Cunard's Coronavirus Cancellations/Refunds (Merged threads)

[Guest SilverHengroen]

30 minutes ago, T5LHR said:

Excuse my ignorance on the subject, but Portland, do they moor ships inside the harbour walls or anchors off shore? 

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/isle-of-portland-port-8996
 

for reference, Mein Schiff 5 is similar in dimensions (a little wider) than Queen Victoria. 

[T5LHR]

2 minutes ago, SilverHengroen said:

https://www.cruisemapper.com/ports/isle-of-portland-port-8996
 

for reference, Mein Schiff 5 is similar in dimensions (a little wider) than Queen Victoria. 

 

Thank you 🙂

[bluemarble]

1 hour ago, oskidunker said:

So it looks like I have  an option if I make the final pay on my sept 11 cruise on May 14 ( The final Pay  date ) You can transfer your voyage to a different voyage free of charge. This option is available until July 31, 2020

 

 

Am I reading this right?

 

Yes, you are reading that correctly. Don't know all the terms and conditions that apply to that offer, however (such as being able to transfer OBC or other perks from the original booking). And naturally you would need to pay the fare difference to transfer to a more expensive voyage. In practice this sounds like it would be equivalent to cancelling the original booking for FCC and then applying that FCC to a new booking, but doing it all in one step.

 

The UK website goes into a more detail about transferring to a different voyage right on their main "Flexible booking terms" page rather than hiding it in one sentence within the FAQ as they do on the US website. For your reference, here is what the UK website says. Note the cutoff date in the UK is August 31 rather than the July 31 cutoff date in the US. And I can't vouch for how much of the rest of this detail actually applies to the US. Just providing it here for additional context as to what the UK website says about transferring to a different voyage.

 

========================================

 

Transferring your booking.

In these unsettling times, to give our guests reassurance and more appealing options, we have temporarily removed restrictions on our Transfer Policy.

 

This means that guests sailing before 31 August 2020, can now:

• Transfer their booking to any Cunard voyage currently on sale (and not just to those within the next 12 months).
• Transfer their booking to a voyage of higher or lower value (and not just of a higher value, as is usually the case).
• Transfer their booking an unlimited number of times (and not just once).
• Transfer their bookings free of charge, as we will waive the current £100 administration charge for each transfer made.

This can all be done up to 48 hours before departure.

Guests who booked directly with Cunard (website or telephone) can use the link below; those who booked via a travel agent should contact their travel agent.

 

Request to transfer your booking

[Canuker]

1. Three different versions of Cunard.
2. Other information put out, solely, on social media.

3. Cunard constantly moving the goalposts (which 'bluemarble' has clearly illustrated in post #953 just above).
4. "...we have temporarily removed restrictions..."  No indication if/when these "temporary" arrangements will change again or terminate.
5. The unspoken assumption that if you are a UK customer, the UK website must apply, if you are a NAm customer, the US website applies, etc. This is not necessarily true. Example: I live in Canada and have booked a cruise using a UK travel agent.
 

Cunard: please present all of your customers with one, unambiguous, clear, constant policy. It is so difficult for your 'guests' to make decisions when the rules keep changing. If you can't / won't, then Carnival corporate: get in there and bang some heads together, please.

Rant over.

[oskidunker]

Will Carnival Corp save Cunard? What is the relationship?. It sure isn't putting out a uniform policy for all its cruise lines. Could one fail and the others continue?

Edited March 21, 2020 by oskidunker
Mental breakdown

[babs135]

7 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Will Carnival Corp save Cunard? What is the relationship?. It sure isn't putting out a uniform policy for all its cruise lines. Could one fail and the others continue?

Is it now time that Carnival Corp speaks for ALL its cruise lines?  We are living in extraordinary times and (friendly or not) rivalries should be put to one side.  One voice speaks for all - Carnival are you listening?

[Dahani]

7 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Will Carnival Corp save Cunard? What is the relationship?. It sure isn't putting out a uniform policy for all its cruise lines. Could one fail and the others continue?

Cunard is a 100% owned subsidiary of Carnival so I doubt it will go broke. 

 

Here is a link to Carnivals latest figures.... 

 

https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/CCL/14469985.html

 

They currently have $11.7 billion of liquidity. 

 

 

[IB2]

9 minutes ago, Dahani said:

Cunard is a 100% owned subsidiary of Carnival so I doubt it will go broke. 

 

Here is a link to Carnivals latest figures.... 

 

https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/CCL/14469985.html

 

They currently have $11.7 billion of liquidity. 

 

 

Or about seven months’ normal revenue.  

[Dahani]

6 minutes ago, IB2 said:

Or about seven months’ normal revenue.  

 

And they can raise more by borrowing against the fleet. 

 

Substantially all of the Corporation's assets, with the exception of certain ships with a net book value of approximately $6 billion as of February 29, 2020, are currently available to be pledged as collateral.

[Guest SilverHengroen]

8 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Will Carnival Corp save Cunard? What is the relationship?. It sure isn't putting out a uniform policy for all its cruise lines. Could one fail and the others continue?

It's a very complicated relationship involving two shareholder bodies, an umbrella corporation and several operating companies! Broadly speaking, if Carnival Corporation & Plc itself survives, Cunard should as well. However, the parent company might choose to sell Cunard, it's ships or shut it down to save/ recoup money if it is in financial dire straits by the time this has passed. I would expect Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruises to get priority with any rebuilding/ recommissioning as they're the biggest (most profitable) brands in the company. 

[exlondoner]

10 hours ago, Canuker said:

1. Three different versions of Cunard.
2. Other information put out, solely, on social media.

3. Cunard constantly moving the goalposts (which 'bluemarble' has clearly illustrated in post #953 just above).
4. "...we have temporarily removed restrictions..."  No indication if/when these "temporary" arrangements will change again or terminate.
5. The unspoken assumption that if you are a UK customer, the UK website must apply, if you are a NAm customer, the US website applies, etc. This is not necessarily true. Example: I live in Canada and have booked a cruise using a UK travel agent.
 

Cunard: please present all of your customers with one, unambiguous, clear, constant policy. It is so difficult for your 'guests' to make decisions when the rules keep changing. If you can't / won't, then Carnival corporate: get in there and bang some heads together, please.

Rant over.

 

Presumably the regulatory frame work is different in different countries, and there have been different booking terms, so you might not expect an identical universal response now.  Nor can you expect a constant policy, when no-one on earth knows how things will play out. They may be a great company (or not) but not divinely omniscient. Believe me, I am not disinterested: we have a cruise for 3rd May, not yet cancelled by obviously will be, though I would quite enjoy a trip to Portland.

[alc13]

1 hour ago, SilverHengroen said:

It's a very complicated relationship involving two shareholder bodies, an umbrella corporation and several operating companies! Broadly speaking, if Carnival Corporation & Plc itself survives, Cunard should as well. However, the parent company might choose to sell Cunard, it's ships or shut it down to save/ recoup money if it is in financial dire straits by the time this has passed. I would expect Princess Cruises and Carnival Cruises to get priority with any rebuilding/ recommissioning as they're the biggest (most profitable) brands in the company. 

Yes.  Unknown (by me, anyway) is the profit/loss situation for each of the Carnival brands.  I tried looking in the annual report but it only showed financials for the parent corporation.  Precarious brands will be vulnerable if and when the parent corporation starts to rebuild.

[ace2542]

5 hours ago, alc13 said:

Yes.  Unknown (by me, anyway) is the profit/loss situation for each of the Carnival brands.  I tried looking in the annual report but it only showed financials for the parent corporation.  Precarious brands will be vulnerable if and when the parent corporation starts to rebuild.

 

If depends how that rebuild goes and the effects of the virus to be fair. IF a large amount elderly people in America and UK do die aka a good proportion of the Cunard target clientele in some respects. Then the brand for a few years at least could be in the trouble lets say going back to a pre titanic 1998 movie situation.  The average age onboard is nearly always in the 60s or 70. Cunard does not attract younger people you know and it would really struggle to and most cunard sailors are not big drinkers. It is a couple of drinks the chart room than home you are lucky to get 20 people in the G32.

Edited March 21, 2020 by ace2542

[IB2]

23 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

 

If depends how that rebuild goes and the effects of the virus to be fair. IF a large amount elderly people in America and UK do die aka a good proportion of the Cunard target clientele in some respects. Then the brand for a few years at least could be in the trouble lets say going back to a pre titanic 1998 movie situation.  The average age onboard is nearly always in the 60s or 70. Cunard does not attract younger people you know and it would really struggle to and most cunard sailors are not big drinkers. It is a couple of drinks the chart room than home you are lucky to get 20 people in the G32.

I really don’t think the mortality rate - which even amongst the oldest who contract the virus is only around 10-15% - will be the issue, in what has until now been a growing market.  Aside from the financial hit of being unable to sail for months and months, the bigger risks are future restrictions on passengers who already have serious medical conditions, and the question of how quickly the reputation of cruising as a safe way to travel will recover from what has undoubtedly already been a very damaging episode.

[alc13]

25 minutes ago, IB2 said:

I really don’t think the mortality rate - which even amongst the oldest who contract the virus is only around 10-15% - will be the issue, in what has until now been a growing market.  Aside from the financial hit of being unable to sail for months and months, the bigger risks are future restrictions on passengers who already have serious medical conditions, and the question of how quickly the reputation of cruising as a safe way to travel will recover from what has undoubtedly already been a very damaging episode.

Honestly, I think the biggest factor will be availability of disposable income, drastically reduced unless covid19 infection rates can be managed and businesses reopen soon.  If economies stall for too long the recession could be really bad.

[Canuker]

55 minutes ago, alc13 said:

Honestly, I think the biggest factor will be availability of disposable income, drastically reduced unless covid19 infection rates can be managed and businesses reopen soon.  If economies stall for too long the recession could be really bad.

Plus, the insurance industry is already going through a period of self re-examination., about risks they will and will not cover.

[Fred&Lily]

9 hours ago, alc13 said:

Yes.  Unknown (by me, anyway) is the profit/loss situation for each of the Carnival brands.  I tried looking in the annual report but it only showed financials for the parent corporation.  Precarious brands will be vulnerable if and when the parent corporation starts to rebuild.

 Look up Micky Arison or his sister Shari Arison. 

[KetoCruiser]

16 hours ago, Canuker said:

Plus, the insurance industry is already going through a period of self re-examination., about risks they will and will not cover.

we are waiting for Cunard to cancel our circumnavigation of Australia cruise due out on 12th April. A 125% FCC is not worth the taking , we will go for a refund as we cannot think about booking any future cruise until the pandemic is over because our insurance will not cover covid19 for holidays booked after 20 March.  Who’s to say what limitations there may be after this is over.
 

There is also a small possibility that Cunard may not survive this crisis in its current form.

[ace2542]

On 3/21/2020 at 6:55 PM, IB2 said:

I really don’t think the mortality rate - which even amongst the oldest who contract the virus is only around 10-15% - will be the issue, in what has until now been a growing market.  Aside from the financial hit of being unable to sail for months and months, the bigger risks are future restrictions on passengers who already have serious medical conditions, and the question of how quickly the reputation of cruising as a safe way to travel will recover from what has undoubtedly already been a very damaging episode.

Once they have a vaccine and taking that becomes as common as taking the flu vaccine I think the industry will recover very quickly as a whole. If vaccinated against Corona I don't see they can get a serious outbreak on a ship in the future. Some great deals will be had as well so a number of brand will recover. From a point of view of Cunard they will struggle if their main age group takes heavy losses irrespective of a vaccine. Other cruises lines in a bad situation with this could be Fred Olsen, Cruise and Maritime, Saga and Azamara. The younger focusing ones like Carnival, NCL, Royal, Celeb, MSC, Disney and even princess will be fine I think.

Edited March 22, 2020 by ace2542

[ellie1145]

12 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Once they have a vaccine and taking that becomes as common as taking the flu vaccine I think the industry will recover very quickly as a whole. If vaccinated against Corona I don't see they can get a serious outbreak on a ship in the future. Some great deals will be had as well so a number of brand will recover. From a point of view of Cunard they will struggle if their main age group takes heavy losses irrespective of a vaccine. Other cruises lines in a bad situation with this could be Fred Olsen, Cruise and Maritime, Saga and Azamara. The younger focusing ones like Carnival, NCL, Royal, Celeb, MSC, Disney and even princess will be fine I think.

How many people actually take the flu vaccine? We do, but we know lots of people who run a mile from any vaccination, and are proud to boast that they never have it.

 

Why would a Coronavirus be any different? It needs a large take up for a vaccine to be effective anyway.

Edited March 22, 2020 by ellie1145

[IB2]

13 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Once they have a vaccine and taking that becomes as common as taking the flu vaccine I think the industry will recover very quickly as a whole. If vaccinated against Corona I don't see they can get a serious outbreak on a ship in the future. Some great deals will be had as well so a number of brand will recover. From a point of view of Cunard they will struggle if their main age group takes heavy losses irrespective of a vaccine. Other cruises lines in a bad situation with this could be Fred Olsen, Cruise and Maritime, Saga and Azamara. The younger focusing ones like Carnival, NCL, Royal, Celeb, MSC, Disney and even princess will be fine I think.

Do some research on the difficulty of creating a vaccine for any Coronavirus, particularly one that ensures.

[bazzaw]

52 minutes ago, ace2542 said:

Once they have a vaccine and taking that becomes as common as taking the flu vaccine I think the industry will recover very quickly as a whole. If vaccinated against Corona I don't see they can get a serious outbreak on a ship in the future. Some great deals will be had as well so a number of brand will recover. From a point of view of Cunard they will struggle if their main age group takes heavy losses irrespective of a vaccine. Other cruises lines in a bad situation with this could be Fred Olsen, Cruise and Maritime, Saga and Azamara. The younger focusing ones like Carnival, NCL, Royal, Celeb, MSC, Disney and even princess will be fine I think.

I think more to the point will be a broader aversion to cruising in the future - it was bad enough when norovirus affected ships - this is a million times worse!!!!

[ellie1145]

4 minutes ago, bazzaw said:

I think more to the point will be a broader aversion to cruising in the future - it was bad enough when norovirus affected ships - this is a million times worse!!!!

Indeed, no government has ever told people NOT to cruise before!

 

 

[ace2542]

51 minutes ago, ellie1145 said:

How many people actually take the flu vaccine? We do, but we know lots of people who run a mile from any vaccination, and are proud to boast that they never have it.

 

Why would a Coronavirus be any different? It needs a large take up for a vaccine to be effective anyway.

Me and my father are NEVER going on Cunard or any other line for that matter unless we have been vaccinated against Coronavirus. Once we have that vaccine we would go back on the QM2 in a hearbeat but not before.

 

I think there will be  a large uptake of this vaccine. This is creating terror worldwide, the flu does not do that. And the company that finds it will be rich beyond their wildest dreams.

[ace2542]

53 minutes ago, IB2 said:

Do some research on the difficulty of creating a vaccine for any Coronavirus, particularly one that ensures.

Then the cruising industry is dead. And we are all dead with it because they can't shut countries down 4 months of the year every year. If you can't create a vaccine for this virus end of story then you have to carry on regardless and let people die on mass.  Unless you mitigate the effect of the pneumonia in some way anti malaria drug which has been spoken of for instance . Because I doubt any government can afford the cost of shutting a country down next year and the year after that etc etc.