Canceling NCL BOGO air after final payment date?

[zorbarick]

When I booked my cruise, the delta between the price for the BOGO air and the fares I could find on my own was substantial (more than $2,000 difference), so I took the chance with NCL's BOGO air, knowing all the schedule/route risks.  

 

But now I'm seeing airfares not much more than what I paid through NCL, particularly since I can do my return flight on Southwest using points and a Companion Pass.  

 

My question is whether I can cancel my NCL air even though we are past the final payment date.  We do not have our flights yet; our cruise is in September.  Thanks in advance for any help.  I tried searching the Boards but could not find an answer to this particular question.  

[hallux]

You can certainly try, but that portion of the fare you've paid would likely be subject to the cancellation fee schedule, which you would then need to factor into the cost of the flights you're booking on your own.

[julig22]

Based on conversations that I've seen, you will likely get different answers depending on who you speak with at NCL.  But basically, no - or at least not without it costing you.  And it could actually cost you more to cancel your flights than it would to just be a no-show - depending on how they interpret the penalty clause.  Do they charge you 25% of the cruise fare or 25% of the airfare - I think I've seen it go both ways.

[zorbarick]

I wanted to come back to follow up on this.  

 

I called NCL, and they charged me 25% of the airfare portion of the reservation (in my case, $138) in order to cancel the NCL BOGO air.  We were just over 90 days out, which is why it was 25%.  I think at 90 days, it goes up to 50%.  

 

I was able to book my own flights for not much more than the credit I am getting back, particularly when factoring in luggage charges, which I will be able to avoid by booking on my own. The refund from NCL paid for my outgoing flight to Quebec City (I also avoided the risk of getting sent to Montreal, with a three hour drive to the port).  And I booked a cheap return flight on Southwest using points and my Companion Pass.  I'll save around $120 in luggage charges round trip, which almost covers the value of the Southwest points I used.