What would make you decide to cancel a cruise?

[florisdekort]

If I were to cancel cruises based on people's reviews/opinions on Cruise Critic, I would never be cruising. :D

[ejbmorr]

In thinking back over the twenty cruises I have taken over the years, I can honestly say that I have never thought of cancelling. We really do our homework when planning a cruise, so that probably minimizes the need to consider cancelling.That said, if there were serious medical reasons that involved myself or another family member, I would cancel. I would also cancel if there were a serious security matter that would make travel a risk.

[obobber]

Perhaps this will put a smile on your face about a cruise gladly cancelled.

 

One month before our cruise in April, my daughter (who had been trying to start a family for six years) learned that her in-vitro fertilization had worked. Since she needed to be near her doctors for the first 6 weeks or so, she was delighted to cancel her vacation. The twins are due at the end of November and we're hoping they don't arrive while I'm on a repo cruise that ends on November 3. (Since she's a CC reader, she may also reply and she'll tell you she didn't even mind losing the $...but now there will always be travel insurance.)

 

Since I've been traveling solo for decades, I was delighted to sail with only one in my cabin. And buddies met on the roll call board were wonderful company for me.

[travelingmcmahans]

I read reviews before I books a cruise so I wouldn't need to cancel due to reviews. There has been some discussion lately about canceling a cruise because Celebrity pulled Turkey from the itinerary.

I would strongly consider canceling for this reason -- Istanbul is the major reason I chose my upcoming cruise and if they canceled it I would be very inclined to make other plans.

[WakeLovers]

We've only had to cancel once, and that was back in 1999 when we were supposed to go on one of the older cruise lines - either Premier or Regency - I really don't remember. The same day that we made final payment, we read horrible reviews on multiple cruise boards about the adverse conditions on the ship - no air conditioning, the crew wasn't being paid (huge problem), so we got a VERY BAD FEELING about the whole thing & ended up cancelling payment & the cruise that day & rebooking on Celebrity Millennium. Within one week, the cruise line filed bankruptcy & went out of business. So we were very lucky & got our money back.

 

We'd also cancel if a family emergency came up - with 2 parents in their 80's, insurance is always a GOOD idea.

 

Jane

WakeLovers Cruises

[USNDiver]

Only if Pauly Shore was performing onboard.

[judyjbest]

We've cancelled two cruises. Both cancellations were inside the no penalty window.

 

The first was a group cruise that we really wanted to do. When we started trying to purchase airfare, the price was really high, and another group formed in the meantime that fit our schedule and pocketbook a little better.

 

The second was due to a business schedule conflict that developed, so we cancelled that cruise, and booked another once the scheduling conflict passed.

 

We too would never cancel due to a few bad reviews, although we check those out thoroughly prior to the cruise!

[dmk]

I chose none of the above because the only reason I'd cancel a cruise is for medical reasons...either myself or someone in the family.

[atb]

Any day at sea is better than a day at home / work / etc. You get the idea. :)

I would cancel for a death / serious illness in the immediate family, and that's about it. :(

Negative reviews - see the first line.:)

Change in itinerary - see the first line.:D

Big group on board - see the first line.;)

[LLM]

I just recently cancelled the Freedom leaving on Sunday. I hated to do it, but DH and I are buying a new house. The deal closes next Monday, the day after we were to return from the cruise. It made more sense to cancel. :(

 

Lisa

[libracon]

I think I would only cancel for death or serious illness. Change of port can happen any time, its going to take a lot more than that to get me to cancel.:)

[Homosassa]

I would cancel in the event of my death.

[Wilcoam]

My wife and I were 'forced' to at least consider cancelling our upcoming Galaxy Cruise, (Sept 25-06) because Celebrity is the only cruise line currently cancelling Turkish Ports.

 

It's a 11 day cruise with 3 of them in Turkey, including an overniter, so in our opinion, it is rather significant.

 

However, while it was a conversation/angle we had to at least consider, (IE: Cancelling X and trying to re-book on a line going to Turkey in the same time-frame) once we talked about it further, we decided NOT to cancel. We're going...

 

I just wanted to point out why in certain cases, a huge change in a sailing itinerary may lead some to cancel, justifiably so, IMO...

 

jeff

toronto

Galaxy Seot 25-06

[caribbean dreams]

I would cancel a cruise if the Itenerary was changes or if i found out a very large group had booked.

I have cancelled 1 cruise in the past, My DD and DIL were both pregnant and due the month we had booked our cruise.

DDIL had twin boys and 2 weeks later DD had a girl.

It was a very busy month.

[cavkc]

Negative reviews, weather conditions etc. etc. would not influence my decision after making a reservation as I would always do as much research as possible before making any commitment.

 

The only reason we would cancel would be for purely personal reasons, ie illness etc.

 

X did cancel one on us though 2 days prior to sailing due to pod problems - we were already a 10 hour flight away from home when we found out and were on honeymoon at the time :rolleyes:

[sparkle]

How would one know in advance if a very large group will be on the cruise you've booked or not ? It seems our cruise has just become heavily booked (Alaska, next summer) , which might be due to the recent cancellation of the Sept. Alaska cruise - but could be something else.

One of the large on-line travel agencies that allowed me to see what was still available - no longer lists that cruise as available - but on the X site there are still cabins listed - but the suites are almost completely sold out.

Soooo excited, I was wondering what on line agency would let you see what cabins were available? would that be all the cabins available, or just a block they had?

 

Also, we would be interested to find out if a large group had booked, but I don't think it would make us cancel. (DH just told me, "wait and find out what the group is before you say that".) We are not fond of children running amok, so we normally don't book over a holiday or on spring break.

 

Serious illness or our deaths would make us cancel, but I think that's about all. We SO look forward to our cruise, the bright spot on the horizon, if you will!:)

[Druke I]

We cancelled one cruise because we changed our minds about going (buyer's remorse?), and one time we cancelled due to family issues.

[SandyMc]

After our disasterous cruise on Mercury last March, I would absolutely cancel any cruise on a ship that had norovirus on the previous sailing - assuming, of course, it was a cruise line that was honest and upfront enough with its passengers so they actually could make that choice! :rolleyes:

[cruiser2004]

After our disasterous cruise on Mercury last March, I would absolutely cancel any cruise on a ship that had norovirus on the previous sailing - assuming, of course, it was a cruise line that was honest and upfront enough with its passengers so they actually could make that choice! :rolleyes:

 

Excellent point SandyMc.

 

For myself I would also include the following:

 

Multiple reports of worn and stained furnishings, poor bedding and general poor upkeep.

 

Lack of attention to detail, in the public areas such as a retractable pool roof that has not worked for years. Reports of fogged windows in observation areas that have not been replaced for almost four years. Whirlpools that work sporadically.

 

Finding out before a cruise that the ship I was about to sail on, had a major design problem and was prone to excessive failures.

 

A cruise line with a customer service department that often turns a deaf ear to problems.

 

This is MHO, and I realize the above are not a deal breakers to many cruisers on this board, but for me they would be deal breakers.

[iandjm]

If I were to cancel cruises based on people's reviews/opinions on Cruise Critic, I would never be cruising. :D

 

So true Floris ;)

 

Hey we're on the Millennium before you this year and Infinity after you next year :rolleyes:

 

 

Hope all is good

 

Ian :D

[Host Kewlguy]

If it was before final payment I would cancel a cruise if I found a better price/itinerary. After final payment, I wouldn't cancel a cruise for any reason.

[Sky Sweet]

"Discovering a large group has booked it" continues to be the most popular reason for cancelling a cruise in this poll.

[lucky white heather]

If you are a UK based cruiser , I might be wrong but.....we don't seem to have the same cancelling opportunities as other cruisers( eg U.S. ) because if we cancel we would lose the deposit for a start !

 

We would be unlikely to cancel unless it was for a serious reason (like illness) and that would still need a certificate supplied from your doc to confirm you were unable to travel.I know from talking to other cruisers they may be able to cancel before the time limit for full payment and get a complete deposit refund etc etc or swap ships / cruises or even defer sailing. I am sure if this is wrong someone will point out to me what the true story is.

But for us we have to believe that whatever bad news comes out prior to the cruise that might make you decide to cancel, you have to be prepared to take a monetary loss unless you have circumstances acceptable to UK Celebrity who would consider your case for refund.

[jemingway]

We are in the process right now of cancelling and cruise and booking a different one. This is because some of our travel companions had a conflict come up, so we needed to leave 2 days later. As a result, we are going from 7 days on the Star Princess to 5 days on the Century...not a bad deal.;)

[dogsrule]

:p :p I would not consider canceling a cruise because of a review on this board... They are sometimes so offbase, I wonder if folks were on the same ship I was on. A negative review could be due to lack of experience cruising, traveling, or comparing apples and oranges. It could also be clouded by problem relationships, family issues, etc.

Also, experienced cruisers realize that there could be changes to the itinerary, so you have to have an open mind and look at the trip as an adventure-with the mindset of "what might I see that I didn't expect."

Therefore, the only reason I could see to cancel would be death or illness.:)