Has anyone heard about a cruise reimbursement for the cloudstrike computer glitch?

[TRLD]

2 hours ago, Goldenrosebags said:

Do you have an email that you sent your's too? I'm just wondering if it's different than the one they gave us on the ship.

Elliott advocacy has a couple of email addresses that might be useful, as well as good information of how to build the letter.  They are another resource.

[tupper10]

On 8/23/2024 at 4:04 PM, Goldenrosebags said:

I should also say we booked our air through HAL.

Go to Elliot advocacy site and get corporate emails and send your request to corporate. Be detailed about what happened, who you spoke with and what department and what you want as a resolution with a dollar amount.  And then please let us know what happens.  

[Goldenrosebags]

Thanks everybody. I will.

[syesmar]

@Goldenrosebags You may also want to check with your credit card to see if they have travel insurance. I’ve successfully used them as a supplement when my regular travel policy or airline didn’t cover everything I expected (ymmv). 
 

So am I to understand that if a person purchased their airfare from HAL and missed the first part of a B2B due to a missed flight, that there isn’t compensation from HAL or FlightEase? I had always understood that confidence to be reimbursed/compensated in these types of situations was a reason so many chose to purchase air from a cruise line.

Edited August 25 by syesmar

[Hlitner]

What a mess which was not the fault of the cruise lines (all were impacted) or the airlines (which were also the victim).  I imagine it will take years to resolve the various claims (some of which will be huge...between the airlines and Crowdstrike).  Insurance companies make their money by NOT paying claims, and since this situation will involve $Billions in claims you can expect them to be like turtles hiding inside their shells.  

 

As to the OPs insurance, we talk a lot about insurance on the CC cruise insurance blog and, unfortunately, most folks do not take the time to read the details of a policy before they purchase.  You would think that this Crowdstrike situation is just the kind of thing that should be covered by trip insurance, but insurance companies may try to weasel out of paying claims by implementing various clauses.  I would not be shocked to see some of them try to use "force majeure" as an excuse although one could argue that force majeure was never meant to cover something like a software screw-up.  

 

We hope that the OP is eventually recovers all their losses.  Like others, all we can do is offer our moral support and suggest that they keep plugging away at the various parties (airlines, cruise line, and insurance company) for some kind of settlement.

 

Hank

[Mary229]

5 hours ago, syesmar said:

@Goldenrosebags You may also want to check with your credit card to see if they have travel insurance. I’ve successfully used them as a supplement when my regular travel policy or airline didn’t cover everything I expected (ymmv). 
 

So am I to understand that if a person purchased their airfare from HAL and missed the first part of a B2B due to a missed flight, that there isn’t compensation from HAL or FlightEase? I had always understood that confidence to be reimbursed/compensated in these types of situations was a reason so many chose to purchase air from a cruise line.

HAL has no legally binding warranty or guarantee associated with Flight Ease.  It simply is an offer to assist and possibly wait for the person. They did indeed take their flight, it was delayed. Once you do not take the refund offered by an airline and actually step onto a flight to your final destination the airline has fulfilled their obligation.  (I was on a cruise that did wait for a plane full of FE pax, not the proper recourse but that is another story)

[Goldenrosebags]

2 hours ago, Mary229 said:

HAL has no legally binding warranty or guarantee associated with Flight Ease.  It simply is an offer to assist and possibly wait for the person. They did indeed take their flight, it was delayed. Once you do not take the refund offered by an airline and actually step onto a flight to your final destination the airline has fulfilled their obligation.  (I was on a cruise that did wait for a plane full of FE pax, not the proper recourse but that is another story)

We wrongly assumed that by using flight ease they would try to help us catch our cruise somewhere. They didn't try to do anything at all and hung up on us 3 times. We understood that they would be busy but we talked to people who got on halfway through the first week so we know it was doable. Delta got us on a flight eventually and gave us money for various other things. Our problem was that HAL made no attempt to help us get there and we couldn't afford another flight last minute on our own. They could have tried to fly us with a different company if Delta was having the worst problem ( which they were). I know HAL has no guarentee to give us our money back. But considering what they lead everyone to believe about their flight guarantee we were hoping for a replacement cruise. That's all.

[Mary229]

4 minutes ago, Goldenrosebags said:

We wrongly assumed that by using flight ease they would try to help us catch our cruise somewhere. They didn't try to do anything at all and hung up on us 3 times. We understood that they would be busy but we talked to people who got on halfway through the first week so we know it was doable. Delta got us on a flight eventually and gave us money for various other things. Our problem was that HAL made no attempt to help us get there and we couldn't afford another flight last minute on our own. They could have tried to fly us with a different company if Delta was having the worst problem ( which they were). I know HAL has no guarentee to give us our money back. But considering what they lead everyone to believe about their flight guarantee we were hoping for a replacement cruise. That's all.

I agree that the FE statement should be rewritten. I did fly Delta that week on my own, no FE.  I was concerned and did actually book a second refundable flight to be canceled an hour prior which is what we did. It was a crazy, weird situation.  I am still hoping HAL offers you some help but you will need to be patient. 

[Goldenrosebags]

16 minutes ago, Mary229 said:

I agree that the FE statement should be rewritten. I did fly Delta that week on my own, no FE.  I was concerned and did actually book a second refundable flight to be canceled an hour prior which is what we did. It was a crazy, weird situation.  I am still hoping HAL offers you some help but you will need to be patient. 

Ya. That's what we're understanding. We're not in a hurry. We have a cruise next month with a different company. We just want to make sure anything we do on our side is timely so noone can accuse us of waiting too long.

[Goldenrosebags]

8 hours ago, syesmar said:

@Goldenrosebags You may also want to check with your credit card to see if they have travel insurance. I’ve successfully used them as a supplement when my regular travel policy or airline didn’t cover everything I expected (ymmv). 
 

So am I to understand that if a person purchased their airfare from HAL and missed the first part of a B2B due to a missed flight, that there isn’t compensation from HAL or FlightEase? I had always understood that confidence to be reimbursed/compensated in these types of situations was a reason so many chose to purchase air from a cruise line.

Thank you. That's a good idea.

[Goldenrosebags]

8 hours ago, syesmar said:

@Goldenrosebags You may also want to check with your credit card to see if they have travel insurance. I’ve successfully used them as a supplement when my regular travel policy or airline didn’t cover everything I expected (ymmv). 
 

So am I to understand that if a person purchased their airfare from HAL and missed the first part of a B2B due to a missed flight, that there isn’t compensation from HAL or FlightEase? I had always understood that confidence to be reimbursed/compensated in these types of situations was a reason so many chose to purchase air from a cruise line.

That's what everyone thinks because that's what they lead you to believe. We book with them because we always thought they would help us get to our cruise. It's a hard, expensive lesson to learn otherwise. If they make everything right, which we're still hoping they do, we now know the truth and will know better next time. We've only done flight ease once because we usually cruise with 2 other companies. We do, however, usually use their airfare. 🤷

[Babr]

Insurance pays claims according to the terms and conditions defined in the policy. Some policies do include Any Common Carrier Delay as a covered reason for Trip Delay. This provision will pay for hotel, meals and incidentals up to the policy limits until travel resumes. Apparently, this is what happened to the OP.

 

However, Any Common Carrier Delay is not a covered reason for Trip Interruption or Trip Cancellation, which would reimburse additional costs to join the trip and/or the unused non-refundable portion.

 

HAL’s response - separate from insurance - is another matter.

[Goldenrosebags]

2 minutes ago, Babr said:

Insurance pays claims according to the terms and conditions defined in the policy. Some policies do include Any Common Carrier Delay as a covered reason for Trip Delay. This provision will pay for hotel, meals and incidentals up to the policy limits until travel resumes. Apparently, this is what happened to the OP.

 

However, Any Common Carrier Delay is not a covered reason for Trip Interruption or Trip Cancellation, which would reimburse additional costs to join the trip and/or the unused non-refundable portion.

 

HAL’s response - separate from insurance - is another matter.

Ya. We found this out the hard way. Going to shop around for a new insurer.

[Babr]

7 minutes ago, Goldenrosebags said:

Ya. We found this out the hard way. Going to shop around for a new insurer.

There is a lot of variability in insurance policies, but I don’t know of any that would cover this situation. Let us know what you find.

[Goldenrosebags]

Will do. Thanks. Ours has covered some costs. 

[Babr]

4 minutes ago, Goldenrosebags said:

Will do. Thanks. Ours has covered some costs. 

Yes. I meant the portion of the trip that was not reimbursed. A lot of people would like to know of a policy that would cover the cost of a missed cruise because of a computer error or technical glitch that kept them from reaching the port in time to embark.

 

Travel delay can trigger other provisions in the policy if they are covered in the first place - things like weather or mechanical failure.

[TRLD]

16 hours ago, syesmar said:

@Goldenrosebags You may also want to check with your credit card to see if they have travel insurance. I’ve successfully used them as a supplement when my regular travel policy or airline didn’t cover everything I expected (ymmv). 
 

So am I to understand that if a person purchased their airfare from HAL and missed the first part of a B2B due to a missed flight, that there isn’t compensation from HAL or FlightEase? I had always understood that confidence to be reimbursed/compensated in these types of situations was a reason so many chose to purchase air from a cruise line.

I suspect it would not be covered under most of the credit card policies.

 

They are good for a lot of things but this falls into one of those cracks for most policies. We use Chase coverage for trip cancellation, along with an annual travel med and evac. In doing so there are some situations they will not cover.

 

This is actually one of the few cases where having the cruise line policy with the flight ease flights would have been valuable.

Edited August 25 by TRLD

[syesmar]

12 hours ago, Babr said:

There is a lot of variability in insurance policies, but I don’t know of any that would cover this situation. Let us know what you find.

Nationwide has some cruise policies. https://www.nationwide.com/lc/resources/home/articles/cruise-travel-insurance I used to buy it via insuremytrip. I am not familiar with their current offerings, but pre-pandemic the policy I used to choose with them would have covered this type of situation.

[syesmar]

On 8/23/2024 at 4:03 PM, Goldenrosebags said:

We we're about to leave for a B2B the day cloudstrike hit. They canceled and rescheduled our flight 5 times. We missed the first leg of the B2B and we're able to catch the 2nd. We sent 3 emails to HAL and haven't heard back at all. Has anyone that missed their cruise for the same reason heard anything back? We had travel insurance and they've given us some money for travel and hotels but not for the missed cruise. Any suggestions?

 

Was your B2B considered 2 cruises or 1 by HAL? Did it have one booking number or 2? I hope this can be resolved to your satisfaction soon, sounds like quite the ordeal when FlightEase is advertised as part of “convenient, worry-free” way to book airfare.

Edited August 26 by syesmar

[Mary229]

To keep the facts in order here is a quote from the opening Flight Ease page.  The second quote is from the FAQ.  This is all that is said. It clearly is marketing and it clearly has no legal warranty. Section G of the cruise contract is the only legal document.  Reading it you will note that HAL holds itself harmless from third party contractor obligations . I was warned years ago to read the cruise contract. If you haven’t now might be a good time    https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/legal-privacy/cruise-contract.  HAL does occasionally act as a show of goodwill outside of the contract and that is why I encourage the OP to at least try.  But as a warning to others in the future - there is no gurantee.

 

LATE ARRIVAL PROTECTION

In the event your flights are delayed or cancelled by the airline on the day you are en route to or from your cruise, our staff is ready to assist you, 24/7. We’ll even take care of any flight changes if needed to join the voyage at the next available port of call.

 

 

What should I do if my flight is delayed?

Answer: From time to time guests encounter transportation delays in getting to their cruise ship. If it is your day of sailing and this happens to you, please follow these guidelines:

Advise your airline at the earliest opportunity that you are a cruise guest destined for a sailing that day. Working directly with the carrier is important, as the airlines are usually able to arrange alternative flights.

If you believe a delay will cause you to arrive in the port of embarkation less than two hours before the ship’s scheduled departure or if you are concerned for any reason that the ship may leave before you arrive, our representatives may be able to advise you of arrangements to minimize disruptions in your vacation plans.

Ask the airline to immediately advise our Travel Services Department, or call us yourself at 1-800-628-4771. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. These numbers are provided for emergency use only; please do not call unless it is your day of departure and you are experiencing a delay. All other questions and concerns regarding air arrangements should be directed to your travel advisor. For further information on our relationship with airlines, please refer to your Cruise Contract.

 

 

[Babr]

7 hours ago, syesmar said:

Nationwide has some cruise policies. https://www.nationwide.com/lc/resources/home/articles/cruise-travel-insurance I used to buy it via insuremytrip. I am not familiar with their current offerings, but pre-pandemic the policy I used to choose with them would have covered this type of situation.

I remember those policies. They had cruise specific coverage like Missed Port or Itinerary Change Prior to Departure. Those provisions were limited to a few hundred dollars and would not cover a missed cruise.

 

Nationwide does include Any Common Carrier Delay as a covered hazard for Trip Delay, but that does not translate to Trip Interruption or Trip Cancellation. Those provisions operate as they do in any other comprehensive travel policy. They, too, require a covered reason like weather that causes a cessation of travel for X number of hours. There was nothing in the Trip Cancellation or Trip Interruption list of defined reasons that indicated it would cover a missed cruise because of computer problems.

[3rdGenCunarder]

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

Advise your airline at the earliest opportunity that you are a cruise guest destined for a sailing that day. Working directly with the carrier is important, as the airlines are usually able to arrange alternative flights.

If you believe a delay will cause you to arrive in the port of embarkation less than two hours before the ship’s scheduled departure or if you are concerned for any reason that the ship may leave before you arrive, our representatives may be able to advise you of arrangements to minimize disruptions in your vacation plans.

 

Thank you for posting this. I prefer to do my own bookings, so I haven't paid a lot of attention to the details. I always thought the value of booking through the cruise line was that they'd take care of sorting things out. But the FAQ show how much you're on your own. 

 

To me, "Working directly with the carrier.." means take care of it yourself. 

 

And "...our representatives may be able to advise you of arrangements..." again means they may suggest replacement flights, but they won't book them for you.

 

[Mary229]

1 minute ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Thank you for posting this. I prefer to do my own bookings, so I haven't paid a lot of attention to the details. I always thought the value of booking through the cruise line was that they'd take care of sorting things out. But the FAQ show how much you're on your own. 

 

To me, "Working directly with the carrier.." means take care of it yourself. 

 

And "...our representatives may be able to advise you of arrangements..." again means they may suggest replacement flights, but they won't book them for you.

 

The only plus is the occasional exceptional international rates, the ability to book now and pay later with no obligation and as someone recently pointed out paying with the AARP gift cards for the additional discount.  FE became very popular from 2020-2022 as they did refund the air if your cruise was canceled.  I do not know the current status of that provision. 

[Goldenrosebags]

36 minutes ago, 3rdGenCunarder said:

 

Thank you for posting this. I prefer to do my own bookings, so I haven't paid a lot of attention to the details. I always thought the value of booking through the cruise line was that they'd take care of sorting things out. But the FAQ show how much you're on your own. 

 

To me, "Working directly with the carrier.." means take care of it yourself. 

 

And "...our representatives may be able to advise you of arrangements..." again means they may suggest replacement flights, but they won't book them for you.

 

We thought so too. We were very wrong. You are on your own. So if you're booking through flight ease because it's cheaper, go ahead. But if, like us, you think they'll help you get to a cruise you missed it's not happening.

[Goldenrosebags]

4 hours ago, Mary229 said:

To keep the facts in order here is a quote from the opening Flight Ease page.  The second quote is from the FAQ.  This is all that is said. It clearly is marketing and it clearly has no legal warranty. Section G of the cruise contract is the only legal document.  Reading it you will note that HAL holds itself harmless from third party contractor obligations . I was warned years ago to read the cruise contract. If you haven’t now might be a good time    https://www.hollandamerica.com/en/us/legal-privacy/cruise-contract.  HAL does occasionally act as a show of goodwill outside of the contract and that is why I encourage the OP to at least try.  But as a warning to others in the future - there is no gurantee.

 

 

LATE ARRIVAL PROTECTION

In the event your flights are delayed or cancelled by the airline on the day you are en route to or from your cruise, our staff is ready to assist you, 24/7. We’ll even take care of any flight changes if needed to join the voyage at the next available port of call.

 

 

What should I do if my flight is delayed?

Answer: From time to time guests encounter transportation delays in getting to their cruise ship. If it is your day of sailing and this happens to you, please follow these guidelines:

Advise your airline at the earliest opportunity that you are a cruise guest destined for a sailing that day. Working directly with the carrier is important, as the airlines are usually able to arrange alternative flights.

If you believe a delay will cause you to arrive in the port of embarkation less than two hours before the ship’s scheduled departure or if you are concerned for any reason that the ship may leave before you arrive, our representatives may be able to advise you of arrangements to minimize disruptions in your vacation plans.

Ask the airline to immediately advise our Travel Services Department, or call us yourself at 1-800-628-4771. Representatives are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year. These numbers are provided for emergency use only; please do not call unless it is your day of departure and you are experiencing a delay. All other questions and concerns regarding air arrangements should be directed to your travel advisor. For further information on our relationship with airlines, please refer to your Cruise Contract.

 

 

Thank you for posting this for everyone. That is the number we called, btw. But I'll no longer book through flight ease as there is no benefit. But it's good if other people want to still do it now they know.