Purchase Air Through NCL

[slavetoabunny]

I just saw this video on La Lido Loca and wonder if it's not the entire story.  According to the video, NCL will leave you high and dry if you miss your cruise due to flights booked through them being cancelled.  Does anyone know if there is any truth to this?  I agree that not purchasing travel insurance for such an expensive trip was a huge mistake.  

 

[drew69]

1 hour ago, slavetoabunny said:

I just saw this video on La Lido Loca and wonder if it's not the entire story.  According to the video, NCL will leave you high and dry if you miss your cruise due to flights booked through them being cancelled.  Does anyone know if there is any truth to this?  I agree that not purchasing travel insurance for such an expensive trip was a huge mistake.  

 

 

[drew69]

Just now, drew69 said:

People always assume booking the air comes with guarantees from the cruise line, but it really does not and they will not hold a ship for someone just because the air was booked through them.  For air, they are just a 3rd party agency selling the air.  I always purchase airline tickets directly from the airline and I control the reservation and deal with the airline for issues

 

[slavetoabunny]

3 minutes ago, drew69 said:

 

I do too.  I have never booked air through the cruise line.  I also arrive the day before (unless I can drive to the cruise port) and buy insurance.

[Ellis1138]

Deep in the fine print of NCL's air booking, they do state that they only book it. It's not like NCL ship excursions, where they WILL wait. So booking the airfare with NCL is the same as doing it with any third party. 

 

That family had a sort of Perfect Storm of mistakes: They let the NCL rep assure them that a same day flight across a continent was fine. They didn't have travel insurance (or in the other case of the one who did have it, they didn't have the right type.)

 

That said, even if you book your own flights, if you book them the day of the cruise, you are risking the whole thing.

[slavetoabunny]

What surprised me is that they wouldn't allow the family to pick up the cruise in the next port.

[julig22]

Sort of true, with respect that NCL will leave you "high and dry" if your flight is cancelled.  Just the same as they will leave the other 50 passengers who booked the same flight, but on their own.

 

Terms clearly state that they have no skin in the game within 72 hours of the first flight.

The original article is now behind a paywall, so only going from memory on what was said.  My impression was that they realized their mistake once they got their tickets - so too late to make changes.  The video mentions that NCL gave them the opportunity pay to change, which they could have done if that is true.

[julig22]

4 minutes ago, slavetoabunny said:

What surprised me is that they wouldn't allow the family to pick up the cruise in the next port.

Can't when the cruise starts in the only foreign port.  Had they been doing the land tour first or starting from Seward, they would have been OK. But they were starting in Vancouver.

Not sure why they couldn't have picked up the land portion in Seward tho.

[julig22]

15 minutes ago, Ellis1138 said:

Deep in the fine print of NCL's air booking, they do state that they only book it. It's not like NCL ship excursions, where they WILL wait. So booking the airfare with NCL is the same as doing it with any third party. 

 

That family had a sort of Perfect Storm of mistakes: They let the NCL rep assure them that a same day flight across a continent was fine. They didn't have travel insurance (or in the other case of the one who did have it, they didn't have the right type.)

 

That said, even if you book your own flights, if you book them the day of the cruise, you are risking the whole thing.

Yes, your risk is the same whether you book your own flights or not. NCL doesn't intentionally book flights that they think won't get there. In fact, they once changed my flights last minute when there was a possibility of a strike causing problems with my itinerary.

 

I am assuming that the NCL rep comments were made when they were told that they couldn't change their flights -or at least not change them without a significant cost. Not sure I would call that assurance. Guess they should have said something along the lines of "it's your own stupid fault for booking the day of". 

[Pookie2u]

The part that gets me is there is no mention of a TA.  Did this family just wing it on a $60k vacation?  And it didn't quite work out?  😶  I'm sorry they did not get their dream vacation, this has got to be one of the most painful lessons.

[zonies]

Towards the end of the article they talked to a woman that had the same thing happen with NCL booked flight that was delayed but she had trip insurance.  But the insurance would only pay for the missed flight not the missed cruise. 

[NJGeorge]

https://roanoke.com/news/local/norwegian-cruise-line-jewel-denies-refund-flight-delays-travel-insurance/article_15dbad74-3e0a-11ee-a545-cba280027d28.html

 

I was able to read the article for free at the link above.

So a Eye Surgeon spends $60k and does not by trip insurance in these days of dicey plane travel?  Boo Hoo.

 

The lady (mentioned in the article)who did buy the insurance from NCL should of bought it from a reputable insurance provider. 

 

One thing is indisputable, conditions of carriage are stacked in the cruise lines favor and in some circumstances unfairly. 

 

We gave up on cruising since the covid era.....glad we did. We had a good run cruising and will keep it that way.

 

 

 

[NJGeorge]

3 minutes ago, NJGeorge said:

https://roanoke.com/news/local/norwegian-cruise-line-jewel-denies-refund-flight-delays-travel-insurance/article_15dbad74-3e0a-11ee-a545-cba280027d28.html

 

I was able to read the article for free at the link above.

So a Eye Surgeon spends $60k and does not by trip insurance in these days of dicey plane travel?  Boo Hoo.

 

The lady (mentioned in the article)who did buy the insurance from NCL should of bought it from a reputable insurance provider. 

 

One thing is indisputable, conditions of carriage are stacked in the cruise lines favor and in some circumstances unfairly. 

 

We gave up on cruising since the covid era.....glad we did. We had a good run cruising and will keep it that way.

 

3 minutes ago, NJGeorge said:

Link may not work not my apologies. 

 

 

 

[MsTabbyKats]

In the first case...spending $60K on a trip...that includes multiple cross country flights....for 7 people...and not insuring it is just foolish.  Anything, weather, illness, unforseen emergencies....could have ruined it.  No common sense.....

 

The second case...I wonder what kind of insurance she had.  You have to understand what is covered and what isn't whenever you get insurance for anything..........

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

In the first case...spending $60K on a trip...that includes multiple cross country flights....for 7 people...and not insuring it is just foolish.  Anything, weather, illness, unforseen emergencies....could have ruined it.  No common sense.....

 

The second case...I wonder what kind of insurance she had.  You have to understand what is covered and what isn't whenever you get insurance for anything..........

Agree 100%. Your 2nd point is great, too. Insurance is only as good as what it covers. I guess my take on this is: if the flight booked through NCL doesn't guarantee you'll make it in time, and flights booked independently won't either, then how are the NCL-booked people any worse off? If anything, they may have saved money doing it that way, possibly a significant amount of it. Now, if the people who booked on their own had some kind of guarantee they'd be taken to the first available port, that would be another thing. I could be wrong, but my reading of trip interruption insurance says they will cover you if you miss some part of a trip, but not a full cancellation (though good policies typically cover that, too-they always have for us). I'd love to know how many times passengers were able to catch up to a cruise if they missed embarkation. I do know of one poster who missed his, but he and his family decided just to fly home rather than miss the first couple of days.

[MsTabbyKats]

@DCGuy64

I think people assume if you book thru NCL....they guarantee you'll make it to the ship....like their excursions.

Honestly....if I didn't read CC, what would I know?  My "vast wealth" of cruising knowledge comes from reading posts and reviews...certainly not from cruise ship representatives or travel agents.

[NJGeorge]

Wonder why they didn't try taking an Uber to the border then walk through  to Canada then get a ride to Vancouver.

 

[MsTabbyKats]

11 minutes ago, NJGeorge said:

Wonder why they didn't try taking an Uber to the border then walk through  to Canada then get a ride to Vancouver.

 

Good point.

I also don't understand why they couldn't take the land portion of the trip. 

 

[DCGuy64]

44 minutes ago, MsTabbyKats said:

@DCGuy64

I think people assume if you book thru NCL....they guarantee you'll make it to the ship....like their excursions.

Honestly....if I didn't read CC, what would I know?  My "vast wealth" of cruising knowledge comes from reading posts and reviews...certainly not from cruise ship representatives or travel agents.

Possibly. I know it wouldn't be my assumption, but I can't speak for others. OTOH I'm married to a lawyer, so I try to read the fine print on what NCL's responsibilities are, and aren't. Getting stuff in writing is always much better than relying on hearsay. For every person on CC who says NCL won't get you to the next port, there's another person saying "yes, they will, they did it for me." If you have competing points of view, best thing is to get it straight from the horse's mouth, as the saying goes.

[julig22]

2 hours ago, DCGuy64 said:

Possibly. I know it wouldn't be my assumption, but I can't speak for others. OTOH I'm married to a lawyer, so I try to read the fine print on what NCL's responsibilities are, and aren't. Getting stuff in writing is always much better than relying on hearsay. For every person on CC who says NCL won't get you to the next port, there's another person saying "yes, they will, they did it for me." If you have competing points of view, best thing is to get it straight from the horse's mouth, as the saying goes.

I believe the NCL policy is to ASSIST with getting to the next port if possible - at least pre-covid. A lot has changed, including the airline's ability to provide decent service.  So one's interpretation of assist is at issue.  It doesn't mean they will cover the tab if they are able to assist, it just means that they will make any necessary arrangements with customs/immigration, etc. and let the ship know to expect you. Maybe make hotel and transportation to the port arrangements.  But on your dime - although some of which the airline should cover if the delay is not weather related. My insurance also has an assistance # to call if you need help with arrangements.

So it is true that they will do it for some, not do it for others. And of course, people don't always read and/or comprehend the details - whether it's in the contract, something presumably said by a sales rep, or posted on CC. In this case, there was no getting to the next port because of PVSA. Not sure why the land portion wouldn't be available.

[DCGuy64]

14 minutes ago, julig22 said:

So it is true that they will do it for some, not do it for others.

Yeah, and that is what makes giving people ironclad advice so difficult, and why when someone hypothetically says the cruise line didn't help them out "so you're on your own" is not really true, or at least not always true. It just depends.

[destar]

Wow, NCL booked their flights, sold them travel insurance, but told them that if they missed their cruise because of flight delay, they aren't covered.

 

I always get to departure port 1-3 days before the cruise. I don't let anybody select my flights, no matter how good of a deal it is, they look for the cheapest options and at the end it can cost you a lot more money. I like selecting the most convenient/direct flights. I don't want to be checking in a pre-booked hotel at 3 o'clock in the morning.

 

As for travel insurance, I have an annual policy with Allianz, it covers all my trips including flights for a year and has a great medical coverage if needed.

[yakcruiser]

If NCL were to give a refund to this family they would set a precedent and everybody who missed their cruise for whatever reason would demand a refund. I too am waiting to hear the reason they denied the family the land portion of their trip.

[destar]

44 minutes ago, yakcruiser said:

If NCL were to give a refund to this family they would set a precedent and everybody who missed their cruise for whatever reason would demand a refund.

This family missed their cruise because of flight problems, because NCL arrange their cross country flights on same day of embarkation, them sold the other family a travel insurance that wouldn't cover them if they missed the cruise because of the airline. 

Edited August 22, 2023 by destar

[sunshine55]

I've read more horror stories than good on NCL booking air tickets.  Plane cancellations are so common now a days...not worth the stress of NCL air.  Book your own and have a plan A and plan B.  Never, never fly in same day as cruise