Price Drop

[JVNYC]

Did anyone else notice the price drop on some of the 2021 sailings? I was eyeing a July, 2021 14 day on Encore a few weeks ago and just noticed the price dropped $1000 pp. I may need to jump on this. 

[wesport]

16 minutes ago, JVNYC said:

Did anyone else notice the price drop on some of the 2021 sailings? I was eyeing a July, 2021 14 day on Encore a few weeks ago and just noticed the price dropped $1000 pp. I may need to jump on this. 

I saw that. No Obc yet

[Mark56]

On 5/15/2020 at 7:38 AM, JVNYC said:

Did anyone else notice the price drop on some of the 2021 sailings? I was eyeing a July, 2021 14 day on Encore a few weeks ago and just noticed the price dropped $1000 pp. I may need to jump on this. 

 

You might want to wait until you see refunds given to all the previous customers that are owed money for canceled cruises or else you might find yourself becoming a member of our club.

 

 

[JVNYC]

4 hours ago, Mark56 said:

 

You might want to wait until you see refunds given to all the previous customers that are owed money for canceled cruises or else you might find yourself becoming a member of our club.

 

 

Is it a bad idea to book something new?

 

[Paulchili]

29 minutes ago, JVNYC said:

Is it a bad idea to book something new?

 

No if you are either willing to wait 90+ days for a possible refund or prepared to lose that money in case Seabourn is not around.

Listen to Mark56

[johng75370]

For something that far out, and deposits being very low, not sure what I’m missing here. The risk would be the delayed refund of the deposit; if (like us) you’ve already got a future cruise deposit I don’t see much additional risk of using it for a future cruise. Always nice to have something booked to look forward to!

[Paulchili]

12 minutes ago, johng75370 said:

if (like us) you’ve already got a future cruise deposit I don’t see much additional risk of using it for a future cruise.

That is a different story from making a new deposit - which is not a negligible amount.

[zelker]

Buyer beware .... I want to make sure you understand that Seabourn's FCDs ($500 each) do not normally cover the required deposit, making it highly likely that you'll have to kick in more to that amount, even if they are offering reduced deposits at this time.  Seabourn's FCDs get you an extra 5% discount but, unlike Holland America's FCDs for example, they do not fulfill the deposit amount (unless of course they are offering a  deposit of $500 or less per person).

 

Also, I cancelled two FCDs on March 24th that had not been applied to any booking yet, Seabourn has been sitting on that $1K of our money since we bought them in August of 2017, and we still haven't received the credit back to our Visa. 😕

[JVNYC]

So you all are saying don’t book a new cruise for 2021 because of the long refund delays??!!

[Paulchili]

12 minutes ago, JVNYC said:

So you all are saying don’t book a new cruise for 2021 because of the long refund delays??!!

Jan or Dec 21?

[JVNYC]

35 minutes ago, Paulchili said:

Jan or Dec 21?

July 2021

[Mark56]

Of course you do what you want. But If you give them money you should expect you'll never see it again if they go bankrupt. All of us are being held hostage right now and have paid for canceled cruises and they are not giving it back except for a very few lucky ones. I would until we're all made whole, cruises are happening and their financial situation looks stable before you risk your money buying a cruise.

 

Right now they're burning money and cutting staff and emptying their lines of credit and trying to survive. There is no guarantee that they will make it to the other side. If I were betting I would bet that they will squeek by and survive without going into receivership but why would you take this big risk without any return? The financial markets just loaned them a bunch of money and charged them over 10% for the priveledge. I'm sure they would be happy to take your money for no interest and no terms for repayment and string you along like they have with all of us. If it works out great but I'm sure you'll get the same or better deal if you wait.  

[JVNYC]

You have valid concerns.....I get it completely. Carnival secured huge financing. Where are you reading they will go under? Carnival has the most money of the big 3.

Edited May 18, 2020 by JVNYC

[saminina]

Kind of a stupid conversation to continue.  Mark56 has presented the common sense case.    Do your own homework.  Why would you believe anything written by a stranger?

[JVNYC]

It’s not stupid. Valid concerns. Chill out. 

[Two4Sea]

Zelker, for our 2016 Seabourn cruise the purchase price of the FCDs we had in hand from a 2015 cruise was indeed counted as part of required deposit money for the 2016 cruise. Has there been a change in policy since then?

 

We bought some more FCDs on that 2016 cruise but haven't used them because of cruising elsewhere. Now we are considering a Seabourn cruise well into 2021 but as those FCDs and their benefits expire this year we had our TA discuss the present situation with Seabourn. A reasonable solution was found and we left the funds as what to us became a worthwhile gamble on them.

 

For the OP, I think you are in the same boat just on a much bigger scale. To you, is risking the new deposit money a fair bet versus the price saving? Maybe no, maybe yes.

 

Bill

[cruisr]

You read it here first.  Prices will continue to drop.  I would not give any cruise line, any money now.  That’s just me.

[JodiandFrank]

When our November cruise (Lisbon to Barbados) was cancelled two weeks ago, I booked a November 2021 cruise (Lisbon to Miami...where I live).  Nothing out of pocket to do it so why not.  Today that new cruise dropped $1,000 per person...I contacted my TA and he rebooked at the new price.  With any luck there will be a vaccine, if not I will cancel next summer and wait forever for my money.   

     I also called Seabourn today to ask about my refund from my cancelled July cruise.  Today is 61 days since cancellation.  The man I spoke with, Frank, told me that they are working on the cruises cancelled on March 11, so I should be receiving my money soon.  Fingers crossed......

[tv24]

I love Seabourn and have lately been dreaming of a return.  But I am waiting for thousands and thousands of dollars in refunds for cancellations, and am not willing to commit any more money to the corporation until there is a vaccine.  I am 69 and too much at risk to board any cruise ship.  I would love to cruise again in 2021 and Seabourn would be my first choice, but my crystal ball looks very cloudy right now.  They are getting no more of my money in the near future.

[Mauzac]

I agree.  I am awaiting refunds of a lot of money, 69 days today since I pressed the button of our first B2B.   

We really want to cruise again in 2021, in an ideal world I would like to rebook our 30 days cruise we were due to take.  I cannot imagine paying out any money to SB at this stage, not until we receive what we are owed and we also need stability of the line and yes, preferably a vaccine.

 

There are some small positive signs here in UK regarding vaccine development and we're trying to keep hopeful.  

Without a vaccine I just imagine air travel being severely impacted and expensive, and the time on a ship not being the same experience we've had before.  Since retirement we've both been lucky enough to start our travelling adventure all over the world, and we want to continue!  

[andiamo76]

On 5/18/2020 at 7:36 PM, JodiandFrank said:

When our November cruise (Lisbon to Barbados) was cancelled two weeks ago, I booked a November 2021 cruise (Lisbon to Miami...where I live).  Nothing out of pocket to do it so why not.  Today that new cruise dropped $1,000 per person...I contacted my TA and he rebooked at the new price.  With any luck there will be a vaccine, if not I will cancel next summer and wait forever for my money.   

     I also called Seabourn today to ask about my refund from my cancelled July cruise.  Today is 61 days since cancellation.  The man I spoke with, Frank, told me that they are working on the cruises cancelled on March 11, so I should be receiving my money soon.  Fingers crossed......

Curiosity - do you mean your cruise THIS November 2020 was just cancelled by Seabourn?  We are new to Seabourn and looking at their Miami - Buenos Aires Antarctica cruise which supposedly (hopes)  to depart Miami on November 7th this year.

 

Having read this thread I have some doubts about booking and paying up, but I also think there is a lot up in the air for all cruise lines.  We all are taking a gamble to book anything.  Once one has to pay the balance the stakes just get a lot higher.  For whatever it is worth, for all of you awaiting refunds from Seabourn it sounds to me like your long wait is common among many of the cruise lines.  We are waiting for our deposit refund from Crystal for a cruise we cancelled the beginning of April.  Friends are awaiting their cruise refund for a cruise cancelled by Oceania (who just raised $2.4 billion earlier this month)  which was to depart late March.  I think we are all in the same boat (pardon the pun) wondering which lines will survive financially which won't and how will service and quality change.  So hard to say, as we know there will be changes, but many of us love to be traveling and cruising.   It will come back!   

Thanks for sharing your insights and thoughts.

[rols]

3 hours ago, andiamo76 said:

Curiosity - do you mean your cruise THIS November 2020 was just cancelled by Seabourn?  We are new to Seabourn and looking at their Miami - Buenos Aires Antarctica cruise which supposedly (hopes)  to depart Miami on November 7th this year.

Just look here https://www.seabourn.com/en_US/news/pause-global-cruise-operations.html to see the current state of cancellations. Different ships are subject to different cancellation schedules and currently the cruise you're talking about is the first one Quest is due to sail (its pause finishes November 6th). 

 

Until international travel returns to some kind of normal, which means quarantines are lifted, planes start flying regularly and you don't need to sit on a 20 hour fight wearing a face mask (only to then spend 2 weeks on a ship not wearing one), we're staying home and supporting any local restaurants which actually are still around to re-open here after what will be more than 3 months shut. 

[andiamo76]

Thanks for your prompt response.  This helps.  Wow, more than 3 months shut.  That should about kill the economy where you are.  Pretty tough on everyone.

[MHF]

Now that I've received my refund from SB, I was looking to book Nov 2021.  My TA said to wait which is not something she's said before.  I"ve known her 25 years so...I'm waiting.

[JVNYC]

5 minutes ago, MHF said:

Now that I've received my refund from SB, I was looking to book Nov 2021.  My TA said to wait which is not something she's said before.  I"ve known her 25 years so...I'm waiting.

What was her reason for advising to wait?