Cancelled Cruises Refund Tracker/Discussion (merged topics)

[BP99]

7 hours ago, nps001 said:

Just a few points:    Don't know if any of you read the CC post but Celebrity is actually quoting 30 BUSINESS days for refunds and is one of the shortest times.   Some cruise lines are quoting 90 days for refunds.

 

As crazy as it sounds, credit card numbers are not permitted to be emailed which is why banks require a fax versus email.   It sounds crazy that a fax laying around is more secure than an email but if you've ever deal with a doctor regarding specific medial conditions or advice, they do the same---fax only, no fax.

Hi,

I filled out the online form for 2 cruises (first & second wave of Celebrity cancelled

cruises). After the form was done it said I would receive a refund in 30 days.

THEY did NOT say 30 BUSINESS days! I took a screen shot. ALSO the 

letter sent by the Celebrity CEO also said 30 days NOT BUSINESS days.

YES, there is a difference between calendar and business days BUT THEY

did NOT specify! It was their agreement to refund us in 30 days. We didn't

make this up! It's in writing from them. 

[hcat]

7 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

This made me wonder - why can't these types of refunds (ie refundable deposits before final payment)  be automatic and almost instantaneous?

 

@omeinv explained to me on a different thread that refunds are done manually because there are many steps required for verification. That is somewhat understandable (although the time lines now are excessive and unreasonable).

 

However with cruises that only have deposits and it is before final payment, why can't these be automatically done within days after the cruises canceled?

1. Call to cancel

2. remove from cruise planner

3. Refund deposit to credit card.

4. BOOM . DONE.

 

??

I have raised this question a few times  in this thread. You laid out a rational procedure quite clearly. I esp like the "BOOM . DONE"  part.

 

That would be a great way to clear out many files, where customers are cancelling future cruises that have  fully REFUNDABLE DEPOSITS, no Future Cruise Credit request,   are not in any penalty phase, and do not have airline cancellation issues to resolve.  Clear them away quickly and move on.....

 

.But no one knows how Celeb is approaching refunds.  Some reps advise it is first in first out; some say by date of cruise and some don't say  anything at all!

[Quo Vadis?]

IT HAPPENED... MONEY deposited on our credit card was backdated to April 20 from our March 7th cruise refund.  Now if I could only turn the clock back 8 yrs I could even book a cruise again.

[hcat]

40 minutes ago, BP99 said:

Hi,

I filled out the online form for 2 cruises (first & second wave of Celebrity cancelled

cruises). After the form was done it said I would receive a refund in 30 days.

THEY did NOT say 30 BUSINESS days! I took a screen shot. ALSO the 

letter sent by the Celebrity CEO also said 30 days NOT BUSINESS days.

YES, there is a difference between calendar and business days BUT THEY

did NOT specify! It was their agreement to refund us in 30 days. We didn't

make this up! It's in writing from them. 

 

Either way one measures the 30 days,  they are not making a 30 day mark from the time  you call and advise them to cancel.  Also seems it is likewise not happening on cruises X has cancelled, from the time one returns the form noting  a  preferred option to receive a refund,

 

They are telling people longer time frames  ( told at least 45 days yesterday on a pending  refund).   Still  saying  accounting dept must review each file.  Then after they claim it was approved and processed to the card they attribute  a large lag time to the Credit Card Companies.

[hcat]

14 minutes ago, Argo. said:

IT HAPPENED... MONEY deposited on our credit card was backdated to April 20 from our March 7th cruise refund.  Now if I could only turn the clock back 8 yrs I could even book a cruise again.

Glad your refund posted!

We are still not giving up hope about booking a  future cruise..,,,but way in the future!

Wondering if our Jan 2021 cruise will sail from Tampa and if they will let us board?

[Suzanne123]

I called last Wednesday about the same cruise on 3/14.  Representative told me that my refund was approved and should be on my credit card within 72 hours. I called again yesterday and was told 45 days from the date the cruise was canceled.

This is from the Celebrity web site this morning.

“You will receive a refund for the taxes and port fees in a minimum of 45 business days. The cruise fare is processed separately and will take a minimum of 45 days. UK and Ireland guests should expect to receive a refund for taxes, port fees, and cruise fees within 30 days. Guests who have booked directly with Celebrity Cruises will need to contact our Celebrity Contact Centre at 0844 493 2043 or access a refund form at https://cancellation.celebritycruises.com/?brand=C so we can process your refund request. Guests who have booked via a third party should contact their travel provider to request a refund.”

[WrittenOnYourHeart]

Just as an aside, it is not only Celebrity (or cruises) taking this long with refunds. Ticketmaster is taking a "minimum 30 days" to issue refunds for cancelled events as well. I'd had tickets for 2 Broadway shows booked for myself and my parents which obviously were cancelled. The one through Telecharge looked like it would be the more complicated one (3 emails: Your show has been cancelled, you will receive another email about options; Your show was cancelled, if you wish to receive a refund, you do not have to do anything and it will be processed; Refunds will be processed but it will take 30-45 days) was on my card in a week. The one through Ticketmaster seemed straightforward (1 email: Your show has been cancelled; if you would like to reschedule click here or if you would like a refund click here; that went to a page saying "Your refund request is accepted and will be processed within a minimum of 30 days) but still waiting on that one (another couple of weeks until I hit the 30 day mark, though I am guessing they will use that "minimum" as a starting point, like "The clock starts now").

 

Yes, there is generally less money in show tickets than cruises, but I'm just pointing out that Celebrity is not the only company taking its sweet time with refunds.

[Welland]

Cruise refund was requested on March 20.  Amounts deposited to credit card today, April 24.  To entries; one for deposit and one for cruise, port charges and taxes.

[helen haywood]

Requested on March 20 but what was the date of the cruise?

[helen haywood]

3 hours ago, Suzanne123 said:

I called last Wednesday about the same cruise on 3/14.  Representative told me that my refund was approved and should be on my credit card within 72 hours. I called again yesterday and was told 45 days from the date the cruise was canceled.

This is from the Celebrity web site this morning.

“You will receive a refund for the taxes and port fees in a minimum of 45 business days. The cruise fare is processed separately and will take a minimum of 45 days. UK and Ireland guests should expect to receive a refund for taxes, port fees, and cruise fees within 30 days. Guests who have booked directly with Celebrity Cruises will need to contact our Celebrity Contact Centre at 0844 493 2043 or access a refund form at https://cancellation.celebritycruises.com/?brand=C so we can process your refund request. Guests who have booked via a third party should contact their travel provider to request a refund.”

That doesn't sound quite right.  I don't know what the full text you quoted from was....but if we are talking about a cruise Celebrity canceled, even if you booked via a travel agent, you can use the link to request a refund on your own.  Now, if this is referring to a cruise you wish to cancel that Celebrity has not cancelled then it is probably true you must make that request through your travel agent.

[thon]

4 minutes ago, Welland said:

Cruise refund was requested on March 20.  Amounts deposited to credit card today, April 24.  To entries; one for deposit and one for cruise, port charges and taxes.

Well that’s not fair😀.  I requested my refund 13 March.  Just got off the phone with Celebrity.  My refund is apparently in stage 2 of a 3 stage process. She says the 3rd and final stage is “disbursement”. And she quoted the 45 business day drivel they’ve been instructed to say.  She also said that she’s waiting for a refund as well and didn’t seem too worried about hers. Apparently I should have refund to my CC by 2 or 4 May.  We’ll see.

 

I’ve called them I think about 4 times now (once a week) and have never spent more than maybe 8 minutes waiting.

[helen haywood]

Yes, sigh, I've never spent long waiting either....but I can't say I ever believe what I'm told....

[Welland]

13 minutes ago, thon said:

Well that’s not fair😀.  I requested my refund 13 March.  Just got off the phone with Celebrity.  My refund is apparently in stage 2 of a 3 stage process. She says the 3rd and final stage is “disbursement”. And she quoted the 45 business day drivel they’ve been instructed to say.  She also said that she’s waiting for a refund as well and didn’t seem too worried about hers. Apparently I should have refund to my CC by 2 or 4 May.  We’ll see.

 

I’ve called them I think about 4 times now (once a week) and have never spent more than maybe 8 minutes waiting.

 

[Welland]

I know life isn't fair sometimes.   Truly don't know how they are being sorted.....is it by ship or by sailing date?   Not sure when your cruise was scheduled for so cannot determine if this is the cash.

 

Look at the positive....you've called them once a week and have spent about 8 minutes on line waiting for an agent.  Cannot complain about that.

[Fouremco]

13 hours ago, nps001 said:

Just a few points:    Don't know if any of you read the CC post but Celebrity is actually quoting 30 BUSINESS days for refunds and is one of the shortest times.   Some cruise lines are quoting 90 days for refunds.

 

As crazy as it sounds, credit card numbers are not permitted to be emailed which is why banks require a fax versus email.   It sounds crazy that a fax laying around is more secure than an email but if you've ever deal with a doctor regarding specific medial conditions or advice, they do the same---fax only, no fax.

It would be very easy to initiate the request via your secure online account, get a reference number and quote that instead of your credit card number when sending the documents be email. Better yet, do as my travel insurance company does: initiate your claim online and upload the document(s) to the claim. Very quick, easy and secure.  

[Bristol5]

Just got off the phone with Celebrity regarding our cancelled 3/15/20 cruise on the Silhouette. We requested a refund on the evening of 3/13 online when notified of Celebrity's temporary ceasing of operations. Today I was told that it be at least another 30 days before we would receive any refunds! We have spoken to them three times regarding refunds, each time there's a different line. We were told that we would receive a refund on excursions a week ago. That didn't happen. We have also seen 30 day and 45 day expectations for all refunds in notices online from Celebrity, those will not happen either. We booked this cruise and made a deposit over a year ago ! I know (or that is I think )they are busy. I don't accept that as an excuse. They haven't communicated a word to us on what to expect. We have had great sailings on four other lines, I can only hope we get to sail on one of those other lines again. I don't know what the future will hold, but I do know that I will never set foot on a Celebrity ship … unless it's FREE.

[Fouremco]

13 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

This made me wonder - why can't these types of refunds (ie refundable deposits before final payment)  be automatic and almost instantaneous?

 

@omeinv explained to me on a different thread that refunds are done manually because there are many steps required for verification. That is somewhat understandable (although the time lines now are excessive and unreasonable).

 

However with cruises that only have deposits and it is before final payment, why can't these be automatically done within days after the cruises canceled?

1. Call to cancel

2. remove from cruise planner

3. Refund deposit to credit card.

4. BOOM . DONE.

 

??

The actual time required to process the refund would indeed be shorter in the example you cite, but with the current volume, it is still going to take a long time to reach the front of the line to get processed. 

[thon]

1 hour ago, Welland said:

I know life isn't fair sometimes.   Truly don't know how they are being sorted.....is it by ship or by sailing date?   Not sure when your cruise was scheduled for so cannot determine if this is the cash.

 

Look at the positive....you've called them once a week and have spent about 8 minutes on line waiting for an agent.  Cannot complain about that.

I was on the 27 March-5 April Silhouette.  And you’re right, we really have no idea how they are sorting out the order for refunds but I’m sure they have some sort of a process.  And you’re right again, I certainly cannot complain about the length of time I’ve been on hold.  And the agents I’ve spoken to (at least the last few) have been very friendly and seem to be trying to help - but they have no control over Celebrity’s system; they are not the decision-makers.

[JuliaMS]

14 hours ago, nps001 said:

Just a few points:    Don't know if any of you read the CC post but Celebrity is actually quoting 30 BUSINESS days for refunds and is one of the shortest times.   Some cruise lines are quoting 90 days for refunds.

 

As crazy as it sounds, credit card numbers are not permitted to be emailed which is why banks require a fax versus email.   It sounds crazy that a fax laying around is more secure than an email but if you've ever deal with a doctor regarding specific medial conditions or advice, they do the same---fax only, no fax.

Probably an e-fax. fax is harder to hack than e-mail. It is never printed but turned into secure electronic document

 

[Welland]

34 minutes ago, thon said:

I was on the 27 March-5 April Silhouette.  And you’re right, we really have no idea how they are sorting out the order for refunds but I’m sure they have some sort of a process.  And you’re right again, I certainly cannot complain about the length of time I’ve been on hold.  And the agents I’ve spoken to (at least the last few) have been very friendly and seem to be trying to help - but they have no control over Celebrity’s system; they are not the decision-makers.

Wishing you the best....remain positive and please return to this thread and let us know when your refund is received.

Thanks.

[marieps]

I chose to cancel my July 5th Summit cruise, scheduled to depart from Bayonne.  The cancellation occured 4/1.  My refund to my Visa posted today.  Thank you , X.

[phoenix_dream]

I think I get more concerned and frustrated the more I read this thread.  There seems to be no rhyme or reason to who gets their refunds first.  I am also awaiting a refund from my 3/27 Silhouette.  But then I read of people cancelling cruises after mine who have already received their refund (not many, but some).  What the heck?!?!  

 

Am also still awaiting FCC for our two April cruises, cancelled a long time ago.  No email, no status - nothing.  I've reached out to our TA for help (a large online one) - we'll see.  

[JuliaMS]

22 minutes ago, marieps said:

I chose to cancel my July 5th Summit cruise, scheduled to depart from Bayonne.  The cancellation occured 4/1.  My refund to my Visa posted today.  Thank you , X.

 So you were not at final payment date yet? Just Deposit refunded?

[Bunny72V]

If you have not received the refund and or cruise credit , and used a credit card, perhaps a chargeback can be generated for services not rendered?  Not sure if this is an option but, if I do not receive it soon, it will be my next step.  

 

 

 

 

[CHOPPERTESTER]

For a 27 March 2020 Silhouette 9 Night direct booking, not through a TA.

Move up bid charged to credit card on 12 March. I assume the call went out to get as much cash as you can.

Cruise cancelled by Celebrity on 13 March.

Called for 100% refund on 16 March.

 

Got restaurant charge back on credit card 1 April with no sign of move up charge, cabin or port fees/taxes.

Phoned Celebrity and told refund request was acknowledged in their system 20 March and to give it until 19 April.

 

Called on 21 April and told refund was posted to credit card on 19 April.

Refund showed up on credit card on 23 April with a post date of 20 April so some delay on credit card side. So it seems to be a pay no earlier than 30 calendar days approach by Celebrity from when the refund request is acknowledged in Celebrity’s system.

All was refunded, move up charge, cabin & port fees/taxes in five separate transactions all on 20 April. Only problem is they shorted me an amount equivalent to the restaurant refund they gave me on 1 April.

 

Will wait a few days then call to get that sorted out.

Hope this helps those that were on our planned 27 March cruise.