NCL Joy from quebec to NY beg 9/13/23.

[Benjamin]

Wife & I booked NCL Joy from Quebec (9/13/23) to NY ..9/30/23) ...we did not opt in for travel insurance.. on 9/5 I wound up in ER for major medical problem as well as covid..was released on 9/14.  Was told I was contagious and could not travel and needed to isolate.  Obviously we could not go on cruise.

Add to that..ncl did not cancel the cruise DESPITE the projected hurricane Lee tracking DIRECTLY into Halifax Nova Scotia area EXACTLY in the middle of the cruise.

We were told by our ncl rep to wait until the day before departure from quebec to cancel as NCL would not ever knowingly sail into a hurricane and would most likely cancel the cruise themselves thereby we would have our $2000. returned.

AGAIN NCL did NOT cancel so we did lose all our money.  As if this writing..Sat 9/16..we have not heard or can find anything about how NCL Joy is faring up there in Nova Scotia in the path of Lee. Supposed to be close to Halifax tomorrow)

.however we do see that NCL has cut short and rerouted their NCL Escape which is also currently in the new england/canada area directly in Lee's path.

My wife and I have been told that because we had canceled due to my medical emergency and since we had no insurance they will not do anything even if they make any changes to Joy's itinerary because of the hurricane.

Wife and I have sailed NCL many places and have always enjoyed them. This time while we are not experts we cannot understand why NCL would ever decide to sail from quebec ON 9/13/23  with the NOAA's prediction thst Hurricane Lee would most likely be headed DIRECTLY into the Canadian MARITINE AREA in the middle of the cruise as it heads into Halifax and down the east coast as the hurricane roars up the coast!!@

NCL needs to make the correct ethical business decision..why have they done this?

[bombarc]

Many of the Boston/Canada sailings have had itinerary changes because NCL just won't  cancel.  This is what I wrote a few weeeks ago:

_The NCL Joy is sitting in Bermuda during a tropical storm which is the remnant of Idalia.  She left NY on 8/30/23 even though Franklin and Idalia were posing active threats to Bermuda.  Last year I was rerouted to Canada for basically a non-existent hurricane which actually followed our path up the coast to Canada with wicked winds.  (Newport, Portland & St. John's),  Who makes these decisions?  

The Joy sat in Bermuuda lashed to the dock for 2 days battered by wind and rain.  No fun.

[3Sisters]

@Benjamin This is really sad. You must have been so upset when you couldn't board that itinerary. That's a really great question. Whoever is making these itinerary decisions does not seem very level-headed. I think it's really about turning a profit, and that is not a good way to be. I didn't realize NCL wouldn't reimburse you due to a sickness. I understand you didn't have insurance but still, it seems pretty unfair to me. 

@bombarc That's quite scary! I would have opted out of that cruise experience, but once you book and pass the refund period, there is no turning back. It's just a testament to the culture of the line. It's a business trying to make money regardless. That's what this scenario sounds like to me. 

[kefthecruiser]

@3Sisters Yep, NCL definitely trying to turn a profit. After 3 years of quarterly losses, they finally had a quarterly profit of $86 million to pay against the $17.8 Billion debt they have, of which $1.1 Billion is due this year.  It is sad to think that this may be tainting their decisions relative to safe operations.

As an aside and not defending NCL, I believe all cruise lines similarly do not reimburse after the cutoff date if the passenger cancels for any reason, including sickness or death. (COVID was an exception for a time.) Thus the value of travel insurance.

[3Sisters]

@kefthecruiser This is very well said! It's very upsetting to assume that the line's debt would impact its decision to choose what is best for guests. I don't like the idea of assuming NCL (and/or other cruise lines) would be making poor judgment calls that would, potentially, negatively affect cruise guests. After reading some of the line's latest questionable judgment calls, it can be easy to assume that upper management is not doing a good job at keeping guest's safety as its top priority. Let's just hope the line does better from now on!

After cruising so many times, I should know that sickness doesn't constitute reimbursement! I thankfully haven't had any issues with sickness and embarkation in the past, but it is a potential. Next time I book, I may consider the travel insurance after all. I can't imagine how upsetting it would be to lose thousands of dollars and miss your vacation due to being sick. It makes sense to be refunded and re-book with a credit. As I'm writing this, I'm really starting to see the enhanced value of travel insurance.