I HATE NCL

[SeaShark]

1 hour ago, piglet55cc said:

Sorry,I only copy and paste my email I couldn't get it to open as an attachment.

 

June 17, 2022

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners: On behalf of Norwegian Cruise Line, thank you for your loyalty and for making us your vacation of choice. We have important information regarding your upcoming sailing aboard Pride of America. Now more than ever we understand the desire to travel and to reconnect with the people and places you’ve missed most. Although our great cruise comeback has been an exciting journey, it has not been an easy feat. Despite unexpected challenges, we have maintained our focus on delivering exceptional guest experiences. As such, due to recent staffing levels onboard Pride of America, we will be operating at a lower guest capacity to ensure we are able to deliver a high-caliber vacation experience. In order to adjust to the current staffing levels, unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate your upcoming reservation aboard Pride of America and will be canceling your current booking. We share your disappointment and sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. A full monetary refund of the fare paid will be automatically returned to the form of payment provided at the time of reservation. No further action is required; your refund will be automatically processed within 5 business days. You will see the refund returned to the original form of payment in seven to 10 business days from the processed date. The visibility of the funds is dependent on each financial institution’s internal policies. If your most current reservation was paid via a Future Cruise Credit (FCC), 100% of the FCC used will be reapplied to your Latitudes account. No further action is required; the FCC will be automatically added within seven business days. Additionally, we will be extending the book and sail by date of your FCC to Dec. 31, 2023. As we share your disappointment, we will be issuing you an FCC valued at 100% of the voyage fare paid for this reservation. This credit is valid through December 31, 2023 and may be redeemed for any published voyage through the aforementioned date. The FCC will be available in your Latitudes account on June 24, 2022. Our team is ready to assist you with rebooking you on another one of our unforgettable voyages. Once you’re ready, please contact us at 1-800-327-7030 or your travel professional. Guests residing outside of the U.S. or Canada should visit www.ncl.com for local contact information. We sincerely appreciate your understanding and look forward to welcoming you aboard very soon.

Sincerely,

Katty Byrd

Senior Vice President, Guest Services

 

 

 

 

 

4 minutes ago, piglet55cc said:

Thank you all for the recommendations. Because of family commitments, I can only travel at certain times of the year and for less than 2 weeks. I even looked at a cruise on Celebrity in October, but the airfare would be over $1000 pp.

I too was very confused by what I would be compensated for. It is 100%  the cost that I paid for the room I booked and, nothing else. 

 

Not sure what the source of the confusion would be. It appears that they were specific as to the FCC in their letter to you.

[Turtles06]

9 minutes ago, piglet55cc said:

I too was very confused by what I would be compensated for. It is 100%  the cost that I paid for the room I booked and, nothing else. 

 

I am really sorry this happened to you.  You are right to be very disappointed.   But the letter you received plainly says that you will be getting a full refund of what you have paid for this cruise AND an FCC valued at 100% of what you paid for this cruise.  

 

It says: (1) "A full monetary refund of the fare paid will be automatically returned to the form of payment provided at the time of reservation. No further action is required; your refund will be automatically processed within 5 business days."   

 

And it also says: (2)" As we share your disappointment, we will be issuing you an FCC valued at 100% of the voyage fare paid for this reservation. This credit is valid through December 31, 2023 and may be redeemed for any published voyage through the aforementioned date. The FCC will be available in your Latitudes account on June 24, 2022."

 

These are two separate things.  The language is clear.   I'm not sure what the confusion is.

 

Happy future sailings, and congratulations on your major life events and milestones.  

[cruiseny4life]

19 minutes ago, njkate said:

Yes at the Embassy suites out by the airport, NCL is struggling to staff the POA. I believe they are having the job fair at other locations as well

 

https://savannahgajobfair06232022.splashthat.com

I'm going to HATE NCL now too....they don't have any shipboard POA HR jobs. Ugh, so much for a contract for me. 

[graphicguy]

OP…not sure where your confusion is.  You are getting a FULL fare refund.  Plus, a Future Cruise Credit for the same amount as the original fare.

 

You understand you’re making out very well on this deal.  You are not out of pocket for anything and you are getting a free cruise (via the FCC0 in the process.  That’s an excellent deal.

[piglet55cc]

I just got off the phone with a NCL cruise consultant  to  get the pricing of NCL's SPIRIT to Hawaii.   The FCC for any cruise I look at will be will be $3994 that can only be used toward the price of a room and nothing else. She also told me that they are only taking reservations for POA starting in October of 2022. I will have to wait until July or August of next year.

I am out of pocket for the 2 night hotel room and 2 excursions I purchased for Honolulu. I have never had my other cruises cancelled.

Edited June 22, 2022 by piglet55cc

[hallux]

7 minutes ago, piglet55cc said:

I have never had my other cruises cancelled.

Most people haven't, but the industry usually hasn't had such difficulty staffing ships (and POA is an exceptionally difficult ship to staff due to the US regulations).

[CrazyTrain2]

NCLH - PLEASE Bump me!!  I'll take a free cruise to someplace else anytime.

[PTC DAWG]

11 minutes ago, piglet55cc said:

I just got off the phone with a NCL cruise consultant  to  get the pricing of NCL's SPIRIT to Hawaii.   The FCC for any cruise I look at will be will be $3994 that can only be used toward the price of a room and nothing else. She also told me that they are only taking reservations for POA starting in October of 2022. I will have to wait until July or August of next year.

I am out of pocket for the 2 night hotel room and 2 excursions I purchased for Honolulu. I have never had my other cruises cancelled.

Why not look for something this August 27th or so with NCL..it will basically basically be free...there are other destinations than Hawaii available to you.  

[aggie311]

21 minutes ago, piglet55cc said:

 

I am out of pocket for the 2 night hotel room and 2 excursions I purchased for Honolulu. I have never had my other cruises cancelled.

Did you purchase travel insurance?

[LGW59]

1 hour ago, PTC DAWG said:

The letter you posted seems to say otherwise. 

read it as saying if you paid in cash (CC) you get 100% of out-of-pocket refunded and IF you paid with FCC you get that plus for your trouble $$$.  Either way though, it's a win-win, no $$ lost or additional FCC thru 2023.  This crap happens, we all had vacations planned for whatever special reason over the past 2+ years.  Mine was to of celebrated my 60th b-day, they canceled and I got 100% refund, I was happy with that.  

[SeaShark]

1 hour ago, Turtles06 said:

 

I am really sorry this happened to you.  You are right to be very disappointed.   But the letter you received plainly says that you will be getting a full refund of what you have paid for this cruise AND an FCC valued at 100% of what you paid for this cruise.  

 

It says: (1) "A full monetary refund of the fare paid will be automatically returned to the form of payment provided at the time of reservation. No further action is required; your refund will be automatically processed within 5 business days."   

 

And it also says: (2)" As we share your disappointment, we will be issuing you an FCC valued at 100% of the voyage fare paid for this reservation. This credit is valid through December 31, 2023 and may be redeemed for any published voyage through the aforementioned date. The FCC will be available in your Latitudes account on June 24, 2022."

 

These are two separate things.  The language is clear.   I'm not sure what the confusion is.

 

Happy future sailings, and congratulations on your major life events and milestones.  

 

Your statement that I highlighted above is incorrect. The letter states that they will receive an FCC equal to 100% of the voyage fare paid, NOT 100% of what they paid for the cruise...big difference in those two numbers.

[SeaShark]

44 minutes ago, piglet55cc said:

 

I am out of pocket for the 2 night hotel room and 2 excursions I purchased for Honolulu. I have never had my other cruises cancelled.

 

Confused...did you book non-refundable hotel and excursions? Can't image either wouldn't refund if you had to cancel in advance.

[Cindy]

45 minutes ago, piglet55cc said:

I am out of pocket for the 2 night hotel room and 2 excursions I purchased for Honolulu. I have never had my other cruises cancelled.

Have you contacted the hotel and the tour providers? They might be willing to work with you under the circumstances. I have found all my independent providers to be very flexible through numerous cancellations. That said, even with insurance I’m pretty careful not to lock myself into a non-refundable situation these days!

[Terrab]

Understandable that you are very disappointed. We only cruise on NCL for some reason and they annoy me on every cruise lol. And yet...it's vacation, relaxation, pampering, whatever you need it to be.

 

Take a deep breath and try to see the positive side because you can't change it. You are not out any money. You get a full refund of the cruise and airfare. Almost all hotels issue free cancelations within certain time frames and if they will not just check with your credit card company. You can also work with them(the hotel) for a credit if they wont do an actual refund. Your excursions should be refundable regardless of where you booked them and if they are not again check with your credit card company. It may require some effort (and maybe a lot of politeness) on your part but you can get everything refunded.

 

In addition youre getting a future cruise credit of $4000. Thats amazing and they did not have to give that to you. 

 

Rebook your Hawaii cruise for next year. Find a cruise that looks fun for the same time frame, there are lots of deals right now and use your refund to book something else. Don't let the shock ruin a perfectly good vacation. 

 

Best of luck~

Terra

~Always choose kindness~

 

 

[rxlowry]

It’s 100% of cruise fare so it might be less than you think.   Fees, tips, taxes is not included

[The Traveling Man]

4 minutes ago, rxlowry said:

It’s 100% of cruise fare so it might be less than you think.   Fees, tips, taxes is not included

You are correct.  NCL usually is very careful in their wording in circumstances like this.  It is their standard practice to refund only the cruise fare portion of your payment, not including taxes, port fees, etc.  The letter from NCL VP Katty Byrd which the OP posted did clearly say that the fare would be refunded 100% to the original form of payment.  It did not say that the OP would receive a full refund of all monies paid.

 

My wife and I were on the Star in February 2017 when the ship lost all propulsion and went adrift in the Tasman Sea.  The letter which all passengers received as we were being towed back to Melbourne clearly stated "a full refund of all monies paid."  OOPS!  That letter was signed by the captain and perhaps was issued before the bean-counters in Miami had a chance to proofread it.  When we received a refund of only our fare, I protested.  "Oh, that's what we meant to say.  That's how we always do it" came their reply.  It took months of haggling with them, but we eventually did receive an additional credit for the taxes and fees.  Other CC members on the roll call for that cruise also posted that they had received the additional credit, as well.  Sometimes you just have to hold NCL's feet to the fire.

[aubreyc1988]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Sorry about your cancellation.
 

To ensure you can take that Hawaiian cruise or any other cruise in the future, they are giving you your $4k refund plus $4k to cover additional costs. Use the money and take 3 Caribbean cruises. 

I know everyone is different and I am not making light of the disappointment the OP feels.

 

However...if this happened to me, I'd be crying of joy, I love getting my money back and getting free money...really wipes away any disappointment for me personally. 

[cruiseny4life]

2 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

It is their standard practice to refund only the cruise fare portion of your payment, not including taxes, port fees, etc.

Ok hold up! So NCL steals the taxes and port fee charges from cruisers when they cancel the cruiser? You say this is standard. Is it standard in the cruise industry to steal like this? Is there a reason? I'd love to hear why. Were those charges already paid to the government agencies. If this is the case, I'll be a bit more understanding. Otherwise that's a total BS show and after I use up my Cruise Next certificates, won't be chancing to have my money stolen by a cruise line again. 

 

Piglet - I might be a bit more sympathetic to your plight after hearing the answer to my questions above!

[weltek]

For sure this is disappointing to be so limited on when you can vacation and then have it cancelled! And yes, it's a fair assumption that they are doing it to people with the lowest fares so it's less money out of their pocket. No proof, but a reasonable assumption.

That being said, make lemonade and splurge for another cruise next year! I would be VERY surprised if independent excursions wouldn't refund your money if you show them proof of cancellation from the cruiseline. So hopefully you are only out the hotel, if you booked a non-refundable rate (which is ALWAYS a known gamble, especially if you don't have travel insurance). 

Good luck finding a future cruise date. Definitely use up that credit they are giving you! Or, if it's transferrable, try to sell it at a discount on social media and let the cash line your pockets for a different vacation!



 

[The Traveling Man]

2 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I know everyone is different and I am not making light of the disappointment the OP feels.

 

However...if this happened to me, I'd be crying of joy, I love getting my money back and getting free money...really wipes away any disappointment for me personally. 

I agree.  On that previously mentioned cruise on the Star, we also were booked B2B on the following cruise.  Because it looked to NCL like the ship was dead in the water, quite literally, and would be for some time, they not only refunded the Australia cruise in full, plus FCC, they went ahead and offered money back on the following New Zealand cruise, plus FCC.  All that PLUS we got to stay on board for both cruises.  Except for our airfare, the net result is that NCL paid us to take a 31-day B2B cruise.  So we missed a few ports.  So what.  We had great food, great entertainment, a wonderful month-long vacation and it only cost us the airfare!

[Cruisercl]

@piglet55cc, I get it. I would be upset too.

 

There are lots of factors that go into planning a vacation and you have been pretty much left in the lurch, even after final payment! Very bad customer service, IMO.

Lots of people think that what they would do would work for you. That doesn't always work.

Throwinging money/some sort of compensation at a problem, which is their fault, does not always work for people. The compensation you received here seems to have holes in it to use it and the increases in costs alone don't cover all of the vacation prices now.

I am not sure why people/companies think that $$ always fixes errors.

Good luck to you with whatever you decide.

 

 

[aubreyc1988]

1 minute ago, The Traveling Man said:

I agree.  On that previously mentioned cruise on the Star, we also were booked B2B on the following cruise.  Because it looked to NCL like the ship was dead in the water, quite literally, and would be for some time, they not only refunded the Australia cruise in full, plus FCC, they went ahead and offered money back on the following New Zealand cruise, plus FCC.  All that PLUS we got to stay on board for both cruises.  Except for our airfare, the net result is that NCL paid us to take a 31-day B2B cruise.  So we missed a few ports.  So what.  We had great food, great entertainment, a wonderful month-long vacation and it only cost us the airfare!

that is amazing, like hitting the jackpot at a casino haha! 

[LGW59]

1 minute ago, weltek said:

For sure this is disappointing to be so limited on when you can vacation and then have it cancelled! And yes, it's a fair assumption that they are doing it to people with the lowest fares so it's less money out of their pocket. No proof, but a reasonable assumption.

That being said, make lemonade and splurge for another cruise next year! I would be VERY surprised if independent excursions wouldn't refund your money if you show them proof of cancellation from the cruiseline. So hopefully you are only out the hotel, if you booked a non-refundable rate (which is ALWAYS a known gamble, especially if you don't have travel insurance). 

Good luck finding a future cruise date. Definitely use up that credit they are giving you! Or, if it's transferrable, try to sell it at a discount on social media and let the cash line your pockets for a different vacation!



 

Am I reading correctly that folks are suggesting going to a congress person in US or an MP in Canada for assistance with this?  Is it just me, or is that something one would do in a real emergency, of which I don't see a luxury cruise vacation as being one.  Just sayin...our tax dollars are wasted enough already. 

[The Traveling Man]

4 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Ok hold up! So NCL steals the taxes and port fee charges from cruisers when they cancel the cruiser? You say this is standard. Is it standard in the cruise industry to steal like this? Is there a reason? I'd love to hear why. Were those charges already paid to the government agencies. If this is the case, I'll be a bit more understanding. Otherwise that's a total BS show and after I use up my Cruise Next certificates, won't be chancing to have my money stolen by a cruise line again. 

 

Piglet - I might be a bit more sympathetic to your plight after hearing the answer to my questions above!

Yep, that seems to be NCL's modus operandi.  Don't know how it works on other cruise lines, but NCL does seem to squeeze those nickels pretty tightly.

[The Traveling Man]

1 minute ago, LGW59 said:

Am I reading correctly that folks are suggesting going to a congress person in US or an MP in Canada for assistance with this?  Is it just me, or is that something one would do in a real emergency, of which I don't see a luxury cruise vacation as being one.  Just sayin...our tax dollars are wasted enough already. 

You might try looking for an attorney or ombudsman who specializes in the cruise industry.  That's what we did when we felt short-changed on the Star.