Really? FCC Not Refund on Meal/Drink Gratuities, and My FCC Spread Across 5 Accounts!

[itsnotjustme]

We were booked (Haven, 5 guests in a 2BR) on the Epic earlier this month and cancelled under POM. This was for me, my wife and 3 adult children.

 

My CruiseNext certificates returned to my account, as did my 10% FCC from a prior cancelled cruise.  Good start.

 

Of the $6,500 or so I paid I received $203 back to my credit card.  This is well short of the taxes and port fees, never mind the gratuities for the drink packages and specialty dining.  Does anyone know what this portion represents?  Could I have declined the drink packages and specialty dining before cancelling to have gotten cash refunds for those items?

 

Then there are the FCCs.  Although I paid for all 5, the FCCs are no spread across 5 accounts.  To make matters worse, I had listed two of my kids as #1 & #2 passengers so they would get the specialty dining.  Myu wife and I already receive 2 meals from our Lattitude Rewards status.  So the bulk of the fares were for those kids..... about $2,600 each in FCC, while my wife and I and third child have just over $300 each.  Grrrr. 

 

And doing the math, the FCCs plus the actual refund comes up about $175 short of what I paid out.  Grrr.

 

Will NCL allow me to combine these?  What if next time we cruise it is not all 5 of us?   

 

I wish I never booked this cruise.

Edited January 25, 2022 by itsnotjustme
Minor Error

[MoCruiseFan]

FCC goes back into the account it came from.  It has noting to do with how you 'allocated it'.

[MrsBlackross]

I can't help you sort the other stuff, but I do know that FCC's ARE transferrable, so if NCL allocated them to your kids and you want them on your account you can submit a request to transfer them.

 

It looks like it's a bit of a PITA process, but if you look on NCL's website FAQs for FCCs they have instructions and forms there.

[itsnotjustme]

20 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

FCC goes back into the account it came from.  It has noting to do with how you 'allocated it'.

None of this came from FCC.  It was cash (credit card).

[itsnotjustme]

14 minutes ago, MrsBlackross said:

I can't help you sort the other stuff, but I do know that FCC's ARE transferrable, so if NCL allocated them to your kids and you want them on your account you can submit a request to transfer them.

 

It looks like it's a bit of a PITA process, but if you look on NCL's website FAQs for FCCs they have instructions and forms there.

I suspect I need to have all three kids do it, so PITA x 3 process.  Regardless, thank you for the information.

[BennyBrun]

Before you cancel the cruise you should always strip everything that you can, prepaid gratuities, drink packages, meal packages, excursions basically most of the free at sea offers.  Those offers can be added back I believe 72 hours? before your sail date.  I actually book with no offers and add them a week before sail.  Why let them hold your money.

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, BennyBrun said:

I actually book with no offers and add them a week before sail.

Are you suggesting that you can decline promos at time of booking and simply "add them" a week before sail?  I've never heard of that.

[Middleager]

3 hours ago, itsnotjustme said:

I suspect I need to have all three kids do it, so PITA x 3 process.  Regardless, thank you for the information.

I had to do that.  Had my kids to send email to NCL  fcctransfer@ncl.com

indicating the booking number, the lattitude number (from transfering kid) and your lattitude number,  and the FCC number.  If you had a TA, or booking agent, can list that too.

 

The transfer was next day, so it was quick.

 

We did ask to have the pre-paid gratuities refunded first, and next day to cancel for POM refund.  But NCL screwed up and refunded only 1/2 (actually not exactly 1/2, don't know what they were doing) to CC and the balance to a CruiseFirst cert.  It looks obviously wrong to have $137 in CF cert.  Pointed out to NCL, and have been waiting for that $137 to be refunded.

[BennyBrun]

43 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Are you suggesting that you can decline promos at time of booking and simply "add them" a week before sail?  I've never heard of that.

For the free at sea offer, I always decline the drinks, the dining until I am closer to my sail date then I add it back and pay the gratuity on the ones I add back.  I book over the phone with a consultant from NCL not on the website.  There is a window on when you can add the promotion back but it’s fairly close to the sail date.

[debenson0723]

57 minutes ago, BennyBrun said:

For the free at sea offer, I always decline the drinks, the dining until I am closer to my sail date then I add it back and pay the gratuity on the ones I add back.  I book over the phone with a consultant from NCL not on the website.  There is a window on when you can add the promotion back but it’s fairly close to the sail date.

I have booked via the website and declined the drink package then added it back via the phone. I believe you have up to 3 days before sailing to do this...I think the latest I have done it is 5 days beforehand.

[BennyBrun]

Just now, debenson0723 said:

I have booked via the website and declined the drink package then added it back via the phone. I believe you have up to 3 days before sailing to do this...I think the latest I have done it is 5 days beforehand.

Thank you!  I wasn’t sure the exact timing and I never did it on the website so it is great input.  It’s a chunk of change that like to keep as long as possible 😂 

[bigrednole]

They currently have the FCC to refund thing going on. I highly recommend doing that and getting cash in hand. I would not want an FCC because it expires and they can change the rules at any time. That is the little wording no one reads but a lawyer. 

[Hearthosesteeldrumsplayin]

On 1/25/2022 at 9:48 PM, Middleager said:

I had to do that.  Had my kids to send email to NCL  fcctransfer@ncl.com

indicating the booking number, the lattitude number (from transfering kid) and your lattitude number,  and the FCC number.  If you had a TA, or booking agent, can list that too.

 

The transfer was next day, so it was quick.

 

We did ask to have the pre-paid gratuities refunded first, and next day to cancel for POM refund.  But NCL screwed up and refunded only 1/2 (actually not exactly 1/2, don't know what they were doing) to CC and the balance to a CruiseFirst cert.  It looks obviously wrong to have $137 in CF cert.  Pointed out to NCL, and have been waiting for that $137 to be refunded.

I had to do this with 2 of my kids, as they now how a baby and don't plan to sail anytime soon.  However, the FCC expires at the end of this month and we have been messing around with this for a couple of months.  FINALLY got everything submitted last week, and the email says it will take about a month to process!  Yes, AFTER the expiration!  Not very happy right now, as the FCC is for multiple cancelled cruises and we paid for everyone.  And we have cruises booked this can go towards paying down.  A little frustrated right now.  Not to mention Cruise Next certificates that I have not been able to use because cruises keep being cancelled.

[nolatravelgirl]

Did you ever get resolution? I am in the same boat. I did get some money refunded to my credit card but when you add up those amounts plus the FCC the amounts don't add up.