helengp

At last some definite news....All cruises cancelled until end of May. I hope Marella contact me soon.

I get what people are saying about Marella being stretched and staff working from home etc., but as a key worker myself,  my employer would very much like to know if I will still be taking 2 weeks off in May.....we were supposed to be visiting Italy and slotting the cruise in the middle of the trip. I also can not just switch to another cruise/holiday, as getting time off from work has to be booked months in advance and as so many holidays are being cancelled, and staff cancel their annual leave, when holidays do start up again there’s going to be a rush to book time off.....so no way can we just switch to another cruise. I also need to cancel associated hotels and flights for the May holiday...something I have been reluctant to do without Marella confirming first that the cruise was cancelled. Hopefully we can now get something sorted with them re a refund soon. Maybe we will attempt a cruise again some time, but I don’t think it will be this year ☹️

Hello. I wondered if anyone knows when Marella might update their website re cancellations for May cruises. I can’t get through on phone. It would appear from looking at other companies’ cancellations, that most cruise companies are cancelling through June and some even to end of year. Marella seems to be offering me to change my booking but nothing about what to do if I want a refund. They say that if I have not been contacted yet by email, then the cruise is still going ahead. I find this incredible given the state we are in. It would appear that if I cancel, I will lose my money. Does anyone have any experience of this company and its cancellation policy? Sorry if this has been covered elsewhere.

Thanks

Heidi

Yep....Marella still insisting our May cruise still going ahead. Leaving Naples and visiting 3 other Italian locations. Unless a miracle happens, Italy is not going to be open for tourism in 6 weeks time! And I don’t believe in miracles. I agree that Marella should just come clean and cancel all cruises until June earliest. And process refunds. Then at least we could set about cancelling our flights, hotels and the rest of the associated costs (airport parking, dog sitter) that we have booked independently for this trip. Leaving people dangling is just not on.

So if you have a cruise booked before 30 June but can’t reschedule and don’t want another holiday, will you get a refund? Are they cancelling holidays or not?
 

2 hours ago, FIFE1 said:

Interesting TUI have added below to updates this afternoon

We would like to give those due to travel after the 16 April the additional freedom and peace of mind when it comes to travelling in the future, which is why from today we will be offering our travel promise. From 17 March 2020 if you have an existing TUI, Marella Cruises, First Choice or TUI River Cruise package holiday booking travelling on or before 30 June 2020 you can amend for free to any holiday on sale. You can do this up to seven days before your original departure date. Please refer to booking terms and conditions for more information.

Kevin York...I agree, I want to get this thing and get it over and done with. Then I can go to work and help others without worrying about it. We are currently in France and now need a piece of paper stating our purpose to leave the house. Not sure what that will achieve as it’s easy to print off the form and tick the box....can go shopping, walks, walk dogs, go to Dr and so on but no social gatherings. People here are not happy! We have brought our return home forward a week as there’s not a lot we can do here...all the DIY shops are closed. So no decorating possible and hubby can’t get out on long cycle rides as he’d planned, so might as well be at home. Well, apart from the fact the sun is shining here 😁 

As you say, cruises seem a long way off.....still waiting to see what Marella do next about May cruises.

8 minutes ago, davecttr said:

Well Sainsbury had no delivery slots left but Tesco had for 2 weeks time -phew!

Just arrived in France yesterday for 2 weeks....and bearing in mind that as of last night all restaurants, cafes etc are to close, I went to the supermarket with trepidation this morning, expecting everything to be sold out. What a pleasant surprise.....shops very busy but no one loading up trolleys, and pretty much everything available in store....even loo rolls😁. 

18 hours ago, kevinyork said:

Ok, maybe that might be slagging them off but deservedly so in my opinion.  At least let people know further in advance. Not just two weeks. Their own Facebook page have been posting lovely pictures of cocktails etc all week whilst this has been going on and could have used that outlet to keep people informed and reduce the stress for passengers and uncertainty. As far as I’m aware all cruise lines have been refunding without the need to claim off their travel insurance. 

I agree.....Marella are leaving everything far too late....it is highly unlikely that Italy will be safe by next month, yet when I’ve asked them repeatedly what their plan is in that event they give me the standard....’all our cruises will be running as scheduled’ response....still! And people should not have to claim off their own travel insurance if a cruise is cancelled because of FCO advice not to travel....this is where Marella are being devious I feel....leave it so late to cancel that most will already have cancelled themselves, leaving Marella with a much smaller payout.   Marella will have their own insurance that should cover them for loss of income in such a case......so why are they so reluctant to cancel? 

Saga have cancelled all cruises 

Not sure if this link will work, but a coronavirus patient’s first hand experience is interesting...

https://www.bing.com/videos/search?view=detail&mid=60AC23E15225D7B06AA860AC23E15225D7B06AA8&shtp=GetUrl&shid=1c681cfd-5903-4164-b3fd-545e2d9db061&shtk=Q29yb25hdmlydXMgcGF0aWVudCBmcm9tIERpYW1vbmQgUHJpbmNlc3MgZXhwbGFpbnMgd2hhdCB0aGUgaWxsbmVzcyBmZWVscyBsaWtl&shdk=Q2FybCBHb2xkbWFuIHNoYXJlcyB3aGF0IGl0J3MgYmVlbiBsaWtlIHRvIGJlIGRpYWdub3NlZCB3aXRoIGNvcm9uYXZpcnVzIHdoaWxlIGFib2FyZCB0aGUgRGlhbW9uZCBQcmluY2VzcyBjcnVpc2Ugc2hpcCBhbmQgbGlmZSBpbiBxdWFyYW50aW5lIHNpbmNlLg%3D%3D&shhk=qfXfaF%2Be3qap3uC8ZKmb%2BjUXewRy%2F%2FnMXrlNrWIqJ6Y%3D&form=VDSHOT&shth=OSH.YKgaC6pJ8ARU90xHNvciEw

Interesting developments. Still no news on Italy though. That said, I really think we are all letting this whole virus thing get out of hand. It really is not going to affect many people that badly....heart disease and type 2 diabetes will prematurely kill more people each day in the UK than this virus ever will, yet millions of people plough on each day destroying their own bodies without any concern. Maybe the press should be jumping up and down about that and the tremendous strain that puts on the NHS! 
So let’s keep a perspective on all this.....hopefully our cruises won’t be cancelled and FCO advice will change so that we can all enjoy what should be an excellent cruise! But in the meantime, confirmation of Marella’s plan should that not happen would be nice.

Now this what Marella should be doing....just had this email from Easyjet.....

Given the unprecedented situation we’re all facing as a result of Covid-19, we wanted to provide an update on what this means for any travel plans you may have with easyJet. 

We will continue to operate a flight schedule that ensures that those customers who still wish to travel can do so, where travel restrictions allow and in line with guidance from health authorities. 

However, we understand there is uncertainty around travel at this time, so if you currently have a booking with us but would prefer not to fly then from tomorrow (13.03.2020), you can now change your flight online and we will waive the flight change fee. This applies to all existing and new bookings until further notice. Should there be a difference in fare you’ll need to pay this - however by waiving the change fee, we want to ensure you have more flexibility to amend your travel plans.

Where we’ve been required to cancel flights, customers will be able to transfer to an alternative flight free of charge or receive a refund. And where all flights have had to be cancelled due to local authority guidance – in Italy, for example – we are operating rescue flights to ensure passengers can return home.

Easyjet have the right approach....working WITH their customers to reach the best outcome possible given the situation.

And another note about insurance. Marella will have their own comprehensive insurance policy. This will have a section called ‘loss of profits’ that is basically there to indemnify them if their business is interrupted or curtailed in any way. It should pay out to compensate them if they have to refund customers’ money, cancel cruises and ‘lose their profits’. So for them to continue with this stance of saying as little as possible doesn’t make business sense...it just breeds ill will and contempt for them. 

A cautionary note about travel insurance. If you cancel your holiday, your insurance company will do it’s upmost not to pay out. If there is FCO advice to not travel, you might be successful if you have added travel disruption to your policy.
 

If the provider of the travel cancels your travel, they should offer a refund. If you cancel, they might offer you a future credit or partial refund, or nothing at all. It is a game of cat and mouse. Who will blink first?
 

Marella are still saying that they intend to run a normal schedule from early April in the Med our of Italy. I can’t see it myself, but if they do, it will only be possible if FCO advice has been lifted, and FCO will not do that if there is still a large amount of active infection. So if FCO lifts the ban, it means it is safe to go and we can all continue with our trips as planned. That would be my preferred outcome. If they don’t, I think Marella will have to cancel themselves as it will be impossible for them to reschedule everyone. We will then get a refund. So, hold your nerve and don’t cancel.....

If the FCO advice not to travel is still in force 7 days before your departure date....looks like you’re covered 😁

Went in to my local TUI office this morning....all 4 ladies sitting there with nothing much to do! Asked them about what their policy was if a) departure port is changed (thus necessitating us to pay for new flights) and b) if 3 of our 5 ports are cancelled. They said there was no set policy! Also said that they have been advised that all cruises after 3 April should go ahead unchanged as they anticipate Italy restrictions being lifted by then! So hopefully we will be ok for May and just have to hope the flights are still going. 

Davecttr.....I really hope the passengers are not all British! How dull would that be! I have only done 1 cruise before...a Greek line....and the best part was the huge multinational mix of people we met on board.....fascinating. Americans, Canadians, Greek, Mexicans, Brazilians, Spanish, Irish, Australians, Italians, Chinese.....I could go on. Actually very few British. I am sure there will be at least some Italians. 🤞

Vitalsign. We are not on a package....we booked our hotels and flights separately as we are slotting the cruise in to a longer trip in Italy. As are others I’m sure. So we need clear guidance from Marella. We do not want to cancel, and still hope the cruise goes ahead. We want to explore some of the areas around Naples first...but given Marella’s new boarding criteria, will that still be possible? When I called them last week, and pointed out that everyone getting on the ship will have been through at least one Italian airport in the preceding 14 days, their response was rather ambiguous. If we know the cruise is going to be cancelled now, we could at least reschedule the rest of our trip. They need to offer more clarity.

I phoned TUI before paying my balance at the end of February, to check this.TUI said that if the situation became such that they cancelled the cruise, we would get a refund. So definitely do not cancel yourself....then you will not get a refund. Also, a cautionary note about claiming on your travel insurance....they will not pay out without exhausting all other possibilities, and will direct you first to claim against the holiday provider. Also, FCO advice must be in place 28 days or less before the start of the holiday. So unless you are due to travel from Italy within next 28 days, you can not cancel and claim on your insurance anyway, and will need to check FCO advice on a day by day basis. Ie. I can not cancel now on the basis of FCO advice for my cruise in May.

Kevin York...I don’t think it makes any difference. If TUI cancel now or after FCO advising against all but essential travel, they still have to offer credit or refund. I expect they are waiting as it is possible Italy might lift the restrictions after the initial lockdown, and then cruises could leave from Italian ports. 

MXDRew.....I do get why we need to slow the spread...obviously! But my point is, that as this virus won't fizzle out, will be with us for good, and a vaccine is a long way off, how long could we sustain the isolation/shutting up shop scenario? The economic cost is going to be huge.....many many people will see their jobs disappear, businesses will fail, and so on, so my point is maybe we need to not be so draconian in our response and try to balance better economic need with that of health. I just don't see shutting everything down for months as a viable option. 

Yes I too am getting increasingly worried about our Naples cruise in May. I really don't want them to cancel it, but as we booked it specifically as it visited Venice, which is now under quarantine, I am wondering what they are going to do.....and if Easyjet cancel our flights to Naples, we will struggle to get to Naples anyway.

Interesting times....but isolating everyone and shutting up shop seems a bit ridiculous really. This is a virus...it won't suddenly disappear and will be here for good. Vaccine very many months away, so do we continue with these measures for months and months and months? 

Vital signs.....I think you only need to self isolate on return from anywhere in Italy if you have symptoms. It is still only returning from the lockdown areas that require automatic self  isolation, symptoms or not. Our cruise goes from Naples which so far is still ok to travel to/from. As is Venice. Whether that will still be the case in May....who knows. But by then I expect the spread in the U.K. to be as bad if not worse than Italy, so I expect advice will have changed again.

An awful lot of scaremongering going on! Go and enjoy your holiday. We are off to France next week and are looking forward to our Marella cruise in May. Considering many who get this virus will have no symptoms at all, or minor ones at most, it's really not worth fretting over! We just have to hope Marella don't cancel the cruises......

As this virus spreads it will be almost impossible to keep tabs on everyone you have had contact with to see if they've been exposed or tested positive at a later date. I work in a customer facing role and see 20-30 complete strangers each day. How am I supposed to know if any of them tests positive in the weeks after I've seen them? So I could quite honestly answer a ship medical questionnaire stating I had not been in contact with anyone in the previous 14 days etc. only to discover later that that wasn't true. It is going to be impossible to police and the only way to handle this is to assume that wherever you go over the next few months you will almost certainly be exposed to this virus. If you are worried about that, don't travel.

We are also due to depart Naples in May. I just called Marella and they advised that you would be asked the question about visiting Italy in the preceding 30 days, and you would of course answer 'yes' as you couldn't get on boat without physically being there, but they would then ask you exactly where you'd been, and as long as it wasn't northern Italy, you could board. All subject to FO advice of course which could change to include whole of Italy in which case they said they would offer an alternative itinerary or refund. Hope this doesn't happen, but at least we'll get our money back if it does.