Question about FCC

[Petoonya]

The 5/24/21 Tahiti cruise I was on was chartered, and WS gave me a generous FCC to be used for another cruise. I received notification about this on 6/18/20. I then booked the same cruise for 4/29/21.

Yesterday WS sent FCC certificates in this amount stipulating that they expire 6/18/21. The fine print made it clear that if my 4/29/21 cruise is COVID cancelled I'd have to sail something else before 6/18/21. 

 

Spoke with WS as I thought there must be a mistake....that I'd just need to book something else by 6/18/21.

But no, I had it right initially. Pretty much if 4/29/21 doesn't work we're out of luck.

The agent did say that COVID has changed the ballgame and I could take it up with customer relations if my 4/29 cruise gets cancelled.

Is this the way it is in the industry currently? Is it fuss-able and maybe I should take up the ladder now? Generally I feel the cruise lines have been pretty generous with COVID related problems, so not so sure I should get bent out of shape.

[texasstar]

7 hours ago, Petoonya said:

The 5/24/21 Tahiti cruise I was on was chartered, and WS gave me a generous FCC to be used for another cruise. I received notification about this on 6/18/20. I then booked the same cruise for 4/29/21.

Yesterday WS sent FCC certificates in this amount stipulating that they expire 6/18/21. The fine print made it clear that if my 4/29/21 cruise is COVID cancelled I'd have to sail something else before 6/18/21. 

 

Spoke with WS as I thought there must be a mistake....that I'd just need to book something else by 6/18/21.

But no, I had it right initially. Pretty much if 4/29/21 doesn't work we're out of luck.

The agent did say that COVID has changed the ballgame and I could take it up with customer relations if my 4/29 cruise gets cancelled.

Is this the way it is in the industry currently? Is it fuss-able and maybe I should take up the ladder now? Generally I feel the cruise lines have been pretty generous with COVID related problems, so not so sure I should get bent out of shape.

That seems pretty unreasonable to me.  If you can't sail on 4/29,  it is not likely that you would be able to cruise by 6/18/21.  Hope this works out for you as I know you have really been looking forward to this trip.

[Barrycat]

Don’t stew over this Petoonya. April 2021 is a long way off. Between now and then lots will happen in Tahiti, and Windstar along with the rest of the cruise business will do make the kinds of adjustments that will make cruising safe and hopefully fun again.

You are a cruising pro and you know how this all works.

Unless you paid all of your 4/29 cruise I would guess that you could use the FCC you got  to pay off the balance on the 4/29 cruise. I would pursue your first response. It appears to me that the FCC expire date from your first cruise has nothing to do with what happens if the 4/29 cruise is cancelled Hopefully this is not the case, but if they do cancel the 4/29, the FCC would be good from a year from the date of cancellation. 
FYI, I just got a FCC for a cancelled cruise next January. The FCC was issued 8/4 and was good until June 30,2022. Obviously the line has differing policies on COVID cancelled and change to charter cancellations in terms of issuing FCC.

[Petoonya]

13 hours ago, texasstar said:

That seems pretty unreasonable to me.  If you can't sail on 4/29,  it is not likely that you would be able to cruise by 6/18/21.  Hope this works out for you as I know you have really been looking forward to this trip.

 

12 hours ago, Barrycat said:

Don’t stew over this Petoonya. April 2021 is a long way off. Between now and then lots will happen in Tahiti, and Windstar along with the rest of the cruise business will do make the kinds of adjustments that will make cruising safe and hopefully fun again.

You are a cruising pro and you know how this all works.

Unless you paid all of your 4/29 cruise I would guess that you could use the FCC you got  to pay off the balance on the 4/29 cruise. I would pursue your first response. It appears to me that the FCC expire date from your first cruise has nothing to do with what happens if the 4/29 cruise is cancelled Hopefully this is not the case, but if they do cancel the 4/29, the FCC would be good from a year from the date of cancellation. 
FYI, I just got a FCC for a cancelled cruise next January. The FCC was issued 8/4 and was good until June 30,2022. Obviously the line has differing policies on COVID cancelled and change to charter cancellations in terms of issuing FCC.

I'm still torn. Not really stewing but I might be if COVID causes yours and my cruise to be cancelled and I'm SOL. Yes can see WS has different policies for charters vs. COVID cancels. I might still just gently request that the expiration on the voucher be extended at least 12 months. I have two other WS cruises scheduled in the 12 months following April 29, and if April 29 falls through was really hoping to use the FCC for one of those.

Oh well- will think over the weekend. Again I believe WS to be very generous despite significant losses so I'd have little to complain about. $1000 FCC is still $1000 maybe worth a little fuss.

[minidonuts85]

Play it by ear. If the 4/29 cruise is cancelled, definitely ask for an extension on the FCC past 6/18...

 

 

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[susiesan]

You will know well before April 2021 if your cruise will be cancelled due to covid because all the prior cruises starting in October will have been cancelled.  Heck, I am not sure my January Tahiti cruise will be a go. Get your final payment date extended like I did to 30 days before sailing.

Threaten to cancel your November cruise if Windstar does not cooperate. 

 

Isn't the $1000 a gift from Windstar, not money you had actually paid them? Although it was a nice gesture for Windstar to give that to you for cancelling your May cruise they legally did not have to. if you lose it, you didn't really take a loss on something you never actually had.

[6rugrats]

Susiesan makes very good points.  In the past, I also had a nice amount of credit because of chartered cruises.  I lost it all because it had an expiration date and I was unable to use it on time.

[Petoonya]

Thanks everyone. As many have said the credit was a nice and very generous gesture on WS's part. Listening to everyone's thoughts I'll drop it and hope things go our way. Thanks again.