NCL’s Norwegian Sky departed two hours early Monday to avoid Tropical Storm Fay, stranding twelve passengers in Miami. While NCL is refunding their cruise fare, it won’t reimburse hotel or airline costs.
All cruisers should learn from the experience of these passengers: always plan an early arrival at the embarkation port, and purchase travel insurance.
With Tropical Storm Fay bearing down on Southern Florida, NCL began informing the Norwegian Sky’s passengers, by phone and Web, that the ship might have to leave early to avoid the dangerous storm.
On Sunday night, NCL told passengers it might cast off early.
Weather conditions may necessitate that Norwegian Sky leave Miami earlier than scheduled tomorrow, August 18, 2008. Therefore, we are requesting that all guests scheduled to board Norwegian Sky tomorrow, Monday, August 18, 2008, arrive at the Port of Miami and be in the boarding process between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
At 9:30 a.m. Monday, the day of the cruise’s departure, NCL informed its passengers the cruise would definitely leave two hours early. Like all cruise lines, NCL reserves the right to alter the cruise itinerary without prior notice. At 3:00 p.m. Monday, Norwegian Sky left on its four-night Bahamas voyage, leaving the twelve passengers behind.
NCL said it did what it could to inform its passengers of the early departure. Unfortunately, at 9:30 a.m. on the day of embarkation, when they informed passengers of their final decision, it was too late for any traveling to Miami on the day of the embarkation to alter their plans, to get to the cruise terminal early. In fact, it was probably too late for any “last minute” passengers to alter their plans Sunday, when NCL first started to notify passengers of the potential early departure.
NCL is refunding the full fare of the passengers who didn’t make the cruise, but will not reimburse the costs of flights, flight changes, hotel rooms, transfers and meals. NCL did arranged for a discount at a downtown Miami hotel.
While I think from a marketing standpoint, NCL might have considered doing more, they showed considerable goodwill, keeping in mind they have no requirement for offering any compensation whatsoever, including the cruise fare, under their Guest Ticket Contract.
Don’t get me wrong, I think NCL made the right decision to leave early. And I don’t know what they could have done to better inform passengers of the early departure.
The moral of this sad story of the twelve passengers who were left at the pier is that cruise passengers who plan to arrive at the port of embarkation on the day of their cruises are taking a big chance, especially for Caribbean cruises during hurricane season.
I know cruisers who boast they never arrive at the cruise terminal until just an hour or so before the ship’s scheduled departure. Personally, I think that’s crazy.
Airline flights can be delayed, and often are. Traffic to the terminal from the airport can be tied up. An accident driving to the cruise terminal can occur.
My rule of thumb is to arrive at the port of embarkation for a domestic cruise at least one day, and preferably two days early. For a cruise departing from an international port of departure, I recommend arriving three days prior to embarkation. That has the added benefit of giving cruisers a chance to explore the port city as well as ensure they will be on board when their ship sails.
These cruisers could have lost much more than just the cost of a useless round trip flight between their homes and Miami without the goodwill of NCL. The story makes clear the need for cruise passengers to purchase travel insurance covering their cruises. Being only a four-day cruise, once the sailing was missed, that was basically it.
Travel insurance would have covered their cruise fare losses, but it can help more. I’ve been on longer cruises where passengers who missed the sailing flew on to the next port to complete the cruise. These cruisers’ travel insurance covered the prohibitive cost of the airfare for their “last minute” flight to the next port, and the cost of their overnight hotel stay.
Hopefully the circumstances of this cruise on Norwegian Sky will not befall any of our readers, but if it does, you’ll be prepared.
After many years working in corporate America as a chemical engineer, executive and eventually CFO of a multinational manufacturer, Ned founded a tech consulting company and later restarted NSL Photography, his photography business. Before entering the corporate world, Ned worked as a Public Health Engineer for the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. As a well known corporate, travel and wildlife photographer, Ned travels the world writing about travel and photography, as well as running photography workshops, seminars and photowalks. Visit Ned’s Photography Blog and Galleries.
