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Given the situation’s fluidity, travelers booked on sailings over the next few months should anticipate the possibility of a last-minute cancellation by the cruise line. In those cases, your cruise line or travel agent will contact you directly regarding compensation, in the form of either a full refund or future cruise credit. If you’ve already purchased Princess Vacation Protection†, your refunds for covered cancellation reasons will continue to be governed by Princess Vacation Protection.
I need to cancel my booking, is there a penalty?
Here’s everything you need to know about special cruise cancellation policies in place during the COVID-19 pandemic—as well as standard cancellation policies to expect at other times. If you are canceling your booking prior to your final payment, there is no penalty to cancel unless you have booked a specific promotion with a non-refundable deposit and/or fare. For cruises 5 days or less, the final payment date is 76 days prior to sailing and for cruises 6 days or more, the final payment date is 91 days prior to sailing.
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When it comes to the current coronavirus outbreak, however, standard policies are no longer covering pandemic-related claims. For that, you’ll need to upgrade to a pricier and more comprehensive cancel for any reason policy to help ensure some degree of travel protection. Read our story, All Your Questions About Cruise Travel Insurance, Answered, for more details. Many cruise lines—including major players like Princess, Norwegian, and Celebrity—have temporarily suspended operations worldwide in response to coronavirus-related risks and restrictions. All companies have discontinued ocean-going departures from U.S. ports until at least April 11.
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If the cruise line hasn’t canceled your trip but you’d like to change it, know that many lines have temporarily replaced their standard cancellation or postponement penalties with more flexible policies. Specific terms and conditions vary by company, but most lines will now allow you to get a full cruise credit toward a future sailing date with no penalty; fewer lines are offering cash refunds. When a guest cancels their cruise past the final payment date, they can get a future cruise credit worth 100% of the cruise fare paid as long as they cancel at least 48 hours before the sail date. Since a cancellation likely means a diminished opportunity to sell space on other cruises/cruisetours, the cancellation fees in the schedules below apply regardless of whether Your space is resold. You hereby agree that losses sustained by us in the event of Your cancellation would be very difficult or impossible to quantify, and that the fees set forth in our cancellation policy represent a fair and reasonable assessment as liquidated damages. The amount of cancellation fee varies based on length of sailing for cruise/cruisetour and timing of cancellation for cruise/cruisetour, as illustrated in the schedules below.
Cruise Line Cancellation Policies: A Closer Look
Your entire booking including cruise fare, air add-ons, ground transfers, pre-cruise and post-cruise hotel and tour packages, excluding Taxes, Fees and Port Expenses, is subject to the same cancellation policy. If you booked any travel arrangements through other operators, you will be responsible for any cancellation fees imposed by the airlines, other transportation carriers, other tour and ground operators, and other hotel properties. Refunds (except for amounts paid for Cancellation Protection Plan) will be made directly to the method of payment you used to book with Holland America Line. Items subject to cancellation fees include, but are not limited to, cruise fare and hotel packages. Companies have cruise cancellation policies in place for refunds or postponements if your trip has been canceled—as many have. If your trip hasn’t been canceled but you’d like to opt out of an upcoming booking, know that many cruise lines have adopted significantly more relaxed cancellation and rebooking policies.
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While cruise company–initiated cancellations were once relatively rare (owed to few-and-far-between culprits like severe weather, ship mechanical failures, or company bankruptcies), it's a scenario that’s now, in the age of coronavirus, playing out more persistently. Started in 2010, Royal Caribbean Blog offers daily coverage of news and information related to the Royal Caribbean cruise line along with other relevant topics of cruising, such as entertainment, news, photo updates and more. While there was word that it might not have been extended, Royal Caribbean told travel agents on Wednesday it would get extended again. Royal Caribbean has extended the ability for cruise passengers to cancel a cruise at the last minute with its Cruise with Confidence program. †CunardCare is available to residents of the U.S. and Canada (except New York State, Quebec Province and Puerto Rico). Guests in other regions may have alternative coverage options and can refer to our At-Ease Waiver Program for additional information.
Super Saver fares, guarantee cabinsand Early Saver fares, which apply to cruises booked far in advance, are subject to a nonrefundable deposit, regardless of cancellation date (though Early Saver fare holders will get a future cruise credit, minus a $50 per person service fee). For booked guests, please review your booking confirmation email which contains the cancellation schedule and final payment terms that apply to you. For full details and booking conditions, please also refer to the passage contract. For full details and booking conditions, please also refer to the passage contract. In the case that you need to cancel your cruise vacation, you may be charged a fee based on the standard Princess Cruises cancellation policy.
Cruise line cancellation policies are complex and inconsistent industrywide, and not always forgiving to travelers who need to abandon their vacation plans at the last minute. It was originally introduced right before cruises began shutting down due to Covid-19 as a mechanism to give guests piece of mind they could change their plans after the final payment date. Final payment is due at 150 days prior to sailing on voyages 31 days or more. Our Platinum Plan offers a 90% reimbursement if you need to cancel at any time up until the start of your scheduled travel (sea, land and/or air) arrangements made by Holland America Line. The Platinum Plan also provides insurance coverage for trip delays and interruptions, medical expenses and worldwide emergency assistance.Note that the Platinum Plan is not available to residents of New York State, Quebec, British Columbia, Puerto Rico or the United Kingdom. Our generous cancellation policy and optional Cancellation Protection Plan provides reassurance that you can book your next cruise vacation with confidence.
Name changes and departure date changes are considered reservation cancellations and are subject to cancellation fees. Carnival Cruise Line's refund policies are dependent on the length of cruise, the type of fare you purchase, and the time frame in which you make changes or cancellations to your booking. To help advisors quickly and easily identify the cancellation policy for ocean-going cruise lines, Travel Market Report has rounded up each line’s standard policy. In these circumstances, travelers can expect the option of a full refund or a replacement booking on an alternate sailing.
No refunds will be made in the event of interruption or cancellation by any passenger after commencement of the cruise. Cruise tickets, air tickets, transfer coupons and/or vacation package vouchers must be returned before a refund can be made. Air tickets issued by our Air/Sea Department for passengers on our Air/Sea programs are refundable only to Norwegian Cruise Line. Norwegian Cruise Line's Payment and Cancellation Policy is subject to change without notice.
Norwegian Cruise Line denies trip refund for Florida couple who canceled cruise to fight cancer - FOX 35 Orlando
Norwegian Cruise Line denies trip refund for Florida couple who canceled cruise to fight cancer.
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Land tour packages will be assessed a cancellation fee of 100% of the total cost of the land tour package when cancelling at 90 days or less to the first day of the land tour. Transfers are not assessed a cancellation fee regardless of cancellation date. If you’ve already purchased CunardCare®, your refunds for covered cancellation reasons will continue to be governed by CunardCare. We highly recommend that guests purchase CunardCare† – not only does it provide some peace of mind for unexpected cancellations, it also offers partial reimbursements for trip delays or interruptions, lost or damaged baggage and medical coverage.
“As you can imagine, the situation is rapidly changing day to day, and even hour by hour,” says Erika Richter, senior director of communications for the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA), a trade association. Included with the ability to cancel a cruise under Cruise with Confidence is the Best Price Guarantee, which allows guests to reprice their sailing up to 48-hours prior to the sail date if the price drops. Essentially, anyone has more time to book a cruise to get this last-minute benefit policy, along with more sailings that it applies to than before. Many cruise lines will initially be requiring all guests and crew to obtain the Covid-19 vaccination at least two weeks prior to boarding in order to reduce the risk of Covid-19 transmission. Cruises with special pricing have stricter refund policies, and when refunds are allowed on specials, they are typically in the form of Future Cruise Credits (FCC), not in monetary refunds. Other times, unforeseen mechanical or technical issues can mean a ship is unsafe to sail, as was the case for three of Carnival Vista’s sailings from Galveston last summer, which were canceled due to a malfunction with the ship's maximum cruising speed capabilities.
B. If you have purchased a specially priced promotion that is 100% non-refundable from the point of payment, You are not entitled to any refund, payment, compensation or credit whatsoever of Your Cruise or Cruisetour fare if You cancel Your booking. Cruise line cancellation policies are as varied as the cruise lines themselves. Some cruise lines let clients cancel up to three months before sailing with no penalty. Others charge an administrative fee for a cancellation from the minute a cruise has been booked.
Current refund policies for cruises cancelled by Carnival include an enhanced option that adds onboard credit in exchange for choosing an FCC over a refund. And while that information is available online as cancellations happen, each guest should also receive direct communication regarding those options at the time of the cancellation. If you go this route, Cruise Critic advises waiting a few weeks to do so, since lines are now overwhelmed with handling current cancellations and getting passengers returned safely to port from in-progress sailings. The site also advises patience, noting that refunds could take up to 90 days or more to be issued.
It can help cover your investment in the case of a cancellation or unplanned change on your end, while additionally tacking on extra coverages like international medical insurance, trip interruption or delay benefits, and medical evacuation options. Not only will insurance recoup your fare in the event of cancellation, but also flights, hotels, and other prepaid travel expenditures that the cruise line might not reimburse. While the particulars of individual cruise line contracts vary, most lines we contacted stated that such policies are typically determined on a case-by-case basis. All major lines adhere to the Cruise Line International Association's Passenger Bill of Rights, which explicitly outlines that guests are entitled to a refund for cancellations due to mechanical failures. But, notably, weather-related instances are considered a force majeure and not outright covered; in those instances, compensation would be at the discretion of the cruise company. A trusted specialist, with clout and industry connections, can be your best advocate for negotiating with the cruise line.
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