Resilient Lady Sailings: Canceled

[hoover86]

22 minutes ago, atanac said:

In case you've been in a coma for the last few years you might know there are labor shortages everywhere. You can't walk by a business without seeing Help Wanted signs or experience long hold  times on the phone.

I'm sure Virgin would love to add reps if they could find and train them.

I’m sure they would love to be better staffed. Unfortunately this industry is sink or swim. They could also work smarter not harder, and have better upfront communication and self-booking options. This cuts down on calls to reps. 

[Island Dog]

Link in email doesn't work. Had to use the one early in this thread. Requested refund through link and loading icon spins into infinity. Gonna try getting the refund through my TA. If that doesn't work, I'm disputing the charge through my cc. Way too fishy for me. Something doesn't add up.

 

BTW where did the guy go responding directly from Virgin on here?????????🤣

[PiperHolliday]

3 minutes ago, Island Dog said:

Link in email doesn't work. Had to use the one early in this thread. Requested refund through link and loading icon spins into infinity. Gonna try getting the refund through my TA. If that doesn't work, I'm disputing the charge through my cc. Way too fishy for me. Something doesn't add up.

 

BTW where did the guy go responding directly from Virgin on here?????????🤣

 

Should have had your travel agent handle it from the get-go. I've taken care of three bookings already and had a hold time of less than 15 minutes via the exclusive First Mate line. 

[PiperHolliday]

10 hours ago, EvilCocoBean said:

Does anyone know:

(1) if we bought travel insurance, do we get that back?

 

(2) if we got JLo "Booty" on board credit, will that transfer to a new cruise we book?

 

All promos will transfer over to your new cruise booking. 

[cruisingguy007]

On 6/8/2022 at 7:45 AM, CroozFanatic said:

Tread carefully...

 

Exactly! Many are already reporting light sailings and they have excluded a huge pool of potential customers by excluding families/kids. Inflation is high and financing has only driven already high costs, even higher for folks. As the pool of customers gets smaller, it becomes a danger warning to be sure, especially for luxury/niche lines, maybe less impactful to CCL/RCI as the prices are lower but the higher priced lines will be less appealing in an inflated/over heated market. Beware of FCC in lieu of securing your cash refund, turning cash into company scrip didn't work out for a lot of folks over the last few years.    . 

[Chrish2]

This will probably clog up their phone lines for some time. Having "spent" a FVC with virgin I was surprised how long it too the rep to get everything sorted. Would have to have to be on with them multiple times.

[cruisingguy007]

20 hours ago, Island Dog said:

Glad you're here. I wasn't booked until 2023 and cannot sail in 2022. Plans and vacation time already planned. If I'm correct, then I'm out of luck to get comped since I can't book in 2022. That does not seem fair. I'll probably just take my money back and go elsewhere. 

 

Why do you think they are trying to get you to "use a portion". That should be your real question. Once you figure that out, "taking your money back" will seem brilliant. 😁  

[ctdahlquist]

2 hours ago, Island Dog said:

Link in email doesn't work. Had to use the one early in this thread. Requested refund through link and loading icon spins into infinity. Gonna try getting the refund through my TA. If that doesn't work, I'm disputing the charge through my cc. Way too fishy for me. Something doesn't add up.

 

BTW where did the guy go responding directly from Virgin on here?????????🤣

 

[ctdahlquist]

I cannot get through to Virgin. The email link wasn't set up properly, so you have to cut and paste it into your browser.  Then when you access the "form" to re-book, it goes nowhere...just spins and spins.  Then, when you call the customer service number, you are prompted to dial a "1" to request a callback, but that doesn't work as well, as least when calling from an iPhone!  

[kendid]

Waiting on a callback for 22 hours now - also have been on hold for 5 hours today

[EvilCocoBean]

Virgin: If you are listening:

 

If you do not be "my Mom's cruise line" then act like it and be different. I have no problem with you cancelling, but have a corporate strategy for doing so. You did not decide to cancel thousands of reservations 15 minutes before you announced it. So have extra phone and on-line "chat" agents and/or extended your business hours).  I laughed when someone said use your travel agent - that;s what my Mom would do - your target audience uses phones & apps (just like on your ships), not travel agents.

 

For god's sake give us an option to pick an option on-line - click a button and we can electing our choice (or just give us the Code linking our VCC to our sailor account and we can just re-book ourselves). (See a website like Southwest Airlines- easy to cancel/change. I get in normal times you do not want people cancelling on-line (make it hard= they may not do it and you want a chance to "sell" me on not cancelling but re-booking.) That is OK in normal times, but when YOU cancel vacation plans for people who have had their trips booked for months and paid in full, you should make it easy for us. 

[ociana]

15 minutes ago, EvilCocoBean said:

Virgin: If you are listening:

 

If you do not be "my Mom's cruise line" then act like it and be different. I have no problem with you cancelling, but have a corporate strategy for doing so. You did not decide to cancel thousands of reservations 15 minutes before you announced it. So have extra phone and on-line "chat" agents and/or extended your business hours).  I laughed when someone said use your travel agent - that;s what my Mom would do - your target audience uses phones & apps (just like on your ships), not travel agents.

 

For god's sake give us an option to pick an option on-line - click a button and we can electing our choice (or just give us the Code linking our VCC to our sailor account and we can just re-book ourselves). (See a website like Southwest Airlines- easy to cancel/change. I get in normal times you do not want people cancelling on-line (make it hard= they may not do it and you want a chance to "sell" me on not cancelling but re-booking.) That is OK in normal times, but when YOU cancel vacation plans for people who have had their trips booked for months and paid in full, you should make it easy for us. 

 

I agree! For all the younger generation targeting, the customer service and sales structure continues to rely on the telephone game and travel agents.  I am in my early 40s and I would so prefer to do things online myself without having to work with someone on the phone.  Let me choose my cabin, see my account history and available credits, apply credits when booking and all the other things...pretty please.  

 

 

[EvilCocoBean]

What is frying my bacon is that because of the re-bookings, the prices are now shooting up from yesterday (prices rise as booking increase) and for no fault of my own, the same cruise I could book yesterday is now more expensive, despite trying to get through. WTH?

[PiperHolliday]

45 minutes ago, EvilCocoBean said:

Virgin: If you are listening:

 

If you do not be "my Mom's cruise line" then act like it and be different. I have no problem with you cancelling, but have a corporate strategy for doing so. You did not decide to cancel thousands of reservations 15 minutes before you announced it. So have extra phone and on-line "chat" agents and/or extended your business hours).  I laughed when someone said use your travel agent - that;s what my Mom would do - your target audience uses phones & apps (just like on your ships), not travel agents.

 

For god's sake give us an option to pick an option on-line - click a button and we can electing our choice (or just give us the Code linking our VCC to our sailor account and we can just re-book ourselves). (See a website like Southwest Airlines- easy to cancel/change. I get in normal times you do not want people cancelling on-line (make it hard= they may not do it and you want a chance to "sell" me on not cancelling but re-booking.) That is OK in normal times, but when YOU cancel vacation plans for people who have had their trips booked for months and paid in full, you should make it easy for us. 

 

I absolutely, positively agree that Virgin needs to quickly address everything you have said (I really, really wish more suppliers would get onboard with self-automation), but I don't think you need to find my suggestion laughable. The user I directed my post to said he used a travel agent and I was letting him know that was probably the best course of action to get his refund taken care of since I had an easy time.

 

Of course, I totally understand wanting to be in control and have a handle on everything yourself because I can be that way, too! Travel agents definitely aren't for everyone. But I am not your mom's travel agent and perhaps you only have experience with less-than-mediocre agents that only know how to game the booking systems looking for the highest commission and never visit the places they sell. I am mid-thirties, I do not care for traditional cruising. I don't do mega ships. I do not care for large all-inclusive resorts in all the common Caribbean and Mexican destinations. I have experience travelling independently to nearly 100 countries. I do not book Disney, theme parks, etc. I would never consider letting any of my clients set foot on a tour coach. The majority of my clients are my age or younger and enjoy detailed, authentic, custom trips in Europe and Asia. They want the expertise of someone that has been where they are going without paying extra. And someone to take care of issues like this when they arise - faster than they could on their own (I take calls 24/7). There are great agents out there that can be a fantastic tool if you are willing to forget what you think you know about travel agents. Don't write us ALL off just yet. I promise some good ones do exist! 😊

(admin: not trying to break rules - this is not an ad, I do not want more clients)

[googinsg]

Their online booking form is broken, just spins.  Tried to call yesterday and was on hold for 4 hours then disconnected.  I tweeted them and they told me to send an email which hasn't been responded to.  This is just a horrible experience, they should have been more prepared to help people after ruining their vacations.

[xerenthar]

18 minutes ago, PiperHolliday said:

 

I absolutely, positively agree that Virgin needs to quickly address everything you have said (I really, really wish more suppliers would get onboard with self-automation), but I don't think you need to find my suggestion laughable. The user I directed my post to said he used a travel agent and I was letting him know that was probably the best course of action to get his refund taken care of since I had an easy time.

 

Of course, I totally understand wanting to be in control and have a handle on everything yourself because I can be that way, too! Travel agents definitely aren't for everyone. But I am not your mom's travel agent and perhaps you only have experience with less-than-mediocre agents that only know how to game the booking systems looking for the highest commission and never visit the places they sell. I am mid-thirties, I do not care for traditional cruising. I don't do mega ships. I do not care for large all-inclusive resorts in all the common Caribbean and Mexican destinations. I have experience travelling independently to nearly 100 countries. I do not book Disney, theme parks, etc. I would never consider letting any of my clients set foot on a tour coach. The majority of my clients are my age or younger and enjoy detailed, authentic, custom trips in Europe and Asia. They want the expertise of someone that has been where they are going without paying extra. And someone to take care of issues like this when they arise - faster than they could on their own (I take calls 24/7). There are great agents out there that can be a fantastic tool if you are willing to forget what you think you know about travel agents. Don't write us ALL off just yet. I promise some good ones do exist! 😊

(admin: not trying to break rules - this is not an ad, I do not want more clients)

 

my wife and i are mid-30s DINKs and to be honest we couldn't tell you what a travel agent does beyond our viewing of The Americans. we have "used a travel agent" in the mega-ship realm as the cruise industry seems to be the one that still operates on the travel agent exclusive model, but by "used a travel agent", i mean we put in a cruise we have chosen and someone emails us an OBC offer that isn't available on the website.

 

i generally think of travel agents in the same category as like traveler's checks. i genuinely don't know what they're for, but i'm cautiously interested?

[BBuchanan51]

My Travel agent called me about an hour before the email went out.  She had received the news earlier than the general public.  By the time the public released email came out, I had already re-booked for the other Transatlantic, and upgraded to a suite using the 200% FCC funds.  I got the last suite on the trip that was available.  This would not have been possible if I had not used a travel agent.  

 

I have been in the IT world for my entire career so its not like I am not capable of doing everything myself online.  The truth of the matter is an agent simply has better tools at their disposal, and the tour companies and cruise lines still depend on them.

 

The reason for the cancelation I was told is all due to staffing.  With a significant portion of the global cruise staff coming out of the Ukraine, they could not properly staff and train an entire ship's worth of crew.  Several of the other cruise lines have postponed new ship launches for the same reason.

 

 

 

 

Edited June 9, 2022 by BBuchanan51

[EvilCocoBean]

27 minutes ago, BBuchanan51 said:

My Travel agent called me about an hour before the email went out.  She had received the news earlier than the general public.  By the time the public released email came out, I had already re-booked for the other Transatlantic, and upgraded to a suite using the 200% FCC funds.  I got the last suite on the trip that was available.  This would not have been possible if I had not used a travel agent.  

 

I have been in the IT world for my entire career so its not like I am not capable of doing everything myself online.  The truth of the matter is an agent simply has better tools at their disposal, and the tour companies and cruise lines still depend on them.

 

The reason for the cancelation I was told is all due to staffing.  With a significant portion of the global cruise staff coming out of the Ukraine, they could not properly staff and train an entire ship's worth of crew.  Several of the other cruise lines have postponed new ship launches for the same reason.

 

 

 

 

 

[EvilCocoBean]

So I need a travel agent just so when they (Virgin cruises) decides to unilaterally cancel or screw up? 

[EvilCocoBean]

And to be clear, I have no beef with travel agents. My beef is Virgin. They sent me emails directly (not via  travel agent) and wanted me to book directly with them to cut out middle man commission. But now they treat other customers better then others? 

 

They also marketed itself as a "tech forward" disruptor  - yet they send me a link that does not work (even my 13 year old can make a hyper link that works), when you call they say use the link (broken) and submit your form (broken); chat with us on-line (unavailable); and we will call you back (still waiting after hours).  That is not tech forward. Is all of their image just hype?

[mattyeager]

We’ve been on hold for five hours at this point. Is anyone even answering the phones?

 

edit: got a call back seconds after I posted this. 🙃

Edited June 9, 2022 by mattyeager

[Ryangthelion]

We had part paid the cruise and we were planning to pay the rest of the balance by the end of the week. By some miracle I had logged in two hours before the cancellation email and paid my half and my partner was going to pay the other half on Friday. I called and got a call back 7 hours later and rebooked for a cruise out of Miami in December, but when I asked about what the website said at the bottom of the page of cancellation FAQ’s; it said that you can ‘pay the entire amount before June 22nd to get the 200% on the total amount’ the agent said the cruise was cancelled and that there wasn’t any remaining balance as the cruise no longer existed. 

 

We are rebooked in a more expensive suite now as the seriously suite suite wasn’t available, but the more I think about it, the more I would like to have been able to pay the full amount and been given the 200% on that to book a mega rock star suite. 

 

Has anyone else run into this problem yet? We also booked for December of 2022 and I guess will have to wait for our access key?

[EvilCocoBean]

It's been 6 hours and 42 minutes since my "we will save your place in the queue and call you back" I did this morning

- No callback yet. Ugghhh. 

[kendid]

2 minutes ago, EvilCocoBean said:

It's been 6 hours and 42 minutes since my "we will save your place in the queue and call you back" I did this morning

- No callback yet. Ugghhh. 

 

I've given up hope on my callback.  Currently on hold for just over 5 hours without getting disconnected!  Hopefully the service on the ships is better than this!

[googinsg]

I called my travel agent for help after all of Virgin's options failed (online form broken), email not responded to, phone number has you hold for 4 hours then disconnects you saying "maximum hold time exceeded", web chat unavailable.  My travel agent tried to call the Virgin Agent Support Desk and was on hold for 6 hours with no answer and she finally had to go home for the day, so they have cancelled the cruises and have no way to deal with it.