New final deposit schedule and cancellation policy for NCL

[madison_ct_cruisers]

Effective January 1, Norwegian Cruise Line revised their final deposit schedule and cancellation policy. Under the new policy, guests will be required to pay their final deposit 76 to 90 days before the sailing (depending on the cruise length), eliminating the previous 60 day final deposit date.

New Payment/Deposit Schedule

 

 

• 1 day cruise, $50 deposit, final payment due 75 days prior to sailing
  
• 2-6 day cruises, $100 deposit, final payment due 75 days prior to sailing
  
• 7-9 day cruises, $250 deposit, final payment due 90 days prior to sailing
  
• 10+ day cruises, $400 deposit, final payment due 90 days prior to sailing
  

You can find more on the revised payment schedule here.

Cancellation Policy

 

Norwegian has also tightened the reins on guests who cancel within a certain time frame before sailing. Penalties are being increased and time to cancel has been shortened.

Norwegian’s website fully details the revised cancelation policy.

[kjquilts]

You might want to check your links. They do not go to the NCL website. They go to some site that requires a log in password.

 

There was a lengthy thread a couple weeks (or longer lol) ago about the change in cancellation policy.

[fshagan]

NCL has the information posted for bookings made before 1-Jan, 2016 and after, allowing easy comparison, at this link: https://www.ncl.com/about/cancellation-fee-schedule

[fshagan]

Looking at both schedules, NCL had 7 different categories for cancellations; two for suite customers, one for 1 - 5 day cruises, one for 1 - 5 day cruises with a holiday, one for 6 days or more, one for 6 days with a holiday, and Hawai'i.

 

If your cruise included a holiday, you had a 90 day cancellation, but without a holiday you had a 75 day cancellation policy. All of the penalties included losing your deposit first.

 

Now they have three different categories. Cruises 1 - 6 days incur a penalty if cancelled within 75 days of sailing, losing your deposit. This is actually better than the "1 -5 Day with Holiday" penalties.

 

Cruises 7 days or more have a 90 day window; you don't lose your deposit, but pay 25% of the fare at the first level.

 

So the penalties are increased, and the time period, except for holiday cruises, are also increased by about two weeks. The new schedule is certainly easier to understand, though, with just three categories.

 

It would have been easier if they made the time periods and penalties consistent no matter the length of the cruise. I can understand making the harder-to-sell suite passengers give up more, but I would have standardized on 90 day, lose deposit for all cruises just to simplify the terms.

Edited January 3, 2016 by fshagan

[wmwmarmstrong]

Effective January 1, Norwegian Cruise Line revised their final deposit schedule and cancellation policy. Under the new policy, guests will be required to pay their final deposit 76 to 90 days before the sailing (depending on the cruise length), eliminating the previous 60 day final deposit date.

New Payment/Deposit Schedule

 

 

• 1 day cruise, $50 deposit, final payment due 75 days prior to sailing
  
• 2-6 day cruises, $100 deposit, final payment due 75 days prior to sailing
  
• 7-9 day cruises, $250 deposit, final payment due 90 days prior to sailing
  
• 10+ day cruises, $400 deposit, final payment due 90 days prior to sailing
  

You can find more on the revised payment schedule here.

Cancellation Policy

 

Norwegian has also tightened the reins on guests who cancel within a certain time frame before sailing. Penalties are being increased and time to cancel has been shortened.

Norwegian’s website fully details the revised cancelation policy.

 

Thank you for posting this. I had not read the earlier post so was not aware.

[ready2cruzagain]

I find it confusing. If you cancel before final payment what happens? Do you get your deposit back or is there a penalty???

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Another round of applause for FDR

[NMLady]

I find it confusing. If you cancel before final payment what happens? Do you get your deposit back or is there a penalty???

 

In the US you get your deposit back if you cancel before penalty phase.

Some Travel Agents charge a fee for cancellations to cover the time they spent.

[clivep]

I find it confusing. If you cancel before final payment what happens? Do you get your deposit back or is there a penalty???

 

US bookings get their deposit back, there is no penalty. UK/EU bookings always lose their deposit no matter how long before final payment.

 

UK terms are simpler and do not seem to have changed:

 

All bookings other than Suites (category H1-SJ) Period before departure notification of cancellation received by us Cancellation charge per person cancelling* more than 61 days deposit 60-42 days 45% 41-16 days 75% 15-5 days 90% Under 4 days+ 100% After departure 100%

 

 

Suites (category H1-SJ) Period before departure notification of cancellation received by us Cancellation charge per person cancelling* more than 91 days deposit 90-42 days 45% 41-16 days 75% 15-5 days 90% Under 4 days+ 100% After departure 100%

[cruzsnooze]

This makes a good argument to wait to book a cruise until 30 days before the sailing date.

[clivep]

This makes a good argument to wait to book a cruise until 30 days before the sailing date.

 

Quite so. I only ever book after the final payment date because that's when the prices drop as the cruise lines try to shift their surplus inventory (particularly true for "American" lines such as NCL, RCI, Celebrity, where there are a large number of US bookings and cancellations prior to final payment free up cabins).

 

With NCL it may now be better to book in the 30-60 day window in order to qualify for a free promotion... it all depends on when the price drop comes in.

[fshagan]

I find it confusing. If you cancel before final payment what happens? Do you get your deposit back or is there a penalty???

 

The first penalty is if you cancel when final payment is due or later. If you cancel before final payment is due then NCL refunds your deposit. This is the same process as has always been in place.

 

The only thing that has changed is the number of days before sailing when final payment is due, and the amount / calculation of the penalty.

[mrobstad]

Another change is that you lose your perk, like UBP. Even the PCCs are confused about this.....gotta agree with football parent.

[sparks1093]

This makes a good argument to wait to book a cruise until 30 days before the sailing date.

 

Booking within 30 days means that you don't get any perks, so it's kind of darned if you do and darned if you don't. While the new schedule isn't that big a deal to me I can see that it is another non-passenger friendly change.

[Cruisennerable]

Sadly this is why I won't use NCL Celebrity still allows full cancellation up until a certain date. A 25% penalty is outlandish

[Golfin55]

Another round of applause for FDR

 

 

Just wait for the new DFC to take effect March 1st.

Edited January 15, 2016 by Golfin55

[electro]

Another round of applause for FDR

 

Yes, his motto is Pay more, get less and make everything so complicated that you need a PHD to figure it out.

[electro]

Just wait for the new DFC to take effect March 1st.

 

What is DFC?

[Golfin55]

What is DFC?

 

 

Daily Flushing Charge[emoji372]

[wmwmarmstrong]

Daily Flushing Charge[emoji372]

 

 

Well there went my ice tea all over my screen! Good one!!

[Golfin55]

Sorry about your screen, just glad someone likes sophomoric humor[emoji12]

[triphopcooper]

Looks like NCL has revised the final payment schedule once again. I got a call from my travel agent stating final payment in now due by this Wednesday and not October 15th like I originally planned for. Final payment for holiday cruises will now be due 120 days prior to sailing and not 90 days. Talk about short notice.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

Looks like NCL has revised the final payment schedule once again. I got a call from my travel agent stating final payment in now due by this Wednesday and not October 15th like I originally planned for. Final payment for holiday cruises will now be due 120 days prior to sailing and not 90 days. Talk about short notice.

 

The Holiday Cruises, along with all Haven/Suite bookings, require final payment 120 days prior to departure. It has been that way since they revised the policy in January. Sounds like your TA gave you bad info when you booked :(

[hawkeyetlse]

Looks like NCL has revised the final payment schedule once again. I got a call from my travel agent stating final payment in now due by this Wednesday and not October 15th like I originally planned for. Final payment for holiday cruises will now be due 120 days prior to sailing and not 90 days. Talk about short notice.

That is not a recent change. It was announced at the same time as the other changes to the payment/cancellation schedules. It's possible that your TA gave you the wrong dates when you first booked (assuming you booked after January 1st of this year), but the NCL site has said 120 days for holiday sailings since last December.

 

See this thread, for example, from last December:

New Cancellation Rules

[hawkeyetlse]

If you can prove that the TA sent you the wrong payment schedule in April, you can try to hold them to it. It's pretty risky, I could easily see you losing your booking and your deposit… So I wouldn't bother fighting this unless you are truly unable to pay in full this week.