Does anyone know the REAL policy for NCL? re: coronavirus

[travelinmama]

I recently posted about the coronavirus policy issue/concern I was having with NCL. We are due to cruise in May to AK and 3 of the 6 of us have Chinese passports. Although the 3 have not lived in China recently, they were being told that no Chinese passport holder would be allowed to board. I wound up cancelling the cruise just to find out that they relaxed the policy and they were able to rebook us on the cruise. NOW today, I saw a few articles on different sites saying that NCL was again relaxing their cancellation policy  https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/norwegian-uniworld-update-change-policies-over-coronavirus   I called NCL and the person I spoke with had no idea that the above policy was in place and said there was no issue with coronavirus in AK so no, they are not relaxing their policy.??? Does anyone know anything about this or heard anything different? I am wondering if this is only for NCL / Uniworld. I have been a loyal NCL cruiser but I have to say, this whole ordeal has been ridiculously challenging (the above is a SIMPLE synopsis of what happened.. there is a much longer version!!)  thanks so much

[JamieLogical]

Right at the top of the main NCL website:

 

The safety, security and well-being of our guests and crew is our number one priority. We have proactively implemented several preventative measures outlined below due to growing concerns regarding COVID-19 infections. We will continue to consult with The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and take appropriate additional action as needed. 

Policies currently in place include:

• Guests and crew who have traveled from, visited or transited via airports in China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Iran or any municipality in Italy under a quarantine order by the Italian Government, as designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at https://www.esteri.it/mae/en/ within 14 days of their voyage embarkation, regardless of nationality, will not be allowed to board any of our vessels. Travel companions of these guests who share the same stateroom will also be denied boarding.
  • Guests who are denied boarding will be issued a refund when they provide proof of travel.
  • The standard incubation period recognized by the WHO and US CDC for this virus is 14 days.

• We have implemented enhanced pre-boarding health reporting and evaluation for all guests. This includes non-touch temperature screenings for all guests and any guests with a temperature detected at or above 100.4F / 38C will be denied boarding. Any guests who appear symptomatic are subject to pre-boarding medical evaluations including but not limited to temperature checks as deemed necessary.
• Any guest who exhibits symptoms of any respiratory illness while on board will be subject to additional screening at our onboard Medical Center and may be subject to potential quarantine and disembarkation.
• We have also implemented additional cleaning and disinfection protocols on board all voyages. These protocols will be enforced in addition to our already rigorous sanitization standards in place.
• Certain countries have put into place additional restrictions for port entry and passenger disembarkation. These often include denying entry to Chinese passport holders or requiring additional medical documentation or screenings. Guests who are on voyages impacted by port restrictions will be notified prior to sailing.

The above measures will remain in effect until further notice and are subject to change at any time as we evaluate the situation and continue to consult with local health authorities as well as the WHO and US CDC. 

At this time, we have modified, cancelled or redeployed a number of sailings and none of our vessels are calling to ports in mainland China. In addition, we do not have any vessels deployed in East Asia through the end of the third quarter.  We also have the flexibility to alter our itineraries as needed to avoid areas of concern. As always, we will closely monitor the situation and take appropriate action as necessary.

We apologize for the inconvenience to any guests affected by these measures put in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all our guests and crew. 

For frequently asked questions and information regarding the Coronavirus, please visit the following websites:

• World Health Organization (WHO)
• WHO Travel Advice
• United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC)
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
• CLIA Coronavirus FAQs
• CLIA Public Health and Medical Policy

[travelinmama]

9 minutes ago, JamieLogical said:

Right at the top of the main NCL website:

 

The safety, security and well-being of our guests and crew is our number one priority. We have proactively implemented several preventative measures outlined below due to growing concerns regarding COVID-19 infections. We will continue to consult with The World Health Organization (WHO) and the U.S. Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and take appropriate additional action as needed. 

Policies currently in place include:

• Guests and crew who have traveled from, visited or transited via airports in China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Iran or any municipality in Italy under a quarantine order by the Italian Government, as designated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at https://www.esteri.it/mae/en/ within 14 days of their voyage embarkation, regardless of nationality, will not be allowed to board any of our vessels. Travel companions of these guests who share the same stateroom will also be denied boarding.
  • Guests who are denied boarding will be issued a refund when they provide proof of travel.
  • The standard incubation period recognized by the WHO and US CDC for this virus is 14 days.

• We have implemented enhanced pre-boarding health reporting and evaluation for all guests. This includes non-touch temperature screenings for all guests and any guests with a temperature detected at or above 100.4F / 38C will be denied boarding. Any guests who appear symptomatic are subject to pre-boarding medical evaluations including but not limited to temperature checks as deemed necessary.
• Any guest who exhibits symptoms of any respiratory illness while on board will be subject to additional screening at our onboard Medical Center and may be subject to potential quarantine and disembarkation.
• We have also implemented additional cleaning and disinfection protocols on board all voyages. These protocols will be enforced in addition to our already rigorous sanitization standards in place.
• Certain countries have put into place additional restrictions for port entry and passenger disembarkation. These often include denying entry to Chinese passport holders or requiring additional medical documentation or screenings. Guests who are on voyages impacted by port restrictions will be notified prior to sailing.

The above measures will remain in effect until further notice and are subject to change at any time as we evaluate the situation and continue to consult with local health authorities as well as the WHO and US CDC. 

At this time, we have modified, cancelled or redeployed a number of sailings and none of our vessels are calling to ports in mainland China. In addition, we do not have any vessels deployed in East Asia through the end of the third quarter.  We also have the flexibility to alter our itineraries as needed to avoid areas of concern. As always, we will closely monitor the situation and take appropriate action as necessary.

We apologize for the inconvenience to any guests affected by these measures put in place to ensure the safety and well-being of all our guests and crew. 

For frequently asked questions and information regarding the Coronavirus, please visit the following websites:

• World Health Organization (WHO)
• WHO Travel Advice
• United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (U.S. CDC)
• European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)
• CLIA Coronavirus FAQs
• CLIA Public Health and Medical Policy

Thanks for responding but I'm more so inquiring about the cancellation policy if we would decide to cancel NOW.. Were you able to look at the link I provided? It has a completely different explanation in that link. Nothing to do with the policy of stopping those who have traveled within 14 days to Asia etc... this is more to do with a policy of guests changing their minds, per se, and wanting to switch to a different cruise some other time in the future. Take a look at the actual link .. thanks                                                      https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/norwegian-uniworld-update-change-policies-over-coronavirus

Edited March 3, 2020 by travelinmama

[travelinmama]

Thanks for responding but I'm more so inquiring about the cancellation policy if we would decide to cancel NOW.. Were you able to look at the link I provided? It has a completely different explanation in that link. Nothing to do with the policy of stopping those who have traveled within 14 days to Asia etc... this is more to do with a policy of guests changing their minds, per se, and wanting to switch to a different cruise some other time in the future. Take a look at the actual link .. thanks                                                      https://www.travelagentcentral.com/cruises/norwegian-uniworld-update-change-policies-over-coronavirus

[luv2kroooz]

The link you posted is the most updated information. You shouldn't have to do this, but maybe point their uninformed call center employers to the link you referenced. You might have to move it through the food chain til you get the right person.

[travelinmama]

Thanks so much. One day when I have time, I'll post the very long story about what really happened with my recent experience with this cruise line. I'll wait until after the cruise( as long as it takes place) 😉😒🤬

Edited March 3, 2020 by travelinmama
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