irishred

We are booked on a NZ/Australia cruise next month. Since we booked last April, our plans of when and how we can meet up with our friends during this trip have changed, and it would be better for us to cancel the cruise but still keep our flights and visit as a land trip. 

I made the initial deposit and bought our airline tickets in April, then purchased our travel insurance with the 75% CFAR option the day I made the final cruise payment in August. 

We are booked on NCL with their 'Free at Sea' offer, so I paid $500-ish in "free at sea" gratuities and $500-ish in port charges, which I assume will be refunded direct from NCL, correct? That leaves around $2000 for the actual cruise fare, if I cancel in the next few days I would get 25% back per NCL cancellation policy, so I presume the insurance would cover 75% of the remaining $1500?

Since we are still taking the flights and will be making it a land trip, would the insurance still cover the rest of the trip? I did pay $600 for it as a comprehensive plan covering $6500 total trip cost, and am only claiming for around $1500, and don't want to have to buy another plan to cover our medical, etc. 

I'll be calling them tomorrow to try and figure it out, but out of dozens of travel policies purchased, this is the first time I have needed to consider a claim, so I'm just trying to get an idea of what I am looking at by canceling only a portion of the trip. 

Thank you everyone for the replies! I just got a call back from the 'fill in' PCC, and he did confirm that I will receive all the perks available for the room we upgraded to. So all four of the free at sea offers, as well as the additional $50 per port excursion credit promo. I went ahead and paid the difference:)

Hi, we are past the final payment. We are in an oceanview, and the prices on balcony rooms have dropped down to just $300 more than we paid for our OV, so I'll be happy to pay the difference. My question is, our original room had 2 perks, and the balcony room, if I booked it today, would have the "take all" perks and has the double shore excursion offer as well. If I pay to upgrade, will I get those perks, or only have my original perks? My PCC is out of the office until October and I am waiting to hear back from the person who is her back up. Thanks!

We attended one during a 4 day cruise, and it was small (maybe a dozen people), but still nice to meet up with fellow cruisers and have a friendly chat. So go for it and have fun!

Let's look at the math: It is a difference of $869. On a five night sailing you get two free specialty dining nights, which they value at $79 per person. So let's take that off the $869 total, so divide that by 5 nights=$158. Divide that by 2 people per room, and that is $79 per day..

Is each person likely to drink less or more than $79 in drinks per day? That is probably about 6-7 alcoholic drinks when you add gratuities. NCL automatically adds these to your total as soon as you click the button adding the "Free at Sea" package, so I think (?) that the big price difference indicates it is included in the rates you are quoting already. So keep in mind, a few hundred of what you are seeing in that final quote is money you would have spent anyway on gratuities when you paid for the drinks on the ship.

So what it boils down to: is each person, on vacation, likely to drink on average 6 or more drinks per day? If so, then this is a good deal. If not, then you will save money with the Sail Away. 

As someone mentioned, add in sodas, etc., and there is more value. If you have the "Take All Five" deal, and are going to use the Wi-Fi and/or Shore Excursion credits, then you need to add in that value too. Then factor in any value you give to having your choice of room selection, if you do assign any value to it. 

It really comes down to what the best plan is for you:)

Coming from Guilford, on Long Island Sound, where we have an active lobster fishery, I would be inclined to bring a 1 1/2 to 2 pound lobster.

 

Of course, I might have difficulty understanding a large slab of cheese from someone from Wisconsin - but then we would both be in a location where there would be a large ocean in which to deposit things.

 

Seriously: exchanging ideas is great -- but local produce? Come on!

LOL. We're from Wisconsin, and when I brought up the "hometown gift exhange" to my mom, she said "what, are we going to bring a wheel of cheese?" (quite jokingly, of course).