What happened to Brilliant Lady

[PhilK2000]

2 hours ago, librarylady19 said:

Anyone who submitted a form online for a BL cancellation get a confirmation yet from VV?

No . I spoke today with VV . It obviously takes up to 7 days . She expects earlier as I submitted mine directly on Thursday. She was very clear that she can’t do anything as this is a special team taking care of this. 

[Yinster]

2 hours ago, PhilK2000 said:

No . I spoke today with VV . It obviously takes up to 7 days . She expects earlier as I submitted mine directly on Thursday. She was very clear that she can’t do anything as this is a special team taking care of this. 

My partner was watching the website all day and seeing cabins getting booked up for the cruises we fancied but especially the one we have put on our form. She did say VV should have given first dibs to those who had cancelled cruises a chance to book first before it was released to general booking.

 

Now we are in this waiting game to see if we have been successful 

[librarylady19]

15 minutes ago, Yinster said:

My partner was watching the website all day and seeing cabins getting booked up for the cruises we fancied but especially the one we have put on our form. She did say VV should have given first dibs to those who had cancelled cruises a chance to book first before it was released to general booking.

 

Now we are in this waiting game to see if we have been successful 

Well it would make sense that cruises would be filling up with the cancellation replacements,  rather than a huge amount of people booking all on the first day of release. ….but who knows. 

[def0715]

Maybe there should have been an option for first, second and third choice, or something like that. As we wait to see if we will get what we want, will our second choice disappear? Hope everyone gets what they want. I didn’t fill out the form until today even though I was canceled last week, so I guess that might have put me behind.

Edited September 11, 2023 by def0715

[Sheffben79]

So having had the delay confirmed this week and with several European ports now showing Brilliant Lady on their schedule for May-Sep 2024 do you think it likely that she will be staying in Europe for her first season?

She's showing in Zebrugge and Amsterdam still so do you think further portsmouth sailings will be announced?

[LadyLion_AP]

6 hours ago, librarylady19 said:

Anyone who submitted a form online for a BL cancellation get a confirmation yet from VV?

I haven't received a confirmation, but the sailing I selected is in my account as "on hold".

[Giraffes]

Good Evening! 

I am a bit concerned. Did ANYONE get their rebooking choice confirmed today? I have read they are going in order received, but have not heard of any 100% confirmations yet. 😕

[def0715]

I can’t even log in. How does one put something on hold? Choose a booking? Fill in all the information and then the hold option will pop up? Thanks.

[DAP2]

30 minutes ago, Giraffes said:

Good Evening! 

I am a bit concerned. Did ANYONE get their rebooking choice confirmed today? I have read they are going in order received, but have not heard of any 100% confirmations yet. 😕

 

I'm in several Virgin groups on social media and the threads here. The closest I've heard of are the five or six of us I've read about who, as the result of phone calls to VV, have email confirmations with new booking numbers and new cabin numbers, but essentially hold status while the team sorts out refunds, loot, and bar tabs. I haven't heard of any TAs getting any closer. I haven't heard of anyone who submitted the request form getting anywhere.

 

[DAP2]

1 minute ago, def0715 said:

I can’t even log in. How does one put something on hold? Choose a booking? Fill in all the information and then the hold option will pop up? Thanks.

 

I called VV on Saturday morning. Rang right through, and the agent took care of it. She waited on the phone to make sure I received my email with the booking and cabin number. My friends did theirs after me; they had the same result and were even able to select the cabin right next to ours. Their agent assured them that the hold would not expire in 24 hours and that the price showing "owed" on the email would be corrected by the cancellations team. 

[Russiamomm]

1 minute ago, DAP2 said:

 

I'm in several Virgin groups on social media and the threads here. The closest I've heard of are the five or six of us I've read about who, as the result of phone calls to VV, have email confirmations with new booking numbers and new cabin numbers, but essentially hold status while the team sorts out refunds, loot, and bar tabs. I haven't heard of any TAs getting any closer. I haven't heard of anyone who submitted the request form getting anywhere.

 

I’ve heard the same things, but have heard nothing myself.  I had to have been one of the first that submitted the form.  It went in within an hour of getting the email on Thursday.  I’ve been told the cabin is on hold, but have nothing in writing and nothing shows in my account (except that the original booking has disappeared.) I’d love to have a confirmation number, but I don’t.  So we wait….

[Giraffes]

14 minutes ago, DAP2 said:

 

I'm in several Virgin groups on social media and the threads here. The closest I've heard of are the five or six of us I've read about who, as the result of phone calls to VV, have email confirmations with new booking numbers and new cabin numbers, but essentially hold status while the team sorts out refunds, loot, and bar tabs. I haven't heard of any TAs getting any closer. I haven't heard of anyone who submitted the request form getting anywhere.

 

Exactly! I have called twice. My second call, on Sunday morning, after my rebooking had expired, I was told that the first sailor service member, Thursday evening, did not put my hold in correctly and supposedly fixed it. I asked her if I am 100% guaranteed to get that sailing and that stateroom and she told me no. I wonder when this "team" will be sorting everything out. I'm even hesitant to book new flights since nothing is guaranteed. 

[def0715]

I was automatically moved from 3/23 Valiant Lady sailing out of Miami, which was canceled out of Miami, to the VL sailing out of San Juan. (I see the app is working again and showing that sailing.) That’s not the sailing I want. I have requested a different sailing. Anybody else in this, er, boat? I don’t have to take the sailing I don’t want, do I? I did fill out the form and request a different sailing this morning and got an email back with a case number. Thanks for your thoughts.

[Russiamomm]

17 minutes ago, def0715 said:

I was automatically moved from 3/23 Valiant Lady sailing out of Miami, which was canceled out of Miami, to the VL sailing out of San Juan. (I see the app is working again and showing that sailing.) That’s not the sailing I want. I have requested a different sailing. Anybody else in this, er, boat? I don’t have to take the sailing I don’t want, do I? I did fill out the form and request a different sailing this morning and got an email back with a case number. Thanks for your thoughts.

I don’t think this should have happened.  I’m afraid you’re going to have to call them to try to straighten it out.  😔

[Alegeeter]

I love seeing those taking advantage of the situation and booking something listed for more money and getting a deal. For anyone looking at options that are cheaper, also take a look at what promotion you booked under (https://www.virginvoyages.com/promotional-terms-and-conditions) to make sure Virgin gives you the same promotion. Per their email these promotions should be honored in our replacement bookings.

 

 

[Yinster]

5 hours ago, librarylady19 said:

Well it would make sense that cruises would be filling up with the cancellation replacements,  rather than a huge amount of people booking all on the first day of release. ….but who knows. 

I hope you are right but I also know I received both an email from my TA and VV regarding new sailings. If I was a new booker, and saw someo d the prices, I would have have booked today. The prices were all over the place. Some ridiculous low and others much higher.

 

So maybe it's a combination of new bookings and cancellations rebooking. It's the not know and having to wait.

 

We thought too there should have been a second and third choice on the form. But I stand by people who had the cancellation should have got first dibs especially since we have known since Thursday and the release was Monday. Bit like a pre sale to a concert 

[kwokpot]

I was booked on an affected Valiant Lady cruise, which was a Virgin casino comped booking, and filled out the rebooking form and selected the 16 nt SL TA in 11/24. Just received the rebooking email and we were successfully rebooked on the SL TA as requested, in the same XL Sea Terrace Class as the cancelled booking. The best news is we were given the $600 sailor loot even though this was a fully comped casino booking. 

As an aside, both my husband and I haven't been able to access our Virgin accounts either via the app or website UNTIL the rebooking was just completed. Now access is back for both the app and the website.

 

We are very happy and satisfied! 

 

 

Edited September 13, 2023 by kwokpot

[CanadianCruiser21]

7 minutes ago, kwokpot said:

 

As an aside, both my husband and I haven't been able to access our Virgin accounts either via the app or website UNTIL the rebooking was just completed. Now access is back for both the app and the website.

 

We are very happy and satisfied! 

 

 

That is an interesting fact! I guess that’s why I cannot access the website. 

[BethesdaSC]

2 hours ago, kwokpot said:

I was booked on an affected Valiant Lady cruise, which was a Virgin casino comped booking, and filled out the rebooking form and selected the 16 nt SL TA in 11/24. Just received the rebooking email and we were successfully rebooked on the SL TA as requested, in the same XL Sea Terrace Class as the cancelled booking. The best news is we were given the $600 sailor loot even though this was a fully comped casino booking. 

As an aside, both my husband and I haven't been able to access our Virgin accounts either via the app or website UNTIL the rebooking was just completed. Now access is back for both the app and the website.

 

We are very happy and satisfied! 

 

 

Congratulations! Curious about something. You didn’t say when your original sailing was.  Did you have flights already booked? Obviously now a different itinerary.  Do you feel confident VV will honor the up to $500?  My affected flight was returning home from Miami.  I canceled that and will use the credit to book TO San Juan.  Thank you for your thoughts!

[kwokpot]

14 minutes ago, BethesdaSC said:

Congratulations! Curious about something. You didn’t say when your original sailing was.  Did you have flights already booked? Obviously now a different itinerary.  Do you feel confident VV will honor the up to $500?  My affected flight was returning home from Miami.  I canceled that and will use the credit to book TO San Juan.  Thank you for your thoughts!

My original sailing was for an 8 nt VL sailing Feb 24 - Mar 3. As a frequent traveler I never make non refundable air or hotel reservations. Most airlines now have no cancel fees and as I said I never book non-refundable hotel stays. Having said that what I actually did was replace the cancelled Virgin cruise with a Carnival cruise that ends the same day but starts one day later since it's a 7 nt vs 8 nt.  I did move my arriving flight 1 day later but on JetBlue there's no cancel fees so there wasn't an issue.  As the pandemic has demonstrated anything can happen so it's not worth making non refundable travel reservations. 

Edit: in reviewing your question to me I will add I'm not planning to claim anything for the travel plans for the new cruise. 

Edited September 14, 2023 by kwokpot

[Giraffes]

@kwokpotI am curious when you completed the form or called to rebook. I have heard both that VV is doing them in order they were received as well as the closer your sailing is. I rebooked on Thursday evening, my sailing is for 2023.😡 I am hesitant to rebook flights, as I am waiting for the confirmation (since $500 barely covers the bag of peanuts on the flight) and now the flight I was looking at has gone up in price!🤬

[DAP2]

@Giraffes I, too, am getting discouraged. It's time for Virgin Voyages to send an update email. 

 

We are seasoned cruisers with eighteen prior cruises under our belt. Our canceled cruise is our first experience with VV (unfortunate luck, I know).

 

We've experienced a lot of incidents during our time cruising, including itinerary changes, mechanical failures, delayed sailings, wind causing us to miss the 'main attraction' port, skipped ports due to med evacs, etc. Some before the cruise and some while on the cruise. From the passenger end, there is one common thread that makes these scenarios go well, and it's communicate, communicate, communicate. I just don't think you can over-communicate in this type of scenario, and IMO, VV just isn't hitting the mark. 

 

There is a lot that cruise lines can't control, and we've afforded VV that same grace through this entire situation. We've been optimistic with a positive attitude since the cancelation news broke that "Option 1" for rebooking would work out in our favor. The agents I've talked to have told me how much they appreciate my kindness and understanding on the phone because not all callers have the same attitude and understanding that the agent isn't at fault. 

 

BUT, I'm getting discouraged. If you've done the math on the sheer number of canceled cruises times the number of cabins, it's daunting. Even if we say half take the straight credit option, I don't see how VV will even get to all of us in a month, let alone 7 days. Don't tell your customers seven days if you haven't put the systems in place to meet the timeframe you as a company established. Every morning, I check my email, app, and account in anticipation of something happening overnight. This morning, that something is the app crashing again after spending a significant amount of time on the phone with VV tech support yesterday getting it working. I'm answering every phone call that comes in while I'm at work, yet there's been no new news and no updates from VV. Airfare keeps climbing, time-off requests are due, etc. At this point, I'm not sure the $600 is comp enough for the hours of time and angst related to rebooking.

 

From a customer service standpoint, I think an update email around this time would go a long way. "It's been a week since the news; here's what we've done, here's what we're doing..." Did they hire more agents? How many passengers have they successfully rebooked? If you've requested a refund, how soon can you expect that to hit your account? Who is this mysterious "displacement team," and where did they come from (managers, execs, senior call agents, etc.)? Are requests being handled by the time stamp on the form, call center case creation date, or departure date of the requested cruise? Are employees being offered overtime to get these forms and cases processed? Why haven't the call center hours been expanded? Are we 'all hands on deck' until this is resolved...lol, see what I did there? Have we empowered the call center agents to make things right (if you've called, you know this is a NO).

 

I'd be happy with even an email of FAQ's and answers. For example, are they honoring downgraded cabin category requests? How are they calculating the charges for an upgraded cabin category request? Why are the app and online accounts a disaster right now, and what's being done to get us back into our accounts? I feel so bad for people who can't book their dining and experiences right now.

 

Sigh...back to the waiting game. 

[librarylady19]

Well said @DAP2! I have the same questions and concerns, but I’m retired with less restrictions on my time (and more time to obsess about this)🙂 

I have come up against the app and website “brick walls” and inability to reach VV by phone or chat. I agree that an update is overdue. 

Edited September 14, 2023 by librarylady19

[kwokpot]

4 hours ago, Giraffes said:

@kwokpotI am curious when you completed the form or called to rebook. I have heard both that VV is doing them in order they were received as well as the closer your sailing is. I rebooked on Thursday evening, my sailing is for 2023.😡 I am hesitant to rebook flights, as I am waiting for the confirmation (since $500 barely covers the bag of peanuts on the flight) and now the flight I was looking at has gone up in price!🤬

We filled out the online request form the Thursday the notice came in the middle of the afternoon. 

[Splatt2010]

It’s all a bit of a shambles really. Whilst the numbers they are dealing with must be large, 2 separate agents told me it was 10,000 bookings that were cancelled. Considering it was 30ish voyages that were impacted that doesn’t sound too rosey in terms of forward bookings for VV considering these sailings are  less than 6 months out.