FCC 'Lost' Switching Reservation from Cancelled Escape to the Joy

[learype]

My wife and I were booked on the 4/9 Escape cruise. We paid for this cruise with a combination of Future Cruise Credit plus cash to cover the remaining balance. When that Escape cruise was cancelled (because the ship was still being repaired), NCL offered us the following option -
    "Sail on another ship this upcoming weekend PLUS receive a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) valued at 100% of your current voyage fare paid."
We're flexible enough to take advantage of this, so we shifted our reservation to the 4/9 Joy, and had a great time!

Post-cruise, we now find out that an FCC has been issued to us for the cash we paid, but that the FCC we used was NOT reinstated. The NCL representative we spoke to about this said that the FCC used toward the transfer to Joy is 'lost'. This came as a major surprise to us  - when we shifted the booking, that NCL rep told us FCC would be re-instated, so we had the impression that the Joy would be a nearly free' cruise. Without the FCC re-instated it most definitely was not.
 
We are interested in anyone else in a similar situation (i.e., shifting a booking from a cancelled cruise that was paid in part using FCC).

 

[deweytrader]

Wow, not cool at all!

[Pizzasteve]

Frankly, I would have assumed this wasnt a 'free cruise,' as a full FCC for the original fare basis seems too generous.  Since a totally 'free' cruise seems too good to be true and I would have asked to receive a letter with the exact FCC amount to be credited, in writing, before accepting what I would receive.  My guess is that whoever told you the 'deal' missunderstood the policies.

 

Cruise lines can be sneaky.  We had a significant amount owed us by a smaller River line and they sent my wife and I an 'offer for a free customer appretiation cruise' on a specific date.  The itinerary was maybe a value of 1/3 of what they owed us (in cash because they cancelled).  In the fine print of the contract sent, it said this cruise would be accepted as consideration for any money owed us, for cancelled cruises or any money owed for any reason!  It was a blanket release dated from the history of time until our cruise.  So basically they were trying to trick us into accepting a much cheaper cruise to release them from all liability for the cash owed.  Maybe they would have granted a FCC of some sort for the difference, but we were agreeing in writing to release them from any legal rights we had, for any past moneys owed for any reason on the contract the sent.  Needless to say I 'declined' the 'customer appretiation cruise free of charge.'

 

Desperate companies short of cash can do desperate things sometimes. We stuck to our guns and got the cash refunded after roughly 12 months of delays.

 

That said, glad you had a great time!  Was the value of the two cruises significantly different?  You might try negotiating something if the value of what was owed and received are not at least reasonable.

 

PS, just to be clear, the situation I described had nothing to do with a major line or NCL (of which I am a shareholder).

Edited April 22, 2022 by Pizzasteve