Egypt - Escalating Revolution - Uniworld Response?

[Uniworld]

Dear Ashley,

 

Yes, just to re-confirm for you we have canceled our Egypt cruises up to and including February 12.

 

Thank you very much, and we will continue to monitor the situation and post additional information as it becomes available.

 

With kind regards,

 

The Uniworld Team

[H2Otstr]

Grand Circle has just canceled all their trips to Egypt thru 2/5. Saw the posting on Facebook.

[ashley@cruisecritic]

Dear Ashley,

 

Yes, just to re-confirm for you we have canceled our Egypt cruises up to and including February 12.

 

Thank you very much, and we will continue to monitor the situation and post additional information as it becomes available.

 

With kind regards,

 

The Uniworld Team

 

 

Thanks! We've added the information to our latest update.

 

Best,

~Ashley :)

[Wineart]

Because of our business, we can only travel for the first 6 months of the year because the second half of the year is our busy season. Unfortunately, we also have a personal situation that recently arose that prevents us from traveling far for the next few months, if not longer. So we are not as lucky as others to be able to just pick another trip and go.

[cormike1]

We to are scheduled to leave in 3 weeks. I have to wait until Monday to go and see our travel agent. We took out insurance through our TA not with our tour company. I read our policy and it said that this type of problem (riots, safety at stake) is covered for a full refund. Also if the Cdn gov't has posted a "no travel" warning then we are covered. Of course it will take a month or so to get the refund back if we do cancel. I don't believe this will be settled in the next month or so either. God I was so looking forward to my "dream trip"!!! It cost quite a bit of money for this trip and we are retired so to spend that amount on a Mediterranian cruise say, would be a disappointment for us. Oh well better to be safe than sorry. I sure don't want to take the trip and have changes made such as skipping Cairo. We set up what we wanted to see/do so to have it cancelled would be not so great. I would miss some of my dreams. I really think though my dream trip is going to be still a dream for me though LOL

[Windy56]

I'm glad you are happy with the offer you received from Uniworld, but there are those of us who are still unhappy with their response. Since my trip isn't scheduled for 3 more weeks, the only option Uniworld is offering right now for my tour is to cancel and transfer the payment to another Uniworld tour in 2011, which unfortunately is not something I can do. The current situation in Egypt is not going to go away quietly within the next few weeks, and I do not want to risk my personal safety by traveling there until the political climate had stabilized for more than just a few weeks. Gate 1 has taken a very pragmatic and customer service oriented approach by cancelling their tours for the next 4 weeks, while Uniworld is still "monitoring" the situation.

 

I sympathize with you. If it's one thing I learned about Uniworld during my last cruise, is that they are very good at monitoring, if nothing else. Their bottom line is revenue.

[chloes nana]

Their bottom line is revenue.

isn't that any company in America? Really?? Or for that matter anywhere in the world?? How can a company profit and stay afloat in todays market, without being concerned about the bottom line?

[Windy56]

isn't that any company in America? Really?? Or for that matter anywhere in the world?? How can a company profit and stay afloat in todays market, without being concerned about the bottom line?

 

I'm sorry about the brevity. I assumed that you had read the previous posts which were references to Uniworld's concern for passengers. They are heavily invested in expanding their fleet with new boats last year and others on the way. Their Egyptian cruises represent a great deal of profit. They stand to lose a great deal if they can't manage to transfer the cruise fares from this area of the world to other itineraries despite the disappointment or disapproval of their customers.

[chloes nana]

I'm sorry about the brevity. I assumed that you had read the previous posts which were references to Uniworld's concern for passengers. They are heavily invested in expanding their fleet with new boats last year and others on the way. Their Egyptian cruises represent a great deal of profit. They stand to lose a great deal if they can't manage to transfer the cruise fares from this area of the world to other itineraries despite the disappointment or disapproval of their customers.

I have read all the threads....:rolleyes: I have been there from the start. my only comment here is there is a fine line between the two and personally I feel alot the most passionate ones on this thread are also the least flexible and feel it is a "me" market...not a business. Evidently alot of these same folks have never been in charge of a company and the bottom line is all I am saying, Be realistic, they are doing everything above board and being cautious as far as I read it. How far out would be suitable for them to cancel to make you happy??

[Windy56]

I have read all the threads....:rolleyes: I have been there from the start. my only comment here is there is a fine line between the two and personally I feel alot the most passionate ones on this thread are also the least flexible and feel it is a "me" market...not a business. Evidently alot of these same folks have never been in charge of a company and the bottom line is all I am saying, Be realistic, they are doing everything above board and being cautious as far as I read it. How far out would be suitable for them to cancel to make you happy??

 

I'm just going to shake my head, Nana, and leave it at that.

[lalasea]

Why is this such a bash Uniworld thread? They have cancelled all cruises though Feb. 12. And are offering to rebook people for cruises until Feb. 28. Sounds pretty reasonable. I'm sure in the next week if they need to cancel more they will. The situation happened fairly quickly and no one really knew what to expect. This is all part of travel, especially to foreign countries. Of course Uniworld is worried about profits. That's why companies are in business.

 

Windy it's unfortunate you did not have a good experience with Uniworld. I'm sure every cruise company has disappointed someone at some time. But, I find your repeated bashing of them inappropriate since you are not even booked with them to Egypt!

[pully8]

regardless of the tour operator lets be clear this is a very serious situation, people have died and this looks along way from a positive outcome.

 

we will read the responses from the tour operators as we have done.

it will inform our decisions when next we book travel.

 

at the end of the day we need to take responsibility when travelling.

keep up to date with current affairs from reliable sources.

 

register with foreign affairs in country of origin prior to travel in case of events when away from home. always read travel advisories before travel.

australia has know posted no travel to egypt.

[Windy56]

Why is this such a bash Uniworld thread? They have cancelled all cruises though Feb. 12. And are offering to rebook people for cruises until Feb. 28. Sounds pretty reasonable. I'm sure in the next week if they need to cancel more they will. The situation happened fairly quickly and no one really knew what to expect. This is all part of travel, especially to foreign countries. Of course Uniworld is worried about profits. That's why companies are in business.

 

Windy it's unfortunate you did not have a good experience with Uniworld. I'm sure every cruise company has disappointed someone at some time. But, I find your repeated bashing of them inappropriate since you are not even booked with them to Egypt!

 

This is a board for exchanging views. The fact that I am not booked on these itineraries does not prevent me from sympathizing with some of the passengers or expressing my views. My criticism of Uniworld regarding their initial slow response, as well as their reluctance to recognize that travel will not be safe in the region for quite some time still stands. If your attachment to this company leads you to feel offended by my analysis of the situation to the point where you regard it as inappropriate and a form of bashing, I suggest you either buck up or don't read the thread.

[chloes nana]

This is a board for exchanging views. The fact that I am not booked on these itineraries does not prevent me from sympathizing with some of the passengers or expressing my views. My criticism of Uniworld regarding their initial slow response, as well as their reluctance to recognize that travel will not be safe in the region for quite some time still stands. If your attachment to this company leads you to feel offended by my analysis of the situation to the point where you regard it as inappropriate and a form of bashing, I suggest you either buck up or don't read the thread.

wow! that was harsh! maybe you shouldn't be reading this thread, again that was her oppinion/view, and I agree with her, this is about the people who ARE booked on these Egypt trips in the next few days and months to come. Maybe it's time for you to say goodnight Gracie

[pacmom]

Chloesnana,

On our Russia cruise this past fall, we had problems including food poisening (me). I posted what I thought was a fair critique of the cruise on this board. It was not a good posting. After a bit, Viking read it had us post them and more than a month later they offered us compensation. I was not looking for compensation, didn't ask for it. This was our 3rd Viking trip. One was fantastic, one okay and the Russia one really poor. Will it stop us from another Viking trip, propably only to China. My warnings to Viking travelers, IF ASKED, would only pertain to Russia. We have travelled with Uniworld, Vantage, Viking, AMA and Luftner. Trip with Luftner a disaster, others good to excellent. We mustn't beat a dead horse. Sounds like the gentleman from CA got what he wanted from Uniworld. Really don't think there will river travel in Egypt for quite a while.

Prayers for those caught up in this tragic mess. Pat

[Windy56]

I am sure all of you who are following the news about what is happening in Egypt, and that means those who are booked and those of us who are not, recognize how rapidly things are deteriorating. I share my husband's view on this one. Anyone booked on any cruise in this market should be allowed to cancel with a full refund with no timeline, in question, and no requirement to rebook. If that means that cruise lines have to abandon this market, so be it.

 

I am very relieved to learn that some of the posters on this board have insurance that covers them for civil unrest.

[cruzerca]

This is a board for exchanging views. The fact that I am not booked on these itineraries does not prevent me from sympathizing with some of the passengers or expressing my views. My criticism of Uniworld regarding their initial slow response, as well as their reluctance to recognize that travel will not be safe in the region for quite some time still stands. If your attachment to this company leads you to feel offended by my analysis of the situation to the point where you regard it as inappropriate and a form of bashing, I suggest you either buck up or don't read the thread.

 

I hope this thread (nor my comments) is not perceived as a "bashing" on Uniworld. If you read this thread carefully - the point is - Uniworld did make some delayed and frankly unethical decisions last Thursday and Friday - however with pressure from customers and supporting travel agents - changed their minds and made the right decision.

 

My biggest point of concern that was on Friday 3pm EST - Uniworld was saying - everything is fine - all tours operating normally - when airlines had canceled flights, the US state dept issued travel alert and on the news there were reports of tourists confined to Cairo hotels and vandalism at the Egyptian museum. To meet the Jan 29 Uniworld trip - you would have had to leave Thurs or Fri - and the message from Uniworld was - everything's normal.

 

This is very concerning - who would tell their guests to attempt to make a trip?

 

Have you seen the news reports yesterday and today? Tourists hold up at Cairo airport. Can you imagine if you actually made it there only to be stuck and trying to get out?

 

I understand that Thurs and Friday things developed rapidly - and Uniworld said it was relying on it's subcontractors advice on the ground in Egypt. But Friday's facts were clear - and Uniworld only made their decision Saturday morning to cancel trips - in my opinion a little slow - and very concerning.

 

Again, this is not bashing Uniworld - they finally did the right thing. But I feel it's a lesson learned for them.

 

And also a lesson learned for customers of any tour/cruise operator - don't rely on any companies advice when it comes to your own personal safety. Investigate yourself and make you own decision.

 

Normally a cruise/tour company would never take risks such as this - however in this case - something didn't quite happen in an expeditious way to ensure guest safety.

 

That is the point of my comments in this thread.

[GraNanny]

It is an unfortunate situation for everyone, especially those who are booked in the next few weeks.

 

But in comparison, only Avalon took action before Uniworld and so far, Avalon has only announced cancellation of their 1/29 and 2/1 sailings. Although I would hope they have since modified that. According to the latest CC update this morning:

 

Cosmos Tourama: Cosmos Tourama says on its Web site that those booked on its January 31, 2011, departure should contact the line's call center to discuss options, but it has not yet canceled any sailings outright. The line also is not offering its usual excursions to Cairo from Luxor and Aswan, instead keeping passengers in Upper Egypt, where there's less trouble.

 

Grand Circle Cruises: The latest cancellations come from Grand Circle Cruises, which has scrapped all sailings bound for Egypt through February 5, 2011. The announcement was seen on the line's Facebook page. We're currently awaiting word on what will be offered to passengers booked on those sailings.

 

Avalon Waterways: Line spokesperson Melanie Gravdal tells us that Avalon Waterways has announced the cancellation of its January 29 and February 1 sailings that include Egypt. Passengers booked on those sailings have the option of rebooking on an alternative sailing or receiving a full refund.

 

Uniworld: On the Cruise Critic message boards, Uniworld has announced that it is canceling Egypt cruises through February 12, 2011, and passengers may choose to rebook or opt for a full refund. Those booked on sailings between February 15 and 28, 2011, may choose to rebook on alternative sailings later in the year. But, because those sailings have not yet been canceled, refunds are not being offered at this time.

 

Thomson Cruises: Thomson Holidays has already canceled excursions to Cairo for its land-based holidaymakers. Thomson Cruises' Thomson Celebration is due to call in Port Sokhna (which is three hours from Cairo) on Sunday night/Monday morning. The cruise line tells us it has yet to make a decision on shore tours to Cairo and is monitoring the situation.

 

Discover Egypt: Although the line told us on Friday that it was monitoring the situation, we have still received no word on the status of its sailings. Stay tuned.

[Encinitas_Traveler]

It was only a few days ago that the situation in Egypt got this ugly. There is still a likeliehood that it will get settled within a few days, weeks, or months.

 

Uniworld and the entire tour/travel industry are not just a business, but they are a service business. Minor adjustments are part of travel, that's why I bought travel insurance for my vacation. Major problems are not unheard of, and they are usually handled well by the industry.

 

Uniworld depends on the reputation they have built for providing a unique and quality service. This week's dislocation in Egypt is not their fault, but I am watching to see how they use this situation to build their reputation. I really expect them to take excellent care of their customers still in Egypt and also to take care of those of us for whom they have contracted to provide future service.

 

I still expect to receive the benefits described in the brochure, that is, travel, food, sights, services, and lodging that I have contracted for. If, through no fault of my own, this vacation falls apart, I would expect my Travel Agent and Uniworld to act appropriately to keep and improve their good reputations.

 

Is this not reasonable?

[Windy56]

It was only a few days ago that the situation in Egypt got this ugly. There is still a likeliehood that it will get settled within a few days, weeks, or months.

 

Uniworld and the entire tour/travel industry are not just a business, but they are a service business. Minor adjustments are part of travel, that's why I bought travel insurance for my vacation. Major problems are not unheard of, and they are usually handled well by the industry.

 

Uniworld depends on the reputation they have built for providing a unique and quality service. This week's dislocation in Egypt is not their fault, but I am watching to see how they use this situation to build their reputation. I really expect them to take excellent care of their customers still in Egypt and also to take care of those of us for whom they have contracted to provide future service.

 

I still expect to receive the benefits described in the brochure, that is, travel, food, sights, services, and lodging that I have contracted for. If, through no fault of my own, this vacation falls apart, I would expect my Travel Agent and Uniworld to act appropriately to keep and improve their good reputations.

 

Is this not reasonable?

 

At times like this we are happy about the travel insurance we bought and rarely got a chance in the past to cash in, aren't we? I'm sorry that your trip and so many other trips have been impacted by this turn of events and mostly I am sorry for the people of Egypt. I'm not sure I have made that clear enough in my previous postings.

 

I am curious, though. You have written that you expect your "Travel Agent and Uniworld to act appropriately to keep and improve their good reputations." Given your specific situation, what exactly would you expect from them that you would consider reasonable? My next question is, for those tours scheduled after February 12, what actions on the part of Uniworld, would you consider reasonable?

 

I am left to wonder about this scenario: a passenger decides to cancel his mid February Nile cruise and scrambles in the next few months to reach the booking deadline and arrange for an alternate cruise, then finds out that the original Uniworld Egyptian cruise was cancelled after his rebooking. Would this person get their money back or would it be an example of "you gambled, you lost"? Would they still be obliged to take another cruise in place of the one to Egypt that they originally cancelled because they cancelled before it was officially scrapped? We ran into that problem at Christmas when we were flying to Paris during the really bad day of storms. We could see that the plane from Paris to Toronto was very late but the airline posted it arriving in Toronto on time. We wanted to be proactive and rebook for a later connecting flight but would have had to pay a rebooking fee to do so. We held out and experienced some pretty anxious hours of nailbiting, the ariline eventually came clean in their information, admitting that the plane would not be taking off for some time and we were able to rebook, sans extra fee. It's the waiting for the official cancellations that come too late and cause undue stress that is an irritant to me as a customer. Our travel plans including catching a connecting flight to Switzerland turned out fine but only because we were on top of our game and could see the discrepancies between what the airline was posting and what we knew to be true.The ones that are quickest to cancel and communicate clear directives are the ones that get my vote for continued business.

[lalasea]

Thanks GraNanny for that breakdown. I guess my question is why are a few of you so fixated on Uniworld when other companies have handled the situation the same or worse?

[elena7seas]

LATEST UNIWORLD UPDATE:

 

Uniworld is continuing to monitor the situation in Egypt and we are in contact with our ground handlers in Egypt.

 

At this time Uniworld is cancelling upcoming tours due to arrive in Egypt up to and including February 12, 2011, and customers may choose alternative tours or a full refund.

 

We will continually assess the forward situation and make announcements as appropriate. Clients who remain in Egypt are of course being looked after by our representatives and continuing with their itineraries as appropriate to the situation. Guest choosing to return home are also being accommodated according to flight availability.

 

Clients who plan to travel on our Egypt tours from February 13 through February 28, 2011 have the option to cancel and rebook any 2011 Uniworld program. The full value of the canceled booking will be applied toward the new booking. Guests must re-book by March 31, 2011.

 

As always, the comfort and safety of our clients is our number one priority and we will update this message as new information becomes available.

 

Should and if the situation does change we will notify all appropriate parties.

 

Please contact your Travel Professional or Uniworld at 1-800-733-7820 if you have further questions.

 

Thank you very much, Uniworld, for taking the time to post on Cruise Critic. As it is almost impossible to be in touch with current Uniworld travellers in Egypt, your posts here are highly valued.

 

We have dear friends who are on the current Uniworld Egypt cruise on the River Tosca, and their families have not been able to be in touch with them since this past Friday (Jan. 28).

 

Contact with Uniworld Los Angeles through the 1-800 number posted above has not resulted in any details re: the situation on the ground in Cairo.

 

Can you tell us what the odds are that your Uniworld clients will be able to fly out using Egyptair (Cairo to Heathrow) as scheduled (February 1st)? Where current customers have opted to leave Egypt, have you been able to find flights for them, as alluded to in your post above?

 

Can you please let us know what your people on the ground in Cairo are currently able to tell you about the last few days of the January 21st cruise/tour and upcoming scheduled departures?

 

Your help would be most appreciated.

[Encinitas_Traveler]

Hi Windy56,

 

At this point, Uniworld hasn't informed me of any problems on my particular tour/cruise, so I have to assume that it's still on. If they think there could be a problem on my tour, which is scheduled after February 12, a timely leter from their chief would be an appropriate starting point. I understand that it's only been a few days and their first priority is the travelers still stranded in Egypt who have not received the kind of vacation they were charged for, and the people who won't be able to travel because of the U.S. State Department warning against nonessential travel.

 

I do have to indicate that the value to me of this particular booking exceeds the amount of dollars that I paid, and I have spent additional on other aspects of the vacation. This trip at this time was to be very special to us and the other couple scheduled to meet us there. So the offers that Uniworld has posted on this board so far aren't attractive, they do not even seem serious.

 

However, there are other sites on our Bucket List (and the other couple's), and if there is enough notice, we may be able to work out a contingency "Plan B" on a lesser vacation this year. I am working with my Travel Agent on this. I don't know if we will be able enough to do Egypt next season, if Egypt still exists then, but I hope so.

 

I can't comment much on your what/if scenario. I had a similar problem with a connection in Houstin and spent a night there instead of in Costa Rica, and I'll never fly on that airline again. If you post the name of the airline that did you badly, I will make a note to avoid using them.

 

BTW, the ones that are quickest to cancel and communicate clear directives are the ones that get my vote too!

[doreen22]

Thanks GraNanny for that breakdown. I guess my question is why are a few of you so fixated on Uniworld when other companies have handled the situation the same or worse?

 

My thoughts exactly, for example here is a quote on another thread about Gate 1's response as of Friday night:

"I talked to an agent at Gate 1 late Friday night. The letter they sent indicated "..

All efforts are being made to obtain refunds of your payments, which are being held by our suppliers, airlines, cruise lines, hotels, etc. Although we can make no promises on their behalf, we trust that they will act responsibly and refund your money. Gate 1 Travel will not impose any fees.

 

We will also assist those passengers who wish to rebook travel to another destination or who wish to reschedule their tour. Please contact our reservation agents at 800-682-3333 if you would like assistance with another Gate 1 Travel destination...It may take up to several weeks for us to finalize agreements with our suppliers and process refunds."

 

The Gate 1 agent was very sympathetic but non-commital. We had purchased travel insurance but "civic unrest" is not listed as a condition for refund. Not sure what to expect."

 

Imho, Uniworld's response has been superior to a number of other companies.

[cormike1]

My thoughts exactly, for example here is a quote on another thread about Gate 1's response as of Friday night:

"I talked to an agent at Gate 1 late Friday night. The letter they sent indicated "..

All efforts are being made to obtain refunds of your payments, which are being held by our suppliers, airlines, cruise lines, hotels, etc. Although we can make no promises on their behalf, we trust that they will act responsibly and refund your money. Gate 1 Travel will not impose any fees.

 

We will also assist those passengers who wish to rebook travel to another destination or who wish to reschedule their tour. Please contact our reservation agents at 800-682-3333 if you would like assistance with another Gate 1 Travel destination...It may take up to several weeks for us to finalize agreements with our suppliers and process refunds."

 

The Gate 1 agent was very sympathetic but non-commital. We had purchased travel insurance but "civic unrest" is not listed as a condition for refund. Not sure what to expect."

 

Imho, Uniworld's response has been superior to a number of other companies.

 

We have cancelled our trip scheduled for Feb. 21st. I am so sad...it is my dream trip so I guess I just have to keep dreaming until a later date. Even though our insurance was taken out with a separate company than our tour was with, our TA is going to see if she can get our money back from the tour company...she said it is alot easier and quicker. She is trying to reach the company spokesperson in Egypt to see if they have cancelled their tours. Our insurance did specifically state full refund if the gov't says no travelling due to uprisings, etc.

 

Doreen22 - did you check to see whether your insurance policy says that you can get a refund if the Canadian Government Website (travel.gc.ca) posts a "travel warning non to travel to that specific country" I thought I had read or heard that when they posted that warning then you could get a full refund.

 

I hope we will be able to travel later in the fall or next year. I feel bad for the Egyptian people as they depend alot on tourism $$$'s and that area will not be helping them earn any money for quite awhile by the sounds of it.