Kicked off the ship - only FCC back

[drsel]

 
Thats news for us, since we havent got any information about anything even after coming home! Where did you read this? [emoji846]

Recently on another thread on cruise critic.
Try searching the threads on cancelled Cruises

[SWEMarcus]

1 hour ago, drsel said:

Recently on another thread on cruise critic.
Try searching the threads on cancelled Cruises

 

Thank you, I will 🙂

[drsel]

You are welcome dear. you deserve all that you can get.
you have been through a lot of hardship

[drsel]

 
Thats news for us, since we havent got any information about anything even after coming home! Where did you read this? [emoji846]

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2639575-costa-mediterranea-march-14th-2020-from-mauritius/&share_tid=2639575&share_fid=24703&share_type=t&link_source=app

Costa Mediterranea March 14th 2020 from Mauritius

[drsel]

It's a long link. I don't think it got pasted in full

[drsel]

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2639575-costa-mediterranea-march-14th-2020-from-mauritius

[drsel]

this is the post which mentions 150 % future Cruise credit

Well what a circus!!
We have now disembarked (4pm) Costa will NOT admit that the ship will not be able to go to any ports. All they would say is "it is changing hour by hour" and would not say it was cancelled. So many stories going around, we had had enough and got off.

Eventually they handed out a letter which STILL only stated 150% CRUISE CREDIT (NOT refund). 

Went to the buffet for lunch before we left and very little food on offer. Not sure if this is normal or if they just haven't bothered stocking up on food, didn't see ANYTHING being loaded onboard. And as for sanitization I think Costa are carrying on as if there its NO problem!! They did not even have a crew member sanitizing as we boarded, purely up to the passenger to use the dispenser or not! Tables wiped down with a rag cloth, no sanitization what so ever!

Still, some people chose to stay on board, we have gone to a hotel in Mauritius (Holiday Inn near the airport) and booked our flights back to Perth on Tuesday so we don't know if the ship actually left Mauritius tonight or not. And on top of this there is now a cyclone warning in place. Would like to know if the ship did sail with passengers onboard. Also while waiting for our taxi, an ambulance arrived and took a young person off which we suspect was a crew member, rumours that there was a coronavirus case onboard??

Also Taxi drivers were over charging ridiculously at the port (word had got out!) luckily we were able to use our previously used Taxis Mauritius who did the right thing and took us to the hotel at the usual rate.
So now we will await our flight home and good riddance Costa!

[drsel]

I guess everyone got a 150% future Cruise credit, no cash refund

[kathy49]

6 hours ago, drsel said:

Does anyone think it is risky to accept a 150% fcc

yes...I think it is. Costa has two things not in its favor...it is a cruise line and Italian.  I am not sure how you survive that but maybe they can. It should be full refund plus FCC of a given amount.

[drsel]

What about transferring our deposit to a future Cruise with a 30% discount (on any future Cruise upto 30 November 2020,), instead of a refund of the deposit paid

Edited March 20, 2020 by drsel

[gerryuk]

3 hours ago, kathy49 said:

yes...I think it is. Costa has two things not in its favor...it is a cruise line and Italian.  I am not sure how you survive that but maybe they can. It should be full refund plus FCC of a given amount.

Anything in life is a risk, however Costa is not Italian they just operate from there. Costa is part of the Carnival group so should be safe. If things get really bad then I would expect Carnival to try and offload Costa from their fleet first, if they want to downsize. Personally I will, and have offered to accept FCC from Costa. Its a risk, but a risk I am willing to take.

 

[drsel]

In that case I should also take the 30% discount and transfer my deposit to a new Cruise

[Bobbingbob]

Marcus, glad to hear you got back home safely. Beginning to think you had a very lucky escape in that your cruise was cancelled, picking up some very disturbing accounts of the recent transatlantics on Costa Luminos and Costa Pacifica (there are separate threads on these) via web searches. Sorry, I can’t post links but someone else will no doubt be able to.

 

As you say, many people plan cruises well in advance and have intricate holiday plans around the cruise itself. No one envisaged the rapid escalation of this horrendous situation and I have a great deal of sympathy for all caught up in it.
 

Personally, as a Costa cruiser of many years and a real lover of cruises and of the Italians and of Italy, my heart is truly breaking right now. However, I must say (and agree with others who have said this) Costa management have been and continue to be appalling in their handing of it. Yes, the situation is unprecedented and it has no doubt been an absolute nightmare scenario to manage but by not cancelling cruises immediately when it has been blindingly obvious the outbreak is not being brought under control but is worsening in Italy, as it is elsewhere, they are treating their customers disgracefully. They need to act immediately.

[SWEMarcus]

Hi guys, thank you all for a good discussion and your inputs. For an update on the case...

 

It's been soon 3 weeks and not a word from Costa. Not an email and no sight of even a FCC. Its just appalling that they think its acceptable to not only disembark us under questionable circumstances, they have left us soon a month without anything?!

 

I do see the cruise industry having a tough time, and fully understand that I am not thinking I'm first in line. But hey, Costa - it's been 3 weeks and they treat us like they took our money and disappeared. Not OK!

 

So for time being me and my wife have 3 options.

 

1) Contacted Costa in Sweden who we booked through. They didn't even know Mediterrania was cancelled... Advised me to send an email in English - done.

2) Since Costa is still determined by policy that no cash refunds to be made, only FCC, we started a dispute towards our credit card company for the whole sum. Screw the FCC.

3) According to EU-law a cancelled cruise equals that you have the full right to monetary refund. They are clear on that point.

 

So 3 ways to go, not giving up and I think their behaviour towards their customers are really disgusting.

 

Anyway, we are glad to be home and in these quarantine times we have a lot of time on our hands for administrative work 😂

[SWEMarcus]

Follow-up question,

 

Anyone know if the FCC will cover only the fare-part or can it be applied to port charges/taxes/gratuities for a cruise?

 

For some reason it wouldn't surprise me they would screw their customers over locking in all extra charges + pre-paid grats on cancelled cruises in the FCC and that you have to cover it again on a new cruise... Gladly being proved wrong! I'll call them on Monday otherwise to get some clarity in the matter 👍

Edited April 4, 2020 by SWEMarcus

[gerryuk]

The problem as I see it, is that the vast majority of Costa cruisers are Italian and the majority of them have not been caught up in all this, most Italians were not allowed to board the ships before the closedown. So basically Costa have not pissed off the vast majority of its customers. When I waited to board the Costa Diadema in Dubai (the cruise started there) there were only 150 customers there to board a ship that holds nearly 4000 customers. The cruise was cancelled after we waited for 12 hours to board. Costa have pissed off those 150 customers including myself with their handling of all this, but they seem to be able to afford to do this. When all this is over, the majority of their Italian customers will gravitate back to Costa unaffected, whether I and those who are being treated appallingly by Costa, return is another matter. Costa obviously don't care, either way. 

[drsel]

Follow-up question,
 
Anyone know if the FCC will cover only the fare-part or can it be applied to port charges/taxes/gratuities for a cruise?
 
For some reason it wouldn't surprise me they would screw their customers over locking in all extra charges + pre-paid grats on cancelled cruises in the FCC and that you have to cover it again on a new cruise... Gladly being proved wrong! I'll call them on Monday otherwise to get some clarity in the matter [emoji106]

The fcc will cover the base fare, port charges and all taxes on the future Cruise, but not mandatory service charges of 10 euros per person per day.
One should never pay the mandatory service charge in advance.

[SWEMarcus]

4 minutes ago, drsel said:

The fcc will cover the base fare, port charges and all taxes on the future Cruise, but not mandatory service charges of 10 euros per person per day.
One should never pay the mandatory service charge in advance.

 

Unfortunately when we booked they included the service charge within the whole sum, so we had no choice to pay it later. €10 / day x 29 days x 2 people is quite a conciderate amount they took from us...

[drsel]

that is completely unfair because if you booked through any official country website of Costa you don't have to pay the service charge in advance

[SWEMarcus]

31 minutes ago, drsel said:

that is completely unfair because if you booked through any official country website of Costa you don't have to pay the service charge in advance

 

That is true today, but when we booked in March 2019 the service charge was bundled in the price in Sweden. Obviously we understand we paid €580 in service charge but it was no way to pay on board later.

[SWEMarcus]

1 hour ago, SWEMarcus said:

Sorry double post.

Double post.

Edited April 5, 2020 by SWEMarcus
Double post.

[cvg-aa]

Costa sent an email about 2 weeks ago. The Future cruise credit amount was listed and included 100% of our payment. We purchased in the Italian market in 2019. Our rate included cabin, port charges and hotel service fees.

[SWEMarcus]

42 minutes ago, cvg-aa said:

Costa sent an email about 2 weeks ago. The Future cruise credit amount was listed and included 100% of our payment. We purchased in the Italian market in 2019. Our rate included cabin, port charges and hotel service fees.

 

Actually - after several calls and a long email they finally settled once after soon one month.

 

I did have to phone in myself again to sort it out but yesterday I got it confirmed that I will get 100% refund (incl. grats). Happy it got resolved. Not happy with the dealing of it of Costas behalf.

[drsel]

Please inform us when you actually get the credit in your credit card or bank account.
Because so far, no one has received any money back

[jerseylily]

For those in the UK you have ABTA to help you. Costa is a member. 

 

Costa Crociere SPA

Southampton

TYPE: Head office

ABTA NUMBER: Y2174

ADDRESS: Carnival House, 100 Harbour Parade,  Southampton,  SO15 1ST

T: 0800 389 0622

W: http://www.costacruise.com/