Celebrity Cruise company / travel agency double booked our room! How can we get full reimbursement for trip costs?

[zitsky]

18 minutes ago, RichYak said:

Is that permitted on cruise critic?

I’m sure that “someone” will not like their answer.

[Pushka]

4 hours ago, zitsky said:

You should always ignore errors right?

I keep trying to get in until I can but I put the issues down to poor website and nothing to do with my bookings. 

[Tigermad]

7 hours ago, Pushka said:

I rarely book ship excursions but organise them myself. 

The OP doesn’t seem to have made any arrangements at all. It looks like they thought they could turn up at a port and just go on an excursion without booking. They can probably find a town tour guide and that’s it. Don’t think much planning was done for this at all. 

Edited October 6 by Tigermad

[zitsky]

8 hours ago, Pushka said:

I keep trying to get in until I can but I put the issues down to poor website and nothing to do with my bookings. 

 

I have a flight before a cruise on December.  I have called the airline 4 times in 9 months.  And yes the last time the error message was exactly “ERROR”.  This was a flight that was very important to us.  You can be certain that I called the airline rather than assuming that ERROR meant everything was ok.  

And I am in my Celebrity reservation at least a few times a month.  To book excursions or onboard activities or just make sure everything is ok.

 

Edited October 6 by zitsky

[hcat]

Seems this thread has no more to offer, other than hearing if OP filed ins claim and the outcome.

 

  If OP does not file, that shows a lack of confidence in  the potential outcome.

[Pushka]

9 hours ago, zitsky said:

 

I have a flight before a cruise on December.  I have called the airline 4 times in 9 months.  And yes the last time the error message was exactly “ERROR”.  This was a flight that was very important to us.  You can be certain that I called the airline rather than assuming that ERROR meant everything was ok.  

And I am in my Celebrity reservation at least a few times a month.  To book excursions or onboard activities or just make sure everything is ok.

 

Only a few times a month? 😂. I'm always checking for a flash deal on drinks. One day!

[awhcruiser]

How did you pay in full 90 days out with no reservation?

[Iamcruzin]

58 minutes ago, awhcruiser said:

How did you pay in full 90 days out with no reservation?

Good question. The only way this can happen is if the travel agent takes the payment directly and sends it to Celebrity. I would never book with an agent that collects the fee this way. I would only deal with an agent that processes the payment directly with the cruise line. Your card statement should read Celebrity Cruises not Expedia or any other agency name. Since Celebrity did give the refund directly to the passenger I would assume that they did receive the money directly.

[RichYak]

12 hours ago, hcat said:

Seems this thread has no more to offer, other than hearing if OP filed ins claim and the outcome.

I feel like I already know the outcome since I don't see any damages for OP to claim.

[RickT]

1) File a claim with your insurance.  Once you know what they will or won’t pay you’ll have the information you need to determine your next steps.

2) Once you know how much your insurance will pay, notify your travel agency you would like them to come good for expenses not covered by insurance. If they claim it’s Celebrity’s fault I would direct them to the terms and conditions of your contract and request they act on your behalf and request Celebrity cover the expenses.

3) After the above, if any funds remain consider filing a Small Claims Court filing listing both the Travel agency and Celebrity as defendants. 
 

Lastly, most insurance or goodwill refunds require you to minimize the damage/expences.  To that end, any extra days and related expenses will likely not be covered in any instance.  
 

Good Luck 

[zgscl]

What a rotten thing to happen to your trip! So sorry this happened. At this point I think travel insurance is the best recourse for any reasonable out of pocket costs that have not yet been reimbursed (1 night hotel, flight change to get home, and if covered the original cost of the flights). I don’t think you are likely to get anything beyond that, as others have noted choosing to salvage the trip and stay a few days is your own cost (it’s also what I probably would have done), but no insurer, cruise line or 3rd party is going to cover a substitute vacation. 
 

When filing keep it as simple as possible. You booked and paid, were denied boarding due to cruise line/3rd party error/overbooking and your direct, reasonable,  out of pocket costs to get home, and id try for the original airfare. Leave out staying to salvage the trip, leave out the added stress and leave out the ER visit (unless you need to claim medical expenses).

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

On 10/4/2024 at 3:31 PM, CaroleSS said:

I think you have gotten the answer to this question. Celebrity has refunded the cost of your cruise and has given you a Future Cruise Credit. You made the decision to stay and try to make the best of your vacation, and hopefully had an enjoyable time. I doubt that Celebrity will compensate you for that, those costs are yours.

 

The only item left would be your air fare. Honestly, I doubt Celebrity will pay for that. They could claim "contributory negligence" in that you "could" have averted some of this by simply logging in to the website and checking on your reservation.

 

While I'm sure this is not what you wanted to hear, but it is the most likely outcome. 

Please re-write my original post. I did check my reservation before we left - through Expedia. I had confirmation both on their website, and through several emails, including one 2 days before the cruise that said everything is set and enjoy your cruise.  Also, we cut the time short, but we were trying to find the most reasonable day to return home. We stayed a couple extra days, and that INCREASED the cost of the flight tickets by $200/each (airline fees for rebooking). So you are suggesting that we should have immediately gone to the airport after spending hours on the pier talking to various staff? There are only a couple of flights per day from Ft. Lauderdale to Detroit. If we miss the morning time, then there is only one afternoon time. All of these factors weighed into our decision to stay a few days.

 

Again, Celebrity Cruise sent me an email, and they said the problem was on their end. They took responsibility. That is why we easily got the cruise cost refunded. I'm not sure what "contributory negligence" is, but I don't think we contributed to the problem at all. I'm sure Celebrity would not have taken the blame and refunded the cost so quickly if we were at fault in any way.

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

11 hours ago, zgscl said:

What a rotten thing to happen to your trip! So sorry this happened. At this point I think travel insurance is the best recourse for any reasonable out of pocket costs that have not yet been reimbursed (1 night hotel, flight change to get home, and if covered the original cost of the flights). I don’t think you are likely to get anything beyond that, as others have noted choosing to salvage the trip and stay a few days is your own cost (it’s also what I probably would have done), but no insurer, cruise line or 3rd party is going to cover a substitute vacation. 
 

When filing keep it as simple as possible. You booked and paid, were denied boarding due to cruise line/3rd party error/overbooking and your direct, reasonable,  out of pocket costs to get home, and id try for the original airfare. Leave out staying to salvage the trip, leave out the added stress and leave out the ER visit (unless you need to claim medical expenses).

Thank you for the recommendations on how we should approach this.

 

BTW - we certainly did not get a substitute vacation. We had to reschedule the flight to a day that worked and was available (very few flights are available to us). Yes, we ate at a few restaurants (necessary to eat - nothing fancy). And after rebooking our flight, we had 2 days to "waste" so we found a couple gardens and did one tour. I don't expect them to pay for these activities, but I do think it is reasonable to expect the at-fault party to pay for our flights and our hotel.

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

16 hours ago, awhcruiser said:

How did you pay in full 90 days out with no reservation?

That is a mystery we would LOVE to solve! On the day of the cruise, we were bounced from person to person from the cruise company as we showed them our confirmed reservation. The final person said "it must be Expedia's fault." We were not given any reason for this explanation except, "all problems with reservations are the fault of the third party vendor." However, we then spoke to Expedia, and they said they STILL showed an active reservation with a room assignment. After Expedia and Celebrity talked to each other, we got the email saying that Celebrity accepts responsibility for the problem. We were not given any more explanation.

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

12 hours ago, RickT said:

1) File a claim with your insurance.  Once you know what they will or won’t pay you’ll have the information you need to determine your next steps.

2) Once you know how much your insurance will pay, notify your travel agency you would like them to come good for expenses not covered by insurance. If they claim it’s Celebrity’s fault I would direct them to the terms and conditions of your contract and request they act on your behalf and request Celebrity cover the expenses.

3) After the above, if any funds remain consider filing a Small Claims Court filing listing both the Travel agency and Celebrity as defendants. 
 

Lastly, most insurance or goodwill refunds require you to minimize the damage/expences.  To that end, any extra days and related expenses will likely not be covered in any instance.  
 

Good Luck 

Thank you. I'm pursuing these recommendations.

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

15 hours ago, Iamcruzin said:

Good question. The only way this can happen is if the travel agent takes the payment directly and sends it to Celebrity. I would never book with an agent that collects the fee this way. I would only deal with an agent that processes the payment directly with the cruise line. Your card statement should read Celebrity Cruises not Expedia or any other agency name. Since Celebrity did give the refund directly to the passenger I would assume that they did receive the money directly.

Expedia took our money, and was supposed to send it onto Celebrity. We booked through Expedia. I'm now being told "never do that",  but this was my first cruise, and I've had good experiences with Expedia. 

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

11 hours ago, zgscl said:

What a rotten thing to happen to your trip! So sorry this happened. At this point I think travel insurance is the best recourse for any reasonable out of pocket costs that have not yet been reimbursed (1 night hotel, flight change to get home, and if covered the original cost of the flights). I don’t think you are likely to get anything beyond that, as others have noted choosing to salvage the trip and stay a few days is your own cost (it’s also what I probably would have done), but no insurer, cruise line or 3rd party is going to cover a substitute vacation. 
 

When filing keep it as simple as possible. You booked and paid, were denied boarding due to cruise line/3rd party error/overbooking and your direct, reasonable,  out of pocket costs to get home, and id try for the original airfare. Leave out staying to salvage the trip, leave out the added stress and leave out the ER visit (unless you need to claim medical expenses).

Thank you for your empathy. I'm pursuing with the travel insurance.

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

22 minutes ago, Dread_Pirate_Roberts said:

Please re-read my original post. I did check my reservation before we left - through Expedia. I had confirmation both on their website, and through several emails, including one 2 days before the cruise that said everything is set and enjoy your cruise.  Also, we cut the time short, but we were trying to find the most reasonable day to return home. We stayed a couple extra days, and that INCREASED the cost of the flight tickets by $200/each (airline fees for rebooking). So you are suggesting that we should have immediately gone to the airport after spending hours on the pier talking to various staff? There are only a couple of flights per day from Ft. Lauderdale to Detroit. If we miss the morning time, then there is only one afternoon time. All of these factors weighed into our decision to stay a few days.

 

Again, Celebrity Cruise sent me an email, and they said the problem was on their end. They took responsibility. That is why we easily got the cruise cost refunded. I'm not sure what "contributory negligence" is, but I don't think we contributed to the problem at all. I'm sure Celebrity would not have taken the blame and refunded the cost so quickly if we were at fault in any way.

re-read, not re-write!

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

On 10/6/2024 at 1:55 AM, Tigermad said:

The OP doesn’t seem to have made any arrangements at all. It looks like they thought they could turn up at a port and just go on an excursion without booking. They can probably find a town tour guide and that’s it. Don’t think much planning was done for this at all. 

We purposefully did not book excursions. There was multiple reasons for this, but we have been planning this since February. I am not an expert cruise-goer. This would have been my first. My one friend said she planned to stay on the boat the entire time (no excursions for her). I am disabled, and I've made the mistake in the past of booking excursions that say they are accessible, only to arrive and realize I would not be able to do the majority of the activity. I wanted to wait, talk to staff on the ship in person, and then proceed with booking (and my other friend said she would do whatever I could handle). The three of us have been excited and anticipatory since February. I'm sorry if my efforts do not show that.

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

11 hours ago, zgscl said:

What a rotten thing to happen to your trip! So sorry this happened. At this point I think travel insurance is the best recourse for any reasonable out of pocket costs that have not yet been reimbursed (1 night hotel, flight change to get home, and if covered the original cost of the flights). I don’t think you are likely to get anything beyond that, as others have noted choosing to salvage the trip and stay a few days is your own cost (it’s also what I probably would have done), but no insurer, cruise line or 3rd party is going to cover a substitute vacation. 
 

When filing keep it as simple as possible. You booked and paid, were denied boarding due to cruise line/3rd party error/overbooking and your direct, reasonable,  out of pocket costs to get home, and id try for the original airfare. Leave out staying to salvage the trip, leave out the added stress and leave out the ER visit (unless you need to claim medical expenses).

Thank you for the helpful advice. I'm moving forward with the travel insurance.

[CaroleSS]

I don't think you did the wrong thing by booking with Expedia and I don't think you CAN pay Celebrity if you book through a TA.

 

What I suspect happened is that when you didn't checkin until the day before, Celebrity had already decided you were a no-show. They had MoveUps to contend with and room guarantees to assign and they jumped the gun. This is why they accepted responsibility.

 

it has been almost 2 weeks since you posted what happened and likely a month since it happened. If you haven't filed on your insurance, your window is close to closing. You say you are "pursuing".....does that mean you have filed a claim already? What have they said?

 

 

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

On 10/6/2024 at 8:39 AM, hcat said:

Seems this thread has no more to offer, other than hearing if OP filed ins claim and the outcome.

 

  If OP does not file, that shows a lack of confidence in  the potential outcome.

I'm not sure how to interpret your last sentence. We are pursuing with the insurance. 

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

On 10/4/2024 at 5:26 PM, CaroleSS said:

Exactly what are you looking for as a "settlement"? What will make you happy?
 

Do you want someone to pay for your entire vacation, to include your hotel stay, food, excursions? Do you want your airfare to be paid for?

 

Do you want a free future cruise PLUS a free vacation that you already took? Are you willing to accept ANY responsibility for your cruise being cancelled?

 

You've said this was your first cruise, but your cruise mates have cruised before. Did they not say something to you about checking in prior to the day before the cruise?

 

I understand that you are supposed to be able to checkin as late as you did, and Celebrity has acknowledged that they made the mistake in cancelling you as a no-show. They have done what they can to make you whole. I'm just not sure what else you want.

They did not cancel us as a no-show. They said they had no reservation for us at all.  Expedia said we did have a booked, paid reservation.

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

On 9/28/2024 at 4:13 PM, Ferry_Watcher said:

 

What happened when you arrived at the terminal for check-in?  Did you speak with a Pier Coordinator?  Was the ship completely sold out, and/or were there no cancellations or 'No Shows' that your reservation couldn't be revived?

I'm not even sure who we spoke to in all. We were shuffled from one person to the next. We finally arrived at the customer service desk (I think? It's a blur...). I'm guessing we did talk to the Pier Coordinator. We were told we did not have a reservation at all for the cruise, and someone else was booked for our room. They said they did not have any rooms of the type we reserved available. They stated it must be the fault of the third party vendor, and told us to leave. 

[Dread_Pirate_Roberts]

On 9/27/2024 at 6:25 PM, Pushka said:

I don't think that experienced cruisers who know what to receive prior to the cruise should expect everyone to have the same knowledge as others.
 

Airlines send out pre messages to check in, but if you don't do that until you get to the airport, you still have a seat. 
 

While Celebrity has admitted the mess up I don't think their offer in any way compensates you for the result of their mistake. I'm guessing US legislation doesn't protect consumers as much as Australian legislation does as you'd receive actual cash reimbursement and not a voucher. A voucher assumes you'd cruise with them again, but why would you?
 

 

 

Thank you. Exactly. I received an email two days before the cruise saying we were all set for our cruise. I did not know anything else was required. I expected our reservation to be honored. And yes, none of us want to cruise with the company that caused this. Vouchers cost the companies almost nothing.