Cancelled Cruises Refund Tracker/Discussion (merged topics)

[NHDOC]

1 hour ago, vkb2751 said:

Can someone please give the email address for resolutions dept. Thank you

 

 

The one I have used for Celebrity is:

 

CelebrityEngagementCenter@celebrity.com
 

I don't think the resolutions department has a direct email address or phone number.

 

I do eventually hear back from them either by email or phone after a few days.

 

Edited May 14, 2020 by NHDOC

[NHDOC]

6 hours ago, Sam.Seattle said:

File a dispute with your credit card provider everyone!

 

Yes, this is the best way to get your issues resolved quickly and you will get provisional credit immediately while the CC company deals with Celebrity.  I would advise anyone who has waited 30, 45 or 60 days or more for refunds and still gets the run around to just take that step and you will get their attention, pronto. 

[vkb2751]

44 minutes ago, NHDOC said:

 

 

The one I have used for Celebrity is:

 

CelebrityEngagementCenter@celebrity.com
 

I don't think the resolutions department has a direct email address or phone number.

 

I do eventually hear back from them either by email or phone after a few days.

 

 

Thank you

[BridgeMates]

I spoke with the Engagement Ctr yesterday regarding a refund from our March cruise on the Silhouette. 

Jennifer explained that previously they only had 4-5 people working refunds in the "post sailing dept."

She says they have reassigned 50 employees from other departments to the post sailing dept and once they are trained we

should see refunds processed more efficiently.  Hope this is true.  I've been waiting since we returned on March 15th for a refund that Capt Peppas promised everyone on board due to several incidents we had on that trip.   I know some people on Cruise Critic have said they got their refund, but all I've gotten is the run-around!  

 

 

[Shadow9612]

On 5/12/2020 at 1:20 PM, omeinv said:

No, it's that from time to time, Celebrity runs promotions for a reduced deposit (often $25.00 per person).  People book this without realizing the full deposit amount is still considered in the event of a cancellation.  This is also true in the case of on-board bookings, which generally call for a reduced deposit of $100.00.

 

It's not a "fee" per se, but collection of the full deposit amount. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

 

 

@omeinv But this only has teeth if the person pre-pays more of their cruise fare before final payment, correct?   Since there's no way to collect the additional deposit otherwise.. ?

[omeinv]

2 minutes ago, Shadow9612 said:

@omeinv But this only has teeth if the person pre-pays more of their cruise fare before final payment, correct?   Since there's no way to collect the additional deposit otherwise.. ?

That's correct.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[Shadow9612]

On 5/12/2020 at 5:42 PM, Happy Cruiser 6143 said:

 

I have never ever paid a change fee on cruises with a $100 deposit from booking on board and I've moved a few of those around.

 

On 5/12/2020 at 7:13 PM, omeinv said:

The poster clarified on another thread they in fact DID have a non-refundable booking.

 

Harris

Denver, CO

I know its been said before, but the whole refundable vs. Non refundable deposit is much too confusing.  

 

I hope Celebrity reverts back to their old ways -- FAIR cruise prices with refundable deposits.

 

Emphasis on the word FAIR since in the past few years, their rates have really risen (yes, i realize, supply and demand is a factor).

 

It just seems they brought in NRD, then elevated cruise fares for refundable deposits "encouraging" people to book cruises with NRD by offering lower fares for those bookings.  

 

Then, boom. Covid-19.   😪

[omeinv]

1 minute ago, Shadow9612 said:

 

I know its been said before, but the whole refundable vs. Non refundable deposit is much too confusing.  

 

I hope Celebrity reverts back to their old ways -- FAIR cruise prices with refundable deposits.

 

Emphasis on the word FAIR since in the past few years, their rates have really risen (yes, i realize, supply and demand is a factor).

 

It just seems they brought in NRD, then elevated cruise fares for refundable deposits "encouraging" people to book cruises with NRD by offering lower fares for those bookings.  

 

Then, boom. Covid-19.   😪

You've got your wish.  Celebrity is not currently offering any non-refundable fares.  Alas, those who booked using them are still bound by the agreements they entered into, and that's causing some issues that likely wouldn't have occurred in normal times. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[NHDOC]

13 minutes ago, BridgeMates said:

I spoke with the Engagement Ctr yesterday regarding a refund from our March cruise on the Silhouette. 

Jennifer explained that previously they only had 4-5 people working refunds in the "post sailing dept."

She says they have reassigned 50 employees from other departments to the post sailing dept and once they are trained we

should see refunds processed more efficiently.  Hope this is true.  I've been waiting since we returned on March 15th for a refund that Capt Peppas promised everyone on board due to several incidents we had on that trip.   I know some people on Cruise Critic have said they got their refund, but all I've gotten is the run-around!  

 

 

It's absolutely laughable.  They had 50 people working in departments other than "post cruise" while they are shut down and didn't think to transfer them to handle refunds?  You should have asked what all those people have been doing for the past 2 months.  It sounds like another lie.  There's one thing the cruise lines are very good at and that is avoiding telling the truth at all costs. 

 

For what it is worth we were also on that same cruise and also still waiting for our 25% refund.  I added it to the amount I am suing them for so they will probably get it resolved soon as they have to respond to the lawsuit by June 11.

[jelayne]

Cancelled a April cruise on March 20 and received FCC 36 business days later.  Still waiting for refund of port fees & taxes.  

[Ride-The-Waves]

Its unrealistic to expect refunds from cruise lines until cruising resumes (in some form) and their finial balance sheets are showing decent income from actual cruising.  Cruise lines are hemorrhaging money and to "stay afloat" are using deposits to fund daily operations.  Its all they have except for lines of credit.  And, its gong to be a long time until income and expense begin to balance again.  I'm about $20K in the hole having been caught between final payment and cruising.  FCC is not a help to me since we are facing new guidance on health (existing conditions) and age restrictions not present before March.  Its going to be a long wait...

[Shadow9612]

1 minute ago, omeinv said:

You've got your wish.  Celebrity is not currently offering any non-refundable fares.  Alas, those who booked using them are still bound by the agreements they entered into, and that's causing some issues that likely wouldn't have occurred in normal times. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

Well, part of my wish - are the cruise fares FAIR 😉 ?

 

Yes, I'm one of those people that have lots of future bookings with NRDs (after exclusively booking with X for years using refundable deposits).  

 

I concluded that the overall cruise fare savings by booking a nonrefundable deposit was generally much more than the $100pp NRD I would lose if I cancel -- so if I book 4 cruises at NRD rates, and save thousands in doing so, I'm ok to lose $100pp for the 1 cruise I dont end up taking.

 

Unfortunately, I'm now in a situation with a lot of cruises booked at NRDs, and will be stuck with FCCs if X cancels, or a loss of $100pp if I cancel.  I won't make final payments "hoping" for X to cancel since I don't want even more money tied up in this pandemic period.... 

 

So essentially, I'll lose $100pp as I cancel these cruises before final pmt.?

 

@omeinv - am I missing anything? Any options to not lose money?

 

Oh the lift and shift won't work because I already have so many cruises booked in 2021 and 2022 with these NRDs  

[Luv2Crus40]

I have received my 125% FCC from my cancelled 5-2-20 cruise but not the port fees, etc. refund yet.  I rebooked for a new cruise on 3/29/20 (when Celebrity announced cancellation of all cruises through May 11th).

[NHDOC]

I don't see anything anywhere on Celebrity's site that says anything is "fully refundable".  Their CWC program says you can cancel up to 48 hours before a cruise and receive FCC.  Not sure how that applies to deposits you make now but frankly anyone who gives them any deposit (or any other) money now deserves to lose it.

[sandc4e]

11 hours ago, omeinv said:

I'm usually the first one to encourage patience, and not calling about refunds.  However, in cases (including my own) where there's been a relatively small remaining amount that wasn't included in the refund, it seems to usually be an accounting error.  You should probably call right away and inquire about the remaining amount, since if it is an error, they'll have to manually start the process of getting it to you, and that won't happen until they realize it's happened.  The fastest route to that realization is for you to bring it to their attention. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

Contact TA this morning who already reached out to Celebrity.  This was a penalty, held in error due to their cancellation, and has been released for refund.  They did say it could take an additional "few" weeks to process.  But, at least my full refund is processed.

 

Glad you suggested to call versus waiting.  We will cruise again, once things calm down and we know more about this virus.

 

Sheila

[NHDOC]

8 minutes ago, Ride-The-Waves said:

Its unrealistic to expect refunds from cruise lines until cruising resumes (in some form) and their finial balance sheets are showing decent income from actual cruising.  Cruise lines are hemorrhaging money and to "stay afloat" are using deposits to fund daily operations.  Its all they have except for lines of credit.  And, its gong to be a long time until income and expense begin to balance again.  I'm about $20K in the hole having been caught between final payment and cruising.  FCC is not a help to me since we are facing new guidance on health (existing conditions) and age restrictions not present before March.  Its going to be a long wait...

Every dime I had paid Holland America for cruises in April was refunded within 2 weeks after they canceled.  I also got all my future cruise deposit money back from them within 2 weeks after asking for it.  It's only Celebrity that is having trouble issuing refunds as you can see by the volume of complaints here directed towards them.  With the exception of one person here who has appointed himself an official apologist for X, everyone else either waited a very long time or is still waiting for their money back and is given lots of excuses as to why they can't make timely refunds but there's really only one reason people don't give you your money back and it's because they don't have it. 

[NHDOC]

Just now, sandc4e said:

Contact TA this morning who already reached out to Celebrity.  This was a penalty, held in error due to their cancellation, and has been released for refund.  They did say it could take an additional "few" weeks to process.  But, at least my full refund is processed.

 

Glad you suggested to call versus waiting.  We will cruise again, once things calm down and we know more about this virus.

 

Sheila

Seems like every error they make giving refunds is in their favor...hmmm....

[sandc4e]

So crazy, I think some people will be like oh well I got the majority of it back.  Nope, they cancelled they owe 100%.

[Shadow9612]

6 minutes ago, NHDOC said:

It's only Celebrity that is having trouble issuing refunds as you can see by the volume of complaints here directed towards them.

Princess is also taking its time....

[NHDOC]

2 minutes ago, Shadow9612 said:

Princess is also taking its time....

Probably too busy answering depositions from the stricken passengers' lawyers.  How the CEO of Princess has managed to keep their job is beyond me. 

 

I did request future cruise deposits from Princess, and, you're right, have not received that money back yet so they too seem to need to reassign more people from the "lying about the virus department" to the "lying about the refund department"

[hcat]

1 hour ago, Shadow9612 said:

 

I know its been said before, but the whole refundable vs. Non refundable deposit is much too confusing.  

 

I hope Celebrity reverts back to their old ways -- FAIR cruise prices with refundable deposits.

 

Emphasis on the word FAIR since in the past few years, their rates have really risen (yes, i realize, supply and demand is a factor).

 

It just seems they brought in NRD, then elevated cruise fares for refundable deposits "encouraging" people to book cruises with NRD by offering lower fares for those bookings.  

 

Then, boom. Covid-19.   😪

Agree..

When they started  making the  booking process too complicated,  and added in the NRD option, it was  bound to backfire.. esp with such a difficult website to check fares  and options.

 

May have been great marketing and had many takers...but now what.? Many,  unhappy, confused customers..Another fail courtesy of becoming a Royal C clone .

 

The no perk,  one two or three perk pricing  plan was easier to follow.. and was good for  quite a few yrs.  They change things too often!

 

We never booked a  NRD..but did make the mistake of doing a cancellation under Cruise With Confidence #  1.  So.now we have to use it or lose $2000...plus lost our ins premiums.. Our fault, should have waited...lesson  learned!

Edited May 14, 2020 by hcat

[goofysmom99]

Re:  4-17 Silhouette TA.  Requested refund 3-24.  No calls to X.  Taxes and chunk of cruise fare hit my credit card about an hour ago.  Still ~$800+ out there somewhere, but I'm hopeful.  If it hasn't arrived by June 1st, I'll call.  If necessary, CC dispute will be 2nd week in June.  

 

 

[venison]

Hi Everyone,

 

Yesterday....Thought I would give an update on our refund that we (husband and I) have been patiently waiting on.  Our cruise was cancelled and we received an email on March 26 that we would receive our full refund (our cruise was on April 19).  I called Costco after waiting 30 days about our refund  and they told me 45-60 days.  Today I checked my credit card and I see we have some refunds in pending status (its been about 48 days).  The amounts are broken into 3 refunds...2 of them in odd amounts ($579.91 and  the other  $192.56)...not sure why they did it that way vs a round number.  Anyway, they still owe us approx $3700.  But I was happy to see we will finally receive some money back. Hopefully we'll get the rest back soon...although we would've preferred the cruise since we had a really good price/promos. 

 

Update ....today we received some more money on CC - $888.84 and $70.  still approx $2700 o/s.  I would really like to know how they come up with these amounts. 🤨

[omeinv]

3 hours ago, Shadow9612 said:

Well, part of my wish - are the cruise fares FAIR 😉 ?

 

Yes, I'm one of those people that have lots of future bookings with NRDs (after exclusively booking with X for years using refundable deposits).  

 

I concluded that the overall cruise fare savings by booking a nonrefundable deposit was generally much more than the $100pp NRD I would lose if I cancel -- so if I book 4 cruises at NRD rates, and save thousands in doing so, I'm ok to lose $100pp for the 1 cruise I dont end up taking.

 

Unfortunately, I'm now in a situation with a lot of cruises booked at NRDs, and will be stuck with FCCs if X cancels, or a loss of $100pp if I cancel.  I won't make final payments "hoping" for X to cancel since I don't want even more money tied up in this pandemic period.... 

 

So essentially, I'll lose $100pp as I cancel these cruises before final pmt.?

 

@omeinv - am I missing anything? Any options to not lose money?

 

Oh the lift and shift won't work because I already have so many cruises booked in 2021 and 2022 with these NRDs  

I suppose the "fairness" of pricing is in the eye of the person booking the cruise.  Over the years I've seen prices I've considered very good, and then I booked immediately.  Other times I've seen listed prices I thought were very high, and didn't book; but was surprised to see the cruise sell out at the prices I would not pay.  Obviously others thought those prices were "fair".  Overall, since I started cruising in 2006, the price of cruising has come down.  I reckon part of this is the volume of people cruising, and part if it is my experience in looking for those better deals. 

 

As it stands if you have several cruises with non-refundable bookings, I can't think of a way to avoid the $100.00 fee on the cancellation and issuance of a future cruise credit, if you cancel.  If Celebrity cancels, they are returning the entire deposit in cash, not future cruise credit,a nd not assessing the $100.00 fee. 

 

I understand that you don't feel the "Lift and Shift" option is a good one; and your reasons make sense; but if it were me, I'd use that as a way to preserve all of the deposit I had, and then cancel at the later date if necessary.  It seems that would be the lesser evil, since if you straight cancel now, you'd end up with the $100.00 loss and future cruise credits, that you also don't see using right now. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO

[omeinv]

3 hours ago, NHDOC said:

Seems like every error they make giving refunds is in their favor...hmmm....

I suspect confirmation bias may be at play here.  I rather doubt anyone that received more than they were supposed to would be driven to complain on Cruise Critic. 

 

Harris

Denver, CO