Celebrity No Refund Virus

[hcat]

Charleston...

[MamaFej]

The following metaphor is based on made-up events:

 

Last week, I drove my car to the mall because my son needed new pants. I bought my son a pair of slacks at Target. I also bought a smoothie at Jamba Juice, which I did not finish. 

 

I drove home, and had my son try on the slacks after he got home. They didn't fit (darn kid is growing like a weed: that part is true).

 

I drove back to Target the next day to return the slacks. Target exchanged the slacks for the next size up, and even gave me a coupon to use on my next clothing purchase, as a new promotion had begun, but refused to reimburse me for the unused portion of my smoothie, my gasoline, and wear and tear on my car! What terrible customer service! Clearly Target has no heart and doesn't care about customer service, nor retaining customers! I suggest that everyone immediately stop shopping at Target!

---------------------------

The above metaphor was based on made-up events.

[hcat]

Recent events involving deposits & cancellations and no ins coverage,  may slow the popular lower fare NRD program ,  and  re-invigorate package style bookings..cruise  plus air and for some ports hotel too!

[jelayne]

24 minutes ago, MamaFej said:

The following metaphor is based on made-up events:

 

Last week, I drove my car to the mall because my son needed new pants. I bought my son a pair of slacks at Target. I also bought a smoothie at Jamba Juice, which I did not finish. 

 

I drove home, and had my son try on the slacks after he got home. They didn't fit (darn kid is growing like a weed: that part is true).

 

I drove back to Target the next day to return the slacks. Target exchanged the slacks for the next size up, and even gave me a coupon to use on my next clothing purchase, as a new promotion had begun, but refused to reimburse me for the unused portion of my smoothie, my gasoline, and wear and tear on my car! What terrible customer service! Clearly Target has no heart and doesn't care about customer service, nor retaining customers! I suggest that everyone immediately stop shopping at Target!

---------------------------

The above metaphor was based on made-up events.

So true and very entertaining!

[az_tchr]

8 hours ago, Hllb said:

 

The items listed in the covered section are why you buy the policy (job loss, illness, terrorism, etc.).  I do disagree with your interpretation.  I too think their statement is very clear - if your policy states it excludes epidemics (it does NOT say known epidemics), then you are not covered here, even if the epidemic was an indirect cause. My policy very clearly excludes epidemics and travel advisories from being a covered event. I did not say this will be the same for everyone, but I advised them that they should not count on their insurance.  Please read your policy and contact your insurer.  I have contacted mine, but not gotten a response yet.  I give it a small possibility that I would be covered in the event of a cruise cancellation, but no chance an 'epidemic' by itself is covered.

Almost all insurance policies exclude coverage for certain events that include earthquakes and floods (except of course earthquake or flood insurance), epidemics and acts of war.

I agree that travel insurance policies are difficult to understand even for experts.

The silver lining is that many airlines and hotels are being very accommodating with allowing refunds or rescheduling.

As for having a slow response insurers, airlines etc. understand this situation is of unprecedented magnitude. Will take time.

[patty1955]

Our Windstar cruise was cancelled. They refunded all we paid for the cruise, $1000 FCC and up to $700 for airline change fees. None of the airline charged us a fee when we told them why. Our shuttle (home to airport and back), Alaska Railroad and one of the hotels refunded what we paid in full. The travel industry is generally being very considerate. 

[Pushka]

5 hours ago, MamaFej said:

The following metaphor is based on made-up events:

 

Last week, I drove my car to the mall because my son needed new pants. I bought my son a pair of slacks at Target. I also bought a smoothie at Jamba Juice, which I did not finish. 

 

I drove home, and had my son try on the slacks after he got home. They didn't fit (darn kid is growing like a weed: that part is true).

 

I drove back to Target the next day to return the slacks. Target exchanged the slacks for the next size up, and even gave me a coupon to use on my next clothing purchase, as a new promotion had begun, but refused to reimburse me for the unused portion of my smoothie, my gasoline, and wear and tear on my car! What terrible customer service! Clearly Target has no heart and doesn't care about customer service, nor retaining customers! I suggest that everyone immediately stop shopping at Target!

---------------------------

The above metaphor was based on made-up events.

Sorry I don't see any relevance. You picked the wrong size pants to start with, and the smoothie was your choice. You could have ordered online. Strangely you can't replicate any of this with a cruise trip. 

[Csptek76]

In defense of the OP though, I'd agree that Celebrity's customer service has been pretty terrible; I was on the same cancelled cruise and while I'm satisfied with the compensation, it took literally hours on the phone and 5 phone calls to try to get clarification of what was going on.  The first rep I spoke with didn't even know the cruise was cancelled and Celebrity was still sending me check-in reminder emails 10 days after the cruise was cancelled. We DID receive our refund but have gotten NO information at all about how the FCC works or when it's coming or how we will receive it (I'm actually here searching CC's forums to try to find an answer on the FCC because I really, really don't want to call Celebrity again).  I work in airport customer service for one of the largest US airlines, so yes, I do understand the challenges currently facing the travel industry but my personal experience with Celebrity's handling of this from a customer-service standpoint has been frustrating. I booked with Celebrity directly this time, but will definitely use a travel agent in the future to avoid having to navigate this kind of situation on my own.

[Lord Complainalot]

A previous Poster wrote on this thread what he wrongly thought was a "metaphor" when in fact it was an "analogy" and a very poor one at that. Something about kids trousers and smoothies that had no bearing on the subject matter at hand, namely 'Celebrity No Refund Virus.'

 

As a frequent flyer and cruiser I have my own thoughts on this matter as I may soon find myself in the same boat, no pun intended. However, before I proceed I would like to point out that a few of the Posts on this thread were clearly written by employees of Celebrity Cruise Line whose time would be better spent manning the customer service department instead of defending the indefensible. 

 

My analogy, a real case scenario whereby I was the driver who had stopped behind a car who had stopped for a red light when a third car came up behind, whose driver was texting and slammed into me with such force that I in turn slammed into the car in front. The damage to all three cars was such that the police were called and the driver of the third car found to be at fault for all three cars and was cited for dangerous driving by texting and causing a chain reaction accident.

 

This is the case of the OP, he or she booked a cruise with Celebrity in good faith with the belief the cruise would proceed as scheduled and booked hotels and airfare accordingly. Celebrity and Celebrity alone decided to cancel the cruise thereby creating a change reaction for the OP with hotels or airlines, who did not cancel the OP bookings. Therefore Celebrity and all other cruise lines should reimburse all customers who are out of pocket if the cancelling of a cruise for whatever reason, created a  the chain reaction to hotel and airline bookings.

 

Some of you who Posted that the Airlines and or Hotels will issue credits must not fly very often, if at all. As a frequent First Class/Business flyer, I can state categorically Airlines no not issue credits or refunds on non-refundable or non-changeable tickets. If you think your plans may change in the future then you will need to purchase a Flexi ticket, the cost of which is so cost prohibitive that it does not make economical sense to do so.

 

As for Hotels refunding the money, that just is not going to happen as the hotels in areas affected by the Coronavirus have seen there bookings plummet. And should they offer a credit for a future date, I cannot see how this would be beneficial to the OP as he/she stated that they reside in Europe. Therefore, I think it safe to say that the hotels booked would have had to have been booked in Japan and Canada. Lastly, Hotels unlike Cruise Lines cannot be repositioned, so as I previously stated cancelled non-refundable hotel and flight bookings are indeed the responsibility of the Cruise Line and should be reimbursed. 

 

[Bo1953]

3 hours ago, Lord Complainalot said:

A previous Poster wrote on this thread what he wrongly thought was a "metaphor" when in fact it was an "analogy" and a very poor one at that. Something about kids trousers and smoothies that had no bearing on the subject matter at hand, namely 'Celebrity No Refund Virus.'

 

As a frequent flyer and cruiser I have my own thoughts on this matter as I may soon find myself in the same boat, no pun intended. However, before I proceed I would like to point out that a few of the Posts on this thread were clearly written by employees of Celebrity Cruise Line whose time would be better spent manning the customer service department instead of defending the indefensible. 

 

My analogy, a real case scenario whereby I was the driver who had stopped behind a car who had stopped for a red light when a third car came up behind, whose driver was texting and slammed into me with such force that I in turn slammed into the car in front. The damage to all three cars was such that the police were called and the driver of the third car found to be at fault for all three cars and was cited for dangerous driving by texting and causing a chain reaction accident.

 

This is the case of the OP, he or she booked a cruise with Celebrity in good faith with the belief the cruise would proceed as scheduled and booked hotels and airfare accordingly. Celebrity and Celebrity alone decided to cancel the cruise thereby creating a change reaction for the OP with hotels or airlines, who did not cancel the OP bookings. Therefore Celebrity and all other cruise lines should reimburse all customers who are out of pocket if the cancelling of a cruise for whatever reason, created a  the chain reaction to hotel and airline bookings.

 

Some of you who Posted that the Airlines and or Hotels will issue credits must not fly very often, if at all. As a frequent First Class/Business flyer, I can state categorically Airlines no not issue credits or refunds on non-refundable or non-changeable tickets. If you think your plans may change in the future then you will need to purchase a Flexi ticket, the cost of which is so cost prohibitive that it does not make economical sense to do so.

 

As for Hotels refunding the money, that just is not going to happen as the hotels in areas affected by the Coronavirus have seen there bookings plummet. And should they offer a credit for a future date, I cannot see how this would be beneficial to the OP as he/she stated that they reside in Europe. Therefore, I think it safe to say that the hotels booked would have had to have been booked in Japan and Canada. Lastly, Hotels unlike Cruise Lines cannot be repositioned, so as I previously stated cancelled non-refundable hotel and flight bookings are indeed the responsibility of the Cruise Line and should be reimbursed. 

 

Heck - those who have complaints about non-refundable hotels, airfares and the like that X need not compensate us for because we booked on our own, make me a deal to take the sailing, hotel and flight off your hands.... will that work???

 

This way you will be assured of getting some compensation, and quickly, for sure and not wait for the independent arrangements one has made to make an offer of cancellation for credit for future travel because you choose to or can not go.

 

For an even better deal, kick in the FCC... LOL

 

bon voyage

[lamb616]

22 hours ago, Hllb said:

Except most travel insurance won't cover this if it's even indirectly related to the virus (if your policy excludes epidemics, which most do).  Here's what my insurance had to say about it.  I've reached out to them directly but after a week, still no response. 

 

 

 

i did a search of my policy and there's no mention anywhere of epidemic or pandemic (I searched for the words) ....what other words would it be under, anyone know?

 

I've never looked this closely at the policy.  Did y'all know that under the Accidental Dealth section, the following is excluded:   stroke or cerebrovascular accident or event, cardiovascular accident or event, myocardial infarction or heart attack, coronary thrombosis or aneurysm.

Jeez!

 

Also, for the first time ever, for some reason, I bought the Cancel for Any Reason AND the upgraded medical coverage. Hopefully I don't have to use any of it; I'm holding out for my July trip.

[Hllb]

1 minute ago, lamb616 said:

 

i did a search of my policy and there's no mention anywhere of epidemic or pandemic (I searched for the words) ....what other words would it be under, anyone know?

 

I've never looked this closely at the policy.  Did y'all know that under the Accidental Dealth section, the following is excluded:   stroke or cerebrovascular accident or event, cardiovascular accident or event, myocardial infarction or heart attack, coronary thrombosis or aneurysm.

Jeez!

 

Also, for the first time ever, for some reason, I bought the Cancel for Any Reason AND the upgraded medical coverage. Hopefully I don't have to use any of it; I'm holding out for my July trip.

If yours doesn't mention it, but you purchased prior to around January 20th, you should be covered. And that's weird on the accidental death section. I mean, I've seen exclusions like that but they usually state excluded if you had a preexisting cardiac condition/coronary artery disease.

 

I'm still holding out for my July trip as well. No reason to cancel right now since I'd lose the same money I'll lose a month from now.  After final payment is when it'll get tricky though.

[lamb616]

3 minutes ago, Hllb said:

If yours doesn't mention it, but you purchased prior to around January 20th, you should be covered. And that's weird on the accidental death section. I mean, I've seen exclusions like that but they usually state excluded if you had a preexisting cardiac condition/coronary artery disease.

 

I'm still holding out for my July trip as well. No reason to cancel right now since I'd lose the same money I'll lose a month from now.  After final payment is when it'll get tricky though.

 

yeah, didn't mention Preexisting condition section. 

 

I would imagine they'll end up pushing back the final payment date if things are the same in another month.  I'm already PIF so
I guess if I HAD to cancel the trip, I'd try to just reschedule it for another time and hope they wouldn't penalize me.  I do have the Cancel for any Reason policy but that only covers 50%.  (Again........I would have assumed it covered 100%.......I guess from now on I'll start reading these things when I buy them, lol).  

[Hllb]

2 minutes ago, lamb616 said:

 

yeah, didn't mention Preexisting condition section. 

 

I would imagine they'll end up pushing back the final payment date if things are the same in another month.  I'm already PIF so
I guess if I HAD to cancel the trip, I'd try to just reschedule it for another time and hope they wouldn't penalize me.  I do have the Cancel for any Reason policy but that only covers 50%.  (Again........I would have assumed it covered 100%.......I guess from now on I'll start reading these things when I buy them, lol).  

I will start reading them more too instead of picking the least expensive from a reputable company LOL.  Live and learn I suppose. Reschedule will be difficult for us because I'd have to pull my high schooler out of school.  This was a trip for her birthday anyway, which is in August. So I'm really hoping this is at least somewhat seasonal and it slows down in the warmer weather.

[lamb616]

3 minutes ago, Hllb said:

I will start reading them more too instead of picking the least expensive from a reputable company LOL.  Live and learn I suppose. Reschedule will be difficult for us because I'd have to pull my high schooler out of school.  This was a trip for her birthday anyway, which is in August. So I'm really hoping this is at least somewhat seasonal and it slows down in the warmer weather.

 

Same! I always went with the lowest coverage available. I don't know why this time I sprung for the extra coverage; it's not like me, lol.

Also in the same situation with my kids.  I'd have to reschedule for next summer, I couldn't pull them out for a 3 week trip during the school year. 

[Bo1953]

8 minutes ago, lamb616 said:

Same! I always went with the lowest coverage available. I don't know why this time I sprung for the extra coverage; it's not like me, lol.

Also in the same situation with my kids.  I'd have to reschedule for next summer, I couldn't pull them out for a 3 week trip during the school year. 

Maybe you could 'ship school' them for the three (3) weeks?

 

It would be interesting, for them at least, as well experiential....

 

bon voyage

[Hllb]

10 minutes ago, lamb616 said:

 

Same! I always went with the lowest coverage available. I don't know why this time I sprung for the extra coverage; it's not like me, lol.

Also in the same situation with my kids.  I'd have to reschedule for next summer, I couldn't pull them out for a 3 week trip during the school year. 

A lot of the credits for reschedules expire after a year too.  If that's a year from the credit (rather than a year from the original sail date), it could be before summer '21.

[citruscruiser]

I was on the cut short February 1 Millie cruise. The cruise ended Feb 10. I just received my refund last night. Celebrity is dealing with an average of 1800-2000 refunds for all the cancelled sailings. 
 
This is a time consuming endeavor on their part and I understand the time it takes to address each booking. 

[terrydtx]

On 3/3/2020 at 4:04 AM, tallnthensome said:

I’m aware of that. It Celebrity themselves cancels the cruise, good travel insurance policies will cover losses like hotels and such . A person just wanting to cancel their cruise for themselves over virus fears is a different issue. 

Exactly, our travel insurance will cover us 100% if the cruise line cancels the cruise for any reason. It is not CFAR insurance but covers if the cruise is cancelled or becomes insolvent. It will not cover us if we cancel for the virus related reason, and the cruise line doesn't cancel the booked cruise. We cover all no cruise expenses like airfare and non cancelable hotels under our travel insurance when we cruise or use any other form of travel.

 

We are booked on a Viking Ocean cruise from Venice in September and Monday we received an email from them that we can cancel for any reason up to 24 hours prior to departure and receive a 100% FCC voucher good for any VO cruise in the next 24 months. In this case our travel insurance will not cover the airfare, but American Airlines will lets us move the booked airfare to anytime in the nest 12 months and waive the change fee. All of our hotels for pre and post cruise travel are cancellable up to 48 hours before check in, so we are covered there. Interesting thing is with the FCC voucher from VO, if they become insolvent or go out of business because of all the lost revenue from cancelled cruises, our travel insurance would then reimburses us in cash for the missed cruise. This is why we ALWAYS buy travel insurance.

[az_tchr]

42 minutes ago, Hllb said:

A lot of the credits for reschedules expire after a year too.  If that's a year from the credit (rather than a year from the original sail date), it could be before summer '21.

You have one year on those credits to reschedule. The future cruise can be any time after that. Get a credit today. Book a cruise for 2022 later this year. All good.

[Ride-The-Waves]

OP sounds like someone from a cruise line other than Celebrity.  These trolls should not be permitted on CC.

[Hllb]

 

7 minutes ago, az_tchr said:

You have one year on those credits to reschedule. The future cruise can be any time after that. Get a credit today. Book a cruise for 2022 later this year. All good.

Ah, good to know, thanks.

 

Tried calling Allianz but they won't help me over the phone.  'That's a different group and they aren't taking phone calls right now.  They're only doing call backs.'  Yeah, fantastic customer service there.  They *might* call me sometime in the next 2 days, and how much do you want to bet they'll call when I'm in a meeting or otherwise occupied.  And then I won't be able to call them back!!

[NHCRUISIN]

On 3/3/2020 at 12:45 AM, James E H said:

My upcoming Cruise with Celebrity…

 

My upcoming May 10th Cruise with Celebrity Cruises on the Millennium from Tokyo to Vancouver was recently cancelled by Celebrity because of the Coronavirus. I have no issue with Celebrities decision to cancel the cruise, safety first, what. My issue is with the extraordinary level of Customer NO Service with regards to communicating and refunding monies to passengers such as I who have paid in full for the Cruise, Hotels and Airfares.

 

As I booked this Cruise in the US but am now in Europe, I am unable to call the US 800 number and if I call the European office I am referred back to the US office. Emails one asks, ahh yes emails. I have received only one email from Celebrity informing me that I will receive a refund for the cruise passage only, to be issued back to my credit card after two billing cycles. My prepaid non-changeable and non-refundable hotels and airfare cost would only be reimbursed up to a maximum amount of $300 upon submittal of the cancellation receipts.

 

As I have expended over $3,000 on non-refundable, non-changeable airfares and hotels associated with this cruise, its safe to say that I am not happy with Celebrity Cruises. To add insult to injury, the email stated that I would be receiving a $300 voucher for a future cruise with Celebrity. I would like to tell them what they can do with there voucher only my complaint might not be posted.

 

To date all of my emails to Celebrity Cruises have gone unanswered and so it's safe to say that I will never book a Cruise with Celebrity again and would advise those who are planning a cruise to avoid Celebrity. They have a reimbursement policy and a customer service department that is non-existent (except for new bookings) when an issue arises or a legitimate request for a refund is made.

 

PS: This is the first review that I have ever Posted, be it for a hotel, a restaurant or a cruise line and I am a frequent cruiser,  which should tell you the level of dissatisfaction that I have with Celebrity. 

 

So you say you will never sail Celebrity again, do you think any other cruise line would handle things different (refund hotels and airfares you made on your own)?

[az_tchr]

33 minutes ago, Hllb said:

 

Ah, good to know, thanks.

 

Tried calling Allianz but they won't help me over the phone.  'That's a different group and they aren't taking phone calls right now.  They're only doing call backs.'  Yeah, fantastic customer service there.  They *might* call me sometime in the next 2 days, and how much do you want to bet they'll call when I'm in a meeting or otherwise occupied.  And then I won't be able to call them back!!

Hllb - You need to cut Allianz some slack. Discussing policy benefits requires a licensed agent and some states require agents to be licensed in their state.  Their call volume has got to be off the charts. No way they can gear up for this. You cannot just hire an agent off the street. 

A thought - Carefully write out your questions and give them to someone who could be more easily available.

I put a call in to Celebrity about my upcoming TA in April. They called back 2 days later with the info I wanted about my Greenland cruise in 2021. Could not answer anything about anything else. Sounded tired. Am sure they are buried in calls. Sadly this situation is a no win for Celebrity. They want to cruise and have no idea where and if they can.

[Hllb]

5 minutes ago, az_tchr said:

Hllb - You need to cut Allianz some slack. Discussing policy benefits requires a licensed agent and some states require agents to be licensed in their state.  Their call volume has got to be off the charts. No way they can gear up for this. You cannot just hire an agent off the street. 

A thought - Carefully write out your questions and give them to someone who could be more easily available.

I put a call in to Celebrity about my upcoming TA in April. They called back 2 days later with the info I wanted about my Greenland cruise in 2021. Could not answer anything about anything else. Sounded tired. Am sure they are buried in calls. Sadly this situation is a no win for Celebrity. They want to cruise and have no idea where and if they can.

It's not about them being buried. I was able to get a hold of an agent to answer questions in a pretty short amount of time.  But apparently, only certain agents deal with AAA policies and those agents won't talk to you.  Super poor design.  And, I sent an email 8 days ago and got no response from that either.  There is no mechanism for me to contact the right agents to talk to. That is completely unacceptable. 

Edited March 4, 2020 by Hllb