Cancellations, Cash Refunds and March 10th

[babydaryl24]

I have talked to 4 Customer Service Agents this evening.

 

Agent 1 (my cruise consultant) tried to cancel for me with the 79 days out loss percentage. I was going to lose 2300. I was fine with that because I"m making an employment/business claim on my travel insurance. He processed the cancellation at 5:01 EST as the new policy came up; however they did not let him process the cancellation because of the new policy dropping at 5pm. I had called in at 455pm. Process attempt at 5:01.

 

I called back 10 minutes later to regular customer service. I talked to agent 2 named Diana. Diana said the new policy would include cash refunds and FCC. I figured that did not sound right, so I hung up and tried to call Agent 1 back on the Florida NCL direct line. He did not answer.

 

I called customer service back again and agent 3 (did not get his name), stated that everything was on hold until March 10th. There would be no cash refunds. Only FCC. He thanked me. We hung up.

 

Agent 4, tonight, I called with a phone recorder on, because I wanted verification of what was talked about. Agent 4 got angry and seemed perturbed as I gave her my timeline. She said that I was being confusing and to just wait until the 10th. I demanded to speak to her manager.

 

Manager of Agent 4 was polite, kind... and told me NOTHING can be done until March 10th. Everything is on hold. She has ZERO clue what the cash refund policy will be, but has a feeling it will be satisfactory to everyone. She also says the FCC will be on March 10th, as well.. But they have NO details of what the FCC is other than what's online. There is no internal memo with secret info... There  aren't even really any rumors beyond what's on the website.

 

IN SHORT, Customer Service is pretty useless until March 10th.... and all of the cash refund policies are different than they were this morning or yesterday or a month ago... However they do not know HOW they are different.

 

 

Edited March 7, 2020 by babydaryl24

[Njkrewzer]

This really stinks. Im due to cruise march 8th, and I really don't want to go. I don't expect a refund, but at the very least they could offer the future cruise credit. This is a global emergency right now that was outside of anyone's control. For those praising NCL, that's great to be a cheerleader for your favorite brand, but the small group of us that are faced with losing 100% of our money or take a risk and cruise are singing a very different tune

[micheluvscorgis]

For what it's worth, we are scheduled to cruise on the Encore on 4/12.  I called this afternoon to find out our options, and I was told 100% FCC after 3/10.

[JAFA13]

47 minutes ago, babydaryl24 said:

I have talked to 4 Customer Service Agents this evening.

 

Agent 1 (my cruise consultant) tried to cancel for me with the 79 days out loss percentage. I was going to lose 2300. I was fine with that because I"m making an employment/business claim on my travel insurance. He processed the cancellation at 5:01 EST as the new policy came up; however they did not let him process the cancellation because of the new policy dropping at 5pm. I had called in at 455pm. Process attempt at 5:01.

 

I called back 10 minutes later to regular customer service. I talked to agent 2 named Diana. Diana said the new policy would include cash refunds and FCC. I figured that did not sound right, so I hung up and tried to call Agent 1 back on the Florida NCL direct line. He did not answer.

 

I called customer service back again and agent 3 (did not get his name), stated that everything was on hold until March 10th. There would be no cash refunds. Only FCC. He thanked me. We hung up.

 

Agent 4, tonight, I called with a phone recorder on, because I wanted verification of what was talked about. Agent 4 got angry and seemed perturbed as I gave her my timeline. She said that I was being confusing and to just wait until the 10th. I demanded to speak to her manager.

 

Manager of Agent 4 was polite, kind... and told me NOTHING can be done until March 10th. Everything is on hold. She has ZERO clue what the cash refund policy will be, but has a feeling it will be satisfactory to everyone. She also says the FCC will be on March 10th, as well.. But they have NO details of what the FCC is other than what's online. There is no internal memo with secret info... There  aren't even really any rumors beyond what's on the website.

 

IN SHORT, Customer Service is pretty useless until March 10th.... and all of the cash refund policies are different than they were this morning or yesterday or a month ago... However they do not know HOW they are different.

 

 

 

Where is the NCL call center located? If it’s Florida they are a two party consent state. 

[babydaryl24]

9 minutes ago, JAFA13 said:

 

Where is the NCL call center located? If it’s Florida they are a two party consent state. 

I'm in TX (one party)

And I told them..... and got her permission.... And their contracts require Federal District Court.. so it'd be fed laws not state.

 

Edited March 7, 2020 by babydaryl24

[Markanddonna]

I just received an email from  NCL with a new policy on cancellations.

[Njkrewzer]

2 minutes ago, Markanddonna said:

I just received an email from  NCL with a new policy on cancellations.

What does it say?

[Njkrewzer]

23 minutes ago, micheluvscorgis said:

For what it's worth, we are scheduled to cruise on the Encore on 4/12.  I called this afternoon to find out our options, and I was told 100% FCC after 3/10.

That's a step in the right direction, but there are thousands of us cruising on the 8th and 9th that are being forced to take a bite of a $*** sandwich here. Lose thousands of dollars or put our families at risk

[babydaryl24]

But there's zero mention of if we want to cancel with no  FCC.

[ncklhaus]

This is the email I received:   Dear Valued Travel Partner,   As always, we want to keep you informed of the latest happenings at Norwegian Cruise Line, especially during times such as these when we are faced with an incredibly fluid climate.  We truly appreciate your continued efforts and partnership and realize this has been a challenging situation.  Today we are announcing our new Peace of Mind policy, providing reassurance to your clients to book their vacation with confidence.   We are making temporary changes to our standard cancellation policy. This supersedes all previously announced changes and standard deposit and final payment schedules now apply. As this is a fluid situation, any amendments or reversals of these policies will be communicated to you as they occur.   For all new and existing individual and group bookings that embark from March 10, 2020 through and including September 30, 2020: Guests can cancel up until 48 hours prior to vacation start date.  Cancelled reservations that occur prior to 48 hours to vacation date will receive a 100% future cruise credit (FCC) to be used for ANY Norwegian sailing embarking on or before December 31, 2022.  Vacation start date includes any pre-hotel or Cruisetour packages booked through Norwegian. FCC will include all components of the reservation that have been paid, including but not limited to: shore excursions, beverage and dining packages (including associated gratuities), service charges and air or transfers pre purchased through Norwegian. Note any insurance purchased on existing bookings will not be included in the FCC amount   In the spirit of PARTNERS FIRST, ensuring you receive your commission is paramount to us: All paid commissions are protected and will not be recalled. During this temporary policy change period, commissions that have not yet been paid on voyages through September 30, 2020 will now be paid at time of sailing. Commission on new bookings where the FCC is applied will be paid in full, as per our standard policy. We expect call volumes to increase during this time and greatly appreciate your patience and understanding.  We are working to implement system updates and expect these to be in place starting March 11, 2020.  In order to best serve you, if your clients still wish to cancel, please contact us starting March 11th at 1-800-327-7030.     We realize there may be many questions, so we are working on providing detailed FAQ’s, which will be sent as soon as possible.   We understand you are likely inundated with various policy and protocol changes from all supplier partners and it remains challenging to keep up with the various nuances.  For our current protocols, we always recommend visiting NCL.com under our Travel Alert section. You can also click here for the most recent communication being sent to booked guests.  We continue to monitor if itinerary adjustments need to be made and will communicate those to any affected guests and travel partners.   While we are definitely operating under unique circumstances, it’s important to remember the travel industry and our business of cruising is one of the most resilient.  We recognize your clients may be hesitant to plan or confirm their vacation, but we encourage them to remain educated on the stringent protocols we have put in place and ask your support in reminding them.    Having you as a trusted advisor and advocate during this time means more than most probably realize.  You continue to help educate your clients on fact versus fiction.  You remain calm.  You provide sound and unbiased counsel based on their individual circumstances.  And you share the love for and communicate the value of not just travel experiences, but travel aboard a Norwegian Cruise Line ship.   Thank you again for your patience, understanding and partnership as we manage this ever-evolving situation. We are in this together and alongside you. We appreciate you today and always, Warmest regards, Katina Athanasiou Chief Sales Officer Norwegian

[micheluvscorgis]

2 hours ago, Njkrewzer said:

That's a step in the right direction, but there are thousands of us cruising on the 8th and 9th that are being forced to take a bite of a $*** sandwich here. Lose thousands of dollars or put our families at risk

Truth.  I very much dislike that.