BEWARE Pearl Seas cruise to Cuba

[swells5502]

They DO NOT HAVE APPROVAL to travel to Cuba.. We booked our cruise in Feb/2016 for December 2016. We unfortunately researched after we booked and found that they CANCELLED 6 cruises to Cuba already. They do so only 3 Days prior to departure! Can you imagine what ruined plans were for so many people along with tremendous costs for cancelling airfare, hotels, etc??!! Since we like to PLAN our trips ahead, we decided to cancel. AMAZINGLY they booked us and TOOK OUR DEPOSIT OVER THE PHONE, BUT THEY WOULDN'T CANCEL over phone. We had to write a letter requesting to cancel and we requested our TOTAL DEPOSIT back. ESPECIALLY SINCE THEY COULD NOT GUARANTEE OUR TRIP, DUE TO NO APPROVAL. They only returned $950 of our $1,800 DEPOSIT. I called several times to talk to a supervisor about them refunding the admin fee ( since it is not our fault thy DO NOT HAVE APPEOVAL) and was assured one would call me back. DIDN'T HAPPEN!! I then researched more and FOUND OTHER travelers with the SAME PROBLEM. They are FALSE ADVERISING A PRODUCT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO SELL!! They KEEP much of your DEPOSIT for ADMIN FEES!!! It is a huge scam and I am WARNING YOU NOT TO BOOK WITH PEARL SEAS. They have terrible customer service and they are SCAMMERS.

[ONT-CA]

Although we are not a market target of Pearl Seas cruises to Cuba we are sorry to hear of your experience and have to thank you for warning others of these problems. Your posting prompted me to learn more and I was a little shocked to read that Pearl Seas began taking Cuba bookings at fares that started at $7,810 per person. I find it difficult to understand such a price tag because we have sailed around Cuba many many times aboard the Celestyl Crystal at a fraction of that price and we book the Royal or the Presidential Suite.

[toticon@aol.com]

I am afraid I fall on a terrible cruise line. I sign up with them Sept.,2015 to go to Cuba on 04-05-16, In December 2015 they ask us to pay the total fare, that came to be $ 17.000 for my husband and I. We did not receive any paper work to say where we were going, itinirerary, # of cabin Etc, I keept reclaiming and no one answer me, ....."they are too busy,.... They would call back....all is in order......nothing to be afraid of......." finally on April 1st they call to say the trip is cancel for lack of permit from the Cuba goverment!!!!

What is to say? I had all the plans , paid for airfare from NYork to Miami, Hotel in Miami, etc, and I am told they can not be responsable for none of that, as per my money they would not refund they would book us in a trip on October or November. Since then I did NOT receive any correspondance from them and we are still in the air. Since I paid with my own check what is to do?

I am trying to get in touch with people who sign up for the same trip to see what happened to them In the midtime I keep writing to all places that could or not do something for us

[swells5502]

I am afraid I fall on a terrible cruise line. I sign up with them Sept.,2015 to go to Cuba on 04-05-16, In December 2015 they ask us to pay the total fare, that came to be $ 17.000 for my husband and I. We did not receive any paper work to say where we were going, itinirerary, # of cabin Etc, I keept reclaiming and no one answer me, ....."they are too busy,.... They would call back....all is in order......nothing to be afraid of......." finally on April 1st they call to say the trip is cancel for lack of permit from the Cuba goverment!!!!

What is to say? I had all the plans , paid for airfare from NYork to Miami, Hotel in Miami, etc, and I am told they can not be responsable for none of that, as per my money they would not refund they would book us in a trip on October or November. Since then I did NOT receive any correspondance from them and we are still in the air. Since I paid with my own check what is to do?

I am trying to get in touch with people who sign up for the same trip to see what happened to them In the midtime I keep writing to all places that could or not do something for us

 

This is HORRIBLE TO READ. All of us need to BEWARE PEARL SEAS. Does anyone have any ideas to help this poster?? This is boarding on criminal...THEFT of the cruisers money. TERRIBLE TREATMENT. Have you contacted the Better Business Bureau??

[coocoobird]

So upset with Pearl Seas, we booked last year for second week in March. Booked airlines, travel insurance, pre-hotel stay and all ready to depart for Miami on on Sunday. that week, many telephone calls to customer service....because- After much confusion - and I mean MUCH confusion, about which terminal they were to depart from.. (Miami or Ft. Lauderdale) ...wow! at the last minute you don't know where you are leaving from???? And the costs we were to incur about finding our way to Ft. Lauderdale??? I called again on Friday to make sure all in order and found out the cruise was cancelled due "to the presidents visit in Cuba"....if I had not called we would have been in Miami on Sunday....was absolutely livid with this company! Well good thing was that we got our $17,500 back- yes! pricey I know but we really wanted to be one of the first ships to visit and itinerary sounded wonderful. Was still trying to negotiate cost of travel insurance because of course they do not cover when the company cancels the cruise AND the airline tickets!! Not to mention my husband now had two weeks vacation time scheduled and relatives in Miami had rearranged their schedules for our visit.....Well after weeks of discussion after I received our full refund, I was told they would only cover the $200 per person booking fee to change airlines tickets to somewhere else. so we decided to use the tickets and I sent in documentation for the fee to be paid back to us. Well, weeks have gone by, I called and called and no one returns the call, you get referred to someone else who is out to lunch or not available. I finally got through last week and was told pretty much don't count on any more refunds.....so glad I did not take them up on their offer to rebook for December trips. So disgusted with this company. Would love to see a class action lawsuit against them, ALL their cruises were cancelled and it sure wasn't because of President Obamas visit! They did not receive approval. Check their website, still advertising the trip. Subject to government approval. I do not recall seeing the disclaimer when we booked nor did anyone ever think they may not get approval when the subject finally came up!!!! Up until the last minute they said we had nothing to worry about. Then blaming the presidents trip on our cancellation was the last straw. I would tell anyone not to book with them. Give them a few years to finally get approval and see what people say about the itinerary. The Costa Rica cruises sound like a nightmare!!! Good luck!!!

[toticon@aol.com]

This is in response to your message. You tell us that you got your money back! I wonder how that was accomplished. We did not have not even a $ back!

And we were booked to leave after you, in April , we also went, as you with air tickets to Miami, hotels, and then change of place to departure.

What I would like is to find people that were going in those trips and they have problem to get the money back to share costs to suit the co.

I wonder if there were many people to take the cruise or that were only a handful including us and that is why the cancelled the cruises!

How could this be ascertain?

Please, if any one reads this, and can help me in any way, to do so. We have to stop this Co. doing what they do!

I wrote the President of Pearl Seas Cruise Mr. Charles Robertson , 741 Boston Post Rd. Guilford, Ct. 06437, 2 times, never receive any response!

[coocoobird]

In response to your question, how did we get our money back? Just got lucky, seriously, but still out $1900 for flight and travel insurance. We were so fortunate that we received our full refund for the cruise very quickly! Within a week of the cancellation!! But we were still promised the company was going to reimburse for other costs. Well, the fact that we can still use the travel insurance towards another trip (but that means we are FORCED to use the insurance or lose the money- we purchased travel insurance with Allianz travel- not with Pearl Seas) they will not refund this money which was $1500. We were assured that if we used our flight tickets they would honor the exchange fee at $200 per person. So we did that rather than take the chance they would not refund the full fare. But now it seems things have changed. So we are still out money for this trip at this time. I am writing to Mr. Charles Robertson also, but do not expect much to happen. In order to have a class action suit you do not have to pay the attorneys, they are paid their fee through the settlement. I am under the impression that these cancelled cruises were fully booked so that means there are hundreds of other people in the same predicament as we are. It is a matter of locating them and moving forward with action against the company. Or enlisting an attorney to move forward with a class action and they will locate the other people. I will also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in their area and continue posting warnings to other unsuspecting people not to do business with Pearl Seas.

Edited June 13, 2016 by coocoobird

[swells5502]

In response to your question, how did we get our money back? Just got lucky, seriously, but still out $1900 for flight and travel insurance. We were so fortunate that we received our full refund for the cruise very quickly! Within a week of the cancellation!! But we were still promised the company was going to reimburse for other costs. Well, the fact that we can still use the travel insurance towards another trip (but that means we are FORCED to use the insurance or lose the money- we purchased travel insurance with Allianz travel- not with Pearl Seas) they will not refund this money which was $1500. We were assured that if we used our flight tickets they would honor the exchange fee at $200 per person. So we did that rather than take the chance they would not refund the full fare. But now it seems things have changed. So we are still out money for this trip at this time. I am writing to Mr. Charles Robertson also, but do not expect much to happen. In order to have a class action suit you do not have to pay the attorneys, they are paid their fee through the settlement. I am under the impression that these cancelled cruises were fully booked so that means there are hundreds of other people in the same predicament as we are. It is a matter of locating them and moving forward with action against the company. Or enlisting an attorney to move forward with a class action and they will locate the other people. I will also file a complaint with the Better Business Bureau in their area and continue posting warnings to other unsuspecting people not to do business with Pearl Seas.

 

I am sorry you had a terrible experience as we did. I am glad we cancelled early...don't want to go through the hassle they put so many through. I agree we need a class action suit AND CONTINUE TO WARN OTHERS ABOUT THE SCAM PEARL SEAS IS CONDUCTING!! Disgusting behavior.. My problem is finding sources to warn others. I have posted on their FB page and they delete it!! I made several calls with no return...I wrote to Beebe and no reply. They know exactly what they are doing. FALSE ADVERTISING!!!

[coocoobird]

http://www.khou.com/news/nation-now/lacking-approval-cruise-line-cancels-more-cuba-voyages/127274837

[coocoobird]

After cancelling our Cuba trip days before sailing we are still at this time waiting to hear if we are to receive our $400 airline change fare because we had to use our tickets or lose the full price. We sent in all info, was assured Pearl Seas would make good but they have not yet done so. Of course, they had promised all was well for sailing to Cuba and that never came through so do not trust this shady outfit! If they come through, I will post that they did and we are happy customers but until then, not much else to say about their business practices.

[Jan3]

After cancelling our Cuba trip days before sailing we are still at this time waiting to hear if we are to receive our $400 airline change fare because we had to use our tickets or lose the full price. We sent in all info, was assured Pearl Seas would make good but they have not yet done so. Of course, they had promised all was well for sailing to Cuba and that never came through so do not trust this shady outfit! If they come through, I will post that they did and we are happy customers but until then, not much else to say about their business practices.

 

Yikes! So glad I found this thread.

We just booked a cruise to Cuba for February. After reading the posts I started making inquiries with Pearl cruise line and my travel agent. My agent told me that she just returned from a cruise on the Great Lakes on the Pearl Mist. She said the ship was wonderful and all went well. She also said there was literature on Cuba and that they received their approval from Cuba. Today she said they do not have approval but expecting it any day.

My plan at this point is that I will wait until the first sailing in October and see if it happens. If not I will cancel and they will not be able to keep my deposit because I will dispute it with my credit card company. Pearl told my TA that I would have to pay the cancellation fee but I will fight it based on the fact that they cannot deliver what they sold. We are new to cruising and this company. Does anyone see a problem with my plan?

The options for traveling to Cuba are limited and we felt this was a good way to go and would like to go sooner than later.

[germanyboy]

I think you have a problem getting your money back from the credit card company, to dispute has to be made within 60 days or some number that is less than the time between your deposit and your trip

[Jan3]

I think you have a problem getting your money back from the credit card company, to dispute has to be made within 60 days or some number that is less than the time between your deposit and your trip

 

Thank you for your response. I checked with my CC company and I have 118 days from date of purchase. So this will work for me. I will be checking on Cuba approval and if The Pearl Mist sails in October.

[coocoobird]

there is another cruise line with trips to Cuba, called Alexander & Roberts....good luck ! Cancellation has to be made from Pearl Seas before you could even try to get money back and yes, credit card companies have a time limit on disputes. We are still waiting for our airline ticket fee to be refunded, have yet to see even though assured it will happen. We had a $1500 Allianz travel insurance policy, they did not cover for the reason given. We were able to get it back though, what we did was use them to cover $190 for a train trip we are taking in Barcelona and they refunded the balance of that money so that was good. Sorry to hear about Pearl Seas again, they should not sell what they cannot deliver.

Edited August 12, 2016 by coocoobird

[VidaNaPraia]

The options for traveling to Cuba are limited and we felt this was a good way to go and would like to go sooner than later.

 

Options are getting much less limited, quickly. American Airlines begins flights from US cities to various airports in Cuba starting mid-September. One still has to check a box stating reason for travel (one of which is still NOT pure tourism) but no reports for quite some time of that being checked or even asked about upon return to the US, even with a Cuban stamp in a US passport. Many US credit card companies have said their cards can be used in Cuba now, although cash dollars are still useful. It is easy to make reservations for B&Bs (casas particulares) online (cubajunky site). Buses are easy to book once there and rental cars not difficult to find online. The country has been full of European, Canadian, and other non-US tourists. There are lots of DIY Americans travelling now.

 

Here is one ongoing discussion started by someone planning a DIY soon:

http://www.fodors.com/community/caribbean-islands/diy-cuba-us-citizens-havana-viales-or-trinidad.cfm

Edited August 15, 2016 by VidaNaPraia

[coocoobird]

Thanks to Pearl Seas for finally coming through with reimbursements for cancelled Cuba cruise! I received my last check to cover airline fees plus full refund of cruise (which was done within a week of cancellation) Nice when a company makes good on that promise at least! Now for when they may get approval? who knows, now will wait to see if they do have approval and read reviews of at least first 3 months of voyages prior to booking.

[VidaNaPraia]

They DO NOT HAVE APPROVAL to travel to Cuba........ They are FALSE ADVERISING A PRODUCT THEY DO NOT HAVE TO SELL!! ......they are SCAMMERS.

 

Travel to Cuba from the US, and also particularly travel to Cuba by ship, is a work in progress. If you want to be a pioneer, a degree of patience is required while the authorities and the air/cruise lines work things out.

 

It is probably not the fault of the cruise line that they don't yet have approval.

The airlines were selling flights from US cities to various cities in Cuba on the same basis. They are selling Havana flights in the same manner currently.

 

The airlines also took a chance, booking flights before they really had everything in place. The first flights, one of which I was on, were a bit chaotic, but they were cheap, although the plane was pretty empty indicating the number of people who were willing to take a chance even at a deep discount. I would not consider that a scam, just unfortunate.

 

If the customer service (vis-à-vis refunds) from this particular cruise line while dealing with any problems is not ideal, that is another issue.

 

I do hope you get to experience Cuba in the future. I enjoyed my trip very much.

[quiltsnh]

My client was on the March cruise that was cancelled 3 days before departure. We were offered full refund or rebook and $2K credit. We went with the rebook for March 2017. The $2K covered airfare and hotel. So it seemed like a good thing. A couple weeks ago they had cruises starting beginning of Nov and into Dec. I emailed them to see if these cruise were a go and got no return email and also I left voicemail no response. I also used "cruise tracker" and the Pearl Mist is sitting in Norfolk for the past few weeks. I then noticed that all cruises for this year had been removed from their website. I am getting worried as we took the $700.00 pp insurance and that will be forfeited along with the $425.oo pp fee if we cancel now. I am needing to buy air for them but am reluctant to do that. This is a total rip off! Would like to join any action against them as they are selling a product they cannot produce.

[VidaNaPraia]

Your complaint against the cruise line is unreasonable IMO.

This is a unique situation.

If travelers and travel agents do not do adequate due diligence about the political situation/state of relations/laws governing travel before flocking to book what is essentially (in the minds of US passengers anyway) a novelty trip, it is not the fault of the cruise line (or the airline, because they booked flights before things were entirely in order too) offering a new product in reasonable anticipation of rule changes under a continuing US administration.

 

Again, if the cruise line schedules in anticipation of being given permission for cruise ships to enter Cuban waters, and the process of granting permission for these cruises drags out, through no fault of the cruise line, would you prefer that the cruise line wait to schedule cruises until the day permission comes through, and people are not able to travel for months afterward if permission comes?

 

It is fairly likely that travel to Cuba from the US, by executive order, may be cancelled in the "first 100 days" (according to what has been stated) so this whole dilemma might be moot depending on if (or how fast) things are made to revert. Perhaps they are being wise to remove cruises for which they do not have permission from their website.

Edited November 17, 2016 by VidaNaPraia

[quiltsnh]

If travelers and travel agents do not do adequate due diligence about the political situation/state of relations/laws governing travel before flocking to book what is essentially (in the minds of US passengers anyway) a novelty trip, it is not the fault of the cruise line (or the airline, because they booked flights before things were entirely in order too) offering a new product in reasonable anticipation of rule changes under a continuing US administration.

 

 

I am a TA and I did do the research. The cruise was cancelled 3 days before departure last March. And here we are 7 months later and Pearl Seas has still not gone. I think my complaint is that that they have not been forthcoming with information nor do they answer emails/phone calls. We have decided to wait it out. My clients will buy air and book hotel at the last minute. And this time they will take the full refund if it is not a go. They want to go but maybe with someone who seems to know how to get in and out of Cuba. There are other players who can do this. Also this is not a new product they have been selling it for 2 years and haven't gone once.

Edited November 18, 2016 by quiltsnh

[VidaNaPraia]

I am a TA and I did do the research.

 

No, (IMO) you DID NOT. Or the first thing you would have understood is the motto for any Cuba travel: "Es Cuba." (It's Cuba, meaning that things often f up and there is nothing to do but shrug your shoulders and go with the flow in good humor).

The cruise lines and airlines cannot control political decisions governing their movement.

Note: Anyone who might fret or complain or stress about pre-travel arrangements is not likely to enjoy the actual trip to Cuba.

 

There are other players who can do this.

 

"This"?

Which cruise line currently goes directly from a US port to a Cuban port? Has a successful history of doing so?

-----

Even the airlines did not start to fly from the US into Cubam airports until mid-September 2016 (for which tickets went on sale in July), and Havana flights only started in December. The whole process, up until the very moment of getting out of the airport after the return flight to the US, was fraught with problems and unknowns.

Why would any other mode of transport direct US/Cuba be expected to be different? This whole thing is still in the experimental stages.

[jcross2]

?....

 

"This"?

Which cruise line currently goes directly from a US port to a Cuban port? Has a successful history of doing so. ..... This whole thing is still in the experimental stages.

 

Oh really??

 

Fathom Adonia has been sailing to Cuba since April. We just got back from our Cuba sailing last Sunday, from Miami. It was fantastic.

 

Two of our friends had unfortunately booked with Pearl Seas, with four other couples, for the same week. We saw them less than a week before they were supposed to sail and they still had not heard from Pearl Seas whether or not they would be sailing.

 

Their calls were not being returned, last time we spoke, just DAYS before they were to travel. Ten people, flights, hotels, all kinds of arrangements...

 

Do you work for Pearl Seas by any chance?

[VidaNaPraia]

Oh really??

 

Fathom Adonia has been sailing to Cuba since April. We just got back from our Cuba sailing last Sunday, from Miami. It was fantastic.

 

Two of our friends had unfortunately booked with Pearl Seas, with four other couples, for the same week. We saw them less than a week before they were supposed to sail and they still had not heard from Pearl Seas whether or not they would be sailing.

 

Their calls were not being returned, last time we spoke, just DAYS before they were to travel. Ten people, flights, hotels, all kinds of arrangements...

 

Do you work for Pearl Seas by any chance?

 

 

No, I just have a logical approach to a very fluid situation in which there are NO guarantees to anyone involved.

 

As I understand it, Fathom runs one of those People to People tours that apply for an OFAC license and have succeeded in obtaining one on which to base their departures. It is NOT considered by the government to be a cruise as such, but a people-to-people tour.

 

The situation sounds , though, like what was happening with the airlines. Lots of them applied for certain routes. Not all got selected.

Some routes were applied for and OK'd first, but the flights were booked before that was certain. People booking understood there were no guarantees, and were often trying to restrain their panic about important details as the flight time approached.

I'm sure the cruise line was hoping until the last minute that permission would come through for their line to present a pleasant cruise to passengers.

I do agree that customer service of any cruise line in this position should have been prepared to refund money in a timely manner if the permission fell through.

 

And for the third time, people just have to understand that these air and sea routes are new, and dependent on international politics, not just the whim of the cruise/air line. The cruise/air lines have NO control on when permission comes through and for which ports, unlike most anywhere else in the world currently.

 

And with a new administration, all of the travel permissions could be cancelled with the stroke of a pen, at a moment's notice. So understand clearly that the situation is extremely fluid, and deal with it without getting yourself and your clients all worked up.

Your clients who want to see Cuba can fly direct from the US to Cuba (for now), fly through a third country, or go with a people-to-people land tour, all of which currently have permission to take them to Cuba. If you/they insist on cruising, and can't deal with uncertainty, perhaps book one to a more certain place.

[jcross2]

I'm not a travel agent, but if I were I would certainly not book anyone on Pearl Seas. Ever.

 

(You are perhaps confusing me with quiltsnh, with whom I agree: this does look like a rip-off.)

 

I also agree with you completely that Pearl Seas should be issuing refunds much more promptly, but in addition, I believe they should be compensating passengers for other expenses they incurred by having to wait until just days before their cruise to hear it was cancelled. (Not to mention that "administrative fee" of about $900 that some people report being charged for cancelling.)

 

If these cancellations had happened only once or twice, at the beginning of their Cuba schedule, that would be one thing.

 

But apparently this has been happening for almost nine months. How can they string people along like this, when it seems obvious Pearl Mist will not be sailing to Cuba? And especially when they have this same ship concurrently sailing other itineraries hundreds of miles away in the Great Lakes and New England?

 

In fact, at the time I spoke with my friends and learned they were still left hanging on word from Pearl Seas, there was likely no way this company could have physically sailed the Pearl Mist down to Miami from the Great Lakes or New England in time for my friends' cruise itinerary ... yet they would not return their calls and would not tell them their cruise to Cuba was just not happening. Why?

 

Pearl Mist is apparently scheduled for a 10-day Cuba trip today, but the ship is docked in Norfolk right now. Wonder when they told pax on this sailing that it was not happening?

 

Here is the site that shows a Cuba sailing as starting today, but also shows the ship in Norfolk: http://www.cruisemapper.com/ships/Pearl-Mist-1185

 

By the way, you said that Pearl Mist was different from Adonia in that one was a cruise and the other a people-to-people tour; this is incorrect. Pearl Mist is also advertising, on their site, as offering a people-to-people cultural tour: "Pearl Seas Cruises is excited to offer this opportunity to delve into Cuba through our cultural exchange voyages. Our people to people exchange ..."

 

So the only difference here is that Fathom obtained the necessary permissions, and Pearl Seas did not.

 

This is understandable considering the volatility and uncertainty surrounding travel to Cuba. What I object to is the way Pearl Seas handled this situation with the passengers whose money they had accepted.

 

Even if Pearl Seas had received last minute clearance to sail to Cuba, it was clearly NOT going to happen for my friends, yet all ten were still allowed to believe it was, up until just days before their cruise.

 

And what was Pearl Seas' plan if they DID somehow get their ducks in a row for Cuba sailings ... were they going to suddenly cancel those Great Lakes or New England cruises and leave those passengers high and dry?

 

My disgust with this company really has little to do with politics, adventure travel, or flexibility and adaptability when one travels.

 

As someone who traveled all over the world, often on my own and before age 21, I fully understand the need for "going with the flow" when things go awry.

 

So you do make valid points about the volatility of the political situation and the need for travelers to cope with change, but I just don't think these points are all that relevant to the facts previous posters cited, showing that they were treated very poorly by this cruise line.

 

I am just incredulous that a company can treat its clients like this and get away with it, and I feel so sorry for my friends and the other posters here who wound up so disappointed, and likely out some money as well.

 

You seem determined to criticize these posters for their lack of flexibility, blaming the victims rather than putting any blame on the cruise line, at all, for their actions or rather inaction.

 

This is where we disagree.

[VidaNaPraia]

Let's see what happens to all the airline passengers if/when the flights get cancelled by that promised sudden stroke of the new guy's pen, and see how the major airlines handle refunds and compensation for multiple daily flights booked months out if so. Their customer service people aren't yet being given much info about the flights that are taking off.