Help! Snow coming, but I have NCL Insurance

[dreamofcruising]

Hello,  

  

My cruise leaves this weekend and if by some chance I can not make it to the airport because of the snow, (airport is 2 hours away) what happens to my cruise fare?    I have the standard NCL Insurance.   I have been on hold forever with NCL and thought I'd just ask here if anyone knew.  It may be better to change my flight to the morning of the cruise, as far as the weather and roads would be clearer.  But that is risky as well.  As of now, my fight is for 1 day before the cruise leaves.         

 

Hopefully I won't have to find out.  But want to at least be prepared somewhat.   

 

Thanks.  

[phillyguy31]

Go to the airport the day before and stay in a hotel, that way you don't have to worry about getting there, just the plane taking off. Better still fly down 2 days early and enjoy the local scene and not worry about the snow.

[packer99]

10 minutes ago, phillyguy31 said:

Go to the airport the day before and stay in a hotel, that way you don't have to worry about getting there, just the plane taking off. Better still fly down 2 days early and enjoy the local scene and not worry about the snow.

 

 

Yep, this ^

[beerman2]

Don't fly morning of that is asking for trouble from a snow state. As stated the best option is to beat the storm and fly out the day before the snow storm is scheduled.

[alwalaska]

Check your airline too.  Sometimes they will let you change your flight to a day earlier without charges if snow is coming in.   That way you can get out before the snow comes in and not be stressed about last minute plan disruptions.  I plan on watching the weather carefully coming up on our Feb cruise.

[casofilia]

As you know that the weather is going to deteriorate get out before it arrives.  Have a couple of days in a hotel and enjoy the port you are leaving from.

[stuckinbuffalo]

We live in Buffalo and have always flown in the day before simply because we don't want to chance it with the weather.  We leave next week for our cruise and we will be watching the weather very closely.  This is the FIRST time we are supposed to fly in the same day as our cruise and if it looks like snow will be a problem, we will call the airline and see what we can do about changing our flights.  

 

[kayjay76]

without a doubt id try to change the flight to a day earlier. much cheaper getting a hotel for an extra night or 2 than losing out the cost of a cruise.

 

our cruise is in 3 weeks and we've agreed if snow comes and we have to drive straight 22 hours to get on that boat we are doing it lol.

[Briji04]

We were booked on a cruise then hurricane Florence hit us here in coastal NC. I called and cancelled the cruise with NCL. They gave me the number to call the insurance company. NCL refunded my fees and taxes within 3 days. The paperwork was simple. The insurance company sent two checks for the cruise fare. One in my name and one in my husband’s name. 

Edited January 16, 2019 by Briji04

[newmexicoNita]

15 hours ago, dreamofcruising said:

Hello,  

  

My cruise leaves this weekend and if by some chance I can not make it to the airport because of the snow, (airport is 2 hours away) what happens to my cruise fare?    I have the standard NCL Insurance.   I have been on hold forever with NCL and thought I'd just ask here if anyone knew.  It may be better to change my flight to the morning of the cruise, as far as the weather and roads would be clearer.  But that is risky as well.  As of now, my fight is for 1 day before the cruise leaves.         

 

Hopefully I won't have to find out.  But want to at least be prepared somewhat.   

 

Thanks.  

This is the exact reason we always go to the airport the night before our flight and we always arrive at the port city the day before. We will be leaving here on a Tues in a few weeks for a Thursday sailing. As for being on hold, I was on Monday as well. It had nothing to do with what you were on hold for, but I was on for about 20 minutes. 

[kathy884]

We fly out this Saturday for a Sunday cruise.  We have travel insurance too.  For us, we are just a 1/2 hour from the airport, but snow is expected and we live in an area that doesn't get a lot of snow.  That means we'll give it extra time for our drive.  I think for us the biggest risk of missing the cruise would be flight cancellations and not being able to get to the cruise port on time, even though our plans are to fly out the night before.  It does sound like there might be some messy weather throughout a large part of the United States that could affect travel for lots of people.  That's always a risk with winter travel.

 

Anyway wish you well.  Hope we all get to the port safely and on time and can enjoy the crystal clear waters of the Caribbean (assuming you're doing a cruise to that area).  Travel insurance would refund some monies, but it wouldn't get back being able to join extended family etc. on this cruise which would be extremely disappointing.  Safety though always need to be number 1 for airlines, etc. and that's what we would want too.

 

Anyway, you are not alone in dealing with these risks.

Edited January 16, 2019 by kathy884

[Nextcruise42]

Speaking of snow, has anyone had experience parking at the ncl  

Manhattan pier and returning to a heavy snow storm. Wondering how difficult it is to clear car out. Should I bring shovel?

[Mike_DeA]

2 hours ago, Nextcruise42 said:

Speaking of snow, has anyone had experience parking at the ncl  

Manhattan pier and returning to a heavy snow storm. Wondering how difficult it is to clear car out. Should I bring shovel?

Not at the NCL pier but at an airport.  You're basically on your own, so be prepared.  Shovel, scraper, gloves, etc.  You never know what you'll be coming back to.

[sirenitas]

We are in the mountains of CO, 2 hours away from the airport so I know the fear of getting stranded because of snow! Off season here is May and Oct so that is when we travel - and it is also the months with the most unpredictable weather. What we do is book a hotel near the airport for the night before our flight, most have park and fly rates plus airport shuttles.

[victory2020]

If there are a lot of passengers late due to weather, they may delay departure. I've been on ships when there have been delays due to late flights.

[Sauer-kraut]

1 hour ago, Mike_DeA said:

Not at the NCL pier but at an airport.  You're basically on your own, so be prepared.  Shovel, scraper, gloves, etc.  You never know what you'll be coming back to.

 

and lock deicer

[islesdave]

22 hours ago, dreamofcruising said:

Hello,  

  

My cruise leaves this weekend and if by some chance I can not make it to the airport because of the snow, (airport is 2 hours away) what happens to my cruise fare?    I have the standard NCL Insurance.   I have been on hold forever with NCL and thought I'd just ask here if anyone knew.  It may be better to change my flight to the morning of the cruise, as far as the weather and roads would be clearer.  But that is risky as well.  As of now, my fight is for 1 day before the cruise leaves.         

 

Hopefully I won't have to find out.  But want to at least be prepared somewhat.   

 

Thanks.  

Can you change your flight?  Many airlines waive change fees if you're changing your flight due to weather/incoming storms that will likely ground travel.  This happened a couple of years ago with me.  I live in NY, was able to change my flight to the previous day.  We were the last flight that left NYC area airports to FLA, as it started snowing way before it was supposed to.  If you can't change your flight, book a room at an airport hotel that has park-and-fly rates and a shuttle to the airport in the morning.  I'm leaving NYC tomorrow for a cruise as well, looks like we'll be clear for flying tomorrow.  I'd be worried if I booked a Friday flight as I haven't seen any airlines post advisories.

[dreamofcruising]

Thanks for the advice.  It will be interesting to see how this storm plays out.  Columbus, OH is kinda right in the path that could go 5 inches or 18 inches lol.  If we leave 2 days early (this Saturday) that puts us leaving the day of the brunt of the storm and the worse chance.   So our plans to leave Sunday is arriving 1 day early and probably the best bet as the highway should be more clear than Saturday.   We have 3 possible non stop flights on Sunday so hopefully that will work.   Cruise leaves Monday and it would be hard to get a flight that day to arrive in time. Leaving Friday is not a option due to other commitments.   So...…….fingers crossed. 

 

Worse case, it seems I can apply for a credit for a future cruise.  It is just a quick 4 day on the Jade,  but would be nice just to have that at this point!  I would be more worried if it was a nice long 7 day!  :)  Not sure I will plan another January cruise unless it was for a 7 day.  

[EllieinNJ]

We are leaving 1/28 from JFK to South America.  Our cruise isn't until 2/2 but we are also going to Iguazu Falls the day after we land.  If there is a snowstorm the day we leave, we probably will miss the trip to the falls, but thankfully not the cruise.  Hope our trip insurance covers the flights to the falls and the two night hotel stay. 

 

Remind me not to book a winter cruise again if we have to fly somewhere.  It's too stressful.

[meatball_nyc]

Geez. We live 20 minutes away from Pier 88 by car and refuse to sail during the winter. Too cold!! 

Pack a snow shovel in your car if you are parking at the pier. 

Hoping everyone safe travels this snowy weekend!

 

 

 

[BirdTravels]

On 1/15/2019 at 2:35 PM, dreamofcruising said:

Hello,  My cruise leaves this weekend and if by some chance I can not make it to the airport because of the snow, (airport is 2 hours away) what happens to my cruise fare?    I have the standard NCL Insurance.   I have been on hold forever with NCL and thought I'd just ask here if anyone knew.  It may be better to change my flight to the morning of the cruise, as far as the weather and roads would be clearer.  But that is risky as well.  As of now, my fight is for 1 day before the cruise leaves. Hopefully I won't have to find out.  But want to at least be prepared somewhat.   Thanks.  

So,,,, the morning after a big storm is ***NOT*** the flight you want to be on. There is a HIGH probability that there won't be a plane there to take you to your embarkation port.

 

NCL does not care about how you get to the port. They require you to be at the port in time for departure. If you fail to show up for any reason, it is a no-show cancellation. 

 

Airlines will normally give you an opportunity to change your flight. Change it to 2 days early. And spend an additional vacation day at your embarkation port. 

 

If you miss your cruise for a non-covered reason, you will get all of your port taxes refunded. You will get all of your pre-purchased items refunded. The cruise fare, you will get 75% as a future cruise credit. It is a bit of work. You will have to cancel your cruise. Collect all of your cancellation receipts. Open and file a claim for missing your cruise with the insurance company. Wait for the insurance company to review your claim and denies it for an uncovered reason. Once the insurance company rejects your claim, you go back to NCL and they will put a future cruise credit on your latitudes account. 

[campermom]

On 1/16/2019 at 10:22 AM, Mike_DeA said:

Not at the NCL pier but at an airport.  You're basically on your own, so be prepared.  Shovel, scraper, gloves, etc.  You never know what you'll be coming back to.

A shovel is a great idea!

We came back to NY NCL Pier from a major snowstorm a few years ago--they had plowed behind the cars, but it was difficult to get out,  Everyone was getting stuck.  We were wishing we had a shovel, but we had a truck so for us it wasn't too bad.

 

[Nextcruise42]

Add shovel to packing list! Thanks