- As Americans take to the seas again, they’re making all kinds of cruise errors.
- Failing to check passports is among the common mistakes.
- As COVID continues to affect cruises in unexpected ways, expect a minefield of potential mistakes.
When Katie Whittington canceled her 14-day transatlantic sailing from New York to London on the Norwegian Getaway, she made one of the most common post-pandemic cruise mistakes: She didn’t read the fine print on her ticket.
Instead, she took a Norwegian Cruise Line representative at his word.
“A customer service representative told me they could cancel my cruise and that I’d receive a future cruise credit for the full amount I paid,” she says.
So Whittington expected a $4,725 future cruise credit. Instead, her cruise line applied a 75% cancellation fee and refunded the other 25%.
As Americans take to the seas again, they’re making all kinds of cruise errors, from not remembering to check their testing requirements to ignoring their passport expirations to forgetting about COVID-19 restrictions. A lot has changed during the pandemic.
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Whittington, a program manager from Tampa, contacted Norwegian immediately when she saw her reduced cruise credit. Where was the rest of her money?
“After a careful review of your case, our records indicate that your reservation was canceled 41 days prior to your sail date,” a Norwegian representative told her. According to the cruise line’s terms, any reservation canceled 60 to 31 days prior to the sail date was subject to 75% cancellation fees.
But a representative had told her otherwise. And she had proof: a screenshot of the chats between her and Norwegian.
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Initially, the cruise line would not honor the promise of a full cruise voucher. But after I contacted the company on Whittington’s behalf – which is not a recourse all travelers have – it provided her a cruise credit equal to the 75% cancelation fee, making her whole as promised.
“People are not paying attention to final payment dates or are assuming there is more flexibility with penalties than there really is,” said Marni Becker, senior director for cruise partnerships for Global Travel Collection.
Other post-pandemic cruise mistakes you should avoid
Here are a few more common cruise errors, according to experts:
► Failing to check your passport. During the pandemic, no one bothered to check their passports because no one was traveling. “By far, one of the most common errors travelers may encounter is an expiring passport,” said John Mast, senior director of global cruise marketing at Expedia. As a general rule, U.S. passports should have at least six months of validity from the end of the trip for international travel.
► Ignoring international travel requirements. Entry requirements vary by country, and they’ve changed a lot since the pandemic. “Familiarize yourself early with the regulations so that you can prepare properly before departure,” advised Annie Scrivanich, senior vice president at Cruise Specialists. For the most accurate and up-to-date information, verify the requirements with each respective country’s website or click here to visit the site Sherpa. Scrivanich also recommends bringing a physical copy of your vaccine card with you.
► Not continually checking your cruise line’s requirements. They look simple and almost identical to the ones you remember from before the pandemic. For most major lines, COVID-19 vaccination is no longer required, but testing might be. “But it’s the finer details around those protocols that may trip some people up, causing potential delays or…
Read More: Avoid these post-pandemic cruise mistakes on your next vacation