Within 14 days: Cancel or No show?????

[Josher61]

Well... if it's a husband and wife as we are or technically any other two people in the same cabin; the whole cruise fare has been paid! The solo person going isn't getting away with the single supplement as BOTH fares have been paid and are nonrefundable. If each paid 1k, total payment would be 2k. Single rate would be double single rate of 1k so 2k single rate. Total rate has been paid of the 2k. Maybe I'm missing something but seems like NCL has been compensated for the rate regardless if or if not an insurance claim is requested. And NCL insurance is CANCEL FOR ANY REASON. The reason I'd rather not use the insurance "cancel at any reason" is because you only get a % credit for a future NCL cruise and didn't want to take a chance on losing the perks if a rebook was needed.

 

http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/booksafe

 

I was responding to the poster who initially gave you erroneous information. Trying to explain to that person what's what.

 

In your case it is exactly as you state. Either way you are paying 2 fares. The only difference is if you cancel now you will be paying an extra 1k (using that number for simplicity). But as you say...you will only get back 75% or a credit using the CFAR clause. However, you would have to put up the extra fare for you now before you go on cruise and file your wife's claim and wait for refund. So the best (for lack of a better word) way to handle this, if your wife doesn't go, is to simply have her be a no show. No claim, no refund, no single supplement for you to pay. You will get back her port fees etc. Seems like the best way to handle it :) Just show up, say nothing, and get on the ship.

 

 

I was typing out a response to your original post, explaining the what I stated above when I saw your post. We are on the same "page" on this.

I say go, have a good time and forget the whole insurance end of things. One way or another you have paid for the cruise and the only benefit I see to using the insurance is if you both didn't go and chose to travel together at a later date.

[Josher61]

thats exactly what i am saying, NCL has the full fare for the cabin based on 2, whether one cancels or not it does not matter they have their money and are not giving it back. If one cancels they will get their port charges back and any other prepaid item like drink plan, tips etc.

 

I don't see how they can then go after the remaining person for another fare as they are not refunding the canceled one

 

Let me try explaining it again. Assuming not so good intentions are at play. You book a cruise, going alone. But you don't want to pay the single supplement. So you find a friend and pretend they are going with you. You pay their fare and yours. Or whoever pays whatever. Your friend cancels. And files an insurance claim. To your way of thinking, the cruise line has both fares so you shouldn't have to pony up any more money. But the cruise line is smarter than that. They assume a claim will be filed and your friend will just give you back the money. So now, you paid 1k for you, 1k for your friend, and a few weeks later you get back 1k from the insurance company. So you sailed as one person in a cabin without paying the single supplement. This isn't about what NCL does and doesn't keep, its about what YOU paid to cruise solo. And that's what cruise lines are preventing when they say: cancel, sure, pay the single supplement. No show, sure, you already paid. When I say look at it the other way, I mean, look at it the way that it is designed to prevent people from sailing single without paying for it. Regardless of who its paid to. Is it a "revenue stream" as you call it? Not really, they refunded the port fees etc. They aren't making any money off that party who didn't sail, drink, eat at specialty restaurants, gamble etc. So they are keeping the "extra" fare as you call it. Its just the cruise lines way of doing it.

[Monorail Driver]

I was responding to the poster who initially gave you erroneous information. Trying to explain to that person what's what.

 

In your case it is exactly as you state. Either way you are paying 2 fares. The only difference is if you cancel now you will be paying an extra 1k (using that number for simplicity). But as you say...you will only get back 75% or a credit using the CFAR clause. However, you would have to put up the extra fare for you now before you go on cruise and file your wife's claim and wait for refund. So the best (for lack of a better word) way to handle this, if your wife doesn't go, is to simply have her be a no show. No claim, no refund, no single supplement for you to pay. You will get back her port fees etc. Seems like the best way to handle it :) Just show up, say nothing, and get on the ship.

 

 

I was typing out a response to your original post, explaining the what I stated above when I saw your post. We are on the same "page" on this.

I say go, have a good time and forget the whole insurance end of things. One way or another you have paid for the cruise and the only benefit I see to using the insurance is if you both didn't go and chose to travel together at a later date.

 

Thank you!!!!

[Monorail Driver]

Let me try explaining it again. Assuming not so good intentions are at play. You book a cruise, going alone. But you don't want to pay the single supplement. So you find a friend and pretend they are going with you. You pay their fare and yours. Or whoever pays whatever. Your friend cancels. And files an insurance claim. To your way of thinking, the cruise line has both fares so you shouldn't have to pony up any more money. But the cruise line is smarter than that. They assume a claim will be filed and your friend will just give you back the money. So now, you paid 1k for you, 1k for your friend, and a few weeks later you get back 1k from the insurance company. So you sailed as one person in a cabin without paying the single supplement. This isn't about what NCL does and doesn't keep, its about what YOU paid to cruise solo. And that's what cruise lines are preventing when they say: cancel, sure, pay the single supplement. No show, sure, you already paid. When I say look at it the other way, I mean, look at it the way that it is designed to prevent people from sailing single without paying for it. Regardless of who its paid to. Is it a "revenue stream" as you call it? Not really, they refunded the port fees etc. They aren't making any money off that party who didn't sail, drink, eat at specialty restaurants, gamble etc. So they are keeping the "extra" fare as you call it. Its just the cruise lines way of doing it.

 

 

I see what you're saying, I'm thinking no show is best.

[Josher61]

I see what you're saying, I'm thinking no show is best.

 

Im thinking: enjoy your cruise!!! If your wife is giving you the go ahead (and means it! haha!) then have a great cruise!

[hawkeyetlse]

This scenario comes up a lot and in most cases the best advice is to no show. However, the OP and his wife both have NCL's BookSafe insurance.

 

If his wife cancels pre-departure for a covered reason (sickness/injury/death), her cruise costs are reimbursed (not cruise credit).

 

NCL's insurance also protects the husband in this case if he decides to travel solo:

We will pay your additional cost as a result of a change in the per person occupancy rate for prepaid travel arrangements if a Traveling Companion’s Covered Cruise Vacation is canceled and your Covered Cruise Vacation for a covered reason is not canceled.

The part in red makes no sense; I think what they actually meant to write was:

We will pay your additional cost as a result of a change in the per person occupancy rate for prepaid travel arrangements if a Traveling Companion’s Covered Cruise Vacation is canceled for a covered reason and your Covered Cruise Vacation is not canceled.

 

So in other words, the OP's wife can cancel and get a full refund, and if NCL re-prices the OP's cruise and makes him pay the single supplement, the insurance will refund the additional cost. Basically, this insurance allows people to do pretty much what Josher61 was worried about above (someone gets to travel solo without paying the solo supplement). But crucially, it doesn't work if you use the "cancel for any reason" enhanced protection; the first person has to cancel for a covered reason in order for the remaining passenger to claim this additional benefit. That is how they cut down on fraud. Also, both people actually have to file claims, which the insurance company will scrutinize, so it's not like this is something you could do every time to get out of paying the single supplement.

 

Anyway, since the OP has admitted that the cancellation is for non-insured reasons (bad idea to tip your hand like that, OP :cool:), this is probably not going to work. However, you never know what could happen in the next few days, and what might suddenly come up when his wife drops by her doctor's office tomorrow… after all, that is why we buy insurance…

Edited November 2, 2015 by hawkeyetlse