Cruise Booking Nightmare and advice

[Chanman76]

Hi Everyone :)

 

Here is my(long) story of our dream honeymoon booking and wondering what we should do.

 

It was a cold Christmas eve and my wife to be and I were out doing some last minute shopping. Wandering past or local travel agent we noticed it was quite so we decided to take a break from the maddening crowds and go and and price our honeymoon.

 

Seeing as we got engaged on a cruise earlier in the year we had decided to price a 2 week Caribbean cruise with the same cruise line we traveled on earlier that year (as we loved it). We informed the local travel agent of the month we would live to travel and the cruise line in question. He got to work and after a few moments came back with a cruise which ticked all our wishes....now for the prices.....

 

He called up the cruise line and passed over our travel dates and cabin requests (We got the cabin we really wanted at the aft, happy days) and came back with a price after taking off the early booking discounts etc. It was a bit more cash than we wanted to spend but seeing as it was our honeymoon we decided to book it and look forward to our 2 week cruise. We paid the deposit and a number of days later received the booking confirmation with the full itinerary and Cruise booking reference from the travel agent.

 

Now over this time our house got sold and we needed to move so image 2.5 months of house hunting/buying, packing boxes, sorting out banks, solicitors and then the unpacking into our new home. As you can expect the honeymoon took a back seat over this time.

 

So here is the issue......

 

A week last Wednesday we decided to look at the shore excursions available on our cruise as we got notification the 2017 ones were now online. My Fiancee rushed away and got the booking details out and we signed onto the cruise line website. This was when we noticed on the cruise line website we were listed as a being on a 7 day cruise (Not the 14 we asked for). So that Saturday we popped into our travel agent to enquirer about the booking.

 

He went to his computer and brought up our travel documents they had stored and confirmed the booking was for a 14 day so called up the cruise line. After a lengthy talk he then discovers the cruise line had only a booking for 7 days and that if we wanted the 14 nights we would have to pay more than DOUBLE what was originally quoted. Our tour operator was far from happy at this as he made the booking himself (while we waited) and can verify that he did indeed ask for 14 days and at no point asked for a 7 day cruise. All paperwork which we have received from the tour operator is for a 14 day cruise and deposit has been paid for the 14 days as well.

 

Our tour operator has been trying to get the cruise line to honor the original booking for 14 days however the cruise line has said that the recording of the booking call is lost, and cant be reviewed so in light of this have said if we want to cruise it would be at the much higher price.

 

Now the tour operator who is hitting a brick wall trying to get this mess sorted - Tour operator is blaming cruise line and cruise line is blaming tour operator and neither are budging while we are stuck waiting patiently (but now getting frustrated) for an answer. Last update is the tour manager is speaking to his manager at head office for help/advice.

 

All our paper work which we have and tour operator have is for 14 days as well as the prices we have agreed to pay. In the mean time I am dealing with a very upset bride to be who is now in tears anytime someone asks how the wedding planning is going due to this, as well as trying to sort out this booking issue.

 

So here are the facts :

 

1. All documents we have from tour company is for a 14 day cruise. Lists dates, full travel schedule and cabin number

2. Tour Company agree that they asked for for 14 days (we were their with them and can honestly say we did not hear anything from their side which puts in doubt the booking days requested...or we would have mentioned it there and then)

3. Deposit has been paid for 14 days

4. Cruise company claim it was only ever for 7 days the price they quoted (At no point were we EVER interested in a 7 day cruise for our honeymoon)

5. Lost recording to prove our side of the story (convenient for cruise line??)

 

Just wondering if :

 

1. We stick it out and keep arguing due to supporting documents from Travel company and get someone to honor it. This was a good price for a 14 day cruise (not brilliantly cheap nor obviously wrongly priced, even travel agent didn't think it was badly priced for 14 days.....however for 7 days at the prices quoted it is one of the most expensive cruises he has seen in 17 years of working)

 

2. Demand a refund, loose the dream honeymoon cruise and book else where.

 

I kind of suspect we are going to loose out on this cruise and just wondering if it is worth fighting over, just hate seeing my fiancee so upset over this as we both thought the honeymoon was all sorted (and the perfect one for us)

 

Sorry for rambling on.

 

So what would you do in this situation?

[paul929207]

That is awful.

 

What does the TA say? Will they back you up with the cruise line? What are they offering?

 

I think I would cancel if you can get a full refund. I think some rules are different in the UK from the US.

 

You an find other wonderful cruises on other lines.

[Hlitner]

Geez, what a mess! I am thinking about this from a US perspective (our countries have different consumer protection laws). If you have no documentation from the cruise line then we suspect you are out of luck unless your tour company takes pity and pays the extra money (unlikely). In our country, what was said (or not said) over the phone is really useless unless it was followed-up with documentation from the cruise line. The sad reality is that honest mistakes do happen and they can certainly be painful. And by the way, a good piece of advice is that whenever you book a cruise through a 3rd party (tour company, cruise agency, travel agency, etc) ask for the cruise line's "Booking Number" and then log into the cruise line's own web site and check that your reservation is correct.

 

In your situation we might quickly look around for other options (before we cancel) and then make a decision once you have explored those options and examined your budget.

 

Hank

[Chanman76]

Geez, what a mess! I am thinking about this from a US perspective (our countries have different consumer protection laws). If you have no documentation from the cruise line then we suspect you are out of luck unless your tour company takes pity and pays the extra money (unlikely). In our country, what was said (or not said) over the phone is really useless unless it was followed-up with documentation from the cruise line. The sad reality is that honest mistakes do happen and they can certainly be painful. And by the way, a good piece of advice is that whenever you book a cruise through a 3rd party (tour company, cruise agency, travel agency, etc) ask for the cruise line's "Booking Number" and then log into the cruise line's own web site and check that your reservation is correct.

 

In your situation we might quickly look around for other options (before we cancel) and then make a decision once you have explored those options and examined your budget.

 

Hank

 

Thanks Hlitner, I am already looking for other deals and can get cheaper cruises with other larger companies....if it came it it. However this cruise was the one she had set her heart on. Just hate seeing my fiancee so upset over this. Right now someone (TA or Cruiseline) has made a royal mistake and its going to be us which is left footing the bill for it (I dont think so).

If we had no documents from the TA I would put it down to experience but all paper work we have is for 14 days and by the power of greyskull I will move heaven and earth just to get this sorted and have a happy woman in my life again. :)

[cherylandtk]

You did not say how much time you have between now and your honeymoon, but my advice (and admittedly this is from a US perspective) is to let your Travel Agent and his company sort it out for you. It sounds as if they are at least bumping it up to a higher level and you do have paperwork from the agent showing a price for a certain 14 day booking. Over here, agents have insurance policies for this sort of error; no idea if this applies in the UK or where the actual error occurred, but it was not between you and the agent; it was between the agent and the cruise booking system.

 

You may end up without the cruise, but I do suspect a full refund of your deposit (which is not usual in the UK) could be easily negotiated. But that is worst case...give it a week or so to be sorted between the two and wait for them to come back to you with a resolution. But do check with your agent daily for 'progress'.

 

Eta-you cannot mention anything that would identify the agent, but you can mention the cruise details; it may be that another UK poster can give you an idea of a true value fair cost of your 14 day desired cruise.

Edited May 17, 2016 by cherylandtk

[jmf123]

1. All documents we have from tour company is for a 14 day cruise. Lists dates, full travel schedule and cabin number

 

Hi Chanman76, I'm sorry to read about the issue with your honeymoon cruise. I imagine that all the documents you have from the tour company don't include an official Booking Confirmation statement- provided from the cruiseline. At least in the US, that confirmation is provided to the travel agent, along with a Passenger Copy that you would have received. It contains your booking number, passenger names, date of booking, travel dates, cabin category/stateroom number, detailed charges, deposit, etc. (Btw, with that coveted aft cabin, you may want to have your booking noted 'do not upgrade').

 

And whether or not you received the cruiseline's Passenger Copy from your TA, the agent will have received a booking confirmation from the cruiseline, along with documentation of your deposit. That deposit amount should also provide a clue, as it is likely for a larger amount than just a one week cruise?

 

Definitely have this escalated beyond a cruiseline rep, cruiselines have Resolution Departments to contact, etc. At least you aren't sailing until next year and can have this sorted out one way or the other. In the meantime, you can check for other dream cruise ship/itinerary options. Wishing you all the best! :)

[Flatbush Flyer]

Geez, what a mess! I am thinking about this from a US perspective (our countries have different consumer protection laws). If you have no documentation from the cruise line then we suspect you are out of luck unless your tour company takes pity and pays the extra money (unlikely). In our country, what was said (or not said) over the phone is really useless unless it was followed-up with documentation from the cruise line. The sad reality is that honest mistakes do happen and they can certainly be painful. And by the way, a good piece of advice is that whenever you book a cruise through a 3rd party (tour company, cruise agency, travel agency, etc) ask for the cruise line's "Booking Number" and then log into the cruise line's own web site and check that your reservation is correct.

 

In your situation we might quickly look around for other options (before we cancel) and then make a decision once you have explored those options and examined your budget.

 

Hank

 

 

Plus 1.

If you're in the US and any dollars lost do not exceed the court's allowable amount, give the TA a single phone call (followed up with a certified letter and e-mail) requesting full restitution. If you don't get what you reasonably want, at least follow through with the paperwork service for a "small claim." Many businesses don't have the time to go to court and will cave. And remember that you essentially "hired" the TA so that you wouldn't have to deal with the problem. At the bottom line, it's the TA's issue to fix.

 

The only downside to the "small claims court" direction is that you are back to square one on your planning. But, at least you'll know to avoid that TA in the future.

 

For the future, ALWAYS do the research to identify a top producer TA for the cruise line(s) in which you are interested.

If a FUBAR happens s/he should be able to rectify it with a quick call.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Flatbush Flyer

[alexspepa]

So sorry to hear your problems...I would let the TA hash it out a bit longer.

 

Please come back and let us know how things are progressing.

[Hlitner]

In the US, assuming one books with a major credit card, you can have your money back by simply disputing the charge. At least one card, American Express, will usually put the disputed amount back into your account the same day....and then work to sort out the matter over the next few months. Not sure how this is handled in the UK or other EU countries.

 

But we wish the OP the very best of luck in getting it all sorted out and hope they can start out their married life taking the honeymoon of their dreams :)

 

Hank

[Jimnbigd]

It might not be possible to get the 14 cruise because all of the cabins might be booked for the additional 7 days. It seems to me your complaint is with the travel agent. I think the TA needs to eat some of the cost, perhaps at least refunding half of the cruise price back to you since it is only 7 days. The TA should have verified that the cruise documentation was correct. That is his/her job. I know 7 days is not the same as 14 days, but at least you get to take part of your dream cruise.

 

Question: Who did you pay your money (deposit) to? If to the TA, then your complaint is most certainly with this TA. You might have a civil action, especially since he/she sent documentation that the cruise was for 14 days.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Jimnbigd

[6rugrats]

Agree with those who state this appears to be the fault of your TA, and really has nothing to do with the cruise line. Think you will need to escalate this with them, but suspect there is some sort of fine print that will absolve them of any sort of liability for mistake bookings.

 

I am sure your TA received some sort of confirmation from the cruise line. It would make me very suspicious if they were not showing you this confirmation. When I use a TA, they immediately forward me all the booking details, and it comes straight from the cruise line.

[jmf123]

I am sure your TA received some sort of confirmation from the cruise line. It would make me very suspicious if they were not showing you this confirmation. When I use a TA, they immediately forward me all the booking details, and it comes straight from the cruise line.

 

Absolutely, this is the proof I stated in my post- the Passenger Copy of the booking confirmation that is provided by the cruiseline. The OP said he "received the booking confirmation with full itinerary and Cruise booking reference from the travel agent." He should have received his copy of the cruiseline's confirmation, not just the TA's statement. More details about what he received would help (me) understand the issue.

[cheeseclan]

I had a friend who had problems and contacted Christopher Elliott who is an ombudsman. Go to forum dot elliott dot org and see if they can help you.

 

Sorry to hear about this and hope it all works out for you:)

[Rosy1013]

Wow, this is a terrible situation! I have nothing to add that others haven't already said, but I hope you let us know how it turns out!

[John Bull]

A very sorry story.

But I agree with the others that it's your T/A's problem, not yours.

 

Refunds don't come into it.

Nor does accepting anything less than was agreed in the T/A's office.

Nor does paying extra.

You offered to buy the 14-day cruise at the agreed cost, they accepted your offer & took your deposit. So you have a contract with the T/A, evidenced in writing, to provide you with the 14-day cruise and they have a 14-day cruise on their system This clearly wasn't just a typo on the booking confirmation, which would otherwise be the most likely defence. (btw, what are the chances of them giving you a print-off from their system?).

 

Terms & conditions on a contract can't be used to wiggle out of legal obligations. Many are there only to dissuade folk from disputing - don't be dissuaded.

Ditto passing the buck to the supplier. Or claiming that Tanganyikan law prevails because head office is in Tanganyika.

 

You recall the T/A telling the cruise line that it was a 14-day cruise & you seem to have sympathy with them.

But that's between them - your contract was with the T/A.

It's not personal - by all means show sympathy, by all means confirm that you recall that the conversation between T/A and cruise line was all about a 14-day cruise. But whether the fault lies with the cruise line or the T/A or both is a matter between them - your contract was with the T/A.

 

But you really need the services of a professional, not barrack-room lawyers like us ;)

 

1. Certainly don't agree to anything less than you were expecting until you know your rights.

 

2. Contact Citizens Advice Bureau. They may send you to a solicitor on their lists for a half-hour consultation - this will be free or at a nominal cost.

If you have difficulty talking to anyone at CAB (they're usually over-burdened) you might want to approach a solicitor or two direct, to ask if they provide a fixed-fee introductory consultation. I'm not talking ambulance-chasing types who advertise on late-nite TV & will want to sign you up, I'm talking high street solicitors.

 

3. Most T/As are members of ABTA (Assoc of British Travel Agents). Is your T/A a member? The ABTA logo will be on their documents.

ABTA have a complaints procedure and an arbitration service- and unlike some shady trade associations they're there to regulate their members, not to protect them. Perhaps an approach to them now - or mebbe tell the T/A that although you sympathise with them and hope that the cruise line can come to some accommodation with them, a complaint to ABTA is one of a number of courses you can take if they don't bite the bullet and provide what was agreed.

 

If you paid by credit card I can't imagine them being drawn into the dispute because no-one's disputing what you paid. But the law does come up with some pretty strange decisions ;)

 

BTW, I can't see any cabin category being sold-out for 2017, but if yours is then you should be offered the equivalent or better at no extra cost.

 

I think you have a very strong case - don't get fobbed-off without professional advice.

 

Needless to say, keep all correspondence, make notes now about what has happened in the past & make notes immediately of further phone conversations etc - and follow them up with confirmation e-mails. (I don't trust computers - anything like this I'd send a blind copy to a friend in case my computer goes senile & loses its memory. Or I go senile & lose my computer :D)

 

Good luck

 

JB :)

Edited May 17, 2016 by John Bull

[Cruisin' Chick]

Agree with those who state this appears to be the fault of your TA, and really has nothing to do with the cruise line. Think you will need to escalate this with them, but suspect there is some sort of fine print that will absolve them of any sort of liability for mistake bookings.

 

I am sure your TA received some sort of confirmation from the cruise line. It would make me very suspicious if they were not showing you this confirmation. When I use a TA, they immediately forward me all the booking details, and it comes straight from the cruise line.

 

I was wondering about this too. You would think that the booking agent would have some paperwork that was issued from the cruiseline...and that would have the exact dates of the cruise (including the ending date). If the agent got the paperwork and didn't check it carefully, it should be on the agency. If the agent did get the proper paperwork but somehow now the cruise line is saying something different, then the agent should be insisting the cruise line get you the 14 days (even if they have to offer a move over offer to somebody). I'm guessing it's the former situation and not the latter.

[SadieN]

Hi Everyone :)

 

 

 

Here is my(long) story of our dream honeymoon booking and wondering what we should do.

 

 

 

It was a cold Christmas eve and my wife to be and I were out doing some last minute shopping. Wandering past or local travel agent we noticed it was quite so we decided to take a break from the maddening crowds and go and and price our honeymoon.

 

 

 

Seeing as we got engaged on a cruise earlier in the year we had decided to price a 2 week Caribbean cruise with the same cruise line we traveled on earlier that year (as we loved it). We informed the local travel agent of the month we would live to travel and the cruise line in question. He got to work and after a few moments came back with a cruise which ticked all our wishes....now for the prices.....

 

 

 

He called up the cruise line and passed over our travel dates and cabin requests (We got the cabin we really wanted at the aft, happy days) and came back with a price after taking off the early booking discounts etc. It was a bit more cash than we wanted to spend but seeing as it was our honeymoon we decided to book it and look forward to our 2 week cruise. We paid the deposit and a number of days later received the booking confirmation with the full itinerary and Cruise booking reference from the travel agent.

 

 

 

Now over this time our house got sold and we needed to move so image 2.5 months of house hunting/buying, packing boxes, sorting out banks, solicitors and then the unpacking into our new home. As you can expect the honeymoon took a back seat over this time.

 

 

 

So here is the issue......

 

 

 

A week last Wednesday we decided to look at the shore excursions available on our cruise as we got notification the 2017 ones were now online. My Fiancee rushed away and got the booking details out and we signed onto the cruise line website. This was when we noticed on the cruise line website we were listed as a being on a 7 day cruise (Not the 14 we asked for). So that Saturday we popped into our travel agent to enquirer about the booking.

 

 

 

He went to his computer and brought up our travel documents they had stored and confirmed the booking was for a 14 day so called up the cruise line. After a lengthy talk he then discovers the cruise line had only a booking for 7 days and that if we wanted the 14 nights we would have to pay more than DOUBLE what was originally quoted. Our tour operator was far from happy at this as he made the booking himself (while we waited) and can verify that he did indeed ask for 14 days and at no point asked for a 7 day cruise. All paperwork which we have received from the tour operator is for a 14 day cruise and deposit has been paid for the 14 days as well.

 

 

 

Our tour operator has been trying to get the cruise line to honor the original booking for 14 days however the cruise line has said that the recording of the booking call is lost, and cant be reviewed so in light of this have said if we want to cruise it would be at the much higher price.

 

 

 

Now the tour operator who is hitting a brick wall trying to get this mess sorted - Tour operator is blaming cruise line and cruise line is blaming tour operator and neither are budging while we are stuck waiting patiently (but now getting frustrated) for an answer. Last update is the tour manager is speaking to his manager at head office for help/advice.

 

 

 

All our paper work which we have and tour operator have is for 14 days as well as the prices we have agreed to pay. In the mean time I am dealing with a very upset bride to be who is now in tears anytime someone asks how the wedding planning is going due to this, as well as trying to sort out this booking issue.

 

 

 

So here are the facts :

 

 

 

1. All documents we have from tour company is for a 14 day cruise. Lists dates, full travel schedule and cabin number

 

2. Tour Company agree that they asked for for 14 days (we were their with them and can honestly say we did not hear anything from their side which puts in doubt the booking days requested...or we would have mentioned it there and then)

 

3. Deposit has been paid for 14 days

 

4. Cruise company claim it was only ever for 7 days the price they quoted (At no point were we EVER interested in a 7 day cruise for our honeymoon)

 

5. Lost recording to prove our side of the story (convenient for cruise line??)

 

 

 

Just wondering if :

 

 

 

1. We stick it out and keep arguing due to supporting documents from Travel company and get someone to honor it. This was a good price for a 14 day cruise (not brilliantly cheap nor obviously wrongly priced, even travel agent didn't think it was badly priced for 14 days.....however for 7 days at the prices quoted it is one of the most expensive cruises he has seen in 17 years of working)

 

 

 

2. Demand a refund, loose the dream honeymoon cruise and book else where.

 

 

 

I kind of suspect we are going to loose out on this cruise and just wondering if it is worth fighting over, just hate seeing my fiancee so upset over this as we both thought the honeymoon was all sorted (and the perfect one for us)

 

 

 

Sorry for rambling on.

 

 

 

So what would you do in this situation?

 

 

I'm confused....

 

There seems to be three entities the OP is dealing with. A Tour Company, a Cruise company (cruise line), and a tour operator.

Could this be some sort of package or bundle? The OP only booked one part of the package? Or is it a case of a different English being written?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[pris993]

Hi Everyone :)

 

Here is my(long) story of our dream honeymoon booking and wondering what we should do.

 

It was a cold Christmas eve and my wife to be and I were out doing some last minute shopping. Wandering past or local travel agent we noticed it was quite so we decided to take a break from the maddening crowds and go and and price our honeymoon.

 

Seeing as we got engaged on a cruise earlier in the year we had decided to price a 2 week Caribbean cruise with the same cruise line we traveled on earlier that year (as we loved it). We informed the local travel agent of the month we would live to travel and the cruise line in question. He got to work and after a few moments came back with a cruise which ticked all our wishes....now for the prices.....

 

He called up the cruise line and passed over our travel dates and cabin requests (We got the cabin we really wanted at the aft, happy days) and came back with a price after taking off the early booking discounts etc. It was a bit more cash than we wanted to spend but seeing as it was our honeymoon we decided to book it and look forward to our 2 week cruise. We paid the deposit and a number of days later received the booking confirmation with the full itinerary and Cruise booking reference from the travel agent.

 

Now over this time our house got sold and we needed to move so image 2.5 months of house hunting/buying, packing boxes, sorting out banks, solicitors and then the unpacking into our new home. As you can expect the honeymoon took a back seat over this time.

 

So here is the issue......

 

A week last Wednesday we decided to look at the shore excursions available on our cruise as we got notification the 2017 ones were now online. My Fiancee rushed away and got the booking details out and we signed onto the cruise line website. This was when we noticed on the cruise line website we were listed as a being on a 7 day cruise (Not the 14 we asked for). So that Saturday we popped into our travel agent to enquirer about the booking.

 

He went to his computer and brought up our travel documents they had stored and confirmed the booking was for a 14 day so called up the cruise line. After a lengthy talk he then discovers the cruise line had only a booking for 7 days and that if we wanted the 14 nights we would have to pay more than DOUBLE what was originally quoted. Our tour operator was far from happy at this as he made the booking himself (while we waited) and can verify that he did indeed ask for 14 days and at no point asked for a 7 day cruise. All paperwork which we have received from the tour operator is for a 14 day cruise and deposit has been paid for the 14 days as well.

 

Our tour operator has been trying to get the cruise line to honor the original booking for 14 days however the cruise line has said that the recording of the booking call is lost, and cant be reviewed so in light of this have said if we want to cruise it would be at the much higher price.

 

Now the tour operator who is hitting a brick wall trying to get this mess sorted - Tour operator is blaming cruise line and cruise line is blaming tour operator and neither are budging while we are stuck waiting patiently (but now getting frustrated) for an answer. Last update is the tour manager is speaking to his manager at head office for help/advice.

 

All our paper work which we have and tour operator have is for 14 days as well as the prices we have agreed to pay. In the mean time I am dealing with a very upset bride to be who is now in tears anytime someone asks how the wedding planning is going due to this, as well as trying to sort out this booking issue.

 

So here are the facts :

 

1. All documents we have from tour company is for a 14 day cruise. Lists dates, full travel schedule and cabin number

2. Tour Company agree that they asked for for 14 days (we were their with them and can honestly say we did not hear anything from their side which puts in doubt the booking days requested...or we would have mentioned it there and then)

3. Deposit has been paid for 14 days

4. Cruise company claim it was only ever for 7 days the price they quoted (At no point were we EVER interested in a 7 day cruise for our honeymoon)

5. Lost recording to prove our side of the story (convenient for cruise line??)

 

Just wondering if :

 

1. We stick it out and keep arguing due to supporting documents from Travel company and get someone to honor it. This was a good price for a 14 day cruise (not brilliantly cheap nor obviously wrongly priced, even travel agent didn't think it was badly priced for 14 days.....however for 7 days at the prices quoted it is one of the most expensive cruises he has seen in 17 years of working)

 

2. Demand a refund, loose the dream honeymoon cruise and book else where.

 

I kind of suspect we are going to loose out on this cruise and just wondering if it is worth fighting over, just hate seeing my fiancee so upset over this as we both thought the honeymoon was all sorted (and the perfect one for us)

 

Sorry for rambling on.

 

So what would you do in this situation?

 

I wish I could give you some good advice. Do you have any consumer protection agencies where you live or "press" TV shows that advertise and trying to help folks out when they are getting the run around? If you do I would contact them solicit their help in resolving the situation to your satisfaction.

 

I hope it all gets resolved... your marriage should be a piece cake if you can get through all of this and come out well. I hope years from now you have a fond story to tell.

 

 

All best to you.

[Chanman76]

I'm confused....

 

There seems to be three entities the OP is dealing with. A Tour Company, a Cruise company (cruise line), and a tour operator.

Could this be some sort of package or bundle? The OP only booked one part of the package? Or is it a case of a different English being written?

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

Sorry for the confusion we are dealing with Travel Agent. Who in turn booked with the Cruise Line.

[Chanman76]

Latest Update:

 

After many phone calls chasing up the Travel Agent yesterday...who promised over the weekend to call us back on the 17th it turns out he was on a days holiday so no escalation was carried out from their side (not happy at all). After a few more calls it turns out the Cruise Line is now only holding our dream cabin until Friday :eek:

 

So we are now busy re-arranging out diary's and work commitments to get into the Travel Agent on Friday afternoon for a meeting to sort this out for good or bad as the phone call route is not working too well.

 

The longer this is going on I suspect the Cruise Line is going to simply cancel the booking to avoid the hassle and give the deposit back. However seeing as this is our Honeymoon (and I have a rather upset girl) I really want to fight to either get this sorted and get our dream cruise or at the very least someone to stand up and say yes a mistake has been made and lets see what we can get done to find a option to keep everyone happy.

 

Right now NOBODY has actually said a mistake has been made or who made the booking error, which is the most annoying thing. :(:mad::eek:

[broadbent]

Sorry to hear of your problem, but your message says that you are based in UK, so I assume UK contract law applies.

Mr. John Bull put it right.

So insist that the Contract all parties entered into being honoured.

Good luck

[jmf123]

Right now NOBODY has actually said a mistake has been made or who made the booking error, which is the most annoying thing. :(:mad::eek:

 

I still believe that the booking confirmations hold the key to who is at fault here. If you haven't yet received a copy, I would make sure to request the cruiseline's Passenger Copy of your booking- not just the confirmation created by the travel agency (which could be just a Quickbooks statement, etc.). I'm not in the UK, but I'm sure a TA there receives an email or fax from the cruiseline straight away when a booking is made. This will have an Agency copy and a Passenger copy, outlining ALL the details of the booking.

The other thing is, did you book an actual two week cruise, or a Back-to-Back (b2b) cruise? I believe that booking a b2b works a bit differently when booking it, and could be the reason for just one week being booked in error? Perhaps someone that has booked a b2b can chime in. Personally, there is no way I would allow either a TA or cruiseline's error to ruin my honeymoon cruise (or any other trip planned). Particularly when the error was made in plenty of time to sort out, prior to a cruise taking place in 2017. If you aren't satisfied with the TA's explanation, please escalate with the cruiseline, some seek assistance by emailing the CEO for results. You deserve answers and the dream cruise you thought was booked.

[pkay414]

Maybe I'm missing something but the OP says that he has written proof FROM the cruise line stating that the booking is for a 14-day cruise and that the TA also has written confirmation FROM the cruise line stating that it's a 14-day cruise. So how is it the TA's fault if both the TA and the OP have written confirmation FROM THE CRUISE that it's a 14-day cruise. Sounds like the cruise line messed up somehow, but I don't see how it's the TA's fault. Now, I would have the TA blowing up the cruise line's phone until this got resolved to the OP's satisfaction -- i.e, a 14-day cruise. But I don't see the harshness towards the TA as being justified.

[CapeCodCruiser]

Maybe I missed it but does any of the paperwork with the 14 day cruise come from the cruise line or i all generated by the tour operator?

 

I do not know how it works in the UK but here travel agents have errors & omissions insurance to cover just this thing. If the agent can not produce a confirmation from the cruise company for the 14 days the agents E & O insurance should cover it.

 

If you do have a confirmation from the cruise company for the 14 day cruise then email your problem to the CEO of the cruise company. They all have special customer service people who monitor their email for just this type of thing. They have much more power to fix this stuff than any CSR you will call on the phone.

 

I didn't see which cruise company it is or I would post the email address.

 

Good luck

[TrqoisWtrs]

OP - so sorry this happened to you. What a nightmare.

 

I can understand wanting to get this straightened out, but am wondering if you should just give up on this one? IMO, this cruise already has some really bad vibes attached to it due to this mixup and all the stress and frustration. Maybe you're better off starting your marriage on a new cruise with a clean slate. just my opinion. :)