Could Cruise Critic please approach someone at Celebrity for comment on the Asia overbooking fiasco?

[Bo1953]

Just now, anniegb said:

Thank you for that.

 

I suspect like many UK cruisers, I have a multi-trip travel policy  which is renewed annually.

Okay, while I have no other data than here on CC, I believe that many US travelers who purchase annual travel insurance do it mainly for the heath coverage as trip interruption and other travel related expenses are quite spartan, relatively.

 

bon voyage

[Belgian fry]

Just to answer a few more points:

 

-There are over 500 posts in the thread entitled Japan 2024 cancelled. You'll find a ton of information there

-Yes, I am in the EU. I may have better protection than some, but other EU bookings have been cancelled, so I know I'm not immune

- The official Celebrity agent for Belgium has said (in writing, several times) that there is no overbooking and that if there was then Celebrity would call for volunteers. I have sent copies of several letters and they are now "making enquiries". Note that this is the official agent for my country

- Still because I am in Belgium, I cannot book with Flights by Celebrity. That's just for US, UK, AUS and NZ

- I doubt very much that my annual travel insurance would be willing to give me money for Celebrity screwing up. Indeed, why should they?

 

But really, the major gripe is that Celebrity simply will not tell the truth, so we're all in limbo

[zitsky]

40 minutes ago, anniegb said:

I don't know and have not/will not enquire. They are understandbly upset.  A trip booked 5 years ago is cancelled and they are upset.

 

I am unsure if my UK travel insurance would cover a non-refundable air ticket cancelled because a 3rd party cancelled onward travel plans. However I have a refundable air ticket.

 

Are they new travelers who have never heard of trip insurance?  When I was younger, 30's and 40's I never bought travel insurance.  But when I started to pay $10,000 or more on a vacation I started buying $1,000 polices (more or less) with Cancel/Interrupt for any reason.

 

I know this is upsetting.  I've had several canceled situations.  One due to getting Covid the others various situations with Celebrity.  Once they canceled my cruise after final payment because they applied the payment to the wrong internal account.  That was fun.

 

It's been a while since I read the entire contract but I don't think there is anything there that says a cruise cannot be canceled if booked X number of years ago.  I waited 2-3 years for one of my cruises.

 

All the people saying "I'm thinking of leaving Celebrity" should just do it.  Go to Viking.  I like them.  My husband does not.  Lots of other cruise lines out there.

[anniegb]

22 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Are they new travelers who have never heard of trip insurance?  When I was younger, 30's and 40's I never bought travel insurance.  But when I started to pay $10,000 or more on a vacation I started buying $1,000 polices (more or less) with Cancel/Interrupt for any reason.

Different rules in different parts of the world.

 

I cruised January this year, from a European port, and had to produce evidence of travel insurance valid for the cruise. I overheard one agent advising a couple unless they produced evidence of a purchased policy, they were not allowed to board.  

The cruise line advised all guests beforehand that policies would be checked.

 

Edited April 27, 2023 by anniegb

[zitsky]

2 minutes ago, anniegb said:

Different rules in different parts of the world.

 

I cruised January this year, from a European port, and had to produce evidence of travel insurance valid for the cruise. I overheard one agent advising a couple unless they produced evidence of a purchased policy, they were not allowed to board.  

The cruise line advised all guests beforehand that policies would be checked.

 

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "different rules".  Are there countries where a cruise line cannot cancel a cruise?  Are you suggesting there are countries where travel insurance is either not available or not needed?

[anniegb]

2 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

I'm not sure what you mean by "different rules".  Are there countries where a cruise line cannot cancel a cruise?  Are you suggesting there are countries where travel insurance is either not available or not needed?

Apologies, I should have made it clearer.

 

I was referring to Travel Insurance.

 

You stated you had travelled previously without purchasing travel insurance.  In Europe, there are cruise lines that will not allow you to board without evidence of a travel policy.

[JeanieC,Aston]

50 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

Are they new travelers who have never heard of trip insurance?  When I was younger, 30's and 40's I never bought travel insurance.  But when I started to pay $10,000 or more on a vacation I started buying $1,000 polices (more or less) with Cancel/Interrupt for any reason.

 

I know this is upsetting.  I've had several canceled situations.  One due to getting Covid the others various situations with Celebrity.  Once they canceled my cruise after final payment because they applied the payment to the wrong internal account.  That was fun.

 

It's been a while since I read the entire contract but I don't think there is anything there that says a cruise cannot be canceled if booked X number of years ago.  I waited 2-3 years for one of my cruises.

 

All the people saying "I'm thinking of leaving Celebrity" should just do it.  Go to Viking.  I like them.  My husband does not.  Lots of other cruise lines out there.

Hi

 I don’t think I have ever purchased travel insurance in the UK that gives you cancel for any reason.

Are you saying you can cancel a $10000 cruise because you change your mind and the insurance company will give you back the $10000?

If the cruise and flight was bought as a package I might get my flight costs back as well

But if I booked cruise and flight as different entities I don’t think my insurance would cover my flight costs,,,,why should they,my flight has not been cancelled.

 

[Bo1953]

4 minutes ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Hi

 I don’t think I have ever purchased travel insurance in the UK that gives you cancel for any reason.

Are you saying you can cancel a $10000 cruise because you change your mind and the insurance company will give you back the $10000?

If the cruise and flight was bought as a package I might get my flight costs back as well

But if I booked cruise and flight as different entities I don’t think my insurance would cover my flight costs,,,,why should they,my flight has not been cancelled.

jc - here in the US we can purchase travel insurance which covers 'non-refundable' costs.

 

If one purchases non-refundable airline tickets, more often than not one would have to prove that they did not receive ANY credit for the fare and I have heard of some people waiting for the credit to expire before applying for re-imbursement, that time frame varies by airline.

 

Cancel for any reason riders, here in the US, provide for up to 75% re-imbursement of non-refundable costs and as low as 50%. Varies by insurers...

 

bon voyage

[anniegb]

1 minute ago, JeanieC,Aston said:

Hi

 I don’t think I have ever purchased travel insurance in the UK that gives you cancel for any reason.

Are you saying you can cancel a $10000 cruise because you change your mind and the insurance company will give you back the $10000?

If the cruise and flight was bought as a package I might get my flight costs back as well

But if I booked cruise and flight as different entities I don’t think my insurance would cover my flight costs,,,,why should they,my flight has not been cancelled.

 

Different market, different policies.

I have never purchased 'cancel for any reason' travel insurance in the U.K. I have never investigated the market to that extent.

I know 'cancel for any reason' policy is available from certain cruise lines but claims are restricted to 80%?? I checked the cost of a such a policy for a 2024 cruise I have booked and the premium exceeds the cost of my annual policy by 100%.

I agree if Celebrity cancelled my Japan cruise, my insurance policy would not pay any claim for my cancelled flight.  However the premium for my refundable flight is very modest and I would revert to a land trip.

 

[clojacks]

1 hour ago, Belgian fry said:

 

- The official Celebrity agent for Belgium has said (in writing, several times) that there is no overbooking and that if there was then Celebrity would call for volunteers. I have sent copies of several letters and they are now "making enquiries". Note that this is the official agent for my country

 

 

 

Belgian, the question I have is, is the "official Agent of Celebrity" an employee of Celebrity in Belgium or is he/she an independent travel agent who "represents" or "offers" celebrity cruises. The only difference might be how they acquire their information. It's impact on you doesn't really make one way or the other any better...just helps us understand how they could be feeding you such obviously incorrect info.

[JeanieC,Aston]

2 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

jc - here in the US we can purchase travel insurance which covers 'non-refundable' costs.

 

If one purchases non-refundable airline tickets, more often than not one would have to prove that they did not receive ANY credit for the fare and I have heard of some people waiting for the credit to expire before applying for re-imbursement, that time frame varies by airline.

 

Cancel for any reason riders, here in the US, provide for up to 75% re-imbursement of non-refundable costs and as low as 50%. Varies by insurers...

 

bon voyage

Hi Bo

Thanks for that,,now I understand how Americans can book 5+ cruise then choose one to go on,,,I understand refundable deposits for cruises but didn’t know insurance would pay out for non-refundable air fares.

[clojacks]

45 minutes ago, anniegb said:

Apologies, I should have made it clearer.

 

I was referring to Travel Insurance.

 

You stated you had travelled previously without purchasing travel insurance.  In Europe, there are cruise lines that will not allow you to board without evidence of a travel policy.

I've never heard of "being required" to have travel insurance in Europe, and we have multiple Med cruises. Can you name who these cruise lines are??

[anniegb]

Just now, clojacks said:

I've never heard of "being required" to have travel insurance in Europe, and we have multiple Med cruises. Can you name who these cruise lines are??

I think Marella (European cruise line), part of the Tui group, may have introduced this policy post-covid.  I like it.

We had a medi-vac incident on my cruise.

 

 

[JeanieC,Aston]

8 minutes ago, clojacks said:

I've never heard of "being required" to have travel insurance in Europe, and we have multiple Med cruises. Can you name who these cruise lines are??

P&O and Cunard I believe,same parent company.

I did a P&O cruise in March,,,they never asked to see my proof of insurance at terminal,,just asked.

And I had to enter name of insurance company and contact emergency number during on- line check- in.

 

From P&O website…

Suitable travel insurance cover is mandatory to travel with us

We’re delighted that you’ve chosen to set sail with us and we cannot wait to welcome you on board. Before we get there, it is mandatory for all UK guests to have suitable travel insurance cover in order to cruise with us. To help you understand the insurance requirements needed for a P&O Cruises holiday, read on…

Edited April 27, 2023 by JeanieC,Aston

[Bo1953]

18 minutes ago, anniegb said:

Different market, different policies.

I have never purchased 'cancel for any reason' travel insurance in the U.K. I have never investigated the market to that extent.

I know 'cancel for any reason' policy is available from certain cruise lines but claims are restricted to 80%?? I checked the cost of a such a policy for a 2024 cruise I have booked and the premium exceeds the cost of my annual policy by 100%.

I agree if Celebrity cancelled my Japan cruise, my insurance policy would not pay any claim for my cancelled flight.  However the premium for my refundable flight is very modest and I would revert to a land trip.

 

ag - I did forget to write that CFAR policies are expensive, but there are travelers who really want them.

 

These policies can cost up to 70%+ more than a basic policy covering health and cancellation and trip interruption alone.

 

A little steep for my taste, yet I understand the (emotional) advantages that it provides for those who purchase those types of policies.

 

Thank you and bon voyage

[zitsky]

1 hour ago, Bo1953 said:

ag - I did forget to write that CFAR policies are expensive, but there are travelers who really want them.

 

These policies can cost up to 70%+ more than a basic policy covering health and cancellation and trip interruption alone.

 

A little steep for my taste, yet I understand the (emotional) advantages that it provides for those who purchase those types of policies.

 

Thank you and bon voyage

 

My recent experience with a Celebrity canceled cruise with CFAR insurance. From September 2022.

 

My partner got Covid and we canceled a few days before the cruise.  Celebrity gave a complete refund so we didn't use the insurance.  Our insurance let us shift the policy to another cruise, May 2023.  And Delta allowed us to have a credit for unused flight which we rebooked in May.

 

So we didn't technically need the insurance but I'm glad we had it.

 

 

[Bo1953]

11 minutes ago, zitsky said:

 

My recent experience with a Celebrity canceled cruise with CFAR insurance. From September 2022.

 

My partner got Covid and we canceled a few days before the cruise.  Celebrity gave a complete refund so we didn't use the insurance.  Our insurance let us shift the policy to another cruise, May 2023.  And Delta allowed us to have a credit for unused flight which we rebooked in May.

 

So we didn't technically need the insurance but I'm glad we had it.

I understand for sure... all of the situations during C-19 brought new policies to bear...

 

Not sure what the current policies covering air and cruise cancellations are, yet I do understand that they are returning towards pre-C19 ones.

 

bon voyage

[NMTraveller]

13 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

jc - here in the US we can purchase travel insurance which covers 'non-refundable' costs.

 

If one purchases non-refundable airline tickets, more often than not one would have to prove that they did not receive ANY credit for the fare and I have heard of some people waiting for the credit to expire before applying for re-imbursement, that time frame varies by airline.

 

Cancel for any reason riders, here in the US, provide for up to 75% re-imbursement of non-refundable costs and as low as 50%. Varies by insurers...

 

bon voyage

I am not sure why insurance should be used to cover Celebrity giving the customer a bad deal.  Insurance for incompetence and tone deafness?

 

Celebrity did a bad thing to a lot of people.
 

I do understand having it for medical.

 

 

Edited April 28, 2023 by NMTraveller

[anniegb]

11 hours ago, Bo1953 said:

I understand for sure... all of the situations during C-19 brought new policies to bear...

 

Not sure what the current policies covering air and cruise cancellations are, yet I do understand that they are returning towards pre-C19 ones.

 

bon voyage

 

One lesson I have learned from this whole debacle is NOT to purchase non-refundable air tickets esp for long haul destinations unless you are prepared to bear any losses.  If you have booked a package, different rules are applicable. The premium for a fully refundable air ticket may not be as much as you think. When a cruise line cancels a booking so far in advance, I am unsure, contractually, what their obligations are but I suspect they are not as generous as many of us think.

 

 

 

 

[NMTraveller]

12 minutes ago, anniegb said:

When a cruise line cancels a booking so far in advance, I am unsure, contractually, what their obligations are but I suspect they are not as generous as many of us think.

 

 

 

 

Royal Caribbean overbooks Quantum of the Seas sailings, offers complimentary cruises — Singapore Cruise Society (sgcruisesociety.com)

 

If it was on Royal it would be a refund plus a future sailing on the ship.

 

I suspect that at some point in time the cruise lines will be regulated like the airlines by the government.  Too many overbookings...

Edited April 28, 2023 by NMTraveller

[anniegb]

11 minutes ago, NMTraveller said:

Royal Caribbean overbooks Quantum of the Seas sailings, offers complimentary cruises — Singapore Cruise Society (sgcruisesociety.com)

 

If it was on Royal it would be a refund plus a future sailing on the ship.

 

I suspect that at some point in time the cruise lines will be regulated like the airlines by the government.  Too many overbookings...

Possibly a Singapore regulation, I don't know - just pondering.

 

I know UK Package Tour Regulations are not generous if the cancellation is made so far in advance.

 

My contract wth Celebrity is for Cruise Only.  If I was cancelled, I would not expect them to refund my air ticket.

 

 

[Belgian fry]

18 hours ago, clojacks said:

Belgian, the question I have is, is the "official Agent of Celebrity" an employee of Celebrity in Belgium or is he/she an independent travel agent who "represents" or "offers" celebrity cruises. The only difference might be how they acquire their information. It's impact on you doesn't really make one way or the other any better...just helps us understand how they could be feeding you such obviously incorrect info.

They are "International Representative" for Belgium and Luxembourg for RCCL, Celebrity, and Azamara

[zitsky]

7 hours ago, NMTraveller said:

I am not sure why insurance should be used to cover Celebrity giving the customer a bad deal.  Insurance for incompetence and tone deafness?

 

Celebrity did a bad thing to a lot of people.
 

I do understand having it for medical.

 

 

You could maybe sue Celebrity if the contract allows it.  I buy insurance to protect me against multiple things.

 

Is this about holding non refundable air when Celebrity cancels a cruise?

 

If you are a driver do you buy car insurance?  Why should you have to protect yourself from the incompetence of other drivers?

 

 

[Bo1953]

7 hours ago, anniegb said:

 

One lesson I have learned from this whole debacle is NOT to purchase non-refundable air tickets esp for long haul destinations unless you are prepared to bear any losses.  If you have booked a package, different rules are applicable. The premium for a fully refundable air ticket may not be as much as you think. When a cruise line cancels a booking so far in advance, I am unsure, contractually, what their obligations are but I suspect they are not as generous as many of us think.

ag - I agree, yet I usually for short haul flights here in the US, purchase non-refundable tickets no worry as my travel insurance refund would be quick and easy...

 

For tickets which would cost me more than $750 p/p, I buy refundable and watch for lower pricing on non-refundable as the flight gets closer, if available, just in case.

 

But these days, it is a roll of the dice for sure on airline tickets... LOL

 

bon voyage

[anniegb]

2 minutes ago, Bo1953 said:

ag - I agree, yet I usually for short haul flights here in the US, purchase non-refundable tickets no worry as my travel insurance refund would be quick and easy...

 

For tickets which would cost me more than $750 p/p, I buy refundable and watch for lower pricing on non-refundable as the flight gets closer, if available, just in case.

 

But these days, it is a roll of the dice for sure on airline tickets... LOL

 

bon voyage

Thank you and I agree.

 

Alas the air ticket to Japan is in excess of USD1000 and the USD500 offered by Celebrity leaves a large shortfall for many especially family bookings.

 

However if the cruiser had purchased air tickets via Celebrity, the pain would be lessened.

 

Bottom line and JMO this debacle has not been Celebrity's finest hour but I suspect that senior management, mentally, has left the building.