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Travel Assurance Booking Policy


minidonuts85
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My TA thought if we don't cancel and take the credit, our "all in package" should be part and parcel of the future cruise.   If the future cruise does not offer such, then it would be fare only.    So, that should be true for the OBC as well.  But all this is speculation at this point.  

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On 3/5/2020 at 2:29 PM, r&rd said:

I am certainly hoping I get some information soon about the 6/1 cancellation. I am also booked on the Grand Princess out of San Francisco in two weeks and I don’t think that is going to happen either!

You called that one correct.

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Again apparently Windstar according to my TA has said they are not keeping them in the loop what is really going on with the Star breeze cruises . That must be difficult for TA to entice folks to book without adequate knowledge on what to expect.

 

So in limbo seems to be the norm on MANY Star breeze  future cruises. Not very comforting to those who have booked and made multiple plans beside the cruise. 

 

Hopefully if ANYONE hears ANYTHING please post it Thanks   🙂

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I am totally bugging them. I have 40 Windstar cruises and not only am I concerned about the 6/1 and 6/9 cruise, I am also scheduled for the 7/11 Star Breeze to Alaska. My TA transferred the bookings back to me because a) she doesn’t like dealing with Windstar and b) I usually can get better information than she can. But this has been crazy - they have my final payment, they know a cruise won’t happen and they are communicating nothing.

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I am totally bugging them. I have 40 Windstar cruises and not only am I concerned about the 6/1 and 6/9 cruise, I am also scheduled for the 7/11 Star Breeze to Alaska. My TA transferred the bookings back to me because a) she doesn’t like dealing with Windstar and b) I usually can get better information than she can. But this has been crazy - they have my final payment, they know a cruise won’t happen and they are communicating nothing.


Crazy indeed! I get there is a lot going on but if they know it isn’t happening, a formal communication would help with just moving on and officially making other plans.


Something else I was thinking about tonight.
WS has extended their travel advisory from 14 to 30 days. Italy is on the list. How will that work for crew joining the ship originating in Italy? The advisory says they’re also taking the temperature of the crew and pax so I assumed this advisory might apply to crew to but I could be wrong.


“No one will be allowed to board a Windstar ship who, in the 30 days prior to embarkation:
• has been in or travelled from or through China, Hong Kong, Macau, South Korea, Singapore, Japan, Iran or Italy, or any other country listed by the CDC as having “ongoing community transmission;” or
• has had close contact with, or helped care for, anyone suspected or diagnosed as having coronavirus COVID-19, or who is currently subject to health monitoring for possible exposure to coronavirus COVID-19.”




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My TA was informed this afternoon that the Travel Assurance Policy will now apply up to 48 hours before sailing.  This is wonderful news for us since my husband's doctor recommended today that we cancel our cruise set to embark on Saturday. Windstar is applying the FCC to a cruise we have booked for 2021 (which was the result of the Alaskan Star Breeze cancellation in Alaska in July 2020.)  I am so tired of cancellations. Wishing a quick resolution to the pandemic and a seamless stretching for the remaining sisters.

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We cancelled the June 16th cruise since we haven't made the final payment due in one week. I'd rather keep the money and hope to re-book when and if things change.  Who knows, maybe the virus will be gone by June and the Star Breeze will be ready and we can re-book.  If not, another time in the future.  Good luck to all of you.

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Spoke to TA today and apparently Windstar is on "radio silence" as to what is going on with the Star  Breeze and  our June 9th cruise. No new information .

 

You would think with all the don't go on a cruise ship information  being made public by officials ,  Windstar would want to tell their story and promote their ships. progress and encourage something positive IF that is the case.  

 

Their PR people must have been told MUM is the word for now. Is that anyway to make customers feel good about their up coming cruise?

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Called Windstar again today and was told that the May 25 and June 1 sailings are on and that the cancellations were just a rumor. When I said that it was Windstar who had told me and several others that the sailings were cancelled, a supervisor was consulted who said that, yes, they were on and you could book those cruises. I’m not sure what to think. Perhaps things are just so up in the air that information changes daily. I guess I will just wait it out and see what happens. With the new cancellation policy it won’t make much difference.

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Wow...ok. I get it’s a fluid scenario but how will they get around their own travel advisory if crew will be boarding in Italy?

 

We ended up cancelling. Although we already paid our TA, final payment with WS is tomorrow. As SecretFruity mentioned, we may rebook later or just do another time altogether once things are a bit more stable.

 

 

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Still no word about June 9th cruise from Windstar on the star breeze or its progress . . Mexico at this point has limited health issues . Panic seems to be the name of the game at this point. After reading R&D's comments management said it at this time is a go. My TA could not get that information out of them or so he says.

 

While things are clearly up in the air we have already paid  for everything at this point airfare,  vrbo etc . . Stay Tuned 

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I bet they really have their hands full with the Europe changes now too.

 

What I was most concerned about is the reception at cruise ports of a ship (and crew) coming straight from Italy. Mexico could say nope, can’t dock here. Tortola and other ports have turned away ships with passengers that had just come from Italy.

 

Also, Santa Barbara and Monterey have both closed their ports to cruise ships. Both of those are stops on the James Beard Cruise. I honestly won’t be surprised if San Diego closes their port eventually as well.

 

I’ll caveat to say this could all change by June but who knows.

 

 

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minidonuts85

Thanks for that info.  I had no idea about those California ports.  I wouldn't be surprised if the other ports on that cruise will close as well.  I'm hoping things will change by June and we can re-book.   No regrets cancelling but really sad.  We were looking forward to it so much as we haven't been able to travel for a couple years.  You made the right decision in my opinion. 

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58 minutes ago, minidonuts85 said:

Canada just announced a ban on cruise ships to be re-evaluated in July.


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There's actually an exemption for small ships.  Ships with 500 or fewer total passengers and crew will still be allowed.  The stretched Star Breeze is right at the limits.

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22597-canada-bans-cruise-traffic-through-june-small-ships-allowed.html

The Canadian government has temporarily banned all cruise ships and ferries that carry more than 500 people, including crew, from docking in Canada through June, citing the coronavirus outbreak.

 

https://windstarcruises-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/yachts/deck_plans/stretch_deck_plan_spread_1-14-20.pdf

 

Total passengers: 312, Total Crew: 188-190.  Only 188 crew, total is 500; 190 crew is 502 total.

 

We're booked on the August 2nd Seward > Vancouver cruise.  Had been feeling "ok" but are really beginning to wonder.  Final payment not due until around May 1, so still time, but pre-cruise plans have been made......

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1 hour ago, RemPuck said:

There's actually an exemption for small ships.  Ships with 500 or fewer total passengers and crew will still be allowed.  The stretched Star Breeze is right at the limits.

 

https://www.cruiseindustrynews.com/cruise-news/22597-canada-bans-cruise-traffic-through-june-small-ships-allowed.html

The Canadian government has temporarily banned all cruise ships and ferries that carry more than 500 people, including crew, from docking in Canada through June, citing the coronavirus outbreak.

 

https://windstarcruises-media.s3.amazonaws.com/media/yachts/deck_plans/stretch_deck_plan_spread_1-14-20.pdf

 

Total passengers: 312, Total Crew: 188-190.  Only 188 crew, total is 500; 190 crew is 502 total.

 

We're booked on the August 2nd Seward > Vancouver cruise.  Had been feeling "ok" but are really beginning to wonder.  Final payment not due until around May 1, so still time, but pre-cruise plans have been made......

 

Wouldn't expect the ship to have a full complement of passengers, so it should definitely be under 500.  Unless the government looks at capacity rather than actual bodies.

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3 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

 

Wouldn't expect the ship to have a full complement of passengers, so it should definitely be under 500.  Unless the government looks at capacity rather than actual bodies.

I'd think they'd have to go by capacity or there'd be a logistical nightmare if Sailing 1 had 490 people (good) and sailing 2 had 510 people (bad).  But at this time, how many people actually go is still unknown.  And if the Star Breeze gets to Alaska at all is even a bigger unknown at this time.  🙁

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