Breakaway Hurricane News 10/9

[GeezerCouple]

Comparing cancellation policies between cruise lines is like comparing cancellation policies at shops at the mall. Some have a no returns / no refunds policy.

 

NCL's travel insurance does offer "cancel for any reason". You get 75% back as a future cruise credit if you decide not to cruise. Some would argue that they were not told until departure time where they were going. It does not take an advance degree in meteorology to know that there was a high probability that they were not going to Bermuda. Other lines went to Canada,,, sailing with Mattthew and bad,cold weather. NCL was able to go south to someplace warm.

 

Just a note that some (most?) third party insurers offer a CFAR (Cancel For Any Reason) add-on that would pay 75% *cash* back, not just a cruise credit.

 

We always get coverage from a third party insurer, so there is no internal conflict between the travel providers and the insurer.

 

See the following for the CC subforum on travel insurance:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=635

[Letsgo 2]

Monday night on The Breakaway. Gorgeous sunshine day. People dancing poolside, band playing, children in pool! A wonderful day at sea. 99% of the people on this cruise are having a blast.

 

 

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Thank you, you just brought a smile to my face,I'm glad that most passengers are making the best of it. The Bermuda Web cam shows that it is pretty rough there right now.

Enjoy the rest of your cruise....I know we had a great time last week

Marion

[luv2cruise523]

Still missing the point.

 

Other lines offered much greater kickbacks or the option of canceling altogether when an itinerary was impacted by Matthew last week.

 

No one is asking to sail into the storm.

 

No one is pretending to be surprised by the storm.

 

From what I've been able to glean, they are/were upset by the lack of info and options given by NCL.

 

Normally I'd fall into the "cruise contract/you chose to sail in hurricane season" dogpile with everyone else, but I read ALL the forums and NCL looks bad compared to other lines right now, that's all.

 

They are not on those "other" lines, they choose to sail NCL. This is how NCL choose to handle the situation. The folks that feel they we not treated as they expected have the choice to cruise those "other" cruise lines in the future.

It really is time for everyone to understand this is a company that you have no say in how it operates. What you do have control over is how you treat others and who you give cruising dollars to.

Have A Great Day Everyone 😊

[ColinIllinois]

http://www.foxnews.com/world/2016/10/11/tropical-storm-nicole-could-regain-hurricane-strength-as-it-eyes-bermuda.html

[jaja]

Monday night on The Breakaway. Gorgeous sunshine day. People dancing poolside, band playing, children in pool! A wonderful day at sea. 99% of the people on this cruise are having a blast.

 

 

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Thanks for posting :) And I hope you (and the 99%) continue to enjoy your cruise...enjoy every minute . :D

[bjlaac]

Are they supposed to refund 4+ million dollars? If you cruise in hurricane season you have to willing to accept a new itinerary at any time or forfeit your fare. It's happened to me so I have no problems saying this. It sucks but it's not the end of the world.

 

Well you know what? Carnival just did that. The option not to board in Baltimore for a full refund or a 50% cruise credit plus $250 onboard credit per person.

 

What did NCL do, lock the doors behind the passengers and say too bad, real customer service!

[biker@sea]

Looks like the Captain found some smooth sailing.

:) http://www.kroooz-cams.com/ncl_breakaway/breakaway1.php :)

 

 

Dawn is in White caps.

.

Edited October 11, 2016 by biker@sea

[OCruisers]

Nichole is now a HURRICANE! :eek:

[Rileyz]

Nichole is now a HURRICANE! :eek:

 

It's all NCL's fault!;)

[PDX_82]

I completely understand the need to change our itinerary, however the alternate port visits are garbage. I'd have preferred we just stayed in NYC or anchored out to sea and refunded port fees and taxes to our accounts. If I did not upgrade to Haven I am pretty sure I would not be enjoying the cruise as much. If they do not end up offering some incentive on a future cruise or something else beyond the $200 non-refundable OBC I doubt I will sail on Norwegian again.

 

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[mjkacmom]

I completely understand the need to change our itinerary, however the alternate port visits are garbage. I'd have preferred we just stayed in NYC or anchored out to sea and refunded port fees and taxes to our accounts. If I did not upgrade to Haven I am pretty sure I would not be enjoying the cruise as much. If they do not end up offering some incentive on a future cruise or something else beyond the $200 non-refundable OBC I doubt I will sail on Norwegian again.

 

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Wait, they didn't ask for your advice? The NYC port fees would be much more, and I suspect those not staying in the haven would much rather dock than sail around in circles. No one is forcing you to get off the ship in Nassau, but maybe those sailing in steerage would welcome the opportunity to get off of the ship.

[Dankees]

So, what's the new itinerary?

[PDX_82]

So, what's the new itinerary?

8.5 hours in Port Canaveral FL and 5.5 hours in Nassau Bahamas...

 

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[the_redhead]

8.5 hours in Port Canaveral FL and 5.5 hours in Nassau Bahamas...

 

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And the stop in Nassau is late in the day, isn't it? I seem to recall it starting around 3 PM.

 

I'm crossing my fingers for better weather next week.

[bluesea777]

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=51292828#post51292828

[OCruisers]

Normally, after a hurricane passes there is excellent weather... but may be on the chilly side. :)

[SailBreakaway]

 

You should take a moment and thank your crew at some point later when you see them. Because, That would have been a lot of fun.

 

And this is just today in the harbor/mooring. Imagine what tomorrow and Thursday will look like.

 

Like I said, thank your crew for making he tough call despite the anger and irrational behavior they have to contend with...

 

[PDX_82]

And the stop in Nassau is late in the day, isn't it? I seem to recall it starting around 3 PM.

 

I'm crossing my fingers for better weather next week.

Yes 3PM, NCL is not offering excursions, though they gave a presentation on really close places to check out. I had been dreaming about snorkelling for months, bought gear and a go pro, guess I'll be ready another trip someday. At least the food has been phenomenal so far!

 

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[PDX_82]

 

You should take a moment and thank your crew at some point later when you see them. Because, That would have been a lot of fun.

 

And this is just today in the harbor/mooring. Imagine what tomorrow and Thursday will look like.

 

Like I said, thank your crew for making he tough call despite the anger and irrational behavior they have to contend with...

 

Changing our itinerary is not a big deal, no one can control the weather... yet... but the alternate itinerary really sucks. It's hard to not feel let down after spending thousands of dollars and spending countless hours planning and anticipating.

 

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[OCruisers]

8.5 hours in Port Canaveral FL and 5.5 hours in Nassau Bahamas...

 

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While not what you'd hoped, better than being in a hurricane. :)

[AdoraBelle]

They are not on those "other" lines, they choose to sail NCL. This is how NCL choose to handle the situation. The folks that feel they we not treated as they expected have the choice to cruise those "other" cruise lines in the future.

 

It really is time for everyone to understand this is a company that you have no say in how it operates. What you do have control over is how you treat others and who you give cruising dollars to.

 

Have A Great Day Everyone [emoji4]

 

 

Sorry, I don't believe in rolling over and taking it from the mega-corps. The people who got shafted on the Seattle thing a few months ago reached out to local media and NCL gave in and did the right thing.

[SailBreakaway]

Changing our itinerary is not a big deal, no one can control the weather... yet... but the alternate itinerary really sucks. It's hard to not feel let down after spending thousands of dollars and spending countless hours planning and anticipating.

 

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So here's what most don't understand. The cruise line can't just last minute "book" a slip in St Maarten or some other random Caribbean port. For last minute changes they are committed to open agreements and dock space. They have year long space in Nassau and Port Canaveral. There's a lot more than...Hey let's take 4000 people.... here and making a phone call, were coming and be there in two days. It doesn't work that way. And don't forget customs arrangements. Those are all pre-arranged as well.

 

I won't continue to debate this other than to say please understand, the cruise line has done, in my opinion, everything they can operationally to keep your safety paramount, make the right decision, and adapt to the last minute change. I'm trying to offer an operational perspective you may not see. As for economics, sorry not my thing.

 

Enjoy that beautiful lady (ship). Wish I was there.

Edited October 12, 2016 by SailBreakaway

[bluesea777]

Changing our itinerary is not a big deal, no one can control the weather... yet... but the alternate itinerary really sucks. It's hard to not feel let down after spending thousands of dollars and spending countless hours planning and anticipating.

 

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Yes, I can sympathize. It is scary upsetting when one books and spends a lot of money on particular cruise only to have it weathered out and changed at the last minute.

 

It happened to us once on Epic - we were doing a B2B on Epic in 2010 - Western and Eastern. While we were on the Western leg, we were seeing TS Earl down on East Caribbean and we said to each other, mmm, oh no, eh, etc. When we got to Miami for the changeover, we got memo about the itinerary change to West (again) ... we cheered and so did a lot of others. Only thing I was upset was not being able to go to St. Maarten but no big deal - we went there a few years later.

 

STORM HAPPENS!

[bluesea777]

So here's what most don't understand. The cruise line can't just last minute "book" a slip in St Maarten or some other random Caribbean port. For last minute changes they are committed to open agreements and dock space. They have year long space in Nassau and Port Canaveral. There's a lot more than...Hey let's take 4000 people.... here and making a phone call, were coming and be there in two days. It doesn't work that way. And don't forget customs arrangements. Those are all pre-arranged as well.

 

I won't continue to debate this other than to say please understand, the cruise line has done, in my opinion, everything they can operationally to keep your safety paramount, make the right decision, and adapt to the last minute change. I'm trying to offer an operational perspective you may not see. As for economics, sorry not my thing.

 

Enjoy that beautiful lady (ship). Wish I was there.

 

Amen!

 

BA could have gone to better ports than PC but I think BA is too big. Also, GSC is a no-go at the moment.

[the_redhead]

Yes 3PM, NCL is not offering excursions, though they gave a presentation on really close places to check out. I had been dreaming about snorkelling for months, bought gear and a go pro, guess I'll be ready another trip someday. At least the food has been phenomenal so far!

 

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Glad to hear good things about the food. I hope you get a chance to go on another trip and use that snorkeling gear soon!