Spirit Last Minute Changes

[FredT]

As the saying goes, "Shall we live in interesting times"

 

We are booked on the Spirit for a 21 day mid east cruise departing Rome on Tuesday...   Like most passangers we know, we are departing FOR Rome tomorrow.   TODAY we get an email from NCL.    Opps, sorry but the ship will not be out of the shipyard until next FRIDAY, so we are shortening your cruise by 4 days, and eliminating 4 of 9 ports.    Your choices are to take a 25% refund, or cancel your cruise.  On the surface this does not sound bad... Until you consider that most of us are on non-refundable airline flights, and now we have to pay for 3 more days hotel and food in Rome,  AND we are loosing non refundable shore excursions from the 4 canceled stops.    Reaction from NCL?   "Sorry, but not our problem"     Way to go guys!

[njkate]

24 minutes ago, FredT said:

As the saying goes, "Shall we live in interesting times"

 

We are booked on the Spirit for a 21 day mid east cruise departing Rome on Tuesday...   Like most passangers we know, we are departing FOR Rome tomorrow.   TODAY we get an email from NCL.    Opps, sorry but the ship will not be out of the shipyard until next FRIDAY, so we are shortening your cruise by 4 days, and eliminating 4 of 9 ports.    Your choices are to take a 25% refund, or cancel your cruise.  On the surface this does not sound bad... Until you consider that most of us are on non-refundable airline flights, and now we have to pay for 3 more days hotel and food in Rome,  AND we are loosing non refundable shore excursions from the 4 canceled stops.    Reaction from NCL?   "Sorry, but not our problem"     Way to go guys!

Wow that's awful!! Why in the world would you book excursions that can't be canceled and refunded? 

I had to cancel our Star TA when NCL pushed it up by ten days but anything I had booked non NCL was refunded, the one had a 4% cancel fee but in the grand scheme it was peanuts.

Passengers need to flood NCL with emails for the $300 airfare change and compensation for extra hotel days.

[FredT]

1 minute ago, njkate said:

Wow that's awful!! Why in the world would you book excursions that can't be canceled and refunded? 

I had to cancel our Star TA when NCL pushed it up by ten days but anything I had booked non NCL was refunded, the one had a 4% cancel fee but in the grand scheme it was peanuts.

Passengers need to flood NCL with emails for the $300 airfare change and compensation for extra hotel days.

Because we hate NCL shore excursions, (60 sardines in a sweaty tour bus, herded like cattle) so we booked a number of "one on one" tours, most of which are non refundable within 30 days.......  Oh yeah, and TAP Air Potugal wants $900.00 a PERSON to change our flights by 3 days, so NCL's  offer of $300.00 does not go very far.  

 

But you know?  All things considered with whats going on in the far east, we are not going to throw a temper tantrum....  (Just ***** and moan a bit as I sit here at the computer trying to change hotels, transfers, and shore excursions at the last minute.)    And I thought cruises were supposed to be relaxing! 

 

[smplybcause]

I'm honestly not sure if it would, but I'd be checking my travel insurance to see if anything would be covered. 

[FredT]

Just tried that.....   Nope, not covered.

 

Again, just a bit of moaning & groaning.        The thing is that this is the SECOND time that NCL has changed this trip.  The first was shortening it from a 22 to a 21 day cruise (And eliminating Turkey)...   For that they prorated the cruise fare, AND gave us a $300.00 OBC to compansate for our added hotel costs....  This time,    ..........nothing...........

 

[gigito2]

Wow!  I know things can change, but is it even legal to change a trip at the last minute like that and not offer FAIR compensation?  I must say, you're taking this very well.  I hope you can salvage your trip and still have a wonderful time. 

Tales like this have me thinking I may not book another cruise for a VERY long time....

[Zippeedee]

8 minutes ago, smplybcause said:

I'm honestly not sure if it would, but I'd be checking my travel insurance to see if anything would be covered. 

Depending on your state of residence, Nationwide Luxury Cruise pays for missed ports if the cruise line notifies passengers of the changes before the ship sails. If NCL keeps messing with schedules this coverage probably won't last much longer.

 

The last cruise before a drydock and the first one afterwards are always a crapshoot.

[njkate]

NCL has been dropping the ball lately imo. Between bad social media comments and the overinflated price of cruises with this so called sale people are going to start to look elsewhere 

[mjkacmom]

Would the 25% refund cover 3 nights at a hotel?

[luv2kroooz]

Unbelievable. No words but I wish you the best with the mess NCL has created for you.

[FredT]

10 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Would the 25% refund cover 3 nights at a hotel?

Probably....., maybe......

 

But the interesting thing is this is far less than they gave us earlier (without being prodded) when they shortened the cruise from 22 to 21 days.....

[Starry Eyes]

Well, past getting this off your chest, you seem relatively philosophical about it.  Do enjoy your extra time in Rome!  You might as well enjoy what life throws your way.

Edited February 5, 2020 by Starry Eyes

[Gershep]

You deserve to get more. This is a big change to original itinerary. 

[njkate]

VP of Guest Relations kbyrd@ncl.com

[FLConnie]

47 minutes ago, FredT said:

Because we hate NCL shore excursions, (60 sardines in a sweaty tour bus, herded like cattle) so we booked a number of "one on one" tours, most of which are non refundable within 30 days.......  Oh yeah, and TAP Air Potugal wants $900.00 a PERSON to change our flights by 3 days, so NCL's  offer of $300.00 does not go very far.  

 

But you know?  All things considered with whats going on in the far east, we are not going to throw a temper tantrum....  (Just ***** and moan a bit as I sit here at the computer trying to change hotels, transfers, and shore excursions at the last minute.)    And I thought cruises were supposed to be relaxing! 

 

You should be able to request shore excursion refunds since the ship will

not be docking. Just returned from the trip in November and I am pretty sure all of ours said that. We didn’t have to use it as we made all the ports but sure worth a try!

Edited February 5, 2020 by FLConnie

[FredT]

2 minutes ago, Starry Eyes said:

Well, past getting this off your chest, you seem relatively philosophical about it.  Do enjoy your extra time in Rome!  You might as well enjoy what life throws your way.

We've traveled waaaay to much to  let something like this get in our way.....   And if we did I just remind myself that origionally, we were booked on HAL's Westerdam to depart on February 1 out of Shanghai.......

[mjkacmom]

3 minutes ago, FLConnie said:

You should be able to request shore excursion refunds since the ship will

not be docking. Just returned from the trip in November and I am pretty sure all of ours said that. We didn’t have to use it as we made all the ports but sure worth a try!

The cruise line isn’t going to refund private excursions, just those booked through NCL.

[Starry Eyes]

1 minute ago, FredT said:

We've traveled waaaay to much to  let something like this get in our way.....   And if we did I just remind myself that origionally, we were booked on HAL's Westerdam to depart on February 1 out of Shanghai.......

I love your attitude.  When things go wrong, I want to be surrounded by people like you.  Have a good flight and make to most of this adventure!

 

 

[FLConnie]

2 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

The cruise line isn’t going to refund private excursions, just those booked through NCL.

Correct, he booked on his own as did we in November for all of the ports.  

[Pauser]

I'm so sorry you are being put in this position. But it sounds like you're making the best of it. I hope you end up having a wonderful time. Best wishes. 

[hamrag]

I have an outside interest in this breaking news, as we are scheduled to sail on the Spirit next month! Found the following on the rollcall board, and a 25% FCC is also being offered in addition to a 25% refund to sail or full refund to cancel....I don't think that has yet been reported on this thread. I make no comment as to whether or not I consider the current offer fair, but my best wishes for this to work out for all.

 

 

Edited February 5, 2020 by hamrag

[FredT]

1 hour ago, njkate said:

VP of Guest Relations kbyrd@ncl.com

Tried that...  Got a canned response.   "Thank for being a loyal NCL cruiser!   We love you!!!   But nope. nothing more, Tough luck"  (In much nicer words) 

[FredT]

And for "Hamrag", consider this.   What you see there in the "before" itenerary is not even what almost all of us booked.  That itenerary was origionally a day longer, and NCL cut it by a day (and cut the port stop in Turkey)   So the NEW trip is actually 4 days shorter and has eliminated 5 of 10 ports that we booked.   

 

 

[hamrag]

14 minutes ago, FredT said:

And for "Hamrag", consider this.   What you see there in the "before" itenerary is not even what almost all of us booked.  That itenerary was origionally a day longer, and NCL cut it by a day (and cut the port stop in Turkey)   So the NEW trip is actually 4 days shorter and has eliminated 5 of 10 ports that we booked.   

 

 

From memory, you were already compensated for the Turkey change....is that correct?

[FredT]

Yes they did.....  Pro rated the cruise downwards AND gave us $300.00 to defray the cost of having to pay for a hotel and food for the lost day.   I considered that to be very reasonable.  

 

My point is "Where does this all reach a breaking point"?    (Now being 4 days cut and loosing HALF of all of the 10 ports? )   

 

I would think that the company would offer at LEAST the same compensation for lost days/ports, (if not more) Instead they offer LESS.   

 

Not gonna break the bank, just leaves a bad taste in your mouth.