Mariner Society

[*Miss G*]

I have been on hold for the Mariner Society Department for 45 minutes now.  After all this time I am scared to hang up.  Is this length of time unusual or do people normally have to wait this long?

[kazu]

I normally haven’t waited long at all, but that was pre-pandemic.  I imagine right now they are besieged with calls and suspect they are not back to full staff.  that’s just a guess on my part though.

[StLouisCruisers]

I just voted and was right on the borderline of 15 minutes, maybe a couple of minutes more.  This was just yesterday by the way.  

[*Miss G*]

Hmm.  Maybe I called at the wrong time.  I have hit 60+ minutes.  What time did you call?  I fear I am in Your-Call-is-Important-to-Us limbo and no one really knows I’m waiting.  Plus, listening to the same music for over an hour isn’t really conducive with “Thank you for your patience.”  😡

[StLouisCruisers]

19 minutes ago, *Miss G* said:

Hmm.  Maybe I called at the wrong time.  I have hit 60+ minutes.  What time did you call?  I fear I am in Your-Call-is-Important-to-Us limbo and no one really knows I’m waiting.  Plus, listening to the same music for over an hour isn’t really conducive with “Thank you for your patience.”  😡

 

I would estimate the call  being made between 3 and 3:30 eastern yesterday.  Brian at the Mariner's desk answered my call.  

[KirkNC]

Why would lots of people be calling the Mariners Society.  I don’t think we have ever called them.

[OlsSalt]

Latest message this week from Mariners Society - they are no longer offering extensions for use of future cruise credits issued  for previously cancelled cruises, regardless of Mariner star level. 

 

Back-logged credits can only be used  for cruises booked and taken before the end of 2022.  If anyone has been granted  a recent extensions beyond that date, I would love to hear about it. 

 

Status of current vaccination mandates prevent our booking  a cruise now, but no exceptions are granted to wait until 2023 to see if current restrictions remain. Use or lose.   I can appreciate their need to clear out this backlog. But not at the price of a forced vaccination in order to qualify for using them. 

[*Miss G*]

20 hours ago, KirkNC said:

Why would lots of people be calling the Mariners Society.  I don’t think we have ever called them.

 

Yesterday was my first time.  I changed the name on my passport to match my vaccination card but I can’t imagine there would be lots of people doing that!  😂 She was able to update my account, as well as two bookings.

 

I also needed them to fix the number of cruise credits they owed us.  I had tried to do it via email, at one point, but it went nowhere.  Advice from fellow cc’ers was to call them directly, so I did.  It was fixed immediately.

 

Since all was going well, I asked for a couple of corrections on our next booking and she took care of that too!  All in all, a call worth waiting for.

 

 

2 minutes ago, OlsSalt said:

Latest message this week from Mariners Society - they are no longer offering extensions for use of future cruise credits issued  for previously cancelled cruises, regardless of Mariner star level. 

 

Back-logged credits can only be used  for cruises booked and taken before the end of 2022.  If anyone has been granted  a recent extensions beyond that date, I would love to hear about it. 

 

Status of current vaccination mandates prevent our booking  a cruise now, but no exceptions are granted to wait until 2023 to see if current restrictions remain. Use or lose.   I can appreciate their need to clear out this backlog. But not at the price of a forced vaccination in order to qualify for using them. 

 

I just let mine expire and didn’t bother extending them.  They were pretty minimal and the future was a huge unknown.  I guess if you’re not going to get vaccinated then the odds are you’ll never get to use them, anyway, so I’d put a cap on extensions as well.  I imagine the horror of stranded ships at sea is still pretty fresh in their minds.

[Hlitner]

I think it has become obvious that there will be no International travel for the unvaccinated.  More countries are adopting vaccine mandates and that is unlikely to change for many years if ever. Those that home waiting for restrictions to ease will likely be staying home for many years.  I do not like it, but that is reality.  
 

Hank

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, OlsSalt said:

Latest message this week from Mariners Society - they are no longer offering extensions for use of future cruise credits issued  for previously cancelled cruises, regardless of Mariner star level. 

 

Back-logged credits can only be used  for cruises booked and taken before the end of 2022.  If anyone has been granted  a recent extensions beyond that date, I would love to hear about it. 

 

Status of current vaccination mandates prevent our booking  a cruise now, but no exceptions are granted to wait until 2023 to see if current restrictions remain. Use or lose.   I can appreciate their need to clear out this backlog. But not at the price of a forced vaccination in order to qualify for using them. 

That will be a problem for us (the unwillingness to extend FCC beyond 2022), not due to jab requirements, we have had three of those, but because our Feb 2022 cruise appears to be dying on the vine. 

[KirkNC]

1 hour ago, *Miss G* said:

 

Yesterday was my first time.  I changed the name on my passport to match my vaccination card but I can’t imagine there would be lots of people doing that!  😂 She was able to update my account, as well as two bookings.

 

I also needed them to fix the number of cruise credits they owed us.  I had tried to do it via email, at one point, but it went nowhere.  Advice from fellow cc’ers was to call them directly, so I did.  It was fixed immediately.

 

Since all was going well, I asked for a couple of corrections on our next booking and she took care of that too!  All in all, a call worth waiting for.

 

 

 

I just let mine expire and didn’t bother extending them.  They were pretty minimal and the future was a huge unknown.  I guess if you’re not going to get vaccinated then the odds are you’ll never get to use them, anyway, so I’d put a cap on extensions as well.  I imagine the horror of stranded ships at sea is still pretty fresh in their minds.

Sounds like you got a lot accomplished!

[oaktreerb]

2 hours ago, OlsSalt said:

Latest message this week from Mariners Society - they are no longer offering extensions for use of future cruise credits issued  for previously cancelled cruises, regardless of Mariner star level. 

 

Back-logged credits can only be used  for cruises booked and taken before the end of 2022.  If anyone has been granted  a recent extensions beyond that date, I would love to hear about it. 

 

Status of current vaccination mandates prevent our booking  a cruise now, but no exceptions are granted to wait until 2023 to see if current restrictions remain. Use or lose.   I can appreciate their need to clear out this backlog. But not at the price of a forced vaccination in order to qualify for using them. 

Forced vaccination?  Required vaccination in order to sail.  Many more people would not feel comfortable cruising if the vaccination requirements were not in place.   

[OlsSalt]

1 hour ago, oaktreerb said:

Forced vaccination?  Required vaccination in order to sail.  Many more people would not feel comfortable cruising if the vaccination requirements were not in place.   

 

I appreciate others concerns. It is the new world we now live in. Waiting for boarding  policy to catch up with acquired immunity, that is showing it  matches the injection requirements.  Science and data is marching on.

 

2023? who knows what we will have learned by then - which is when there is a great cruise, but our significant built up FCC will not extend until then. .

Edited December 2, 2021 by OlsSalt

[Al Aboard]

Is there some way to get cash refund for unused FCCs (especially if the FCC came from moneys paid in and not part of the bonus from the 125% offer)?

[KirkNC]

1 minute ago, Al Aboard said:

Is there some way to get cash refund for unused FCCs (especially if the FCC came from moneys paid in and not part of the bonus from the 125% offer)?

I wish, let me know if you find a way.

[HAL4NOW]

5 hours ago, Al Aboard said:

Is there some way to get cash refund for unused FCCs (especially if the FCC came from moneys paid in and not part of the bonus from the 125% offer)?

We were able to get a cash refund for the amount placed as a deposit. Of course, you forfeit whatever bonus FCC you received. One of the cruisers we had booked prior to covid ended up in an assisted care facility and is unable to cruise now. Lost opportunity for her, but HAL was great about refunding the deposit amount to our credit card (only took about 3 weeks for refund to post to our account after phoning HAL).