Escape 4/2/22 Voyage Cancelled

[BirdTravels]

Most of us saw one of the travel agents “jump the gun” and release the cancellation last night. Today, NCL makes it official. 

 

 

Dear Valued Guests and Travel Partners, On behalf of Norwegian Cruise Line, thank you for your loyalty and for making us your vacation of choice.   We are so very sorry to inform you that the repairs onboard Norwegian Escape will take longer than originally expected and as a result your voyage onboard Norwegian Escape April 2, 2022, has been canceled. We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this may cause, as we understand now more than ever the desire to travel and reconnect with the places and people, we've missed most.    We would like to provide all affected guests with two options: 1. Sail on another ship this upcoming weekend PLUS receive a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) valued at 100% of your current voyage fare paid. a. Contact us at 1.866.234.7350 by 9pm Eastern Time on March 30, 2022 to move your current reservation, at no additional cost, to sail onboard one of the below itineraries  i. Norwegian Joy 7-night cruise from Miami, FL sailing April 2, 2022  ii. Norwegian Breakaway 7-night cruise from New Orleans, LA sailing April 3, 2022 iii. Norwegian Dawn 7-night cruise from Tampa, FL sailing April 3, 2022 iv. Norwegian Encore 7-night cruise from Miami, FL sailing April 3, 2022 Stateroom accommodations on your new cruise is subject to available inventory and will be capacity controlled. Original category secured may not be available. b. If you secured your flights with Norwegian Cruise Line, you will receive your new flight itinerary by Friday, April 1, 2022. Guests who secured flights independently are directed to contact the airline to arrange applicable updates and travel protection provider for reimbursement. c. The FCC, valued at 100% of your current voyage fare paid, will be applied to your Latitudes account and will be available as of April 11, 2022, for any voyage through April 11, 2023. OR 2. Get a full refund to your original form of payment, not including BookSafe Standard or Platinum travel protection, PLUS receive an FCC valued at 50% of your current voyage fare paid.   a. No further action is required on your part; your refund will be automatically processed within fifteen business days and will be visible within seven to ten business days from the processed date. The visibility of the funds is dependent on your financial institution's internal policies. b. If your most current reservation was paid via an FCC, 100% of the FCC used (excluding BookSafe Standard or Platinum travel protection) will be re-applied to your Latitudes account. No further action is required; the FCC will be automatically added within seven business days.   c. The FCC, valued at 50% of your current voyage fare paid, will be applied to your Latitudes account and will be available as of April 11, 2022, for any voyage through April 11, 2023.
Please note, guests who do not contact us by 9pm Eastern Time on March 30, 2022 will automatically receive the second option. Once again, we apologize for this unforeseen event, however, we are looking forward to welcoming you onboard in the near future to enjoy your long-awaited vacation at sea. If you have any questions, please contact us at (866) 234-7350 (U.S. and Canada) or visit us at www.ncl.com. We look forward to exploring the world with you soon in the safety and comfort of an amazing Norwegian Cruise Line ship!  Sincerely, Katty Byrd Senior Vice President, Guest Services

[sberg23]

We're on the 4/2 sailing and despite crossed fingers we just got the NCL cancellation letter this morning at 9:06am (was at dog groomer at the time I saw the email and was like aww crap!).  Luckily for us we live in Jax and will instead sail out of Miami on 4/3.  It's a longer drive and will now want to book a hotel the night prior... and now need to bump our COVID test another day to Friday... but that 100% FCC is a VERY nice offering for the inconvenience. 

 

We purposefully didn't book any excursions yet for this very possibility.

 

Now trying to book a similar room on Deck 14 (only 2 remain), but my PCC doesn't start work until 11:00am (I left him VM and email just to try to connect) and I'm currently on a 34 minute hold with NCL.  He previously shared with me that when 3/26 cancelled the "good" rooms disappeared within hours.  Gotta act fast.

Edited March 29, 2022 by sberg23

[Two Wheels Only]

19 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

"Sail on another ship this upcoming weekend PLUS receive a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) valued at 100% of your current voyage fare paid."

 

I'd be cool with that. 👍

 

 

....as long as I get the same category that I originally booked on the other ship.

 

23 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

"Stateroom accommodations on your new cruise is subject to available inventory and will be capacity controlled. Original category secured may not be available."

 

.... nevermind....😉

[LadyShiva]

Any successful same category rebookings?  

[Hart65]

We are due to sail on the April 16th sailing but I’m not hopeful at all.  The only other 7 day sailing from any of the 3 Florida ports for the same week is on the NCL Joy so our options would be very limited. 

I am sure that NCL is aware of exactly how long repairs will take but this is maddening cancelling week by week (probably to keep the shareholders happy).  

 
 

[sberg23]

16 minutes ago, LadyShiva said:

Any successful same category rebookings?  

 

Yes but not necessarily the same Deck.  We previously had a Club Balcony cabin on Deck 14, and as of now I see 1 available on Deck 15, 1 on Deck 14, and 12 on Deck 13.  Lots on Deck 12.  

 

After speaking with the first NCL rep at the 32 min hold time (I was very nice to her bc I'm certain she's having a tough day already), she said she had to then send me over to the Resolutions Team.  I've been on another hold for 10-15 min already.

[LadyShiva]

18 minutes ago, sberg23 said:

 

Yes but not necessarily the same Deck.  We previously had a Club Balcony cabin on Deck 14, and as of now I see 1 available on Deck 15, 1 on Deck 14, and 12 on Deck 13.  Lots on Deck 12.  

 

After speaking with the first NCL rep at the 32 min hold time (I was very nice to her bc I'm certain she's having a tough day already), she said she had to then send me over to the Resolutions Team.  I've been on another hold for 10-15 min already.

 

Geez... my best friend had to go from a 2 bedroom Haven to an M4 on Joy.  Not quite the family cruise she was dreaming of.  We're scrambling now to get a hotel room; Hyatt airport hotels seem to be the least bad of what's left in inventory.

 

Edit: Nope, she is cancelling.  FCC was the breaking point.  😞

Edited March 29, 2022 by LadyShiva

[oteixeira]

5 minutes ago, LadyShiva said:

 

Geez... my best friend had to go from a 2 bedroom Haven to an M4 on Joy.  Not quite the family cruise she was dreaming of.  We're scrambling now to get a hotel room; Hyatt airport hotels seem to be the least bad of what's left in inventory.

 

Edit: Nope, she is cancelling.  FCC was the breaking point.  😞

This is actually an interesting point I had not thought of.  If you paid say 6000 to be in the Haven (and we all know that is kind of low end unless you book last minute) and the only room on one of the alternate cruises is a Club Balcony that at best is a 2800 room, do you get the difference in FCC plus the 100% FCC for a future cruise?  My guess is that is asking too much.  Probably better in that case to get 100% of your money back, book last minute on a different line from the same city (if there is something available, so you don't lose your hotel and flight), pocket the money difference, and use the 100% future FCC within the next year (which you had to do anyway).  

[sberg23]

This is nuts.  Other than speaking with the first NCL rep for 10 minutes I've been on this call for a total one hour and 44 min.  Been holding for Resolution for over an hour.

[GALSews]

17 minutes ago, oteixeira said:

This is actually an interesting point I had not thought of.  If you paid say 6000 to be in the Haven (and we all know that is kind of low end unless you book last minute) and the only room on one of the alternate cruises is a Club Balcony that at best is a 2800 room, do you get the difference in FCC plus the 100% FCC for a future cruise?  My guess is that is asking too much.  Probably better in that case to get 100% of your money back, book last minute on a different line from the same city (if there is something available, so you don't lose your hotel and flight), pocket the money difference, and use the 100% future FCC within the next year (which you had to do anyway).  

My reading of OP 

"OR

2. Get a full refund to your original form of payment, not including BookSafe Standard or Platinum travel protection, PLUS receive an FCC valued at 50% of your current voyage fare paid.  "

 

says  if you take the money you get a 50%FCC.

 

 

[Roberttrnll]

Has anyone who was on the March 12th sailing that ran aground actually received both your cash refund and had the FCC credited to your account as per the letter we received onboard?  I called in today and the person said NCL was only giving the FCC which is not what the letter stated and most of my cruise was paid using my NCL credit card.  

[sberg23]

Finally done rebooking for the 4/3 Encore sailing out of Miami.  That call took a TOTAL two hours and 42 minutes.  Completely ridiculous to ask a passenger to deal with that kind of timeframe just to rebook.  NCL is completely unprepared for this kind of issue (after 3 weeks of cancellations already).

 

So in all, I spent 30 min on hold to speak to the first rep, chatter with her for about 15 min, then spent 70 min on a second hold to get to the Resolutions Team, who then put me on hold for another 20+ while she was processing my transfer before chatting for about 15 min.  Similar Club Balcony cabin in Decks 15 and 14 filled up during this timeframe, and despite a lot of rooms showing available on Deck 13 she stuck me down on Deck 12.  I asked her to move me up to 13, which she did.

 

So now I'm scrambling to select dining times and review excursions... and the NCL site appears to be having issues as the Reservations page is down and I cannot even Log Out of the site.  Classic.

 

Pretty much a garbage experience overall, so I'm just telling myself that that bonus 100% FCC will come in handy for our December cruise in Hawaii 🙂

[tmcabee]

I heard back from our TA, she was able to move us over to the Encore. It looks like all my perks transferred over, as they now show on ncl.com. My eDocs are also available to download, so I don't have to watch the video 4 times (again)! We were a BC balcony before, now a BB balcony (same class of room, same deck - 10th).
 

I moved our Covid tests from Thursday to Friday (although had to go to a different location). The only downside I can see, it will be a LONG drive back on Sunday (10+ hours) and more expensive to park in Miami.
 

Having said all of that, although it was an anxious couple of days, I'm beyond thrilled that everything appears to be set now! I'm happy to sail on a ship I've never been on (had already sailed Escape twice), and looking forward to a relaxing week onboard. On top of all that, when I get back, there should be an FCC credit available to plan our next cruise!
 

I hope everyone ends up having a great time, no matter which sailing you are on!

[bigrednole]

I feel for you not getting the vacation you wanted. However, you had to know this was coming and should have prepared yourself for it. Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D should have all been in the cards already. Long wait times, confusion, and frustration should have been prepared for.

 

Unfortunately, people are not getting the room type they had. But, you will get a full FCC for that, so roll with it. If you don't like the options on the ships available, just take the refund and the 50% FCC. 

[Strikeout]

I too was on the March 12 sailing that ran ashore.

We were promised full refund or full FCC PLUS a 100% future cruise credit which could be used until March 25,2023.  I attached the letter We received from the captain that assured us these credits and dates.

All refunds and credits were promised to be showing in our accounts by the end of last week.

 

We have not been refunded, our “credits” are not accurate , and it says we have to use credits before Dec of this year!    
 

Take the refund folks and run - the future cruise credits are a nightmare (learned from March 2020) and they change the dates of when u can use them.  Not happy with Norwegian for these reasons - make it better Norwegian and honor what you stated in writing.

[bigrednole]

Maybe some people are confusing the 100% FCC. From my understanding, it is the cruise fare. Not the port fees, taxes, and other charges. The cruise fare is only about half of the total you pay.

[Strikeout]

Bigrednole … nope - not confusing that - I dealt with  future cruise credit from March 2020.  I’m also not confused that my credit card hasn’t been refunded and I can see that the date is not correct …

[Roberttrnll]

I'd like to see what was promised.  Where is the Full Refund?  I have some FCC posted to my account now, but my cruise was not paid for using FCC so a Refund is also due.  I saw the same thing regarding 12/31 which is not what the letter said.  And most of the taxes and fess should be returned since we did not go to the ports.  I can assure NCL after using our FCC we will not be back.  For people who were not on the cruise you do not understand how poorly it was handled by NCL.  The crew was great, the cruise line was not. 

Edited March 29, 2022 by Roberttrnll

[Roberttrnll]

Have any of you tried calling NCL on this?  The person I got this morning on the chat said they weren't going to give the cash refund and I should call in if I had question. I called and the message said the hold time was 34 minutes, so I left a call back number.  That was almost 5 hours ago.  There must be someone there who knows what is going on.  How do you get ahold of someone higher up?  I was also told part of the credit is under a code that is not appearing in my account online.  I also asked if I could be provided with the total credit for our family and was told they can't do that.  

[BirdTravels]

I was totally pleased with the rebooking process. All of my original reservation magically migrated to the new ship including my check in (and check in time). Our room is not as good, but not bad. 

[sberg23]

1 hour ago, bigrednole said:

I feel for you not getting the vacation you wanted. However, you had to know this was coming and should have prepared yourself for it. Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D should have all been in the cards already. Long wait times, confusion, and frustration should have been prepared for.

Not sure exactly who this is in response to.  As for me personally, I knew that Tuesday 3/29 was the day in question based on prior week cancellation timings, and I already knew my backup plan (Miami).  In fact, I wasn't entirely opposed to cancellation knowing the FCC coming my way.  But it still doesn't excuse NCL's inability to adequately handle the cancellations/rebookings of thousands of passengers when they already had 3 weeks' worth under their belt.  All the planning in the world doesn't matter if the company in question cannot take your call in a timely manner.  Thankfully I reacted early enough to only take ~3 hours of my time today while also working.

 

My posts were to help provide accurate expectations to those who need to perform the same steps. 

Edited March 29, 2022 by sberg23

[Sthrngary]

46 minutes ago, Roberttrnll said:

Have any of you tried calling NCL on this?  The person I got this morning on the chat said they weren't going to give the cash refund and I should call in if I had question. I called and the message said the hold time was 34 minutes, so I left a call back number.  That was almost 5 hours ago.  There must be someone there who knows what is going on.  How do you get ahold of someone higher up?  I was also told part of the credit is under a code that is not appearing in my account online.  I also asked if I could be provided with the total credit for our family and was told they can't do that.  

First and foremost, I am so very sorry about your long awaited vacation.  It is heart breaking.  On to some advice.  I was cancelled four times and after the first two times, I got the program.  I have no clue why it is so complicated.  I know it is frustrating. 

 

1. What the document actually outlines: "Get a full refund to your original form of payment, not including BookSafe Standard or Platinum travel protection, PLUS receive an FCC valued at 50% of your current voyage fare paid."
2. Cruises Cancelled for March 19, 2022: I was on the Joy, March 19th sailing.  800 folks came on board this cruise from the Cancelled Escape Cruise.  At first they were upset.  Flights, transportation ect had to be all fixed.  After a few hours, they all seemed to settle in.  Those that I met started to relax and enjoy. The comments starting day three was, "And we have another cruise we can take."  Great attitude and they genuinely seemed to have a great time.  I personally would choose the encore of the ships provided it it was possible.
3. Calling NCL: Just wait the 30 minutes.  They are overwhelmed and not staffed for this kind of thing.  No excuses however if I had to wait all day, I would get even more upset. 

 

Knowing things happen is one thing.  Having to go through this is so very stressful.  I hope it all works out for everyone. 

 

Cruise well.

[sberg23]

11 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

I was totally pleased with the rebooking process. All of my original reservation magically migrated to the new ship including my check in (and check in time). Our room is not as good, but not bad. 

Once I actually got to the Resolutions Team, agreed, it was smooth enough as my entire booking migrated over to the Encore.  Same class cabin.  Same additional purchased items (Prepaid Gratuities + the small Travel Insurance + Thermal Suite).  In fact, the Thermal Suite on the Encore is $50 more pp than the Escape and they ate the difference.

Edited March 29, 2022 by sberg23

[Roberttrnll]

Credit Card refunds were being posted today for the 3/12 cruise.  Having to file a claim as our unused excursions (St. Thomas) and cabin upgrade were not refunded.  The person I worked with was very patient which was very helpful.  Lots of piecemeal credits and refunds.    All hope is not lost 🙂

 

 

Edited March 29, 2022 by Roberttrnll

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, sberg23 said:

Once I actually got to the Resolutions Team, agreed, it was smooth enough as my entire booking migrated over to the Encore.  Same class cabin.  Same additional purchased items (Prepaid Gratuities + the small Travel Insurance + Thermal Suite).  In fact, the Thermal Suite on the Encore is $50 more pp than the Escape and they ate the difference.

And our shareholder credit came right over also.