beaveh

We can always club together and get our own celebrity ship

Only 300 million

https://commercial.apolloduck.com/boat/commercial-vessels-cruise-ship/563969

Cheque safely paid into my bank, over the counter. When a was discussing with my hubby what sort of face covering I should wear into town to go to the bank. We decided a balaclava was not a good choice. Lol

So time between completing on line form to getting cheque in my hand was 50 days.

Just got a canival uk cheque for my cancelled cruise originally booked through my TA.

( cancelled on 23rd April with online form ) Cruise date was to be 30th May QV norwegian fjords

Now i've just got to work out how to pay it into the bank with all these covid restrictions!!!

Anyone from the uk watch ‘ can’t pay, we’ll take it way’ ?

That could be an option ( if you booked direct with Cunard), take them to the small claims court, escalate to a high court writ, if they still don’t pay up... then send in the Bayliffs ( high court sheriffs).

i wonder if the Queen Victoria counts as an asset the courts can seize ? Lol I’d like to set that on TV. The bailiffs seizing a ship. In one episode the did visit Easy jet and were talking about seizing a plane lol

An update: I booked through uk TA, just had an email from my TA confirming my refund should be 60days from when I filled in the online Cunard refund form. That’s was 23rd April... so still a while to go. 

These last few posts have given me hope of getting a refund in about a months time. Fingers crossed.

On 5/28/2020 at 8:36 PM, Kynance said:

By way of comparison, which may or may not be helpful for others following this thread, I was also booked on this trip and asked for a refund via the online form the day I received Cunard’s cancellation notice (I thought it was 30 March but it could have been 31st). I am in the UK. 
 

I booked via a TA in January, for a Britannia balcony cabin and my surname is towards the end of the alphabet. A few days after I cancelled I had a call from my TA, who at that point didn’t know I had already requested a refund. That was the last I heard until 18 May when the TA’s automated systems sent me a notice saying my cruise had been cancelled and that I would receive a refund direct from Cunard within 60 days. 
 

I really hope it isn’t 60 days from 18 May but if others on this thread have been waiting since February or for 75+ days, I am not sure I hold out much hope of getting my cheque anytime soon!
 

 

Yes it’s similar for us, but for a later cruise. Filled in the Cunard online form on the 23rd April for a cancelled cruise on 31st May. My TA contacted me last week to say they had informed Cunard I wanted a refund and it would be 60days. 
I’m expecting the worst and expect it to be 60days from last week 😞

Our cruise was due to go on Sunday, so I’m going to try and have a Cruise lifestyle for a week at home. 
lie-ins

nice breakfast.

morning walk.

trip out somewhere once a day ( essential shopping, walk in the countryside, queue for the local DIY store), 

nice evening meal ( I’ll have to work on my cooking)

glass of wine or beer on the patio in the evening.

sadly no gym or spa, but I can get fit doing 1/2hr house work each day.

i will also periodically remind my self which port I should  be in, or the fjord views I should be looking at. 
im gonna have fun... without having to drive to Southampton 

looks like I can’t go back to work until July, so i could even extend my cruise for a few days 🙂

UK based TA

Well our TA contacted me over the weekend asking if I wanted to take advantage of Cunards generous 125% FCC. I told them I applied to Cunard ( using their online form) on 24th April as both they and Cunard had advised me to do that in their emails of the 23rd April if I wanted a refund rather than a FCC. I did advise the TA I had done this at the time.

The TA then emailed me back on Sunday saying they had contacted Cunard and requested a refund for me and it would be 60 days.

i had hoped it would be 60 days from my original request, not one that the TA had put in for me a whole month later.....

I’ll let you know what happens.

I'm not sure how the tourist industry will get going. I'm sure it will a depend on evaluating risk and reflecting how the rest of the economy opens up. The key thing seems to be maintaining social distancing, so areas where that is possible will be the first to emerge from lockdown.
 

Travel in your home country, with limited opening of hotels, places to eat etc, but will good social distancing will be the first to open. 
It's a bit more complex with European holidays as travel from/ to or through several different countries is sometimes needed, and I think many countries will be nervous about opening their borders to tourists.

Flying involves sitting in a confined space with other passages for a period of time... So I think short haul flights will be the first back in the air, but that comes with risk (possibly  less risk than long haul - but not much.) Social distancing on a plane  is pretty impossible.

The hotels and resorts themselves will just operate with a lower capacity, keeping crowding down.. But that means holidays will cost more.

So for cruises: lower capacity ( so higher costs) , maybe cruises that only visit one country and of a shorter duration ( less than a week )  will be where it all starts. 
 

The one thing the cruise industry doesn't want is another diamond princess, with people quarantined   on a ship, in the media spotlight with COvID numbers steadily rising. They may not survive that a second time round.

Anyone know what happens to transatlantic travel during the Spanish flu outbreak?

I think same ships... But with a lower occupancy so more space. ( much higher cruise cost). Things like crowding in the theatre, bars, queue for the tender and in the buffet would need to change. Maybe seated dining only, less crowded areas making a bit of a different experience.

3 hours ago, longton said:

We have a cruise booked to Norway on Queen Victoria leaving Southamption on 7th August. 

 

We have to pay the balance of around £5,000 on Monday.

 

The cruise will almost certainly be cancelled. We are tempted to pay the balance and hope the cruise is cancelled and then get 125% FCC.

 

The cruise is still being advertised, and at 25% less than what we will pay.

 

 

I know your dilemma. I’m in a position of waiting for a refund.. rather than using the 125% FCC. 
 

I could have opted for the FCC but Cunard only has 3 ships with limited itininarys that don’t always appeal to us. In our case the 30th May cruise next year ( that could have replaced our 31st May cruise this year) costs more than 125% of what we paid. 
Also I didn’t fancy jumping through the travel insurance hoops if I booked a cruise next year...so I’ve gone for the cash.

it gives me flexibility to choose a line / destination  that I want and it can be done at short notice ( next summer) when there may be a clearer picture on how the travel industry will emerge from this.

yes I’d love to cruise again, with Cunard if possible but I want to see if and how this industry changes first.

7 hours ago, Edithclara said:

Thanks for that info. We didn't know that "Refunds for bookings made through travel agents will be made by cheque direct to guests."

I'm in the uk and booked through a uk travel agent.

The agent has emailed me to say I can apply for the 125% FCC. It will be added to my cunard account, the travel agent will tell me when that happens and I can rebook through the travel agent if I wish to.

They have also advised the alternative is to apply for a refund with Cunard directly. Cunard will handle the refund, missing the TA out of the loop. I hope they can refund by bank credit rather than a cheque!!

Yep, got the email. I was to be my first ever cruise with canard and I was looking forward to it. A similar cruise next year is more than 125% of what I paid for this cruise... So I'm out, waiting for my 60 day refund 😞

It was the end of March before Cunard extended their cancellation from mid April till mid May. So some of those passengers were only a couple of weeks from sailing.

i should think they are still dealing with  those passengers. 
maybe the next slug of cancellations will be announced at the end of April? Maybe may 15th to June 15th? Then they will have another months worth of passengers to sort out.

I wouldn't be surprised if they rolled it forward like that.

2 hours ago, sailingskyward said:

Interesting to read through this thread. My first ever booking with Cunard, for late May, and I've not heard anything regarding cancellation etc. I recognize they are going through tremendous challenges at the moment, but how hard would it be to simply send an email saying, "We will not be sailing as planned, but refunds could take a while. Sit tight and we'll email you with specific options for your booking."

 

Instead.... nothing. And I booked directly with Cunard, not via travel agent. 

Same for me. First ever Cunard booking on the  QV out of Southampton on the 31st May.

Just waiting to see what happens 😞

I’m day dreaming about spending my extra 300 USD OBC.  🙂

10 hours ago, Bell Boy said:

There are some parts of the refit , 'let's call it a refresh', that can be undertaken whilst her (QM2) future itineraries have been cancelled  For example, refreshing the staterooms, new carpeting and  french polishing etc. All this can be undertaken in advance whilst the ship is laid up in her home port.

 

I mention this only because I've recently disembarked from  Queen Victoria ( after our 78 days sojourn) during our return to Southampton (ex FFL)  I noticed maintenance  was already underway replacing new carpets and soft furnishings in those corridors,  staterooms & suites that were unoccupied . 

 

 

Nice to know! 

We are currently listed as the first cruise back on the ship ( at the moment). I nice thought that it will be refreshed a bit.

I think the chances of my cruise going ahead  are about 5% at the moment lol

15 hours ago, aljo66 said:

Just been to the Cunard site as we have the Iceland trip in July booked on QV which is no longer visible to book - could this be the answer?

 

Please note that our pause in operations currently includes all sailings up to and including 15 May 2020; we are experiencing a technical glitch today which means a number of our 2020 voyages are not showing and we are working hard to rectify this.

Not sure about this reply. My may 31st QV cruise has gone from my TA’s site as well.

That can't be the same glitch?

I can clarify for you: I’m booked on a Cunard cruise on 31st May. It’s been taken off the Cunard site, and off my TA’s site but hasn’t been officially cancelled by Cunard yet.

i think they will cancel it, but in another wave of cancellations once they have made headway on those that have already been cancelled.

I hope cruising can re-invorate it’s self, and I think cruising from the uk will be the first to return to some sort of new ‘normal’. I’m not going to book another 2020 cruise as there are so many variables currently at play.

I will book a long weekend in Bournemouth at the end of the summer 🙂 not quite a cruise, but less uncertainty.

I think different cruise lines will be impacted differently.. but most in a negative way.

The lines who are popular with the over 70’s may well find their customer base unable to or unwilling to travel.

The lines that target families with their fun ships and onboard activities ( royal Caribbean) will fall out of favour because of the number of passengers on board who could potentially spread the virus between them.

i see the small to medium sized ships, targeting a younger client base with short cruises of a week or less being the ones that keep their passenger base. Are there any that fit that category?

I've been spending the last few days daydreaming about my Cunard cruise booked for 31st May.

I've been thinking about the possibility of the boat being half empty, a possible cabin upgrade, how I would spend the extra 300 USD onboard spend we've been given. 

I noticed yesterday the Cunard site only had August cruises listed, now it looks like my online TA is only listing August cruises.

I'll keep on daydreaming until the Cunard email turns up.... 

In the UK it's fairly standard for deposits to be nonrefundable, for holidays, cars, furniture, building works etc. So cruises are no different.

I don't know if our deposits are slightly lower because of this? 

For my may cruise ( I suspect will be cancelled ) the deposit at the start ( 10 months before) was £100, as a special low price. Then 6 months before cruise date  an additional £300 deposit was paid. All of that was not refundable if I should cancel before I pay the balance ( as deposits aren't )

The added protection we have is insurance cover ( all uk cruisers must have cruise insurance and can't travel with out it) 

Also ABTA and ATOL protection which will repatriate and refund people if holiday companies go bust ( as happened last  year with Thomas Cook)

The problem is the world wide nature of the issue. So even these protections would be totally overwhelmed if every one wanted a cash refund for their canceled cruises, so legislation may well change to allow voucher refunds... This issue is wether such a system of vouchers would be government backed, so if the travel company subsequently goes bust a cash alternative will be offered.

2 hours ago, Proceed with Caution said:

I am new to this forum and cruising, so please be gentle with my long missive, but i seem to share a number of issues that are being reflected, namely;

1. I have tried to engage with Cunard direct as has my travel agency - i have had no joy and she was( my TA) given the verbal response referred to yesterday by someone on this thread that there will be no changes to the British  90 day balance policy

2. I have to pay may balance by the end of this month or risk losing my deposit for a beginning July 2020 trip.

3. I cannot really 'afford' to lose the deposit so am encouraged to pay the full balance and hope the mechanisms in place- Insurance, Cancellation decision by Cunard and Celebrity solvency - all come on line/remain in place.

4. I cannot (definitely) afford to pay the balance and then not have the option of a cash return -rather than FCC- as my finances may change over the next few months.

Consequently i am left thinking that my options are to a). bite the bullet and cancel this week , b) sit tight and wait for the british cancellation policy to catch up with whats just been posted in america and c) pay the balance this week, hope that my point 3 above saves me and my 82 year old mum with a long list of medical issues - all cited on our early march insurance, will find a future voyage option that suits and there is not a long line of people vying to embark!!!!

Thoughts are welcomed?

My cruise with Cumard is on 31st May, so my balance was paid just before the corona thing was kicking off. 

Since then I have had nothing but uncertainly.  The terms for cancellation to start with were quite good 40% cash and 60% FCC. Cancel up to 48 hrs before and get 125% fcc.

So I didn't jump to do anything. Now the offer has been reduced to 110% fcc with no cash refund if I cancel.

The situation is regularly changing and after all this is over (?) I expect there will be more restrictions on what health conditions insurance will cover, making cruising much harder for the older or those with pre-existing health conditions.

If I was you... And you can afford it.. I would forgo the deposit, cancel and not pay the balance. Then you can see what shape the re-emerged cruise industry is in before rebooking.

I’m going to stick it out.. Expect canard to cancel at the last minute and by then I bet it will be a refund by way of a FCC, meaning I'm tired to Cunard and the itineraries they offer. 

Such a shame. I’m going to wait it out and see what happens for our may 31st cruise. I'm going to hold out till Cunard cancel and hopefully I'll get a refund through my uk based TA. 

The cash would be nice as this weekend I've had to close my business 😞

Looks like my hol will now be uk based. Maybe they could retask the ships as floating hotels? 🙂

I’m hoping my June cruise goes ahead, if it doesn’t I’ll take the refund. 
I refund is better than a FCC for me for a couple of reasons.
I’m happy to cruise when the peak of this pandemic is over.. that could be months or years away and as the itinerary is one on the most important things. Taking a refund means I’ll have the flexibility to go for Cunard / celebrity as an alternative and choose an itinerary that really suits me.