Hypothetical Cancellation Question

[MsTabbyKats]

So....I'm looking at the Getaway out of NYC for 4/3.  Disclosure....I don't expect normal cruising to begin until late spring at the earliest, so I really don't have expectations of this cruise happening.

In general, I book NCL close to sail date...at the sailaway rate.  We don't want extra meals and we don't drink.  The excursion credit (for this cruise) would be a total waste.  And as platinum...we get some wifi service.  So...the "freebies" are a waste for us.

 

Right now Category BB is cheaper than sailaway (no food or drinks).  The only real benefit is choosing a cabin.  The cruise is approx $2200.  On our last cruise, same itinerary, on the Bliss (3/20) we paid something like $1400 (sailaway....great cabin).

 

Based on the rules...if I book now (final payment in Dec) I can cancel up to 15 days before the cruise and get a credit.  So, let's say I book and pay $2200.  And 3 weeks prior to sailing the rates go down.  Can I cancel and rebook using the credit....and if I rebook at a cheaper rate, what happens to the excess credit?

[MsTabbyKats]

Got the answer.....I can use the obc for excursions (no interest) or the thermal spa (no interest unless it's fully covered).

 

Oh well....I'll just wait and see.

[www3traveler]

Probably the Peace of Mind policy will be extended so that your final payment date would 60 days out so about the 1st of February.

[Budget Queen]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Got the answer.....I can use the obc for excursions (no interest) or the thermal spa (no interest unless it's fully covered).

 

Oh well....I'll just wait and see.

What obc?????      Your example   of canceling the cruise 3 weeks prior,  has a problem with your thinking the FCC is immediately put in your account.    Not necessarily.    So,  you take a chance of loosing that cruise.    

 

The FCC,  CAN be used to pay for any cruise you want.   Any excess,  goes back into your Latitudes Account.      This does have a 1 year expiration from it being processed.     

[sanger727]

Just curious why you are even considering booking a cruise that you don't expect to happen? Why not just wait and see and keep the money in your bank account???

[Budget Queen]

15 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

Just curious why you are even considering booking a cruise that you don't expect to happen? Why not just wait and see and keep the money in your bank account???

The current promotions may be favorable to the op,  and worth the investment.     At the least,  putting down a deposit now,  would be very easy to consider.   The booking is firm, and buys you time.   

[MsTabbyKats]

4 hours ago, sanger727 said:

Just curious why you are even considering booking a cruise that you don't expect to happen? Why not just wait and see and keep the money in your bank account???

 

No investment....I can use 2 cruise-next certificates.

 

About the "wait and see".....when cruising resumes I fully expect prices to skyrocket.  So I can lock myself into "a rate" now.  By the final payment date I should know about "the vaccine".  "No vaccine"....no cruise.  That's an absolute.  In addition...if I can't get off the ship except to go on NCL excursions....no cruise.

 

Also...I am retired and live walking distance to the pier....so no other plans to make

 

The bottom line is booking is a "no risk" gamble.  Worst case....I cancel and get a FCC.

 

In my cruising history....I wait until the end and I get great deals.  But my logical side says...there may be no more great deals out there...so take what you can get now!

[sanger727]

I guess I'm not that savvy. I typically only book a trip I fully plan to take.

[Budget Queen]

4 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

I guess I'm not that savvy. I typically only book a trip I fully plan to take.

The op,  also, apparently only cruises from NYC,  which is extremely limited (in my opinion)  🙂   

So stacking the deck,  offers potential that  may not be available later.   

[MsTabbyKats]

14 hours ago, sanger727 said:

I guess I'm not that savvy. I typically only book a trip I fully plan to take.

It's not a matter of "planning to go"; it's a matter of "the cruise actually happening".

 

When I got off my last cruise 3/20....I would have bet with 99% confidence that I could cruise out of NYC 4/21.  Now it's at 40%...good chance it happens but better that it doesn't.

 

Again...I have nothing to lose, no money to tie up...and something to look forward to.  And there's my "prices skyrocketing theory" vs "last minute bargain theory".  I think that when ships sail demand will be high.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[MsTabbyKats]

14 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

The op,  also, apparently only cruises from NYC,  which is extremely limited (in my opinion)  🙂   

So stacking the deck,  offers potential that  may not be available later.   

Yes, you are right.  The only other line scheduled out of NYC is Carnival (June-Oct)...and they may move around the ships so there's the potential of nothing for 2021. 

[Budget Queen]

2 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

It's not a matter of "planning to go"; it's a matter of "the cruise actually happening".

 

When I got off my last cruise 3/20....I would have bet with 99% confidence that I could cruise out of NYC 4/21.  Now it's at 40%...good chance it happens but better that it doesn't.

 

Again...I have nothing to lose, no money to tie up...and something to look forward to.  And there's my "prices skyrocketing theory" vs "last minute bargain theory".  I think that when ships sail demand will be high.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Not sure but if you book double occupancy,   there may still be infrequent NCL,  price drops.   I would speculate only a couple days ahead.   But, you really are way too restrictive in your NYC sailing only,  so,  booking ahead is a good idea.    

[MsTabbyKats]

17 minutes ago, Budget Queen said:

Not sure but if you book double occupancy,   there may still be infrequent NCL,  price drops.   I would speculate only a couple days ahead.   But, you really are way too restrictive in your NYC sailing only,  so,  booking ahead is a good idea.    

Yes, double occupancy.  Although DH always claimed "he hated cruising" he's now antsy to get back on a ship.  His only "demand" is a balcony...."just in case" (He used to be a confirmed "interior goes the same place, you get the same food & shows" guy.).

 

Sorry if you think I'm too restrictive...lol...but "flying somewhere" ends up being too complicated...takes longer just to get to the airport.  I'm very spoiled...despite all our current problems....I love NYC.

 

Anyway...just about to call NCL and make a reservation.  Expect to see more of me on this forum!

 

Thanks for your help 🙂

[The Traveling Man]

On 9/25/2020 at 7:45 PM, sanger727 said:

I guess I'm not that savvy. I typically only book a trip I fully plan to take.

Prior to the pandemic, we usually would book about six or eight cruises in advance, usually booking them six months to 18 months in advance.  We would choose a variety of itineraries and sailing dates, anything that looked interesting.  Prices often fluctuate, sometimes up, sometimes down, as the sailing date approaches.  We keep tabs on the prices and re-book anytime the price drops.  As the penalty date approaches, we re-evaluate our interest in the cruise.  If the price has dropped or otherwise seems attractive, we go ahead and make our final payment.  If it seems pricey or we have lost interest in that particular voyage, we cancel.  It takes a bit more work to keep checking every couple of weeks on several cruises, but it can be worth it if the price changes.  For example, several months back, just after getting our FCC from a Covid-cancelled cruise, we booked a Transatlantic for next April on the Jade.   The price has more than doubled since then, meaning we saved over $4000 by booking early.  If the cruise actually sails, we definitely are going to be on board.  At the same time we booked a Bliss Alaska cruise for July.  The price has dropped twice since then and we re-booked each time we noticed the change.  Our total fare now is about $2000 less than it would have been if we had not re-booked.  We're really looking forward to that one as well.  We only have four NCL cruises on the books right now because our enthusiasm for cruising has been tempered by the pandemic.  If and when things start looking brighter, we probably will go back to our pattern of keeping more balls in the air.

[Budget Queen]

10 hours ago, MsTabbyKats said:

Yes, double occupancy.  Although DH always claimed "he hated cruising" he's now antsy to get back on a ship.  His only "demand" is a balcony...."just in case" (He used to be a confirmed "interior goes the same place, you get the same food & shows" guy.).

 

Sorry if you think I'm too restrictive...lol...but "flying somewhere" ends up being too complicated...takes longer just to get to the airport.  I'm very spoiled...despite all our current problems....I love NYC.

 

Anyway...just about to call NCL and make a reservation.  Expect to see more of me on this forum!

 

Thanks for your help 🙂

I'm also a New Yorker,  used to live on Long Island and worked in Queens.      There aren't a lot of cruises that are round trip NY,  all I was mentioning.   Having more possibles,  would yield more success.      Everyone is different.  There is no complication for me, jumping on a plane.   Works well for me,  as a last minute bargain chaser.    Glad your style works out for you.      

[SpainAlien]

On 9/25/2020 at 7:10 PM, MsTabbyKats said:

Based on the rules...if I book now (final payment in Dec) I can cancel up to 15 days before the cruise and get a credit.  So, let's say I book and pay $2200.  And 3 weeks prior to sailing the rates go down.  Can I cancel and rebook using the credit....and if I rebook at a cheaper rate, what happens to the excess credit?

From my experience I can tell you that if you cancel under the Peace of Mind policy it will take up to 3 weeks for the FCC to appear in your account so you wouldn't be able to use it to rebook straight away

 

[sanger727]

7 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

Prior to the pandemic, we usually would book about six or eight cruises in advance, usually booking them six months to 18 months in advance.  We would choose a variety of itineraries and sailing dates, anything that looked interesting.  Prices often fluctuate, sometimes up, sometimes down, as the sailing date approaches.  We keep tabs on the prices and re-book anytime the price drops.  As the penalty date approaches, we re-evaluate our interest in the cruise.  If the price has dropped or otherwise seems attractive, we go ahead and make our final payment.  If it seems pricey or we have lost interest in that particular voyage, we cancel.  It takes a bit more work to keep checking every couple of weeks on several cruises, but it can be worth it if the price changes.  For example, several months back, just after getting our FCC from a Covid-cancelled cruise, we booked a Transatlantic for next April on the Jade.   The price has more than doubled since then, meaning we saved over $4000 by booking early.  If the cruise actually sails, we definitely are going to be on board.  At the same time we booked a Bliss Alaska cruise for July.  The price has dropped twice since then and we re-booked each time we noticed the change.  Our total fare now is about $2000 less than it would have been if we had not re-booked.  We're really looking forward to that one as well.  We only have four NCL cruises on the books right now because our enthusiasm for cruising has been tempered by the pandemic.  If and when things start looking brighter, we probably will go back to our pattern of keeping more balls in the air.

we do book 12-18 months out and monitor the price and re-price as prices drop or promos get better. So we usually end up with a decent deal. We just do that with one cruise. We are still working and usually take one vacation a year. And those typically alternate between cruises, all inclusives, and land trips. So when we usually have vacation ideas for the next 2-3 years lined up. So there’s no need to book a bunch of cruises and re-evaluate interest as they get closer. We booked the cruise we were interested in and had already put a lot of thought into it.

[tulch]

I hope this is not too off-topic, but I was wondering:  If you book a cruise using CruiseNext certificates,  and the cruise is cancelled by NCL before the new 60-day date, would you still get FCC for that cancelled cruise?  You presumably would lose no money and the CruiseNext certificates would go back to your account.  Would you still get FCC for the cancelled cruise?

 

 

 

 

[MsTabbyKats]

8 hours ago, SpainAlien said:

From my experience I can tell you that if you cancel under the Peace of Mind policy it will take up to 3 weeks for the FCC to appear in your account so you wouldn't be able to use it to rebook straight away

 

Thanks....I was "behind" in my NCL Rules and Regulations.  All caught up now...they have their bases covered.

[thedarklord]

One thing I’ll add about the peace of mind promise - the fcc can’t be used as payment towards the same cancelled cruise. That’s from one of their FAQs (which I can’t copy/paste right now for some reason!)

 

[Budget Queen]

4 hours ago, tulch said:

I hope this is not too off-topic, but I was wondering:  If you book a cruise using CruiseNext certificates,  and the cruise is cancelled by NCL before the new 60-day date, would you still get FCC for that cancelled cruise?  You presumably would lose no money and the CruiseNext certificates would go back to your account.  Would you still get FCC for the cancelled cruise?

 

 

 

 

You sure do.   I've gotten $125    25% FCC -  every time, in addition to the Return of the Cruise Next vouchers.   I've had over 10 cruises canceled.   

[MsTabbyKats]

12 hours ago, Budget Queen said:

I'm also a New Yorker,  used to live on Long Island and worked in Queens.      There aren't a lot of cruises that are round trip NY,  all I was mentioning.   Having more possibles,  would yield more success.      Everyone is different.  There is no complication for me, jumping on a plane.   Works well for me,  as a last minute bargain chaser.    Glad your style works out for you.      

One of the main beauties of cruising out of NYC is I hop in a cab...and in 10 minutes I'm on vacation.

 

We were once planning to cruise out of FL for a week and spend a week in Ft Lauderdale.  When I looked at "the financial difference" for just transportation and hotel (forget meals and other entertainment) we decided it was better to take a 14 day cruise out of NY.  It wasn't just to save money....it was just so much easier.

 

To me, and island is an island is an island...and when you've seen one, you've seen them all.  We used to travel extensively in our youths (DH had 4 nationalities) and flew down to islands/FL before we discovered cruising.  Now I like to relax...and let "them" do all the work.