We called them immediately to get a refund and were told to call back on 3/23.  Then we received a 2nd email on 3/13 telling us to fill out a refund request on 3/23.

We filled out the refund request on 3/23, received a confirmation that they had received the request on 3/24.  Still no refund (although it won't be 90 days for another 2 weeks).  Put a dispute on 2 credit cards for the charges for the cruise and the excursions.  NCL claimed to both credit cards that the charges are valid.

This will probably need to go to court.

Was either of your cards an Amex? Seems like some people are having luck disputing the charges with Amex, and I’m still debating whether to file a dispute with them.  Like you, I filled out the refund form on 3/23.

This is the email confirmation I received from NCL on March 23rd. It is very vague, with no mention of sail date, amount to be refunded or passengers’ names.

I’ve received no further communication from NCL other than my PCC calling me and my teenage son trying to book a cruise with the FCC that was applied to my account. 
————-

Your refund request form was submitted successfully. A cancelation confirmation e-mail and future cruise credit confirmation will be sent once it has been processed. Please allow 90 days for us to process your request. 

Norwegian Cruise Line Pre Cruise Guest Relations

14 minutes ago, adamnoone said:

Citi hasn't uploaded their findings online yet. All it says currently is "Dispute ruled in favor of Vendor, credit reversed". I could call and ask, but dont want to wait on hold for 2 hours. I will check tomorrow to see if the reason has been added

I’m so sorry. That stinks. Let us know what you find out. Hoping it’s because your refund is on the way. 

I started another thread on this topic before seeing this one. 
 

We requested refund March 23rd for our April 2039 NCL-cancelled cruise. Have not received it as of yet. But our PCC has called to try to get us to rebook with FCC. 
 

I cancelled all of our extras (dining package, premium beverage package, shore excursions, prepaid gratuities) a few days before our cruise was cancelled,  knowing I could always add them back on if we were to go. I got a refund for those things within a couple of weeks. But NCL still has over $8,000 of my money, and that is making me nervous.

Considering disputing with Amex. Seems people have had good results with that 

29 minutes ago, AK Dreaming said:

There is a thread with a spread sheet showing people waiting for refunds from March, April and May.  So far I don't think anyone has seen anything yet with the exception of small deposit refunds for cancellations from cruises not past final payment.  I think the PCC are trying to get people to change their minds about the refunds and apply it to a future cruise.

Thank you. It sounds like they are refunding deposits, but no one has yet received a refund on a fully-paid NCL-cancelled Cruise. 
 

I did cancel prepaid gratuities, shore excursions, dining and premium beverage packages a few before NCL announced that our cruise was cancelled, and I got that refund for those extras in a couple of weeks. 
 

Why do I have this sinking feeling that they are going to drop a bomb on us June 23rd that our money isn’t coming? Everything else in our lives that got cancelled, kids’ summmer camps, etc. has been refunded. Really wondering if I should contact Amex now. 

i did buy travel insurance that covers financial default, so I may go and re-read my policy. 

I know they said it could take up to 90 days. I submitted my refund request on March 23rd, the first day I could, for a Haven 2-bedroom family villa on an April 2020 cruise that was cancelled. Since then my PCC has called both me and my teenage son about booking with our future cruise credit, which makes me doubt NCL’s internal communication practices. I told my PCC I had requested the refund, not the FCC, but she was unable to check the status because her job is to book cruises. I tried not to push it because I’m sure these folks are stressed out and a lot of them are losing their jobs, but pointing me in the direction of someone who could help might have been nice. 
 

I’ll give them another few weeks, the full 90 days, but if I don’t see the refund come through, I may have to ask Amex for help getting it back. 
 

Curious to know if anyone else has received their refund. 

Just filled it out for our April 4th sailing. No confirmation email from NCL. 

17 minutes ago, blcruising said:

Thanks. Why do I feel like I need two advanced degrees to understand insurance? Anyway, I am still holding out for an outright cancellation and 100% refund since Rome is involved and I expect USA to be similar to Rome in a month. My air provider announced layoffs and 15% capacity reduction today due to lack of demand. I predict they'll be bankrupt by end of year if not sooner.

 

I bought insurance to mitigate my damages. I'm foregoing an offer that may seem economically better on its face, but has real risk of never being recognized given the uncertainty of the current economy and the uncertainty NCL will be around for me to use any FCC. The insurance company can look at the stock price.

 

I insured so I could get cash in the event I wanted to cancel.  With this peace of mind, I get a gift certificate that expires in one year and can currently be applied to inflated, above-market cruise rates on a cruiseline that is in the midst of significant challenges and fighting for it's very existence. Plus, I may not want to take a cruise within one year. Doesn't give me a lot of peace in my mind. It's a nice gesture by NCL and good of them to offer it for those that were uninsured, but I bought CFAR and paid extra for it, and I would expect to be able to use it without jumping through fifteen different hoops. Ugh!! Rant over.

I feel EXACTLY the same way. I bought the CFAR insurance to get my money back if something went wrong.  An FCC is not the same thing. 
 

Another worry I have is that if my insurance company denies my claim, by the time I find out, it’ll be too late to get the FCC. I’d want some sort of agreement that they are going to approve the claim before I accepted the FCC.
 

One clarification though. You have a year to book the cruise,  but the sail date can be as far out as December, 2022. So I could book this April for a cruise in say June of 2022.  I completely agree with your concerns about the FCC, given the financial health of NCL and the prices I’ve seen on future cruises.  We also have limited travel availability because of our and our kids’ schedules. 

8 minutes ago, Carmen49 said:

No you can’t. I’m Going to French Polynesia March 20. Haven’t been to my doctor yet, but if he says not to go I will stay home. I am a healthy 70-year-old. I did call Ncl  for more information. This is the one time I wish I did not have travel Insurance. Ncl  said because I have insurance I would have to file a claim with them. It would fall under The cancel for any reason clause. Therefore I would only get 75% of the money I spent as a future cruise. If I did not have insurance Ncl would handle it for me and I would get back 100% it makes no sense!

You should be able to opt for the future cruise credit for 100% of your fare, even if you have travel insurance. I don’t think NCL is giving refunds to anyone, just FCC. 
 

im debating between taking the FCC for 100% of my fare or filing a claim for 75% of my fare, assuming that the latter is an option. 
 

Now that this has been declared a pandemic, I need to check and see if my insurance policy has an exclusion for that.  Some do, If they don’t cover medical in cases of pandemic, I probably would not want to risk cruising. 

14 minutes ago, blcruising said:

I am considering the exact same thing. I spoke with a supervisor in reservations over the weekend. At the time, he wasn't sure, but called me back to confirm that I could opt-out of NCL's Peace of Mind policy. NCL would retain 100% of the full cruise fare and return port taxes and beverage charges to me in cash, which is consistent with the policy that was in place when I booked. I'd file a claim with my insurance company for the fare and presumably be reimbursed at 75% so I'd lose some of my money, but would not be faced with the hassle and uncertainty associated with NCL's pricing schemes and booking a cruise in a one year window. The other option might be for me to change my free at sea promo from beverage charge to internet which would create an immediate cash refund of the beverage charges, reducing the amount of $$ I have to tie up in a FCC.

 

Just curious, what is the relevance of your January 21 cutoff? I bought a cruise in late February with a CFAR provision. The virus had not presented itself in Europe at the time I booked and I bought insurance the same day I bought the cruise. I haven't gone out of pocket one penny to date. Everything is sitting on my credit card which will be closing for the month in the next few days. Part of me wants to get all of this resolved before I pay the credit card bill and part with the $$, but we will see.

My provider sent me this info about the January 21 cutoff. https://www.insuremytrip.com/travel-insurance-plans-coverages/coronavirus-travel-insurance/?utm_campaign=Coronavirus3&utm_medium=email&utm_source=blast&utm_content=coronavirus

2 hours ago, BermudaBound2014 said:

I suggest you check with your school district too. Some school districts across the country have implemented a 14 day self-quarantine period upon return from spring break if international and cruise travel involved. Wouldn't surprise me if that policy gets extended to include all airfare travel. Parents in my area are pushing hard that this is implemented in my  personal school district. They do not want kids returning to school who have gone on cruises for spring break. We have only two cases in Michigan. Two.,

Very good points. Now that this has been declared a pandemic, all kinds of rules and policies are going to kick in. Quarantining people who have travelled to hot spots, such as New York, is reasonable. So another question is, would it be a hardship to home school your kids and stay home  for two weeks? In our case, no. I am a stay-at-home mom and my husband can work from home. I absolutely would not want to risk my kids infecting someone at school who is immune compromised, has asthma, lives with an elderly grandparent, etc. Also, teachers and staff are adults  and could have worse symptoms if infected.

We are scheduled to sail April 4th and haven’t decided whether to cancel or not. I don’t want to tie up NCL’s phone lines today,  since there are people with more urgent questions who need to get through. 
 

I purchased CFAR insurance through a third party 4 days after booking the cruise, and before the January 21 cutoff. My understanding is that if NCL gives me a FCC, I can’t claim a loss, because I’ve been “reimbursed,” even though a FCC is not really getting my money back. I’m hesitant to take the FCC because it looks like similar cruises at the same time next year are going to cost me $3000-$6,000 more than what I paid for this one (Haven 2-bedroom family villa for 5 ppl) so I don’t feel like NCL is really making me whole with the FCC. 
 

If I cancel, can I say “no thanks” to the FCC? If so, can I then file a CFAR claim?

i know I’m gonna have to spend some time on the phone with my travel insurance company (have already read the policy thoroughly). Just wondering if anyone has been able to decline the FCC and use their CFAR insurance. 
 

Thanks, and good luck yo all who are calling NCL today. 

4 minutes ago, Love my butler said:

Except EVERY cruise line is enacting a coronavirus cancellation policy.  NCL didn't legally have to do it, but from a PR standpoint, they really didn't have any choice.

They will find ways. My husband thinks all the bars will suddenly be “out” of Gray Goose. I just hope it doesn’t fall to the crew to have to work even harder than they already do. 

I think a far more likely scenario is that on future cruises, they are cutting corners to save money. We may see a decrease in the quality of food, fewer crew members having to do the same amount of work, delayed renovations of ships, decrease in what’s included in cruise fare or beverage packages, or other cost-cutting measures, as well as more upcharges once onboard. That’s part of what makes me concerned that our FCC won’t get us the same cruise experience we had originally booked.