mat5664

I want to book a Fjords cruise for summer/autumn,  but I can't see any cruises this year.  The UK Govt is preparing to tighten borders further and other countries are doing the same.  Vaccine roll out is very patchy across Europe and countries will not want new strains being imported.  All very gloomy for travel sadly.

I think the sensible thing is for refunds not vouchers and absolutely not to pay balances.

When/if this horrible thing starts to goes away or there is a vaccine - cruises will still be one of the last things to start again as events have shown they are at the very high risk end of things.

In a couple if years we will hopefully look back on this as a bad dream but if I had to put money on it, I would say cruises will not start again until Summer 2022.

2 minutes ago, ann141 said:

Interesting. Thank you

.I notice that Hurtigruten have had 33 cases of Covid onboard (with 4 people in hospital!) so have cancelled the next cruise.I think it will make other cruise lines extra cautious before re starting

I think this will be the nail in the coffin (no pun intended) for Cruising this year and early next.  First cruise line to resume  and crew end up in hospital and who knows how many passengers will be affected as they had all disembarked.

Given what's happened in the US as soon as bars opened up, I fail to see how there will be any cruises this side of a vaccine.  Insurance will be impossible for a start.  

That said, it does look increasingly possible there could be a vaccine by Summer 2021.  

Day 70 and I now have the 2nd card refunded.  

As I cancelled before P&O did, I have received 95% for 2 bookings with the other 5% going to a FCC (from the very short lived policy in March).

Not sure I will be using the FCC unless there is vaccine.

40 minutes ago, majortom10 said:

Sorry but cannot help thinking that all these phone calls and e-mails that everyone is repeatedly making to P&O is only delaying the refunds even further they have enough to do without this unnecessary workload.

On the contrary, it was only after I escalated my refund that I finally had some action.

What I would say is that people absolutely should not be putting anyone's full email address in a public forum.   Apart from anything else, there are bots which sweep boards like this for email addresses and use them for Spam or worse.

12 minutes ago, No pager thank you said:

Any others that I've missed?

 

 

I had:

"I will escalate to finance but they are closed today".  

"I will escalate to my manager"

"I will escalate to customer services" (even though I was talking to customer services}.

It does seem that for those over 60 days, things have started to unblock.  I have part of mine paid by credit card refunded, but the other part paid by debit card has not yet.

I think most of us would understand the extreme situation this has caused for the Company.  If only they had been more open and transparent, rather than saying for 2 months that refunds were being processed when it it clear from here and elsewhere that they were clearly not.

Day 68 and the money paid using my Amex card has been refunded.  The rest paid on Visa will hopefully be on the way.

I did do quite a bit of chasing in the last week - whether it would have arrived anyway, I don't know.

I think I am on day 67 now.  What's really cheesed me off even further is this press release from the President saying it's now taking 'up to 60 days'.  Either he's not fully briefed or he's deliberately lying.

I cancelled before P&O cancelled any cruises and under the previous terms.  If I phone up I just get told they don't know why I have not received it.

Am now at 65 days and still waiting.  Phoned up at the weekend and was told finance dept is not working, so phoned back today and then told they are not allowed to contact finance.  She said she would put another 'note on my file' which seems to mean nothing.  

Not impressed.   I cancelled my Cruise before P&O cancelled any and well before lockdown and was originally told 1-2 weeks.  Then up to 45 days.  Then up to 60 days.  Now at least 60 days.

I spoke to a very polite lady at P&O this morning who acknowledged that I had now been waiting more than 60 days for a refund, was very sorry about it, and that was it.    There is clearly a strategy to delay refunds.  I wonder If they are planning some sort of pre pack administration of the UK  business to avoid their liabilities.   

A vaccine.

Nothing else will get me back given I travel with my 83 year old mother - and insurance is going to be a nightmare, especially for older people where the cost may be more than the cost of the cruise.

It's funny how people think what they want to think.  There are huge shortages of PPE throughout Europe, including Germany.   Have a look at the German papers and you will see similar accounts to here of deaths in care homes.  It's clear from looking at New York, Paris, London ,Madrid that death rates are associated mostly with population density.  

As for cruising, it will not be safe until either a vaccine that is reliable comes along or the virus starts to disappear due to herd immunity.  I cannot understand why anyone would even consider booking a cruise at the moment.  You may be fine, but just as likely you may end up in a mobile virus spreader going round in circles whilst ports block arrivals and people die.  For the moment, I would expect cruise companies to start to offer more at sea only cruises, where passengers and crew are tested before they come on board.

I cancelled my June cruise on March 13.  It was outside of 90 days, but I had already paid in full so was entitled to 95 % refund (and 5% FCC as that was the rule at the time).

When I cancelled, they told me 2-3 weeks for the refund, then it became 45 days, then 60 now on twitter it says up to 90 days.  

it's quite likely there will be no cruises until there is a vaccine, which could be up to 18 months away.

Why would anyone take a cruise before then given we know the consequences.  Even if you have had it,  nobody knows how long the immunity would last and insurance companies will not provide insurance.

Who knows how many cruise companies will be around by then and what the market will be.  Very sad.

1 minute ago, bodgerday said:

I know nothing about trading in shares, but am tempted to dabble in Carnival shares now the price is in my comfort zone.  Do you think things are that bad?  I thought they looked a good investment with the benefits that come with them.  This covid19 virus will go as quick as it come, leaving the cruise industry to get back to normal and share prices rising. I now think I will hang on to a later date.  As I said I know nothing about share trading.

wouldn't go anywhere near them.  Entirely possible some cruise companies go into Administration - and then get bought out - which would invalidate the shares - and any vouchers.  (For anyone thinking Carnival is too big to fail, try telling that to former employees of Lehman brothers or Arthur Anderson etc).

6 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Maybe apply for a full refund now, if Carnival go bust your FCC will be worthless and say goodbye to any of your money they have.

Good advice.  

I cancelled my June cruise today.  Outside the 90 days so get 95% back and the other 5% as future credit (had already paid the balance).

Very disappointing as I got a really good targeted deal (50% off) and a huge amount of OBC -  the discount would not have applied if I transferred which is why I cancelled.  

Until there is a vaccine, I don't think cruising will be viable.

what does it mean you can transfer for any cruise any time?  Would you have to pay a fare difference?  

2 minutes ago, wowzz said:

Glad it worked out for you. Still not sure why you would pay the entire cruise fare so far in advance. There is no benefit to you.

Simple - I got a bonus and wanted to treat my mother to a cruise.  Figured if I kept it in the bank, I might spend it! 

Finally managed to get through to P&O.

If I cancel now outside the 90 days having paid the full amount, I will get back everything except 5%.  

Or I can also transfer to another date as long as I do this before the  90 days starts.  (And if the new date is cheaper, then I would get a refund of the difference - which I was surprised at).

Agent was really nice and helpful.  She said nearly every call is a cancellation at the moment.  

if I am just outside the 90 day limit but paid in full and I now cancel, what do I get back.  It says deposit but I didn't pay one?  (My mother is 83 and I have a respiratory condition, which is why we are thinking of it).  Have a week before 90 days.

I am UK based so would love a Europe offer - but they won't send email offers to UK based people which is pretty rubbish.  I've just booked to go on the new P&O Iona next year as fed up with Club Royale.    Didn't get a comp  - P&O not very generous with those, but got 50% off, £250 OBC and $500 slot play.

2 hours ago, Wally Alligator said:

 

  As to getting European offers, I think I would be keeping a US address and email on file.  See lots of complaints posted from Europeans, Australians, and others about how Club Royale never sends them emails or postal mails.  While European cruise offerings are few to us in the US, the $off and Prime cruises can be used over there.

 

 

Very good point.  I get no offers being UK based and complaining has done no good at all.  I was told that there is a legal reason for it.  I really don't think that's true.

I've certainly learned my lesson here.  Next time I will stop playing if I hit 6000 points which is a Balcony cabin.  The JS certificate is a waste of time at 8000 points as you just can't book one and the extra 12000 points above that I earned are totally meaningless as Club Royale refuse to send offers to non UK based guests (quoting some non existent regulation).  Oh well.