Cancelled Cruises Refund Tracker/Discussion (merged topics)

[JulesH]

5 hours ago, BP99 said:

Yes, the EXACT same thing happened to me.

Almost all who filled out the online form got FCC instead of the

100% refund you requested. The reason why they did not acknowledge

your online form (they said they would!) was to avoid a paper trail

for the trick/scam they were doing for most who requested a 100%

refund. You will be rewarded/punished by waiting LONGER to

get your May 21 cruise refund. After complaining many are recently getting

refunds for late March early April cruises. After 75 days and MANY calls,

emails etc I finally got my refund. Nowhere close to the 30 days they 

said on the email. This policy of substituting FCC instead of the

refund you requested is a dishonest/slimy business practise!! 

 

 

Does anyone else feel sad/regretful that Celebrity is making a bad situation worse for themselves?  Celebrity-- if you are listening-- your loyal (former?) customers badly need some sort of good faith gesture from you, not empty words and an onslaught of advertising emails that neatly ignore what is happening.

[Madu00]

As I have been reading these posts daily to hear everyone’s dealings with Celebrity I figured I owed a response. After making a call on Monday morning we just received our 50% refund from our March 7 Summit cruise which was not able to disembark in Puerto Rico on the return. The exact amount that was promised in one lump sum.  My faith has been restored! 
 

[GottaKnowWhen]

1 hour ago, JulesH said:

Does anyone else feel sad/regretful that Celebrity is making a bad situation worse for themselves?  Celebrity-- if you are listening-- your loyal (former?) customers badly need some sort of good faith gesture from you, not empty words and an onslaught of advertising emails that neatly ignore what is happening.

I am fine with what they have done. They have been coping with impossible conditions and doing what they can. I would need to check my notes, I have had some refunds, probably not all, I can wait. I think that if More people would have patience and not constantly call and email and demand status updates, if more would let them get on with the job, it would be smoother. I am pleased to see the standard flow of ads and specials, it is nice to know that Celebrity, like me, is looking ahead...

[JulesH]

9 minutes ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

I am fine with what they have done. They have been coping with impossible conditions and doing what they can. I would need to check my notes, I have had some refunds, probably not all, I can wait. I think that if More people would have patience and not constantly call and email and demand status updates, if more would let them get on with the job, it would be smoother. I am pleased to see the standard flow of ads and specials, it is nice to know that Celebrity, like me, is looking ahead...

As a shareholder in RCCL, I obviously hope that there are lots and lots of people who think the way you do-- AND who are able to wait an indefinite period for the refund of their money when many others (thankfully not me) have lost their source of income, and/or may be paying interest to the credit cards to which they charged their travels. All businesses should be so lucky as to have customers who have excellent cash flow and unlimited patience.

[GottaKnowWhen]

11 minutes ago, JulesH said:

As a shareholder in RCCL, I obviously hope that there are lots and lots of people who think the way you do-- AND who are able to wait an indefinite period for the refund of their money when many others (thankfully not me) have lost their source of income, and/or may be paying interest to the credit cards to which they charged their travels. All businesses should be so lucky as to have customers who have excellent cash flow and unlimited patience.

Not to argue, but just to give an alternate perspective... I was booked for an April transatlantic that was cancelled. Let’s say I had done that cruise a month earlier and had returned home before the shutdowns happened. So, that money for that cruise Etc. Would have been spent. Gone. If I have financial issues in May or June, I can’t really go to Celebrity to ask for money back. As it is, the Cruise didn’t happen, I am eventually due money back, but meanwhile my issues are just the same as if I had been on a cruise. Money is spent, gone, time to adjust and make do and move on, and when I do get something sometime as a refund from hotels or cars or excursions or cruise line, it will be a welcome extra.

[jerryd1]

21 minutes ago, GottaKnowWhen said:

I am fine with what they have done. They have been coping with impossible conditions and doing what they can. I would need to check my notes, I have had some refunds, probably not all, I can wait. I think that if More people would have patience and not constantly call and email and demand status updates, if more would let them get on with the job, it would be smoother. I am pleased to see the standard flow of ads and specials, it is nice to know that Celebrity, like me, is looking ahead...

 

Celebrity's responsiveness, timeliness, consistency, and ability to live up to their own promises, compared  to that of the multiple airlines, the other cruise line, the hotels, the shuttle companies, the excursion providers, and others that I've dealt with while unraveling multiple cancelled trips due to the pandemic,  has been by far the worst of all of them.   

 

We love cruising on Celebrity but on a corporate level they have really failed at communications and customer service right now.   On an individual basis,  I've talked with some really fine representatives who seem to be doing the best that they can with the cards that they have been dealt.

[XuGator]

We paid a deposit of 900 for a booking that we have since cancelled and when Celebrity refunded our money, they provided 2 credits (468.40 and 431.60). This makes no difference to me as it is my complete 900, I was just curious as to why the 2 different credits vs one credit of 900? Is there a reason Celebrity would do it like that?

 

PS- I made this booking over memorial day weekend ,cancelled a few days later and already have my money back, so a pretty swift refund in my experience with everything that is going on.

Edited June 5, 2020 by XuGator

[Covepointcruiser]

If you look at all the cruise critic threads for refunds Celebrity has responded as quickly as the other cruise lines.   If you see a better fit in another cruise line please book with them but don’t expect  refund service to be anything different during a global pandemic.
Nothing like this business disruption has ever happened or could have be planned for. 

[jerryd1]

5 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

If you look at all the cruise critic threads for refunds Celebrity has responded as quickly as the other cruise lines.   If you see a better fit in another cruise line please book with them but don’t expect  refund service to be anything different during a global pandemic.
Nothing like this business disruption has ever happened or could have be planned for. 

My frustration is not so much with how quickly Celebrity has responded.    It's the fact that their CEO has posted several documents stating dates and timelines for the receipt of refunds and FCC's that are not anywhere close to what is happening in reality.

[goofysmom99]

My TA called X today about the missing funds from my refund for 17 Apr cruise, and provided this:  "The $805.17 has been caught up in a work flow problem and a supervisor just fixed it but unfortunately it will be another 30-45 days."  A work flow problem???  😂  Ya think?

[hcat]

That's a new one..  "work flow problem"

Might be fun to start a  list if excuses that were given for delays..

We were given  several diff ones but happy it is all done, for now,

[harz99]

7 hours ago, hcat said:

That's a new one..  "work flow problem"

Might be fun to start a  list if excuses that were given for delays..

We were given  several diff ones but happy it is all done, for now,

That excuse says to me that all the claims are in old style paper folders, and someone has been dumping piles of new claims into in-tray baskets before the existing pile has been cleared, thus the oldest ones never get processed....

[Lrtalk]

There are articles on the web saying that Celebrity is going to offer  a third method of compensation.  Here is the copy of it:

 

• 100% full refund
• 125% future cruise credit to use on a sailing on or before December 31, 2021.
• Move your booking to a sailing in 2021.  Your cruise fare price and promotion will be protected when selecting an alternative sailing of the same itinerary type, ship series, cruise length, and stateroom category.

I called Celebrity today asking about the third option since we had booked an extremely cheap Celebrity Suite on an Alaska cruise for July 2020 that was cancelled.  I would take a similar room on an Alaska trip next summer in a heartbeat.  The phone person said they had no knowledge of this third option.  Would be interested to hear if anyone has seen anything on that as an option.

[jerryd1]

49 minutes ago, Lrtalk said:

There are articles on the web saying that Celebrity is going to offer  a third method of compensation.  Here is the copy of it:

 

• 100% full refund
• 125% future cruise credit to use on a sailing on or before December 31, 2021.
• Move your booking to a sailing in 2021.  Your cruise fare price and promotion will be protected when selecting an alternative sailing of the same itinerary type, ship series, cruise length, and stateroom category.

I called Celebrity today asking about the third option since we had booked an extremely cheap Celebrity Suite on an Alaska cruise for July 2020 that was cancelled.  I would take a similar room on an Alaska trip next summer in a heartbeat.  The phone person said they had no knowledge of this third option.  Would be interested to hear if anyone has seen anything on that as an option.

 

Look at https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-with-confidence     Specifically, option 3, "Same Cruise, Same Price"

[Lrtalk]

2 hours ago, jerryd1 said:

 

Look at https://www.celebritycruises.com/cruise-with-confidence     Specifically, option 3, "Same Cruise, Same Price"

That's it - thanks.  The guy on the phone couldn't find it anywhere on his end.  Good to know the deadline for doing it.

[Fouremco]

A quick question for all of you who have actually received you FCCs: were they issued in exact dollars and cents amounts or rounded up our down to a dollars-only amount?

 

Just curious, as the FCC due to us were $1295.25 each, but both were rounded down to $1295. Now, I'm not going to worry about being out of pocket a grand total of $0.50, but it has me wondering if this is a singular error with our FCCs or a common practise with all of them. With the thousands of them being issued, penny shaving could be quite lucrative.

[jerryd1]

Just now, Fouremco said:

A quick question for all of you who have actually received you FCCs: were they issued in exact dollars and cents amounts or rounded up our down to a dollars-only amount?

 

 

Ours were rounded to the closest whole dollar amount.   

[Happy Cruiser 6143]

9 hours ago, harz99 said:

That excuse says to me that all the claims are in old style paper folders, and someone has been dumping piles of new claims into in-tray baskets before the existing pile has been cleared, thus the oldest ones never get processed....

 

That's probably why they keep assuring my TA's rep that my refund claim is in process.  What I don't understand is how they were able to process part of it.  None of this makes any sense.  I think they have a serious management issue in Miami.  Not that they really give a rip.

[TeaBag]

5 hours ago, Lrtalk said:

There are articles on the web saying that Celebrity is going to offer  a third method of compensation.  Here is the copy of it:

 

• 100% full refund
• 125% future cruise credit to use on a sailing on or before December 31, 2021.
• Move your booking to a sailing in 2021.  Your cruise fare price and promotion will be protected when selecting an alternative sailing of the same itinerary type, ship series, cruise length, and stateroom category.

I called Celebrity today asking about the third option since we had booked an extremely cheap Celebrity Suite on an Alaska cruise for July 2020 that was cancelled.  I would take a similar room on an Alaska trip next summer in a heartbeat.  The phone person said they had no knowledge of this third option.  Would be interested to hear if anyone has seen anything on that as an option.

Isn't that third option "Lift and Shift"?

[Fouremco]

10 hours ago, harz99 said:

That excuse says to me that all the claims are in old style paper folders, and someone has been dumping piles of new claims into in-tray baskets before the existing pile has been cleared, thus the oldest ones never get processed....

Could be. On the other hand, work flow problems are just as prevalent in the digital age. Given the distributed workforce as people work from home, I'm not at the least surprised about Celebrity experiencing work flow issues. My daughter, my son and my daughter-in-law are working from home currently and all have experience issues arising from working in a modified IT environment; none are working at home with paper file folders or physical in-baskets I can assure you.

[patty1955]

6 minutes ago, Fouremco said:

 My daughter, my son and my daughter-in-law are working from home currently and all have experience issues arising from working in a modified IT environment; none are working at home with paper file folders or physical in-baskets I can assure you.

I worked in a "paperless" environment for years. When I teleworked, paper documents were scanned in the office and uploaded to a network folder, where I accessed them. We also had documents uploaded by outside users to our system. It's very possible to work on the newest first if you are not paying attention. 

[ScubesDad]

I have been following this thread periodically since it was started to gauge the response times from Celebrity.

 

Our April 21 cruise was cancelled in the announcement of March 24, and I immediately upon receipt of the notice, responded with my request for a full cash refund.  I can report that it took 9 weeks to obtain my full refund; however, I did not rely on Celebrity to follow through on their commitments detailed in the March 24 email.

 

My timeline was as follows:

March 24 .  received email notice of cancellation, and immediately went online to Celebrity's website and requested full cash refund.

April 17. as the 10 day window for the refund of taxes and fees had passed, not sure if it was 10 days or 10 business days, took it to mean 10 straight days as Celebrity does work a full 7 day work week (or at least they do when they want to take my money), regardless the deadline for the first payment was either April 3 or April 7 and they missed it.  I contacted my credit card company and requested the charge be disputed. I provided the email as proof the company cancelled the cruise and the terms of repayment, and that they were in breach of the terms.  All the information that was needed.

April 29. received partial payment, specifically 85.67% of the total cruise cost back to my credit card . The transaction date was listed as April 25, with a posting date of April 29.  Not sure where the remaining balance was; however, I had read several comments that other people had received payments which were short about 15%.  At this point I was not sure if my action to dispute the charge resulted in the refund or whether Celebrity had actually processed the refund, as it was close to the 30 day commitment.

May 1. contacted my credit card company again looking for information.  They were aware the refund had been processed and were under the assumption that it was a full refund.  When I advised of the shortfall, they took ownership of the issue and said they would resolve it.

May 25. Followed up with the credit card company, and was advised they had not heard anything. Advised not to worry, no need to followup, it will be resolved shortly.

May 27.  Balance owing was credited back to my credit card with a processing date of May 27, and a transaction date of Jan 6...the date final deposit was originally made.  That little bit of information tells me a lot.

 

Reading most of the comments on this thread, I realize many will disagree with my approach.  However, I worked in the banking/investment sector for 32 years and my word was my commitment.  If I said it was going to happen, then I would do everything in my power to ensure it happened....if not my manager(s) wanted to know if not/why not!  All cruises lines, not just Celebrity are relying on the passivity of their clients not to rock the boat (sorry for the bad pun) and they are taking full advantage of that opportunity. 

 

Notwithstanding the current covid pandemic; management committing to a 30 day refund period should provide the resources to make it happen, maybe 40 -45 days was more realistic......however, 60+ days is certainly not acceptable.

 

I often think back to my uni days 40, 41 years ago and a "professor" who was actually  a senior vice-president for an extremely large international company who impressed upon us as we prepared to enter the workforce in the world of business: if you aren't the leader in your industry, then figure out how you can excel to become the leader. If you are the leader, do everything you can to distance yourself from the pack. Never compare yourself to the rest of the pack, and accept mediocrity.  I would contend right now the cruise industry  is a mediocracy, and there is no leader.  It is like a race to the bottom.

[twentyknots]

On 6/3/2020 at 5:50 AM, twentyknots said:

June 23 (90 days from refund request date) will be D-Day for Celebrity to complete my refund process.  Failing that will remove them from any further consideration for future cruises.  

So, as an update, we received 1/2, or $540.40 to our CC today.  C stills owes us another $540.40.  We were told 30 days ago that $1080.80 was withheld from our refund but no one could explain why, just that it would be processed in 2 equal parts.  We cancelled on March 26, so 73 days to get all but the $540.  As I said earlier, C has 90 days to refund it all or we're done.  Tick-tock.

[hcat]

On 6/5/2020 at 1:03 PM, GottaKnowWhen said:

Not to argue, but just to give an alternate perspective... I was booked for an April transatlantic that was cancelled. Let’s say I had done that cruise a month earlier and had returned home before the shutdowns happened. So, that money for that cruise Etc. Would have been spent. Gone. If I have financial issues in May or June, I can’t really go to Celebrity to ask for money back. As it is, the Cruise didn’t happen, I am eventually due money back, but meanwhile my issues are just the same as if I had been on a cruise. Money is spent, gone, time to adjust and make do and move on, and when I do get something sometime as a refund from hotels or cars or excursions or cruise line, it will be a welcome extra.

 

My take

Money spent on a cruise is money enjoyed!

Money sitting around with X waiting to be refunded is not enjoyed or available for other use!

[JulesH]

4 hours ago, ScubesDad said:

Reading most of the comments on this thread, I realize many will disagree with my approach.  However, I worked in the banking/investment sector for 32 years and my word was my commitment.  If I said it was going to happen, then I would do everything in my power to ensure it happened....if not my manager(s) wanted to know if not/why not!  All cruises lines, not just Celebrity are relying on the passivity of their clients not to rock the boat (sorry for the bad pun) and they are taking full advantage of that opportunity. 

 

Notwithstanding the current covid pandemic; management committing to a 30 day refund period should provide the resources to make it happen, maybe 40 -45 days was more realistic......however, 60+ days is certainly not acceptable.

 

I often think back to my uni days 40, 41 years ago and a "professor" who was actually  a senior vice-president for an extremely large international company who impressed upon us as we prepared to enter the workforce in the world of business: if you aren't the leader in your industry, then figure out how you can excel to become the leader. If you are the leader, do everything you can to distance yourself from the pack. Never compare yourself to the rest of the pack, and accept mediocrity.  I would contend right now the cruise industry  is a mediocracy, and there is no leader.  It is like a race to the bottom.

 

I agree totally, and despite what others have said about accounting having nothing to do with actual operation of the ships, safety, etc., a corporation this large runs with a top-down chain of command, and if they do an adequate job overseeing one department, why would another be slipshod? I come from an airline family, and in the travel industry, crises and unexpected events are the norm. So it's unsettling for them to be scrambling around trying to sell cruises with a "business as usual" mentality, while on the other hand asking their customers to have patience with the unprecedented catastrophe that has hit them. Do they really think they can have it both ways? The cruise industry, more than most, depends upon a reputation of competence, transparency and excellence. I'm sad to see how this is playing out.