NCL Spirit 2024 Alaska cancelled

[Doug_S]

Our July  2024 cruise was cancelled (NCL Spirit) so we rebooked on the Jewel which was going five days later on the same itinerary . Despite NCLs supposed 10% discount for the inconvenience of the cancellation, the price to rebook was hundreds more in cost. And NCL offers no adjustment. So be aware they will just charge you more for the same trip. NCL Guest relations is a joke.

[dexddd]

5 minutes ago, Doug_S said:

 

Our July  2024 cruise was cancelled (NCL Spirit) so we rebooked on the Jewel which was going five days later on the same itinerary . Despite NCLs supposed 10% discount for the inconvenience of the cancellation, the price to rebook was hundreds more in cost. And NCL offers no adjustment. So be aware they will just charge you more for the same trip. NCL Guest relations is a joke.

Welcome to CC.  Previously reported except I don't recall seeing the 10% offer. 

 

Spirit is one of our favorite ships.

[Doug_S]

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 onboard Norwegian Spirit. Travel Partners are asked to please share this information with impacted guests.

As a result of a full ship charter, Norwegian Spirit's sailings from July 3, 2024 through and including September 18, 2024 have been canceled. We 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 30 business days. You will see the refund returned to the original form of payment in seven to ten business days from the processed date. The visibility of the funds is dependent on each financial institution's internal policies.

For those reservations paid via a previously issued Future Cruise Credit (FCC), 100% of the FCC used will be automatically re-applied to your Latitudes account within ten days of the cancelation date. No further action is required.

As a token of our appreciation, we have issued a 50% discount in the form of an FCC for select sailings to Alaska this summer departing from Seward, Alaska or Vancouver, Canada. Applicable itineraries include Norwegian Jewel sailings from May 22, 2023 through and including September 25, 2023, and Norwegian Spirit voyages from May 24, 2023 through and including August 23, 2023. The FCC will be available for use on May 22, 2023.

In addition, all guests will also receive a 10% discount in the form of an FCC for a future voyage beginning May 22, 2023. This credit may be used by and applied towards any of our published sailings through December 31, 2024. Please note that this coupon is not combinable with the abovementioned 50% Alaska FCC.

Our dedicated team is available to help you rebook your dream vacation when you are ready. Please contact us at 1-800-327-7030 or your travel professional to get started. 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,


Norwegian Cruise Line

[Doug_S]

18 minutes ago, dexddd said:

Welcome to CC.  Previously reported except I don't recall seeing the 10% offer. 

 

Spirit is one of our favorite ships.

While there was a comment about the cancellation previously, there was nothing about the cost of rebooking!

[DCGuy64]

Thanks for the additional information. People had complained of the ship's sailing being cancelled but I wasn't aware it wasn't so much cancelled as it was changed to a charter. But hey, they are at least offering 50% off sailings this fall, so that's something.

[DCGuy64]

38 minutes ago, Doug_S said:

 

Our July  2024 cruise was cancelled (NCL Spirit) so we rebooked on the Jewel which was going five days later on the same itinerary . Despite NCLs supposed 10% discount for the inconvenience of the cancellation, the price to rebook was hundreds more in cost. And NCL offers no adjustment. So be aware they will just charge you more for the same trip. NCL Guest relations is a joke.

How much more was it for the Jewel? It it possible to look at other dates and find a cruise fare that is closer to what you originally paid (or cheaper)? BTW welcome to Cruise Critic!

[Doug_S]

3 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

How much more was it for the Jewel? It it possible to look at other dates and find a cruise fare that is closer to what you originally paid (or cheaper)? BTW welcome to Cruise Critic!

Several hundred more and supposedly after the 10% discount. We picked the timing for a reason . The point is that they should at least have honored the original price let alone the price less 10% in the new booking. 

[DCGuy64]

1 minute ago, Doug_S said:

Several hundred more and supposedly after the 10% discount. We picked the timing for a reason . The point is that they should at least have honored the original price let alone the price less 10% in the new booking. 

Oh I agree, but that would be a logistical nightmare. Various people bought cabins at various prices over time. Even the same itinerary costs different amounts depending on what month and year, I see it on their website all of the time. The regrettable reality is that pricing is very fluid and, when a cruise is cancelled, passengers who want to rebook are subject to whatever the pricing is for the new cruise, which could be either lower or higher than what they originally booked. This happened quite often during the pandemic, when many cruises were cancelled, FCC's and discounts issued and then people discovered that their replacement cruise cost more than the original one. It is what it is.

[ChiefMateJRK]

4 hours ago, Doug_S said:

Our July  2024 cruise was cancelled (NCL Spirit) so we rebooked on the Jewel which was going five days later on the same itinerary . Despite NCLs supposed 10% discount for the inconvenience of the cancellation, the price to rebook was hundreds more in cost.

What was the difference in pricing between the two itineraries when you originally booked the Spirit?

[Doug_S]

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

What was the difference in pricing between the two itineraries when you originally booked the Spirit?

Over $400 and that’s after the supposed 10% discount.

[DCGuy64]

Any chance you could look around for a similar itinerary for the same price? Since you have more than a year to go, you should be able to make the dates work, I would think. From your initial post it sounds like you have a little flexibility in your schedule. I hope it works out!

[ChiefMateJRK]

40 minutes ago, Doug_S said:

Over $400 and that’s after the supposed 10% discount.

I was asking about the difference in prices when you initially booked the Spirit.  Not the difference between the Spirit then and the Jewel now.  When did you initially book the Spirit?

 

Comparing the Spirit price then to a Jewel booking now might not be a valid comparison.  A quick glance at Jewel July 2024 sailings suggests that most have not gone up at all, and only a few have (but less than your posting).  IOW, it's likely that the Jewel was more expensive all along, likely for valid reasons.

[alwalaska]

I would be very tempted to take my refund from NCL and see if I can find a comparable cruise on a different line for a similar price to what the Spirit cruise was.  I know the contracts are all in favor of the cruise line and that all cruise lines do the same thing, but that doesn't make it write.  NCL contracted with you for a specific cruise at a specific price.  I agree with you that they should offer comparable cruises at the same price and timing as your original cruise. Many people had additional coupons when they booked the original cruise and NCL isn't honoring those coupons on the new cruises either, unless you want to not use your not-so-generous 10% discount.

[Doug_S]

11 minutes ago, alwalaska said:

I would be very tempted to take my refund from NCL and see if I can find a comparable cruise on a different line for a similar price to what the Spirit cruise was.  I know the contracts are all in favor of the cruise line and that all cruise lines do the same thing, but that doesn't make it write.  NCL contracted with you for a specific cruise at a specific price.  I agree with you that they should offer comparable cruises at the same price and timing as your original cruise. Many people had additional coupons when they booked the original cruise and NCL isn't honoring those coupons on the new cruises either, unless you want to not use your not-so-generous 10% discount.

We have Cruise Next certificates. And ironically they can’t refund the cancelled certificates for thirty days . Fortunately we had two unused certificates to book the replacement while awaiting the refund. This may irk fans of NCL but the seem not to care one iota of the impact their decisions make on their customers.

[Doug_S]

26 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

I was asking about the difference in prices when you initially booked the Spirit.  Not the difference between the Spirit then and the Jewel now.  When did you initially book the Spirit?

 

Comparing the Spirit price then to a Jewel booking now might not be a valid comparison.  A quick glance at Jewel July 2024 sailings suggests that most have not gone up at all, and only a few have (but less than your posting).  IOW, it's likely that the Jewel was more expensive all along, likely for valid reasons.

It is irrelevant what the prices did since we booked six months ago. We should be offered the replacement cruise at the very least for the same price we had originally contracted at. It was not our change, it was all them.

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 minutes ago, Doug_S said:

It is irrelevant what the prices did since we booked six months ago. We should be offered the replacement cruise at the very least for the same price we had originally contracted at. It was not our change, it was all them.

Well, I don't agree.  That's okay.

[Doug_S]

2 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Well, I don't agree.  That's okay.

By your logic then, a cruise line could cancel a cruise on one ship and establish the same cruise on another just to jack up prices to increase the bottom line. There is such a thing as customer goodwill, which supposedly cruise lines try to gen up thru "rewards" programs and other incentives to get repeat customers. However, NCL seems to have forgotten that goodwill requires more than these basic incentives. It involves customer satisfaction with how they are treated. Having been on three back to back cruises this past October, and NCL skipping all of Scotland, cancelling other ports, adding new with little to no excursions capacity, etc. their batting average with us right now is not the best.  I regret purchasing those future cruise credits :which were done on the first of the three cruises. 

[RD64]

These cruises have been cancelled a year in advance - lots of time to find alternatives. NCL is not the first - nor will it be the last - cruise line to cancel due to charters. If you follow these boards it is a common situation, and usually passengers will receive a lot less advance notice.

[Kilo November]

13 hours ago, Doug_S said:

We have Cruise Next certificates. And ironically they can’t refund the cancelled certificates for thirty days . Fortunately we had two unused certificates to book the replacement while awaiting the refund. This may irk fans of NCL but the seem not to care one iota of the impact their decisions make on their customers.

 

This is different from what my experience is. I called on Friday and spoke with an NCL rep and he was able to use my Cruise Next certificates to book me on the Spirit for August of this year. Fortunately I was able to take the offer of the 50% discount for this summers sailing. I thought after reading the cancellation letter that I would have to wait to get to use the certificates, but he was able to process them on Monday with no problem.

 

Sorry that you are having such issues with trying to rebook.

[dexddd]

21 hours ago, Doug_S said:

While there was a comment about the cancellation previously, there was nothing about the cost of rebooking!

Which will vary wildly from ship to room to date.  They have no means to do that across the board unless you call them and ask or look online for your specific booking you are looking at.

 

You didn't mention the current year 50% which I'd take.

[dexddd]

10 hours ago, Doug_S said:

By your logic then, a cruise line could cancel a cruise on one ship and establish the same cruise on another just to jack up prices to increase the bottom line. There is such a thing as customer goodwill, which supposedly cruise lines try to gen up thru "rewards" programs and other incentives to get repeat customers. However, NCL seems to have forgotten that goodwill requires more than these basic incentives. It involves customer satisfaction with how they are treated. Having been on three back to back cruises this past October, and NCL skipping all of Scotland, cancelling other ports, adding new with little to no excursions capacity, etc. their batting average with us right now is not the best.  I regret purchasing those future cruise credits :which were done on the first of the three cruises. 

As a high level rewards member, there is no goodwill towards higher members generally speaking in our experience. 

[Doug_S]

10 minutes ago, dexddd said:

Which will vary wildly from ship to room to date.  They have no means to do that across the board unless you call them and ask or look online for your specific booking you are looking at.

 

You didn't mention the current year 50% which I'd take.

My vacation plans for this year are already made 

[Doug_S]

48 minutes ago, Kilo November said:

 

This is different from what my experience is. I called on Friday and spoke with an NCL rep and he was able to use my Cruise Next certificates to book me on the Spirit for August of this year. Fortunately I was able to take the offer of the 50% discount for this summers sailing. I thought after reading the cancellation letter that I would have to wait to get to use the certificates, but he was able to process them on Monday with no problem.

 

Sorry that you are having such issues with trying to rebook.

My apologies. Refunds take thirty days , the cruise next 10 days per the third and fourth paragraphs. We rebooked the day we received the letter.

[insidecabin]

38 minutes ago, Doug_S said:

My apologies. Refunds take thirty days , the cruise next 10 days per the third and fourth paragraphs. We rebooked the day we received the letter.

UK bookings,  law gives them 14 days to refund.

 

Late booking Spirit rates are really low this year worth considering a bring forward.

[BunnyHutt]

17 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Well, I don't agree.  That's okay.

Why not? If an airline changes/cancels your flight, they don’t charge you the extra between what tickets are selling for on date of change versus what you initially paid. 
 

The OP did not initiate this, the cruise line did. If they’re trying to book the same cabin category on the same itinerary, the price should be honored.