Do you have a question about travel during this coronavirus pandemic? Peter answers your emails and tells you what you need to know. Email peter@petergreenberg.com if you don’t see your email answered in one of the rounds.
EMAIL: Leslie Delaney
Peter, I wanted to give credit to Rabbies Tours based in the UK. We had a 3 day tour booked for Scotland. They cancelled our tour 5 weeks prior to the scheduled date. We would be offered either a voucher or refund, but asked for our patience, as they are a small family company and were overwhelmed with the requests. They were true to their word, and we have receive our refund as promised. Leslie Delaney
Peter Says: Leslie, so happy to hear this.
EMAIL: Marcia Miller
Hello Peter,
Some of my family live in Kolkata, India, one of the hotspots, at this time, for the Coronavirus. I miss them terribly.
They heard a news “rumor,” that it would not be safe to travel by air, anywhere, for at least the next two years.
What have you heard about air travel safety relative to the Coronavirus? Could this rumor be truthful?
Many thanks and kindest regards,
Marcia Miller
Peter Says: Two years? In the absence of widespread testing and a scalable vaccine, we can consider most international travel to be dead through next February. But after that my intuition tells me international travel will slowly resume.
EMAIL: Jim & Monica Valastro
Hi Peter,
These are crazy times. Hope as is well with you and your family.
My sister-in-law listens regularly to you on WGN radio and she suggested I contact you about getting a refund from our Scandinavian tour that was cancelled.
We booked a 9 day Scandinavian tour with Trafalgar via AAA travel. The trip was scheduled to depart on June 6, 2020. We were informed on April 6, 2020 by our AAA travel agent that our tour was cancelled and that instead of a refund Trafalgar was offering a full future credit that could be used up until Dec. 2022. I informed the AAA travel agent that we would rather have a full refund instead of a future credit. I was then informed that Trafalgar agreed to give us a refund minus our deposit of $1100. I don’t know about you, but $1100 is a lot of money that we cannot afford to lose. I informed the AAA travel agent that was NOT acceptable and that I still expected to get a full refund, but NOT at the risk of losing our deposit of $1100. So, we tentatively informed the AAA travel agent we would accept the full future credit. However, given we did not cancel this trip, we think it is only right that we get a full refund for the trip.
I also spoke with the AAA travel agent’s manager and she just reiterated the same response as the agent. She did say that if I really wanted a refund instead of a full future credit that I should accept the offer from Trafalgar and then try to get the $1100 back from the travel insurance company. She also informed me that Trafalgar was now offering a future credit of 110% and that perhaps I should consider that.
I don’t want to be held hostage by Trafalgar for the next 2 years. Given my wife and I are both retired seniors we are not sure what the next 2 years will be like especially with COVID19 or a possible COVID20. We believe they are the ones who cancelled the trip and that we are entitled to a full refund of our trip.
Do you have any suggestions for what we should do?
Also, do you know if we are entitled to get a refund of our travel insurance also?
Jim & Monica Valastro
Peter Says: My understanding is that Trafalgar is now issuing full refunds. So go back and ask again. As for travel insurance, did you buy this separately? And pay with a credit card?
EMAIL: Ron Lewis
Hello Peter,
I know you are so very busy during this time so thank you for answering my e mail whenever you can. No hurry here.
I have fully paid for a Silversea cruise with Business Class airfare booked through them for the end of September to Tokyo fro LAX and return from Hong Kong.
So far no cancellation as Sept is too far out. So cruise dates might happen. But if they offer 125% future cruise credit(FCC) if I wait for their cancellation and I want to eventually take this cruise next April, then what does the 25% really do for me? I assume that the cruise rates may drop and so I would be entitled to a credit for the difference to my credit card. But, if Silversea is an all inclusive cruise, besides laundry and spa, I assume that the 25% does not go into my pocket but MUST be spent on board??
What is the better option? Tell the cruise agent to give me 25% in my pocket??? That will not happen. Only benefit is if cruise rates increase could I use it. And who knows if flights will go to Tokyo and from Hong Kong??
Thanks for your review and help.
Ron Lewis
Peter Says: Ron you bring up an excellent point. Giving you a voucher or credit at 125 per cent of what you paid for the cruise sounds great, but with an all inclusive cruise the only way it benefits you is if the rates go up in the next year. So you might want to argue for a refund. As for Tokyo/Hong Kong flights, I wouldn’t worry. That’s a heavily traveled corridor and those flights will almost certainly operate next year
EMAIL: Art P
Hello, I received a pair of flight tickets for me and my girlfriend for roundtrip travel to Seattle from Chicago in June. They were awarded by my credit card through my accumulated points. Does this change the refund policy game? Am I correct to assume that the refund/credits are arranged/provided by the airline(American) versus the credit card program? Aside from this all, is it possible that if the airline honors the fly-in to Seattle they can cancel the return to Chicago? Thanks for your help. Art
Peter Says: Some American flights are still going, and the state of Washington may be opening sooner than other states. If American hasn’t canceled the flight and you still want to go, then you should be able to go if you follow all the necessary public health precautions. And if the airline does cancel your return flight, they would more than likely rebook you on another flight, albeit one with a connection. If you DON’T want to take the flights, since this essentially a free, mileage ticket, there may be a way to redeposit the points back to your account without a redeposit fee. Check directly with your credit card company.
EMAIL: Mary Vogel
I am listening now so don’t know if this will help at this point. Viking canceled our trip and at the time of cancelation they offered us that 125% for future travel within 24 months OR our money back. All the emails prior to that only offered the 125%.
Love show!
Mary in Glenview IL
Peter Says: Mary, you now have (finally) a choice. Thanks for letting me know. If you want the full refund, then my suggestion is to get it now before the cruise line changes its mind again!
EMAIL: Addie Scoggin
Hi, Peter Greenberg,
I’m Addie. I recently listened to your radio show “Eye on Travel” and felt that I needed to reach out to you regarding my situation.
I booked a round trip flight from Dalian, China to St. Louis in late January. As soon as I arrived in St. Louis, that’s when everything shut down. Flights back to China were immediately cancelled due to COVID-19. I talked to United Airlines and Cheapo Air but was told I might be considered for a partial refund within the month. This was back in mid-February.
It’s May, and I’ve had no follow-up. I’ve heard nothing.
Do you know how I can get a partial refund?
Warmly,
Addie Scoggin
Peter Says: Under DOT rules you ARE entitled to a full refund of the unused portion of your tickets if the airline canceled the flight, which they did. My question is this: was your flight on United or on one of its code share partners using a United flight number? That may determine how fast you get that refund.
EMAIL: Maureen Haberman
Dear Peter,
I booked a trip with OAT for Africa. It was a back to back tour leaving June 6 ,2020 and arriving home July 9 , 2020 My trip was to start in Tanzania and end in South Africa. I booked my airfare, layover, extra nights between tours through OAT. When Pandemic first hit I was assured if OAT canceled I would have a option of rebooking or getting my full refund. Once trip was canceled I was only given option of rebooking or future travel credits. I would have prepared a full refund as of the uncertainty of future travel. I also do not know how secure OAT
Is financially. My total trip cost was close to $ 25,000. I do have trip insurance. OAT has given me $1,000.00 in future travel credits. Do I have an option at this point of getting a full refund?
Thank you,
Maureen Haberman
Peter Says: Maureen, did I misread your dollar figures as to the cost of your trip? Can you please resend me your email? Also, do you have a paper trail of correspondence between you and the travel provider in which they specified you had a choice of getting a full refund? Please advise and thanks.
EMAIL: Yvonne Bonomi
Hi Peter,
I booked a 3 night stay at Pallazzo Gattini luxury Hotel( Matera, Italy), through TravelUp on February 20, 2020. I booked arriving March 27 for 3 nights. This booking was non-refundable. (I will not do this again).
Full payment was taken on February 20, for $563.38 on Amex. On February 25, I emailed TravelUp after calling, and explained we would not be able to take this trip as my husband has a medical condition and CDC recommended postponing nonessential travel to Italy for such individuals.
Travelup response was the room is non-refundable and they could not cancel. I called Amex and disputed charge.
I emailed again on March 2, 2020, and requested a credit for a future booking for 1 year out.
TravelUp response again advised the room rate is completely non-refundable.
I understand companies need to stay in business, but during a global pandemic and the complete lockdown in Italy at the time of my travel, I cannot understand such inflexibility.
Amex concluded their investigation with the amount under review being reapplied to my account.
Do I have any recourse? Thank you so much in advance.
Peter Says: First, did you book this trip with a U.S. travel agency or tour operator, or directly through the hotel? If through a U.S. company, then by disputing the charge with Amex you have done the right thing. Again, if your dispute is ultimately denied, you still have recourse in small claims court…IF the company is based in the U.S. So let me know.
EMAIL: Ron Schofield
Mr. Greenberg:
My wife, daughter and I have been going to Punta Mita in Mexico for 10 years and love it there. We had been staying the St. Regis Hotel in Punta Mita but decided last year to rent a condo in the same property and invite some friends. Mita Residential manages condos for the different owners there and handles the transactions between guests and owners. I was skeptical of wiring my entire payment for seven days up front but understood why. The trip went off without a hitch in 2019.
For that reason, I was comfortable rebooking the same unit this year. As the pandemic started to spread, we became hesitant and I told the agent at the resort that we were thinking about canceling our trip but would wait to see what happens. The only provision in the contract I signed when wiring the money this year had a Force Major clause as the only reason for a refund.
Our trip was scheduled for March 28-April 4. The federal government closed the border with Mexico on March 20, banning all non essential travel so I requested a refund. The agent said he would ask the “owner” but I did not hear back after a couple of weeks. I learned he was subsequently furloughed. I then sent a note to the Operations Manager at Mita Residential whom I know from his days as a GM at the St. Regis and he said he would see what he could do. I have not heard from him and it’s been about three weeks. It is my understanding that the owner is perhaps American but the nationality is irrelevant.
I’m out close to $12,000 and wondering if and how do I recover my funds? Do I need to hire an attorney in Mexico?
The airline gave us a credit for the airfare which is fine. I don’t think a future credit for this condo is a good idea because we don’t know when normal will be normal or what it will look like; I don’t see any justification for them holding on to my money if I couldn’t travel per a federal order.
Thank you,
Ron Schofield
Peter Says: Ron, wiring money can be as unsafe as using your debit card or sending a personal check when doing a travel transaction. And because you did this directly to a foreign entity in a foreign country, your rights are not preserved in a U.S. court, unless the company is based or has offices in the U.S. For the moment, please send me (peter@petergreenberg.com) a detailed chronology of all of. this (with reservation confirmations, first and last names of everyone with whom you spoke, and their titles, dates of those conversations et al,) and let me try and follow up.
EMAIL: Cheryl Brown
Hi Peter,
I booked a cruise on Norwegian in December 2019 for May 30, 2020
In January I made my final payment. $4178
In February, the price went down significantly. $2800
I had to cancel original booking and take a $900 cancellation fee.
Now that the cruise is cancelled, NCL only wants to give me back $2800.
I am asking for all the money back that I paid to NCL (less the $433 savings I already got by rebooking)
So I am asking for $2800 + $900 fee that I was charged.
The only reason that I took the hit of $900 cancelation, was that I was still going on the same cruise.
Otherwise I would not have cancelled and rebooked.
NCL broke the contract by cancelling the cruise.
I wrote into NCL and I am waiting for their reply. Costco travel tried to call NCL and get the $900 but supervisor refused.
Should I take the loss and accept the $2800 with fears that Norwegian may go bankrupt?
Thanks. Please help
I listen to your show in Chicago. Great show.
Cheryl Brown
Peter Says: Cheryl, Norwegian just received about a $3 billion investment which will give the cruise line enough liquidity to operate even if they don’t sail a ship this year. So if you still want to take that cruise, my advice is to rebook it now. If you’re instead asking for all your money back, let me know the following: did you pay with a credit card? Did you go through a U.S. travel agency (you did, with Costco), so if worse comes to worse you can now dispute the entire charge with your credit card company, and if that dispute is denied, you can then go the small claims court route. But if you’re simply worried about NCL’s financial viability, they should be good for at least the next 12 months, and assuming they resume sailing in January 2021.
EMAIL: JoAnn Palace
I have a $600 flight voucher from American Airlines that expires in July…I was planning on using for a wedding, but Corona happened and everything changed. Do you know if they would extend the voucher time til it is safe to travel again. (The wedding plans were scraped).
Also, we were scheduled to leave for a ski trip on Southwest Airlines March 14, 2020…This is when Corona was blowing up and we saw danger at our destination resort and cancelled the trip. Southwest said we could use the $547 for future tickets, but that it had to be used up in SIX MONTHS. What if it is still not safe to travel by then? Do I lose everything?
JoAnn
Peter Says: JoAnn, you did not lose everything. Since these vouchers or credits have become more negotiable in terms of date, my suggestion is for you to go back to each airline and ask for a six month extension of validity. But in the process, what you should also do is pick flights and book them now for the time period you want during that extension.
EMAIL: Jean McNally
Hello Mr. Greenberg,
I am one of your many fans and thank you for your many years of hard work helping the world of travelers. It is appreciated by all.
Since you are receiving so many emails I’ll try to be brief.
My boyfriend and I booked with OAT Adventure Travel Group back in the end of July 2019 with the final payment on 11/21/2019. It was called the “Allure of the Adriatic : Italy and Croatia”. Feb 23 – March 5th.
On Feb 22 ,a dozen towns in northern Italy went into lockdown due to the virus. Museums were closed and Carnivale ended in Venice. Feb 23 was the official departure date from the US to Venice (although quite a few of us came in 1 day early) . I’m surprised they did not cancel the trip last minute as it was centered in Venice, which was not far from the hub of the virus. Our small group of 17 people had an average age of 70 with 1 person in her 90’s and quite a few in their high 80’s – prime candidates for possible severe health repercussions if they got ill. I understand business and revenue etc. but I think they made a mistake here . We stayed several days touring in Venice and then boarded a small ship out of Trieste ( they moved this from a Venice departure) where we toured several coastal cities in the Istrian peninsula via the cruise. Throughout this whole time many of us were nervous and couldn’t get OAT to move up the departure date back home because of the virus numbers were going up every day. Many of the final flight returns were scheduled out of Venice but when the heat really turned up regarding airline cancellations our final day was in Trieste instead . Then all of our individual flights were changed to escape via Ljubljana , Slovenia. Therefore our passports wouldn’t show the Italian stamp. Basically it all was a gamble with our lives and luckily we made it home without anyone being quarantined or seriously ill.
The only reason I booked this trip was that I was able to get a business class roundtrip ticket since I have neck issues and needed the laydown seats on the flights for such a long flight from Ca. Otherwise, I would not have gone on this trip. We did our airfare through OAT and they were the ones who did the last minute rebooking of everyone’s flights home. Naturally they did not book us business class but instead Economy Plus with an extra stop coming home. There were Business class seats available at the re-booking time but I’m sure they did not want to pay for those. None of us were too pleased with our arrangements but we were anxious to get out of Italy. Again I felt that –either the trip should have been cancelled initially or they should have gotten us home sooner. But from their business point of view by completing our trip they would not have to refund any tour money.
In Munich (our first stop from Slovenia) where we were to pick up the long flight back to SF they were selling upgrades to business class and we paid for those on the spot since I needed the laydown seat, $634.91 each. They (business class seats) were available all along and now they were discounting them at the airport.
On March 10th I contacted OAT regarding reimbursement for the “downgrade flight “ ( as they call it). March 12 a customer relations person contacted me saying I had to sign some forms for Lufthansa ( who we flew home with ) so that they could request a refund from Lufthansa for our situation. I checked back on the status on April 10th and May 8th. I received the standard answer of it takes 3-6 months.
My big question is: Are they just stringing me along saying Lufthansa is backlogged and they (Lufthansa) are the ones responsible? I’m not sure why it is Lufthansa’s fault that I did not get a business class ticket when they were available at the time of OAT re-booking flights? I’m sure OAT gave them a figure and said do the best you can with this amount? Why would Lufthansa refund me ? In my mind I feel OAT should have made me whole? If there weren’t any Bus Class tickets available due to the unusual virus situation we could understand that and be flexible. Are they just giving me an excuse and 5 months from now they will say – sorry Charlie?
Mr. Greenberg—-I could be way off in my analysis or expectations. What I like about you is that you are totally upfront and to the point and I like that. Any advice or scolding that you have would be greatly appreciated.
.
Thank you very much.
Jean McNally
Peter Says: Jean, thanks for your email. Yes, just about every travel operator is desperate to preserve cash, but what happened here (as with thousands of other travelers) is that the operator used your money to pay others and now doesn’t have the cash to pay you. Not your fault! Did you use a credit card to purchase this trip? Did you dispute it with your issuing bank? Yes, Lufthansa is backlogged on refunds, but under European Union rules they should be processing the refunds soon. Anyway, let me know about your method of payment.
EMAIL: Linda R.
Hi, Peter –
I applied for Global Entry back on 12/8/19 in preparation for a trip to Italy this March. We decided to postpone our trip and all has worked out fine with that, but I still have not received my conditional approval for Global Entry which is followed by an interview. I live in Chicago. My travel companion lives in Tampa. She applied one week prior to me, has had her interview and is all set/done.
There is no way to contact Homeland Security. No phone number, email address or anything on this website. I’ve looked at their FAQ’s and can’t find anything about the status of my application or if I did something wrong.
It costs $100, which I’m not willing to just let Homeland Security have. I was going to dispute it with my credit card co. but wondered if it is possible that it just takes this long in some areas?
What’s your advice?
Linda R.
Peter Says: Linda, in this case, do NOT dispute the charge on your card. The federal machine grinds slowly, and very slowly with global entry during the pandemic, but you do not want to lose your place in line. Be patient, and if you don’t hear anything by June 15th, let me know.
EMAIL: Carolyn Vogel
I listened to your radio program for the first time today! Excellent.
I have 2 refund questions:
- I am a nurse, and do medical missions 2 x per year to the poor state of Chiapas in Southern Mexico. I was in Mexico with the medical team, Planned Jan 15 to April 8. As things got dicier, there finally was a “recommendation” from Pres. Trump for U S citizens to come home immediately, about March 18or 19, or stay indefinitely. It was not possible to get thru to AeroMexico to move flights up. My routine flight home is from Tuxtla (Chiapas) to Mexico City to O’Hare. I also noted at that time that the early morning Tuxtla portion of the flights was cancelled. It was changed to a flight the night before, causing me to either get a hotel in Mexico City and return to,the airport at 8 am the next morning…OR sleep 10 or 12 hours in the Mexico City airport…(not). My daughter chose to independently book a separate flight, which was available on. March 23. Routine flight, one way, Tuxtla to Mexico to OHare. $474. When I got home, I called AeroMex to see what kind of refund I could get..for the whole original 2 flights (by cancelling the first portion of the trip, it rendered the 2nd portion useless) or for the price of the replacement ticket.. They said there would only be vouchers given, and only for,the portion of the trip they cancelled, the Tuxtla to Mexico City portion, worth $290. ( the whole 2 way trip was $588). She said if I wanted a refund, I needed to write an Email. Which I did. I later received an Email that I would be getting a voucher, which I have not received yet.
- During my time in Mexico we were also planning a first time ever family vacation, scheduled for this June 13-20, 2020. We rented a house on the beach, near Boston. That refund came quickly from VRBO, as it was still in the full refund time frame. We paid $550 as a deposit toward group travel with Southwest. I actually made the decision to not go,thru with the trip, and requested my deposit back, not realizing that the deposit, under normal circumstances is only refunded AFTER the full flights are paid for. Otherwise, the deposit is forfeited. However, in the case of the COVID situation, they have agreed to give a Southwest travel gift card that does not expire. Very shortly after these communications, we noted that the flights we were to take in June were now not listed, meaning they had been cancelled.
While this gift card and the voucher from AeroMex are ok…I would totally prefer a full refund on both. Both situations were alike , in That the companies themselves cancelled the travel.
Thank you for whatever help you can give, I have copies of Emails and Reserv. #’s if needed.
CarolynVogel
Peter Says: Carolyn, presuming you paid for your tickets with a credit card, your first recourse is to now dispute the charge with the credit card company. And if that fails, you should definitely file a small claims court action against Aeromexico in Chicago, where they have a sales office.
EMAIL: Scott Greenwood
Hi Peter, my flight May 26 from Toronto to Las Vegas return May 30th was cancelled by Air Canada. They will only offer a voucher for 24 months, not a refund. I clicked on voucher as no other option was given but did note in the comments that I wanted a refund and not a voucher. I have got through 3 times to Air Canada and been refused a refund. I currently have a charge back case with Mastercard to see if they can get my money back and the credit card insurance company as I was advised to try them also. I was told it could take 45-60 days. On the possibility neither come through, I was also advised to try the U.S. Department of Transportation since it is a flight to and from the U.S. DOT rules that a refund should be given. Thoughts? Suggestions? Thanks, Scott Greenwood
Peter Says: Air Canada is playing games here, claiming that Canadian law (which currently allows them to only issue vouchers) prevails. Whereas U.S law correctly states that if the airline cancels you are entitled to a full refund. The real question here is this: are you a U.S. citizen? Did you buy the tickets in the U.S.? Did your flight originate in the U.S.? Let me know.
EMAIL: Lois and Doug Zubrin
Peter,
I am writing to you in the fervent hope that you can be of assistance in obtaining a cash refund for a trip, now cancelled by Turkish Airlines, that my wife and I booked well over a year ago. The trip was from LAX to Berlin, Prague, Vienna and Budapest and home,
leaving LAX on May 6, 2020. Our cost was $5,254.06 for 2 round-trip business class tickets. This cost included Ticket Protection Insurance.
We have been told that the best we can expect are vouchers for future travel. However, for many reasons this was to be our last overseas trip. My wife and I are both 73 years old and in the last year (since the time that we booked this trip), both of us have been diagnosed with different medical issues which make us both reluctant to leave the U.S. And that is in addition to the uncertainty about the future of the world situation as regards the coronavirus. In short, we have no use for vouchers on an overseas airline.
Anything that you can do or suggest to get our money back would be greatly appreciated.
All the best,
Lois and Doug Zubrin
Peter Says: Douglas, Turkish Airlines comes under the U.S. Department of Transportation rule for any airline operating within or to/from the U.S. — including International carriers — that if the airline cancels the flight (not you), then you are entitled to a full refund paid back to your original form of payment. If that is the case here, then you need to file a complaint with the U.S. DOT (copy me), and if that doesn’t work, then dispute the charge with your issuing bank for the credit card you used to purchase the travel. And, as an attorney, you’ll appreciate that if — in the event your dispute is denied — you have a tailor-made small claims court action in Los Angeles, (since Turkish Airlines has offices in Los Angeles) and you should prevail in court with all your documentation.
EMAIL: Debra Chaffin-Perkowski and Robert M Perkowski
Hello Peter:
Thanks for your help.
My husband and I had reservations to fly United Airlines on May 22, 2020, direct flight to London flight from SFO. Returning flight on June 6, 2020.
Business class tickets (Z) for a total cost of $9,137.50, which I paid with my United Airlines Mileage Chase credit card. I purchased refundable tickets.
United canceled my original outbound flight and changed it to an outbound flight with a layover in Chicago. I see now that there are also no direct flights for available for the return.
Per your advice on April 27th I called and spoke with an agent who walked me through to refund request page, saying it was necessary for me to do so online.
I received an email showing my credit card would be reimbursed within 7 business days.
I will forward two emails in this regard that will show my e-ticket numbers and my tracking number for refund status.
Today I called to find out why my credit card had not been reimbursed and was told the new policy states requests are “under review” and they’ll respond in 21 business days.
My original confirmation did not say anything about “under review.”
I first spoke with an agent, then requested a supervisor. He began to tell me that because the change was not more than 24 hours on my cancelled flight I would not be eligible for a refund.
Also, today, while I was on the phone with the agent I received another email stating patience, that they would respond within 21 business days. I will also forward today’s email.
Please advise,
Debra Chaffin-Perkowski
Robert M Perkowski
Peter Says: Debra, keep all this as a great paper trail as you build your case. For starters I would dispute the charge with Chase on your credit card. You paid for a service which you did not receive. And if your dispute fails, you can then file two separate small claims court cases against United in Chicago (the limit per claim is $7500). I’m not a lawyer and I don’t play one on tv, but the U.S. Department of Transportation rules, and your own paper trail indicate to me you have a strong case.
EMAIL: Ron Lewis
Hi Peter,
I was supposed to attend a language class in Spain May 21 for two weeks. I booked my air through Expedia as rate was so very much less. They added one hotel night which I did not need to call it a bundled fare. No one is traveling to Spain. I am over 65 age group, high risk with diabetes. I can cancel Airbnb with full refund.
Should I first wait for airline to cancel the PSP to DEN to FRA to MAD on United/Lufthansa? Do I need to first call Expedia to be my intermediary? Are they only going to get me a voucher??
EXPEDIA LOOKS UP YOUR EXPEDIA RESERVATION NUMBER AND HANGS UP IF NOT WITHIN 7 DAYS.
Thanks so much.
Ron Lewis
Peter Says: Ron, it is still a game of chicken in which you should not blink.You have until May 20th to wait for the airline to cancel. My guess is that they will, given current situation in Europe, not to mention a 14 day quarantine rule now in place in Spain. So as we get closer (and we’re just a few days away) watch the schedules closely. Wait for the airline to cancel first. Then, if they don’t, we can explore options around May 20th.
EMAIL: Dave Winblad
Dear Peter,
We booked a cruise last year through our travel agent for a cruise dated March 27th to April 5th, 2020 on Celebrity Cruise Line. On March 11th Celebrity Cruise Lines came out with Cruise with Confidence voucher stating that we could get a voucher for the cruise and that it needed to be used by December 31, 2021 or we would lose it. Then on March 14th, they came out with the same deal after all the cruise lines cancelled cruises offering full refund and or a voucher that
equaled 1.5 times the amount of your cruise. Not knowing that all the cruise lines were going to cancel the cruises we took the promotional option that came out on March 11th. We tried unsuccessfully both our travel agent and myself to get the refund on our cruise on the deal that was issued three days later. We would appreciate your thoughts on how to go about getting a refund if at all possible. We feel that we may not be ready to cruise by next year. We are both 64 years old and we could use the money.
Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Dave and Diane Winblad
Peter Says: Dave you need to go back through your travel agent to try for the refund again. If that is denied again, then dispute the charge on your credit card and if that fails, you do have a claim to make against the travel agent (as the agent of the cruise line) in small claims court.
