NCL Cancellation Policy
 

I had purchased a 7-day New England cruise through Norwegian Cruise Line, sailing on October 3, 2025. My husband and I were to join my sister, brother, and his wife.

I did not (and never have) purchase NCL's proprietary travel insurance. The concept of paying protection money to a company for a service they own has always left a bad taste in my mouth.

On August 29, I slipped in the rain and fell in a parking lot. I broke my hip and fractured my pelvis. (Thank you to all the compassionate strangers who assisted me that afternoon and saw me safely into an ambulance.) ❤️

I had surgery on August 31 to repair the break and luckily, was discharged back home on September 1. I now have in-home physical therapy twice a week and am doing better than expected. Really!

My complaint is with NCL. I contacted them as soon as I returned home to let them know I needed to cancel our reservation. I immediately learned NCL would not be refunding the $8800 deposit we paid for the cruise.

An NCL representative named Guillermo in an NCL chat room wrote to me that I could expect a $1500 refund. When I asked for a supervisor, Guillermo explained that their supervisors did not work in the chat rooms and so none were available...ever. He suggested I call another customer support number.

The woman on the other end of the customer support number was cheerfully adamant that there would be no refund beyond the $1500, and repeated twice, "that is why you should buy the insurance." She was so chipper delivering this admonishment, she sounded like Effie, in The Hunger Games, "May the odds be always in your favor."

I'm going to make a long story short(er). NCL fully intends to keep my paid deposit of $8,800 despite my having provided complete medical documentation. You would think there would be some spirit of goodwill - NCL is aware that my husband is a veteran with Alzheimer's because I completed NCL'S disability form. My husband and I are NCL Gold Latitude members, (which is NCL code for "these folks spent A LOT of vacation money with us.")

My beef is that it is unethical to coerce passengers to either buy NCL travel insurance, or face financial hardship upon cancellation for legitimate, unavoidable, (particularly medical) circumstances. Talk about a conflict of interest.

Now, I have no illusions regarding the readership of TOTV. I know that many of you believe that my husband and I got what we deserved - after all, isn't that what insurance is for? Shame on us. Definitely our bad. And I would agree with you if our cancellation had been for a frivolous or inconsequential reason. But it wasn't. We fully intended to sail. Time is short and this was a wonderfully anticipated adventure with family.

Just consider this a cautionary tale.

So what you are trying to say is that cruise companies (or at least NCL) follow their published policies.

That is good to know and a cautionary tale for those for those considering whether to purchase travel insurance.

Insurance companies offer travel insurance

Your travel contract will spell out the percentage refund for cancelling at certain numbers of days before the departure date. The fact that you got back $1500 is actually pretty good. A cruise line we sail with regularly has $0 refund for a cancellation less than 2 month before the departure date. You mentioned a "deposit". How is it that you hadn't paid the final balance a month before the departure date? We travel quite often and have an annual travel insurance plan with Allianz. When we were younger we didn't bother.

Any cruise company or airline is unlikely to refund the entire amount. I use insuremytrip.com for travel insurance -- they offer many travel insurance plans. My preference is John Hancock or Berkshire Hathaway. The cost would be about 5%. The policy would refund the travel cost for many reasons, including yours.

I am surprised that they are offering a $1500 refund. I usually choose Royal Caribbean, and they give no refund at all. The reason for not going doesn't matter.

I personally don't think buying travel cancelation insurance makes sense unless you cancel frequently. Sure, it cost you $8800-$1500= $7300 on this trip. But on this and the other 10 cruises (or however many you take) you avoid a very expensive insurance cost.

Now travel insurance that covers may haps while at sea is a different matter.

If you take a lot of trips per year, an annual policy will be lower cost than insuring each trip individually.

Your prediction of not getting sympathy for the cancellation is spot on. I am of course sympathetic and sorry for your injury and your need to cancel.

But you are right, this is one of the primary purposes of travel insurance and you need not buy it through NCL. They offer it if you want to get it from them.

I recommend insurance on a cruise, not primarily for cancellation reasons, but instead for health and medical. The cost of having to be medevacked from a cruise ship can be life altering.

Again, I'm sorry for you injury, but the cruise contract is really straight forward. NCL did nothing wrong in this case.

Hope to see you on the seas one day.

This post is confusing. The insurance company is who you’re getting insurance through. Not NCL themselves? You can also buy travel insurance from any insurance company you want. It doesn’t have to be through NCL but if you get it through them, it’s either Nationwide or Allianz.

I'd go anyway and let NCL accommodate your handicap.

If you paid with a credit card check for travel interruption and cancellation coverage there. Most cruise lines I have worked with have the same policies- inside about 120 days your refund amount drops off substantially. I’m sorry for your injury. We cancelled a Viking cruise several days out due to a broken ankle. They refunded zero. We were made mostly whole by a travel insurance policy.

Are you saying that NONE of you is going, or just you (and maybe your husband, too) are pulling out?

I'm not sure even if you'd taken out insurance that the company would have covered (what looks like) three cabin cancellations just because one person is injured.

Did you ask if they would credit the deposit for another cruise given your status with NCL? Might be worth a shot!

Hard lesson learned.

Travel insurance is very reasonable compared to the amount this cancellation is costing you.

Can you sell the booking to another party

You are lucky to have gotten the $1500 back....My husband & I went on over 30 cruises & would never have even thought about not taking insurance!

Have you ever read the cruise contract clearly states after final payment no refunds for any reason. The money you are getting back is for port fees and taxes cruise fare non refundable.

Not sure how it creates a financial hardship you have already paid the money not costing you more.

Sorry but this is exactly what the insurance is for and you chose to self insure. Our travel agent once said if you are old enough for someone to call you grandma or grandpa you need insurance.

I’m sorry you were injured and in able to go on the cruise. But unfortunately NCL or any cruise line pretty much have the same cancellation terms and conditions. This is clearly written on the confirmation.
NCL does not own the Travel Protection company, the company is AON, which is separate and NCL Partners with them for the convenience. Are they paid a commission?, of course. There are also many other Travel Protection companies available for this exact reason. The cruise lines policies are very clear and your Travel Agent should have discussed this with you and advised the importance of travel protection, because you just never know. The annual policies are great, while limited they are a very good option for healthy frequent travelers.

Again, I’m sorry you fell and were hurt, but in this situation, NCL did nothing wrong per their policy and terms and conditions.

Personally, in this situation, I would have advised not to cancel, because there could possibly be a chance you could go on the cruise with a month of healing. (Sorry I don’t understand the severity of the injury) but even in a wheelchair a person could enjoy the non refundable cruise. cruise with no insurance purchased.
My advice would be next time, use a good Travel Agent who can advise and help when booking your cruise. They do not cost any money, but they offer a service that is invaluable. They are paid by the cruise line but have your best interest in mind and will still get you the great deals and discounts you get from booking directly and sometimes a little more.
I hope you heal quickly and are able to travel again in the near future.

Yes, I am a Travel Agent. It breaks my heart to hear situations like this, when there are so many options available to avoid losing money when situations happen and they often do unfortunately. This is why I always advise my clients to purchase some type of Travel Protection. It’s peace of mind.

I had to cancel a cruise because our airline at the last minute cancelled the flight to Europe. I’ve learned two things about cruising. ALWAYS arrive a day earlier if flying and ALWAYS have travel insurance! Sounds like she is having to learn it the hard way. The other good thing about travel insurance is that anyone can get sick while traveling, break a bone etc. you will be glad you had the insurance. Especially if you spent more than $2500 for a trip.

Everyone has read the post. Why do people feel a need to have the entire post in their post..

One can buy travel trip insurance from several different sources, at several different prices. Learned the hard way that this is necessary. Booked a cross Canada rail trip through AAA that Rocky Mountaineer cancelled due to Covid in 2020. They refused to return our deposit, saying the contract specified it was our responsibility to obtain a visa to enter Canada. Canada had closed it’s border, refusing to issue visas to any travelers. Never again Rocky Mountaineer, never again AAA, and always buy trip insurance. We have found AIG usually has a good policy at a good price.

Squaremouth.com it compares insurance quotes

This was also posted on Nextdoor. I dont know what the poster is looking for but not getting much sympathy. Every reply stressed the importance of travel insurance and reading the cruise line's policies prior to full payment. This is not an NCL issue if they are trying to put out negativity on NCL. All cruise lines, airlines, hotels have cancellation policies. Not impressed with her "gold status". We got gold status after our 1st cruise. Has nothing to do with cancellations or special consideration in this circumstance. If she indeed has cruised quite frequently, then she should be aware of policies and would realize the importance of insurance. Sorry no sympathy from me for the money issue but do feel sorry about your injury. Hope you have a successful recovery.

call your credit card company and let them know what happened they may be able to help you get a refund.

The insurance is just a hidden fee that cruise lines make money on. And to force you to take the insurance they have the no/little refund policy. That being said, just because it is their policy doesn't mean its absolute. I would search and see if anyone has won a legal judgement against such cases, especially if they rented the cabin again to others.

Scooters
 

Cruise ships rent electric scooters , so people like yourself can ride , instead of walk .

"legitimate, unavoidable, (particularly medical) circumstances"

is exactly WHY you buy insurance. Same with auto, home, medical, life insurance. You are paying for someone else to take the risk of you having a "legitimate, unavoidable ... circumstance" arise. You chose to take that risk on yourself.

Travel insurance vs uninsured cancellation
 

It is standard policy for cruises AND tour companies to have very strict cancellation and refund policies. You can purchase an independent policy through insuremytrip.com, travel insured and many more companies as opposed to buying from the cruise or tour company. This is too late for you so I suggest you line up a wheel chair or scooter and go on the cruise. We are world travelers and we see many mobility impaired travelers on cruises. QUOTE=Barkriver;2463071]I had purchased a 7-day New England cruise through Norwegian Cruise Line, sailing on October 3, 2025. My husband and I were to join my sister, brother, and his wife.

I did not (and never have) purchase NCL's proprietary travel insurance. The concept of paying protection money to a company for a service they own has always left a bad taste in my mouth.

On August 29, I slipped in the rain and fell in a parking lot. I broke my hip and fractured my pelvis. (Thank you to all the compassionate strangers who assisted me that afternoon and saw me safely into an ambulance.) ❤️

I had surgery on August 31 to repair the break and luckily, was discharged back home on September 1. I now have in-home physical therapy twice a week and am doing better than expected. Really!

My complaint is with NCL. I contacted them as soon as I returned home to let them know I needed to cancel our reservation. I immediately learned NCL would not be refunding the $8800 deposit we paid for the cruise.

An NCL representative named Guillermo in an NCL chat room wrote to me that I could expect a $1500 refund. When I asked for a supervisor, Guillermo explained that their supervisors did not work in the chat rooms and so none were available...ever. He suggested I call another customer support number.

The woman on the other end of the customer support number was cheerfully adamant that there would be no refund beyond the $1500, and repeated twice, "that is why you should buy the insurance." She was so chipper delivering this admonishment, she sounded like Effie, in The Hunger Games, "May the odds be always in your favor."

I'm going to make a long story short(er). NCL fully intends to keep my paid deposit of $8,800 despite my having provided complete medical documentation. You would think there would be some spirit of goodwill - NCL is aware that my husband is a veteran with Alzheimer's because I completed NCL'S disability form. My husband and I are NCL Gold Latitude members, (which is NCL code for "these folks spent A LOT of vacation money with us.")

My beef is that it is unethical to coerce passengers to either buy NCL travel insurance, or face financial hardship upon cancellation for legitimate, unavoidable, (particularly medical) circumstances. Talk about a conflict of interest.

Now, I have no illusions regarding the readership of TOTV. I know that many of you believe that my husband and I got what we deserved - after all, isn't that what insurance is for? Shame on us. Definitely our bad. And I would agree with you if our cancellation had been for a frivolous or inconsequential reason. But it wasn't. We fully intended to sail. Time is short and this was a wonderfully anticipated adventure with family.

Just consider this a cautionary tale.[/QUOTE]

1. You should ALWAYS buy travel insurance, not necessarily from the Cruise line, especially in more advance age.

Never mind cancelling due to a fall. My father had a catastrophic health issue while on the cruise. I would be much more poor today if we did not buy Travel insurance for him.

2. You can sell your Room / Reservation to another person. But, first check with the Cruise line - they allow to change names on a reservation up to a certain time before the cruise.

I did just that once in past, when I booked few rooms for us and friends, and one of our friends could not make it.

3. If you buy Travel insurance, you need to buy it WITH the reservation. Your fall happened after you purchased the cruise.

4. The real issue here is that, unfortunately, your fall happened after the due date to pay the full amount due.

If your fall happened before that, you may lose only the deposit.

That said, the best time to buy Travel Insurance is before the full amount is due.

5. Travel insurance is not expensive.

6. The insurance you really need is not so much for cancellations or delays. It's more for medical issues, lost luggage, emergency evacuation, death, etc. This is way more costly than the cost of the trip.

All the best to you.

Can you go and have them accommodate your current handicap? (Also, I'm on my pet peeve again - folks (King, MarcSt, Jim, etc), please don't check off to include the OP's message in your reply - only include if you're responding to a quote other than the OP. Yikes.....)

Rule #1: Always buy travel insurance.
Rule #2: Always buy travel insurance.
Rule #3: Always buy travel insurance.

I agree, if it is sympathy she is looking for she has gotten none. Read the contract before you sign and don’t expect you will be the exception.

[/quote]

We always buy NCL's travel insurance. I don't know at what level or tier. We had to cancel a trip two years ago because of her having medical issues come up before the cruise. You just never know when something may come up medical, family, or even weather related on either party.

It doesn't matter what your reason for cancelling was!! the cruise line doesn't care! If you were trying to save money by not buying insurance, you found out the hard way how wrong you were....You can buy travel insurance from many different companies! You were lucky to get $1500 & a good lesson for your future cruises!

Trip insurance
 

Sorry, not their fault. You tied up possible bookings for them. I ALWAYS buy trip insurance, it's worth it. I needed once in Alaska when my hunt was canceled midway because of weather.
In Africa I hurt my shoulder. Had to fly home early & I got half of a very expensive hunt refunded.
I always use AIG or another company. Do you have insurance on your home & car?

Our credit card company reward program includes cancellation. Yes the card is expensive but the benefits work for us

Yes the benefits are worth the cost. I book all of our travel with it.

Instead of asking to cancel your cruise, ask if you could reschedule to a later time to give you time to heal from your injuries.