Just got canceled

[jsn55]

On 8/9/2022 at 4:30 PM, LGW59 said:

"pain" "awful" "horrible shock".   While I def agree it is disappointing, it's still just a cruise, replaceable at that, it's not a terminal illness diagnosis.

Well, maybe I'm not as stiff-upper-lipped as y'all on the opposite coast.  I have had very little opportunity to travel in almost three years, I have researched, booked, cancelled and rebooked countless cruises.  I am bored to tears.  We're supposed to be DONE with the virus hysteria.  If I were a month out from sailing and the cruise was cancelled, it would be AWFUL.  I would be shocked and I would find it painful.  Our OP has my heartfelt sympathy. 

[philv]

I just finished a chat with an NCL agent. I asked her if there was any information about cancellations for my September 24 cruise on POA. After much roundabout she said she thought notices went out to affected passengers today. I haven't received any notification so I'm hoping for best.

 

Along the way I asked what criteria was used for cancellation. She said she didn't know for sure but based on the wording of correspondence she has seen she believed it was random selection. Hard to believe but that's what she said.

 

Edited August 11, 2022 by philv

[DCGuy64]

18 hours ago, sanger727 said:

 

 

The person posted that they were giving a cash refund plus FCC. That seems more than fair. A bit like airlines when they overbook and offer to pay people to miss the flight. That seems like it would be the best solution, to offer all passengers to voluntarily cancel with a generous bonus. Someone who takes several cruises a year may be happy to take that. Someone who only gets one vacation every year and can't reschedule a new one easily, wouldn't. That's the problem with this situation. Sure, you are getting a refund. But that doesn't mean your work schedule allows you to schedule a new vacation. You may just be missing out for the rest of the year then. 

You make some really good points. My wife and I typically only go on one cruise a year. If our only cruise were to get canceled, that would not be fun. However, do we actually know what percentage of passengers are in this category? I'd love to see that. My suspicion is that a lot of cruise passengers aren't on Cruise Critic, so I'd sure love to know how many people on a canceled cruise were those "once a year, can't reschedule" kinds. We've have multiple cruises canceled due to Covid, and my boss was always understanding when I told her I had to reschedule. OTOH ever since 2020, for various reasons, the cruise industry has been experiencing tons of issues outside their control: the pandemic, the war in Ukraine, Canada being closed, then open, some countries totally closed off, staff shortages, supply chain issues, etc. They've lost tons of money, so I highly doubt any cruise line is itching to cancel cruises and upset customers. Everyone who cruises needs to pack patience and realize there's always a possibility your cruise won't happen. And make sure to get insurance.

[Yesimapirate]

On 8/9/2022 at 6:56 PM, UKstages said:

 

 

in an "oversold" situation, when a hospitality company can't accommodate all booked customers, it is common for those with status (with airlines and hotels, for instance) to be "bumped" or "walked" as a very last resort... regardless of when the booking was made or the price the customer paid.

 

it would be unusual, and a deviation from accepted norms in the hospitality industry, to ignore a customer's status when making a decision such as this.

 

(and, yes, i know the ship is not oversold... but the net effect is the same... NCL apparently can't accommodate all who were booked.)

Quite the opposite.   In fact,  Hilton,  Bonvoy, Hyatt and SPG (before it was bought) all published strict penalties to a property for walking guests with status.   However,  it's a false equivalent anyway as the hotel brands simply manage most properties and they're owned by someone else.

 

The airlines are similar.   When they offer an incentive to take another flight on an oversold situation,  the highest status wins.   They're also the last ones bumped and the first ones reaccomated.   Most hotels and airlines even have "special" phones numbers with more experienced agents to help the process. 

[PATRLR]

On 8/9/2022 at 6:56 PM, UKstages said:

in an "oversold" situation, when a hospitality company can't accommodate all booked customers, it is common for those with status (with airlines and hotels, for instance) to be "bumped" or "walked" as a very last resort... regardless of when the booking was made or the price the customer paid.

 

it would be unusual, and a deviation from accepted norms in the hospitality industry, to ignore a customer's status when making a decision such as this.

 

4 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

Quite the opposite.   In fact,  Hilton,  Bonvoy, Hyatt and SPG (before it was bought) all published strict penalties to a property for walking guests with status.   

you might want to read more carefully, UKStages said the same thing, not the opposite.

 

 

4 minutes ago, Yesimapirate said:

However,  it's a false equivalent anyway as the hotel brands simply manage most properties and they're owned by someone else.

 Ownership of property is irrelevant in this discussion of industry standard practices.

[Yesimapirate]

11 minutes ago, PATRLR said:

 

you might want to read more carefully, UKStages said the same thing, not the opposite.

 

 

 Ownership of property is irrelevant in this discussion of industry standard practices.

You're right.   I guess I miss reread.  Thank you for the correction. 

[prov2727]

On 8/10/2022 at 9:53 AM, BermudaBound2014 said:

I'm just going to toss this out there, feel free to ignore:

 

I'd be very cautious accepting FCC over cash for this sailing. The quarterly release yesterday was troubling. Insiders are selling. More dilution is inevitable. I believe (and have believed since 2020) that restructuring the cruise lines is an option on the table. I'm not saying all FCC would become worthless, but it's a possibility. Cash in hand from cruise lines is always going to be the safest bet, especially over the next year when we will start to know how it all shakes out.

AND Guest Relations is now saying that this type of FCC is actually a " a discount coupon and any unused amount is forfeited as they are a ‘one-time use only’ coupon." Take the cash!!

[mjkacmom]

16 minutes ago, prov2727 said:

AND Guest Relations is now saying that this type of FCC is actually a " a discount coupon and any unused amount is forfeited as they are a ‘one-time use only’ coupon." Take the cash!!

I think they are getting a full refund AND the FCC.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, mjkacmom said:

I think they are getting a full refund AND the FCC.

Yeah, this^^

[UKstages]

8 hours ago, Yesimapirate said:

...it's a false equivalent anyway as the hotel brands simply manage most properties and they're owned by someone else.

 

The airlines are similar.   When they offer an incentive to take another flight on an oversold situation,  the highest status wins.   They're also the last ones bumped and the first ones reaccomated.   Most hotels and airlines even have "special" phones numbers with more experienced agents to help the process. 

 

you are correct that many "branded" hotels are owned and managed by other companies. but all of those companies have to adhere to strict brand standards that include everything from the number and types of restaurants and elite member lounges, to the hours of operation for those restaurants and lounges and the acceptable "make goods" the property must offer if they fail to provide promised services or accommodations... and yes, these standards typically specify the way in which upgrades must be processed.

 

you are correct that the airlines are similar, in that they recognize status. but it's also very different.

 

in the example you cite, there are many influencing factors that determine who gets compensation in an oversold situation. it depends on whether the "bump" is voluntary (in which case, they may indeed attempt to favor elite status passengers who wish to be compensated) or involuntary, in which case, super premium elite passengers would be the very last to be bumped.

 

but there are still other factors at play. passengers with carry on bags only, for example, are highly preferred in oversold situations. passengers traveling nonstop to their destination are highly preferred and easier to rebook. gate agents will attempt to satisfy the wishes of elite status passengers when they can, but they will often - and have the right - to do whatever is easiest for them and allows them to get the flight out on time.

 

you are correct that most hotels and airlines have special phone numbers for elite status customers. however, at peak times, with a heavy queue, these calls are often routed to "regular" agents. and these days, only super premium elite customers get an experienced agent who answers promptly. garden variety elite customers often have to wait.

Edited August 11, 2022 by UKstages

[Linsuesue]

On 8/9/2022 at 9:38 AM, rm13 said:

I was cut from Sept 17 and we had a balcony. Was in a group of 10 with 5 rooms all cut- there was 3 balcony rooms. 

We are scheduled to sail this cruise on Oct 1st. I am holding off on booking the hotel and airport parking for fear the POA won’t be sailing. I just called Norwegian about the cancellations. She said that the POA is Sailing in September but some existing reservations were cancelled to control the percent of passengers onboard. As of today, 8/12/22, there is no notification of cancellations on the Oct. 1st cruise. Our reservation was originally a cruise to Alaska in 2020. That was cancelled, and we have since then changed to Hawaii and rebooked it 3 times, because of cancellations. Even with the credits, each time we have to rebook, the airfare goes up. The last cancellation was January of 2022.  When we rebooked the cruise, we had to pay hundreds more just to keep our cabin category. If Oct. 1st is cancelled, I will book an Air B&about in Honolulu and forget the Pride of America. 

[DCGuy64]

5 hours ago, Linsuesue said:

We are scheduled to sail this cruise on Oct 1st. I am holding off on booking the hotel and airport parking for fear the POA won’t be sailing. I just called Norwegian about the cancellations. She said that the POA is Sailing in September but some existing reservations were cancelled to control the percent of passengers onboard. As of today, 8/12/22, there is no notification of cancellations on the Oct. 1st cruise. Our reservation was originally a cruise to Alaska in 2020. That was cancelled, and we have since then changed to Hawaii and rebooked it 3 times, because of cancellations. Even with the credits, each time we have to rebook, the airfare goes up. The last cancellation was January of 2022.  When we rebooked the cruise, we had to pay hundreds more just to keep our cabin category. If Oct. 1st is cancelled, I will book an Air B&about in Honolulu and forget the Pride of America. 

I feel your pain. This has happened to us once with Princess, 3 times with NCL, and 3 times with MSC. All since 2020, and every single time, prices went up. Very frustrating, to say the least. We've also had a land-based vacation to Iceland get postponed 3 times since 2019. It's aggravating to have these cancellations or delays, especially when they're due to factors outside our control. Still, I'm grateful we're able to afford the vacations at all. The company I work for helps people in very poor countries, so my perspective is that I feel blessed to be able to travel.

[Mallow]

Does anyone know how long it takes for NCL to apply the FCC to our accounts?   We were cancelled for our 9/10 sailing on 8/8 and states that the FCC would be available on 8/9 but it still hasn't shown up.  We would like to schedule a replacement cruise shortly but even customer service says it isn't listed on my account.

[jsn55]

10 hours ago, Linsuesue said:

We are scheduled to sail this cruise on Oct 1st. I am holding off on booking the hotel and airport parking for fear the POA won’t be sailing. I just called Norwegian about the cancellations. She said that the POA is Sailing in September but some existing reservations were cancelled to control the percent of passengers onboard. As of today, 8/12/22, there is no notification of cancellations on the Oct. 1st cruise. Our reservation was originally a cruise to Alaska in 2020. That was cancelled, and we have since then changed to Hawaii and rebooked it 3 times, because of cancellations. Even with the credits, each time we have to rebook, the airfare goes up. The last cancellation was January of 2022.  When we rebooked the cruise, we had to pay hundreds more just to keep our cabin category. If Oct. 1st is cancelled, I will book an Air B&about in Honolulu and forget the Pride of America. 

I hear you!  I am so disheartened by the inability to travel and the constant bookings and cancellations of cruises I could scream.  The uncertainty should have been over when cruising 'started up again' but now it's sneaking back to bite us again.  The idea of cancelling a booking so close to sailing is nauseating.

[Blondie511]

I am on a Facebook group for this cruise.  (We made the cut and sailed in the July 9 cruise.). Someone polled the people that got cancelled.  By FAR, the majority of cancellations are people that booked airfare through NCL.  I was a first time cruiser in an inside room by the way and I booked flights on my own.  People that booked the most expensive rooms on the ship were even cancelled!  It has nothing to do with type of room in my opinion. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 minutes ago, Blondie511 said:

I am on a Facebook group for this cruise.  (We made the cut and sailed in the July 9 cruise.). Someone polled the people that got cancelled.  By FAR, the majority of cancellations are people that booked airfare through NCL.  I was a first time cruiser in an inside room by the way and I booked flights on my own.  People that booked the most expensive rooms on the ship were even cancelled!  It has nothing to do with type of room in my opinion. 

Thank you!  It's nice to add some actual facts to the piles of speculation.  I don't believe any of us really know how NCL obtains seats on flights, but with the mess with a lot of airlines right now it is possible that they needed to get rid of some flight obligations as well as overall passengers on the ship.

[Raddo]

My Greek Isles cruise for next month got cancelled by NCL when the final balance due date passed by without my FCC having being applied to the booking which would have paid it off in full.  NCL had SIX MONTHS to action this yet kept telling me that it was still being processed.  Two letters to the Vice President - Guest Services to resolve this issue went unanswered.  In cancelling my cruise, NCL levied cancellation charges on me.  As far as I'm concernced, NCL had breached their contract with me by failing to transfer my FCC to my booking in good time and have my cruise paid off in full.  I have started legal action against them on this and require all my money to be refunded back to me that I paid them. It was their error to cancel my cruise without applying my FCC to pay the balance off.  I have now booked an alternative cruise with another cruise line and will never use NCL again!!

[jsn55]

1 hour ago, Raddo said:

My Greek Isles cruise for next month got cancelled by NCL when the final balance due date passed by without my FCC having being applied to the booking which would have paid it off in full.  NCL had SIX MONTHS to action this yet kept telling me that it was still being processed.  Two letters to the Vice President - Guest Services to resolve this issue went unanswered.  In cancelling my cruise, NCL levied cancellation charges on me.  As far as I'm concernced, NCL had breached their contract with me by failing to transfer my FCC to my booking in good time and have my cruise paid off in full.  I have started legal action against them on this and require all my money to be refunded back to me that I paid them. It was their error to cancel my cruise without applying my FCC to pay the balance off.  I have now booked an alternative cruise with another cruise line and will never use NCL again!!

Oh, how weird.  From your statement, it would seem that someone at NCL has really screwed up.  I wish you luck on the legal action; this is really outrageous behaviour on NCL's part.  I hope you have a good paper trail of the last six months' communications. 

[tetleytea]

I agree with taking legal action.

 

[piglet55cc]

I am so sorry that anyone has to experience this. I booked the Hawaiian cruise in Nov., 2021. I was to go on Aug. 27 of this year on the PoA. I received my cancellation on June 21. I got all my money returned and FCC that had to be used by Dec. 2023. The FCC are what I orginal paid for my room. They can only be used to pay for another room. So my room must cost $3997.  That money can only be used for a room. I booked for January 21. By now the cost of rooms were up. Airfare, excursion, water pkg., and soda pkg. were all up.  

If this cruise gets cancelled will just fly  to Oahu for a few days. This is the last state I need to visit. I have been all the others.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

2 hours ago, tetleytea said:

I agree with taking legal action.

 

Do you have any experience with suing a cruise line?

[Yodalicious]

Do you know of other Sept cruises being impacted?

 

 

[jsn55]

3 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Do you have any experience with suing a cruise line?

Small Claims Court would be the only way to go.

[hallux]

9 hours ago, jsn55 said:

Small Claims Court would be the only way to go.

That might be appropriate if the person with the claim wasn't from the UK.

[jsn55]

5 hours ago, hallux said:

That might be appropriate if the person with the claim wasn't from the UK.

OH.  Good of you not to be 'nasty' about correcting me!  I'm getting increasingly annoyed with certain posters on CC that love to correct/disagree, but have no manners. 

 

Anyone know if the UK has anything like the US small claims?