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Norwegian Cruise Line passengers Shirley Russom and her friend Robert intended to sail to Alaska last May. Unfortunately, the weather had different plans for them. En route to the cruise, severe storms rolled into Denver, Colorado, during what was supposed to be a two-hour layover.
That layover morphed into an unexpected two-day detour and the friends never made it to Seattle where Norwegian Encore waited. The ship sailed to Alaska and the devastated friends flew back home to South Carolina.
Since then, Russom has repeatedly asked NCL to refund the $4,500 they lost in this missed-cruise fiasco.
Tired of asking the cruise line, she hoped Consumer Rescue could help retrieve the money. But when Russom began explaining the reasoning behind her $4,500 refund request, I was doubtful we could.
That is, until she casually mentioned a little detail that changed everything.
Planning an Alaska cruise on Norwegian Cruise Line
An entire year in advance, Shirley and Robert began making plans to cruise to Alaska. They were determined to do all the research and booking themselves.
Scrolling through the Norwegian Cruise Line website, they selected a seven-night cruise that would begin and end in Seattle.
Norwegian Cruise Line sent Russom the confirmation, and they were all set. It was too soon to book their flights to Seattle, but they would take care of that part on their own as well.
That would prove to be a mistake that would ultimately cause them to miss this much-anticipated cruise.
Self-booking airfare to arrive the day before the cruise
A few months before the cruise, Russom was ready to book their flights. They would need to fly from Greenville, South Carolina, to Seattle.
There are no nonstop flights between these two cities, so Russom knew their trip would involve at least one connection.
“I chose an itinerary that would take us through Denver on our way to Seattle,” Russom told me. “We would arrive the day before the cruise and stay at a hotel near the port that night.”
It was a savvy plan to schedule their arrival in Seattle the day before the cruise was set to sail. But Russom had no way of knowing the wild wrench the weather would throw into their travel plans that day.
Related: Here’s why you should never fly on the same day as your cruise
A delay, then a canceled flight… and a missed NCL cruise
On May 24, the day before the departure of Norwegian Encore, Russom and Robert headed to the Greenville Airport. Their flight was scheduled to leave at 4 p.m. , but things started going wrong right away.
“We were delayed for three hours,” Russom recalled. “Originally, we expected to be in Denver at 6 p.m. and connect to the last flight of the day to Seattle.”
The delay was caused by severe weather that had lingered over Colorado for days. Tornados, hail and high winds wreaked havoc at Denver International Airport over the Memorial Day weekend.
Initially, the friends were hopeful that in the morning they would be on their way. United Airlines rebooked the two on an early flight that would have them in Seattle by 10:30 a.m. That would give Russom and Robert plenty of time to make it to the cruise port before the boarding of Norwegian Encore closed at 3 p.m.
But it wasn’t to be.
No way to get to Norwegian Encore
The following day, the bad weather in Colorado only intensified. Nearly 1,000 flights were either canceled or delayed. At one point, the Federal Aviation Administration issued a ground stop at Denver International Airport.
The terminal where Russom and Robert were waiting for their replacement flight was filled with stranded travelers. It was chaos, and there was no end in sight.
At the same time, at the cruise port in Seattle, 1,300 miles away, the mood was very different. Excited passengers boarded Norwegian Encore, sipped festive cocktails, and settled into their cabins.
But one cabin would remain empty. Russom and Robert had no chance of making the cruise. In fact, they would be spending many more hours embroiled in the confusion at the Denver airport.
“It was very frustrating and disappointing,” Russom told me.
Norwegian Cruise Line refused to refund the missed sailing
Russom says that she called “seven different airlines” from Denver in a desperate attempt to book a flight to catch up with Norwegian Encore. Unfortunately, because of the bad weather’s domino effect, she found it impossible.
“After it became clear that we weren’t going to make it to Juneau in time to board the cruise, we gave up,” Russom explained. “We accepted the flight back home from United Airlines.”
When Russom reached out to Consumer Rescue, it had been over two months since her aborted trip to Alaska.
I’ve written four letters to seven different Norwegian executives…from the President/CEO on down to consumer affairs. They don’t even have the decency to respond. I would even appreciate another cruise offer for the amount we paid. I’m 80, retired, and $4500 is hard to come by. Can you help?
United Airlines gave us a goodwill gesture refund. Why can’t Norwegian Cruise Line?
Shirley Russom
If you’re a regular reader of this site, then you know why Russom was having trouble getting Norwegian Cruise Line to issue a refund.
Related: Surprise! You just missed your cruise ship home from Cuba. Now what?
Fact: Cruise lines don’t refund missed cruises
A common misperception among cruise passengers is that if they miss the ship due to no fault of their own, the cruise line will refund their fares. Unfortunately, the cruise contract of every major line explains that this isn’t the case. It is always the passenger’s responsibility to be at the cruise port, with all their required documentation, ready to go, well in advance of the final boarding call.
If you miss your cruise for any reason – weather, illness, flight delay, wrong documentation – you will not receive a refund. At least not from the cruise line.
Related: We missed our Carnival cruise. How do we get our refund?
However, if you purchased travel insurance or a travel protection policy, you may be in luck.
When I looked closely at Russom’s paper trail, she had added Norwegian Cruise Line’s Booksafe Standard policy to her reservation.
Note: NCL retired its Booksafe travel protection for new bookings after February 2025. The new coverage is called NorwegianCare.
The Booksafe policy should have protected Russom from the total loss of her cruise fare.
So why hadn’t it?
Incorrectly filing a travel insurance claim
When I looked through Russom’s paper trail, I immediately noticed multiple problems with her request.
First, she had incorrectly filed an insurance claim with Aon under the cruise cancellation clause, claiming coverage based on the airline’s inability to get her to Seattle.
However, Russom had booked her own airfare, and the Booksafe policy did not cover missed cruises caused by flight delays or cancellations.
Had she used Norwegian Cruise Line’s Air Sea Program, she would have had access to an emergency flight assistance hotline. Not only that, but if the friends couldn’t get to Seattle in time for embarkation, they could have been rerouted to the cruise’s first port of call.
Although Aon correctly denied her insurance claim, the Booksafe policy that Russom purchased included a Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) clause.
That CFAR feature allows passengers to cancel right up until the ship’s departure and receive a 75 percent future cruise credit for the nonrefundable parts of the trip.
Russom did not officially cancel their cruise until two days after Norwegian Encore set sail. Then, she filed an insurance claim for an event that wasn’t covered by her policy. Unfortunately, because she was unaware of the CFAR clause, Russom had failed to follow the steps to qualify.
Is this a $4,500 read-the-fine-print travel insurance lesson?
When I showed Russom the clauses in her policy that pertained to her situation and explained why the insurance claim was correctly rejected, Russom was understandably disappointed.
“I’m 80 years old. I don’t always read everything thoroughly, and I don’t know anybody who does, lol,” she told me. “Well, I guess this is a $4,500 lesson.”
Not so fast, I cautioned Russom…I wasn’t entirely convinced just yet that this was destined to be a $4,500 lesson.
After all, Russom had paid for the Booksafe travel protection. She hadn’t canceled the cruise before departure because she was desperately trying on her own to find a way to get to the first port of call. I was hopeful that NCL would be a bit flexible in this case.
Will Norwegian Cruise Line issue the CFAR benefits?
Hi there, NCL friends!
Shirley Russom was scheduled to sail on Norwegian Encore on May 25. However, she booked her own airfare and ended up getting stuck in Denver for two days and missed the cruise. She purchased NCL’s travel protection with the CFAR benefit, but it appears she didn’t understand the policy or what her responsibility was to take advantage of that benefit. As a result, it looks like she didn’t officially cancel her cruise until after the ship sailed.
I’m wondering if there is anything that can be done for her at this point in terms of a future cruise credit?
It would be great if there was a bit of a happy ending to the tale — she’s 80 years old and would very much like to travel to Alaska on a replacement cruise with NCL.
Thank you! 😃🚢.
Michelle Couch-Friedman, Consumer advocate
The good news: Here are your future cruise credits from NCL
Very quickly, I received good news for Russom and Robert from Norwegian Cruise Line.
Hi Michelle,
It is because of the very nature of unexpected situations, such as this, that we strongly encourage guests to purchase travel protection. While the guest’s insurance claim was denied as canceled flights are not covered under the policy, they were protected by Norwegian’s Booksafe Travel Protection Program, which provided them 75% of the voyage fare in the form of future cruise credits. To find these credits, the guest can log into their My NCL and look under the “My Coupons & Credits” section of the “Account” page. Additionally, the guest was refunded for prepaid service charges, taxes, and any onboard amenities.
Norwegian Cruise Line Spokesperson
Now, with their future cruise credits secured, hopefully, Russom and Robert will be able to plan a do-over, but next time, they’ll probably steer clear of the Denver airport.
Related: How a flight delay led to a $21,000 missed Princess cruise fiasco
Fast Facts: What NCL passengers need to know about NorwegianCare
Many cruise passengers buy travel protection but never read the policy. That is an oversight that frequently leads travelers to suffer avoidable distress and financial losses in emergency situations.
Here’s how to ensure you get all the travel protection benefits your NorwegianCare policy provides:
1. Read the NorwegianCare policy
It’s no secret that travel protection policies are lengthy and tedious to read. As a result, most cruise ship passengers skim through the document and fail to get a firm grasp of what’s contained in it. This mistake frequently causes travelers to miss out on benefits they’re entitled to receive. Or conversely, the confusion leads to requests for compensation for things that are not covered.
By reading your policy before you’re hit with a situation where you might need to use it, you’ll be well-equipped to confidently access the benefits provided by your plan.
2. Keep the 24/7 hotline handy
NorwegianCare provides 24/7 emergency assistance for insured passengers. Before making any significant decisions in a crisis, it’s essential to call that number to receive guidance. You’ll want to know your options and if your policy covers the emergency you’re facing.
Based on your coverage, agents can help guide you through the situation – whether it be a flight delay, sudden illness, or anything else. There is no need to navigate the emergency on your own, as Russom did, if you’ve purchased NorwegianCare.
3. Don’t be a no-show for your NCL cruise
If you realize you’ll miss the cruise, call Norwegian and the insurance company before the ship sails. Otherwise, you’re risking losing the cost of your cruise. Download NCL’s app onto your phone so that you’ll be sure to dodge scam call centers pretending to be the cruise line.
4. File claims carefully
Cruise passengers often make critical mistakes during the travel protection claims process. From over-inflating losses to asking for compensation for things the policy doesn’t cover, to miscategorizing the type of event and missing filing deadlines, I’ve seen travelers make a lot of expensive travel insurance errors over the years.
Those mistakes can trigger a denial even if the traveler has a valid claim. To avoid delays in processing and unnecessary rejections, it’s important to ask questions and get clarity about any policy or filing details you don’t understand.
The bottom line
Knowledge is power. It is crucial that if you spend the money on a travel protection policy like NorwegianCare, you read and understand it. Remember, it can only protect you if you know, not only what’s available to you, but when and how to access those benefits.
Hopefully, you’ll never need to use your travel protection. But if you’re faced with an emergency situation, and you follow the steps above, you’ll tackle it like a pro. (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Founder of Consumer Rescue)
Before you go: Will your next cruise be ruined by the bad behavior of fellow passengers?
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