mcrcruiser Posted March 9, 2020 #1 Share Posted March 9, 2020 We had booked our Nov 3 .2020 Hawaii 18 night cruise aboard Koningsdam with a major ,well known cruise travel agent ,who does extensive advertising . We have until the end of June to cancel this cruise .We are both in our 80s with underlying medical conditions & therefore in the highest risk levels .We recently had to cancel 2 Princess cruises with $1158 in cancellation fees from Princess ;but ,now they will credit us those fees in a FCC ;which we will gladly use once this threat is gone . We have asked this agency to waive their $100 cancellation fee if we need to cancel & I sent them the recent Orlando Ashford's letter ;which is very fair to their customers , to show compassion during these uncertain times .Prior to this last e-mail they were insisting to still charge the $ 100 travel agency cancellation fee .I know that Holland would credit us in full & I told this agency that our doctor will write a letter if needed . What are your thoughts on this topic ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketMan275 Posted March 9, 2020 #2 Share Posted March 9, 2020 15 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said: We had booked our Nov 3 .2020 Hawaii 18 night cruise aboard Koningsdam with a major ,well known cruise travel agent ,who does extensive advertising . We have until the end of June to cancel this cruise .We are both in our 80s with underlying medical conditions & therefore in the highest risk levels .We recently had to cancel 2 Princess cruises with $1158 in cancellation fees from Princess ;but ,now they will credit us those fees in a FCC ;which we will gladly use once this threat is gone . We have asked this agency to waive their $100 cancellation fee if we need to cancel & I sent them the recent Orlando Ashford's letter ;which is very fair to their customers , to show compassion during these uncertain times .Prior to this last e-mail they were insisting to still charge the $ 100 travel agency cancellation fee .I know that Holland would credit us in full & I told this agency that our doctor will write a letter if needed . What are your thoughts on this topic ? Never book with TA who charge any fees that are not charged by the cruise line. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianbear Posted March 9, 2020 #3 Share Posted March 9, 2020 Is it a cancellation fee or was it $100 non refundable deposit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted March 9, 2020 Author #4 Share Posted March 9, 2020 6 minutes ago, RocketMan275 said: Never book with TA who charge any fees that are not charged by the cruise line. We agree but ,it was not readily visible . They continue to send their cruise sale e-mails . I looked & there is no visible that they have a cancellation fee .Perhaps reporting them to the cruise industry , the BBB & putting their name all over social media might get them to change their policy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcrcruiser Posted March 9, 2020 Author #5 Share Posted March 9, 2020 1 minute ago, canadianbear said: Is it a cancellation fee or was it $100 non refundable deposit? Cancellation fee . Besides Orlando 's letter will give a FCC Thus ,non refundable deposits are eligible for the FCC Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketMan275 Posted March 9, 2020 #6 Share Posted March 9, 2020 (edited) 2 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said: We agree but ,it was not readily visible . They continue to send their cruise sale e-mails . I looked & there is no visible that they have a cancellation fee .Perhaps reporting them to the cruise industry , the BBB & putting their name all over social media might get them to change their policy Always ask about fees before booking. Edited March 9, 2020 by RocketMan275 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RocketMan275 Posted March 9, 2020 #7 Share Posted March 9, 2020 3 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said: We agree but ,it was not readily visible . They continue to send their cruise sale e-mails . I looked & there is no visible that they have a cancellation fee .Perhaps reporting them to the cruise industry , the BBB & putting their name all over social media might get them to change their policy I doubt that will help. You really need to find a better TA. Most of the advice on using a TA includes asking about fees and avoiding any TA that charges those. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deliver42 Posted March 9, 2020 #8 Share Posted March 9, 2020 Unfortunately, most of the on line agencies, and the airline agencies are part of an umbrella agency, and they all charge the $100.00 fee. I learned this a couple of years ago as it happened to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
canadianbear Posted March 9, 2020 #9 Share Posted March 9, 2020 16 minutes ago, mcrcruiser said: Cancellation fee . Besides Orlando 's letter will give a FCC Thus ,non refundable deposits are eligible for the FCC Oh. Thanks for your clarification. If you’ve used them before can you plead and say I’ll use you again if you are fair? Like others, we usually use a TA with no fee or a PCC. Good luck. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iancal Posted March 9, 2020 #10 Share Posted March 9, 2020 I would be so happy that we were able to cancel with no significant financial penalties that I would not care about the $100. Put it down to experience and do not deal with the agency again. Really, why sweat the small stuff?.. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare Mary229 Posted March 10, 2020 #11 Share Posted March 10, 2020 Don’t use that agency. The fee is their compensation for work done and work has been done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rare *Miss G* Posted March 10, 2020 #12 Share Posted March 10, 2020 Good luck with your efforts. I hope you are successful. Having said that I have to agree with iancal and Mary229. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bennybear Posted March 10, 2020 #13 Share Posted March 10, 2020 Or can you transfer it back to HAL? Just a thought, don’t know if that would still trigger the fee? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kristapb Posted March 10, 2020 #14 Share Posted March 10, 2020 I don't know if it is the same one I usually use, but with them, I have found if I book a new similar cruise with them they usually waive the cancellation penalty on the cancelled one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tricia724 Posted March 10, 2020 #15 Share Posted March 10, 2020 We recently had to cancel a cruise because of illness with this agency and paid the $100 cancel fee. I knew about this fee going in. I also knew that they offered me a cruise rate which was over $200 better than any other that I could find at the time of booking. So I took the chance....and lost. Maybe the fee is reimbursable under my insurance plan and maybe it's not. We'll find out. If it isn't....so be it. We've also lost other money on this trip, but health concerns come first. I also prefer to book with agencies that have no fees, and if all things are equal, I will. Otherwise I look for the lowest evaluated fare. It's a calculated risk, but at our ages, there are lots of risks. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozzie0075 Posted March 10, 2020 #16 Share Posted March 10, 2020 These are common with big box TA. Some even charge fees to process price adjustments. Always ask about any fees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tampa Girl Posted March 10, 2020 #17 Share Posted March 10, 2020 20 hours ago, deliver42 said: Unfortunately, most of the on line agencies, and the airline agencies are part of an umbrella agency, and they all charge the $100.00 fee. I learned this a couple of years ago as it happened to me. Not so. We have always booked with online agencies and have never been charged a cancellation fee. OP: I think that the State Department has issued a traveler's warning, which at least some travelinsurance companies will honor, thus refunding any fees. Bring this up to your TA to see if it encourages them to refund the fee. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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