Not the cruise line you want to cruise with

[yummysbakery]

10 hours ago, brookie848 said:

Most of the other carriers (not all) don't offer insurance when you purchase their services. I've never been offered it on a hotel or airline ticket. The only places we've been offered insurance by the vendor is a cruise and when we rent a condo at the beach.

 

So if they don't offer insurance, it is less likely that they will stick to their policies since the consumer was offered nothing to fall back upon. NCL does offer this service. If you choose not to take it, you are self-insuring and indicating that you are willing to take that risk. It is really quite simple.

American Airlines offers insurance now. I just purchased it for a non refundable first class ticket.

[Cafedumonde]

I am all for rules and am on the side of business generally (I watch a Christmas Carol every year and always think Scooge makes very good points lol), but I think a little humanity goes a long way for a company.  I think it is important to treat customers like individuals.  It seems I read a lot about NCL and poor customer relations.  Sad, because they have a decent product.  That CEO seems pretty ugh to me whenever I hear him in interviews or read articles that quote him.  He is particularly cold when he refers to customers.  The Carnival and Royal CEOs are effusive, have some joie de vivre and  come off as much more customer oriented.  

[NurseJEB]

14 hours ago, jpcdds6 said:

I’m saying that IN THIS CASE, the right thing to do is grant a refund. I buy insurance too. All other carriers refunded their reservations.

 

 

This case is no different than hundreds, if not thousands of others where someone books a cruise and personally made the choice to not get insurance, then later has to cancel and suffer a loss.  No difference at all.  The insurance dos not say "if you have to cancel and you can play the pity card strong enough we will just go ahead and give you your money back even though you chose not to get insurance".

 

[newmexicoNita]

15 hours ago, Homosassa said:

People, you must read the whole thread.

 

The OP posted they found out about the cancer in August and immediately canceled.

 

OP also states that a refund was not asked for, just a future cruise credit.

 

We definitely have not been given all the facts about the terms of the booking.

I am thinking the same thing 

[newmexicoNita]

15 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

Don’t you think the world could use a little more compassion. One again profits and the almighty dollar trumps empathy, dignity and common sense.

This isn't a matter of compassion. This is the policies of cruise lines and remember, if an exception is made for one, it would have to be made for all. No one, including NCL I does not have feelings, but if cancellation is allowed with no penalties why would anyone take insurance? Plus, there is something that just doesn't fit into the entire story. I say this because none of us have ever seen a time when cancelling prior to final payment did not result in a refund of your deposit. Why the OP asked for future cruise credit and not a refund might be the problem . I know this makes no sense but that is all I can figure out. At this point and OP may or may not come back again, I have to think he knew the policy. Otherwise why would he just ask for a credit for a future cruise instead of asking for  refund?   

[NurseJEB]

16 hours ago, Homosassa said:

1) The OP posted they found out about the cancer in August and immediately canceled.

 

2) OP also states that a refund was not asked for, just a future cruise credit.

 

1) not at all relevant.

2) That is the same as cancelling and rebooking.

[NurseJEB]

18 hours ago, Son of a son of a ... said:

Assume OP cancels the cabin with 100% penalty and NCL re-sells the cabin at a higher price, is that fair?  If you are inside final payment and have no insurance, then cancel the day before departure or no-show ... don’t give NCL the opportunity to make more money off your crisis.

Poor assumption. 

[NurseJEB]

18 hours ago, Sdockendorf said:

That is the deal. we cancelled as soon as found out...months away from the actual cruise. we didn't ask for a refund just a credit towards a future cruise. NCL took our money, more than likely will resell our balcony mid ship room and take the gain of both. No we did not take insurance. 

 

 

It does not matter how fast you reported it once you are past final payment and the 100% cancellation penalty.  Also future credit IS cancelling yoru cruise and (maybe) booking another one.  Expensive lesson learned.

[NurseJEB]

17 hours ago, deliver42 said:

It's not a case of blaming NCL or their policies. All cruise lines have the same policies, as do airllines.It's not about policies, or having insurance or not. It's about compassion, and we all know NCL has none.

 

 

 

Playing the pity and guilt card huh?  Please outline for all of us the items on your guilt trip list that qualify for excusing the personal responsibility to buy insurance.

[NurseJEB]

16 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

Don’t you think the world could use a little more compassion. One again profits and the almighty dollar trumps empathy, dignity and common sense.

 

 

And personal responsibility trumps all of that.  Sad as it is, the OP made a choice out of his own free will to not buy insurance and accept the risk of something happening that would cause a cancellation.   Now something has happened and he wants NCL to assume the risk from his personal choice he freely made.

[kitty-sail]

21 hours ago, brookie848 said:

I am sending good thoughts to everyone who needs them health-wise, but insurance -- there's a reason for it!

 

If you can't afford to eat the costs of something, get the insurance. If you don't just NCL insurance (which has worked for us in the past when we had to cancel the DAY BEFORE the cruise), there are plenty of other options.

 

This is a company, they have policies, and those policies are very clearly stated. There are reasons for policies. And as NLH Arizona mentioned, where should they draw the line? By having strict policies and offering insurance as protection, it keeps things simple for everyone.

 

And as an FYI, this is coming from a person who has no idea if we are going to be able to go on our cruise at the end of February because of health reasons. However, we have insurance (bought through a third-party because it is a pre-existing condition) and we are hoping for the best. If the worst happens (or the best and my husband gets called for a transplant), then we know our costs are covered because we did the smart thing and protected our investment.

May I inquire what insurance company you used with pre-existing condition? We use NCL's insurance but now need to re-think our coverage.

[GeezerCouple]

5 minutes ago, kitty-sail said:

May I inquire what insurance company you used with pre-existing condition? We use NCL's insurance but now need to re-think our coverage.

 

Not brookie848, but we've been using Travel Insured (purchase through - and with the initial help of - Trip Insurance Store).

 

They've paid promptly, with no bickering, including for 2 large claims (one with a cancellation less than 2 weeks prior to planned departure date, and one with a travel interruption when I was ill overseas, and we had to remain at unexpected hotel for about a week, while I was sick, in hospital, and then a few days before I could travel again).

 

We continue to us them, no surprise!

 

GC

[kitty-sail]

9 minutes ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

Not brookie848, but we've been using Travel Insured (purchase through - and with the initial help of - Trip Insurance Store).

 

They've paid promptly, with no bickering, including for 2 large claims (one with a cancellation less than 2 weeks prior to planned departure date, and one with a travel interruption when I was ill overseas, and we had to remain at unexpected hotel for about a week, while I was sick, in hospital, and then a few days before I could travel again).

 

We continue to us them, no surprise!

 

GC

Never had to worry much about insurance before but hubby recently had heart issue. Have seen many people helicoptered off ship and don't want to think about how much that would cost. Want to cover as many bases as possible. thanks,

[phoenix1181]

I cancelled our October cruise mid September while DH was in the hospital.  Taxes, fees, and other prepaid items were refunded within a week and the balance was received from the insurance I purchased through NCL less than two weeks after submitting the paperwork.  

 

Compassion is wonderful but why should those who choose to gamble get something others pay for?  I don't want to subsidize them, do you?  The insurance for our cruise cost $398 and the cruise was $6,000.  I'm a gambler but I'm not an idiot and I only gamble with money I'm willing to lose.  

 

Sorry your wife is ill OP and I hope she wins her battle but this is on you, not NCL.  

[brookie848]

46 minutes ago, kitty-sail said:

May I inquire what insurance company you used with pre-existing condition? We use NCL's insurance but now need to re-think our coverage.

We use insuremytrip to search for coverage and our current policy is through Travel Guard.. It will offer a lot of options. Some pre-existing condition insurances need to be bought within 15 days of the purchase of the trip, but that can vary. It also varies by state. Research carefully before you purchase to make sure what you might need to be covered will be. 

 

I wish you the best!

[heelfan94]

To the OP, I sincerely wish you and yours the best in the coming months.  That is a devastating diagnosis but I know you all will fight it with everything you have. 

[heelfan94]

6 minutes ago, brookie848 said:

We use insuremytrip to search for coverage and our current policy is through Travel Guard.. It will offer a lot of options. Some pre-existing condition insurances need to be bought within 15 days of the purchase of the trip, but that can vary. It also varies by state. Research carefully before you purchase to make sure what you might need to be covered will be. 

 

I wish you the best!

I also use insuremytrip.  I really like being able to compare the different options and coverage.

[Newleno]

23 hours ago, Sdockendorf said:

We booked this cruise as part of a back to back 2 week cruise with Symphony of the Seas being the other ship. We booked them both almost a year out. We were to sail 12/1/2-18. Then in August my wife and I found out she has breast cancer. So these cruises and a trip we had booked to an all inclusive in the Dominican had to be cancelled. EVERYONE with the exception of NCL refunded the money had put down on these trips. Delta, Barcelo and Royal Caribean all returned our deposits or refunded our tickets. We repeatedly requested NCL to at least give us a credit for a future cruise, no was the answer, nothing. We cruise often, and on NCL three times prior to booking this cruise. We also paid for their cruise next plan which will not use because how can you do business with a company like this? Bottom line there are a lot of great cruise lines out there, why choose NCL? 

ah the olde ncl at it again, they have no shame

[Warm Breezes]

18 hours ago, gmbhardy said:

Don’t you think the world could use a little more compassion. One again profits and the almighty dollar trumps empathy, dignity and common sense.

 

Common sense would tell you that if cruise lines made it a habit of using empathy and compassion to make business decisions, against their policies, they wouldn't be in business too long and they would have let down their stockholders.  What makes this case more relevant than someone else's?  This is the exact reason insurance is offered to the buyer.  Common sense would advise purchasing the insurance if you don't want to risk losing your vacation funds.  I use common sense in purchasing insurance for my cruises.  I have used it once when we had a family death the day before our cruise.  I received empathy from the cruise line when I called to cancel our cruise.  I received my money back from my travel insurance.  I had the dignity not to ask the cruise line to cover my losses.  While I have empathy for the OP, I do not hold the cruise line responsible for the OP's decision to accept the risk by not taking out insurance.

[Cruisercl]

On 11/11/2018 at 8:15 AM, Sdockendorf said:

We booked this cruise as part of a back to back 2 week cruise with Symphony of the Seas being the other ship. We booked them both almost a year out. We were to sail 12/1/2-18. Then in August my wife and I found out she has breast cancer. So these cruises and a trip we had booked to an all inclusive in the Dominican had to be cancelled. EVERYONE with the exception of NCL refunded the money had put down on these trips. Delta, Barcelo and Royal Caribean all returned our deposits or refunded our tickets. We repeatedly requested NCL to at least give us a credit for a future cruise, no was the answer, nothing. We cruise often, and on NCL three times prior to booking this cruise. We also paid for their cruise next plan which will not use because how can you do business with a company like this? Bottom line there are a lot of great cruise lines out there, why choose NCL? 

Personally, I am happy that NCL follows the policies they put in the cruise contract.

A contract goes 2 ways with both parties agreeing to the contract, which you did when you bought. If not, prices would sky rocket.

I also believe in personal responsibility and not blaming others when/if I did not have it.

Welcome to CC! 

I wish your wife a total recovery.......☺

[Newleno]

2 hours ago, Warm Breezes said:

 

Common sense would tell you that if cruise lines made it a habit of using empathy and compassion to make business decisions, against their policies, they wouldn't be in business too long and they would have let down their stockholders.  What makes this case more relevant than someone else's?  This is the exact reason insurance is offered to the buyer.  Common sense would advise purchasing the insurance if you don't want to risk losing your vacation funds.  I use common sense in purchasing insurance for my cruises.  I have used it once when we had a family death the day before our cruise.  I received empathy from the cruise line when I called to cancel our cruise.  I received my money back from my travel insurance.  I had the dignity not to ask the cruise line to cover my losses.  While I have empathy for the OP, I do not hold the cruise line responsible for the OP's decision to accept the risk by not taking out insurance.

we all have different definitions of common sense, if a company helps me out i will be loyal to them (future cruises, business) if not I just go with the lowest bidder because after all cruiselines are basically the same, like airlines. basically not absolutely 

[bill0021]

This just happened to us on a Royal TA Cruise we had planned.  Our cancelled trip is sailing now.

My sister passed away and we cancelled our trip.  One week traveling through Northern France/Italy/Swiss Alps followed by a transatlantic on Royal Carib.

 

5 hotels booked some Non-refundable, all refunded without penalty.  Air Canada all refunded without Penalty, one on points and one paid for.  

 

Swiss Air would not refund the Upgrade fee and Royal only refunded the taxes and excursions, specialty dining.  I did not have travel insurance, but learnt that the credit card I booked with does.  We are in the process of getting a refund now.  Check the insurance on your CC.  

 

I knew going in that we did not have insurance (did not know about the CC insurance) and do not fault the cruise company.  A cruise credit or future on-board credit of even a small amount would have been an excellent gesture on their part, with proof but I did not expect it nor was it received.  We have cruised with Royal Carrib 7-8 times.

 

My rational is this, insurance is about 8-10% of the cruise cost, so if we do not have to cancel for insurable reasons on less than 10% of our trips, which is our case, it is a gamble I am willing to take.  Of course if we were to book much in advance on a big one like a 30 day suite cruise, I would take the travel insurance.  CC Insurance has a max limited.

 

Hope everything works out for your wife.

 

 

[2+2]

All he stated was that Royal Caribbean  treated  him  better  than  NCL.  Now I hope they can fight this cancer together, and enjoy another cruise next year, when life will be back to normal .  And it will. Don't  worry  about  the  little  stuff .  Next year's cruise  will  be  even  better . 

[Warm Breezes]

48 minutes ago, Newleno said:

we all have different definitions of common sense, if a company helps me out i will be loyal to them (future cruises, business) if not I just go with the lowest bidder because after all cruiselines are basically the same, like airlines. basically not absolutely 

And what about all the people the company just ticked off because they used their common sense to purchase travel insurance only to find out they didn't need to waste their money on it since the cruise line doesn't follow their own refund policy?  They just lost all future sales of insurance policies and are now obligated to bail out the people who come to them with a sad stories of having to cancel their cruise for this reason or that  because it is now expected of them to do so because they did it for this person.  Defeats the whole purpose of having the policies and insurance and there is no guarantee of customer loyalty from doing so.  My common sense guess is they would lose more money reimbursing cruises and lost insurance sales than they would gain from customer loyalty and that would not make their share holders happy.  

[Vyhanek]

I'm sorry for your wife's health and also that it has ruined your vacation plans this year.

 

But why should the rest of us pay for travel insurance?    We pay for travel insurance in advance in case something comes up that prevents us from cruising.......like a serious illness.     So here WE ARE all paying for insurance while you chose not to.    We paid.

 

Why is it OK for you to just ring up NCL, after choosing to forgo the insurance when we all did, and get your cruise refunded?   You being able to do that calls in to question why the rest of us would be paying for travel insurance at all.   

 

This is why I am happy that NCL sticks to their guns on this.   It's not fair to the rest of us who faithfully pay our insurance.   every cruise for 4 people, every cruise we pay.