NCL To Resume Cruises April 12?

[pmcx68]

I am seeing this story on several sites in the last hour.  The most recent from the Miami Herald.

 

https://www.miamiherald.com/news/business/tourism-cruises/article241617691.html

https://abc7news.com/coronavirus-economic-updates-markets-tick-up-slightly-after-weeks-of-volatility/6062752/

 

Coronavirus economic updates: Markets tick up slightly after weeks of volatility

By CATHERINE THORBECKE
Updated 2 hours ago

Cruise lines extend suspension of operations amid COVID-19

 

Multiple cruise lines announced Monday they were extending their suspension of operations further as the COVID-19 outbreak continues to batter the travel industry.

 

Holland America, a subsidiary of Carnival, said it will extend its suspension of global ship operations through May 14.

 

Royal Caribbean has currently suspended global operations through May 11 and Princess Cruse Line has suspended trips until at least May 10.

 

Norwegian Cruise Line currently plans to lift its suspension on April 12.

Edited March 30, 2020 by pmcx68

[linbobky]

People, you will be lucky to cruise before the 1st of the year! This sickness is not going away soon.

[luv2kroooz]

Therein lies the danger of having zero corporate communication.

FAKE NEWS!

[PATRLR]

1 minute ago, blcruising said:

Therein lies the danger of having zero corporate communication.

FAKE NEWS!

What's fake about it?  As of this moment, everything written in the OP is accurate.  

 

Until NCL says otherwise, we're crusin on the 12th.  I better get packin...

 

[kwokpot]

Not going to happen. The state of Florida is under near total lockdown. In fact, the Governor doesn't even want the Holland America Cruiseship to dock in Florida since there's passengers with Covid19 on board. Just because a cruiseline WANTS to sail doesn't mean they have any possibility of actually sailing from any port. There is Zero chance, ZERO ZERO ZERO

Edited March 30, 2020 by kwokpot

[kwokpot]

https://www.nbcmiami.com/news/local/nearly-5500-coronavirus-in-florida-half-in-miami-dade-and-broward/2212921/

[luv2kroooz]

3 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

What's fake about it?  As of this moment, everything written in the OP is accurate.  

 

Until NCL says otherwise, we're crusin on the 12th.  I better get packin...

 

Figure of speech....a word or phrase used in a non-literal sense.

Happy cruisin!

[mips]

When I called this morning I was told I am still sailing out of NYC On 4/19 and into Seattle with no itinerary changes. This has been the same news as I have had every time I have contacted NCL

[kwokpot]

1 minute ago, mips said:

When I called this morning I was told I am still sailing out of NYC On 4/19 and into Seattle with no itinerary changes. This has been the same news as I have had every time I have contacted NCL

Doesn't that get you crazy mad when you know that's an impossibility?

[BillDz]

6 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

Doesn't that get you crazy mad when you know that's an impossibility?

 

It definitely drops my confidence in NCL to zero. They're still showing a 4/12 departure from New York, when the NY Cruise Terminal is officially closed. Not a word on the NCL website.

 

 

[bluesea777]

 

 

No.

 

 

Edited March 30, 2020 by bluesea777

[njhorseman]

NCL website says all cruises have been suspended through May 10.

[beerman2]

So the President has extended social distancing until May 1st. Who in their right mind thinks NCL is going to "buck " the system.

 

Do they lack good customer service YES,  common sense says NCL isn't sailing in April.

 

I believe Cheng75 said it will take 4-6 weeks to get ships ready to sail after the go ahead is OK'd.

 

He is very knowledgeable on the shipping /cruise industry.

Edited March 30, 2020 by beerman2

[hamrag]

Information onSUSPENDED SAILINGS

Updated 03/30/2020    Your safety is our #1 priority—both on and off our ships. Due to the current global environment, we are extending the suspension of all sailings across our fleet through May 10, 2020 and plan to relaunch cruise operations with embarkations beginning May 11, 2020. We are thinking of each and every one of you, and together we will return to our favourite place - the ocean, stronger than ever.

Guests who were booked on suspended cruises will automatically receive a 125% or 150% refund of their cruise fare in the form of a Future Cruise Credit which can be applied towards any Norwegian Cruise Line voyage through December 31, 2022. Future Cruise Credits will be applied to your account by April 1, 2020.

EMBARKATION DATES	FUTURE CRUISE CREDIT
March 13 to March 17, 2020	150% of cruise fare
March 18 to May 10, 2020	125% of cruise fare

We’re also giving an additional 20% discount when you book by April 14, 2020 using your Future Cruise Credit on cruises embarking July 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022! This discount will be automatically applied when you book online.

Guests who do not prefer to take advantage of a future cruise credit will receive a refund to be payable after 90 days from completion of the Refund Form below. Refund requests must be submitted by April 27, 2020 for all suspended sailings.

Please note that if your suspended sailing was scheduled to embark between April 12 - May 10, 2020, you will not be able to request your refund through this form until April 13, 2020.

[mynameisvlad]

1 minute ago, hamrag said:

Please note that if your suspended sailing was scheduled to embark between April 12 - May 10, 2020, you will not be able to request your refund through this form until April 13, 2020.

 

Great, so 2 weeks and 90 days for anyone booked in the second period. They're really trying to space out those refunds.

[Linda1111]

48 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

What's fake about it?  As of this moment, everything written in the OP is accurate.  

 

Until NCL says otherwise, we're crusin on the 12th.  I better get packin...

 

Updated 03/30/2020    Your safety is our #1 priority—both on and off our ships. Due to the current global environment, we are extending the suspension of all sailings across our fleet through May 10, 2020 and plan to relaunch cruise operations with embarkations beginning May 11, 2020. We are thinking of each and every one of you, and together we will return to our favorite place — the ocean, stronger than ever.

Guests who were booked on suspended cruises will automatically receive a 125% or 150% refund of their cruise fare in the form of a Future Cruise Credit which can be applied towards any Norwegian Cruise Line voyage through December 31, 2022. Future Cruise Credits will be applied to your account by April 1, 2020.

EMBARKATION DATES	FUTURE CRUISE CREDIT
March 13 to March 17, 2020	150% of cruise fare
March 18 to May 10, 2020	125% of cruise fare

We’re also giving an additional 20% discount when you book by April 14, 2020 using your Future Cruise Credit on cruises embarking July 1, 2020 - December 31, 2022! This discount will be automatically applied when you book online.

Guests who do not prefer to take advantage of a future cruise credit will receive a refund to be payable after 90 days from completion of the Refund Form below. Refund requests must be submitted by April 27, 2020 for all suspended sailings.

Please note that if your suspended sailing was scheduled to embark between April 12 - May 10, 2020, you will not be able to request your refund through this form until April 13, 2020.

[hamrag]

1 minute ago, mynameisvlad said:

 

Great, so 2 weeks and 90 days for anyone booked in the second period. They're really trying to space out those refunds.

That is a similar timeframe to what we had when our 22 March cruise was cancelled. We were notified on 13th or 14th March, and could not apply for a refund before 23rd March....in the end it was the 24th, I understand, before the system was accepting such applications.

[Love my butler]

Payable after 90 days from completion of the Refund Form.  So the fuzzy language they use doesn't even guarantee you within 90 days.  It simply says after 90 days.  One day after 90 days?  One week?  You see where this is going.  This was written by lawyers so NCL can unethically keep YOUR money as long as legally possible.

[pmcx68]

I agree, this is what happens when you lack communication from the corporation.  NCL really seems to be struggling in providing updated information.  I see shortly after the news services ran with NCL to resume cruises 4/12 they got their act together and made a statement.  I am glad.  I had a cruise out of NY on 5/10.  At this point I just want my money back.

 

[mynameisvlad]

33 minutes ago, hamrag said:

That is a similar timeframe to what we had when our 22 March cruise was cancelled. We were notified on 13th or 14th March, and could not apply for a refund before 23rd March....in the end it was the 24th, I understand, before the system was accepting such applications.

 

Yeah, but I could understand it then because it takes time to create the processes. I mean, creating a web form doesn't take 10 days but it was a semi-believable excuse at least.

 

Now they don't even have an excuse to go with. They just don't want to give the money back, which I totally understand from a business perspective but is absolute crap in terms of long-term customer retention. Being burned while already in a foul mood from the world getting destroyed around you is not going to make anyone want to sail NCL in the future.

 

At this point, I'm honestly just considering a chargeback (in this case, they 100% cannot provide the services paid for and have said so themselves) and just never sailing with them again.

[vince_g]

10 minutes ago, mynameisvlad said:

 

Yeah, but I could understand it then because it takes time to create the processes. I mean, creating a web form doesn't take 10 days but it was a semi-believable excuse at least.

 

Now they don't even have an excuse to go with. They just don't want to give the money back, which I totally understand from a business perspective but is absolute crap in terms of long-term customer retention. Being burned while already in a foul mood from the world getting destroyed around you is not going to make anyone want to sail NCL in the future.

 

At this point, I'm honestly just considering a chargeback (in this case, they 100% cannot provide the services paid for and have said so themselves) and just never sailing with them again.

You can try to do a chargeback.  Your credit card may give you a provisional credit while they investigate, but in the end you will lose the chargeback as soon as NCL acknowledges that they have a refund mechanism.  You have to settle the matter with the merchant first.

[mynameisvlad]

8 minutes ago, vince_g said:

You can try to do a chargeback.  Your credit card may give you a provisional credit while they investigate, but in the end you will lose the chargeback as soon as NCL acknowledges that they have a refund mechanism.  You have to settle the matter with the merchant first.

 

As per Amex's Dispute Reference Guide, to respond to a C08 (goods not received or only partially received), the merchant must provide:

• Proof that a credit which directly offsets the disputed charge has already been processed

 

Additionally, under "How do I Avoid this Dispute in the Future?", it lists:

• Issue refunds within 24-28 hours of being notified that goods/services were not received.

 

I don't think a promise of an eventual refund in the future will qualify. This obviously may differ for Visa and Mastercard, which have their own rules and might be more lenient with merchants.

Edited March 30, 2020 by mynameisvlad
Made it a bit more clear who provides the proof

[vince_g]

3 minutes ago, mynameisvlad said:

 

As per Amex's Dispute Reference Guide, to respond to a C08 (goods not received or only partially received), the merchant must provide:

• Proof that a credit which directly offsets the disputed charge has already been processed

 

Additionally, under "How do I Avoid this Dispute in the Future?", it lists:

• Issue refunds within 24-28 hours of being notified that goods/services were not received.

 

I don't think a promise of an eventual refund in the future will qualify. This obviously may differ for Visa and Mastercard, which have their own rules and might be more lenient with merchants.

Best of luck to you! 

[hamrag]

13 hours ago, mynameisvlad said:

.....At this point, I'm honestly just considering a chargeback (in this case, they 100% cannot provide the services paid for and have said so themselves) and just never sailing with them again.

 

Yes, you can do that, absolutely....and it is not 'friendly fraud' or whatever name it has been given by a few on various threads, who clearly do not understand consumer rights in relation to Chargeback!

 

Here in the UK, in law, refunds must be paid within 14 days. We are just out of that timescale now, and I was notified yesterday that my case has gone up the senior management structure at NCL UK. Have decided they have until the end of this business week to resolve, if not then I shall initiate a Section 75 claim without further delay. That means if I need to make the claim, and I expect the standard canned response from NCL, there is clear evidence that I tried (unsuccessfully) to resolve the matter with the vendor.

Edited March 31, 2020 by hamrag

[PATRLR]

15 hours ago, blcruising said:

Figure of speech....a word or phrase used in a non-literal sense.

Happy cruisin!

Yeah, I knew that.  My post was very poorly written.  I was thinking along the lines of the "it's sad that what we all know is wrong (i.e. "fake news") is actually technically correct at the moment.  And that's a problem."  

Thankfully NCL finally stepped up and did what everyone knew they would have to do.