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Warning to potential US customers considering sailing with Hurtigruten


cruisingmad
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Before you decide to sail with Hurtigruten, I just want to highlight their NON-REFUNDABLE deposit policy.

 

Once you make a reservation with Hurtigruten, your deposit is not refunded, unlike the policies of all US carriers I'm familiar with. Most companies have a sliding scale chart for deposit returns, and as the sail date approaches, you receive less of your refund.

 

I think that's fair, and I consider a non-refundable deposit confiscatory. I'm just making other people aware of their policy.

 

As a remedy, some people have suggested that it's "buyer beware" and that people should read the fine print of the contract. Some have suggested that you purchase travel insurance, even though that's an expensive remedy to a flawed policy. Finally, you can decide whether to book a Hurtigruten cruise. I will not.

 

 

Sergio

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Before you decide to sail with Hurtigruten, I just want to highlight their NON-REFUNDABLE deposit policy.

 

Once you make a reservation with Hurtigruten, your deposit is not refunded, unlike the policies of all US carriers I'm familiar with. Most companies have a sliding scale chart for deposit returns, and as the sail date approaches, you receive less of your refund.

 

I think that's fair, and I consider a non-refundable deposit confiscatory. I'm just making other people aware of their policy.

 

As a remedy, some people have suggested that it's "buyer beware" and that people should read the fine print of the contract. Some have suggested that you purchase travel insurance, even though that's an expensive remedy to a flawed policy. Finally, you can decide whether to book a Hurtigruten cruise. I will not.

 

Sergio

 

Yup, someone pointed out here last year that Hurtigruten changed their deposit policy from a non-refundable *portion* of the deposit, to the entire deposit being non-refundable.

When we initially booked with Hurtigruten, we were fully aware that we'd forfeit several hundred dollars if we cancelled, right from the start. And we knew the timing for heftier penalties.

IIRC, their deposits are (or were) something like 20% of the base cruise fare. We sail in top suites, so that is a *big* deposit. And yes, we will need to think more carefully about risking what could be thousands.

But we always get travel insurance, including the CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason), so IF we needed to cancel, we'd get back 100% or 75% of that deposit, depending upon whether it was a covered reason or not.

 

And you better believe it that "people should read the fine print of the contract".

But you wrote that "some people" suggest this. Who does NOT think one should read all the terms of a contract before signing, besides you?

If you sign a contract, then you are bound by its terms.

If you don't like the terms, then it's simple: Don't sign, and find some other vendor.

 

But we each need to take responsibility for our own decisions and actions.

 

Any company can set up any policies they want (within reason, legally, etc.).

IF many potential customers don't approve, the marketplace will speak.

If many of those customers are willing to abide by the terms, then the company will continue, etc.

 

And there ARE other cruise lines who do not refund 100% of their deposits.

We've also found some land tours where part of the deposit is non-refundable, until a later date, when there is a sliding scale of increasing penalties for cancelling, just like most cruise lines.

 

Most (all?) airlines, even in the USA, after 24 hours, will not refund all of your money if you want to cancel or change.

Some hotels have less expensive rates that are completely non-refundable (not just a "deposit"). It's the traveler's choice which to use.

 

You didn't read the terms of your contract and now you are trashing the company in multiple places.

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I¨ll like to add that deposit as well as price might vary based on the web site 'nationality' - NO, DK, UK, FR, USA, and othersAlso if you book a Norwegian Costal Voyage or Explorer Voyage.

If you book Hurtigruten, check different prices.

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Yup, someone pointed out here last year that Hurtigruten changed their deposit policy from a non-refundable *portion* of the deposit, to the entire deposit being non-refundable.

When we initially booked with Hurtigruten, we were fully aware that we'd forfeit several hundred dollars if we cancelled, right from the start. And we knew the timing for heftier penalties.

IIRC, their deposits are (or were) something like 20% of the base cruise fare. We sail in top suites, so that is a *big* deposit. And yes, we will need to think more carefully about risking what could be thousands.

But we always get travel insurance, including the CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason), so IF we needed to cancel, we'd get back 100% or 75% of that deposit, depending upon whether it was a covered reason or not.

 

And you better believe it that "people should read the fine print of the contract".

But you wrote that "some people" suggest this. Who does NOT think one should read all the terms of a contract before signing, besides you?

If you sign a contract, then you are bound by its terms.

If you don't like the terms, then it's simple: Don't sign, and find some other vendor.

 

But we each need to take responsibility for our own decisions and actions.

 

Any company can set up any policies they want (within reason, legally, etc.).

IF many potential customers don't approve, the marketplace will speak.

If many of those customers are willing to abide by the terms, then the company will continue, etc.

 

And there ARE other cruise lines who do not refund 100% of their deposits.

We've also found some land tours where part of the deposit is non-refundable, until a later date, when there is a sliding scale of increasing penalties for cancelling, just like most cruise lines.

 

Most (all?) airlines, even in the USA, after 24 hours, will not refund all of your money if you want to cancel or change.

Some hotels have less expensive rates that are completely non-refundable (not just a "deposit"). It's the traveler's choice which to use.

 

You didn't read the terms of your contract and now you are trashing the company in multiple places.

 

Seems like he did not learn anything when he last posted on this topic here. When multiple people explained to him that Hurtigruten's policy is not unique in the travel industry. For that matter it is not even uncommon. Many land tour companies have fully non-refundable deposits, even well before final payment date.

 

Hurtigruten's policy is not surprising when you consider that they are relatively low volume, high cost, similar to land tour companies and river cruise companies, more than mass market ocean cruise lines. Even with mass market cruise lines you have stricter refund policies in some countries such as the UK than in others.

 

One needs to understand the terms under which they are contracting with their travel dollars and believe that they will apply to them and that no they will not make an exception because they are special and did not understand.

 

Hurtigruten does not hide that their terms. They are clearly posted in the booking process as such one does not even have to read the fine print. All one has to do is pay attention and actually believe that the posted terms will apply to them.

Edited by RDC1
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You have done this to death on your other thread where you received zero support. You made a mistake, why not just leave it and move on?

 

As for ' some have suggested that you purchase travel insurance, even though that's an expensive remedy to a flawed policy', most regard travel insurance as a 'must', not a 'perhaps'. There are too many things which can go wrong even on the simplest of trips that can turn out to be very expensive.

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  • 9 months later...
  • 2 months later...

Many things are different between the US and other countries (thank goodness). Higher food standards, much better cars, hundreds of cheese varieties, far better health service, unarmed police, metric measurements, passport control personnel that smile, different currencies, different languages.  You realy need to do your homework and get a life.

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  • 3 months later...
2 hours ago, Globehoppers said:

River cruise companies, to include US companies, have the same policy.

... and In general all cruises sold In Europe - terms and conditions for cruises sold in Europe are very different from the same sailings sold in US - not only the non refundable deposit but in general last payment much closer to the sailing.

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