Costa neoriviera cancelled today

Hi all. Well a few days have passed since my last post on the Costa board. I'll try and keep this brief. Shuttle picked us up as planned, took us to Venice port. Luggage collected and up to check in, where they told us that the Costa neoriviera was having engine trouble and would be delayed by 48 hours. They would put us up in a hotel with full board and gave us an excursion to Verona.

They would then fly us to Sicily on Wednsday to board the ship there. We would also receive obc of 150 euros or cash equivalant.

An early morning call 4.45 and we took suitcases to reception had breakfast and then came the news from the Costa reps that the cruise has been cancelled. There will be another meeting between 11 to 12pm to see if any suitable alternatives can be found.

A lot of Unhappy bunnies this am. These things happen though, so we'll see what Costa offer. i'll try and post more when we are updated. :(

After months of anticipation, that is very disappointing. Hope you get a fair compensation for the cancellation.

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Oh no! Hang in there and keep yr chin up!

Nightmare....

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Sorry to hear that your cruise has been cancelled.

Hopefully Costa will give you a decent compensation and pay for the change in air fare to get home.

Keep us updated.

That's awful.

Hope you get fair compensation and you are able to make the best out of a bad situation.

Good luck.

Keep us posted.

Sorry to hear that your cruise has been cancelled.

Hopefully Costa will give you a decent compensation and pay for the change in air fare to get home.

Or just put you up for the length of the cruise somewhere for free. That to me would be fair.

So... how was it resolved? Are you on a cruise? On the way home?

What a nightmare, so sorry for you!

The rest of the story is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2427596

The rest of the story is here: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2427596

Thank you for posting the link, Euro!

The people who posted on the linked thread really took it all very well. I know there must have been some who went ballistic even though there wasn't much else Costa could do.

Hello All. Thanks for your messages. Just to update you on OUR cancelled experience. Other experiences may vary. :) Sorry it's taken so long to respond but we've only just got back home. I have copied and pasted an e mail which i have sent to Costa below. I have tried to be as fair and objective as i can. I apologise for it's length. May we wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy Healthy New year. Happy cruising.

Hello Amanda.

We arrived back safely,but stressed and tired at 10pm last night. I am going to outline a few things about this experience and try and remain as objective and constructive as i can.

Please do forward this E mail on to the Costa Managers, They need to read this in the hope that they sit up and take notice and ask themselves, what can we do next time to make this better for our paying customers.

After having to cancel a Costa cruise in January due to ill health, i was finally given the all clear to travel and we decided that we would treat ourselves by taking a cruise on the Costa neoriviera from Venice to Dubai, this was to be in a suite category, and this would then give us enough club points to be placed on the highest tier, club perla diamante.

Upon arrival at the terminal in Venice,our luggage was taken from us and we were told to go to check in. Once there. we were met by a Costa rep who sat us down and informed us that unfortunately the Neoriviera was having engine difficulties and we would not be embarking the cruise in Venice. We would instead be put up in a 4 star hotel for 2 nights with full board and drinks, we would have a choice between 2 excursions the following day, be flown to Sicily to join the neoriviera the day after that and be given 150€ pp obc, If this credit wasn't used we would get it back in cash, at the end of the cruise.

The rep was very sympathetic and was clear and concise with instructions. It was disappointing, but this is something that can't be forseen in advance.

Costa had thought this stage through and it was all handled very efficiently.

Transfer coaches to hotel.

We were given a lunch box and told we could eat at the terminal and then go and collect our luggage again and reps would guide us to the coach which would take us to the hotel. We were going to be staying in the hotel Delfino in Mestre.

All of this was handled efficiently and ran smoothly.

Hotel Delfino.

Upon arrival at the hotel, the Costa reps were there to oversee things and explained about dining times etc. We would take main meals at the hotel next door and have Breakfast here. We could go to lunch as the reps had extended the lunch time for today.

Lunch.

We were shown to a table and offered a menu with 2 choices of main course.

We were given a starter, followed by a main course and a dessert. We thought it was ok, it was edible and hot. Don was offered wine and as i very rarely drink alcohol, had a fanta We could hear others complaining about the meal, but in all honesty at such short notice we thought it was ok.

Dinner.

People were complaining that there wasn't enough tables and had to wait, however, if you were willing to share,you could be seated right away, Don and i shared a table with another couple, to us this wasn't an issue. No choice of menu offered but the meal was adequate. The others were served wine and when i asked for a fanta. i was told that i couldn't have it, as it was Beer wine or water only. I didn't want to make a fuss so had water. However i felt that i was being penalised because i don't drink alcohol.

Excursion to Verona.

The buses arrived late to take us to Verona and again some people weren't happy with it and made their feelings known, however these thing do happen and are again out of anybodys control. It was then that i realised i had not booked mobility assistance at the airport to take us to Sicily. I have mobility issues (i find it difficult to manage many steps and have difficulty on inclines.)

I spoke with the Rep and she told me not to worry, she would arrange assistance for me.

On board the coach,before departing,the rep asked for 4 people to kindly move to the other coach. Everyone stared at her as if she had 2 heads, when nobody moved, Donald and myself volunteered. Upon arrival at the other coach,the only seats available were at the very back and i had to climb a rather steep stair.

Upon arrival at Verona, we asked the gentleman Rep if it would be possible to sit nearer to the front of the coach on the way back. We were told by him “if you can't walk, you should'nt have booked this trip” I was appalled, not only was i being treated like a second class citizen because i don't drink alcohol, this had now extended because of my mobility issues. I told him that I am perfectly capable of walking, i just have difficulty with stairs and slopes. I also told him his behaviour and attitude needed to be worked on and that i would be making an official complaint. Can you please pass this on to whomever deals with complaints.

I have to say our Italian guide who took us around Verona was excellent, she was engaging and funny and answered any questions asked.,

Our meal at the restaurant was ok but again i was told No fanta, Beer wine or water only. We were supposed to visit a small town not far from Verona but never got there. This was understandable as people in the group would wander off and come back late etc. The rude Gentleman rep did his best to try and organise things but due to the selfishness of others, had a very difficult job to do here. However this does not excuse his rudeness and unhelpful attitude toward me. I am trying to be fair and objective.

Once back at the hotel, I asked the lady rep why i could not have a soft drink with meals, she told me that ALL drinks are included and immediately telephoned somebody and told me this had now been rectified. At dinner time no choice given for dinner and when i asked for Fanta, i again was told Beer wine or water only, and that i had been told this before so dont ask again. I do not like confrontation but i politely informed the waiter that the rep had telephoned and that ALL drinks are included with meals. He went back and brought me a coke. I don't drink coke, i dont like coke. He eventually brought me a fanta. The waiters were filling up glasses with wine without any problem at all, but not once was i offered another fanta.

After dinner we were told that we would have a very light breakfast of coffee or tea, biscuits and cereals as we had an early flight to Sicily (5am)

At breakfast there was a light selection which also included croissants and bread. A lot of people were complaining that there wasn't a cooked item or fruit on offer, but really, this was enough until we got to the ship. All in all the hotel was adequate, despite the soft drink and no choice of menu issue.

Cruise cancelation and onward transfer arrangements.

At about 5 30 am we were informed by a Costa Care team that the cruise was cancelled completely, It was no good asking for any further information at this time as they had to inform ALL the other hotels. A further meeting would take place at about 11 am where they would try to make alternative arrangements for those wishing to go on a different cruise.

At approx 10 30 after doing some research on the Costa web site, we found a cruise departing for Brazil on the 3rd December from Savona, they still had cabins available.The rep informed us that she could not book us on this cruise and to wait till the meeting. We were then handed a letter saying the cruise had been cancelled and i quote. “ We deeply regret to inform you that your cruise onboard the neoriviera has been cancelled”. (ok these things happen, again out of normal control)

“with the aim of limiting the discomfort you may have experienced our company will promptly reimburse you through your travel agency/costa customer service the entire amount you paid for your cruise and arrange for your trip back home” (question, i asked the rep. How soon is promptly? We need that money back as soon as possible in order to try and get another holiday. Her answer, I don't know.)

“in addition to the above, we would like to extend you a future cruise credit amounting to 50% of the entire amount you paid for your cruise on Costa neoriviera to be used within the end of December 2017.” (Question. We have already booked 2 cruises which depart in 2017 and 1 cruise in 2018. can we apply this 50% reduction to one of those cruises?. Answer, i don't know.

“our personnel on site will be available to you to arrange the best solution for your repatriation to the major airport/railway station nearest to your home town. Please collect any invoice related to the additional costs you will bourne for reaching your home from the above major airport/railway station. You shall ask to Costa for reimbursement for such additional cost through your travel agency/contacting Costa customer service”

This is where things quickly became a nightmare scenario.

We were given a piece of paper to write our nearest hometown airport. (Alicante, Spain) not 5 minutes later the Costa rep told me that the coach had arrived to take us to the airport. Alarm bells started to ring then, I asked the Rep if mobility assistance had been arranged and she assured me that she had arranged it at this end and at the Spanish end.

Once on the coach, another rep arrived and introduced himself, telling us he'd arrived from Germany this morning and told us all we'd be going to Luton airport,UK.

He looked absoloutly aghast when we told him we did not live in England and had put Alicante airport, Spain on the form we'd been given. At least 8 others on that coach had flown in from S Africa and not expecting to go to England didn't have Visas which are a requirement from England.

We were so stressed out by this time so god knows how these S Africans were feeling. Not 1 person on that coach had chosen Luton airport as their nearest home airport. The S Africans refused to go to the airport and left the bus. I asked the rep to contact the Costa office, only to be told that he had no contact numbers and was unable to answer any questions. I 'm sorry but i find this hard to believe, and if it's true then Costa management should be thoroughly ashamed of themselves for placing junior staff in this situation.

The So called Costa care team who informed us that they would be back to answer questions, did'nt come back. My guess is, they took the cowards way out and left the reps to Face the music and fireworks.

The german rep then told us that although there would be nobody at marco polo airport, a rep would be at Luton to help us. (question, If nobody was at Marco polo and we have no tickets to fly, how do we get them? Answer, I don't know.

The majority of us left the bus saying we needed answers before we reboarded.

A few moments later a female rep asked us to get on board and she would explain what was going to happen.

There were 2 reps at Marco polo who would supervise the boarding process at the check in desk. We were flying to Luton airport and a rep would meet us at the other end to help with onward journey plans. She realised that nobody had put Luton down as their nearest home airport and that if we did not accept these plans then Costa would assume that we had declined their offer of assistance.

This coach was now leaving. We stayed on but the S Africans would'nt. I can't blame them, if they arrived in the UK without visas they would have been looked at as entering the country illegaly. The coach then departed for Marco polo Venice.

At the airport, i did indeed have wheelchair assistance and we were taken to the check in desk where we were told our flight to Luton was almost ready to begin boarding. We joined the rest of the passengers at check in.

Then the flight was changed to STANSTED. NO explanation was given as to why this changed, If we didn't board, then again we were told that they'd assume we refused assistance. (question, somebody will be available at Stansted to offer assistance and mobility assistance has been organised for me at Stansted? Answer. Please don't worry Mr Cox, everything has been arranged.

I was the last to leave the check in counter and just before leaving the rep told me to remember to collect my luggage at Stansted and to keep all receipts for onward expenses just in case nobody was there to meet us.

Alarm bells again started to ring. “wait, you can't just leave us stranded at Stansted. If nobody is there, and we have to organise things ourselves, is there a monetary limit on expenses?” Answer. “I dont know, but you have to go now, your flight is ready to leave”

Once on the plane there was only approx 12 passengers, None of whom lived anywhere near Luton or indeed now Stansted. Costa had chartered a Huge aircraft, for 12 passengers. What a complete waste of money and lack of basic common sense. It would have been far more economical to have us stay an extra night in Venice so that Costa had enough time to arrange the onward travel plans. This fault has to lie with Costa management.

Remember, we had only been given a very light breakfast at 5am. All that was offered on the Al Italia flight was a hot or cold drink and 3 small bags of snacks.

We couldn't even purchase anything else. I'm a type 2 Diabetic controlled by diet and pills and i need to eat regular meals at regular times. It was now about 3pm.

Stansted airport.

No mobility assistance was waiting for me. The Al Italia staff kindly organised some for me. No Costa rep in sight. We saw all the others who had been on our flight and i relayed what the rep had said to me about keeping receipts etc.

Luckily Donald had some paperwork with a Costa UK number on it. One of the other passengers had a british phone and called. She was told that ALL the managers were in a crisis meeting and so couldn't do anything. After several minutes of talking, this person took all of our names and numbers and said he'd call us back.

By this time i was really desperate for something to eat and Donald waited with the group and i went to a Burger King.

After about an hour of waiting we all decided to go our seperate ways. Some went to get tickets changed, we went to see about flights and costs. We could not afford the price quoted at the airport for the flight to Alicante, by the time we added extra money for not having a printed boarding pass and excess baggage charges etc it would be cheaper to fly from Gatwick.

Donalds mobile then rang and somebody called Philip from Costa, apologised for this apparent mix up. Could we book ourselves into a hotel and arrange onward travel arrangements. Costa would re-imburse us the cost. Question. OK Philip, is there a limit on how much we can spend? Answer, I don't know, let me call you back. About 20 minutes later he phoned back and He told us that he was unable to get us an answer but to just book into a hotel, travel to Gatwick and to keep all receipts.

We were so tired and upset at this time and due to my mobility issues we just booked a night at the nearest hotel within walking distance.

We know that meals in hotels are expensive, so we just bought snack items from the airport supermarket, this at least would save us and Costa money.

Once in the room we reserved the cheapest flight we could afford but this wasn't due to depart until Sunday.

After Breakfast the following morning we went to reserve our travel to Gatwick. The cheapest way to do this was to get a coach to London Victoria, change there for Gatwick. Once on the coach the driver advised all passengers to allow at least 5 hours to get to Gatwick because of congestion due to roadworks.

Whilst on the bus, Amanda called, telling us that Costa had arranged our flight from Gatwick and it was leaving early afternoon/evening. (due to all the stress i can't remember the time, but there was just no way we'd have made that flight anyway We had no way of printing any boarding pass and would certainly not give credit card information using a public computer, we also do not have a smart phone..

We explained the situation to her, told her what the rep at venice and phillip had said and we had to arrange ALL onward travel plans and keep receipts.

We also told her we would keep costs down to a minimum, but we should never have had to be placed in this situation. Again this is the fault of Costa Management and they have to accept responsibility for this fiasco.

Gatwick and money saving.

Unfortunately as most people know, if you walk into a hotel without advance booking you will pay inflated prices. This could not be helped at Stansted.

We took a meal in Gatwick airport where donald had a 25% off voucher. And purchased supermarket snacks instead of having a hotel evening meal.

We booked a very reasonable flight with BA back to Alicante where we did not have to pay excess baggage costs.

We booked into the holiday inn at a very reasonable rate including breakfast.

Instead of having meals in the hotel we looked for value meals for 1 main meal in a restaurant in the local town and for other meal times we just bought snacks.

On the day of departure, for Lunch, we ate in the airport and again Donald used a 25% off voucher.

What Happens now?

I would hope that there will be no question about recompensating our extra unforseen costs. We have saved the receipts and will attach them.

Unforseen circumstances do happen that are unavoidable,and we do understand that. However, Things were handled without any thought or consideration once Costa decided that the cruise was cancelled.

If passengers know what is going to happen and that a plan is in place and works (like it did at the terminal in Venice) they are more likely to have faith in the company. The whole experience of onward travel arrangements did nothing but add more stress and anxiety, and for that Costa management have to take the blame.

The reps at the hotel tried their best but without information they can't ease passengers minds or answer any relevant questions. This can't be excused as a unique experience. Sadly after the tragic accident of the Costa Concordia. Costa must have used a plan to get passengers home then. They should have also taken on board “how can we improve this service if regrettably we have to cancel a cruise.” It was blatantly obvious that those lessons were NOT learned.

What we would like to happen.

All costs we incurred plus the cost of the canceled cruise should be returned to us as quick as possible, could you please let us know how soon, as we want to now go away for Christmas.

Because we are club perla oro members and now this cruise has been cancelled.

This means we have taken NO cruises this year so would like to be super upgraded when we board the neoriviera in March 2017. As we are doing back to back cruises it would be nice to not change cabins for the voyage back to Genoa if possible.

We have placed a block on the price for a cruise on the Costa Mediterranea

which departs from Stockholm on 2nd September 2017 for 13 days. Could you please reserve this for us applying the 50% cancelled cruise credit we have received. Could you please telephone us as soon as possible to confirm this cruise and to take the deposit.

Conclusion.

We are sorry that this e mail is so long but we have tried to be as fair and constructive as we can. We have always enjoyed our Cruises with Costa and hope to continue to do so.

Finally again can we stress that almost all of the Costa staff we had dealings with, were on the whole very supportive and friendly. There was just that 1 rep (verona, i can't remember his name. There were i believe 2 gentlemen reps there and 1 was called Marco, it was'nt him.)

Hope you can sort this out for us as quickly and painlessly as possible, i wont relax until this is all over and we can put this unfortunate experience behind us.

Amanda dealing with you has been a pleasure and you have always responded very quickly and professionally with any dealings we have had with you.

Please do pass on this e mail to your superiors. I hope to hear from you very soon about the above points and future booking.

We will attach receipts to this e mail

Wishing you all a very Merry Christmas and a healthy Happy New Year.

Mr Barry Cox and Dr Donald Bovill.

So sorry to hear of all they put you through!

I'm impressed that you will continue to cruise with them after this experience. Best of luck!

So sorry to hear of all they put you through!

 

I'm impressed that you will continue to cruise with them after this experience. Best of luck!

Hello Nitemare and all,

Just a further update,

We have now received an e mail from the Costa customer service manager stating that unless we sign a Disclaimer we will NOT get our cruise fare and added expenses back and we will NOT get a 50% cost of the neoriviera cancelled cruise credit.

This to me is at the very least Bullying and the very worst Blackmail.

I have replied via e mail, that unless we receive ALL moneys owed to us within 5 days,then i will unfortunately be seeking legal advice. I shall keep you updated. Happy Cruising. :)

Wow, customer service at a time when it's really needed is almost at a zero. And then insisting you sign a disclaimer before receiving a refund of the cruise fare, the further 50% reduction off a future cruise AND the extra money you had to put out to get back home? I'd be contacting a lawyer pretty quick (breach of contract; you paid for a cruise and didn't get it), and then getting the media involved - big companies hate bad press. :p

Please keep us updated.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

That e-mail is going to get the same response that I gave it. About 10% of it will be read and then the rest ignored because it is too long, and too wordy. In fact it is too long and wordy to even be a CC review.

That e-mail is going to get the same response that I gave it. About 10% of it will be read and then the rest ignored because it is too long, and too wordy. In fact it is too long and wordy to even be a CC review.

I didn't think so...

JK

I didn't have any trouble reading it either. It was better than most horror flicks. "Will Bazbov survive the bus trip? Will the plane be diverted to Mars? What galaxy will the luggage wind up in? Will Costa stock crash before they are able to pay the passengers for their losses?"

In all seriousness, you have my sympathy. I can't imagine how I would have handled such excruciating service but I doubt I would have displayed your graciousness.

Could you please explain the disclaimer you were asked to sign? What does it say?

What a complicated and exhausting business. I am sorry you had to go through it.

We have now received an e mail from the Costa customer service manager stating that unless we sign a Disclaimer we will NOT get our cruise fare and added expenses back and we will NOT get a 50% cost of the neoriviera cancelled cruise credit.

 

This to me is at the very least Bullying and the very worst Blackmail.

I have replied via e mail, that unless we receive ALL moneys owed to us within 5 days,then i will unfortunately be seeking legal advice. I shall keep you updated. Happy Cruising. :)

While waiting for response, probably seek legal counsel now for the next move.

Hello all.

Sorry if things were to long winded for some of you, i just wanted to show that i was taking a deep breath and hopefully taking a balanced approach.

We now have things put in place to take legal action if this becomes necessary.

I don't really want to go down this route but this is money WE have paid THEM.

and there should be no question of this being refunded.

I think that i should now just wait and see IF costa respond again and then regrettably leave things in the hands of our Legal advisors, so i wont comment again until this matter has been resolved. May i thank you all for your interest and mostly kind words and support. Have a very merry Christmas and a healthy Happy New year. Happy Cruising. :)

Aside from the money, it's also the principle of making things right. Good luck!

Aside from the money, it's also the principle of making things right. Good luck!

Thank you easyboy, That's correct.

Good luck to you bazbov, I hope it all works out for you without having to put too much more money into legal fees. Have a Merry Christmas, and all the best in the New Year.

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Good luck to you bazbov, I hope it all works out for you without having to put too much more money into legal fees. Have a Merry Christmas, and all the best in the New Year.

 

Smooth Sailing! :) :) :)

Many Thanks ger, Seasons greetings to yo too. :)

Hi all. Just a further update,and i hope the last on this.

Today Costa contacted us and we have agreed to settle without going to court.

We are happy with what they offered, and now just hope that what they promised will come to fruition.

Simona and Amanda from Costa, have been very helpful in relaying e mails,so a big thanks to them.

We just hope that we can now put this behind us and carry on enjoying our cruises. Happy Cruising. :)