travelinmama

I completely understand your concern because we had a May 25th cruise on the Jewel booked. We only had three cabins but anything at this point is a chunk of money and would obviously be better in our pockets than theirs especially during The time where people aren't working and so forth. I had some issues recently with Norwegian not being very transparent and being told one thing and then I would call back and somebody would tell me something completely different.

However I called the other day and spoke with a wonderful person and he was very honest, at least as far as I could tell. He said as of now Norwegian has canceled cruises up through May 15th. If the cruise is during that time. You can fill out the paperwork that's on the website if you want a cash refund. Otherwise you can take the 125% cruise credit. I asked how long it took for the refund because I'm hearing at least 90 days and he said the quicker you get the paperwork in the quicker you will get a refund,  But it could still be 90 days.

On another note I contacted my credit card company that I used to pay the cruise off with and they said they would back me up if for some reason the company promised a refund and did not fulfill that but I needed to wait for the 90 days. Best of luck. We're all in the same boat. No pun intended

Well said pokerpro5... I had an issue with them with our deposit a few months ago. We had made a deposit and then had to change our reservation so they had to refund our deposit and then we made another deposit. Well that refunded deposit was supposed to be back to me within 10 days. And I believe it took them close to a month to get it back to me. I have to look back on my notes but it was a very very long time. When I was finally able to reach someone in that department, I was told that it was taking so long because they don't have the staff to process the refunds. In addition I had used a virtual account number and they had a question about that but nobody reached out to call me. I basically felt like if I didn't stay on top of that issue and check on my refund every other day, they could have cared less

Yeah I would prefer to just get a refund from NCL. I would never request the credit card company to get involved if I was told I'd be getting a full cash refund

When was your cruise? We were booked on the Jewel 5/25 Vancouver to seward

Ok thanks so very much. I'm hoping that they cancel and not change the ports around. Thanks again for all your help

11 minutes ago, pokerpro5 said:

 

You're correct that there is a 20% discount directly associated with converting your cash refund into an FCC *and* booking by April 10.  If you don't do BOTH of these things, indeed you lose your 20%.

 

Any other 20% being offered to the general public on ncl.com is unrelated, and you won't lose that if you get  a cash refund.  These are two different discounts.

 

HOWEVER, as I keep saying, and I can't stress this enough, DO NOT BOOK NOW because the prices are inflated artificially high, and will drop big time when they get going again.

 

Why should you believe me?  Click on my signature and you'll see an (admittedly obsolete) guide on NCL pricing and how it works, which many people followed successfully.  I'm not just some schlub making guesses.

You definitely sound like you know what you're talking about So I will trust you. Thank you so much for the explanation. So for a cruise that we have scheduled for May 25th, should we just let it ride for right now and call them later? I know it's going to be canceled because of the whole whole Vancouver port issue

2 minutes ago, travelinmama said:

 

Yes I always take out insurance through a third party but I'm not even sure if it would cover this because depending upon your state of residency things are different in the policy as to what's covered and what's not. Unfortunately my son and daughter-in-law who were also going with us live in New York City and there is a lot that is not covered when you purchase a policy that covers someone in New York City

8 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Where did you see that?  I was planning to book a couple of cruises using my CruiseNext certificates - still on the fence between FCC and cash.  Nowhere in the letter I received does it say that the 20% is tied to the FCC offer.

If you look at the very top of the NCL page and click on the Corona virus link then there's like a drop-down menu and I think it was about 3/4 of the way down the page if I remember. It says something about the refund and then I believe there's a link to process a refund and if you click on that link it's a paper that you have to fill out and there are certain things in there that says you agree to and one of them said something about the 20% discount I believe. Unfortunately I'm not able to get on that site right now so I can't remember exactly how it's worded but it is well hidden.

13 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Yes, some CCs will refund non-refundable deposits, so it pays to check on that.  Costco used to but when they stopped, I opted for a travel card (with an annual fee - something I vowed I would never do!) that covers exactly this situation. While I sympathize with everyone who has lost money through all of this, it does point out the need for travel insurance from one source or another. So far, my canceled cruise should be fully reimbursed because everything was arranged through NCL but I probably won't be able to take the same trip because I got a fantastic deal.  But I have another one (soon to be canceled I presume) that was put together piecemeal through NCL credits, plus non-refundable airfare/hotel reservations through Expedia. Can't do anything until NCL cancels.

Hi Cindy. Yes some of the hotels that had a non-refundable charge were more than happy to give us a full credit back as in like a full cash refund. I was very upset with this one transfer company because I explained that it was not our fault since the cruise was not even taken place. They basically said that they had nothing to do with it because they were not associated in any way with the cruise line and they were standing firm with their deposit.

IMPORTANT... I had contacted our credit card company previously about having to cancel something to see if they would back us up and was basically told no.. However, IF it is related to coronavirus (and you have to tell them that), we were told by OUR CC company, that they ARE giving "non refundable" bookings etc back to their customers.  We had a transfer from Seward to Anchorage and the company refused to budge on the "non refundable deposit"  despite the fact that we told them that our cruise ship was unable to dock in Vancouver and therefore, the cruise would more than likely not be occurring.  They basically said it didn't matter (these are the companies that I will definitely remember next time).. anyway, I thought it was a lost cause but we called our cc company today and they said they are definitely giving the refund back to us.. .so for those of you having issues with non refundable deposits, TRY the cc company. It depends upon the company but it might work

On 3/27/2020 at 1:44 AM, pokerpro5 said:

travelinmama, here's a quick summary which I hope can help you:

 

By law, you are entitled to a 100% refund if the cruise is canceled.  You have a right to get that refund, of course.

 

NCL is trying to entice people NOT to take that refund by offering 125-150% future cruise credit (FCC) in lieu of the refund.  Additionally, if you take the FCC *and* rebook by April 10th, you also get a 20% discount on whatever you book.

 

However, this 20% off thing is a trick.  Go take a look at the prices.  They're all artificially high.  Why?  Because they're trying to screw the suckers who take the FCC, figuring that they are the most likely ones to be booking reservations at this point.  The April 10th deadline for getting the 20% is simply because they don't want to keep the fares artificially high forever, so they're trying to concentrate rebookings into that window.

 

There's also the concern that NCL will cease to exist if they are not able to run cruises for awhile, or that they will cease to exist if there simply isn't enough interest in cruising to continue selling enough space on the ship.

 

In any case, one would be making a HUGE MISTAKE to book anything right now, even with this 20% discount.  The prices are set WAY WAY WAY artificially high.  Once they start sailing again, the prices will fall big time, because the free market would never support such prices, given the situation.

 

My advice?  Take the cash refund.

 

If you want to gamble, take the inflated FCC, but do not rebook until they start sailing again, and the prices fall very low (because of the public's lack of interest in cruising).

Thanks so much. I also saw that they are making you sign a form saying you are no longer entitled to the 20% off (was this a discount for past cruisers? )if you take the cash..wow.

23 hours ago, PATRLR said:

did you actually try to do a mock booking?  I've been hearing that for some of these cruises that everyone knows can't happen due to port closures and such that if you actually try to select a room, none are available.  

 

But I agree, they shouldn't actually be selling if indeed they are.

No, I didn't .. it just popped up on the page when I searched but I didn't follow and click on any cabins etc

Thanks to everyone who submitted replies. It sounds like we are literally all in the same boat. No pun intended. Honestly when it comes to traveling again, it will be a lot easier to remember the air lines and the cruise lines which were a lot more lenient and a lot more understanding

Ninihix I am so sorry that happened to you especially since you were simply trying to protect yourself and trying to avoid getting sick at all costs. I've had other issues with NCL which sadly I have never had before. everything I have gone through over the last few months has put a very sour taste in my mouth for cruising. Did you happen to use a credit card that might have some kind of travel insurance associated with it? Other than that I don't know what to tell you. I am fearful that they will force us to take FCC so I'm hoping and praying that they will offer a full refund in cash if they are the ones to cancel. Again I'm sorry that you had to experience that. And I know it's quite a chunk of money too 😢

Have you received any kind of notification about any changes or the whole issue with the port? I have received absolutely nothing except for an email about 3 weeks ago explaining about the peace of mind policy or whatever it is. I'm assuming they are dealing with April cruises now and then once we get more into April then deal with May. I just talked to one of the young men that we had a kayaking tour scheduled with in Ketchikan and I feel so bad for this kid. It sounds like his business is just crumbling around him. He seems like a good kid too He really does but he said in this past week alone he has received so many calls just canceling tours.

Have you received any kind of notification about any changes or the whole issue with the port? I have received absolutely nothing except for an email about 3 weeks ago explaining about the peace of mind policy or whatever it is. I'm assuming they are dealing with April cruises now and then once we get more into April then deal with May. I just talked to one of the young men that we had a kayaking tour scheduled with in Ketchikan and I feel so bad for this kid. It sounds like his business is just crumbling around him. He seems like a good kid too He really does but he said in this past week alone he has received so many calls just canceling tours.

I'm just wondering why they're still selling tickets for that cruise. Especially since it's Vancouver that apparently closed all ports through July 1st

Question... We are booked on NCL Jewel 5/25 departure from Vancouver but I am reading that the Vancouver port will not allow ships to dock from there prior to July 1. IF that is the case, then why is NCL still selling this cruise? And it looks like if we decide to cancel we get a FCC but if we request a refund, we have to basically sign away any future 20% off sale with NCL. Am I reading that correctly? wow.. Any input would really be helpful. I am really confused.. thanks everyone

WOW... so glad they stepped up. THAT Is what customer service is about.. NOW, it would have been nice if they would have emailed all of us on future cruises.. just saying.  BUT, maybe they will 

I posted this a few days ago but think I worded it so that others didn't understand what my question really was. PLEASE do not refer to the cancellation policy on the site.. this is a question based on a recent article I saw. Just wondering if anyone else is familiar with this info?  thanks  (I called NCL and they had NO knowledge of it)

https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/norwegian-uniworld-update-change-policies-over-coronavirus

We too are doing NCL Jewel 5/25. Which one are you on? I am just a tad frustrated right now. LONG story.. I found a detailed article saying that NCL is relaxing its policy but when I called, no one knew anything of it. It has been the same info that I am seeing on multiple sites so who knows. NCL originally told me they were not allowing anyone Chinese passport holders to board (3 in our group fall into that category but live in the US)!!  Then they changed that. Things are evolving quickly. I will attach the article I found. I just emailed the author to get his source because oddly enough, NCL knows NOTHING of this!!

https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/norwegian-uniworld-update-change-policies-over-coronavirus

42 minutes ago, KSSS2013 said:

 We are doing an Alaska cruise in May and have no intention of cancelling at this point. We of course will be more concerned if/when the virus spreads, but we feel it's still low risk. 

  Worst case scenario, it gets cancelled. We have insurance so we'll be reimbursed for any expenses outside of the cruise.

 

 

Thanks so much. One day when I have time, I'll post the very long story about what really happened with my recent experience with this cruise line. I'll wait until after the cruise( as long as it takes place) 😉😒🤬

Thanks for responding but I'm more so inquiring about the cancellation policy if we would decide to cancel NOW.. Were you able to look at the link I provided? It has a completely different explanation in that link. Nothing to do with the policy of stopping those who have traveled within 14 days to Asia etc... this is more to do with a policy of guests changing their minds, per se, and wanting to switch to a different cruise some other time in the future. Take a look at the actual link .. thanks                                                      https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/norwegian-uniworld-update-change-policies-over-coronavirus