If cruise is re-routed is there any compensation?

[MoCruiseFan]

18 hours ago, grouchomarx said:

I would prefer to be able to cancel it than go to Canada and New England but I know that is not an option.  Obviously I’d prefer not to sail into a hurricane but this cruise would be a pretty big waste of money to go to those ports.  I know it is always a risk to get re-routed on any cruise, it does not mean I have to say I will enjoy it.

 

You are correct, it is your CHOICE to enjoy amy cruise or not.  I have only been on a little over 20 cruises but I have cjsen to enjoy all of them,

[roddy good boy]

49 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

You are correct, it is your CHOICE to enjoy amy cruise or not.  I have only been on a little over 20 cruises but I have cjsen to enjoy all of them,

I’ve relayed this story before, but I completely understand how GrouchoMarx feels! We were on the Bliss in a Haven aft suite, Fall of 2018. Reports showed a hurricane building in the region ( Mexican Riviera cruise). NCL kept assuring us that they could move around the hurricane, right up to the point of departure.

As soon as we pulled away from the port, they announce we would be going to San Francisco, San Diego and Ensenada! A lot of folks on board were from San Francisco and San Diego. We spent a year planning excursions and had paid quite a bit for the aft suite. It was too cold to use it the entire trip.  I would rather not have gone or just stayed in L.A. ! It was the deception that annoyed me, more than anything! 

 

And, of course, we got no compensation. I don’t even recall port fees being refunded. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 hours ago, vince_g said:

whenever NCL offers a percentage off to be used for a future cruise, it isn't X% off the cost of a future cruise, but X% off what you paid for that cruise. 

 

5 hours ago, julig22 said:

Actually, if they give you a % FCC deal, it's been FCC off of the fare for a future cruise in my experience.

My experience is the same as @julig22's.  I've taken advantage of such deals multiple times.  IIRC, every time NCL cancelled one of my bookings post-Covid, they gave me another 10% off FCC deal.

[PelicanBill]

We were boarding Breakaway cruise to Bermuda once with TWO hurricanes, one blasting up the east coast the other straight at Bermuda.  We knew we weren't going to Bermuda, and worried it would be New England so packed an extra bag of warm clothes.

 

Ridiculously, people boarding were calling NCL who said "there is no change to the cruise" but we knew better and they were loudly insisting we were still going to Bermuda.  Of course, we didn't sail, and the announcement came after boarding was complete that we would stay in port that night and find an alternate itinerary.  A hundred people left the ship despite being told there would be no refund.

People felt "tricked"... kinda valid but if you're cruising in hurricane season, maybe you should check the weather?

 

So we went to Port Canaveral and Nassau, both under stormy post-hurricane weather, no beaches open, windy and rainy. And Nassau was 3pm-10pm with almost no shopping open.  After complaints that the two ports were a poor replacement they put up $100 per cabin OBC which we had 2 days to use. (on gratuities, really.)

 

We had a cruise in which 2 ports were damaged beyond cruise capability and they waited months to announce a complete new itinerary - way different - after final payment due and refunds no longer possible.  No compensation for that one.

 

Just gotta be ready for it.

[roddy good boy]

1 hour ago, PelicanBill said:

We were boarding Breakaway cruise to Bermuda once with TWO hurricanes, one blasting up the east coast the other straight at Bermuda.  We knew we weren't going to Bermuda, and worried it would be New England so packed an extra bag of warm clothes.

 

Ridiculously, people boarding were calling NCL who said "there is no change to the cruise" but we knew better and they were loudly insisting we were still going to Bermuda.  Of course, we didn't sail, and the announcement came after boarding was complete that we would stay in port that night and find an alternate itinerary.  A hundred people left the ship despite being told there would be no refund.

People felt "tricked"... kinda valid but if you're cruising in hurricane season, maybe you should check the weather?

 

So we went to Port Canaveral and Nassau, both under stormy post-hurricane weather, no beaches open, windy and rainy. And Nassau was 3pm-10pm with almost no shopping open.  After complaints that the two ports were a poor replacement they put up $100 per cabin OBC which we had 2 days to use. (on gratuities, really.)

 

We had a cruise in which 2 ports were damaged beyond cruise capability and they waited months to announce a complete new itinerary - way different - after final payment due and refunds no longer possible.  No compensation for that one.

 

Just gotta be ready for it.

“People felt "tricked"... kinda valid but if you're cruising in hurricane season, maybe you should check the weather.”

 

In my instance we did check the weather and the Islands we were schedule to go were not impacted. Since the Islands themselves weren’t impacted, we trusted NCL (not to deceive us) when they said they had alternative routes to get to them. I’m not a maritime navigator, so how would I know what they were saying wasn’t true?

 

Good on you that you were fine with the events that transpired on your cruise. I was not! 

[MoCruiseFan]

On 5/24/2024 at 1:56 PM, roddy good boy said:

I’ve relayed this story before, but I completely understand how GrouchoMarx feels! We were on the Bliss in a Haven aft suite, Fall of 2018. Reports showed a hurricane building in the region ( Mexican Riviera cruise). NCL kept assuring us that they could move around the hurricane, right up to the point of departure.

As soon as we pulled away from the port, they announce we would be going to San Francisco, San Diego and Ensenada! A lot of folks on board were from San Francisco and San Diego. We spent a year planning excursions and had paid quite a bit for the aft suite. It was too cold to use it the entire trip.  I would rather not have gone or just stayed in L.A. ! It was the deception that annoyed me, more than anything! 

 

And, of course, we got no compensation. I don’t even recall port fees being refunded. 

 

Weather, especially hurricanes, change rapidly.  While it may have been as you described (a intentional delay in announcing the change), it very well could have been that a last minute weather update made it unsafe to go on the planned itinerary.  Of course I have no idea what exactly happened, but you are assuming an intentional  deception.  Either way, I may have been disappointed but I would have been happy to be on a cruise ship rather than be sitting on my couch at home.

[roddy good boy]

59 minutes ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

Weather, especially hurricanes, change rapidly.  While it may have been as you described (an intentional delay in announcing the change), it very well could have been that a last minute weather update made it unsafe to go on the planned itinerary.  Of course I have no idea what exactly happened, but you are assuming an intentional  deception.  Either way, I may have been disappointed but I would have been happy to be on a cruise ship rather than be sitting on my couch at home.

Again, I was not. Had we had the correct information, we would have used our (cancel at anytime) insurance. The weather in L.A. was lovely, and our pre-cruise hotel was a 5 star.
 

Apparently, the previous poster was fine with going to alternate, damaged ports. (But, at least he got $100 OBC). 😁 In contrast, I did not want to spend thousands of dollars to just cruise up and down the California coast for 7 full days. 
 

That’s a pretty low bar to just be happy that you’re not at home! 🤣 But, to each their own.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, roddy good boy said:

That’s a pretty low bar to just be happy that you’re not at home! 🤣

You may have missed this part...

2 hours ago, MoCruiseFan said:

I would have been happy to be on a cruise ship rather than be sitting.....

 

[roddy good boy]

9 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

You may have missed this part...

 

Nope. My argument still stands. If it’s a substandard experience on a cruise ship, I’d rather be sitting on my couch at home (perhaps even typing messages to you)! 😜

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, roddy good boy said:

Nope. My argument still stands. If it’s a substandard experience on a cruise ship, I’d rather be sitting on my couch at home (perhaps even typing messages to you)! 😜

Well, we're all different and in different situations.  In fact, I don't even own a couch!😮  That said, the only things I really look forward to returning to in my home are my cat and my Stressless chair.  My back is really about the only part of me that doesn't enjoy cruising.

Stressless® furniture | Ekornes

 

disclaimer: that's not really me

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, roddy good boy said:

Nope. My argument still stands. If it’s a substandard experience on a cruise ship, I’d rather be sitting on my couch at home (perhaps even typing messages to you)! 😜

Be at home. But don't expect the cruise line (any cruise line) to give you a refund because "you didn't feel like you would get a good experience on the ship". 

[roddy good boy]

3 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Be at home. But don't expect the cruise line (any cruise line) to give you a refund because "you didn't feel like you would get a good experience on the ship". 

Who ever said that?

We are talking about paying for one cruise and getting a completely different one, in terms of ports! 
 

Just asking for a little integrity. If NCL knows prior to sailing that they can’t go to the contracted ports, let customers know. We can then make an informed decision. 

[ontheweb]

8 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

Who ever said that?

We are talking about paying for one cruise and getting a completely different one, in terms of ports! 
 

Just asking for a little integrity. If NCL knows prior to sailing that they can’t go to the contracted ports, let customers know. We can then make an informed decision. 

There really are 2 totally different situations. It is one thing to just drop ports, it is quite another when there is a real legitimate reason, for instance a hurricane or politics intervenes like happened for St. Petersburg and Israel. Safety really does matter.

[craig01020]

On 5/23/2024 at 6:26 PM, grouchomarx said:

I would prefer to be able to cancel it than go to Canada and New England but I know that is not an option.  Obviously I’d prefer not to sail into a hurricane but this cruise would be a pretty big waste of money to go to those ports.  I know it is always a risk to get re-routed on any cruise, it does not mean I have to say I will enjoy it.

Or...you could test positive for covid.

[BirdTravels]

9 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

Who ever said that? We are talking about paying for one cruise and getting a completely different one, in terms of ports! Just asking for a little integrity. If NCL knows prior to sailing that they can’t go to the contracted ports, let customers know. We can then make an informed decision. 

 

The cruise line has the highest integrity. They don't care about "bait and switch" because you signed a contract that lets them do whatever they want. They don't have to "trick you". They will let you know when a final decision is made. And the decision will be made based on the safety and comfort of the passengers and crew, not whether you will get a substandard itinerary. 

 

The weather services run a dozen different models. And every model says that the storm is going somewhere different. All are highly regarded weather forecasting models built on years worth of research and analysis. And all will tell you something different. 

 

To the largest extent possible, the cruise line wants to operate the cruise as planned. Last year, NCL ships were literally dodging hurricanes in the Eastern Caribbean. The rides at night were not all pleasant, but they got to most of their ports of call sailing around the edges storms (versus diverting to much calmer waters of the Western Caribbean). 

 

Unlike when you are on a road trip deciding to take a detour and stop at a Motel 6 in another city, you just don't just pull up a 4000 passenger cruise ship to a dock in another port and say "here we are!" 

 

The Experts here on Cruise Critic will tell you the moment that NCL starts planning alternate itineraries. They will tell you when the cruise line books dock space at multiple locations (North, South, East), they arrange for shore side support, they start contracting for shore excursions. You will see anecdotal information about dock worker Mary Jane Smith in Boston getting notified that she needs to work this week because the Joy is coming. You will see other anecdotal note that the Joy is on the Port Canaveral arrivals list. Everything is contingent on the weather. Nothing is final until the ship makes a decision to reroute, normally less than 48 hours to departure, and sometimes after the ship is underway. 

 

It is easy to be sitting on your couch at home (perhaps typing a message to us). It is hard to predict the weather and make the decision to change itineraries. 

[MoCruiseFan]

20 hours ago, roddy good boy said:

Who ever said that?

We are talking about paying for one cruise and getting a completely different one, in terms of ports! 
 

Just asking for a little integrity. If NCL knows prior to sailing that they can’t go to the contracted ports, let customers know. We can then make an informed decision. 

 

Again you are assuming that is what they did.  It may well be the case, but you really have no idea if it is so.

[MoCruiseFan]

On 5/25/2024 at 7:53 PM, ChiefMateJRK said:

Well, we're all different and in different situations.  In fact, I don't even own a couch!😮  That said, the only things I really look forward to returning to in my home are my cat and my Stressless chair.  My back is really about the only part of me that doesn't enjoy cruising.

Stressless® furniture | Ekornes

 

disclaimer: that's not really me

 

Having had 4 lamenectomies and spinal fusion L3-L4-L5, I can relate to the back situation!

[roddy good boy]

1 hour ago, MoCruiseFan said:

 

Again you are assuming that is what they did.  It may well be the case, but you really have no idea if it is so.

I relayed to you what occurred. It’s up to you, if you want to naively ‘assume’ coincidence. I have some Red Lobster stock I can sell you too! 😁

 

The only way NCL will stopped randomly substituting ports of call, or telling us one thing while doing another, is if NCL suffers consequences. There are other lines and other types of vacations. 
 

If you’re okay with the status quo, continue booking without complaint.🤷🏻‍♀️

Edited May 27 by roddy good boy

[dbrown84]

On 5/23/2024 at 11:19 PM, BirdTravels said:

Was the $5 compensation or a refund of Port Taxes/Fees? We get our obligatory <$10 Port Tax/Fee refund every time we miss GSC. The OP is looking for a 50% refund/FCC for booking a cruise during hurricane season and then getting affected by a hurricane. 

OP never said they were looking for a refund or FCC.  In fact, they said they knew nothing was owed to them.  OP simply was asking for others experience in this situation

[PartyPlannerLady]

On 5/26/2024 at 10:02 PM, roddy good boy said:

I relayed to you what occurred. It’s up to you, if you want to naively ‘assume’ coincidence. I have some Red Lobster stock I can sell you too! 😁

 

The only way NCL will stopped randomly substituting ports of call, or telling us one thing while doing another, is if NCL suffers consequences. There are other lines and other types of vacations. 
 

If you’re okay with the status quo, continue booking without complaint.🤷🏻‍♀️

 

As  I read this thread, it looks like MoCruiseFan assumed noting at all.  He even said that what you assumed (that they intentionally waited to disclose the deviation) was a possibility, but there were other things that could have led to the events described.  You are the one steadfastly assuming that NCL had already made the deviation plans and intentionally waited to annouce them after sail away.  Sorry you had such a rotten time.

[roddy good boy]

1 hour ago, PartyPlannerLady said:

 

As  I read this thread, it looks like MoCruiseFan assumed noting at all.  He even said that what you assumed (that they intentionally waited to disclose the deviation) was a possibility, but there were other things that could have led to the events described.  You are the one steadfastly assuming that NCL had already made the deviation plans and intentionally waited to annouce them after sail away.  Sorry you had such a rotten time.

Sorry, but I have no idea what you’re talking about. There were a heck of lot of ‘assumes’ in there though…

 

But, you are entitled to your opinion and point of view. 🤷🏻‍♀️

Edited May 29 by roddy good boy