Dahani

1 hour ago, Guppy99 said:

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/news/6883/

. Nearly all mainstream cruise lines, and some premium lines, have raised daily per-person gratuity amounts for 2023, as companies continue to deal with the impact of economic disruption globally, as well as increased debt loads due to the global health pandemic.

But definitely all the money goes to the staff and absolutely none of it goes to increase the profit margins 🤔

46 minutes ago, Guppy99 said:

And what proof do you have that is the case?

I refer you to post #101

1 hour ago, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

And you know this is a fact because?

 

2 very close friends, 1 a former Maitre D on Carnival, the other a Sommelier on Cunard with over 30 years experience between them. 

And you know its not a fact because?...... 

Being from the UK we dont have the tipping culture of our American cousins. It is an alien concept to us and really rare that we tip anybody apart from giving cash to the cabin steward.

I have no qualms whatsoever in removing auto tipping and always have done on Princess and HAL, this is based on the opinion that having paid the company to provide a service, it is then up to the company to remunerate employees to provide said service to a satisfactory standard. 

We use P&O a lot where its not an issue, and yes we are fully aware its in the price. We will not go with lines that do not allow us to remove tips.

And, lets face it, not all the 'gratuities' finds its way to the staff.

Carnivals 2nd quarter results report released to the stock market. 

https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/CCL/carnival-reports-summary-second-quarter-results/14583074

SCHEDULE A

SECOND QUARTER 2020 SUMMARY PRELIMINARY INFORMATION

• U.S. GAAP net loss of $(4.4) billion, or $(6.07) diluted EPS, for the second quarter of 2020, which includes $2.0 billion of non-cash impairment charges. 
• Second quarter 2020 adjusted net loss of $(2.4) billion, or $(3.30) adjusted EPS. 
• Total revenues for the second quarter of 2020 were $0.7 billion, lower than $4.8 billion in the prior year. 
• The company's guest cruise operations have been in a pause for a majority of the second quarter. In addition, the company is unable to definitively predict when it will return to normal operations. As a result, the company is currently unable to provide an earnings forecast. The pause in guest operations is continuing to have material negative impacts on all aspects of the company's business. The longer the pause in guest operations continues the greater the impact on the company’s liquidity and financial position. The company expects a net loss on both a U.S. GAAP and adjusted basis for the second half of 2020.
• Cash burn rate in the second quarter 2020 was generally in line with the previously disclosed expectation.
• Second quarter 2020 ended with $7.6 billion of available liquidity, and the company expects to further enhance future liquidity, including through refinancing scheduled debt maturities. In addition, the company has $8.8 billion of committed export credit facilities that are available to fund ship deliveries originally planned through 2023.
• Total customer deposits balance at May 31, 2020 was $2.9 billion, including $475 million related to cruises during the second half of 2020.

https://www.londonstockexchange.com/news-article/CCL/cunard-extends-pause-in-operations/14570685

Carnivals statement to the London Stock Exchange. 

Cunard have previous form for continuing to sell cruises they know they cannot deliver. 

They continued to sell the Circumnavigation of Australia when they knew Australian borders were closed to non Aussies.

https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/news-and-advice/coronavirus-cunard-selling-cruise-holidays-australia-a9432556.html

On 6/1/2020 at 4:23 PM, Dahani said:

I have been notified by my TA that my refund is being credited to my credit card today. 

We were booked on the Circumnavigation of Australia which was cancelled on 30th March. 

 

I was given a date of about the first week in June on my initial contact with the TA for my refund. 

 

On 14th May the TA gave me a RCN dated 31.1.21. I told them it was unacceptable and on the same day I did a Section 75 claim with my credit card. They told me it would take no more than 6 weeks to get my refund. 

My credit card company called on 26th May to request further documentation. 

 

I am in the UK

 

The money finally arrived on my credit card this morning. 

It has taken 23 days since I put in a Section 75 claim to receiving the money. 

Good luck to the rest of you, I hope you get your money soon. 

I will never book with Cunard ever again. 

2 minutes ago, sogne said:

not incompetent just trying their best and making the odd mistake perhaps which suggests they are human

what are you doing about the over refund?

I think I would be inclined to stick it in the bank, wait for them to ask for it back and then tell them it'll be about 60 days. 😂

Just a quick heads up, P&O in the UK have today cancelled all sailings until October 15th.

Cunard always seem to follow within a day or 2.

3 hours ago, Colin_Cameron said:

Just to be clear Dahani, do you know if this is Cunard refunding your money, via your TA, or is it the TA refunding you money because of your Section 75 claim?

 

Either way, a resolution is good news. 

 

I’m both encouraged my the veritable flood of refunds coming through and discouraged by the fact that most, if not all, of them were due to sail after our’s, cancelled after our’s and the refunds claimed after our’s. I can only imagine how bazzaw is feeling!

I have only dealt with our TA 

I suspect that my refund  was only expedited after my Section 75 claim. 

It seems to me the Section 75 route focuses the mind of the debtor company more than any number of emails or phone calls ever can. 

I have been notified by my TA that my refund is being credited to my credit card today. 

We were booked on the Circumnavigation of Australia which was cancelled on 30th March. 

I was given a date of about the first week in June on my initial contact with the TA for my refund. 

On 14th May the TA gave me a RCN dated 31.1.21. I told them it was unacceptable and on the same day I did a Section 75 claim with my credit card. They told me it would take no more than 6 weeks to get my refund. 

My credit card company called on 26th May to request further documentation. 

I am in the UK

For the benefit of anyone else in the UK who is looking for a refund and is 'given' a Refund Credit Note by the TA instead. 

http://www.travelmole.com/mobi_news_feature.php?news_id=2042761&c=setreg&region=2

Aviation Minister Kelly Tolhurst has caused yet further confusion around Refund Credit Notes after telling ministers at a Transport Select Committee meeting that consumers would have to check their contract with the tour operator to see if they were financially protected.

ABTA is recommending members offer RCNs as an alternative to cash refunds for holidays they've been forced to cancel due to the coronavirus pandemic.

It insists that they will be ATOL protected if a tour operator goes bust before they're cashed in or exchanged for a holiday, but when asked at today's meeting if this was the case, Tolhurst said: "That will depend on the contract between the customer and the tour operator."

However, it's unlikely any tour operator contracts refer to RCNs as these have only been issued since March when the Foreign Office advised against all non-essential travel, prompting millions of holiday cancellations.

ABTA has been asking the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy for months to confirm that RCNs have the same ATOL protection as package holidays, but so far BEIS has refused to do so.
 

However, Tolhurst said her department is discussing with the Treasury the possibility of underwriting vouchers. Acknowledging that the governments of some other countries have already taken action, she said she was 'working at pace' on this with HMT.

Following the meeting, Kane Pirie, leader of the Right to Refund campaign, said:  "The cat is out of the bag now. Refund Credit Notes are  not  all ATOL protected. In contrast, all ATOL certificates are. We see no benefit to customers in accepting a Refund Credit Note even if their tour operator refuses to refund. Indeed, we see material risk as their ATOL protection is now as clear as mud.
 "We have warned from the beginning that only the CAA can confirm ATOL protection. ABTA's delusions of grandeur, a trade club dressing up as a regulator, have been exposed. We urge ABTA, yet again, to please reconsider their position on this, for the good of their members as well as the public."

19 hours ago, Colin_Cameron said:

Hi,

 

I have a few thoughts about this.

 

1) Travel agents may be telling people their credit notes are protected by ABTA, but ABTA themselves seem less sure. According to their website, “Refund Credit Notes should be protected” (emphasis mine).

 

2) Are you sure that what you have is a Refund Credit Note? There are all sorts of criteria as to what qualifies, and I’m pretty sure a Cunard Future Cruise Credit does not.

 

3) Since you booked through a TA did you, like us, pay the TA who then paid Cunard? Guess who the credit card company are going to go after for the money? I wouldn’t be surprised if the TA tells you anything to steer you away from that route.

 

4) Are you (everyone) aware that ‘chargeback’ and ‘section 75’ are not the same thing? 

 

Not it trying to cast doom and gloom just promote a realistic approach to the situation.

 

Regards, Colin.

Hi, 

Thanks for the reply. 

This is the wording of the Refund Credit Note... 

Refund Credit Note

Maximum Validity Date 31 January 2021
Refund Credit Note value £x, xxx
Booking reference xxxxxx
ATOL Certificate unique reference number xxxxxx
Lead name Mr xxx xxx xxxxxxxx
Number of passengers 2
Duration 33 Days 
Original Destination Australia 
Please retain all booking documentation, receipts, confirmation, invoice documents,
ATOL Certificate and your proof of payment, such as credit card statements.

I have asked for a refund, for which I have several reasons, as opposed to a Future Cruise Credit from Cunard. By UK law my refund was due within 14 days. I appreciate that we are in exceptional times and that 14 days was never a realistic prospect. 

I also appreciate that my Section 75 claim inevitably means that my Credit Card provider will go to the TA for recompense. I fully understand this leaves the TA at a financial disadvantage. I have sympathy with their plight and was happy to agree to the initial 60 days. 

I am also of the opinion that Cunard are not necessarily fully to blame for the tardiness of the refunds as, ultimately, they are accountable to Carnival Corp. It is not without the grounds of possibility that Carnival have instructed Cunard (and the other brands) to delay refunds. 

This raises another point, are Cunard / Carnival going to let all these TAs suffer financially? 

I, along with many others, are very unhappy with Cunards inability to communicate in anything other than platitudes. 

I sincerely hope everyone manages to get the refunds or fccs sorted so we can all move on and get back to travelling in the most civilised way! 

1 hour ago, Coathanger said:

 

Difficult situation for the travel agents. Hopefully the chargeback (Section 75) avenue bears fruit.

 

While a 38% refund rate is good for liquidity, it's worth noting the heavily oversubscribed offering reportedly comes with an 11.5% interest rate.

 

I have literally just had a response from the TA to my email telling them I was going down the credit card charge back route.

Thank you for your email.

Please rest assured the refund credit note does not replace your refund. This credit note is protected by ABTA so we have issued this to protect your money whilst we wait for the refund from Cunard and other suppliers.

We still aim to refund you as soon as possible. There has been an update from Carnival house in Southampton and they are working on ways to get refunds out faster. As soon as we have this refund, we will be refunding you.

Regards

We had this from our TA in the UK last week. Like everyone else we were promised 60 days. 

I have just looked on Cunard uk website and this cruise is STILL for sale. I find that staggering. I am absolutely disgusted by Cunard. They know full well that they will not get any UK passengers.

https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/find-a-cruise/Q013B/Q013B

6 minutes ago, IB2 said:

Or about seven months’ normal revenue.  

And they can raise more by borrowing against the fleet. 

Substantially all of the Corporation's assets, with the exception of certain ships with a net book value of approximately $6 billion as of February 29, 2020, are currently available to be pledged as collateral.

7 hours ago, oskidunker said:

Will Carnival Corp save Cunard? What is the relationship?. It sure isn't putting out a uniform policy for all its cruise lines. Could one fail and the others continue?

Cunard is a 100% owned subsidiary of Carnival so I doubt it will go broke. 

Here is a link to Carnivals latest figures.... 

https://www.londonstockexchange.com/exchange/news/market-news/market-news-detail/CCL/14469985.html

They currently have $11.7 billion of liquidity. 

3 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

 

You may have noticed QE reversed course about four hours ago off of Green Cape and is heading back north. That, combined with Cunard's statement about QE suspending her Australia itineraries (rather than returning to Southampton like QV and QM2), leads me to believe Cunard is still trying to salvage QE's later Australia voyages. Hopefully the Australian Circumnavigation departing April 12 might still happen. We can hope anyway for the sake of those of you on that voyage.

Just got off the phone from our TA. 

As we are coming from the UK we would have to self isolate for 14 days prior to embarking but as far as Cunard are concerned the cruise is still going ahead as there maybe changes to the 14 day rule before arrival. Where and how we would do that I have no idea. 

It strikes me that Cunard (and P&O) , presumably on the instruction of Carnival Corp, are waiting until they absolutely have to to cancel cruises and refund money. 

Isn't the operative word here 'outbound'? 

This doesn't apply to all cruises. 

11 minutes ago, oskidunker said:

What is cobra?

The P&O tweet..... 

In light of the Coronavirus situation, we are reviewing our current transfer & cancellation policies to offer greater flexibility for our guests. Details will be available within 48 hours. For sailings within 48 hours please call us on 03453 555 111 to discuss your options.

On 2/28/2020 at 5:48 PM, alc13 said:

A lengthy notice re COVID-19 policies just arrive via email.  It should be accessible at this link in the US -

 

https://www.cunard.com/en-us/contact-us/travel-health-advisories

We had that email from Cunard and an identically worded one from P&O.