Unbelievable!! NCL refuses to protect guests on air they booked!

[GeezerCouple]

19 minutes ago, kitkat343 said:

The one time I was on a private excursion that was starting to cut it close, they texted the people running the ship excursions to see their ETA.  They knew they couldn't get us back any later than the ship excursions, but knew if the ship excursions were running late that we'd be fine.  If you are worried, you can book a private excursion for just your family (we were late because the other people on our tour had gotten off the ship late, and they'd made us wait for them before we could do our second part of the excursion).  If it had been just us, we would not have been running late.  And you are correct, they would not have held the ship for us.  

 

In Guatemala, they charge very high port fees, so very few cruise ships dock there.  So there aren't a lot of private tour operators, and that was the one place I booked with a private vendor that nearly got people back too late in the past.  As it turned out, they had the captain of the HAL ship's wife and daughter on the excursion that was running late.  Apparently, the captain explained everything to the passengers, told them he'd wait for his wife and daughter for half and hour and if they were any later than that he'd have to leave them behind because he couldn't wait any longer and be in port the next day on time.  Thankfully, they made it (and we booked a private excursion with that operator for just our family because I knew the ship wouldn't have waited for us and on a private excursion for just our family we could make them take us back with lots of time to spare) 

 

We always book a private excursion, usually for just the two of us.  Sometimes, if it's appropriate, we'll see if others on our Roll Call want to join us, such as when we book a really large catamaran (the type with 4 bedrooms in the hulls, used for overnight charters).  Then it's more fun to have some others, plus splitting the cost.  And there's plenty of room!

We also ALWAYS describe exactly what the itinerary will be, so there are no unfortunate surprises or misunderstandings.  Once it was a regular excursion but we took it private without changing anything.  Other times, we've arranged where to go, etc., although it could be subject to the winds, etc.

 

Sometimes, we just want to be able to see/do things at our own pace, perhaps to spend more time here, and less there, or to add a stop recommended by the guide, etc... and no shopping!

 

We are always aware that the ship will *not* wait for us, and we always plan to be back *long* before the "all aboard" time stated by the ship.

Good thinking about having text contact info for a ship excursion to check their progress.  We'll remember that. 🙂 

 

GC

[Mississippian]

Anyone booking air through NCL should plan to arrive two days early. It is just a terrible decision to do this. When schedule changes happen, NCL won't have the spare manpower to correct the problem. The best choice is to book one's own airfare so that one can be in complete, total, and absolute control of their flight plans.

[julig22]

1 minute ago, GeezerCouple said:

 

We  are always aware that the ship will *not* wait for us, and we always plan to be back *long* before the "all aboard" time stated by the ship.

Good thinking about having text contact info for a ship excursion to check their progress.  We'll remember that. 🙂 

 

GC

Contact info for each port is always in the Freestyle Daily, it's recommended that you take a picture with your phone before going ashore.  Ship captain in Alaska told us that if you're ever running late, contact the ship and let them know.  They'll tell you what to do, they will wait if they can. But if they don't know your situation, they'll definitely leave without you.

[GeezerCouple]

3 minutes ago, julig22 said:

Contact info for each port is always in the Freestyle Daily, it's recommended that you take a picture with your phone before going ashore.  Ship captain in Alaska told us that if you're ever running late, contact the ship and let them know.  They'll tell you what to do, they will wait if they can. But if they don't know your situation, they'll definitely leave without you.

We always have that information, about the port agent.  (Gasp, what if we get left behind... that's who we'd turn to for starters! 😱)

 

But the suggestion was perhaps to contact an excursion that IS sponsored by the cruise line, just to see what their return progress is.  If they are running late and IF the ship *can* wait, then... the ship would be there for others arriving at or before the delayed arrival of the ship excursion.  No harm in inquiring in the off chance that situation arises...

 

I still think that's a good idea to keep in back of our minds, separate from the port agent.

GC

[kitkat343]

1 hour ago, GeezerCouple said:

We always have that information, about the port agent.  (Gasp, what if we get left behind... that's who we'd turn to for starters! 😱)

 

But the suggestion was perhaps to contact an excursion that IS sponsored by the cruise line, just to see what their return progress is.  If they are running late and IF the ship *can* wait, then... the ship would be there for others arriving at or before the delayed arrival of the ship excursion.  No harm in inquiring in the off chance that situation arises...

 

I still think that's a good idea to keep in back of our minds, separate from the port agent.

GC

I can't take credit for the idea - it was our private tour operators who knew the tour guides who are subcontractors for the cruise ship tours.   But if you are delayed, contacting the port agent is the correct first step, but if case of an emergency contacting as many people as possible may help you find the one who may be able to help you. 

[SakeDad]

9 minutes ago, kitkat343 said:

I can't take credit for the idea - it was our private tour operators who knew the tour guides who are subcontractors for the cruise ship tours.   But if you are delayed, contacting the port agent is the correct first step, but if case of an emergency contacting as many people as possible may help you find the one who may be able to help you. 

All good advice. FYI if the ship does make the decision to leave you they will give the Port Agent your passport if it is in your safe or the ship had possession of it. Then it's up to you to get to the next port or back to the home port at your own expense. I was crew and watched that passport hand over multiple times.

[DCGuy64]

9 hours ago, Mississippian said:

Anyone booking air through NCL should plan to arrive two days early. It is just a terrible decision to do this. When schedule changes happen, NCL won't have the spare manpower to correct the problem. The best choice is to book one's own airfare so that one can be in complete, total, and absolute control of their flight plans.

All things being equal, yes. But quite a number of people have said the savings are worth it to use NCL Air rather than doing it on their own. And booking one's own airfare doesn't guarantee the flights will depart and arrive on time. So much depends on unforeseen issues like staffing, plane mechanics, and the weather. We've booked our own airfare and had delays, even finding out at the last minute that they gave our seats away to somebody else. Talk about frustrating!

[SimplyAlbert]

9 hours ago, Mississippian said:

Anyone booking air through NCL should plan to arrive two days early. It is just a terrible decision to do this. When schedule changes happen, NCL won't have the spare manpower to correct the problem. The best choice is to book one's own airfare so that one can be in complete, total, and absolute control of their flight plans.

 

I book my own airfare and still plan to arrive two days early.  We used to do one day but back in 2017 there were severe thunderstorms all up and down the east coast with multiple flight cancellations.  We were traveling as a party of 10.  Everyone was supposed to be in Ft. Lauderdale by early afternoon.  That didn't happen.  Some were able to get rebooked out of the same airport on a connecting flight, only to be stuck at the next airport (but eventually getting out).  Some had to go to an airport an hour away, only to have the next two flights they were booked on cancel (ended up getting those two on my flight).  Ultimately, we all got there, with me, two sons, and daughter-in-law arriving at 2:00 am.  After that we decided to go in two days early.

 

I know this won't work for everyone due to time off/cost issues, but we're able to make it work so it takes the stress off.  It's also nice to have a day to explore the port area before the cruise (or just hang out by the hotel pool for the day).

[RocketMan275]

13 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

That story doesn’t sound right. If they arrived at 4 and the ship was waiting until 6:30 why didn’t they go to the port. They didn’t have to use NCL ground transportation. 

As I said above, there's more to this than a 30 minute drive.  They have to be aboard the ship at least one hour, perhaps two if they didn't do online checkin, for security reasons.  First, they talk to the NCL rep. Then they have to retrieve their bags.  Arrange travel to port.  Get there NLT 5:30.  That's tight.

[Charles4515]

9 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

As I said above, there's more to this than a 30 minute drive.  They have to be aboard the ship at least one hour, perhaps two if they didn't do online checkin, for security reasons.  First, they talk to the NCL rep. Then they have to retrieve their bags.  Arrange travel to port.  Get there NLT 5:30.  That's tight.

So that begs the question of why then did they hold the ship until 6:30? If they were holding the ship for late flights then they were expecting those passengers. I have been on several sailings where they held the ship for late arriving flights. It is not uncommon. From 4:00 arrival to a 6:30 departure does not seem tight. That is why the story does not sound right to me. 

[sanger727]

15 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Huh??? Says nothing about the ship waiting for yours or days for late arriving passengers. 

 

No, but they do when they can. As evidenced by people on those threads who have been in that situation. They do said that if there are delays they will work with the airline to get you on a new flight or a flight to the first port on the itinerary. Holding the ship 30 minutes is a whole lot cheaper than that so most likely they will if they can. As far as getting you to the next port, I believe that's all the OP is asking for. Some level of service other than booking the flight and walking away. Either working with the ship or the airlines to get the cruiser to the cruise. And no, that's not an unreasonable ask. and NCL just skirts around the fact that they don't do that. Book airflights with them because it offers "safety and security"; except they actually do nothing if there is an issue. There is definitely misleading advertising here. 

[WYB!]

No worries, insurance will cover the cost of the trip interruption. That is what it's there for.

Trip Cancellation    Up to 100% Trip Cost*

Trip Interruption    Up to 150% Trip Cost*

Travel Delay    $1,000 ($200/day)
Missed Connection    $500

 

What to do in case of a Claim

1. Notify your Travel Agent, Tour Operator or Cruise Line if you must cancel your trip.
2. Report your claim to Travel Insured International by calling the number below or visiting www.travelinsured.com. 3. Complete the claims forms that we forward to you and provide additional documents as indicated.

Trip Cancellation/Interruption: Take immediate steps to minimize your loss. Comply with all notification requirements that may be specified by the Tour Operator, Airline, or Cruise Line. Return with the claim form a copy of the brochure that describes your tour, copies of paid checks, invoices and any unused tour or travel documents. In case of an interruption claim, include the passenger’s copy of the old and new transportation tickets. If you are prevented from taking your trip due to sickness or injury, you should obtain medical care immediately. We require a certification by the treating physician at the time of sickness or injury that medically imposed restrictions prevented your participation in the trip.

 

Missed Connection: Obtain receipts verifying extra incurred expenses for transportation (such as airline tickets) to return to final destination.

Travel Delay: If your trip is interrupted or delayed, we need verification of the cause, the number of hours of the delay, and receipts for additional expenses.

 

 

Although I've never had to use the trip interruption portion of the insurance myself, is there someone here that has used the insurance and what the process for them was for a missed connection?

 

- WYB

Edited March 15, 2023 by WYB!

[RocketMan275]

8 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

So that begs the question of why then did they hold the ship until 6:30? If they were holding the ship for late flights then they were expecting those passengers. I have been on several sailings where they held the ship for late arriving flights. It is not uncommon. From 4:00 arrival to a 6:30 departure does not seem tight. That is why the story does not sound right to me. 

You're making a lot of assumptions. 

Departure could have been delayed for mechanical reasons.  For example, we were on Breakaway 5 March to 12 March, the cruise before.  We had a delayed departure from one port because of communications issues.  There were multiple times when the TV coudn't get a signal.  

Then again, the ship could have delayed departure for other passengers who could get to the ship by 530.

Once again, it's not the 630 departure.  The passengers only had until 530 to arrive and that assumes that the passengers had done online checkin.  If they had not done so, the timeline becomes 430, not 630.

[Charles4515]

41 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

You're making a lot of assumptions. 

Departure could have been delayed for mechanical reasons.  For example, we were on Breakaway 5 March to 12 March, the cruise before.  We had a delayed departure from one port because of communications issues.  There were multiple times when the TV coudn't get a signal.  

Then again, the ship could have delayed departure for other passengers who could get to the ship by 530.

Once again, it's not the 630 departure.  The passengers only had until 530 to arrive and that assumes that the passengers had done online checkin.  If they had not done so, the timeline becomes 430, not 630.

Seems like you are the one making assumptions. Like the ship could have been delayed for mechanical reasons. So what, there was plenty of time for the passengers to get to the ship and be checked in.  I said the story does not sound right but I guess you want to defend NCL to the end even though it is not clear that they need any defending. 

 

 

[SimplyAlbert]

1 hour ago, WYB! said:

No worries, insurance will cover the cost of the trip interruption. That is what it's there for.

Trip Cancellation    Up to 100% Trip Cost*

Trip Interruption    Up to 150% Trip Cost*

Travel Delay    $1,000 ($200/day)
Missed Connection    $500

 

What to do in case of a Claim

1. Notify your Travel Agent, Tour Operator or Cruise Line if you must cancel your trip.
2. Report your claim to Travel Insured International by calling the number below or visiting www.travelinsured.com. 3. Complete the claims forms that we forward to you and provide additional documents as indicated.

Trip Cancellation/Interruption: Take immediate steps to minimize your loss. Comply with all notification requirements that may be specified by the Tour Operator, Airline, or Cruise Line. Return with the claim form a copy of the brochure that describes your tour, copies of paid checks, invoices and any unused tour or travel documents. In case of an interruption claim, include the passenger’s copy of the old and new transportation tickets. If you are prevented from taking your trip due to sickness or injury, you should obtain medical care immediately. We require a certification by the treating physician at the time of sickness or injury that medically imposed restrictions prevented your participation in the trip.

 

Missed Connection: Obtain receipts verifying extra incurred expenses for transportation (such as airline tickets) to return to final destination.

Travel Delay: If your trip is interrupted or delayed, we need verification of the cause, the number of hours of the delay, and receipts for additional expenses.

 

 

Although I've never had to use the trip interruption portion of the insurance myself, is there someone here that has used the insurance and what the process for them was for a missed connection?

 

- WYB

 

They didn't buy travel insurance.

[RocketMan275]

31 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Seems like you are the one making assumptions. Like the ship could have been delayed for mechanical reasons. So what, there was plenty of time for the passengers to get to the ship and be checked in.  I said the story does not sound right but I guess you want to defend NCL to the end even though it is not clear that they need any defending. 

 

 

As I stated, there is evidence to believe it might  have been mechanical or electrical since that ship suffered a communications loss just a few days prior which delayed our departure from, IIRC, Costa Maya.

If anything, you want to assume there was some kind of neferious action on NCL's part with no evidence to support that assumption.

 

[mjkacmom]

1 hour ago, Charles4515 said:

Seems like you are the one making assumptions. Like the ship could have been delayed for mechanical reasons. So what, there was plenty of time for the passengers to get to the ship and be checked in.  I said the story does not sound right but I guess you want to defend NCL to the end even though it is not clear that they need any defending. 

 

 

NCL makes $0 off of empty cabins, they want passengers onboard. Why in the world would they not have wanted those passengers onboard if possible?

[Charles4515]

43 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said:

 

If anything, you want to assume there was some kind of neferious action on NCL's part with no evidence to support that assumption.

 

I am not assuming NCL did anything nefarious. You are assuming that I am assuming that. I never said NCL did anything wrong. I am assuming that OP posted a third hand account has lost something in the translation. 

Edited March 15, 2023 by Charles4515

[LloydJr]

34 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

NCL makes $0 off of empty cabins, they want passengers onboard. Why in the world would they not have wanted those passengers onboard if possible?

If the fare was paid and is non-refundable, don't they make the same amount of profit from an empty cabin as one with passengers?

[mjkacmom]

1 minute ago, LloydJr said:

If the fare was paid and is non-refundable, don't they make the same amount of profit from an empty cabin as one with passengers?

No, because passengers not onboard will not buy alcohol, spa services, excursions, specialty dining, use the gift shop, spa passes, or pay port fees/taxes and gratuities. Cruise lines get a lot of revenue with the extras. 

[ontheweb]

1 hour ago, SimplyAlbert said:

 

They didn't buy travel insurance.

And that is their fault, not something NCL can be blamed for.

Edited March 15, 2023 by ontheweb

[LloydJr]

1 hour ago, mjkacmom said:

No, because passengers not onboard will not buy alcohol, spa services, excursions, specialty dining, use the gift shop, spa passes, or pay port fees/taxes and gratuities. Cruise lines get a lot of revenue with the extras. 

They also won't be using their free drink package, using their free specialty dinings, eating a lot of other food, needing their room cleaned, .......

Edited March 15, 2023 by LloydJr

[mjkacmom]

1 hour ago, LloydJr said:

They also won't be using their free drink package, using their free specialty dinings, eating a lot of other food, needing their room cleaned, .......

The free at sea gratuities will be refunded, the cabin steward isn’t refunded any salary, these mainstream cruise lines get a ton of revenue from passenger spending, their goal is to get as many paying souls onboard as possible. They’d rather have passengers with open wallets over the small amount of $ they spend on the food and drink they provide.

[GeezerCouple]

4 hours ago, SimplyAlbert said:

 

They didn't buy travel insurance.

 

And even if they had - and this is VERY important! - was the "event causing the loss" included in the insurance coverage?  Not everything is.

For "missed connections", were there requirements about how much time was arranged to start with?  (I wouldn't expect insurance to cover a missed connection if someone tried to schedule a connection that was too tight, etc.)

 

This is where an insurance broker can be helpful in advance, when deciding which policy to purchase... discussing what is included in each policy under consideration, or, importantly, what is not included.

And keep in mind, there may be "things one didn't think of" that may - or may not - be covered.

 

We've had quite a few claims, and everything has been covered... thus far! 

 

GC

[WYB!]

Just wondering if there someone here that has missed the ship but had the insurance and what the process for them was for a missed connection and what was reimbursed?

 

I've met people on voyages that have caught up to the ship after missing boarding but never followed up with how their reimbursement went.

 

It's unfortunate that the OP's friend didn't have travel insurance.