Penalties
are assessed by the cruise lines if
your cruise is cancelled too close to
booking. The cancellation policy does
vary by cruise line, so it is important
that you understand exactly what this
is. Like other Terms and Conditions
related to your cruise, the cancellation
policy is listed in the back of the
cruise line brochure. Please review
the Cruise Line's Terms & Conditions
found on this website.
For an average 7 night cruise, if you
cancel before final payment is due (typically
71 days prior to sailing), there is
no penalty. For no penalty to be assessed,
your travel agent must cancel the cruise
on your behalf in sufficient time. This
means that you must give your travel
agent sufficient time to process the
cancellation. If you should miss the
penalty free period and cancel your
7 night cruise 30 - 70 days prior to
sailing, a penalty assessment of your
deposit amount is typically assessed,
this is usually $100-$450 per person.
Cancel 29 days before sailing, and the
ante goes up to 50% of the total cruise
price, incl. port charges. Depending
on the cruise line, cancellation somewhere
between 3 and 14 days before sailing
will result in a 100% penalty. Remember
these numbers are just generalities,
and your particular booking may have
different terms. Please review the cancellation
penalties in the Cruise Line Terms &
Policies section of our website.
Lastly, it is important to understand
that the cancellation penalty rules
are contractual. No matter how sad your
special case is, it is very unlikely
any penalty terms will be waived by
the cruise line. Even if you would like
to re-book for a different sailing date,
you almost always still pay the penalty.
Cancellation due to illness, injury,
and death is exactly what cruise cancellation
insurance is for. All cruise lines offer
the insurance for a fee, and all cruise
lines highly recommend that you get
some form of cruise cancellation insurance.
Deciding to not get insurance and accepting
the risk is a personal decision. But,
accepting the risk and then trying to
go back to the cruise line and plead
a special case is much like trying to
talk an Auto Insurance Company to retroactively
give you collision damage coverage after
you've had your auto accident.
