Slow refunds/FCCs for scrapped Japan cruise

[Isles of Shoals]

Is anyone else facing this frustrating problem?
We booked HAL's October 202 circumnavigation of Japan, using future cruise credits from a 2020 trip that we had cancelled when the pandemic hit. But HAL for obvious and good reasons scrapped this year's Japan cruises three weeks ago. No problem.
We promptly turned down the offer of a cabin on the 2023 version of the Japan cruise, choosing the option of converting our cruise price back into an FCC.
That should be a quick process, right? Nope. I was ready to book a mid-June 2022 cruise today with the current 3-day deal. But HAL, ignoring our wishes, has assigned us to the unwanted 2023 cruise. Our PCC says a special "team" working on refunds won't finish its work until late this month. So although HAL knows it owes this three-star customer several thousand dollars, I cannot take a spring cruise without paying the full price in cash. That's frustrating and disappointing. The company has faced many tough problems in the past two years, but fixing this one should be simple: Give all affected customers their FCCs without delay.

[sambamama]

HA!!!  HAL has had my money paid in full from December 19, 2020-I've had 8 cruises canceled, and this is now the second time they canceled my January Asia cruise-each time after I already booked my airfare and hotels.  As a single, all their cruises (or probably 98%) are now 200% single supplements now.  So I can rebook and get very little of the value I had for this cruise or cancel and lose the value I gained from my FCC (which I only got the first time they canceled) or wait yet a third year.  HAL won't even give me any courtesy shipboard credit or even a tiny free  cabin upgrade- a J from an L.  HAL canceled my TA and then uncanceled it a month later saying it was a mistake after I canceled my airfare and hotels.  I've been sailing with HAL since the early 1980s, and am a 4 star.  At this point, I may never cruise with HAL again after this cruise-I am totally disgusted with how they have handled my cancellations.  I had a casino cruise booked this past fall, and the ship got chartered for that week.  At least half the passengers knew the cruise wasn't going before HAL finally announce the cruise was cancelled (the exact dates were posted on the charter website!)  This was about 6-8 weeks before the ship was sailing, and people already had their airfare and hotels booked.  And what did we get for that debacle???  Nothing!!!  If I had the option of getting all my money back  (including the FCC) in cash, I would grab it and go!  I figure HAL has had some of my money interest free since 2018 and longer now!

 

[Tampa Girl]

1 hour ago, sambamama said:

HA!!!  HAL has had my money paid in full from December 19, 2020-I've had 8 cruises canceled, and this is now the second time they canceled my January Asia cruise-each time after I already booked my airfare and hotels.  As a single, all their cruises (or probably 98%) are now 200% single supplements now.  So I can rebook and get very little of the value I had for this cruise or cancel and lose the value I gained from my FCC (which I only got the first time they canceled) or wait yet a third year.  HAL won't even give me any courtesy shipboard credit or even a tiny free  cabin upgrade- a J from an L.  HAL canceled my TA and then uncanceled it a month later saying it was a mistake after I canceled my airfare and hotels.  I've been sailing with HAL since the early 1980s, and am a 4 star.  At this point, I may never cruise with HAL again after this cruise-I am totally disgusted with how they have handled my cancellations.  I had a casino cruise booked this past fall, and the ship got chartered for that week.  At least half the passengers knew the cruise wasn't going before HAL finally announce the cruise was cancelled (the exact dates were posted on the charter website!)  This was about 6-8 weeks before the ship was sailing, and people already had their airfare and hotels booked.  And what did we get for that debacle???  Nothing!!!  If I had the option of getting all my money back  (including the FCC) in cash, I would grab it and go!  I figure HAL has had some of my money interest free since 2018 and longer now!

 

Why would you have booked eight cruises during a pandemic and even booked air fare?  Did you not anticipate that at least some of these cruises would be cancelled?  Did you not have insurance?  HAL makes it clear that insurance is recommended.  HAL will refund the cruise fare, but your hotels and airfare are on your own responsibility.  No sympathy here.

[Florida_gal_50]

1 hour ago, sambamama said:

HA!!!  HAL has had my money paid in full from December 19, 2020-I've had 8 cruises canceled, and this is now the second time they canceled my January Asia cruise-each time after I already booked my airfare and hotels.  As a single, all their cruises (or probably 98%) are now 200% single supplements now.  So I can rebook and get very little of the value I had for this cruise or cancel and lose the value I gained from my FCC (which I only got the first time they canceled) or wait yet a third year.  HAL won't even give me any courtesy shipboard credit or even a tiny free  cabin upgrade- a J from an L.  HAL canceled my TA and then uncanceled it a month later saying it was a mistake after I canceled my airfare and hotels.  I've been sailing with HAL since the early 1980s, and am a 4 star.  At this point, I may never cruise with HAL again after this cruise-I am totally disgusted with how they have handled my cancellations.  I had a casino cruise booked this past fall, and the ship got chartered for that week.  At least half the passengers knew the cruise wasn't going before HAL finally announce the cruise was cancelled (the exact dates were posted on the charter website!)  This was about 6-8 weeks before the ship was sailing, and people already had their airfare and hotels booked.  And what did we get for that debacle???  Nothing!!!  If I had the option of getting all my money back  (including the FCC) in cash, I would grab it and go!  I figure HAL has had some of my money interest free since 2018 and longer now!

 

This is 100% reason why I use flight ease.  Let it be their problem.  I never book non refundable hotels.  That's just asking for trouble.  Way to many risks, especially now.

[HermanMelville2]

Yes, they are playing it a little (possibly a lot) sneaky on the refund of my Japan cruise that they cancelled.  I filled out the form rejecting their offer to simply rebook this same cruise a year later and requesting a refund of my deposit.  Expecting the refund in about a week, I booked and paid the deposit on Vanc. to Hawaii round trip for Oct 8, 2022. Last week because I still had not received a refund of my Japan deposit fee, I phoned my Holland advisor.  He informed me that, of course, they had a lot of refunds to process because of the volume of cancellations, but that I should receive my refund in 5-8 business days now.  Imagine my frustration this morning to find out they not only hadn't issued a refund, but had gone ahead and booked the 2023 Japan cruise against my request and with out my knowledge or permission.  I called my Holland advisor and he told me that they had done that across the board on the cancelled Asia cruises.  That they then intended to go back and refund the deposits from there.  I requested this cruise cancelled and my original deposit refunded. He said OK and that I should see that refund in 5-8 business more days. Apparently even the Hal consultants didn't know about this. Kinda thinking about cancelling my Hawaiian cruise too now, due to the way they wrote their initial notice of all Asia cruises letter and then changed their mind without additional notification except to send an email that I was now booked for next year.

[Isles of Shoals]

Update: Once I reached someone other than my affable but useless PCC, this problem was solved quickly.
After the PCC again insisted that he couldn't do anything for several weeks about the unauthorized Japan rebooking for 2023 which had locked up thousands of dollars due to me in cash and FCCs, I called HAL's main number and stayed on hold for an hour until a random customer service rep answered.
She took care of this in five minutes, cancelling the unwanted cruise. I assume (fingers crossed) that HAL will stand by her promise that my FCCs will be back in my account in 24 hours and the small cash refund will follow in a few weeks.
So my advice to anyone dissatisfied with a PCC is talk to someone else at HAL.

[sambamama]

5 of these cruises were precovid. Yes, I have insurance, but my insurance doesn't pay out for cruise cancellations. I booked my airfare using points and a consultant to maximize their usage, and no insurance covers the booking fee. I lost time booking my hotels, and most all were refundable. I don't get to travel much, so I use cruises to add pre and post travel, especially when going long distances. I never said I lost a ton of money booking non refundable hotels and airfare-you made that assumption. But I did lose a great deal of time. You entirely missed my point that HAL has had my money since 2019, and I still have no cruise and it is held hostage with no benefits for years. Flight ease prices are crazy high now, which is why I booked my own. The only cruises that have been cancelled in COVID were this Asia one.