Many cancellations next year

[julig22]

1 hour ago, njhorseman said:

 

Actually the Panama Canal Authority recently increased the number of daily transits based on increased confidence in the return of a more normal rainy season starting to replenish the water supply.

https://www.marinelink.com/news/panama-canal-increase-daily-transits-512152#:~:text=In response to the current,available in the Panamax locks.

 

And if a more normal rainy season doesn't happen and NCL has to make itinerary changes closer to the sail date, they'd get accused of selling cruises to places they no longer intend to visit - since the water issues in the canal were a known issue when they started selling the cruise.

 

Not saying I have any insider knowledge of what they are doing, just speculating that maybe they are trying to mitigate and address the current trend of changing itineraries at the last minute.

[IAcruising]

8 hours ago, complawyer said:

but i understand that Panama is restricting use of the canal. apparently they dont have enough water flowing through the canal at this time.

 

Correct facts, wrong conclusion. Panama will always allow whoever pays the most money. In most cases, that's a cruise ship.

 

[njhorseman]

2 hours ago, julig22 said:

 

And if a more normal rainy season doesn't happen and NCL has to make itinerary changes closer to the sail date, they'd get accused of selling cruises to places they no longer intend to visit - since the water issues in the canal were a known issue when they started selling the cruise.

 

Not saying I have any insider knowledge of what they are doing, just speculating that maybe they are trying to mitigate and address the current trend of changing itineraries at the last minute.

 

I suspect that you aren't aware of the fact that cruise ships pay substantial reservation fees to guarantee their Panama Canal transit slots. When the number of available transits per day were reduced due to drought it was the commercial cargo vessels that were delayed because they generally do not have reserved transit slots. Cruise ships were not substantially affected because they have reservations . Panamax ships such as the Jewel class would be even less likely to be impacted because they can use either set of locks, while larger ships can only use the new locks.

 

For years NCL has had two ships sailing weekly to Bermuda in the summer, one from New York and one from Boston. But it's virtually certain that some of those sailings will be disrupted by Atlantic hurricanes and tropical storms and end up with shortened stays in Bermuda and even being completely rerouted to Canada or the Bahamas. That's not a "maybe", unlike your speculation about drought conditions in Panama, but it doesn't deter NCL from deploying those ships to Bermuda year after year.

 

The reason is simple. Cruise ship fleet deployment decisions are all about maximizing revenue. That's why you see many fewer Caribbean and Bahamas sailings in the summer when ships can be deployed on itineraries that command much higher per diem rates on Bermuda, Mediterranean and Alaskan itineraries.

 

Edited March 29 by njhorseman

[julig22]

52 minutes ago, njhorseman said:

 

I suspect that you aren't aware of the fact that cruise ships pay substantial reservation fees to guarantee their Panama Canal transit slots.

 

The reason is simple. Cruise ship fleet deployment decisions are all about maximizing revenue. That's why you see many fewer Caribbean and Bahamas sailings in the summer when ships can be deployed on itineraries that command much higher per diem rates on Bermuda, Mediterranean and Alaskan itineraries.

 

I am fully aware of what cruise ships pay to transit the canal - as I said, I have no insider info. And of course, they are out to maximize revenue, that's a no-brainer.

It will be interesting to see where the ships are re-deployed. NCL is trying to find a niche market. Last year Alaska was a target, can't wait to see what they come up with - hope it's somewhere good!

[dmwnc1959]

19 hours ago, njkate said:

Redeployments? Dry dock? I doubt all of those sailings are charters

It had been mentioned in another thread that Norwegian Jade was due for a drydock in March 2025, despite the fact that there had been a full schedule already published for that month. I imagine she’ll go in for maintenance and upkeep for two weeks, followed by a couple of Caribbean cruises prior to her repositioning cruise to Alaska. 

 

[DCGuy64]

We ended having our TA book us on the Encore to Alaska next year as a replacement for the Star cruise. We've never been to Alaska so it's something we're looking forward to. Maybe we'll do a land based vacation to Norway one day.

[MississippiMom]

18 hours ago, davencl said:

I would love to know how much it would cost to charter the entire Jade or Gem...   🙂  Yes I realize if I have to ask I can't afford it.  My wild quess is about $10,000,000 for 7 days.  Here's a nice brochure with usefull info for all the ships, chartered or not.  https://www.ncl.com/sites/default/files/826201_CMI_Brochure_Web2_4_26_2023.pdf

Charters are typically booked by a large corporation, using the cruise vacation as a reward incentive.  That’s how we sailed on Crystal Cruises over 20 years ago.

[Panhandle Couple]

18 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

I think the only saving grace on any of this is that most have not yet booked airfare or hotels. 

only a few would be eligible for booking flights, as airlines only book 52 weeks in advance.

 

Hotels are easily cancelled.

[schmoopie17]

3 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

It had been mentioned in another thread that Norwegian Jade was due for a drydock in March 2025, despite the fact that there had been a full schedule already published for that month. I imagine she’ll go in for maintenance and upkeep for two weeks 

 

Maybe they'll get around to removing the "no smoking in bed" signs and the ashtrays in the bathrooms. Other than that, Jade is a fine ship.

[mpk]

23 hours ago, njkate said:

Redeployments? Dry dock? I doubt all of those sailings are charters

 

hmmm   happened to me once with Epic last year 8 months before sailing for a 'fleet deployment'.   It was a hassle unwinding flights, hotels, etc.

 

I'm a new Platinum, but will avoid if this becomes a habit  🙃

 

[dmwnc1959]

1 hour ago, Panhandle Couple said:

only a few would be eligible for booking flights, as airlines only book 52 weeks in advance.

 

Hotels are easily cancelled.

Not so much for people that do independent travel when booking airfare and hotels, and choosing a lower promotional price which may be nonrefundable. I’ve already scouted out hotels and flights for next April/May using this year’s schedule. As soon as flights and hotels become available, I’m booking them. That’s the hazards I was eluding to. 

 

[bluesea777]

4 hours ago, dmwnc1959 said:

It had been mentioned in another thread that Norwegian Jade was due for a drydock in March 2025, despite the fact that there had been a full schedule already published for that month. I imagine she’ll go in for maintenance and upkeep for two weeks, followed by a couple of Caribbean cruises prior to her repositioning cruise to Alaska. 

 

 

Jade's last dry-dock was in March 2022, therefore she's not due for next one for 3 years.

 

 

[dmwnc1959]

4 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

Jade's last dry-dock was in March 2022, therefore she's not due for next one for 3 years.

 

 

This information is what I was basing that on, and would consider this a very reliable source…

 

Edited March 29 by dmwnc1959

[bluesea777]

1 hour ago, Panhandle Couple said:

only a few would be eligible for booking flights, as airlines only book 52 weeks in advance.

 

Hotels are easily cancelled.

 

Not quite 52 weeks, more like 48.

 

Yes, hotels are easily cancelled if you do not pre-pay (pay in advance) and book at refundable rate.

 

[cruiseny4life]

21 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

 

Not quite 52 weeks, more like 48.

 

Yes, hotels are easily cancelled if you do not pre-pay (pay in advance) and book at refundable rate.

 

Pay more for the pleasure of needing to cancel? That's not how this should work...it's how it is beginning to work. More reason my vacations (most) are always planned within weeks of going. I'm not outlaying cash only to find that I'm not able to attend. Screw those travel providers that don't offer flexibility if I'm booking months out. They won't be getting my business. Golly! I'm feisty today! 

[dmwnc1959]

6 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

Pay more for the pleasure of needing to cancel? That's not how this should work...it's how it is beginning to work. More reason my vacations (most) are always planned within weeks of going. I'm not outlaying cash only to find that I'm not able to attend. Screw those travel providers that don't offer flexibility if I'm booking months out. They won't be getting my business. Golly! I'm feisty today! 

Not everyone has the luxury of waiting last-minute. Even retired people (me) book their vacations and cruises a year in advance, or even longer. Just this week I booked a cruise for April 2026 on Holland-America. Rare, exotic, unique, and once-in-a-lifetime cruises can book up really quickly, and folks want to make sure they’re part of the experience. 

[cruiseny4life]

3 minutes ago, dmwnc1959 said:

Not everyone has the luxury of waiting last-minute. Even retired people (me) book their vacations and cruises a year in advance, or even longer. Just this week I booked a cruise for April 2026 on Holland-America. Rare, exotic, unique, and once-in-a-lifetime cruises can book up really quickly, and folks want to make sure they’re part of the experience. 

It's weird...those that plan have to pay more. Oh well. Tis the world we're in. I know I'm blessed to be able to book two to three months out. I can't think of any place a cruise ship could take me that I (personally) would classify as rare, exotic, unique, or once-in-a-lifetime. I'm sure plenty of folks disagree with me. I can, however, think of many land-based adventures that I would classify using those terms. Well, except for once-in-a-lifetime. That term is far too overused. It seems everything is now one of those. But, I totally understand your point. Maybe when I'm seventy, a trip to Antarctica will be considered that for me. And, I'd be upset if the highlight of the trip was suddenly taken away (after final payment, of course).

[dmwnc1959]

8 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

It's weird...those that plan have to pay more. Oh well. Tis the world we're in. I know I'm blessed to be able to book two to three months out. I can't think of any place a cruise ship could take me that I (personally) would classify as rare, exotic, unique, or once-in-a-lifetime. I'm sure plenty of folks disagree with me. I can, however, think of many land-based adventures that I would classify using those terms. Well, except for once-in-a-lifetime. That term is far too overused. It seems everything is now one of those. But, I totally understand your point. Maybe when I'm seventy, a trip to Antarctica will be considered that for me. And, I'd be upset if the highlight of the trip was suddenly taken away (after final payment, of course).

The Northwest Passage, Antarctica, Nile River, Solar Eclipse cruises, the Galápagos Islands or Easter Island, a circumnavigation of Australia, the Amazon River, Arctic cruises for the Northern Lights, World Cruises visiting ports for the first time ever, even the Panama Canal can be a once-in-lifetime cruise for many people. Many take part in these rare, exotic, or unique event cruises, anniversary cruises celebrating a cruise line’s legacy, even a rare rendezvous cruise of a line’s entire fleet (i.e. Cunard), etc. 

 

My cruise next year on Norwegian Jade is a once-in-a-lifetime event for me, spending 32-nights from Florida through the Panama Canal, all the way up the California coast to Whittier, Alaska, then back down to Vancouver. 

 

And the cruise I’ve booked for 2026 on Holland-America is most definitely rare. For the Alaska Inside Passage the vast majority of every single ship for every Alaska season transits either on the outside of Vancouver Island or (once clear of the Johnstone Strait) the open waters of the inside passage getting to Ketchikan and beyond. This cruise is a rare transit of the entire Canadian Inside Passage narrows of the Glenville Strait between Prince Rupert, BC then south towards Bella Bella and Goose Bay. That in of itself is a very rare cruise for any mass-market ship. 
 

So, in both incidences of these cruises, I’ll be booking flights and hotel a year out from departure or as soon as they become available. 
 

It’s nice that Norwegian gave at least one year notice on most all of these cancellations, saved a lot of people from a lot of headaches. 

[IAcruising]

@julig22 Was it something we said? I'm going to blame the banana cargo ship anecdote.

 

 

[njhorseman]

5 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

 

Jade's last dry-dock was in March 2022, therefore she's not due for next one for 3 years.

 

 

IIRC once a ship exceeds 15 years of age it has to be inspected twice in every 5 years...essentially once every 2.5 years

[julig22]

19 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

@julig22 Was it something we said? I'm going to blame the banana cargo ship anecdote.

 

 

Wasn't me

[IAcruising]

Just now, julig22 said:

Wasn't me

 

No, I'm quite certain it was me. Unless someone had an issue with being called out for "mansplaining", which definitely wasn't me.

 

Oh well. The inner workings here are as mysterious as the inner workings of NCL. 😆

 

[marktwothousand]

Not sure bout all y’all, but I think a mere ten percent off offer for this inconvenience is a sort of b00lsh33t. They really should be offering lift and shifts for these PLUS allowing ppl to send in claims for credit or refunds for price differences in regards to flights and hotels connected with their cruise, if ppl can prove the bookings were made before the cancellations happened. 

[Menocchio]

Only two of the cancelled cruises are less than a full year from now. Only one could possibly have had anyone booking flights yet, and hotels often only book out a year in advance. 

 

Ironically, for the vast majority of cruisers the only lost money would be their third-party trip insurance. 

 

A year is plenty of advance notice. And 10% seems perfectly fair to me. 

[IAcruising]

22 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

Not sure bout all y’all, but I think a mere ten percent off offer for this inconvenience is a sort of b00lsh33t.

 

We're all well aware of your opinion about NCL.

 

For reference, I got a New Zealand cruise cancelled that I booked for fun, with maybe some intention of actually going. I was able to put that 10% towards an $8000 cruise I already had booked.

 

I'm a happy man. The grass on my side of the fence is green enough for me.