Cunard's Coronavirus Cancellations/Refunds (Merged threads)

[pmcl]

6 hours ago, roscoe39 said:

lololol

 

thanks Hattie, those posts really made me laugh and your response was apt.....

 

come on guys get a grip...this is unprecedented, in my mind Cunard has responded appropriately and is doing Im sure all it can to resolve any issues that it has to deal with. Patience is a virtue and Im sure in the end it will all come out in the wash. 

 

I wish all those in Perth the best for getting home safely, its a great city, I hope you can all make the best of the situation and are home before too long.

 

 

With all due respect, the issue is Cunard hadn't responded up until the last few hours, yet their sister companies and many others had no trouble at all enlightening their passengers.

People aren't expecting Cunard to be fortune tellers or wave a magic wand..

We just want to be kept up to date and not left in the dark.

You may not have, but some of us do, have a significant portion of $$$ held by Cunard.

Patience is a virtue, so is open communication.

[esrs]

On a positive note, I've just transferred three trips (2 TAs and Fjords) scheduled for spring to a different set of things for this fall; took the opportunity to move something from next early summer and instead pick up Norway for summer 2021, as we still had some money left after the transfer.

 

Though this was complicated, my PCS at Cunard USA was terrific, handling it quickly and with care while getting ready to work from home starting this afternoon.  No issues, no problems.  A tad less OBC than our original trips but we are quite satisfied with how this was handled. 

 

We're sad about this spring's trip going down the drain, and are unpicking all the related arrangements, but are very excited about what we were able to get.  Fingers and toes crossed that those trips will happen.

 

 

[bluemarble]

Also on a positive note, it didn't take them long to fix that goof on the US "Flexible booking terms" page that I posted about above less than an hour ago.

[alc13]

EU proposes shutting borders to non-essential traffic for 30 days.  That pretty much tears it for Cunard's Atlantic coast cruises in April. 

[sfred]

9 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

You may have noticed QE reversed course about four hours ago off of Green Cape and is heading back north. That, combined with Cunard's statement about QE suspending her Australia itineraries (rather than returning to Southampton like QV and QM2), leads me to believe Cunard is still trying to salvage QE's later Australia voyages. Hopefully the Australian Circumnavigation departing April 12 might still happen. We can hope anyway for the sake of those of you on that voyage.

 

Thanks bluemarble.  Yes, I see that QE is now northbound heading 034 14.5 knots about 100km offshore from Wollongong as at 8.30a AEST.  It would be nice to keep her close to Australia.  I wonder if Cunard are trying to find some port facility to lay up for the duration.

[bluemarble]

31 minutes ago, sfred said:

 

Thanks bluemarble.  Yes, I see that QE is now northbound heading 034 14.5 knots about 100km offshore from Wollongong as at 8.30a AEST.  It would be nice to keep her close to Australia.  I wonder if Cunard are trying to find some port facility to lay up for the duration.

 

QE's current track does make it look like she will be sailing past Sydney. And I just noticed her destination reported by AIS has been changed to "AWAITING ORDERS". Isn't that cryptic?

[Forky]

15 hours ago, bazzaw said:

Wrong - I have paid full payment for a cruise on o2 June - I paid it 2 months ago! 

 

I paid for my 24thMay cruise in full last June but lets face it … it is only money … everyone will just have to have patience  and wait it out, you will get your money back one way or another …. I am cancelling my May cruise as I have pre-existing health issues and a few months under 70 so cannot take the chance in being ill,  I phoned Cunard on Thursday and they were going to get back to me within 72hrs as they had put me on the cancellation list but no one called back, so today I phoned them again and I realise why they never phoned back, they are dealing with people that were due to sail within the next 3weeks and at the moment that is their priority so my May cruise is way down the list, fair enough as they are inundated with cancellations, 1,500 of them they told me !!  meantime they advised me to go ahead and get a letter from my Doctor as proof that I have pre-existing health issues as it will save time later on to get my full refund, I contacted my doctor today so that is one less job to do as I shall need it to send to Cunard when they finally contact me,  for the last 10days I have been ill with everything except a temperature, and if that is anything  even near like this virus then I would not want that again, as never felt so ill in my life before .. I stayed indoors on my own for 10days so that I did not pass what I had onto anyone else it, was the only thing to do plus I live in a Retirement Complex and there is older people here that I would not want to pass any illness onto, good luck to Cunard in fixing all their problems out as it is not going to happen overnight.

[Forky]

15 hours ago, VK3DQ said:

Having paid via debit card we will have to request that the bank recover funds as goods / Services have not and cannot be provided 

 

I seriously think that at some stage in the future the lines funds are going to become a little stretched....

 

I'm so sorry for them but we cannot afford to take a large loss on this

BTW I spoke to Cunard on the phone today they told me that my April 1st cruise was still going to take place 

 

Now that is a great all fools day joke!!

Regards

John

 

 

Never ever would I book a cruise with a debit card … there is no comeback with that .. a credit card would get your money back … not a debit card.

[sfred]

3 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

QE's current track does make it look like she will be sailing past Sydney. And I just noticed her destination reported by AIS has been changed to "AWAITING ORDERS". Isn't that cryptic?

Yes, QE has passed Sydney and is off the NSW central coast as at 12.30p AEST.  Still northward at 028, 15.4 knots, "awaiting orders".

 

Must be really strange aboard with no passengers.  Closed restaurants, shops, theater.  Empty corridors.  A bit ghostly...

[oskidunker]

2 hours ago, Forky said:

 

I paid for my 24thMay cruise in full last June but lets face it … it is only money … everyone will just have to have patience  and wait it out, you will get your money back one way or another …. I am cancelling my May cruise as I have pre-existing health issues and a few months under 70 so cannot take the chance in being ill,  I phoned Cunard on Thursday and they were going to get back to me within 72hrs as they had put me on the cancellation list but no one called back, so today I phoned them again and I realise why they never phoned back, they are dealing with people that were due to sail within the next 3weeks and at the moment that is their priority so my May cruise is way down the list, fair enough as they are inundated with cancellations, 1,500 of them they told me !!  meantime they advised me to go ahead and get a letter from my Doctor as proof that I have pre-existing health issues as it will save time later on to get my full refund, I contacted my doctor today so that is one less job to do as I shall need it to send to Cunard when they finally contact me,  for the last 10days I have been ill with everything except a temperature, and if that is anything  even near like this virus then I would not want that again, as never felt so ill in my life before .. I stayed indoors on my own for 10days so that I did not pass what I had onto anyone else it, was the only thing to do plus I live in a Retirement Complex and there is older people here that I would not want to pass any illness onto, good luck to Cunard in fixing all their problems out as it is not going to happen overnight.

Why would you pay a cruise a year in advance. Or are talking about down payment?

[Vogatrice]

So for every transatlantic that is cancelled, 20 or so of us have a unique problem. The kennels are fully booked up for the next 18 months. That's 20 of us on each trip who may not be able to rebook within the offered window to use FCC because we can't get a kennel, and most of us are using it as transportation for pets who can't fly, not (only) as a cruise. I'd like to encourage Cunard to temporarily add extra kennels up on deck 12 with the others to clear the backlog, once they resume sailing. Otherwise, my first opportunity to get my dog to Europe is now August 2021 and fading further out every day. I know there is no point trying to get their attention now, but does anyone have any bright ideas how to start this discussion with them later?

Edited March 17, 2020 by Vogatrice

[IB2]

4 hours ago, Vogatrice said:

So for every transatlantic that is cancelled, 20 or so of us have a unique problem. The kennels are fully booked up for the next 18 months. That's 20 of us on each trip who may not be able to rebook within the offered window to use FCC because we can't get a kennel, and most of us are using it as transportation for pets who can't fly, not (only) as a cruise. I'd like to encourage Cunard to temporarily add extra kennels up on deck 12 with the others to clear the backlog, once they resume sailing. Otherwise, my first opportunity to get my dog to Europe is now August 2021 and fading further out every day. I know there is no point trying to get their attention now, but does anyone have any bright ideas how to start this discussion with them later?

Even if that were possible, I fear you would just be creating false hope.  Read the medical experts’ views as to how long this virus will take to deal with.  Realistically there isn’t going to be any more cruising for many months, probably for at least the rest of 2020.  As a fellow dog owner and kennel traveller, you have my sympathy, but I’d suggest it is time to choose the least worst of whatever other options you might have.  

[tilournextadventure]

4 hours ago, Vogatrice said:

So for every transatlantic that is cancelled, 20 or so of us have a unique problem. The kennels are fully booked up for the next 18 months. That's 20 of us on each trip who may not be able to rebook within the offered window to use FCC because we can't get a kennel, and most of us are using it as transportation for pets who can't fly, not (only) as a cruise. I'd like to encourage Cunard to temporarily add extra kennels up on deck 12 with the others to clear the backlog, once they resume sailing. Otherwise, my first opportunity to get my dog to Europe is now August 2021 and fading further out every day. I know there is no point trying to get their attention now, but does anyone have any bright ideas how to start this discussion with them later?

This is my concern as well. My husband and dog are booked for April 18 TA and if he doesn't make it due to cancellations, we are unsure what we will do as the dog cannot fly (part boxer so he is a banned breed). 

[hypercafe]

4 hours ago, tilournextadventure said:

This is my concern as well. My husband and dog are booked for April 18 TA and if he doesn't make it due to cancellations, we are unsure what we will do as the dog cannot fly (part boxer so he is a banned breed). 

This may sound nuts but the cargo ships are not effect by this and some carry passengers.

[tilournextadventure]

37 minutes ago, hypercafe said:

This may sound nuts but the cargo ships are not effect by this and some carry passengers.

Yes, they carry passengers but the companies we have looked at do not carry animals as they are not able to clear border control with pets. We certainly appreciate the alternative measures. And if we missed a company that does allow pets, happy to have that contact information. 

Edited March 17, 2020 by tilournextadventure

[larrythelabrador]

I need a bit of advice please. Booked on a June Cunard cruise as part of a package, it includes flights & hotel stay in Vancouver & QE cruise from Vancouver to Alaska, departs Vancouver June 12th. The Canadian Government have banned all cruises until at least July 1st, details on their website. Now our balance is due tomorrow & the operator is saying we need to pay it! 😟 Thoughts, please? Thanks.

[IB2]

2 minutes ago, larrythelabrador said:

I need a bit of advice please. Booked on a June Cunard cruise as part of a package, it includes flights & hotel stay in Vancouver & QE cruise from Vancouver to Alaska, departs Vancouver June 12th. The Canadian Government have banned all cruises until at least July 1st, details on their website. Now our balance is due tomorrow & the operator is saying we need to pay it! 😟 Thoughts, please? Thanks.

Pay and wait for it to be cancelled.

[Summergee]

I have managed to get through to Cunard as we need to cancel on medical grounds. We are in UK. I was told to send my medical proof to guestrelations@carnivalukgroup.com.  I attached the documents from our travel insurance that shows my husbands issues. Hppefully this will be enough for us to get a refund.

[Meliador]

Just off the phone with Cunard and my TA.  They did not want to move my future cruise deposit ($3100) for the cancelled cruise against another deposit for a future reservation. In order to reserve for the voyage I had selected (NY-Quebec, October 2021 -M133), Cunard requested that I pay a cash deposit (about $2.5K for a Q5), and then apply the $3K to the balance that I would owe in June of 2021.  So basically I would pay for about 50% of a cruise to happen in 1.5 year.

 

While it is Cunard's prerogative to offer this solution, their competition is a lot more flexible. So I resolved to cancel everything, and *maybe* (in the near future), book a last minute cruise with the credit. I say "maybe" because right now I am not happy with Cunard and I don't see why I would reward their behavior with my custom. All I want is my $11K refund. And chalk this to my "lessons learned" filing cabinet (filled up at this point!).

 

 

Edited March 17, 2020 by Meliador
typo

[hariseldon]

Cancellation of 2021 world cruise future cruise credit , valid against deposit only ?

 

At present we are sailing back to Southampton on QV with all Speed, due in a couple of days early. 

 

Having booked the full World Voyage for 2021 on QV there has to be doubt whether the ship will sail, its itinerary or whether we will be permitted to sail for medical reasons. 

 

We have had an email stating that we have until August 31 th to transfer the booking to other cruise/s and receive a future cruise credit without the normal transfer penalty. 

 

My question is whether this credit of £5,000+ will only be valid as a deposit, requiring me to stump up another £30,000 to make a booking/s of at least the same value as the original cruise or whether it could be used to pay for a cruise in its own right ?

 

The booking for 2021 World was done as a one off desire for this itinerary and having the block of time available, having seen what happened to QM2 World cruise this year and the uncertainty we have experienced on QV, the likelihood that Covid will hang around and disrupt travel for some time to come, a desire not to commit to major cruises is understandable !!

 

No criticism of Cunard is implied, I think they have dealt with the situation pretty well in the circumstances. 

 

I have looked online but not seen any pointers to answer this question, does anyone know ?

 

[Windsurfboy]

I thought  cunard had kicked everyone of every ship?

[Host Hattie]

4 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

I thought  cunard had kicked everyone of every ship?

 

Not yet

 

[bluemarble]

Just now, Windsurfboy said:

I thought  cunard had kicked everyone of every ship?

 

Not the QV. No new passengers are being allowed to embark in Fort Lauderdale today. But those already on board are allowed to complete the voyage to Southampton. See Roscoe's thread here.

 

 

[Host Hattie]

29 minutes ago, hariseldon said:

I have looked online but not seen any pointers to answer this question, does anyone know ?

You can use your future cruise credits to pay for a full cruise.

[LGC100]

Can anybody clarify what amount of FCC we would be entitled to. We would like to make an informed decision regards cancelling completely or accepting their offer of 125% of the value of our cancelled cruise (M009). Our cruise was booked as a 'cruise and stay' through a TA. Our booking confirmation says that the contract is between us and Cunard with our TA acting on behalf of Cunard. Neither our TA or Cunard are taking calls  but neither do I want to phone them knowing they've got better things to be doing right now. 

 

Will the FCC be 125% of the total package value or will they separate out the Cruise value and base the FCC on that?

 

The online cancellation form asks for the total paid but I wouldn't like to assume that the FCC would be calculated on the total package only to find that it isn't.