NCL Cruise Air: what happens if you no show for for some or all of the flights?

[junglejane]

First time on NCL and first time using NCL Air. We booked with a BOGO Air promo and added 2 day air deviations on both ends. Cruise is Boston to Quebec. Finally received our flight notifications for our 9/2 cruise. I knew they wouldn't be the most ideal flights but still I was a bit shocked. Flying to Boston they have us on a redeye PHX-ORD-BOS. Coming back they have us on a nonstop, but flying out of Montreal, and because we're doing the post-cruise 2 day deviation we are on our own to get from Quebec to Montreal (for a 9 am flight). We're considering our options. In some ways the inbound redeye bothers us the most, but if we no showed for that segment would NCL cancel the return air reservation? My SIL has already called NCL and talked to several representatives, and they won't budge on changing any of the flights.

[cassie55]

Nothing to do with NCL but airlines automatically cancel any subsequent reservations if any segment has a no-show. It's a system issue, no manual intervention. At the airport you can advise the airline and ask them to cancel a specific segment but this will result in a fare recalculation which might be expensive. 

The airline I work for now offers special rates to NCL (as would every airline on the air programme) and any cancellation would result in tickets being upgraded to full rates.  I'm not familiar with the US market anymore (I worked for American Airlines for years but left over 10 years ago) but it will likely not be cheap.

[Candy Apple 12]

Wow! This will make me think twice about booking NCL air. I wouldn’t want to have to travel three hours just to get to the airport, even if I had done the deviation. 

[junglejane]

We realized belatedly that we never closely read the terms and conditions of the air arrangements. They do say that West to East flights will be red eyes “for your convenience” (LOL) and that cruises ending in Quebec will have flights from Montreal. So we should’ve been forewarned if we had paid closer attention. If we had not done the deviation but had flown out on disembarkation day, they would’ve shuttled us to the Montreal airport, but because we did the deviation we are on our own to get to Montreal. This is a lesson learned the hard way.

[DwayneG]

I don't know what you have planned for Quebec City, but would it work to take their shuttle to Montreal airpor on the day cruise ends, then pick up a rental car there for the extra day and return to Montreal airport before your flight?  There are lots of great sights in Montreal.  And if you don't want to rent a car you can probably find an airport hotel with free shuttle.

[capitainefritz]

There is also the Orleans Express bus that goes directly from Quebec downtown to YUL airport. It’s a 4hrs drive, and costs about cad$75 per person.

[IMNOFUN]

12 hours ago, junglejane said:

First time on NCL and first time using NCL Air. We booked with a BOGO Air promo and added 2 day air deviations on both ends. Cruise is Boston to Quebec. Finally received our flight notifications for our 9/2 cruise. I knew they wouldn't be the most ideal flights but still I was a bit shocked. Flying to Boston they have us on a redeye PHX-ORD-BOS. Coming back they have us on a nonstop, but flying out of Montreal, and because we're doing the post-cruise 2 day deviation we are on our own to get from Quebec to Montreal (for a 9 am flight). We're considering our options. In some ways the inbound redeye bothers us the most, but if we no showed for that segment would NCL cancel the return air reservation? My SIL has already called NCL and talked to several representatives, and they won't budge on changing any of the flights.

I don't feel your pain exactly, but I can imagine it. You have my sympathies for sure.

 

We got BOGO for a VERY SIMPLE 1-hour flight. The times suck, but we figure we can get up at 4am at least this one time. We did request a flight change and got an hour reprieve. My brother is still on the horrible:AM flight.

 

Just this slight inconvenience makes me very sorry for your plight. I might do a BOGO to another continent where the flight is going to be horrible no matter what. But I'll make my own reservations.

[hallux]

15 hours ago, capitainefritz said:

There is also the Orleans Express bus that goes directly from Quebec downtown to YUL airport. It’s a 4hrs drive, and costs about cad$75 per person.

A little more expensive, a little shorter travel time and likely more comfortable is the ViaRail train from Quebec City to Montreal.  There are several trains daily.  My parents did that a couple years ago.

[rcribb1]

On 7/31/2022 at 7:42 AM, hallux said:

A little more expensive, a little shorter travel time and likely more comfortable is the ViaRail train from Quebec City to Montreal.  There are several trains daily.  My parents did that a couple years ago.

Thanks for the information.  NCL has also messed us up and doesn't seem to care.  I think their attitude toward the customers is what disturbs me the most.  Going to research today to try to figure out what to do.  Lesson learned.  NEVER take their air with an extension. 

[cruzmaniac]

On 7/30/2022 at 4:36 AM, cassie55 said:

Nothing to do with NCL but airlines automatically cancel any subsequent reservations if any segment has a no-show. It's a system issue, no manual intervention. At the airport you can advise the airline and ask them to cancel a specific segment but this will result in a fare recalculation which might be expensive. 

The airline I work for now offers special rates to NCL (as would every airline on the air programme) and any cancellation would result in tickets being upgraded to full rates.  I'm not familiar with the US market anymore (I worked for American Airlines for years but left over 10 years ago) but it will likely not be cheap.

looking for info regarding my upcoming NCL POA Hawaii air arrangements I saw your comment and profile pic and just had to ask is that a Beardie, and if so do you currently have a Beardie?  Just wondering...I'm a fancier of the breed and they are so rare I just had to ask.  Thanks.  

[cassie55]

2 hours ago, cruzmaniac said:

looking for info regarding my upcoming NCL POA Hawaii air arrangements I saw your comment and profile pic and just had to ask is that a Beardie, and if so do you currently have a Beardie?  Just wondering...I'm a fancier of the breed and they are so rare I just had to ask.  Thanks.  

It's actually a Tibetan terrier who look a little like beardies but COMPLETELY different personalities. I grew up with a beardie and wanted one but my husband (who really didn't want a dog) insisted that they were too big.  Of course, now he's besotted 🙄.  I wouldn't swap him for the world but beardies will always be my first love.

[Sue Do-Over]

We also struck out when our deviation generated a lousy schedule, and removed the airport to pier transfers. 

Airline wouldn't even talk to us about flight change or upgrades -- we couldn't buy better seats with cash, miles or airline credits (from taking a bump previously).   NCL shut us down fast, too, citing the terms of the contract which are "you get what you get."

 

However, when the original flight was cancelled, we were quickly re-booked - by United - onto the flight we actually preferred, and put in available seats... which happened to be the purple Premium Economy.  Crazy how fast that frown turned upside down!

 

With all the cancellations and delays, you might get screwed, or get lucky.  Good luck!

 

 

[broncofan99]

Thank you JungleJane.   I did not read small print either and thanks to this review  now realize my scheduled cruise probably will be similar.   My cruise isn’t until 10/05/23 and I can change the air deviate to Boston where flight to Colorado is not three hours away. I THOUGHT NCL would fly directly to Quebec City ( and maybe will) but times were funky.  Looking closely with eyes  opened and know more research needed.  Lucky for us we wanted to see Boston. Thanks for your review.  

[rcribb1]

35 minutes ago, broncofan99 said:

Thank you JungleJane.   I did not read small print either and thanks to this review  now realize my scheduled cruise probably will be similar.   My cruise isn’t until 10/05/23 and I can change the air deviate to Boston where flight to Colorado is not three hours away. I THOUGHT NCL would fly directly to Quebec City ( and maybe will) but times were funky.  Looking closely with eyes  opened and know more research needed.  Lucky for us we wanted to see Boston. Thanks for your review.  

Really hate to be negative, but we've learned our lesson.  Don't ever take the NCL air option.  I've talked to dozens of people and not a single one felt like they were treated fairly.  They put you on the cheapest most inconvenient flights and then refuse to talk to you about it.  They totally screwed up our post cruise extension and didn't care.  While I may take another cruise with them one day, it won't be with the air option.  The old saying holds, burn me twice, shame on me. 

[jbcallender]

Nothing.  We stayed over in Hawaii and booked our own flights.  We were inside the 75 day deviation so no refund, but I had points, so it wasn't too painful.  No ramifications from NCL.

Edited December 10, 2022 by jbcallender

[casofilia]

With NCL Air; cheap fares mean more troubles!! 

 

Caveat emptor.

[junglejane]

OP here. I think @casofilia summed it up best. Cheap fares mean more troubles. Our BOGO fare was $249. We should've read all the terms & conditions more thoroughly. In the end, we decided to write off the $249 and book our own flights in both directions. When I asked NCL about cancelling and just forfeiting the $249, they wanted to charge us a cancellation fee on top of forfeiting the fare. I can't recall the exact amount but it was around $75 pp. So they wanted us to pay them an additional $150 for being polite enough to notify them we wouldn't be flying on those flights.

 

The CSR also acknowledged that if we just "no showed" that nothing would happen beyond forfeiting what we had already paid. So that's what we did. We received reminders from the airlines to check in to our flights but we just disregarded them.

Meanwhile. my brother and SIL flew on their NCL-booked red-eye to BOS. They were so tired when they got to their hotel that they checked in early and went to sleep until dinner time. So no sightseeing in Boston for them on arrival day. They booked a different flight for their return home in order to fly out of Quebec instead of Montreal. So they only forfeited their return flights. Like us, they didn't formally cancel their NCL return flights because NCL would've charged them a cancellation penalty.

Edited December 10, 2022 by junglejane