Future cruise credit blues NCL

[The Traveling Man]

31 minutes ago, Rastus xxx said:

When this first came up, refund or credit, there were no time limits that I can recall expressed, just merely the incentive to leave the money in.  It made sense to leave the money in because we imagined the pandemic would eventually come right expecting more sooner than later and we would certainly travel again.  If I had any idea that NCL would eventually just pinch the money then I think virtually everyone who was offered the deal would take the refund.  This is where the whole thing gets insidious and needs to be brought to public attention

We also received FCC for two cruises scheduled for March 2020 which were among the first that NCL cancelled due to COVID.  Like many other passengers, we assumed that the suspension of sailing would not last long, so we took the 25% bonus and accepted FCC.  I remember that those certificates clearly stated an expiration date of one year from the date they were issued.  When the pandemic continued beyond a year, NCL extended the expiration date.  We received emails from NCL clearly stating the terms and conditions of the FCC and their new expiration date.  We also received additional FCC for other cruises slated for later in 2020 which also were cancelled by COVID.  The expiration dates of those certificates also were clearly stated.  We book directly with NCL, not through a TA.  Some who do use an agent may not have received as much info from NCL as we did, but their TA likely did, and should have passed it on to their customers.  In any case, all passengers whose NCL cruises were cancelled by COVID were given an option of taking cash as @ChiefMateJRK did, or FCC plus a 25% bonus as my wife and I (and thousands of others) did.  The terms were clear, the FCC had a deadline for use, and passengers had the option to accept or reject the FCC.  It's unfortunate that you now feel that you are between a rock and a hard place on this matter, but a quick search of this forum on Cruise Critic will reveal many other discussion threads on this subject, some going back more than a year, where other passengers have expressed their frustrations with having to deal with the deadlines which they voluntarily accepted when they received their FCC.  As others have suggested, you may want to look for a short cruise that sails before your deadline and costs just enough to use up your FCC.  I'm sorry, but I believe that this is an example of caveat emptor, not duplicity on the part of NCL.

[mjkacmom]

1 minute ago, The Traveling Man said:

We also received FCC for two cruises scheduled for March 2020 which were among the first that NCL cancelled due to COVID.  Like many other passengers, we assumed that the suspension of sailing would not last long, so we took the 25% bonus and accepted FCC.  I remember that those certificates clearly stated an expiration date of one year from the date they were issued.  When the pandemic continued beyond a year, NCL extended the expiration date.  We received emails from NCL clearly stating the terms and conditions of the FCC and their new expiration date.  We also received additional FCC for other cruises slated for later in 2020 which also were cancelled by COVID.  The expiration dates of those certificates also were clearly stated.  We book directly with NCL, not through a TA.  Some who do use an agent may not have received as much info from NCL as we did, but their TA likely did, and should have passed it on to their customers.  In any case, all passengers whose NCL cruises were cancelled by COVID were given an option of taking cash as @ChiefMateJRK did, or FCC plus a 25% bonus as my wife and I (and thousands of others) did.  The terms were clear, the FCC had a deadline for use, and passengers had the option to accept or reject the FCC.  It's unfortunate that you now feel that you are between a rock and a hard place on this matter, but a quick search of this forum on Cruise Critic will reveal many other discussion threads on this subject, some going back more than a year, where other passengers have expressed their frustrations with having to deal with the deadlines which they voluntarily accepted when they received their FCC.  As others have suggested, you may want to look for a short cruise that sails before your deadline and costs just enough to use up your FCC.  I'm sorry, but I believe that this is an example of caveat emptor, not duplicity on the part of NCL.

I clearly remember reading about the expiration dates and how they kept getting extended, some wanted to get a refund after accepting the FCC and that was not possible.

[The Traveling Man]

1 minute ago, mjkacmom said:

I clearly remember reading about the expiration dates and how they kept getting extended, some wanted to get a refund after accepting the FCC and that was not possible.

Yes, the original T&C of the FCC stated that once you made a choice between cash back or 125% as FCC, you were not allowed to change your selection.  I expect that many thought the pandemic would soon be over when they elected to take the FCC and later had buyer's remorse as the suspension of sailing dragged on into the following year.  Unfortunately, the original terms applied and you could not receive a "do over."

[ziggyuk]

There is the option to sell your FCC, you will have to make the price attractive with such a short date but it is another option available to you.
 

[ziggyuk]

42 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

Yes, the original T&C of the FCC stated that once you made a choice between cash back or 125% as FCC, you were not allowed to change your selection.  I expect that many thought the pandemic would soon be over when they elected to take the FCC and later had buyer's remorse as the suspension of sailing dragged on into the following year.  Unfortunately, the original terms applied and you could not receive a "do over."

 

I think there has been ample opportunity since sailings resumed for people to use up FCCs, that was not aimed at the OP as everyone's circumstances are different but very generally speaking there has been ample opportunity to use FCC's, my first post pandemic cruise with NCL was 18 months ago in October 2021.

[julig22]

5 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

For real? I am unable to see mine and my husband can't see his. I do see them on my travel agent account...I'm surprised, but that's great some people can view their Future Cruise Credits on their account!

There are multiple types of FCC.  Just speculation on my part, based on how it's been on my account.

FCC given in lieu of a refund shows in your account and when applied is shown as a payment.

 

The 25% FCC given as a bonus from covid cancellations was directly applied as a reduction to the cruise fare when booking another cruise and isn't available as an actual payment, has to be applied by TA/PCC to a booking.

 

FCC given for price-drops is also applied directly to cruise fare, not available as an actual payment.  Those don't seem to appear in MyNCL accounts either.

 

Maybe NCL's way (intentional or not) to limit use of credits and discount certificates unless you are using a TA or PCC?

 

[eileeshb]

2 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

I think there has been ample opportunity since sailings resumed for people to use up FCCs, that was not aimed at the OP as everyone's circumstances are different but very generally speaking there has been ample opportunity to use FCC's, my first post pandemic cruise with NCL was 18 months ago in October 2021.

I took covid cancellations FCC from NCL and used it across 2 cruises after the resumption. I did wind up passing on a cruise next voucher purchased before covid to a friend as I couldn’t use it before it expired. I generally only cruise once a year and normally book well in advance so I pay attention to expiry dates and any opportunity to use multiple fcc/cruise next vouchers. 

[The Traveling Man]

2 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

I think there has been ample opportunity since sailings resumed for people to use up FCCs, that was not aimed at the OP as everyone's circumstances are different but very generally speaking there has been ample opportunity to use FCC's, my first post pandemic cruise with NCL was 18 months ago in October 2021.

We had six or seven cruises booked with NCL as of March 2020.  Two of them were to sail in March, while others were scheduled for summer or autumn.  As one cruise after another were cancelled, we booked replacement cruises a few more months down the line.  As more were cancelled, we continued to book more, usually keeping about six or seven reserved.  Each time we received FCC for a cancelled one, we applied that FCC to a future cruise.  Of course, not every cruise costs the same, so there ended up being some dangling credits, some for just a few dollars.  For a while, NCL had a policy that made it difficult to combine FCC from two previous cancelled cruises as payments for one new cruise, so we ended up with lots of small FCCs.  We resumed sailing in August 2021, and took another cruise that October.  We took three more NCL cruises in 2022, but it wasn't until September of 2022 that we finally managed to use the last of our COVID FCC.  I'm not sure that qualifies as "ample opportunity" to use our FCC, but we did manage to do it before any of it expired.  It required a lot of hard effort to take all those cruises, but somebody had to do it  😉

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 minutes ago, julig22 said:

FCC given for price-drops is also applied directly to cruise fare, not available as an actual payment.  Those don't seem to appear in MyNCL accounts either.

 

Maybe NCL's way (intentional or not) to limit use of credits and discount certificates unless you are using a TA or PCC?

I've only once received FCC for a price drop.  It never showed on my account but I was able to have it applied to an upcoming cruise by simply calling the normal NCL reservations number.  As you correctly stated, it manifested as a reduced base price for each passenger, not an incremental payment.

[Rastus xxx]

While some here seem to judge that I was at fault for not checking deadlines and "rules" the fact remains that at the time of the pandemic no one knew what would happen going forward.  NCL may well have extended deadlines but in any case I don't spend my life worrying about things like this.  The bottom line here is that we now are available to cruise again, want to use this money for a NCL cruise and they won't let us.

Up till now there had also been other factors.  New Zealand people had not been permitted to travel freely until about a year ago.  During the pandemic until only recently the government had restricted the return of travellors including citizens meaning you could go out but not come back - yes true!.  Apart from this the cost of a cruise is actually the smallest cost, airfares making up a much larger component of the holiday, and until recently the cost of mandatory isolation at a hotel sick or not on return IF you could get an allocation .  These issues mean it was and is much more difficult for us to be spontaneous, so cruising on a short term whim is not easy to do.

I expect NCL to do the right thing here, not necessarily the "rules" thing.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, Rastus xxx said:

While some here seem to judge that I was at fault for not checking deadlines and "rules" the fact remains that at the time of the pandemic no one knew what would happen going forward. 

Bingo!  This is EXACTLY why a small minority of us ignored the cheese/bait and just requested the cash refund.  Did I come out ahead?  NO!  Would I do the same thing again? YES!  Why on Earth do you think NCL owes you anything for accepting the risk?  They don't owe you anything.  Time to admit your mistake and move on with life.  Is there anybody else here who disagrees?

[RocketMan275]

8 hours ago, Rastus xxx said:

The bottom line here is that we now are available to cruise again, want to use this money for a NCL cruise and they won't let us.

 

The right thing is for NCL (and you) to follow the rules.

[hallux]

9 hours ago, Rastus xxx said:

I expect NCL to do the right thing here, not necessarily the "rules" thing

If NCL does the "right thing" for you, when you accepted the FCC with the limitations that were involved with that (including the deadline for using it), why shouldn't they for anyone else that makes a claim for not having been able to (or now not wanting to) use their FCC?  If they do that - why have any policies at all since they obviously don't mean anything?

[UKstages]

9 hours ago, Rastus xxx said:

The bottom line here is that we now are available to cruise again, want to use this money for a NCL cruise and they won't let us.

 

that's not entirely true. they WILL let you use this money, provided you use this money (FCC) under the terms you agreed to.

 

look, i think everybody here is sympathetic to your plight. you either didn't keep close tabs on the expiration date, and/or never looked closely at the terms and/or life's circumstances have prevented you from focusing on redeeming these credits until now. but your characterization of NCL as being unbending and inflexible for doing what they said they were going to do is odd. i get that you're disappointed, but you should be disappointed in yourself for letting such a valuable credit (nearly) expire. i regularly find fault with NCL policies and practices and customer service (or lack thereof), but this is not something about which i would get my knickers in a twist.

 

9 hours ago, Rastus xxx said:

New Zealand people had not been permitted to travel freely until about a year ago.  During the pandemic until only recently the government had restricted the return of travellors including citizens meaning you could go out but not come back - yes true!. 

 

THIS may be your best shot.

 

you could make a direct appeal to NCL stating that until "recently" you were prevented by government regulations from traveling freely. and that NCL FCC restrictions don't acknowledge that.

 

chances of success with that line of reasoning are better than simply saying the expiration deadline is unfair. this strategy assumes that you accurately represent the governmental travel restriction and it very much depends on how you define "recently." if it's a year, as you mentioned in the beginning of that sentence, then your plea may not be successful at all, as a year would generally be considered adequate time to plan and take a cruise, under the original terms.

[lgdesign]

2 hours ago, UKstages said:

THIS may be your best shot.

 

you could make a direct appeal to NCL stating that until "recently" you were prevented by government regulations from traveling freely. and that NCL FCC restrictions don't acknowledge that.

 

chances of success with that line of reasoning are better than simply saying the expiration deadline is unfair. this strategy assumes that you accurately represent the governmental travel restriction and it very much depends on how you define "recently." if it's a year, as you mentioned in the beginning of that sentence, then your plea may not be successful at all, as a year would generally be considered adequate time to plan and take a cruise, under the original terms.

 

Absolutely agree... we were able to get a second extension on a 10% FCC due a concise, reasonable and politely worded e-mail.  Give it a whirl.

[Sea Urchin 001]

NCL cancelled cruises due to the pandemic and once due to Putin.  Whoever purchased whatever pre-pandemic should get to use themnIN FULL.  Ours were purchased pre-pandemic planning on a cruise a year.  NCL’s cancellation, which I consider the only decent thing they could have done, meant we would need to take four cruises in one year!

 

NCL agreed to an extension, then said they would extend again if we would book by a certain date and sail by the end of 2023.  Now they are denying use for a cruise this coming September booked back in early 2022.

 

I am protesting, of course.  If they deny this, I will cancel the cruise and be done with NCL.

[ChiefMateJRK]

14 minutes ago, Sea Urchin 001 said:

Whoever purchased whatever pre-pandemic should get to use themnIN FULL.

I just took the cash back (IN FULL) and moved on with life.  The reason I didn't take the 25% bonus FCC?  Because I couldn't predict the future.   Their terms were quite clear at the time and I actually read them before making a decision.

[SeekingKillerWhales!]

On 5/2/2023 at 8:42 AM, LoungerOnBalcony55 said:

Honest question...when you agreed to take the FCC and were made aware that it had an expiration date...did you not interpret that as something the cruise line actually enforced? Was your expectation going in that if you didn't use the credit by the agreed-upon expiration date at the time of purchase, that you should simply be granted a request to use the credit for a cruise beyond that date? 

hey probably had the ridiculous notion that there would be plentiful cruises during 2020 and 2021. Silly them. 

[mjkacmom]

On 5/5/2023 at 10:48 PM, SeekingKillerWhales! said:

hey probably had the ridiculous notion that there would be plentiful cruises during 2020 and 2021. Silly them. 

Definitely ridiculous, honestly I was shocked folks didn’t just get refunded instead of gambling during a pandemic. When my kids came home from junior year in high school 3/20 I pretty much knew that was the end of high school for them. I’m a realist.

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

Definitely ridiculous, honestly I was shocked folks didn’t just get refunded instead of gambling during a pandemic. When my kids came home from junior year in high school 3/20 I pretty much knew that was the end of high school for them. I’m a realist.

I chose the full cash refund for my May 2020 cruise mainly because I generally don't like taking I.O.U.s from corporations regardless of the incentive.  That said, I have started leveraging CruiseNext certs, but those have a 100% incentive, not just 25% which the Covid FCC offers gave you.  The odds are better, but nothing is certain.

[complawyer]

chiefmatejrk. as in most instances, i agree with you on this one. if you have noticed, sometimes i like to quote song lyrics in my posts.

 

so once again to quote john mellencamp  "TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN"

[redmomof4]

9 hours ago, complawyer said:

 

 

so once again to quote john mellencamp  "TAKE THE MONEY AND RUN"

I thought that was Don Henley 😉

[complawyer]

, definitely not don henley, i may have been mistaken and it could have been steve miler band. 

 

ok oldies experts chime in please.

 

regardless, redmomof 4 the concept is the same. if you get a choice, take the money and run!!!!!

[ColeThornton]

That was the Steve Miller Band.

 

Okay, now back on topic.   😉

[complawyer]

thank  you mr thorton. ok, we can go bac kon topic now!