With most major cruise lines now cancelled through May 31st and beyond, we still don’t have a clear picture of when cruising from the United States will resume. The good news is that if you want to book a cruise now, most cruise lines do have flexible cancellation options if you change your mind about sailing as a result of the ongoing pandemic. In this post, we outline the Cruise With Confidence Policies by cruise line.
Cruise With Confidence Policies By Cruise Line
Royal Caribbean International
Royal Caribbean’s Cruise With Confidence policy is the most generous of the major brands. If you have a cruise already booked or you book one before May 31, 2021, you’re covered. As long as you cancel at least 48 hours before your sail date, you’ll receive a Future Cruise Credit.
The credit must be applied to a new booking by April 30th, 2022. The new booking must sail by September 30th, 2022.
If the cost of the new booking exceeds the FCC’s value, you will have to pay the difference. Alternatively, if the new cruise fare is lower, you will receive a new Future Cruise Credit for the remaining balance. These FCCs can only be applied to a Royal Caribbean cruise as they are not interchangeable with sister brands.
Norwegian Cruise Line
Norwegian Cruise Line’s flexible cancellation policy is the Peace of Mind Policy. This option applies to all cruises through October 2021. Giving you peace of mind, you can cancel 15 days prior to your vacation and still receive a full Future Cruise Credit. You must use this Future Cruise Credit within one year of issue date for sailings through December 2022.
For all cruises through October 31, 2021, you can also cancel up to 2 months before your sailing and receive a full refund under the line’s temporarily modified cancellation policy.
Like Royal Caribbean, if the cruise fare for the new booking exceeds the FCC’s value, you will be responsible for the difference. Alternatively, if the new cruise fare is lower than the FCC’s value, a new FCC will be issued for the remaining balance.
Carnival Cruise Line
Carnival Cruise Line is the only major brand without a formal Cruise With Confidence policy. However, Carnival Cruise Line is now providing guests the option to cancel cruises sailing through July 31st without penalty. Specifically, the brand is providing guests the option to maintain their existing reservation with a bonus perk of $100 onboard credit. Or, they can cancel before March 31st to receive a full refund.
If guests choose to keep their existing reservation, they will need to make final payments as due. If the cruise is eventually cancelled, you can choose either a full refund or a 100% FCC with OBC ($300 for cruise of 5 days or less or $600 for cruises of >6 days). Guests must apply this FCC to a booking made by September 30, 2021 for a cruise departing by April 2023.
Celebrity Cruises
In line with sister brand, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity Cruises’ Cruise With Confidence policy applies to all vacations booked by May 31, 2021. If booked within this time frame, you will have up to 48 hours before you sail to cancel and receive 100% Future Cruise Credit to use toward any sailing through September 30, 2022. For cancellation within any phase of penalty, you will receive a Future Cruise Credit (FCC) for the full cruise fare amount.
For cancellations outside of penalty windows, you will receive a refund to the original form of payment. If you have a nonrefundable deposit booking, the full deposit will be returned in the form of an FCC.
Princess Cruises
Princess Cruises flexible cancellation policy is the Book With Confidence Policy. With this policy, you can cancel up to 30 days before you sail and receive your cancellation fees back as a Future Cruise Credit on all bookings made through April 30, 2021. This applies to all voyages departing through October 31, 2021. You can use this FCC on any sailing made by and sailed by December 31, 2022.
This Book With Confidence policy only applies to cruises within the final payment window. Outside of final payment, standard policies apply.
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Further, Princess Cruises has moved its final payment to 60 days prior to sailing for voyages departing through June 30, 2021.
Holland America Line
Holland America Line’s Book With Confidence Guarantee applies to cruises booked by March 31, 2021 for sailings that depart through October 31, 2021. With this policy, you can cancel for any reason up to 30 days before departure and automatically receive a Future Cruise Credit.
Once your Future Cruise Credit has been issued, you have 12 months from date of issue to book another cruise that departs on or before December 31, 2022.
MSC Cruises
MSC Cruises USA’s Total CruiseFlex policy allows you to change your cruise plans as you need up to 48 hours prior to your cruise. This policy applies to all cruises booked through May 31, 2021 and departing on or before September 30, 2022. World Cruises and World Cruise segments are excluded from this policy.
If you would like to change your cruise plans, you must call the Contact Center and advise them you would like to take advantage of Total CruiseFlex at least 48 hours prior to your cruise by 5pm EST.
Disney Cruise Line
Disney Cruise Line’s Book With Confidence policy applies to any sailings booked by April 30, 2021 scheduled to sail on or before September 30, 2021. This Book With Confidence policy allows you to change your sail date up to 15 days prior to departure. You can move your sail date to another one that commences prior to September 30, 2022.
However, guests with COVID-19-related health concerns (symptoms or exposure) that are within 14 days of sailing can still receive a full refund without Disney-imposed cancellation fees or apply their cruise fare toward a future sail date.
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For cruises through September 2021, final payment has been moved to 60 days prior to sailing.
Viking Cruises
Viking’s Risk-Free Guarantee allows you to change your cruise date up until 14 days before the planned departure without any penalty fees. This offer covers all Viking reservations that are made by April 30, 2021. Reservation changes under the Risk-Free Guarantee will be reimbursed in the form of a Future Cruise Voucher. These vouchers are transferable, so that you have the flexibility to gift them to someone else.
Guests will have 24 months to select their new date. They can use their Risk-Free Guarantee Future Cruise Voucher to make a new reservation on any river, ocean, or expedition cruise.
If you booked your Viking cruise before February 28, 2021, you are allowed to change your cruise date up until 24 hours prior to departure.
Virgin Voyages
Finally, Virgin Voyages also has a flexible cancellation policy to allow sailors to book with confidence. New bookings made on or before March 31, 2021 can be cancelled up to 48 hours before the voyage date to receive 100% Future Voyage Credit. This applies to any any sailing in 2021.
Final payment is due 120 days prior to your voyage start date.
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