Do not ever sail with Norwegian, even for free or if they pay you for it,

[Neyolle]

Our cruise was rerouted from Bermuda. NCL sent only SMS with notification less than 16 hours prior to sailing, saying all details are sent by email. The email never came, either that day or ever since. I called their customer service and was notified that the cruise goes to Canada, but we could not sail because Canadian COVID restrictions were different from those of Bermuda. And yet, NCL refused to refund us, and only offered credit, which, supposedly would take them 3 weeks to issue and which would be valid only through August 2023. As of now, it's already 5 days past this promised day and no credit was issued. Also, NCL promised to facilitate a refund of fees we paid to the Bermuda government for authorization ($40 per person). Needless to say, nothing was done in this regard either. NCL refused to provide me with written confirmation of itinerary alternation, despite this obviously being public information (2 hours on phone with 5 people from 3 different departments). I had to file an official request to obtain this confirmation for the travel insurance. We also filed a claim with them requesting a refund, in which we referred to numerous clauses from their own terms and conditions. They rejected our claim, citing some other clauses from their terms and conditions. In other words, they are trained to use legal casuistry, chicanery and fine print, to twist and interpret their terms and conditions in a way that you as a customer, are never right. Also, their representatives tend to hang up on you when they don't like the direction the communication is headed. Their claims department coordinator is totally cynical and unprofessional. But, when I was looking for public confirmation on the alternation of the itinerary, I found that we are not in the worst position. Those guests whose vaccination status was in compliance with new route were even denied the option to cancel for credit. They were forced to either sail or lose their money, regardless that the offered alternative by any means not an equivalent replacement, not by value, not by experience. Imagine how their Canadian guests were supposed to feel. I know NCL is cheaper than other cruise lines, but keep in mind they most likely going to ruin vacations in every possible way, from awful service on board to holding your money without providing any service at all. Just read the reviews and you will see no saving is worth this.

[mjkacmom]

All cruise lines can change itinerary at any time for any reason, happens every hurricane season, plus at other times if the year due to weather, mechanical issues, port issues, etc. You were lucky that you didn’t meet the requirements to enter Canada so we’re eligible for a fcc. Some with insurance got refunds, depending on the type of insurance they bought. Was this your first cruise?

[j603]

While I am sorry your itinerary changed, why not just roll with the punches and enjoy whatever destinations they came up with? Given the last couple years, I am just happy to be going on a cruise and getting some vitamin Sea. In any event, I hope things work out for you with what you are trying to achieve.

[MotownVoice]

A)  The cruise line can change their itinerary for any reason.  

B)  You had insurance.  It worked the way it was supposed to.  

C)  This reads like someone in the throws of an outrage.  It wanders and makes senseless claims.  
 

My advice is to give yourself time to cool off and go at it again.  But stick to complaints that are actual customer mistreatments.  This treatice doesn’t have that quality. 

Edited October 16, 2022 by MotownVoice

[Stealthdog]

Welcome to cruise critic.  Sorry you had that experience.  Im assuming you were on the Getaway that was diverted because Hurricane Fiona was going straight through Bermuda?  Cruise lines changing itineraries last minute during hurricane season is fairly routine - many caribbean cruises also had to change East to West itineraries because of several ports getting hit.

 

https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2022/09/22/norwegian-reroutes-bermuda-cruise/8084046001/

 

Here is an article laying out credits and refunds.  Looks like anyone unvaccinated with get a 100% FCC to be used within 1 year, which is also routine.  I got a 12 month FCC from Princess this summer to be used by next summer.  I wish I had more time to use the credit too.

Edited October 16, 2022 by Stealthdog

[graphicguy]

Woooo Boy.  That was a tough read.

 

Not sure what exactly happened, but as others point out, itineraries change on cruises all the time.  Could be because of weather, local requirements/restrictions, etc.

 

What I’m not clear about is they would not let the OP sail?  Canada has lifted restrictions.  Bermuda has their own restrictions that NCL posts as part of the check in process (all geographic restrictions are posted).

 

Or, is the OP saying the itinerary dropped Bermuda for Canada?  In which case, again, no restrictions.

 

Not sure which insurance the OP has, but there usually is a refund schedule (partial) for a change in itinerary.  Depends on the insurance.  Bermuda is the entity that charges the $40.  I would think the refund for that comes from them.

 

There’s so much here I don’t understand.

[JGmf]

28 minutes ago, Neyolle said:

Those guests whose vaccination status was in compliance with new route were even denied the option to cancel for credit. They were forced to either sail or lose their money, regardless that the offered alternative by any means not an equivalent replacement, not by value, not by experience.

 

I was on the Sept 22 sailing out of NYC to Bermuda that was diverted from Bermuda to Newport-Portland-Canada because of Hurricane Fiona.  Maybe this is the sailing you are talking about.

 

When it happened, we weren't happy with the change but thoroughly enjoyed the trip nonetheless.  We do wish NCL had provided more notice on the change -- we got the email around 8pm or so the day before embarkation -- but I get it: there's a ton of logistics for them and plus, a hurricane's path may veer.

 

 

 

[MsTabbyKats]

I'm not clear why OP met the covid standards for Bermuda but not Canada.......

 

At that time didn't they both require testing and vaccinations?

 

And the ArriveCan, unlike the Bermuda TA, took about 5 minutes to complete.......

 

IMHO....OP was just upset because of the itinerary change.

[pandncruisers]

At least you had some advance notice of the change. A few years ago in October we were on a Mexican cruise out of LA. We were not notified of our itinerary change until we boarded and left port that because of a hurricane down South we would be going to San Francisco and San Diego instead. We packed for warm weather instead we were in chilly weather but still had a great time and made the best of it.

[Peachypooh]

Sometimes the ports stay the same but due to windy/rainy conditions no tendering is

possible. We actually got to some  ports  on a cruise  (I think one was Roatan and can't remember the other ) and a sudden change in conditions cancelled the tenders . I would have been happier if the  conditions were known about way ahead like a hurricane and we were re-routed but such is life. We just stood at the railing and looked at where we were supposed to going.  

[BirdTravels]

@Neyolle Welcome to Cruise Critic!

 

Unfortunately, cruises get rerouted for hurricanes each summer. Unfortunately, you booked a cruise at the peek of hurricane season that was disrupted along with many other cruises that week. 

 

The cruise contract you signed allows the cruise line to change itineraries at their discretion without any compensation to the passenger. Normally, the passenger has zero options - Cruise or Lose. In your case, you were at least offered a FCC. 

 

Continue to be patient, things take more time than anticipated when thousands of passengers are disrupted.  

 

If you were on the Getaway, someone posted the change letter on the roll call on post #173

 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, MsTabbyKats said:

I'm not clear why OP met the covid standards for Bermuda but not Canada.......

They have different standards. If you were unvaccinated, you could not cruise to Canada. And the testing timing is different, but that should not be a reason to cancel. 

[ontheweb]

I wonder if the OP would have been happier if they sailed straight into a hurricane?

 

And I wonder what the odds are of he or she returning to comment now that the replies have not been sympathetic.

Edited October 16, 2022 by ontheweb
added second paragraph

[MsTabbyKats]

9 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

They have different standards. If you were unvaccinated, you could not cruise to Canada. And the testing timing is different, but that should not be a reason to cancel. 

But could you sail to Bermuda unvaccinated?  I thought Bermuda was stricter.

 

In any event, OP is angry because he didn't get a refund....so I guess I should never sail with NCL again.

[destar]

The OP is only pointing at NCL with this issue. This can happen on any cruise line. When you first reserve your cruise, you agree to all terms and conditions (which nobody reads) of the cruise line, and somewhere in there it states that the itinerary can change at any time during the cruise. Like J603 said, roll with the punches and enjoy the cruise. Don't let one little change ruin your whole vacation and now you are trashing a cruise line.

[hallux]

50 minutes ago, destar said:

and somewhere in there it states that the itinerary can change at any time during the cruise

Right here - 

https://www.ncl.com/about/terms-and-conditions#s5m5

 

The text, for those that don't want to click the link as they ignored it when booking also

Itinerary Changes

In the event of strikes, lockouts, stoppages of labor, riots, weather conditions, mechanical difficulties or any other reason whatsoever, Norwegian Cruise Line has the right to cancel, advance, postpone or substitute any scheduled sailing or itinerary without prior notice. Norwegian Cruise Line shall not be responsible for failure to adhere to published arrival and departure times for any of its ports of call. Norwegian Cruise Line may, but is not obliged to, substitute another vessel for any sailing and cannot be liable for any loss to passengers by reason of such cancellation, advancement, postponement or substitution. Reservations are subject to change or cancellation in the event of a full-ship charter, and in such event, NCL shall refund all passage moneys paid by the passenger.

 

I wonder where the OP expected the ship to sail to from NY if they couldn't go to Bermuda.  

[ontheweb]

12 minutes ago, hallux said:

 

I wonder where the OP expected the ship to sail to from NY if they couldn't go to Bermuda.  

I don't think we will ever find out since it does not look like the OP is returning.

[julig22]

3 hours ago, pandncruisers said:

At least you had some advance notice of the change. A few years ago in October we were on a Mexican cruise out of LA. We were not notified of our itinerary change until we boarded and left port that because of a hurricane down South we would be going to San Francisco and San Diego instead. We packed for warm weather instead we were in chilly weather but still had a great time and made the best of it.

Was going to mention something similar, out of San Diego.  Was at the port when that happened to another ship (not NCL) - they were also diverted to San Francisco.  I was on a Panama canal cruise to Florida so we couldn't divert but sailed way out to sea to miss the weather, missing our stop in Mexico.

[CruizinSusan70]

37 minutes ago, Chaz212 said:

So going by that, they can cancel for any reason whatsoever an not even give you your money back.  Seems that it would be more fair, that they sold something they did not provide, regardless of reason the money should be refunded.  They should know more about hurricane season than the passengers, but nothing you can do about it, the deck is stacked against the little guy.  

Sorry, but you roll the dice when you try to cruise during hurricane season and when you read the T&C's, the cruise lines butts are covered.  Many cruisers on cruise critic have had ports cancelled or entire cruises changed to a new destination for various reasons whether it be weather related or possibly mechanically oriented with a ship.  The deck is not stacked against the little guy, the little guy just needs to be aware of all of the nuances involved when they decide to travel during hurricane season.  The mechanical problems could happen at any time, so complications could occur year round.

[mpk218]

HAHAHAHA , Really ?   Sailing is decided by the Sea and the weather ....  Stick to Cabo 

[Babr]

51 minutes ago, Chaz212 said:

So going by that, they can cancel for any reason whatsoever an not even give you your money back.  Seems that it would be more fair, that they sold something they did not provide, regardless of reason the money should be refunded.  They should know more about hurricane season than the passengers, but nothing you can do about it, the deck is stacked against the little guy.  

 

When the cruise line cancels a cruise, it is obligated to refund your fare. It can alter ports or arrival/departure times without being responsible for any associated costs to the passenger such as air fare, hotels, meals.

[julig22]

20 minutes ago, mpk218 said:

HAHAHAHA , Really ?   Sailing is decided by the Sea and the weather ....  Stick to Cabo 

Yea, about that.  Missed Cabo because of a hurricane in 2018 😄

But here I am, still sailing with NCL many years later.

Edited October 16, 2022 by julig22

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Chaz212 said:

So going by that, they can cancel for any reason whatsoever an not even give you your money back.  Seems that it would be more fair, that they sold something they did not provide, regardless of reason the money should be refunded.  They should know more about hurricane season than the passengers, but nothing you can do about it, the deck is stacked against the little guy.  

The contract that ever passenger on every cruise line signs gives the cruise line the ability to change itineraries. What is in the contract is what is “fair”, so there is no question on the definition of “fair”. 
 

Everyone has a sad story on why the “can’t cruise”. Everyone expects to get a refund for any reason. “The dog ate my passport”. That’s not the way business works.

 

You can carry insurance if you want, that is your choice,,, in case you have a hungry dog. 

[complawyer]

while i am sincerely sorry for you negative experience, we've been on 20 ncl cruises in the last 20 years, and only  once did we have an itinerary change. it was to windy to dock at gsc, so we got an extra sea day.

 

that was fine with me as i think grand stirrup caye is a waste, and i  wouldnt have gotten off the ship anyway

[chengkp75]

2 hours ago, Chaz212 said:

So going by that, they can cancel for any reason whatsoever an not even give you your money back.  Seems that it would be more fair, that they sold something they did not provide, regardless of reason the money should be refunded.  They should know more about hurricane season than the passengers, but nothing you can do about it, the deck is stacked against the little guy.  

Guess what?  That's what you get when you book a cruise on a foreign flag vessel, you are not protected by laws of the US, unlike airlines who may have to compensate for a diversion, but who are regulated by the US government.  And, since virtually all of the major cruise ships are foreign flag, this applies to them all.