Updated Cancellation Terms

[57eric]

At https://www.cunard.com/en-us/contact-us/travel-health-advisories/interim-cancellation-policy

we now see:

Canceling voyages of 30 nights or less, that are due to sail on or after January 1, 2022.

Period before departure within which written notice of cancelation is received by Cunard	Cancelation Fee Schedule (percentage of fare)
119 - 30 days to sail	Deposit
89 - 61 days to sail	40%
60 -31 days to sail	50%
30 - 15 days to sail	75%
14 - 0 days to sail	100%

 

The first row is a change.  The second and third rows are erroneous.  I spoke with a Cunard agent who will try to get this corrected.

[bluemarble]

Unfortunately for our friends in the UK, I'm not seeing similar terms for 2022 voyages on the Cunard UK website yet.

 

The equivalent UK page at https://www.cunard.com/en-gb/contact-us/travel-health-advisories/flexible-cancellation-policy also indicates it is "Correct as of: 19 August 2021."

 

That page shows the standard UK cancellation policy where penalties beyond the deposit kick in at 90 days (for Cunard Fares and Early Saver Fares) on 2022 voyages.

[BlueRiband]

There's also the added expense of having to fedex WRITTEN notice of cancellation.  According to page 6 of the US Passage Contract:  "...You may cancel by telephone or electronic advice ... provided Carrier immediately receives written confirmation of cancellation. In such case cancellation shall be deemed effective as of the close of business Pacific Standard Time on the date You communicated such cancellation..."

[bluemarble]

The more I look at this, the more I think the typo is actually in the first row rather than in the second and third rows of the cancellation fee schedule posted on the US "Flexible booking terms" page for 2022 voyages. There has been a similar typo in cancellation fee schedules on that page before.

 

What makes me suspicious is that page prefaces that 2022 voyage cancellation fee schedule with these remarks (emphasis mine).

Canceling voyages due to sail on or after January 1, 2022.

If you are booked on a Cunard voyage sailing on or before January 1, 2022 and wish to cancel, our standard cancelation policy applies and Cunard shall be entitled to levy a cancelation charge as a percentage of the fare paid in accordance with the following scales on our Passage Contract page.

 

 

The standard cancellation policy found in the US Passage Contract is as follows.

 

Voyage Length fewer than 31 nights (including World Voyage Segments & Liners)
Number of Days before Sailing	Cancellation Fee
121 nights or more	None
120 to 90	Deposit Amount
89 to 61	40% of full fare
60 to 31	50% of full fare
30 to 15	75% of full fare
14 nights or less, or non appearance	100% of full fare

[57eric]

Perhaps so.  My original post is based on what the agent told me.  I only noticed the error after she told me that there had been a change.  Regardless of what is correct, I see that the table has not been revised and remains ambiguous.

[57eric]

Cunard still has not corrected the erroneous table, but let's set that to one side for the moment and assume the top row in the original post is correct.  My question is: what is the definition of "deposit"?  Is it the minimum required amount, or is it funds applied prior to final payment?  This is not a hypothetical question; I need to make a decision on this point.

 

1. Let's say you have two $4,000 voyages booked and have made a 12.5% deposit of $500 on each.

2. Cunard cancels the first voyage.

3. Cunard awards you a $625 FCC.

4. You apply the FCC to the second voyage.

5. You now have $1,125 deposited toward the second voyage.

6. You make final payment on the second voyage.

7. Between final payment and 30 days before sailing, you decide to cancel the second voyage.

 

How much do you forfeit?  Is it $500 or $1125?

 

[North West Newbie]

2 minutes ago, 57eric said:

Cunard still has not corrected the erroneous table, but let's set that to one side for the moment and assume the top row in the original post is correct.  My question is: what is the definition of "deposit"?  Is it the minimum required amount, or is it funds applied prior to final payment?  This is not a hypothetical question; I need to make a decision on this point.

 

1. Let's say you have two $4,000 voyages booked and have made a 12.5% deposit of $500 on each.

2. Cunard cancels the first voyage.

3. Cunard awards you a $625 FCC.

4. You apply the FCC to the second voyage.

5. You now have $1,125 deposited toward the second voyage.

6. You make final payment on the second voyage.

7. Between final payment and 30 days before sailing, you decide to cancel the second voyage.

 

How much do you forfeit?  Is it $500 or $1125?

 

 

I would say $500 because even if the whole $4,000 had been paid you would only be liable to the 12.5% deposit amount which is $500.

[bluemarble]

I agree with @North West Newbie. As I see it, you would forfeit the $500 deposit on the second voyage along with the $125 FCC bonus. In other words, you ought to be entitled to a $3,375 refund on that second $4,000 voyage.

 

Just to add, in the US, taxes, fees and port expenses tend to complicate the picture. A 12.5% deposit of $500 paid on a $4,000 voyage implies the full amount due is more than $4,000 after taxes, fees and port expenses are added. Those additional taxes, fees and port expenses would also be refunded to you.

[North West Newbie]

12 minutes ago, bluemarble said:

I agree with @North West Newbie. As I see it, you would forfeit the $500 deposit on the second voyage along with the $125 FCC bonus. In other words, you ought to be entitled to a $3,375 refund on that second $4,000 voyage.

 

Just to add, in the US, taxes, fees and port expenses tend to complicate the picture. A 12.5% deposit of $500 paid on a $4,000 voyage implies the full amount due is more than $4,000 after taxes, fees and port expenses are added. Those additional taxes, fees and port expenses would also be refunded to you.

 

Why does the $125 balance of the FCC not remain on the OP's account to use on a future (voyage no 3) booking?

[bluemarble]

Just now, North West Newbie said:

Why does the $125 balance of the FCC not remain on the OP's account to use on a future (voyage no 3) booking?

 

I'm not sure how Cunard addresses that situation where the OP cancels the voyage where the FCC was used. Sorry, I should not have said the OP would be forfeiting the $125 FCC bonus since I don't really know how that works. What we can say for sure is that the $125 FCC bonus amount would not be included in the refund for the second voyage canceled by the OP.

[North West Newbie]

3 hours ago, bluemarble said:

 

I'm not sure how Cunard addresses that situation where the OP cancels the voyage where the FCC was used. Sorry, I should not have said the OP would be forfeiting the $125 FCC bonus since I don't really know how that works. What we can say for sure is that the $125 FCC bonus amount would not be included in the refund for the second voyage canceled by the OP.

 

Having reread the OP’s question (I now realise the full $4,000 has been paid one way or another), I think the $500 cash deposit paid on the second voyage is the one that will be forfeited with the potential of the $625 FCC also being forfeited. No doubt, this is why the question was posed.

 

As I see it, the 125% uplift on the first voyage deposit was compensation for Cunard not having to refund the cash and to promote future business. The fact that the OP wishes to cancel the second voyage where the FCC was utilised does not, in my opinion, reverse the OP’s agreement to accept the terms and conditions upon which Cunard offered the FCC in the first place. That said, it ought to be open to the OP to reallocate the $625 FCC (stemming from the first voyage that Cunard cancelled) to a third voyage providing this is done in accordance with the terms and conditions of the FCC which may, or course, include a term precluding such a transfer.

 

Putting taxes, fees and port expenses aside, any cash refund is only likely to amount to $2,875.

 

[bluemarble]

That's a fair point, @North West Newbie. The cancellation fee schedule specifies the "Deposit" is to be forfeited. In the OP's case, the deposit paid on the second voyage is only $500. But since an FCC was used to pay part of the remaining balance, it does come down to how Cunard handles cancellations that involve payment using an FCC. I know you can get a refund of the amount you paid when an FCC has been issued to your account but has not yet been used (I've done that). But I don't know what happens when you've used an FCC and then cancel the voyage. That is of course a separate issue from what the cancellation fee schedules state.

Edited September 3, 2021 by bluemarble

[Covepointcruiser]

The terms I see on my new December 22 after this December’s cancellation, states that FCC cannot be used for the initial deposit.   Guess I can use it later as I pay for the cruise.

[bluemarble]

24 minutes ago, Covepointcruiser said:

The terms I see on my new December 22 after this December’s cancellation, states that FCC cannot be used for the initial deposit.   Guess I can use it later as I pay for the cruise.

 

That's been my understanding as well that FCC's issued for canceled voyages cannot be used for the initial deposit on another voyage, but rather can only to applied to the remaining balance. That's not from any direct experience of mine since I applied for a refund on our canceled voyage. But that has been the source of some consternation elsewhere on this forum.

 

Cunard's "Our guide to Future Cruise Credit and using it online" webpage does list "Paying your deposit" as one of the things that an FCC can't be used for.

[57eric]

Quite right, but not the case in my example, where the FCC is added to the original cash deposit.

 

Thanks all for the thoughtful responses.  I'm hoping Cunard extends the 30 day final payment policy to some early 2022 voyages, which would basically take my question off the table.