Refunds - any received to date?

[Bramcruiser]

Well, I got my cancellation  notice one week and one day ago today. Even before the cancellation email was sent out I received 5 emails where HAL cancelled various onboard purchases that I paid for in advance. This morning I see that all of these have been refunded and are now on my credit card account. Mighty fast considering the horror stories I have heard so far.

 

Yesterday another round of emails were received where HAL acknowledged they cancelled the shore excursions I booked. Waiting to see how long that takes. Then there is the ultimate - the cruise itself. I selected the refund over the FCC so will it be months before I see it? 

[brichar499]

I'm just not buying the excuses.

 

HAL canceled my April 19 transatlantic on March 30. I immediately requested a refund through my TA and I have the confirmation. Still waiting seven weeks later.

 

However, the same day, I requested refunds for the related travel from United Airlines, Comfort Suites, and AirBnB and I received all of those refunds within days.

 

My guess is that those providers have had the same heavy volume of refunds to deal with and they performed without delay.

 

What is different in HAL's case??

[crusinbanjo]

14 minutes ago, brichar499 said:

I'm just not buying the excuses.

 

HAL canceled my April 19 transatlantic on March 30. I immediately requested a refund through my TA and I have the confirmation. Still waiting seven weeks later.

 

However, the same day, I requested refunds for the related travel from United Airlines, Comfort Suites, and AirBnB and I received all of those refunds within days.

 

My guess is that those providers have had the same heavy volume of refunds to deal with and they performed without delay.

 

What is different in HAL's case??

 

I suspect Cash Flow is there problem.  Lots of Cash wanting to go out, and virtually nothing coming in with little or no actual reserves....... But that is just my guess, I have no inside info 

 

[kenphy]

On 5/9/2020 at 8:51 AM, OSUTRIKERS said:

I’m sure I am beating a dead horse, but has anyone actually gotten a refund yet?  I got ‘notice to refund’ on excursion and onboard purchases, but HAL said that just a notice to be refunded. No email notice on cruise/airline refund.   Sad.

We have received all our ten excursion and onboard amenities for our previously scheduled July 2020 cruise, and we have already started booking excursions for the same cruise in July 2021.  All received within 30 days of cancellation and rebooking.  We are thrilled.

[OSUTRIKERS]

As of today, 5/14, we have received refunds on excursion and onboard charges.  Almost 1 month to the day of our online cancelling.  So now, waiting on cruise/airline refunds.. the big money!  

[BJzink]

I received a notice to refund 2 indulgences on 4/20/20 - refund was in my bank account 5/12/20.  I also received an email from VTG today that there are 26 cancellations for each 1 booking.  Must be mayhem.

[Cruising-along]

13 hours ago, Sunsigngirl said:

We're talking $11,300+ for a long cruise from Australia to Canada.

Could this have been the April 2 Sydney-Vancouver sailing?  We opted for the FCC on March 14.  Received that a week+ ago, but still waiting for the refund of port fees, taxes and flight ease.  Did you get any of those refunds also?  Our PCC told us to let him know if we haven't received them by the end of this week.

[Triger]

Unfortunately this extend the process for all of us waiting for refunds.  

Carnival Corporation Confirms Company-Wide Layoffs

May 14, 2020

 

Carnival Corporation announced today a number of additional actions it is taking to further strengthen its liquidity position in the event of an extended pause in guest operations due to COVID-19, according to a press release. 

To further strengthen liquidity, the company said that its brands are announcing a combination of layoffs, furloughs, reduced work weeks and salary reductions across the company, including senior management. These moves will contribute hundreds of millions of dollars in cash conservation on an annualized basis.

"Taking these extremely difficult employee actions involving our highly dedicated workforce is a very tough thing to do. Unfortunately, it's necessary, given the current low level of guest operations and to further endure this pause," said Carnival Corporation & plc President & CEO Arnold Donald. "We care deeply about all our employees and understanding the impact this is having on so many strengthens our resolve to do everything we can to return to operations when the time is right. We look forward to the day when many of those impacted are returning to work with us and we look forward to the day, when appropriate, that once again our ships and crew are delighting millions of people at sea and we can be there for the many nations and millions of people who depend on the cruise industry for their livelihood."

Added Donald: "We also want to thank our guests for their many thoughtful notes and overall outpouring of support. It is clear there is tremendous anticipation for a return to cruising. It's also encouraging to note that the majority of guests affected by our schedule changes want to sail with us at a later date, with fewer than 38 percent requesting refunds to date. Our booking trends for the first half of 2021, which remain within historical ranges, demonstrate the resilience of our brands and the strength of our loyal recurring customer base, of which 66% are repeat cruisers. In addition, we plan to stagger fleet reentry to optimize demand and operating performance over time."

[Sunsigngirl]

6 hours ago, Bramcruiser said:

Well, I got my cancellation  notice one week and one day ago today. Even before the cancellation email was sent out I received 5 emails where HAL cancelled various onboard purchases that I paid for in advance. This morning I see that all of these have been refunded and are now on my credit card account. Mighty fast considering the horror stories I have heard so far.

 

Yesterday another round of emails were received where HAL acknowledged they cancelled the shore excursions I booked. Waiting to see how long that takes. Then there is the ultimate - the cruise itself. I selected the refund over the FCC so will it be months before I see it? 

It took lots of follow up and 7 weeks for me.

[Sunsigngirl]

3 hours ago, Cruising-along said:

Could this have been the April 2 Sydney-Vancouver sailing?  We opted for the FCC on March 14.  Received that a week+ ago, but still waiting for the refund of port fees, taxes and flight ease.  Did you get any of those refunds also?  Our PCC told us to let him know if we haven't received them by the end of this week.

Yes, this was the initial cruise we booked.  In early March, I cancelled it and put all of our money on an October cruise.  I shortly realized "why am I letting all that money ride" when we need it.  So I requested a refund of the amount over the downpayment on the October cruise.  As time went by, and I saw all that was happening and probable problems with cruising even in October, I knew I was going to cancel the October cruise as well as an April 2021 cruise...however, I wanted to wait until I got the $11,300+ refund.  When I got it, I cancelled immediately.  Re: the April 2, 2020 cruise, we got refunds for our excursions and on-board items immediately when I cancelled that cruise in early March.

[Cruising-along]

4 minutes ago, Sunsigngirl said:

Yes, this was the initial cruise we booked.  In early March, I cancelled it and put all of our money on an October cruise.  I shortly realized "why am I letting all that money ride" when we need it.  So I requested a refund of the amount over the downpayment on the October cruise.  As time went by, and I saw all that was happening and probable problems with cruising even in October, I knew I was going to cancel the October cruise as well as an April 2021 cruise...however, I wanted to wait until I got the $11,300+ refund.  When I got it, I cancelled immediately.  Re: the April 2, 2020 cruise, we got refunds for our excursions and on-board items immediately when I cancelled that cruise in early March.

Thank you. Great news you've received the $11,300! 

We cancelled all excursions and on-board items before HAL cancelled the cruise (saw the writing on the wall like you did) and were refunded immediately too.  Now just waiting for the $4000 in port fees, taxes and air fare.

[Crazy For Cats]

I just received a cancellation notice for our March 18 cruise that HAL cancelled.  I’m hoping that means the taxes, fees and cancellation refund will post in a day or two.

[cavecreekguy]

2 hours ago, Crazy For Cats said:

I just received a cancellation notice for our March 18 cruise that HAL cancelled.  I’m hoping that means the taxes, fees and cancellation refund will post in a day or two.

 

I've not yet received any notification about my March 18 cruise that HAL canceled. I will be contacting my credit card company tomorrow, as it will be more than 60 days since I submitted the online form requesting a refund.

[Crazy For Cats]

10 minutes ago, cavecreekguy said:

 

I've not yet received any notification about my March 18 cruise that HAL canceled. I will be contacting my credit card company tomorrow, as it will be more than 60 days since I submitted the online form requesting a refund.

I received the FCC last week from the Zuiderdam cancellation.  I’m still waiting on the taxes and insurance policy refund.  That’s what I’m hoping the email means.

 

BTW yesterday I disputed charges for my cancelled August cruise since HAL didn’t meet their promised 60 day timeframe.

[VacationCharlene]

We too just received the below message today May 14, 2020.  Tomorrow would of been 60 days since we requested the 100% refund from our March 21th 2020 cruise.  Appreciate the email but got too excited thinking it was our money back.....boo hoo  We were scheduled for the 28 day South Pacific/Hawaii on the Oosterdam.  Notified one week before sail date BY HAL.

 

We know you are waiting for your refund and may be frustrated by how long it is taking. We fully understand and apologize for this situation. Please be assured that we have received your request and currently have it in our queue. We are doing everything we can to expedite the processing of an unprecedented number of refunds and future cruise credits during this challenging time.

We ask for your continued patience as we work through each booking properly. Due to the unique nature of this situation, we are unable to use our usual automated process. Our team is working hard to manually process this large volume of requests while working from home. This is our commitment to ensuring each and every booking is handled accurately and as efficiently as possible, in hopes of avoiding any further frustrations for you, our valued guest.

We also want to share that we have extended the book-by and sail-by dates associated with our Future Cruise Credit (FCC) offer. Guests who elect option 1 to defer their cruise fare refund and receive 125% FCC plus a $250 per guest onboard credit will now have 12 months to make their new booking for any cruise sailing prior to December 31, 2022. If you originally selected option 2 to receive a refund only and wish to change to option 1, please contact us at the appropriate office:

Seattle Office (USD/CAD currency):
Contact us at 1-800-577-1728 or 206-626-7395. We are available Monday – Friday, 5:00am – 7:00pm PT.
Saturday – Sunday 6:00am – 5:00pm PT.

Southampton Office (GBP currency):
Contact us at 0344 338 8605. We are available Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:30pm.

Sydney Office (AUD currency):
Contact us at 1300 987 322. We are available Monday – Friday, 8:30am – 7:00pm.

As always, we thank you for your understanding and hope you and your loved ones are staying healthy and safe during this difficult time. We look forward to welcoming you onboard again soon

Best Regards,
Holland America Line

Edited 2 minutes ago by VacationCharlene

[cavecreekguy]

Yeah well I'm calling BS on the continued excuse of "oh we just have so many requests we can't get to them all." If they were actually working them then SOMEONE should have reported receiving a refund of their cruise fare by now. I've only heard people reporting receiving refunds of excursions or other pre-purchased items.

[nyceve]

Nope, not a penny, not a single communication. And I have Platinum insurance.  I am way over 60 days since I cancelled.  HAL has totally lost my trust, and I have filed a dispute with the credit card company. I received provisional credit in 48 hours and I expect the dispute to be resolved in my favor (naturally), in a reasonable amount of time.  Good luck to those of you who believe in unicorns, what HAL is saying is utter BS. File a dispute.

[cavecreekguy]

40 minutes ago, nyceve said:

Nope, not a penny, not a single communication. And I have Platinum insurance.  I am way over 60 days since I cancelled.  HAL has totally lost my trust, and I have filed a dispute with the credit card company. I received provisional credit in 48 hours and I expect the dispute to be resolved in my favor (naturally), in a reasonable amount of time.  Good luck to those of you who believe in unicorns, what HAL is saying is utter BS. File a dispute.

I'm waiting until tomorrow as it will be 61 days from when I submitted my request for a refund. So when I call my credit card company I can say I tried to work it out with the merchant and have waited beyond when they said they'd provide a refund.

I'll post my experience on your "Experiences filing credit card dispute to get a refund" thread.

[strickerj]

On 5/11/2020 at 4:03 PM, strickerj said:

Same here, got all but one shore excursion refunded yesterday for our canceled 5/24 Alaska cruise and got FCC for 2 of the 3 passengers, but no refund of the port taxes & fees. 

Just got the last outstanding shore excursion refund, so that just leaves port taxes and fees now.

[Triger]

Further to my above posting #83 yesterday regarding staff layoffs.  More details being made available.  Specifically relating to Holland America from Seattle News outlets, where their corporate office is located. We are in for a long wait and we may need to consider that we may never see refunds.  Cutting back staff will only extend the delays.

Seattle-based Holland America Line to furlough, lay off nearly 2,000 employees

Author: KING 5 Staff, Associated Press - 5:13 PM PDT May 14, 2020

 

SEATTLE — The Carnival Corporation, the world’s largest cruise company that operates Seattle-based Holland America, announced steps to “further strengthen its liquidity position in the event of an extended pause in guest operations due to COVID-19.”

Carnival and its brands will reduce work hours and salaries, furlough, or lay off employees across the company, according to a press release. 

It wasn't announced how many employees would be laid off or put on furlough, however The Seattle Times reports nearly 2,000 people will be laid off. Most of Holland America’s land-bound staff work in Seattle and Santa Clarita, California. The company says a no-sail order from federal health officials means the company is not generating revenue. The cruise line canceled all of its voyages out of Seattle last week. 

[Bkmat]

This week we received a $200 credit on the credit card we used to pay for a FCD,  We used this FCD to book a 9/20 cruise that was canceled.  We canceled before the final payment was due anyway.  I emailed my PCC that I was happy to see that credit, but asked about my refund of $1200 for 5/21 cruise we canceled about 45 days ago.  She responded that it is taking up to 60 days for most refunds.  I am keeping all my communication with HA and hopefully can use that as verification of my attempt to “deal with the merchant”.  This is what the credit card company asks you to do.  If HA files for bankruptcy, we all may be out of luck.  My 5/21 deposit was paid way back in Feb, so I am over the 60 day “dispute” time with the credit card company.  However, after 60 days, I do plan to try a dispute with credit card company, despite the time frame.  What do I have to lose by trying...I guess my $1200.  Still, when I read of what other people have lost, including full fares they paid, I know I am luckier than most.  Sad situation for everyone...cruisers who have lost money, crews who have lost their livelihood, cruise employees who are now laid off...a slice of what the world at large is experiencing.  Good luck to all who are waiting for their refunds!  

[gigianne]

I just got off the phone after exercising patience and was told by a very nice lady (who just received lay-off notice for the end of June) that HAL had suspended all refunds around the 14th of March for 60 days.  She was unable to tell me where in the lineup my refund was.   I am now talking to my credit card company.  

[Sunsigngirl]

On 5/13/2020 at 7:36 PM, KAKcruiser said:

Sunsigngirl - What was the date of your cancelled sailing?  I am curious to know in what order they are doing the refunds.

What happened is that we cancelled the April 2 Australia sailing and put the full fare onto an October sailing.  This was maybe March 5 or so.  On the 23rd of March, I asked to have all the funds above the necessary down payment on the October cruise refunded, as I started to get nervous re: HAL's viability in this perfect storm.  While waiting, we decided to cancel the October cruise as well as a 2021 cruise we'd booked, but wanted to wait until we got the big chunk ($11,300+) back.  We got it on May 12 and cancelled the two cruises immediately.  Here's hoping we get the additional $1,700 back some day.  We've lost all the airfare - well, have a year to use it, and, with Virgin Air going belly up, probably won't have that.  Got half the Sydney BnB $ back.

[Sunsigngirl]

On 5/14/2020 at 3:05 PM, cavecreekguy said:

Yeah well I'm calling BS on the continued excuse of "oh we just have so many requests we can't get to them all." If they were actually working them then SOMEONE should have reported receiving a refund of their cruise fare by now. I've only heard people reporting receiving refunds of excursions or other pre-purchased items.

We did get our refund.  (See my other posts.). Long and confusing process.  

 

[Cruising-along]

51 minutes ago, Sunsigngirl said:

We did get our refund.  (See my other posts.). Long and confusing process.  

 

I was hoping you would see that post and respond.  I remember you telling about your refund (and I've heard of a couple others too, but don't remember who/where now).