Frequent cruisers, please help!

[Harriet]

We cruised recently. Five out of eleven ports of call were cancelled. All we were offered was a goodwill gesture of $125 in "Future Shipboard Credit." Not only is it a mere marketing tool, it''s measly compared to what we paid. Also, it''s unfair to those who cannot sail again due to economic and health reasons, etc. I understand that safety is paramount and that the cruise line reserves the right to change ports without liability. However, they do have a legal obligation to use "reasonable efforts" to find substitutes. It is an open question as to whether they did. Have any of you been in a similar situation? If so, how did you approach it?

 

[Kaleigh]

Maybe you can find out the answer on www.cruisecritic.com?

 

[Dreamer_D]

I am not a cruiser, but wanted to say I saw the title of this thread out of the corner of my eye and thought it read "Frequent cursers, please help!" Now THAT I could help you with

 

[meresal]

Harriet, I''ve been on 4 cruises, and from what I understand...

To get refunded the cruise has to be "cancelled". Usually what they consider "cancelled", is never embarking. Were you out in the water the entirety of the cruise? or did you return early?

Also, for future reference, do you mind saying who this was with?

 

[Harriet]

Date: 8/29/2008 4:13:00 PM
Author: Kaleigh
Maybe you can find out the answer on www.cruisecritic.com?

Thanks! There''s already a discussion there, but I thought I''d ask your help too.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 8/29/2008 4:17:50 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
I am not a cruiser, but wanted to say I saw the title of this thread out of the corner of my eye and thought it read ''Frequent cursers, please help!'' Now THAT I could help you with

Can you help me to swear or to stop swearing? I''m learning how to swear in Russian and Spanish and am having a ball.

 

[miraclesrule]

Date: 8/29/2008 4:17:50 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
I am not a cruiser, but wanted to say I saw the title of this thread out of the corner of my eye and thought it read ''Frequent cursers, please help!'' Now THAT I could help you with

Ahahahaha, too funny...

 

[Harriet]

Date: 8/29/2008 4:20:31 PM
Author: meresal
Harriet, I''ve been on 4 cruises, and from what I understand...

To get refunded the cruise has to be ''cancelled''. Usually what they consider ''cancelled'', is never embarking. Were you out in the water the entirety of the cruise? or did you return early?

Also, for future reference, do you mind saying who this was with?

Hi meresal,
I''m not seeking a full refund, but something more substantial than $125. We were in the water the whole time, sometimes docked in commercial ports. We cruised with Oceania.

 

[snlee]

Date: 8/29/2008 9:15:51 PM
Author: Harriet

Date: 8/29/2008 4:17:50 PM

Author: dreamer_dachsie

I am not a cruiser, but wanted to say I saw the title of this thread out of the corner of my eye and thought it read ''Frequent cursers, please help!'' Now THAT I could help you with

Can you help me to swear or to stop swearing? I''m learning how to swear in Russian and Spanish and am having a ball.

LOL!

Harriet, I have no good advice to offer. But I just wanted to say that to cancel half of the port of calls is very disappointing and giving you only $125 in "Future Shipboard Credit" sounds absurd to me! I hope you can get something more substantial.

 

[Harriet]

Bad Harriet, right?

Thanks. I''m going to argue the case on both goodwill and legal grounds. My travel agent, AMEX, will also be lodging a complaint and disputing part of the fee.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 8/29/2008 9:15:51 PM
Author: Harriet

Date: 8/29/2008 4:17:50 PM
Author: dreamer_dachsie
I am not a cruiser, but wanted to say I saw the title of this thread out of the corner of my eye and thought it read ''Frequent cursers, please help!'' Now THAT I could help you with

Can you help me to swear or to stop swearing? I''m learning how to swear in Russian and Spanish and am having a ball.

Well I absolutely cannot help you stop swearing, I am worse than a sailor on a cruiseship

 

[Harriet]

I''d appreciate the lessons, but I doubt Ali and Andrey will.

 

[Dreamer_D]

Date: 8/29/2008 10:18:06 PM
Author: Harriet

I''d appreciate the lessons, but I doubt Ali and Andrey will.

LOL!

 

[Harriet]

I''m afraid I horrified Leon. Now, back to my cruise conundrum, which no amount of cussing will solve. Any thoughts, anyone?

 

[meresal]

As long as you were out in the water for the enitre amount of time, they have no accountability (barring you didn't get the insurance) to refund you anything actually. If you look at your contract, there should be a paragraph regarding inclimate weather and port of call changes... I'll see if I can find it for you.


ETA:
http://www.oceaniacruises.com/T_MainContentPage.aspx?pageuid=3c9edb37-c49f-4074-9be6-584a9d210663

If you scroll down to where it says "Iteneraries" you can read about their "Cruise Discretion".



FYI- This is common across almost all cruise lines; all that I have been on anyway (Royal Carribean, Norwegian, and Carnival). If you are going to file a complaint, best of luck!!

 

[fleur-de-lis]

Hi Harriet,

My FILs have been frequent cruisers and recently encountered a similar problem with significant cut ports resulting in a $150 or so credit for everyone on board. They thought that not only was the offer absurd considering how much of the cruise had been abridged, but since they had been staying in the presidential suite that the offer *really* was out of whack.

There are basically two options: either negotiate with them directly or hire/have your lawyer do it for you. FFIL spent his life as a very successful salesman, so he enjoyed doing it himself. But I will say that his story involved making a LOT of phone calls, holding his ground repeatedly, and progressively going up the food chain until he met someone with the power to approve what he wanted. In the end, he didn't receive a cash refund, but he did get a credit for a few thousand dollars that he could use in booking a future cruise instead.

Like so many things in life, I think you have to be a squeaky wheel when dealing with cruise lines. Good luck!

f-d-l

 

[Harriet]

Date: 8/30/2008 10:03:05 AM
Author: meresal
As long as you were out in the water for the enitre amount of time, they have no accountability (barring you didn''t get the insurance) to refund you anything actually. If you look at your contract, there should be a paragraph regarding inclimate weather and port of call changes... I''ll see if I can find it for you.


ETA:
http://www.oceaniacruises.com/T_MainContentPage.aspx?pageuid=3c9edb37-c49f-4074-9be6-584a9d210663

If you scroll down to where it says ''Iteneraries'' you can read about their ''Cruise Discretion''.



FYI- This is common across almost all cruise lines; all that I have been on anyway (Royal Carribean, Norwegian, and Carnival). If you are going to file a complaint, best of luck!!

Hi Meresal,
Thanks for your help. I''ve read Oceania''s contract. I understand that port changes/cancellations are discretionary, and they are not liable for them. However, they do have an obligation to use "reasonable efforts" in making substitutions. That''s what I''ll be disputing legally. It was our honeymoon too.

 

[Harriet]

Date: 8/30/2008 12:10:15 PM
Author: fleur-de-lis
Hi Harriet,

My FILs have been frequent cruisers and recently encountered a similar problem with significant cut ports resulting in a $150 or so credit for everyone on board. They thought that not only was the offer absurd considering how much of the cruise had been abridged, but since they had been staying in the presidential suite that the offer *really* was out of whack.

There are basically two options: either negotiate with them directly or hire/have your lawyer do it for you. FFIL spent his life as a very successful salesman, so he enjoyed doing it himself. But I will say that his story involved making a LOT of phone calls, holding his ground repeatedly, and progressively going up the food chain until he met someone with the power to approve what he wanted. In the end, he didn''t receive a cash refund, but he did get a credit for a few thousand dollars that he could use in booking a future cruise instead.

Like so many things in life, I think you have to be a squeaky wheel when dealing with cruise lines. Good luck!

f-d-l

Hi fleur de lis,

Thanks for chiming in.

My travel agent (who is also my credit card company) will be lodging a complaint. I will be doing the same thing (even though this is not my practice area). I like the sound of your tenacious FFIL.

I haven''t decided, but I may go straight to the top -- the private equity company that owns the line. I''ll do more than squeak!

 

[Harriet]

My apologies for the bump, but it just occurred to us that our voyage was truncated! We were docked at the port of disembarkation the day before we were supposed to get off the ship.