PSA: Reduced deposit does NOT mean reduced cancellation penalty

[Micchi]

Due to unforeseen circumstances we had to cancel our November cruise, which was past final payment, and rebook for February. We had a $250 deposit and it was our understanding that, at the time we canceled, the deposit would be forfeited - but the cancellation charge is $250 pp regardless of what the deposit was.

 

This makes the purpose of a reduced deposit all the more mystery to us... must be as much of a marketing ploy as the "mini-suite" designation since it doesn't actually benefit the passenger at all! :p

 

No complaints, really, just thought the whole thing was misleading and wanted others to be aware that a reduced deposit is actually meaningless. Looking forward to our February cruise!

[salty dingo]

It makes no sense to lower the cancellation penalty as a promotion like the reduced deposit. Cancellation should be the same amount for everyone, not different because of a promotion.

 

That would make it EASIER for people to cancel, which is not something the cruise lines want to do... and not something any passenger expects to do when they book.

[BikerAl]

Due to unforeseen circumstances we had to cancel our November cruise, which was past final payment, and rebook for February. We had a $250 deposit and it was our understanding that, at the time we canceled, the deposit would be forfeited - but the cancellation charge is $250 pp regardless of what the deposit was.

 

This makes the purpose of a reduced deposit all the more mystery to us... must be as much of a marketing ploy as the "mini-suite" designation since it doesn't actually benefit the passenger at all! :p

 

No complaints, really, just thought the whole thing was misleading and wanted others to be aware that a reduced deposit is actually meaningless. Looking forward to our February cruise!

 

The purpose of the reduced deposit is to allow someone to book a cruise with less upfront money. There is nothing misleading about that nor about the cancellation policy. I think it is far more misleading for you to publish this by saying it doesn't benefit the customer, when the customer is clearly benefited by not having to have money tied up for a very long time. I book cruises as much as two years before sailing, and have taken advantage of reduced booking charges for top level suites. That is over a grand, that I, not NCL had available.

 

Al

[salty dingo]

I know that some of the group bookings I have done have had a $25 pp deposit. However, that was followed up by a full deposit a little while before final payment. So each passenger had to send in the remainder of the full deposit before final payment.

 

Then if they passed final payment and cancelled, they have already paid the amount of the cancel fee and no additional money is owed and none is refunded.

 

It would be rough to actually owe money to the cruise line when cancelling. NCL ought to collect the full deposit by final payment to avoid that situation.

[alwalaska]

Does anyone know what the wording is on the cancellation policy? If it says you forfeit $250/person, then there is nothing misleading. If it says you forfeit your deposit, then that is misleading.

[Micchi]

Does anyone know what the wording is on the cancellation policy? If it says you forfeit $250/person, then there is nothing misleading. If it says you forfeit your deposit, then that is misleading.

 

It says that you forfeit your deposit, and is therefore quite misleading :)

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/cmsPages.html?pageId=IndivTermsConditions#cancellation

[sparks1093]

This is from their terms and conditions for reduced deposits:

 

"Cancellation Fees for cruise, air, land and other charges will follow NCL schedule listed in the brochure, website and it includes different schedules for Suites and Villas."

[luv4cruisin]

It would be rough to actually owe money to the cruise line when cancelling. NCL ought to collect the full deposit by final payment to avoid that situation.

 

 

NCL collects the full amount due by final payment. That is the whole purpose of a final payment date. If you pay for your cruise on time, and then need to cancel, the penalty would be $250 per person, depending on when you cancel. You OWED the company money on the final payment date...

[Micchi]

The more I thought about this, the more I didn't like it, so I called them today and politely explained my position. They refunded me the additional $250 AND gave me $100 OBC on my upcoming cruise because nobody had explained this to me at the time of booking :) Now THAT is good customer service.

[alwalaska]

The more I thought about this, the more I didn't like it, so I called them today and politely explained my position. They refunded me the additional $250 AND gave me $100 OBC on my upcoming cruise because nobody had explained this to me at the time of booking :) Now THAT is good customer service.

 

I'm glad this all worked out for you. I too would have called back since the chart says that the "Deposit" would be forfeited, not "$250/person", not "The standard deposit amount", not "The non-discounted deposit".

 

The $100 OBC is definitely a sign of good customer service. Just getting things straightened out would show better service than so many companies today.