Cunard's Cancellations/Refunds Update 9th June 2020

[HJean]

My NZ TA told us late last week that the NZ agent for Cunard had received a bunch of refunds from the Australian agent who does the refunds by cheque which have to be cleared here. Ours wasn't amongst it. Soooo, don't know why, maybe it's "they are making a lot of noise, lets put them at the back of the queue?" Or who knows. So we are still waiting. Contacted the Australian agent directly couple of weeks ago, usual story, we are processing refunds, sorry for the delay. 

[QM2_SYD]

Refund received!!

Queen Elizabeth Q010N ex Sydney 15 March 20

Cancelled by Cunard 14 March 20

Refund request lodged online 17 March 20

Follow up email to Cunard 25 May 20

Full cruise refund applied back to credit card 12 June 20 (appeared on statement today 15 June)

So just over 60 working days. I am in Sydney.

 

Hopefully the rest of you will start getting your refunds soon.

 

 

Edited June 14, 2020 by QM2_SYD

[jland]

5 hours ago, QM2_SYD said:

Refund received!!

Queen Elizabeth Q010N ex Sydney 15 March 20

Cancelled by Cunard 14 March 20

Refund request lodged online 17 March 20

Follow up email to Cunard 25 May 20

Full cruise refund applied back to credit card 12 June 20 (appeared on statement today 15 June)

So just over 60 working days. I am in Sydney.

 

Hopefully the rest of you will start getting your refunds soon.

 

 

Did you book with Cunard direct or through a TA?

[QM2_SYD]

Booked direct with Cunard. 

[jland]

2 hours ago, QM2_SYD said:

Booked direct with Cunard. 

Think that was very wise of you. Congratulations on getting your refund!

[resordanis]

11 hours ago, QM2_SYD said:

Refund received!!

Queen Elizabeth Q010N ex Sydney 15 March 20

Cancelled by Cunard 14 March 20

Refund request lodged online 17 March 20

Follow up email to Cunard 25 May 20

Full cruise refund applied back to credit card 12 June 20 (appeared on statement today 15 June)

So just over 60 working days. I am in Sydney.

 

Hopefully the rest of you will start getting your refunds soon.

 

 

Congratulations hopefully ours will be soon.🤔🤔

[Paulpgr]

Hi all, just received my cheque for refund today from Cunard.

Booked through TA for NYC-Southampton sailing on Sunday 31 May 2020.

Cunard cancelled sailing on 15th May 2020, completed refund form 24 April 2020.

[Vogatrice]

Does anyone know how this situation might work?

• May Transatlantic cancelled after full payment. I chose to roll the cash forward with FCC bonus to October reservation
• Oct Transatlantic cancelled before final payment. The voucher that includes my cash + FCC had not yet been applied to Oct final payment due on June 25
• Travel agent thinks this was a one-time choice, that I cannot now go back and request a refund, forfeiting the FCC of course, for the unused voucher, even though this new sailing is now cancelled

She is calling Cunard but this is her current understanding. If true, and it's a one-time-only choice and all I can do is keep rolling it forward, I will not be happy. I'm done, I have cancelled 3 reservations pre-COVID because I couldn't get a kennel spot, then 2 reservations have been cancelled on me post-COVID. I have one reservation left on the books, for December 8, but I'm not going to make any more bookings until sailings resume. I want my money back.

 

All thoughts welcome.

[lizinvan]

On 6/9/2020 at 7:42 PM, AussieVoyager said:

I'm slightly confused by the announcement that QE cruises are cancelled to 23 November.  I have a cruise booked out of Melbourne on 25 November and that is now the first listed date for QE cruises on their website.  I can't understand why the reference to 23 November when there are no cruises listed for that date.  Any thoughts?

 

EDIT:  I've answered the question myself after reading the Stock Exchange statement.  It's sailings up to and including 23 November that are cancelled - so 25 is the first scheduled sailing after the cancellation period.

We have only learned about cancellations from this board.  We have received no notice of cancellation.  We are on B2B Nov 23/27 total of 8 nights Sydney to Melbourne.

[Roger Ackroyd]

19 hours ago, Vogatrice said:

Does anyone know how this situation might work?

• May Transatlantic cancelled after full payment. I chose to roll the cash forward with FCC bonus to October reservation
• Oct Transatlantic cancelled before final payment. The voucher that includes my cash + FCC had not yet been applied to Oct final payment due on June 25
• Travel agent thinks this was a one-time choice, that I cannot now go back and request a refund, forfeiting the FCC of course, for the unused voucher, even though this new sailing is now cancelled

She is calling Cunard but this is her current understanding. If true, and it's a one-time-only choice and all I can do is keep rolling it forward, I will not be happy. I'm done, I have cancelled 3 reservations pre-COVID because I couldn't get a kennel spot, then 2 reservations have been cancelled on me post-COVID. I have one reservation left on the books, for December 8, but I'm not going to make any more bookings until sailings resume. I want my money back.

 

All thoughts welcome.

This was a problem always likely to build up with the continuing cancellation of cruises. FCC is all very well but when those cruises become subject to cancellation as well then I could foresee the kind of mayhem of credits/refunds that will now ensue. Customers who took FCC in the early days are, one suspects, plumping for full refunds now and will wait until the situation becomes much, much, clearer.

We are due to take a leg of the world tour San Francisco to Brisbane in February but I am not yet convinced that QV will leave Southampton on January 10th which would mean that the whole next 3 months would be abandoned. And I don’t feel like being a guinea pig for whatever restrictions come into play when cruising gets back. I’d prefer to wait and see how it all pans out before committing any more money into the Cunard pot.

[Andiamo]

QM2 Christmas voyage 22nd of December 2020.  Cancelled 29th of April through my TA.  Refund of $6,000 US deposit received today.  Never expected it so soon.  

[Edithclara]

Sydney Australia  refund received

Cunard Queen Elizabeth 12 April 27 night Australia Circumnavigation

22 February: booked/paid in full

31 March: Cunard cancelled, Cunard online refund request form submitted

12 June: email from Cunard, refund processed 9 June, allow 20 days for cheque to reach the TA OZ

13 June: email from the TA OZ, refund received overnight, refund processed to my CC, allow 3-5 days

17 June: refund on my card

[Vogatrice]

5 hours ago, Roger Ackroyd said:

Travel agent thinks this was a one-time choice, that I cannot now go back and request a refund, forfeiting the FCC of course, for the unused voucher, even though this new sailing is now cancelled

Heard back from my TA. Cunard did indeed say I cannot now request a refund for the October cruise since I chose to roll my previous payment for May + FCC bonus into the Oct booking. 

 

I would have made a different choice had I known it was one-and-done. It's very difficult to play chess with an opponent who changes the rules to suit themselves whenever they feel the need. I think I might have gotten a different answer had I actually paid in full for October prior to cancellation. Then perhaps I would have had another opportunity to request refund vs FCC. But since the previous voucher was still in limbo - not yet applied to the October cruise - I feel they said this more for convenience than any other reason. Not that playing "guess what's in their head" is a game I can win, I'm just speculating.

 

I will leave it for now but will go to the mat later for a refund if the Dec and Jan sailings I have booked are also cancelled. To be clear, I just want my own cash back. I'm expecting, appropriately, to forfeit any FCC bonus.

 

If this tale helps anyone still trying to make a choice, please post and let us know.

[resordanis]

Afternoon all,

Well  finally! Just had an email from Cunard to say our refund has been processed.

only problem is that because we booked thru an agent, Cunard send them a cheque which could take 20 days for the TA to receive, so still do not have the cash in the bank, but at least a start.🤔🤔. Will post here when I actually receive the money.

 

[Edithclara]

2 minutes ago, resordanis said:

Afternoon all,

Well  finally! Just had an email from Cunard to say our refund has been processed.

only problem is that because we booked thru an agent, Cunard send them a cheque which could take 20 days for the TA to receive, so still do not have the cash in the bank, but at least a start.🤔🤔. Will post here when I actually receive the money.

 

We were told the same, refund's been processed, due to postal restrictions allow 20 days for the cheque to reach the OZ TA (checked Auspost, service delivery during Covid is now 5 days intrastate, not 20 days). If you see my post above, Cunard told me they processed my refund on 9 June, I had my refund on my CC this morning. 

[jland]

Online refund requested 17th March for cruise departing 26th March. Still no communication from Cunard.

[resordanis]

1 hour ago, Edithclara said:

We were told the same, refund's been processed, due to postal restrictions allow 20 days for the cheque to reach the OZ TA (checked Auspost, service delivery during Covid is now 5 days intrastate, not 20 days). If you see my post above, Cunard told me they processed my refund on 9 June, I had my refund on my CC this morning. 

I am just happy for some communication. Our TA has been good, but the email from Cunard was sent because I have been trying to make contact with Cunard and, because the TA was getting no where with them. Anyway, let’s wait and see!

Edited June 17, 2020 by resordanis

[babs135]

And it was all going so well.  On the 5th of June we spoke to our ta and transferred our October 2020 booking to the same sailing in September 2021.  This was before the balance was due.   Because the original booking was made with a special offer deposit we had to pay an extra amount which we did.  Following on we then received new documentation showing the new date, etc and I'd even been on the Cunard website to check everything was fine.  It was.

 

Today we have received an ABTA Refund Credit Note to the amount of the new deposit.  BUT we have also received further documentation showing us still booked on the September 2021 cruise.  I've been on the Cunard website but there is now no trace of our booking!

 

Has anyone else had this problem?

[lindylooellalouise]

Hi we requested a fcc for our Oct 20 cruise and have just had a call from our ta and we can only have a fcc if we pay the full balance of deposit as we had paid a small deposit Any one else had this 

[ExArkie]

We had booked a now-canceled QV Baltic cruise for August 2020. When it was becoming apparent that summer travel was going to be virtually nonexistent, we canceled on April 19, just before the original 120-day final payment date. The deposit was refunded to my credit card on June 12. Relevant data:

• USA resident
• Booked through TA, not direct with Cunard, approximately one year before sail date
• Platinum World Club members
• Cabin booked was Princess Grill (P2)
• Final payment was not made, just deposit
• Time for refund = 54 days

 

[aussiedisneyfan]

16 hours ago, jland said:

Online refund requested 17th March for cruise departing 26th March. Still no communication from Cunard.

Our refund for this cruise was deposited on my CC Friday 12 June and funds showed up this morning. Good luck. 

[jland]

5 minutes ago, aussiedisneyfan said:

Our refund for this cruise was deposited on my CC Friday 12 June and funds showed up this morning. Good luck. 

Did you book through a TA or Cunard? The people who booked direct seem to be getting their refund.

[aussiedisneyfan]

7 minutes ago, jland said:

Did you book through a TA or Cunard? The people who booked direct seem to be getting their refund.

Sorry meant to say we booked directly. My parents and friends booked through a t/a so will keep checking with them. 

[jland]

7 minutes ago, aussiedisneyfan said:

Sorry meant to say we booked directly. My parents and friends booked through a t/a so will keep checking with them. 

Did your parents and friends book the same cruise? It will be interesting to see how long it takes them to get their refund.

[frantic36]

2 hours ago, jland said:

Did you book through a TA or Cunard? The people who booked direct seem to be getting their refund.

 

jland we finally got our refund on our CC today for our cancelled 14 March cruise. We booked through a TA.

 

We paid our deposit with a bank transfer and the final payment with a credit card.  Strangely Cunard will pay back the bank transfer money via a cheque. Our TA was notified that the refund was processed on 9 June but was told that it would take up to 20 days to get to us, she didn't know why.

 

One glitch that our TA helped with was she put the form in to cancel on 18 March, thankfully she took a screen shot of the form confirmation. When she contacted Cunard late April to find out what was happening they claimed they had no form submitted. She was able to send them the screen shot of the form confirmation and they agreed to hurry up the processing. 

 

Julie

 

Edited June 18, 2020 by frantic36