Packaged cruise holidays not using accommodation

[patsyc]

Dear All,

 

Just came off the phone with a cruise agent after trying to cancel the accommodation included in our cruise. The included hotel is ranked 544 out of 692 for the area on tripadvisor so we really didn't want to stay there. I know it's common practice for people to book their own accommodation for land based packaged holidays and just let the original hotel know once they got there. However, I thought I would be courteous and ask the cruise agent to let them know ahead of time. But have now been told I must tell the cruise agent where I would like to book instead and they will arrange and I will pay the difference. Otherwise if I booked a different hotel myself then we won't be ATOL protected because we won't be using the whole package. But the deals I found on other, ranked in top 20 for the area, hotels are around £50 per night and I would expect the cruise agent to charge me a lot more than that for the "difference".

 

Anyone had similar experience and can advise me what I should do?

 

Thanks

[Greghouseo]

Dear All,

 

Just came off the phone with a cruise agent after trying to cancel the accommodation included in our cruise. The included hotel is ranked 544 out of 692 for the area on tripadvisor so we really didn't want to stay there. I know it's common practice for people to book their own accommodation for land based packaged holidays and just let the original hotel know once they got there. However, I thought I would be courteous and ask the cruise agent to let them know ahead of time. But have now been told I must tell the cruise agent where I would like to book instead and they will arrange and I will pay the difference. Otherwise if I booked a different hotel myself then we won't be ATOL protected because we won't be using the whole package. But the deals I found on other, ranked in top 20 for the area, hotels are around £50 per night and I would expect the cruise agent to charge me a lot more than that for the "difference".

 

Anyone had similar experience and can advise me what I should do?

 

Thanks

 

Yep

You have fundamentally been given correct advice.

If you organise any significant aspect of your holiday yourself you remove the ATOL protection.

If for example you take it upon yourself to book your own hotel and you end up missing your flight home (assuming the Stay is post cruise) it becomes your responsibility if things go wrong. Why should the TA assume responsibility for you when you have not booked the integral part with him and he has no control over the hotel booking.

[patsyc]

Thanks for your reply.

 

Just received different advice from another member of staff at the same agency. Told me to go ahead and book my own accommodation... :confused: But I'll think I'll just stick. It's only for one night, I'll live. ;)

[Greghouseo]

Thanks for your reply.

 

Just received different advice from another member of staff at the same agency. Told me to go ahead and book my own accommodation... :confused: But I'll think I'll just stick. It's only for one night, I'll live. ;)

 

Guess this is why many travel agencies get such a poor reputation.

Conflicting information on a simpler question. One tells you the actual, the other tells you what you want to hear

[insidecabin]

I have had hotels changed before and the cost was in line with the onine costs for these hotels(eg no charge).

This was because the Miami airport hotel was not near the airport, we moved downtown.

 

there may be a selection to chose from if the TA is using cruiseline options or a hotel agent that does not do all hotels.

 

 

If you leave the booking in place and booked an addiitional hotel I can't see how the ATOL protection would be lost.

 

It is the FLIGHT and anything booked with it that is protected there is no requirement for ALL componants to be booked within the protection, anything booked outside the package is not protected but that within should be.

 

It says on ATOL web site.

http://www.caa.co.uk/default.aspx?catid=1080&pagetype=90&pageid=10210

 

Flights booked and confirmed by an ATOL tour operator will be covered, but other arrangements booked separately won’t be.

 

To lose the ATOL protection they would have to issue air tickets within 24hrs