Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. (NCLH), which operates the Norwegian Cruise Line, Oceania Cruises and Regent Seven Seas Cruises brands, on Monday extended its previously announced suspension of global cruise voyages to include all voyages embarking between November 1 through November 30, 2020 for its three cruise brands. The company says it will continue to work in tandem with global government and public health authorities and its “Healthy Sail Panel” expert advisors to take all necessary measures to protect its guests, crew and the communities visited.
Guests who are currently booked on cancelled voyages on Norwegian, Oceania or Regent are asked to contact their travel advisor or the cruise line for more information.
From Norwegian Cruise Line: Guests who had an active reservation on a suspended cruise in November 2020 through March 2021 will automatically receive a refund of their cruise fare in the original form of a payment for the amount paid within 25 days. Additionally, a 10 percent-off coupon will be automatically added to the guest's account, which is valid for one year from date of issue and can be used for any Norwegian Cruise Line voyage embarking through 2022 and is combinable with any Future Cruise Credits (FCCs) and all future promotions at time of booking.
Oceania says, to make up for the inconvenience of this suspension, guests who are currently booked on voyages departures aboard Marina, Riviera, Nautica, Regatta and Sirena from November 1 through November 30, 2020, that are paid in full with cash funds (credit card, check, bank wire) will automatically receive FCCs worth 125 percent of the cruise fare paid. This FCC will be issued automatically and may be applied to any voyage on Oceania Cruises anywhere in the world through December 31, 2022 that is booked by October 5, 2021.
For a previous announced suspension of sailings, Regent said all guests on impacted voyages will receive a 125 percent refund of the fare paid in the form of an FCC, which can be applied toward any future cruise through December 31, 2022. For guests who wish to not avail themselves of the 125 percent FCC, a 100 percent refund of the fare paid will be reimbursed to the original form of payment within 90 days of guests’ request.
In late September, NHCL and Royal Caribbean Group’s joint “Healthy Sail Panel,” as reported by our sister publication Travel Agent, filed its recommendations with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The "Healthy Sail Panel" identified five areas of focus every cruise operator should address to improve health and safety for guests and crew and to reduce the risk of infection and spread of COVID-19 on cruise ships:
- Testing, screening and exposure reduction
- Sanitation and ventilation
- Response, contingency planning and execution
- Destination and excursion planning
- Mitigating risks for crew members
From the recommendations, each company will create and submit its own operating protocols.
This article originally appeared on www.travelagentcentral.com.
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