My kid's under 5 and can't be vaccinated, and now I'm out >$7500 from NCL

[rlfordon]

I'm wondering if there's anything I can do here?  Pre-COVID, I booked my family for a June 2020 Norwegian sailing to Alaska. It was cancelled obviously, and I was issued future cruise credits. I eventually applied the FCCs to a cruise that departs June 9, 2022. 

 

NCL requires full vaccinations (a good thing I think!), and my son is 4. It's become clear that under-5 vaccinations won't be available until mid-April at the very earliest, not enough time for him to be fully vaccinated with 3 shots by June.

 

NCL is allowing cancellations for this circumstance (see here).  BUT upon cancellation, the future cruise credits will simply be credited back to my account, and they expire MONDAY and need to be used on a cruise departing by December 31, 2022. This means I can't use them! I won't be able to use them over the summer, and then my kid will be in school beginning in the fall. (And sailings to Alaska are unavailable over winter break when he's out of school).

 

Any advice? (I'm trying to light them up on Twitter, but I don't have a ton of reach.)

[Crazy planning mom]

Can u move the cruise to August?

Edited January 30, 2022 by Crazy planning mom

[FLcruisergrl]

Why do 5 yr olds need 3 shots? Fully vaccinated is 2 shots. Also, aren’t they now allowing refunds of FCC? If not, maybe try for a later summer cruise to Alaska or a holiday cruise to the Caribbean?

[vpearlkc]

Are you sure he needs three shots to be fully vaccinated? The third shot would be due six months after the first two. He would be considered fully vaccinated until at least October if the first two shots were administered in April.

 

Is NCL now requiring the booster? 

[Travelicious]

Do you have relatives who can keep your son while you cruise in June?

[bluesea777]

Change cruise to August, just before your kid starts school.

 

Your son will not need booster if his 2nd vaccination is less than 6 months prior to cruise but check first. 
 

I think we’re fully vaxxed until the 2nd vax is over 6 months old (and becoming less effective) at which time we’ll require boosters. 
 

Good luck. 
 

[kaprin02]

https://www.ncl.com/fcc

 

Check the FAQ labeled: Future Cruise Credit Refund Requests

 

It appears you would qualify for a refund in lieu of your FCC.  Follow the directions in that FAQ to submit your request.  You won't get any "bonus" FCC amounts, but you should get your original paid amount back.  It may take some time.

[palpieha]

1 hour ago, kaprin02 said:

https://www.ncl.com/fcc

 

Check the FAQ labeled: Future Cruise Credit Refund Requests

 

It appears you would qualify for a refund in lieu of your FCC.  Follow the directions in that FAQ to submit your request.  You won't get any "bonus" FCC amounts, but you should get your original paid amount back.  It may take some time.

From the link that kaprin02 posted above:

 

Applicability to convert an existing FCC to a monetary refund request may be submitted for one of the following reasons:

- A guest is unable to meet any vaccination requirements.

 

 

You should be able to get your money back by using the link on that webpage:

 

Any guest affected by one of the above, wishing to request a monetary refund (of their original cruise fare paid and in lieu of their active FCC, including bonus amounts) must submit a refund request via the Guest Relations Case Submission page at https://www.ncl.com/case-submission.

Edited January 30, 2022 by palpieha

[hallux]

14 hours ago, rlfordon said:

not enough time for him to be fully vaccinated with 3 shots by June.

I'm in agreement with the others on this point.  NCL is not yet requiring 3 shots, even for people that are 6+ months past their second primary round shot.  Even if they DO start requiring boosters, it will need to be based on time since second shot (or first for the J&J) rather than a blanket "3 shots required", which your son wouldn't have reached yet.  IF they approve vaccines for his age group in April he should be good to sail if you plan on getting him vaccinated, but counting on that approval in enough time nearly caused someone else to lose their cruise back in December.

 

Or, follow the refund guidelines posted by others.

[Hutcha]

I agree with the above posters also. You should be able to get the vaccination before school starts or get a refund. Something to keep in mind with school, high school aged kids are likely to miss a lot in a week. A 5 year old, not so much. Personal preference, but we never blinked when taking a kid out for a week....up to a point.

[kitkat343]

We pulled our kindergartener out of school to take him on a cruise to Norway, and he was absolutely fine.  But if you want to take your child to Alaska (which is an excellent choice for children) that might not be possible this year.  But I would try to get clarification on whether or not August will work - I've honestly never heard of kids under 12 being required to get boosted anywhere yet (since the vaccine is so recent for all of them).  I hope you get a refund if you cannot work out the vaccine requirements.

 

One other note - if you pull your kid out of school, please ask the teacher if it is their preference for them to give your child worksheets ahead of time, to provide the worksheets after the child returns or not provide work at all.  It drives teachers nuts when parents ask for work before they leave (because they have to pull it early) and then don't turn anything in, which happens a lot.  

Edited January 30, 2022 by kitkat343

[rlfordon]

Thanks everyone! I am applying for the FCC refund, I didn’t know about that but looks like i should qualify. There’s no requirement from NCL to be boosted for adults or older kids, but they do say that fully vaccinated means whatever the health authorities say it does, and the latest word on under 5s is that they may require 3 doses (this was why the trials had to be pushed back; two shots apparently did not do the trick for 2-5s). 

[che-vos]

19 hours ago, vpearlkc said:

Are you sure he needs three shots to be fully vaccinated? The third shot would be due six months after the first two. He would be considered fully vaccinated until at least October if the first two shots were administered in April.

 

Is NCL now requiring the booster? 

 

3 doses for 2-4 age children info

 

Basically, the study showed poor immune response with the small dose and two shots. Instead of scrapping the study, they are adding a 3rd dose.  If that had not been the case, the vaccine would have been approved very soon for the younger ages.  Now do not expect it till mid year.   

[eplanet]

We ran into a similar issue with our 8 year old. The details are on our post history. Long story short, another couple we were traveling with that also had a 8 year old cancelled thinking they can get a refund- nope! NCL only refunded a small % of the amount paid. We decided to move forward and got our 8 year old vaccinated with a day to spare. We had a great time. 
 

From what I see, you should have plenty of time since EUA is expected later this month.

 

EDIT: our friends cancelled 30 days prior to boarding. Since you’re canceling early, you should be ok.

Edited February 3, 2022 by eplanet

[cruisewingman]

Did you get the email tonight?

 

[quote]Dear Valued Guest, Great news! We've extended your Future Cruise Credit expiration date from January 31, 2022 to December 31, 2022 - giving you an extra 11 months! Redeem your credit today and set sail on the vacation of a lifetime. As a highly-valued guest of Norwegian, we want to be sure that you take full advantage of all the valuable offers available to you. With amazing deals on unforgettable vacations all over the world, there's never been a better time to book a cruise with Norwegian [\quote]

Edited February 3, 2022 by cruisewingman

[BirdTravels]

On 1/29/2022 at 6:57 PM, rlfordon said:

I'm wondering if there's anything I can do here?  Pre-COVID, I booked my family for a June 2020 Norwegian sailing to Alaska. It was cancelled obviously, and I was issued future cruise credits. I eventually applied the FCCs to a cruise that departs June 9, 2022. 

 

NCL requires full vaccinations (a good thing I think!), and my son is 4. It's become clear that under-5 vaccinations won't be available until mid-April at the very earliest, not enough time for him to be fully vaccinated with 3 shots by June.

 

NCL is allowing cancellations for this circumstance (see here).  BUT upon cancellation, the future cruise credits will simply be credited back to my account, and they expire MONDAY and need to be used on a cruise departing by December 31, 2022. This means I can't use them! I won't be able to use them over the summer, and then my kid will be in school beginning in the fall. (And sailings to Alaska are unavailable over winter break when he's out of school).

 

Any advice? (I'm trying to light them up on Twitter, but I don't have a ton of reach.)

So, you know, the rules and terms for sailing haven’t changed in months. Unfortunately you waited to the very last minute, and now you’re in a situation with expiring future cruise credit. You can request a refund, but if they turn it down, your future cruise credit will be expired. It would be better if you were to use those future cruise credits for another cruise. 

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

So, you know, the rules and terms for sailing haven’t changed in months. Unfortunately you waited to the very last minute, and now you’re in a situation with expiring future cruise credit. You can request a refund, but if they turn it down, your future cruise credit will be expired. It would be better if you were to use those future cruise credits for another cruise. 

I guess your problem is solved for now:
 

Dear Valued Guest,

Great news! We've extended your Future Cruise Credit expiration date from January 31, 2022 to December 31, 2022 - giving you an extra 11 months! Redeem your credit today and set sail on the vacation of a lifetime. As a highly-valued guest of Norwegian, we want to be sure that you take full advantage of all the valuable offers available to you.
With amazing deals on unforgettable vacations all over the world, there's never been a better time to book a cruise with Norwegian.

[cruzingthebriny]

On 1/29/2022 at 3:57 PM, rlfordon said:

I'm wondering if there's anything I can do here?  Pre-COVID, I booked my family for a June 2020 Norwegian sailing to Alaska. It was cancelled obviously, and I was issued future cruise credits. I eventually applied the FCCs to a cruise that departs June 9, 2022. 

 

NCL requires full vaccinations (a good thing I think!), and my son is 4. It's become clear that under-5 vaccinations won't be available until mid-April at the very earliest, not enough time for him to be fully vaccinated with 3 shots by June.

 

NCL is allowing cancellations for this circumstance (see here).  BUT upon cancellation, the future cruise credits will simply be credited back to my account, and they expire MONDAY and need to be used on a cruise departing by December 31, 2022. This means I can't use them! I won't be able to use them over the summer, and then my kid will be in school beginning in the fall. (And sailings to Alaska are unavailable over winter break when he's out of school).

 

Any advice? (I'm trying to light them up on Twitter, but I don't have a ton of reach.)

Well, now  under 5 will be allowed to cruise unvaccinated.  They will limit thee amount of unvaccinated children to 5%