If cruise is re-routed is there any compensation?

[grouchomarx]

Sailing to Bermuda end of June.  I just read an article that NOAA is forecasting a very busy hurricane season. Which made me think oh my gosh, I hope there won't be a re-routing to Canada/New England.  That would be most unfortunate as I have zero interests in that area.  I know I will still have to take the cruise if this should happen, I was wondering does NCL offer any kind of compensation?  I read some posts on Reddit where people said they got OBC and 50% off a future cruise.  I know technically they won't owe me anything but maybe they do something to be nice to all the disappointed passengers.

[Capitan Obvious]

I always thought that taking the ship away from the bad weather WAS doing something nice.

[rebeccac]

Per the cruise contract that every line has, they are allowed to change the itinerary at any time for any reason.  That being said, sometimes they will give people some OBC or other compensation, it is just not a guaranteed thing.  

[JGmf]

Getting rerouted from Bermuda to Canada happened to me and my group two years ago (September 2022) due to some hurricane.  It does happen; and it does stink.  I recall we each got $50 OBC.  That said, it was a cruise, and it beats being at work!

[MoCruiseFan]

1 hour ago, grouchomarx said:

Sailing to Bermuda end of June.  I just read an article that NOAA is forecasting a very busy hurricane season. Which made me think oh my gosh, I hope there won't be a re-routing to Canada/New England.  That would be most unfortunate as I have zero interests in that area.  I know I will still have to take the cruise if this should happen, I was wondering does NCL offer any kind of compensation?  I read some posts on Reddit where people said they got OBC and 50% off a future cruise.  I know technically they won't owe me anything but maybe they do something to be nice to all the disappointed passengers.

 

Did you read the cruise contract that you agreed to when you booked?  The captain can deviate from the planned itinerary at any time for any reason with no explanation abd NO COMPENSATION DUE.  Sometimes they will give you some on baord creadut but it is not at all rquired that they do.

[mistertomatoe]

It's happened a couple of times to me. My own personal experience is it seems NCL drags their feet and only when enough people complain and escalate the issue and after hearing back from HQ, they will give you something. Sometimes they do nothing as if they're doing you a favor by giving you an alternative port, extra sea day, etc.

 

I was so surprised when I was on a Royal cruise and when they announced a change they immediately had compensation as part of it. It's almost like they already had a plan in place for this situation. People can point to the cruise contract and say this happens a lot but it seems to me NCL doesn't handle this as well as Royal.

 

Does anyone know what happens to the port fees, taxes, and expenses when a ship skips a port? Are we eating the cost and the cruise line pocketing any of it?

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, grouchomarx said:

Sailing to Bermuda end of June.  I just read an article that NOAA is forecasting a very busy hurricane season. Which made me think oh my gosh, I hope there won't be a re-routing to Canada/New England.  That would be most unfortunate as I have zero interests in that area.  I know I will still have to take the cruise if this should happen, I was wondering does NCL offer any kind of compensation?  I read some posts on Reddit where people said they got OBC and 50% off a future cruise.  I know technically they won't owe me anything but maybe they do something to be nice to all the disappointed passengers.

Pre-pandemic, NCL would never offer any compensation because of a weather reroute. Lately, they have offered something small. 
 

The contract that YOU signed allows the cruise line to change itineraries for any reason with no compensation. 
 

June is not bad for weather. Very low chance of hurricanes. But,,, you, knowingly, booked a cruise during hurricane season. Your choice. 

[erisajd]

If you read the cruise contract, technically the captain doesn't even have to leave port . . .  or . . . he could leave port and then steam in circles until the port opened back up for his vessel.  

 

If you REALLY read the cruise contact they cruise company could put you in a dingy and shuttle you around the port . . . 

[ChiefMateJRK]

So do you folks actually read the contract(s) for every booking?

[grouchomarx]

2 hours ago, Capitan Obvious said:

I always thought that taking the ship away from the bad weather WAS doing something nice.

I would prefer to be able to cancel it than go to Canada and New England but I know that is not an option.  Obviously I’d prefer not to sail into a hurricane but this cruise would be a pretty big waste of money to go to those ports.  I know it is always a risk to get re-routed on any cruise, it does not mean I have to say I will enjoy it.

[mking8288]

FWIW, we sailed a 7 nights NE/C cruise last (mid) September - knowing full well it's near peak hurricane/Nor-Easter season and storm chasers were out tracking .. I had my/our own Station Zebra activated onboard w satellite connectivity, knew what to expect for that forecasted 72 hours watch/warning cone.   Never bothered with legal consult to read the fine prints & disclosures in the cruise contract document, we skipped 1 (or was it 2) port along with other changes en route, and raced back to safe harbor, sheltered off the VZ Bridge for 3 evening to calmly ride out the storm.  Compensation - hmmm, we had to go to guest services to ask for & were given a "token" partial refund of port fees, something like $30 for first 2 pax per cabin and that was it ... and a 10% (5% p/p) FCC "savings" or discounting that we subsequently put to use in 2024.  Ship happened - 50% OBC, maybe fat fingers punched an extra zero or "0" posting - 

 

Spending 12 to 18+ hours riding out 30 to 40 ft. huge waves, rough/gale force & strong cross wind and sea state isn't what most pax ... been there & done that, on the Joy in 2022 and it was mid/late April, weeks before the official start of the hurricane season.  Got tossed going there and coming back again (not as bad) and probably the one & only time that all of popped our motion meds.  

 

BTW, ports in N.E. and Canada might be taken and/or claimed by other lines/ships scheduled to be there - would be like 3 evenings with a great view of Manhattan's skyline over dinner, lunch & breakfast.  Downside, a minor one - all of the "live" NCL TV channels (BBC, CNBC & Fox ?) went "dark" due to licensing rules & restrictions ... thankfully, we had full cellular coverage & Samsung Live TV casting to keep up with world news.  

[julig22]

1 hour ago, mistertomatoe said:

Does anyone know what happens to the port fees, taxes, and expenses when a ship skips a port? Are we eating the cost and the cruise line pocketing any of it?

Been discussed ad nauseum on this forum. Port fees and taxes are pooled. IF there is an overall excess, there will be a refund, NCL cannot keep them. 

And by the same token, if they incur excess fees because they change the itinerary, they do not charge you the difference. 

[The Traveling Man]

5 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Pre-pandemic, NCL would never offer any compensation because of a weather reroute. Lately, they have offered something small.

Never say never.  Rarely happens, perhaps, but not never.  On a New England cruise on the Escape in September 2018, we missed our stop at Bar Harbor because the wind kicked up the seas too much to allow safe tender operations.  We each received $5.00 in compensation.  Hardly worth mentioning, of course, but not "never."

[BirdTravels]

10 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

Never say never.  Rarely happens, perhaps, but not never.  On a New England cruise on the Escape in September 2018, we missed our stop at Bar Harbor because the wind kicked up the seas too much to allow safe tender operations.  We each received $5.00 in compensation.  Hardly worth mentioning, of course, but not "never."

Was the $5 compensation or a refund of Port Taxes/Fees? We get our obligatory <$10 Port Tax/Fee refund every time we miss GSC. The OP is looking for a 50% refund/FCC for booking a cruise during hurricane season and then getting affected by a hurricane. 

[The Traveling Man]

14 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Was the $5 compensation or a refund of Port Taxes/Fees? We get our obligatory <$10 Port Tax/Fee refund every time we miss GSC. The OP is looking for a 50% refund/FCC for booking a cruise during hurricane season and then getting affected by a hurricane. 

It was listed on our statement as a reduction of port fees.  Yes, it was nowhere near what the OP was hoping for.  My point was that partial refunds when NCL ships miss a port because of the weather were not unheard of prior to the suspension of sailings in Spring 2020.

[ontheweb]

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Was the $5 compensation or a refund of Port Taxes/Fees? We get our obligatory <$10 Port Tax/Fee refund every time we miss GSC. The OP is looking for a 50% refund/FCC for booking a cruise during hurricane season and then getting affected by a hurricane. 

And you wonder how much compensation they would demand if the ship did not divert for the hurricane and they were somehow injured. Or maybe the sea was so rough they could not enjoy the ship or <gasp> use the swimming pool as it was closed.

[njkate]

12 hours ago, grouchomarx said:

I would prefer to be able to cancel it than go to Canada and New England but I know that is not an option.  Obviously I’d prefer not to sail into a hurricane but this cruise would be a pretty big waste of money to go to those ports.  I know it is always a risk to get re-routed on any cruise, it does not mean I have to say I will enjoy it.

I think the odds are in your favor as prime time for Atlantic hurricanes is late August through September! That’s not to say it can never happen in June but statistically odds in your favor!

[BirdTravels]

13 hours ago, grouchomarx said:

I would prefer to be able to cancel it than go to Canada and New England but I know that is not an option.  Obviously I’d prefer not to sail into a hurricane but this cruise would be a pretty big waste of money to go to those ports.  I know it is always a risk to get re-routed on any cruise, it does not mean I have to say I will enjoy it.

There are two common re-routes. Boston/Halifax. Port Canaveral/Nassau. Last year, a couple of cruises spent a day or two anchored in NY Harbor (no shops, no casino, and probably NY tax on drinks). 

[Laszlo]

15 hours ago, grouchomarx said:

Sailing to Bermuda end of June.  I just read an article that NOAA is forecasting a very busy hurricane season. Which made me think oh my gosh, I hope there won't be a re-routing to Canada/New England.  That would be most unfortunate as I have zero interests in that area.  I know I will still have to take the cruise if this should happen, I was wondering does NCL offer any kind of compensation?  I read some posts on Reddit where people said they got OBC and 50% off a future cruise.  I know technically they won't owe me anything but maybe they do something to be nice to all the disappointed passengers.

What ship and date are you sailing? My wife and I are on the June 28th cruise on the Gem

 

A few years back in the on the Escape we were headed to Bermuda from NYC. Because of a hurricane we never made it. The day of the cruise we found out we were headed to Florida and the Bahamas. We made it to Port Canaveral...... and that was it. It was announced later in the day on our PC day we would not be going to GSC or Nassau. It was too rough to tender and Nassau was full. We had a very long very slow 3 days back to NYC. We did not get any type of compensation 

[Capitan Obvious]

13 hours ago, grouchomarx said:

I would prefer to be able to cancel it than go to Canada and New England but I know that is not an option.  Obviously I’d prefer not to sail into a hurricane but this cruise would be a pretty big waste of money to go to those ports.  I know it is always a risk to get re-routed on any cruise, it does not mean I have to say I will enjoy it.

 

If that is your preference, you ARE able to do that. Just cancel the cruise and file with your travel insurance provider for reimbursement. 

 

The problem is that a lot of people who say what you've said actually mean that they want to be able to walk away from their cruise with no financial hit to themselves, they want refunded by the cruise line, and they don't want to have to buy travel insurance. IOW, they have no issue leaving the cruise line "holding the bag" as long as they themselves have no consequences.

 

People, as you know, have the ability to book outside of hurricane season, and people have the ability to protect their investment in their vacation. If the choose not to do either, I think we can all agree that only they can bear the responsibility for their decisions.

[vince_g]

As far as 50% off a future cruise; whenever NCL offers a percentage off to be used for a future cruise, it isn't X% off the cost of a future cruise, but X% off what you paid for that cruise.  And to be very honest, an offer of 50% FCC is very very generous and also very very doubtful.

[graphicguy]

Hurricane season is always a crap shoot if you're cruising around Bermuda, Caribbean, Mexico.  The fares are generally less (but not always) for that very reason.

 

I book During hurricane season all the time just because; the fares tend to be less.

 

But, I've also experienced missed ports, rough seas, late embarkations and disembarkations, among on things.  

 

Knowing that going in, and given you recognize those possibilities, you won't be surprised.

 

As far as refunds, you will be refunded the ports fees of the port you missed.

 

If you think you may want to cancel, get insurance that allows you to cancel for any reason. 

Edited May 24 by graphicguy

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

As far as refunds, you will be refunded the ports fees of the port you missed.

 

Maybe. You can't be so declarative. Perhaps in your experience you've always been refunded port fees, but that is not always the case. 

[julig22]

2 hours ago, vince_g said:

As far as 50% off a future cruise; whenever NCL offers a percentage off to be used for a future cruise, it isn't X% off the cost of a future cruise, but X% off what you paid for that cruise.  And to be very honest, an offer of 50% FCC is very very generous and also very very doubtful.

Actually, if they give you a % FCC deal, it's been FCC off of the fare for a future cruise in my experience. But they also may give FCC in specific amounts - which would be based on what you paid.

So if they have to cancel your cruise or cut it short for some reason, they might give you a partial/full refund of what you paid, plus some % FCC.

[wolft927]

2 hours ago, vince_g said:

As far as 50% off a future cruise; whenever NCL offers a percentage off to be used for a future cruise, it isn't X% off the cost of a future cruise, but X% off what you paid for that cruise.  And to be very honest, an offer of 50% FCC is very very generous and also very very doubtful.

We had our 9 night cruise canceled on the getaway 2 days prior due to a hurricane. NCL obviously refunded the cruise but then gave us a 50% future cruise credit. We were booked in the Haven so was a pretty good credit.