Huge penalty for cancelling one person in final week

[tedwit]

I am a travel agent and I booked a group of 7 cabins with 21 people leaving on the Breakaway 8/31. One cabin is a couple and the girlfriend can't make the cruise. I called NCL to cancel her off the reservation and was told that the passenger that is still going will have to pay an additional $1400 penalty on top of the full fare that he has already paid. Has anybody ever heard of this policy? I don't recall ever seeing it posted on CC. He asked for my advice and I am at a loss for words. If he just say's at check in that she couldn't make it will they charge his shipboard account? One reason he wants to have her removed from the reservation is so he can purchase the UBP for one.

[Love my butler]

Just have her no show at the dock. No penalty.

[wasiii]

Just have her no show at the dock. No penalty.

 

.....but I agree with Lmb, just do a no show.

 

wasiii

[Illyria]

If he just say's at check in that she couldn't make it will they charge his shipboard account? One reason he wants to have her removed from the reservation is so he can purchase the UBP for one.

They won't charge him...I think they'll actually refund the port fees for the no-show passenger. At that point, he shouldn't have a problem purchasing the UBP for one (since he will officially be the only passenger checked into that stateroom).

[RuthlessBoss]

I am a travel agent and I booked a group of 7 cabins with 21 people leaving on the Breakaway 8/31. One cabin is a couple and the girlfriend can't make the cruise. I called NCL to cancel her off the reservation and was told that the passenger that is still going will have to pay an additional $1400 penalty on top of the full fare that he has already paid. Has anybody ever heard of this policy? I don't recall ever seeing it posted on CC. He asked for my advice and I am at a loss for words. If he just say's at check in that she couldn't make it will they charge his shipboard account? One reason he wants to have her removed from the reservation is so he can purchase the UBP for one.

 

I'm from the Carnival boards and this comes up a lot. The fare of the friend is fully forfeited that close to sailing. This causes passenger one to pay for the empty bed. As for dollars on NCL, I don't know what an amount of $1400 is about. The person needs to be a no show. I'm not familiar with what UBP is.

[Got Tequila?]

I am a travel agent and I booked a group of 7 cabins with 21 people leaving on the Breakaway 8/31. One cabin is a couple and the girlfriend can't make the cruise. I called NCL to cancel her off the reservation and was told that the passenger that is still going will have to pay an additional $1400 penalty on top of the full fare that he has already paid. Has anybody ever heard of this policy? I don't recall ever seeing it posted on CC. He asked for my advice and I am at a loss for words. If he just say's at check in that she couldn't make it will they charge his shipboard account? One reason he wants to have her removed from the reservation is so he can purchase the UBP for one.

 

Seems like you could also do a name change pretty easy if one guest can't go, find a replacement. I don't believe there is a charge for doing the name change on the reservation if you booked directly with Norwegian. Even if that new guest you book in that cabin ends up sleeping in one of the other cabins in your group. ;)

 

Typically as long as one of the original names remains on the reservation changing names is easily done.

Edited August 28, 2014 by Got Tequila?

[tedwit]

Thanks I will tell him to just check in and say she will be there later.

[garycarla]

Just have her no show at the dock. No penalty.

 

Most travel agents would know this. Yes?

 

No show still pays - or should I say, they already paid and will not get anything back.

[tedwit]

I knew that he wasn't going to get a refund and he knew it also. What I never heard of was a huge penalty on top of the fully paid fare.

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Why is a travel agent asking this question is what I curious about

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

If I found out my TA was asking advice from a fan forum instead of getting the exact explanation and options available from NCL, I'd be pretty upset. I think you owe your client, from whom you have profited, much better service.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

Edited August 28, 2014 by Steeler Nation At Sea

[triptolemus]

If I found out my TA was asking advice from a fan forum instead of getting the exact explanation and options available from NCL, I'd be pretty upset. I think you owe your client, from whom you have profited, much better service.

 

What's the difference? TA clients come here all the time asking stuff that their TA should be answering... OP is an example of why that happens. But otherwise, yeah, I agree...

Edited August 28, 2014 by triptolemus

[Susie51]

Why is a travel agent asking this question is what I curious about

 

I was wondering the same thing. Do TAs go through a certification process and testing?

[Freckles_51]

I am a travel agent and I booked a group of 7 cabins with 21 people leaving on the Breakaway 8/31. One cabin is a couple and the girlfriend can't make the cruise. I called NCL to cancel her off the reservation and was told that the passenger that is still going will have to pay an additional $1400 penalty on top of the full fare that he has already paid. Has anybody ever heard of this policy? I don't recall ever seeing it posted on CC. He asked for my advice and I am at a loss for words. If he just say's at check in that she couldn't make it will they charge his shipboard account? One reason he wants to have her removed from the reservation is so he can purchase the UBP for one.

 

Is the person cancelling covered by cancellation insurance through NCL? That's a possible reason why they may want another payment. If coverage is through another company then she should cancel, otherwise the insurance company will not pay up. If not covered then a no show is probably best solution.

 

Is the person still going covered by insurance? Insurance coverage that I purchase will cover additional expenses (ie single supplement) caused by the cancellation of a travel companion. He may want to look into that if he is covered.

 

My friend cancelled 1 week before the cruise and I did not have to pay anything more to NCL, but her insurance was not through NCL. This was in 2010, maybe the terms and conditions have changed since then.

[JuneauMe]

Thanks I will tell him to just check in and say she will be there later.

Please come back after his cruise and let us know how it worked out

Edited August 28, 2014 by JuneauMe

[conandrob240]

This is a very basic thing a TA should know. Now, asking advice on things on the ship or other more obscure experiences I think is okay. A TA can't have personally gone on every single ship or seen every show, dined at every restaurant. But a TA that doesn't know to just no show the second guest doesn't seem like a TA anyone should use.

[JuneauMe]

What's the difference? TA clients come here all the time asking stuff that their TA should be answering... OP is an example of why that happens. But otherwise, yeah, I agree...

I was thinking more about how many times NCL's own personnel have given out wrong info, and people have come here to get verification from others when the info doesn't sound right.

[Docalbe]

I am a travel agent and I booked a group of 7 cabins with 21 people leaving on the Breakaway 8/31. One cabin is a couple and the girlfriend can't make the cruise. I called NCL to cancel her off the reservation and was told that the passenger that is still going will have to pay an additional $1400 penalty on top of the full fare that he has already paid. Has anybody ever heard of this policy? I don't recall ever seeing it posted on CC. He asked for my advice and I am at a loss for words. If he just say's at check in that she couldn't make it will they charge his shipboard account? One reason he wants to have her removed from the reservation is so he can purchase the UBP for one.

 

I've been on a couple of cruises and this just doesn't sound right.....I can see given up the MIA pass... But were did the $1400 come in??????:confused:

[English101]

Please come back after his cruise and let us know how it worked out

 

I'm curious of the outcome as well.

[Steeler Nation At Sea]

I was thinking more about how many times NCL's own personnel have given out wrong info, and people have come here to get verification from others when the info doesn't sound right.

 

This is fine if I am doing my own booking and research. If I am using a TA, I hope they are getting valid answers, in writing when questionable, from the cruise line.

 

That said there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to be gained on these boards. There's also a lot of BS. I'd hate for a TA to mistake BS for fact.

 

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

[JuneauMe]

This is fine if I am doing my own booking and research. If I am using a TA, I hope they are getting valid answers, in writing when questionable, from the cruise line.

 

That said there is a wealth of knowledge and experience to be gained on these boards. There's also a lot of BS. I'd hate for a TA to mistake BS for fact. Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

 

This is a very good point, and I hope the OP gets it too

[hftmrock]

wow... I think people are being a bit harsh on the TA. I do not believe NCL will provide the specific information about being a no show. I think while legitimate, it is not part of the rules for NCL. NCL will probably tell anyone who asks that they have to declare a no show when then know it and pay the penalty. The TA might not have known about this skirting of the rules. I think the TA did the right thing in finding a knowledgeable place to find out if the penalty would be assessed after the passenger checked it

 

just my opinion

[rochelle_s]

wow... I think people are being a bit harsh on the TA. I do not believe NCL will provide the specific information about being a no show. I think while legitimate, it is not part of the rules for NCL. NCL will probably tell anyone who asks that they have to declare a no show when then know it and pay the penalty. The TA might not have known about this skirting of the rules. I think the TA did the right thing in finding a knowledgeable place to find out if the penalty would be assessed after the passenger checked it

 

just my opinion

 

 

I agree with you. The TA is simply asking a question, perhaps in hopes of finding other alternatives for their client. If the cruise lines position is that the fare is forfeited and the now solo occupant must pay a supplement then it is very unlikely that the rep at NCL would say "Just don't show". I cannot imagine the employee would have their job very long if they went around deliberately giving information that goes against company policy.

 

I for one would appreciate a TA who wanted to do the best for me as the client. The TA was not obligated to give any other information other than the official policy of the cruise line. I think it is good that they are willing to explore other options even if it is a Cruise Critic.

 

They are damned if someone doesn't research on Cruise Critic (because everyone is so knowledgeable here :rolleyes:) and they are damned when they do. Sometimes you just can't win with this crowd.

 

 

Rochelle

[hawkeyetlse]

Just have her no show at the dock. No penalty.

Except that they now have a record of the TA calling NCL to cancel and getting the information about the $1400 fee for the remaining passenger (which I assume corresponds to the single supplement). I imagine that someone at NCL takes a careful look at no-shows in case there's anything fishy going on, and in this case they would probably have enough information to give the TA and their client a hard time if they choose to.

 

Personally if I were a TA, I think I would come here for information all the time. But I would never identify myself as a TA, to protect myself and my clients, in case the discussion ever turned to violating cruise line policies or skirting their rules in possibly less-than-totally-legitimate ways. For example, NCL can easily identify the OP of this thread and find out that this is where they got the idea of letting the passenger no-show instead of cancelling properly, as NCL would obviously prefer.

[Shawnino]

Meanwhile, over at the WebMD forum...

 

OP: Yeah, so I'm an orthopaedic surgeon doing a knee replacement and I've got the patient open here and there's something about the anterior cruciate ligament that is a little unusual. It doesn't look torn as much as it just doesn't look as fibrous as usual. Can I get some advice from some experienced members on the board here as to what I should...

 

 

wow... I think people are being a bit harsh on the TA. I do not believe NCL will provide the specific information about being a no show. I think while legitimate, it is not part of the rules for NCL. NCL will probably tell anyone who asks that they have to declare a no show when then know it and pay the penalty. The TA might not have known about this skirting of the rules. I think the TA did the right thing in finding a knowledgeable place to find out if the penalty would be assessed after the passenger checked it

 

just my opinion