July 2020 PG Cruises Cancelled

[Hutchinj]

I just heard from my TA that PG has now cancelled all sailings in July 2020. Not showing up on the PG website yet but that should be updated soon.

 

And no surprise, their reservations department is saying you can't get a refund, only a credit. I will formally request a refund from them anyway and if (when) they refuse, I'll file a dispute with my credit card company.

 

We've had their July 4th cruise booked for nearly 2 years now. Really is a shame since we wanted to do this cruise so badly. Would even consider risking it all and rebooking for a future cruise but no way I want to do business with a company that ignores their own contracts and treats their customers with such disdain. I do feel sorry for the PG crew, of course, as none of this is their fault. I certainly hope they can recover and get back to some semblance of normalcy.

 

We will now plan to visit FP next year but it will be a land-based resort stay only. We're going to put cruising on the back burner until the industry gets itself sorted out.

 

To everyone else, good luck and stay safe!

[Wendy The Wanderer]

Let us know how that goes. What a pain.

[fedexretiree]

7 hours ago, Hutchinj said:

I just heard from my TA that PG has now cancelled all sailings in July 2020. Not showing up on the PG website yet but that should be updated soon.

 

And no surprise, their reservations department is saying you can't get a refund, only a credit. I will formally request a refund from them anyway and if (when) they refuse, I'll file a dispute with my credit card company.

 

We've had their July 4th cruise booked for nearly 2 years now. Really is a shame since we wanted to do this cruise so badly. Would even consider risking it all and rebooking for a future cruise but no way I want to do business with a company that ignores their own contracts and treats their customers with such disdain. I do feel sorry for the PG crew, of course, as none of this is their fault. I certainly hope they can recover and get back to some semblance of normalcy.

 

We will now plan to visit FP next year but it will be a land-based resort stay only. We're going to put cruising on the back burner until the industry gets itself sorted out.

 

To everyone else, good luck and stay safe!

So sorry our cruises have been canceled.  We were really looking forward to going back, once just wasn't enough.

Thanks for the update.  I will be doing the same.  Don't want FCC either.  If you don't mind, report back and let us know what kind of  hoops you have to jump thru with the credit card for your refund.  Never did that before so I don't know how that process works.  Maybe we will all have the chance to do this again when this virus has been stopped.  

[Wendy The Wanderer]

On 6/1/2020 at 3:01 PM, Hutchinj said:

We will now plan to visit FP next year but it will be a land-based resort stay only. We're going to put cruising on the back burner until the industry gets itself sorted out.

 

Well do let us know how that planning goes.  I'm thinking the same thing--if cruising is "over", then we may want to make it back to FP on more time. 

[Emdee]

2 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Well do let us know how that planning goes.  I'm thinking the same thing--if cruising is "over", then we may want to make it back to FP on more time. 

Wendy, we are hoping to go  January. But very nervous to fly for so many hours with a mask.

 

 

[Hutchinj]

20 hours ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Well do let us know how that planning goes.  I'm thinking the same thing--if cruising is "over", then we may want to make it back to FP on more time. 

We are already working with our TA to visit FP next August, with resort stays on Tahiti, Moorea, and Bora Bora... no cruise ship. Pluses and minuses to that of course, but all in all I think it should allow for an even more relaxing itinerary. We have been assured no increase in resort prices as they usually do each year plus we're now able to add and additional day to our stays in Moorea & Bora Bora.

 

Still haven't heard back from PG about our refund request. No surprise, though.

[Jared Purdy]

Showing now on their web site.  All cruises cancelled for July 2020.  Nothing mentioned beyond that.

[aururab]

We just booked a land only vacation to FP in October with our kids and my parents... wish us luck!

[Hutchinj]

1 hour ago, aururab said:

We just booked a land only vacation to FP in October with our kids and my parents... wish us luck!

Good call. Hopefully things will have settled down by then and even if not, it's still much easier to socially distance at land resorts vs any cruise ship. I'm sure you will have a wonderful time with your family!

 

It's been over a week and I still have not heard back from PG in regards to my refund demand. I'm not surprised, unfortunately. So it looks like I'll have to file a dispute with my credit card company after all. Really a shame as this leaves such a bad impression on the Paul Gauguin and it certainly isn't the crew's fault. We still wish them all the best.

[Host Jazzbeau]

New article on Cruise Critic on this topic:

Cruising to Restart in French Polynesia As Early as Mid-July

 

The article talks about Paul Gauguin, Aranui Adventure Cruises, and Windstar – as well as air travel restrictions.  Confirms that Paul Gauguin will resume cruising on August 1.

[Hutchinj]

5 hours ago, Hutchinj said:

It's been over a week and I still have not heard back from PG in regards to my refund demand. I'm not surprised, unfortunately. So it looks like I'll have to file a dispute with my credit card company after all. Really a shame as this leaves such a bad impression on the Paul Gauguin and it certainly isn't the crew's fault. We still wish them all the best.

 

Sorry for the duplicate post but wanted to be sure those pursuing refunds from PG/Ponant saw this:

 

Only after some urging from my wonderful TA, I finally heard back from PG in regards to my request for refund from our cancelled July 4th cruise. Here's what they said:

 

Your refund request has now been noted. The Covid19 pandemic is having an adverse effect on our economy, especially the hospitality and travel industries.   We are doing our best to issue refunds, but due to the circumstances some delays should be expected, please allow up to 120 days for processing.   

 

So to their credit, it appears that PG is going to honor our refund request albeit after a wait of up to 6 months. Hate to wait that long but even so this is much preferred to filing a credit card dispute. Things are looking up (I think). 

[Wendy The Wanderer]

7 minutes ago, Hutchinj said:

 

Sorry for the duplicate post but wanted to be sure those pursuing refunds from PG/Ponant saw this:

 

Only after some urging from my wonderful TA, I finally heard back from PG in regards to my request for refund from our cancelled July 4th cruise. Here's what they said:

 

Your refund request has now been noted. The Covid19 pandemic is having an adverse effect on our economy, especially the hospitality and travel industries.   We are doing our best to issue refunds, but due to the circumstances some delays should be expected, please allow up to 120 days for processing.   

 

So to their credit, it appears that PG is going to honor our refund request albeit after a wait of up to 6 months. Hate to wait that long but even so this is much preferred to filing a credit card dispute. Things are looking up (I think). 

 

Wow, yes, but how about all the folks that took a voucher instead because they thought it was their only choice?  Still not exactly covering themselves with glory, are they?  And it isn't just the hospitality industry that is having adverse effects, is it?

 

Thanks for the update.  Still hasn't persuaded me to cruise the PG again.

[MotuIslander]

1 hour ago, Wendy The Wanderer said:

 

Wow, yes, but how about all the folks that took a voucher instead because they thought it was their only choice?  Still not exactly covering themselves with glory, are they?  And it isn't just the hospitality industry that is having adverse effects, is it?

 

Thanks for the update.  Still hasn't persuaded me to cruise the PG again.

Wendy,

 

I am MORE than happy with the terms of my Future Cruise Credit!

 

We too have been waiting a long time for this sailing (even though we sailed last year, and the year before). This was to be a trip with about 20 of our friends and I am sure it would have been a really great time. We would have been flying this weekend for a three-night stay at the Tahiti IC prior to our 14th cruise on the PG. 

 

Almost all of our group have transferred their FCC to the identical cruise one year from now. PG treated us all more than fairly and they always have!

 

I am REALLY disappointed that we cannot sail next week, but that is due to COVID-19, not my favorite cruise line.

 

Regards,

Steve

Edited June 10, 2020 by MotuIslander

[Hutchinj]

They offered us a 120% FCC which we also thought was fair but due to our particular situation (age, economy, finances, etc) we needed to insist on a refund which fortunately they now seem amenable to.

 

Let me stress again that none of this recent strife (brought on by COVID-19) was the fault of the PG staff or crew. They were just caught up in the middle due to Ponant's initial attempt to refuse to honor the terms of their own passenger contract. Not PG's fault.

 

I'm really happy for everyone who has managed to rebook a cruise and wish you smooth sailing in beautiful FP. We'll be waving at you from shore next year! 🙂