Refunds

[ceilidh1]

31 minutes ago, SRQMom said:

We also were told it would up to 90 days for our 100% refund.  Our March 13 cruise was cancelled by Carnival, as was the flight.  (we got a letter from Carnival telling us they were refunding our money).  We got the "taxes/fees" credited within 3 days from Carnival and got the refund from the airlines in 3 days.  But after 3 weeks, not days, still nothing so called Carnival to check and was told that the cruise portion of the refund would take up to 90 days.  That seems excessive given the fact the airlines refunded within a week.  Carnival cancelled so I would think they wouldn't be able to hold onto our money for that long.  What if they go bankrupt before issuing the refunds??  We purchased cruise insurance but because of the virus already being stated, if we file a claim we were told 1) it may be rejected or 2) if paid, likely only for 50%, but before we could even file a claim, we were told by the rep that we have to "reject" the refund offer from Carnival so we have a "loss" to claim.  But if we do, and the claim is denied, we are screwed.  Or if we don't, and Carnival goes bankrupt, we loose too because we'd have missed the deadline to even file a claim to see if it might get paid.  Ugggh.  Anybody else with this dilemma?? 

i DID have that dilemma...my cruise was cancelled March 10th. I had an annual insurance policy and was 100% covered for any non-refundable amounts. I spent a long time on the phone with my insurer and got it all confirmed as to steps to follow. I then contacted Carnival to request an email to confirm the non-refundable amount. The email never came. This was required in order to file with my insurance and was time sensitive. I contacted Carnival many times by phone, email, social media and NEVER got that email so passed the window where I was able to claim from insurance. I have now submitted the form for 100% refund from Carnival. I did get an email informing me of the FCC amount - which is NOT what I requested and had to call again to get that straightened out. I am now on day 31 since cancelling and have received nothing - not even port fees/taxes.

[jimbo5544]

3 hours ago, SRQMom said:

We also were told it would up to 90 days for our 100% refund.  Our March 13 cruise was cancelled by Carnival, as was the flight.  (we got a letter from Carnival telling us they were refunding our money).  We got the "taxes/fees" credited within 3 days from Carnival and got the refund from the airlines in 3 days.  But after 3 weeks, not days, still nothing so called Carnival to check and was told that the cruise portion of the refund would take up to 90 days.  That seems excessive given the fact the airlines refunded within a week.  Carnival cancelled so I would think they wouldn't be able to hold onto our money for that long.  What if they go bankrupt before issuing the refunds??  We purchased cruise insurance but because of the virus already being stated, if we file a claim we were told 1) it may be rejected or 2) if paid, likely only for 50%, but before we could even file a claim, we were told by the rep that we have to "reject" the refund offer from Carnival so we have a "loss" to claim.  But if we do, and the claim is denied, we are screwed.  Or if we don't, and Carnival goes bankrupt, we loose too because we'd have missed the deadline to even file a claim to see if it might get paid.  Ugggh.  Anybody else with this dilemma?? 

They told you up to 90days.... 3 weeks is not 90 days.  Carnival is not going bankrupt. 

[michele.westphall]

On 4/4/2020 at 7:27 AM, miataman19 said:

Anyone have experience with a cancellation that was paid with Uplift? I booked a 4 day in July that was paid with Uplift. I've had 3 price drops that have been refunded to Uplift. The balance owed has gone down each time . I'm wondering how that whole process will play out if that sailing is cancelled and I don't rebook (full refund). I know they will get the refund but what happens to the payments I already made?

I had the weirdest thing happen this week. I called my personal cruise consultant and she rebooked us on and August cruise and was able to apply my FCC, yet when she went to do the other 3 guests- it wasn't showing up. She "sent it up" to management. In mean time, another PCC called my Mom, who was Guest 1 on original booking and then passed her over to my PCC.. who was extremely rude on phone and said we needed to email Uplift to have the refuse the refund in order to be able to use Guest1, 3, and 4 FCC?

When I questioned why that would be case, she said I had put some deposit down? Again- not case as it was fully funded by Uplift. She basically hung up on me and has not answered my email or calls since.

I called Uplift today and was told I would have needed to request the refund instead of FCC and they weren't showing anything on their end.

Then, this morning- both me and my Mom received a generic email stating to rebook with our PCC- and listing a completely different name.

I know my PCC wasn't furloughed..

I'll call the new guy and see if he can fix whatever happened. However, I'm worried my FCC were applied to this new booking and so might get stuck in a longer wait and lose our extra 20% offer for rebook.

[skywonder]

On 4/4/2020 at 5:45 PM, Cruising_Addict said:

You DO NOT need to do anything.  The credit card company still has a record of your previous credit card number.  When a refund is issued, it will go towards your account, even if you have a new card number.  Trust me, I have been in the same position many times. And I have even called to ask to confirm before.

Yeah this has happened to me twice and it never was a problem I always got my refund.

[Globetrotter21]

On 4/9/2020 at 3:37 PM, SemperFi_Cruiser said:

I received an email on 3/30 from Carnival telling me my April 16th cruise was canceled - by Carnival.  Filled out the form provided and requested a full refund.  On 4/8, I received another email - standard form letter from Carnival, saying they were sorry " your reservation has cancelled. If your cancellation occurred during the penalty period the amount will be listed below."  At the bottom of the letter under "Penalty Assessed," the amount shown is $0.00.   They also noted that the "unprecedented situation" is delaying processing times so "calling/emailing us" will not expedite the process.  And of course they "appreciate my patience." In the meantime, I check my credit card account daily....one can only hope that one day that refund will suddenly appear....😁

Same. Who has already received their refund and when did you cancel?

[mano2020]

Well, I'm glad it's not only NCL that is  screwing everyone!! 

 

They cancelled, not me.  I had to wait 10 days to even be able to ask for a refund, and by that time I already had the refund from the travel agency for their portion (their commission) of about $60.

 

After waiting the 10 days and requesting a refund, then NCL says 90 MORE days. They have already had my money for 4+ months at that point!!

 

Then they send me a FCC in a much lower a,mount than what I actually paid.

 

They say are NOT refunding ANY travel insurance they issued. Why? 

 

There is no reason for refunds to take 90 days. What other merchant could do this on something THEY cancelled? 

 

If any other business did this, it would be a CRIME.

 

I personally am boycotting the cruise industry completely until they start acting like responsible businesses. There are plenty of other vacation/travel  options out there! 

Edited April 11, 2020 by mano2020
spelling

[travelhound]

FYI, it looks like some people on the Princess forum are starting to get refunds.  This should give you some hope, since Carnival is the parent company.

[quattrohead]

38 minutes ago, mano2020 said:

They say are NOT refunding ANY travel insurance they issued. Why? 

 

Insurance it not something you return if you don't use it.

Does your house or car insurance return your premium at the end of the year, claim or no claim ?

 

[N7786W Flyer]

4 minutes ago, quattrohead said:

Insurance it not something you return if you don't use it.

Does your house or car insurance return your premium at the end of the year, claim or no claim ?

 

 

I'm not so sure I agree with this. 

 

The insurance was purchased to protect his cruise, but the cruise, through no fault of his own, never took place.  In essence, he purchased insurance for a specific period of time and travel, but the travel was cancelled long before the time of travel took place.

 

For example, if his cruise was in July, he purchased insurance specifically for that time in July....nothing before that time or after would be covered.  His insurance would be in force only during that narrow period of time in July.  If the cruise was cancelled by the operator BEFORE July ever got here, the insurance was never in force, never utilized, and therefore, I think he can make a valid argument that the premium should be refunded....ESPECIALLY if it was purchased through the cruise line.

 

Just my opinion...nothing more.

 

Garnett

[coevan]

your trip is insured, your insurance premium is not

[mano2020]

55 minutes ago, quattrohead said:

Insurance it not something you return if you don't use it.

Does your house or car insurance return your premium at the end of the year, claim or no claim ?

 

Thats different.

 

If I purchased auto insurance ahead of time, say a week prior to buying a car, and then the sale was cancelled for any reason, I would get a full refund. Why, because the insurance never went into effect.

 

Same thing with homeowners...or ANY other type of insurance

 

My cruise insurance never went into effect either, so why do they get to keep it. Again, THEY cancelled, not me.

 

Talk about adding insult to injury!!!

[webzila]

1 hour ago, quattrohead said:

Insurance it not something you return if you don't use it.

Does your house or car insurance return your premium at the end of the year, claim or no claim ?

 

Yes they do...most cases pro-rated.

There are many examples, most common for me are GAP car policies. I have gotten partial refunds on them all the time when original loan was paid off early.

[mano2020]

33 minutes ago, coevan said:

your trip is insured, your insurance premium is not

 

 

1st, you sound like a TA.

 

Funny, when I asked my TA about this BEFORE the pandemic, his reply was "of course you'll get a FULL refund on everything....They can't keep money for something you didn't get".

 

Just another lie...

[N7786W Flyer]

54 minutes ago, coevan said:

your trip is insured, your insurance premium is not

 

Just for discussion sake...

 

In my view, you purchase insurance to mitigate risk.  Once the policy is in force, the risk is basically transferred to the insurance company who receives a premium for their role in assuming that risk.

 

However, If the policy is never in force and the insurance company never assumes a risk, what has the insurance company done to justify receiving a premium?  Granted, legal verbiage may allow the insurance company to keep the premium, but from a "fair play" perspective, seems to me that the policy holder is entitled to a refund.

 

Garnett

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by N7786W Flyer

[mano2020]

And just to clarify, I purchased the insurance directly through NCL, along with adding the spa package, even though I purchased the cruise itself through a travel agent, who I will say has been very responsive during this mess. Thank you Daniel!!

 

Also, the full policy is not available to read at the time the plan is purchased, so if there is verbiage saying no refunds, how would anyone know?

 

I work in the real estate industry. It is commonly required  for people to purchase a homeowners insurance  policy prior to closing, to go in effect the day of the closing. If a closing never happens, the policy is refunded in full, promptly. I have seen it happen on several occasions for various reasons.

 

I mean seriously, they want to use my money for free for 7 months, and then charge me an additional $70 for the privilege. It'll be the last penny they ever see from me, and we were planning a 20 person family cruise. Hell nooooo!!!! 

 

 

[GameHog]

Just to answer the insurance question.  I just booked a new cruise since my June Alaska cruise was canceled, the insurance was returned as a credit on the new cruise that was fully paid off.

 

[ceilidh1]

25 minutes ago, mano2020 said:

And just to clarify, I purchased the insurance directly through NCL, along with adding the spa package, even though I purchased the cruise itself through a travel agent, who I will say has been very responsive during this mess. Thank you Daniel!!

 

Also, the full policy is not available to read at the time the plan is purchased, so if there is verbiage saying no refunds, how would anyone know?

 

I work in the real estate industry. It is commonly required  for people to purchase a homeowners insurance  policy prior to closing, to go in effect the day of the closing. If a closing never happens, the policy is refunded in full, promptly. I have seen it happen on several occasions for various reasons.

 

I mean seriously, they want to use my money for free for 7 months, and then charge me an additional $70 for the privilege. It'll be the last penny they ever see from me, and we were planning a 20 person family cruise. Hell nooooo!!!! 

 

 

I don't know the legality around the insurance question, but from a right or wrong standpoint I would agree that it should be refunded. This is just my opinion.

 

IF the cruise reimbursement was being handled via insurance then I can see that the premium would not be refundable. However, given that all passengers (whether they purchased insurance or not) are being reimbursed through the cruise line then that cruiseline insurance is worthless - why should you be "penalised" for buying it, while those that didn't buy it aren't? Doesn't make much sense. Obviously, we are talking about cruiseline insurance - not sure this would apply to an external policy...

[mano2020]

30 minutes ago, GameHog said:

Just to answer the insurance question.  I just booked a new cruise since my June Alaska cruise was canceled, the insurance was returned as a credit on the new cruise that was fully paid off.

 

On what cruise line, may I ask? 

 

On NCL, the FCC they offered did NOT include the insurance I had bought...And they keep sending me the FCC even though I already told them I wanted a refund. MY TA says they are doing this to everyone.

 

if they weren't so sleazy I'd take the FCC, but they are that sleazy, and i refuse to do business with anyone like that!!  A shame, as I did enjoy cruising and recently retired....sigh!! 

[GameHog]

Carnival.  They applied all the money I had spent on this cruise to the new booking.  I’m still waiting on the refund for excursions, but am sure it will come.  Carnival has repaid every penny I spent and gave me a $600 OBC.  More than fair.

[grandmarnnurse]

15 minutes ago, GameHog said:

Carnival.  They applied all the money I had spent on this cruise to the new booking.  I’m still waiting on the refund for excursions, but am sure it will come.  Carnival has repaid every penny I spent and gave me a $600 OBC.  More than fair.

Same here! I’m very happy with how Carnival handled me. I now have a 14 day Journey cruise booked and owe zero dollars on it, plus I have $1200 OBC with still $707 to land to my credit card.

 

Edited April 11, 2020 by grandmarnnurse

[mano2020]

Good to know. This is how it should be. NCL apparently is more worried about stockholders than customers. Lets see how it works out for them!! 

 

I would advise anyone from booking on Norwegian anytime soon, that's for certain!!

[Doggielover68]

36 minutes ago, GameHog said:

Carnival.  They applied all the money I had spent on this cruise to the new booking.  I’m still waiting on the refund for excursions, but am sure it will come.  Carnival has repaid every penny I spent and gave me a $600 OBC.  More than fair.

Same here, except I had to pay $4 (yes 4) and change because the new booking was slightly higher in price. Our excursions were refunded back to new gift cards and mailed within 3 days, but that was before the wave of cancellations. It did take around 2 hours on the phone.

 

People seem to forget that the folks in Miami are going through the same shut down as the rest of us. When you have to relocate hundreds/thousands of employees from an office to a work from home situation, there are going to be some hiccups. The phone system is different, reps don't have a support system or supervisors nearby, etc. Refunds take longer than payments because they don't just go through automatically. Humans have to go through a series of steps to process the refund. Multiply that by the thousands and thousands of refunds that they are processing. It's going to take some time. 

 

The money will come. 

Edited April 11, 2020 by Doggielover68

[bafinegan]

2 hours ago, ceilidh1 said:

I don't know the legality around the insurance question, but from a right or wrong standpoint I would agree that it should be refunded. This is just my opinion.

 

IF the cruise reimbursement was being handled via insurance then I can see that the premium would not be refundable. However, given that all passengers (whether they purchased insurance or not) are being reimbursed through the cruise line then that cruiseline insurance is worthless - why should you be "penalised" for buying it, while those that didn't buy it aren't? Doesn't make much sense. Obviously, we are talking about cruiseline insurance - not sure this would apply to an external policy...

 

The insurance I bought thru Insure My Trip is being credited then re-issued to cover the new cruise i Booked after my Aug Alaska cruise was cancelled. I was pleased ( and surprised) because I thought it would just be gone, and I would be out the money.

 

baf

 

 

[ceilidh1]

1 minute ago, bafinegan said:

 

The insurance I bought thru Insure My Trip is being credited then re-issued to cover the new cruise i Booked after my Aug Alaska cruise was cancelled. I was pleased ( and surprised) because I thought it would just be gone, and I would be out the money.

 

baf

 

 

That's good news! I have an annual insurance plan so wouldn'y apply to my situation since it'd been in effect for a while prior to my cancelled trip. It's nice to know that some companies appear to be doing the right thing!

[DWolf2020]

5 hours ago, travelhound said:

FYI, it looks like some people on the Princess forum are starting to get refunds.  This should give you some hope, since Carnival is the parent company.

That's great news!  Interesting too because Princess officers are in California and Carnival's are in Florida.  Both states have "stay-at-home" orders.  Yet Princess Accounting is working and Carnival Accounting is not...?

There's also rumors of a class action suit building against Princess so I'm sure their goal is to "appease" as many customers as possible as quickly as possible so they don't jump in on it.

Edited April 11, 2020 by DWolf2020