Advice Please

[Methusala]

This is my first cruise and I'm not sure quite what to do. I booked through a travel agent a month ago for next Sept. I upgraded to a penthouse suite about 2 weeks after initial booking of a balcony. I went to <myncl.com> and put in my info, all the cruise info was there and then yesterday the whole thing was gone. The room I booked is now back up for reserving and there is no record of my reservation number. I called NCL directly and they said they could not help me nor tell me what happened since I booked through a TA. OK, I get that,.. So I have made several attempts between yesterday and today via phone and emails to my TA and I get no response. I made a deposit with initial booking and I have a record of it going through on my card. Any suggestions as to what to do next?. This is my first cruise, should there be this much stress?

[electro]

On you statement, was the deposit paid to NCL or your TA?

 

lois

[sdmike]

Best case scenario, it was a glitch and your reservation will show up on its own. Worse case, the TA scammed you out of your money. I'd keep trying to reach the TA and watching the NCL site. I'd also see if you paid the TA or NCL. It's possible you paid the TA and they never paid NCL (see item #2 above)

[jdvmd]

I am sorry this is happening to you.

Please check to make sure payment was sent to the cruise line and not to the travel agent.

It sounds like NCL didn't receive payment from the travel agent and canceled your booking. When is the sailing and what ship? Could just be a clerical booking.

Give us some more information and we'll try to help.

I went through this once before with an online agent and didn't know if I had a cabin or not until I got to the ship. Fortunately, Celebrity was willing to talk to me though I had booked with the other agency only because they had several complaints and comments of the same thing happening to others.

Also did you pay just the deposit or a payment in full?

[Methusala]

It was to the travel agent

[Methusala]

It's for the Star on 9/23/12. It's a reputable company that I've seen many times in articles. Just this being my first cruise, I dont know what to expect. I only put a deposit on it.. figured I would keep my $ in the bank gaining interest till june ;)

[WaldosPepper]

It was to the travel agent

 

Was this a local Travel Agent, or an online agency? Have you checked the BBB Rating for the Agency? How about Googling to see if others have experienced a similar situation with that Agency?

 

You've come to the right place for help, and the more info you can provide, the more guidance we can offer. ;)

 

However, that being said, please do not list the name of the Agency here, as it is against the rules. Just do the best you can to provide pertinent info.

[jdvmd]

There was a big story out of the Baltimore area this week where a travel agent took everyone's deposit for a Carnival cruise that was more than a year out.

 

 

When was the last time that you tried to access the reservation with NCL or called the TA?

[Methusala]

It's online. It's a themed cruise only offered once a year by this company and it has a pretty good following and rave reviews by all those who went in the past. The site has a message board for people to connect to meet each other. I'm sure it's just a glitch somewhere..I'm just in limbo without information.

[Methusala]

There was a big story out of the Baltimore area this week where a travel agent took everyone's deposit for a Carnival cruise that was more than a year out.

 

 

When was the last time that you tried to access the reservation with NCL or called the TA?

about an hour ago.. did I mention I'm anal lol

[WaldosPepper]

Well I certainly hope it is nothing more than a glitch, and that it's all resolved soon. Please, keep us posted!

[bakerintn]

I think that NCL only holds reservations without deposits received for 48 hours or so.

 

If they did not get the $$ from the TA within that time frame, NCL could have cancelled the reservation.

 

However, typically, group cruises have a block of rooms held by the TA until almost final payment (but in this case, the cabin would not show as available on the NCL site).

 

Hope things work out well....stress should not be a part of vacations!!

[Methusala]

Just got off the phone with NCL again, this time they gave me a lil more info. Apparently the whole group had been cancelled on Nov 4th. I was not notified, nor did I recieve a refund back at this time. They could not however tell my why it was cancelled. I'll keep you posted once I know more. NCL was as helpful and professional as they could be. Vacations are not supposed to be this stressful! lol

 

Thanks everyone for your advice, I appreciate it :)

[sdmike]

At least it was only a deposit.

[jdvmd]

Just got off the phone with NCL again, this time they gave me a lil more info. Apparently the whole group had been cancelled on Nov 4th. I was not notified, nor did I recieve a refund back at this time. They could not however tell my why it was cancelled. I'll keep you posted once I know more. NCL was as helpful and professional as they could be. Vacations are not supposed to be this stressful! lol

 

Thanks everyone for your advice, I appreciate it :)

Keep us posted and stay optimistic. May I ask what cruise this is?

[swedish weave]

OP -- If you paid the deposit with a credit card, you can file a claim with the credit card company and they will pursue. I would only do this if you are unable to contact the TA.