Cunard's Coronavirus Cancellations/Refunds (Merged threads)

[alc13]

32 minutes ago, Windsurfboy said:

I  don't want FCC as I expect the advise for over 70s not to travel and especially cruise will last untill the last country is clear of the virus and we have a vaccination,  one year minimum 2 years quite probable

I hadn't though of that.  I turn 70 in January.  And it's all the countries in the itinerary who might impose restrictions. 

[IB2]

1 hour ago, lissie said:

 

We were on the same sailing and have exactly the same debate here - do we take the refund and run - or do we gamble take the extra $1000 in FCC and hope that Cunard will still be in business to offer future cruises AND that NZ will have enough airlines flying to it that we can afford to fly somewhere to join a ship!  

You'd have to think that Asia and possibly Australia/NZ are going to beat this virus before  Europe and North America. The QE was due back to Australia next summer - maybe Asia  will be the first region to see cruising start again in Aug/Sept???

It’s possible Asia might be re-open for business by the autumn, but equally possible they suffer further outbreaks.  I’d be surprised if cruise lines are open again by then; even if they are, the critical factor is likely to be the difficulty of travelling out of Europe, and particularly out of the US, to meet such a cruise.  There could easily be travel restrictions or even quarantine requirements in place.  Personally I wouldn’t rebook anything earlier than 2021.

[speedwell]

QM2 has now turned about and is heading towards Durban with an ETA of 13.00 30th - local time

[oskidunker]

13 hours ago, resistk said:

 

The entire cruise industry is in deep deep trouble.  At least Cunard's ships are accounted for and still not at sea trying desprately to reach any port.

The queen mary is still at sea

[resistk]

7 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

The queen mary is still at sea

 

True but at least she has a home port waiting for her, but true, Cunard is burning is gas.

[Clagmeister]

16 hours ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

Two questions:

 

(1) May I ask one of our UK participants (or anyone else knowledgeable) to explain exactly on what basis the Foreign Office Advisory on 70+ pax is being treated as a Government order?  Is there a provision in the UK T&C that's not in the US version? I thought it was just advisory, not mandatory.

 

(2) Does that position apply to all pax booked on a cruise that departs from the UK?  We are 70+ US citizens booked on the QV 31 May Southampton round-trip to Norway, through a US travel agent.

 

Any insights would be much appreciated.

Everything is now passed into law and no one is going anywhere. However, when the UK government curtailed cruising by 70+, earlier this month we immediately received an email from Cunard offering options for our QV 16 Apr cruise that included cancellation and a full refund. We took up the full refund on 16 Mar and  await payment in due course. 

We UK cruisers have always been lead to believe that out T&Cs are better - ABTA / ATOL protection being examples . This is usually deployed as justification for cruise deposit being non-refundable should a UK cruiser cancel. We shall see if all this extra protection works in these troubled times.

[Neuhoftraveler]

11 hours ago, IB2 said:

The question you really need to ask is what policies a British managed cruise line might have put in place, for cruises leaving the UK, on the back of such advice.

That is indeed another way to put my 2d question.  When I asked it, I had overlooked the impact of the UK lockdown mentioned by another poster.  It now seems to me that unless and until that lockdown ends, Cunard and every other line will have to cancel departures from any UK port.

 

I don't recall seeing any information on non-UK (or non-EU) persons entering the UK (via any route, but especially by air).  If the Norway cruise were not cancelled, could we, as US persons, even get to Southampton?  (Our plan had been to arrive on 20 May on QM2, which now is conclusively foreclosed.)  It does seem inevitable that the Norway and all other sailings from UK ports will be cancelled, so I suppose we just have to call Cunard's bluff and wait it out.

 

And thank you for your comments on Foreign Office Advisories.  In the US, government actions are treated as binding only when they are explicitly compulsory and enforceable.

[Windsurfboy]

I expect it will be  May before I get my refund for April's cruise and August before I get the refund for June's cruise. On principle I will fight if necessary for my refund from Carnival, or from insurance or credit card company, it's my money for goods not delivered not their money.

 

However in my mind the money is already spent. When this is over the British hospitality industry will be in dire straits. So I will spend every penny of it and more as soon as we are out of lockdown enjoying our beautiful country and supporting British jobs. A bit xenophobic you may say, but economic regeneration begins at home. I expect the advisce against over 70s travelling will last some time, don't need insurance to holiday in UK

 

I will still go abroad as soon as restrictions are lifted,  I will fly to Australia to see the grandchildren, 

 

The uncertainty of booking a cruise 2 years in advance and seeing if the virus will reappear can wait.

[Neuhoftraveler]

11 hours ago, IB2 said:

FCO advice on travel carries heavy weight in the UK, would invalidate the travel insurance of anyone travelling against it

As I understand the standard US travel insurance policy, it does not cover what's going on today.  If anyone has a contrary understanding, please explain the basis for that interpretation.

[babs135]

Have I missed something? I thought the don't cruise if you are over 70 was simply advice and not mandatory?  Once this has cleared up DH and I fully intend to restart cruising.  We are 75 and 71 respectively.

[ellie1145]

3 hours ago, KetoCruiser said:

I think you have 2 choices

 

1) hold fire as the cruise at the end of May will in all likelihood of being cancelled. You can then claim a refund like the rest of us. I have one booked with Princess for 30th May to the Baltic from Southampton and I am expecting that to be cancelled probably about 2 weeks before it is supposed to sail.

2) You could cancel now and get whatever refund is available and claim the rest from your travel  insurance company. This only applies, I guess if the foreign office travel advisory covers the date you propose to travel.  At present it’s in place until 14 April in the U.K. So you will need to wait until that’s extended .  Once that happens I don’t think the insurance company can refuse. Money saving expert web site has a list of main travel insurance companies and what they are paying out for. just heard that America will now remain closed until end of May so it may depend on that date as well.  

option 2 will depend on your travel insurance and when you took it out to cover this trip. We were told by ours that they will not cover trips booked after 17th March 2020.  That’s one of the reasons I am reluctant to take FCC as I don’t know if when we would be able to book a future cruise that would cover us for covid -19.  I believe Princess allows you to use FCC on bookings already made as long as you have not paid the balance.  I hope that is the case 

 

 

 

Thank you Ketocruiser. That’s very helpful. We know we’ve explored every avenue at the moment and realise it’s a waiting game. 
 

We have annual insurance, at the highest level, which we automatically renew each year, taking care to always update the insurance company of any medical changes. That was renewed last October so we are as covered as we could possibly be. There is now an extra payment to cover over 70s which we also pay. 
 

At the moment we don’t know when we will return to cruising as we don’t know what the rules will be like in the future. But we really hope we can enjoy being on a ship sometime in the future.

[Canuker]

4 hours ago, Coathanger said:

It's also worth noting the language on the Travel Advisory page has been updated to make clear that a 100% refund is available, rather than hiding it as a 'forfeit of 125% FCC'. 

The form referred to in the red-type hotlink above applies not only to bookings directly with Cunard but those via TAs as well. This seems to be a departure from a fundamental tenet of Cunard and most other cruise lines.
If the FCC option is selected and funds are credited to the customer's 'guest account' at Cunard, I wonder if this means that the ensuing future booking(s) must be made directly with Cunard also and not through a TA.

Can anyone in the know clarify, please?

[bluemarble]

36 minutes ago, Neuhoftraveler said:

As I understand the standard US travel insurance policy, it does not cover what's going on today.  If anyone has a contrary understanding, please explain the basis for that interpretation.

 

The coverage may depend on when you purchased the policy.

 

The US travel insurance company I work with curtailed some of their Coronavirus coverage on any policies purchased on or after March 11 when the WHO declared the Coronavirus (COVID-19) a global pandemic. Specifically, policies purchased on or after March 11 no longer cover any losses for trip cancellation, trip interruption and/or trip delay caused by or resulting from quarantine due to COVID-19.

 

Medical coverage is still available on new policies from the US company I work with to cover trip cancellation due to contracting COVID-19 prior to departure and to cover medical expenses from contracting COVID-19 during the trip.

 

I purchased our US travel insurance policy prior to March 11, so we still have full coverage for Coronavirus-related issues that were available at the time of purchase.

Edited March 30, 2020 by bluemarble

[ellie1145]

54 minutes ago, Clagmeister said:

Everything is now passed into law and no one is going anywhere. However, when the UK government curtailed cruising by 70+, earlier this month we immediately received an email from Cunard offering options for our QV 16 Apr cruise that included cancellation and a full refund. We took up the full refund on 16 Mar and  await payment in due course. 

 

Where did you get the information that over 70s were not allowed to cruise BY LAW?

 

As far as I can see it’s still an advisory.

 

Going and being abroad › British nationals overseas

 

12 Mar 2020 - British nationals aged 70 and over, and those with underlying health conditions such as chronic diseases and diabetes, have been advised not to travel on cruise ships in response to the coronavirus outbreak. 
 

“Mr Johnson urged Britons to avoid going on cruise holidays if they are over the age of 70 and have any existing medical conditions.”

 

I have not yet seen any law passed which actually forbids cruise travel for the over 70s.

 

i’d be interested if you know different.

[Canuker]

5 hours ago, T5LHR said:

Well, its official now... 6th May sailing cancelled. 

 

It just leads to the dilemma of what to do... Take the 125% FCC or request the cash back. 

 

I am quite happy to take the FCC, as I DO want to re-book something, but then the amount of, possibly, scaremongering about Cunard/Carnival going bust and losing that FCC is also a niggle. 

 

It's a gamble
 

In this situation, T5LHR, a bird in the hand might be worth 1.25 in the bush.
To betting man, that's odds of 4:1 on.
So, what it comes down to is do you think the odds on Carnival being able to honour their offer are better or worse than 4:1 on?
And all this assumes, of course, that the price of a future cruise is roughly the same as now.
There's a lot of variables.
And finally, let's not forget the golden rule of gambling: never bet more than you can afford to lose.

Edited March 30, 2020 by Canuker

[SEFlyer]

We were booked on the May 6 crossing on QM2.  We  will just sit tight and take the 125% credit.  The money was budgeted and has been spent so a 25% return for a future voyage seems like a good deal.

 

Yes, there's some risk but it's a gamble we can afford to lose.  I think the cruise companies will get bailed out and Carnival Corp and Cunard will survive.  And I think there will be some amazing deals on the other side of this shutdown.

 

If we don't book something for 2021 Cunard's 'use it' dates very conveniently will let us apply the credit to a February 21, 2022, voyage on QM2 from Montevideo to New York which we have already booked.

 

 

[bluemarble]

6 minutes ago, SEFlyer said:

... If we don't book something for 2021 Cunard's 'use it' dates very conveniently will let us apply the credit to a February 21, 2022, voyage on QM2 from Montevideo to New York which we have already booked.

 

Be careful about that. The FAQ for the "Keeping you updated" page states the following.

 

(Q) Can I use the Future Cruise Credit on an existing booking?

(A) The Future Cruise Credit is valid on new bookings only.

[Clagmeister]

37 minutes ago, ellie1145 said:

Where did you get the information that over 70s were not allowed to cruise BY LAW?

 

As far as I can see it’s still an advisory.

 

Going and being abroad › British nationals overseas

 

12 Mar 2020 - British nationals aged 70 and over, and those with underlying health conditions such as chronic diseases and diabetes, have been advised not to travel on cruise ships in response to the coronavirus outbreak. 
 

“Mr Johnson urged Britons to avoid going on cruise holidays if they are over the age of 70 and have any existing medical conditions.”

 

I have not yet seen any law passed which actually forbids cruise travel for the over 70s.

 

i’d be interested if you know different.

I was thinking of the powers being exercised under the 1984 Public Health (Control of Disease) Act ,  albeit with a light touch as advice,  to keep us at home and has in reality now  grounded flights and cruiseship movements,  rather than anything specific in law about 70+. The reality is that we cannot cruise and this Government Advice has been respected by Cunard in its offer to UK  70+ with bookings in place following the Prime Minister's announcement that we should not cruise. Stay safe

Edited March 30, 2020 by Clagmeister

[Windsurfboy]

1 hour ago, babs135 said:

Have I missed something? I thought the don't cruise if you are over 70 was simply advice and not mandatory?  Once this has cleared up DH and I fully intend to restart cruising.  We are 75 and 71 respectively.

 

It is not Mandatory,  however if you go against this advice you will not be insured. 

[exlondoner]

16 minutes ago, Clagmeister said:

I was thinking of the powers being exercised under the 1984 Public Health (Control of Disease) Act ,  albeit with a light touch as advice,  to keep us at home and has in reality now  grounded flights and cruiseship movements,  rather than anything specific in law about 70+. The reality is that we cannot cruise and this Government Advice has been respected by Cunard in its offer to UK  70+ with bookings in place following the Prime Minister's announcement that we should not cruise. Stay safe

 

I don't think flights have been grounded. People have been advised against travel because of the dangers of getting stuck. WHO does not advise grounding flights.

[ellie1145]

18 minutes ago, Clagmeister said:

I was thinking of the powers being exercised under the 1984 Public Health (Control of Disease) Act ,  albeit with a light touch as advice,  to keep us at home and has in reality now  grounded flights and cruiseship movements,  rather than anything specific in law about 70+. The reality is that we cannot cruise and this Government Advice has been respected by Cunard in its offer to UK  70+ with bookings in place following the Prime Minister's announcement that we should not cruise. Stay safe

Yes, it’s still a light touch. Not a law. And we fully understand the implications of that advisory on our insurance. If we stupidly ignored the FCO ADVISORY our insurance would be invalidated.

 

This advice certainly hasn’t been respected by Princess who told us 2 days ago that despite the FCO advice and our ages we could not cancel without loss. Our flight is still being sold by Virgin and neither our hotel and parking in the U.K. prior to our flight, nor our hotel bookings In the USA can be cancelled for a refund.

 

Im very glad that Cunard have chosen to do the right thing. Good luck all! It’s a waiting game. 

Edited March 30, 2020 by ellie1145

[Clagmeister]

3 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

I don't think flights have been grounded. People have been advised against travel because of the dangers of getting stuck. WHO does not advise grounding flights.

You may be correct in act but the spirit is that flights are just not happening .

[exlondoner]

5 minutes ago, Clagmeister said:

You may be correct in act but the spirit is that flights are just not happening .

 

Actually they are, even to US and Italy, because people in both directions need to get back. Just far fewer than usual.

[Clagmeister]

6 minutes ago, ellie1145 said:

Yes, it’s still a light touch. Not a law.

 

This advice certainly hasn’t been respected by Princess who told us 2 days ago that despite the FCO advice and our ages we could not cancel without loss. Our flight is still being sold by Virgin and neither our hotel and parking in the U.K. prior to our flight, nor our hotel bookings In the USA can be cancelled for a refund.

 

Im very glad that Cunard have chosen to do the right thing. Good luck all! 

Wow. I would have thought there would have been consistency in the Industry. Presumably your bookings were through UK processes. In terms of hotel and cruise port parking, I have already had my money paid back.

[Clagmeister]

8 minutes ago, exlondoner said:

 

Actually they are, even to US and Italy, because people in both directions need to get back. Just far fewer than usual.

Yes for essential travel that under present guidelines sort of excludes going on holiday. Several airlines are parking up their fleets.