Bumped!

[qe2]

I was booked in the Noordam for Aug 9. Today Aug 4, I was notified that the ship was overbooked and I could get a refund or sail on Sept 18.

I have a flight booked for Aug 7. This is awful.

Beware.... not only do I have airline flights and hotel resrevations but Holland America who told me that

I could not sail in 4 days is now telling me that I cancelled and maybe I will get a refund but it may take a while.

When I questioned the policy, I was told that it is what the airlines do so it is ok.

The obvious thing is for me to call my travel agent. I am a travel agent!

Do they think that I will risk my valued clients with the possibility of this happening to them.NEVER

[sail7seas]

This is the first time I have heard of such a thing happening on HAL.

 

I have heard of them making all sorts of offers to tempt you to voluntarily give up your cabin and sail on a different date but I've never heard of them cancelling someone in this way.

 

Of course, if they have cancelled you........they must refund all your money. That is a given. IF they have taken your cabin, there is no question but that you get your money back.

 

Do you have your cruise documents?

 

[newmexicoNita]

I am in a state of shock!!!! I haven't had this happen recently, but when I was still working in the Dallas area there were a few situations where the ships did over sell. In all cases they knew it at least a month out and offered a heck of a lot more than a future cruise: they offered a future cruise at 1/2 price, special amenties, or whatever. Even then, never did they totally bump anyone, they offered the same to several passengers, just like the airlines do, knowing they could get enough volunteers so they wouldn't have to bump. This close is totally awful. Anyone who follows my comments (sometimes I open my mouth too much) knows I usually side with the cruiseline. Certainly not in this case. I did have a friend that was bumped off an HAL cruise about 4 years ago, but she was bumped about 2 months in advance. What to do, I can't tell you, but my heart goes out to you. The only posibility and it is a long shot would be to try and find another cruise, leaving from the same area within a day or so of your planned cruise. The only problem with that: so many require reservations be made a week in advance. Check it out anyway. I know this isn't much consolation, but it is something and they certainly do owe you your entire cruise cost back, every darn penny......NMNita

[Bramcruiser]

It sounds exactly like the same stunt that the callers from Oceania did which got them into trouble on that now infamous thread about a month back. In that situation the reps never once let the passengers know they had an option to refuse the cancellation and continue the cruise and made it sound as if they really had no choice. This incident occurred also within the last few days of the two CC'ers who were about to embark on their journey. Well the Oceania board exploded and Cruise Critic ended up doing a news report on the whole incident. The situation was only resolved when the CEO of the line intervened and made reparations.

 

Bottom line is to question why you are being cancelled and say point blank that they better find another passenger to volunteer. Yes, the cruise line has the rights to cancel but they usually don't just for overbookings. What they usually do is find people willing to be rebooked and they usually do it very early on where some have a chance to reschedule vacations. Almost always there are enough. Like the Oceania incident they might not have got enough volunteers and are now desparately trying to offload some passengers. Still there is no excuse and why shoud you be bumped instead of someone else? If they aren't giving you the option I'd phone them back. I smell a repeat of the Oceania incident all over again.

[twinkletoes4445]

Wow, I would be VERY unhappy at this point. When the airlines "do it," they can get you on another flight...many times a few hours later. When a cruise line dumps you...you are hosed.

 

Honestly, as much as I love to cruise...if this happened to me...I doubt I'd cruise again. :(

[qe2]

I am exploring my options. I have train tickets already purchased so I will probably put together a land itnerary. My problem with the situation is such sort notice for a cruise leaving from Rome. Miami... Ft. Canaveral ..not a problem but when it is so far away and such short notice, it's a problem.

[Bramcruiser]

I am exploring my options. I have train tickets already purchased so I will probably put together a land itnerary. My problem with the situation is such sort notice for a cruise leaving from Rome. Miami... Ft. Canaveral ..not a problem but when it is so far away and such short notice, it's a problem.

 

This from a person who normally doesn't ever want to make a scene but.........fight it! The overbooking is their problem and if the telephone reps don't change their mind bad publicity will. I thought the cruise lines would shy from this after the Oceania incident. Strangely it happened in about a months time.

[jes2245]

Excuse me for being skeptical, but they are a travel agent in Central Florida and call it Fort Canaveral???

[AlohaPride]

I was booked in the Noordam for Aug 9. Today Aug 4, I was notified that the ship was overbooked and I could get a refund or sail on Sept 18.

I have a flight booked for Aug 7. This is awful.

Beware.... not only do I have airline flights and hotel resrevations but Holland America who told me that

I could not sail in 4 days is now telling me that I cancelled and maybe I will get a refund but it may take a while.

When I questioned the policy, I was told that it is what the airlines do so it is ok.

The obvious thing is for me to call my travel agent. I am a travel agent!

Do they think that I will risk my valued clients with the possibility of this happening to them.NEVER

 

Oh my Dear LORD! I TOTALLY feel for you!! I though I had been having problems, but this is soooo much worse! Traveling abroad just adds to the fiasco. I hope you drag them through the hot coals for this one. Did you happen to catch the name of the person who told you you HAD to cancel? They shouldn't have done that! If they did, they should have told you they would pay for ALL cancellation fees (air, hotel, etc.!)

 

I've always found it funny that if WE as passengers/clients cancel we have to pay...but if those companies providing the service have to cancel we STILL have to pay. Do you have your cruise docs? I would think there would be SOMETHING you could do!

[twoatsea]

GE, I'm confused. Do you have "train" tickets or "plane" tickets? Or are you saying that you did have plane tickets & now booked train tickets? Since you are an agent, I'm assuming you have travel insurance. :confused:

[qe2]

Sorry typo.... Port Canaveral

[Aussie Gal]

That is such an awful thing to happen so close to departure and especially as you have to fly to Europe.

 

I am wondering if you were on a special sailing for T.A's or on a special deal for T.A's whereby they could cancel you for someone who would be paying the full fare. I know that T.A's here do get special trips overseas so that they can pass on first hand information to their clients.

 

Otherwise, if it happened to us I would be causing such a fuss as we have so far to travel, air fares are not cheap and we would also have all our accommodation organized in Europe. I certainly would not be taking this lightly.

 

Good luck.

 

Jennie

[ocngypz]

HAL does offer to pick up the change fees. You need to call the Rez Admin number on your fax.

 

Were you paying regular tariff...............or agent rates??

[qe2]

I have train tickets for travel before and after the cruise, in addition to airline tickets to fly to Rome.

I do have travel insurance but I can't see anywhere in the policy that it covers cancellation by the cruiseline. I will certainly contact my insurance company but the main point is that Holland America should not have sold staterooms which they do not have. I booked on a guarantee but I received documents with a stateroom designated. That is the most frightening thing about this.

[iceman93]

I am wondering if you were on a special sailing for T.A's or on a special deal for T.A's whereby they could cancel you for someone who would be paying the full fare. I know that T.A's here do get special trips overseas so that they can pass on first hand information to their clients.

 

This is what occurred to me as well. That, and the fact that a TA is, of everyone in the traveling public, the best able to handle last-minute travel changes with a minimum of fuss and cost.

 

I guess I would recommend calling Seattle and playing the "travel agent" card, reminding them that this kind of treatment of you will have repurcussions far beyond one inconvenienced passenger. Good luck!

[earl_m]

This is really scarey! You wait 6 months to a year for your cruise and they can caNCEL it at last minute.THATS JUST NOT RIGHT.You must fight this.

[Bramcruiser]

I just picked up on the fact the OP is a TA. Well that might be not be a smart move on the cruise line's part if the TA card is pulled and business will be threatened as to not be forwarded their way.

[hammybee]

When an airline overbooks, the first to be volunteered are airline employees on personal travel. If the airline must dip into the regular passenger list, they offer rewards for volunteers and increase the awards until they have a sufficient number of seats available. If there are no volunteers, Rule 240 applies and it's up to the airline to get the passengers to their destination regardless of carrier or expense. Rule 240 applies only when the problem is within the airlines's control. So weather issues fall outside of this. There is no such protection for cruise passengers.

 

Given we all pass the point of no return months before the sailing date, HAL knew it was in a over-booked situation for a long time. This is very different than the fluid situation with airlines.

 

I am curious if HAL was aware of the OP's status as a T/A or if this was perhaps a T/A promotion and if this caused them to choose the OP. It's a two-edged sword if they did as T/As are in a position to influence some client's choice of cruiseline and it seems HAL will not be the first name off the OP's lips, going forward.

 

I assume hotels can be cancelled. I assume there will be a penalty for changing the air and HAL certainly will need to eat this. I do not understand why HAL is not looking for volunteers the same way as airline do in similar situations and making it worth someone's while to change their plans. I guess the good news is that HAL did not wait until everyone was in Rome, but this sure does stink. The entire situation needs t be accelerated within HAL until a level is reached where the HAL employee can make the business decision to make it worth the OP's time to change his/her plans. It's a darn shame that the onus is on the OP to do so.

[qe2]

Iceman,

Excactly, Since I could not change my trip to Sept 18, I cancelled which was my only other choice. Then I was told that I was in penalty and MAY get my money back. I requested a supervisor but the never actually got one. Yes, I was travellng on TA rates. I was hoping to report that the Holland America experience has improved in the last year or two.

[qe2]

I have documents with a stateroom number. Guess that they don't mean anything!

[AlohaPride]

Iceman,

Excactly, Since I could not change my trip to Sept 18, I cancelled which was my only other choice. Then I was told that I was in penalty and MAY get my money back. I requested a supervisor but the never actually got one. Yes, I was travellng on TA rates. I was hoping to report that the Holland America experience has improved in the last year or two.

 

Ewww...it's not fun asking for a supervisor. I did that once and was hung up on by the Supervisor. I think GN is right on another thread when she said communication with HAL is difficult if not absolutely impossible.

 

Please let us know how everything works out!

[Aussie Gal]

As you have documents with a stateroom number, and even though you are a T.A. on special rates, I cannot see that you can be cancelled unless of course HAL was hoping that other passengers would cancel instead.

 

The stateroom number worries me, as it means that anyone of us can be cancelled in a similar way. If you still only had a guarantee and no number as yet, that would have given you some warning of the ship being overbooked but when you have your actual cabin number then something is definitely amiss. I still would be pressing all sorts of buttons and demanding an explanation.

 

Jennie

[BumperII]

This whole thread really sounds like it is way off of HAL standard operating procedure.

 

Just to relate "what happened to my son". He and his wife booked a seventeen day relocation cruise from San Diego through the Panama Canal winding up in Florida. HAL called him up several weeks ahead and said they really needed the cabins he had already paid for, and they needed them very badly. HAL did quite a bit to buy it back:

 

HAL agreed to fully refund all his money.

In addition, HAL replaced the cruise with a fifteen day cruise to Hawaii, free of charge, followed by a three day all expense paid excursion to Las Vegas!

 

So, anyway, it sounds like you still need to make some more calls. I would hate to think that the "Carnival Cruise" influence has taken HAL as far as they seem to have gone in qe2's case.

 

Keep on complaining until you get a satisfactory settlement. You can do it, good luck!!;)

[RuthC]

I very confused---must be missing something here. Please help me understand.

Why is it that you are deemed to have "cancelled" if HAL said "no sale/sail" on the original date and you couldn't accept the substitution offered.

Why are you saying there only two choices? Isn't there the choice of "No, I'm not changing my plans"?

I'm not doubting your story, but I don't feel I'm understanding the full picture. Please elaborate.

[sail7seas]

What does Carnival have to do with any of this? Carnival has owned HAL for many, many years.

 

This whole scenario is very odd.

 

It just isn't how HAL handles over-bookings. We know from time to time they overbook but they don't just cancel people out.

 

Is there anything else about this story that can help us understand more?

 

Your TA rate.... Was it the $25 pp per day kind of thing?