Don't book Windstar more than 6 months in advance

[MIT72]

:mad:On March 16, 2012 our deposit of $1500 for two people on the Windstar cruise to Costa Rica and Nicaragua departing on January 12, 2013 was charged to our credit card. We were assigned a stateroom and proceeded to book our flights and also a precruise 10 day Caravan Tour as well as an extra hotel room night to bridge the gap between the tour and the cruise.

 

On May 16, 2012 our travel agent told us that Windstar Cruises had decided to cancel our itinerary and substitute the itinerary running through the Panama Canal to Costa Rica, because the other itinerary was more popular. Windstar offered a small amount to adjust the airfare ($200 each) and the chance to book on the replacement cruise. What Windstar offered would not have covered all our expenses if we chose to cancel the entire trip.

 

A couple of weeks after making the deposit with Windstar, we had booked the Caravan tour and flights. Windstar's change left us stuck with the tour and the airline flights. The least expensive thing for us to do was to pay for an extra day in the hotel and rebook on a Star Clippers cruise, because we wanted a Costa Rica-Nicaragua cruise not a Panama Canal cruise. Since we didn't switch to the new Windstar cruise, Windstar did not cover any of the additional expenses and didn't even refund our deposit until I made a second request for the refund.

 

This is the second time that we have booked a "luxury" cruise, made plans and been told that our cruise was no longer available. (The prior time was a 21-day Abercrombie & Kent cruise to The Falklands, South Georgia Island, and Antarctica. That time we could prove that A&K was lying to us about the reason for cancelling the tour and as a result we were able to persuade A&K to rebook us on the same itinerary two weeks earlier with a no-cost upgrade.)

 

It is very disappointing that passengers make non-refundable deposits, but the cruise lines can cancel cruises without providing compensation that covers the other arrangements made based on the good faith understanding that the cruise would take place.

 

The guidance is always to book far ahead, but when we have booked very early we have had problems. We had to pay a second deposit to Star Clippers before getting our money back from Windstar. Our travel agent said that she could not apply the Windstar deposit to the Star Clippers cruise.

 

It was particularly irritating to find that Windstar immediately began advertising deep discount specials on the new itinerary for the same week that we had booked. We had been looking forward to the cruise, but in the future, we are unlikely do anything but snatch up a last minute bargain tour with Windstar. We don't think that Windstar can be relied on follow through with providing the services booked because of this experience with cancellation after holding our deposit for two months.

 

If we had booked at the original time with Star Clippers, we could have gotten a better deal on a similar cruise with fewer extra days required between the tour and the cruise. My advice -- Don't book WindStar cruises more than six months ahead of the sailing date if you care about the itinerary.

 

 

 

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[6rugrats]

Windstar is not liable for any outside arrangements you made for tours with other companies. There would be no reason for them to cover any "extra expenses" you may have incurred. That was your choice and unrelated to Windstar. Was it not possible for you to just cancel everything?

 

It's unfortunately a risk you take; all cruiselines charter ships, change itineraries, etc, and you agree to this with your cruise contract.

 

I have had two cruises in a row cancelled with Windstar; one was chartered and the next cancelled for the refurb. I was disappointed, but feel Windstar handled it well. I never book far in advance, because I have never gotten the best price that way.

[winegirl]

When we book cruises, our cruise deposit is always refundable, and we don't pay for excursions, side trips, hotels in advance. You can also buy airline tickets that are refundable, or trip insurance may cover some costs if your cruise is cancelled for no fault of your own.

 

The airline ticket problem applies no matter what type of travel you are doing. US Air made us eat the cost of our tickets when a work schedule change made our travel impossible. That happened about 20 years ago. We have not flown on US Air since, as a result. You can buy refundable tickets, they will just cost more.

[caviargal]

My recent experience with Windstar was extremely disappointing as well and I cancelled my fall cruise with them. I am not sure I will ever rebook.

 

While Windstar can take the stance that it is not liable for outside arrangements, the fact is that their change is what created the problem, not the changes made by a third party. IMO, that is a different situation.

 

I am unimpressed with the management and policies of Windstar based on my own experience with them.

 

To the OP, I hope you enjoy Star Clippers. I was aboard many years ago and found it to be an enjoyable and unique experience.

 

Winegirl, I see AMA on your list and their deposit is not fully refundable without insurance so puzzled when you state that your deposits are always refundable.

 

Refundable air fare is generally 2-3 times the cost of non-refundable so certainly not a practical choice for most people.

 

We always book and prepay hotels in advance of our trips as we prefer to take advantage of good rates when we find them and also like having our trips paid for before we leave, rather than coming home at the end to a big credit card bill.

 

Different strokes...

[kathy16]

I just booked Windstar and I understood deposit is fully refundable until day before final payment date. Is that incorrect?

I am on the Jan 12 cruise and Panama canal is exactly what we wanted. We did the other Costa Rica cruise with them several years ago and it was fun too. I am worried about charters though on a small cruise ship like this.

Kathy

[6rugrats]

I just booked Windstar and I understood deposit is fully refundable until day before final payment date. Is that incorrect?

No, I believe you will receive a full refund of your deposit if you cancel at least 91 days before your trip.

 

My recent experience with Windstar was extremely disappointing as well and I cancelled my fall cruise with them. I am not sure I will ever rebook.

 

While Windstar can take the stance that it is not liable for outside arrangements, the fact is that their change is what created the problem, not the changes made by a third party. IMO, that is a different situation.

 

I am unimpressed with the management and policies of Windstar based on my own experience with them.

You booked an Italy cruise didn't you? What happened? Did they change the itinerary?