Tag Archives: Future Cruise Credit

P&O Cruises extends cancellation of sailings into November

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MV Britannia (2015) - Wikipedia
P&O Britannia

P&O Cruises has further extended its pause in operations until November 12 and cancelled two extended itineraries due to depart in January 2021.

The line’s last pause was in June until October 15.

The company said the extended pause in operations was “an acknowledgement of Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) guidance” against taking ocean cruises.

Passengers booked on the cancelled cruises will receive an enhanced 125% future cruise credit or can fill in the website form for a refund.

P&O Cruises president Paul Ludlow said: “It is clear that whilst the guidance is in place it is not advisable for us to resume operations.

“As well as cancelling all cruises up until November 12, 2020, we will, sadly, also be cancelling Aurora’s Caribbean and South America Adventure and Arcadia’s world cruise.

“Given long-term planning, combined with the complexity and length of these long-haul itineraries and evolving border restrictions, we need to ensure that we adhere to the guidance as it stands. I know that these January cruises, in particular, are holidays of a lifetime and we are so sorry for the disappointment that these cancellations will cause.

“We continue to work in partnership with public health agencies at the highest level as well as Department for Transport; EU Healthy Gateways and Cruise Lines International Association (Clia), the world’s largest cruise industry association.

“We will follow all applicable guidelines to enhance our already stringent measures to keep our guests and crew healthy and well and we will not resume sailing until this approved framework is in place. Fundamentally, we will be adopting the best practice within the travel industry.”

He added: “The good news is that confidence in cruising is strong and we are seeing increasing and significant demand from our guests.

“We know that the FCO guidance is under constant review and we are hopeful that, as they are aware of the work the industry is doing, this will change before too long.

“We have invested significantly in new systems and technology to speed up the refund process and to date, we have refunded tens of thousands of guests, although it is heartening to see that the majority of our guests have opted for the FCC so they have a holiday to look forward to in the future.”

He also confirmed that the line will take delivery of new ship Iona “before the autumn”.

Crystal Cruises cancels all 2020 sailings

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Celebrate 25 Years With Crystal Cruises | The Cruise Line Blog

Crystal Cruises has cancelled all its cruises up to the end of the year.

The suspension affects sailings onboard ocean ships Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity, as well as on its yacht Crystal Esprit.

Sailings onboard river ships Crystal Bach, Crystal Debussy, Crystal Mahler and Crystal Ravel are also cancelled through to the end of 2020.

In June, Crystal set out plans to return to sailing in the autumn.

The cruise line said: “Like all travel enthusiasts, we are eagerly anticipating the day we can return to sailing the world again and welcome our guests back aboard. Unfortunately, the constantly changing variables related to Covid-19, coupled with differing restrictions for international travel, continue to determine when and where this can happen.

“The uncertainty surrounding this global health crisis hinders the ability for all cruise lines to operate.

“We extend our deepest apologies for this situation that is beyond our control and is a great frustration to all of us. Everyone at Crystal, along with the officers and crew of our ships fleetwide, are extremely disappointed that we were compelled to take this action as we were looking forward to exploring together.

“What is certain is Crystal’s commitment to the safety and well-being of our guests and crew above all else. While we are looking forward to welcoming our valued guests back aboard again as soon as possible, we will not do so until it is deemed safe by governing health authorities.”

Crystal encouraged its affected passengers to contact their travel agents to rebook.

Affected ocean and yacht passengers are entitled to a future cruise credit equal to 125% of the fare paid on fully-paid reservations and a refund of port charges, taxes and fees paid and any air and hotel packages booked through Crystal.

Guests who have not fully paid will get a credit based on the deposited amount. Credits are valid on any Crystal experience (ocean, river, yacht or expedition) up to December 31, 2023.

Crystal is offering a River Rollover to river cruise customers – who can move 2020 reservations, including all payments made, to an equivalent sailing in the same time period in 2021 with price protection on the cruise fare and port charges which the line said to represent “significant value for them”.

They can also choose to transfer reservations to any Crystal experience embarking up to December 31, 2023.

If guests do not choose an option by August 14, 2020, Crytal will automatically issue a Future Credit, equal to 100% of the cruise fare paid.

The line added: “While our fleet is paused, the Crystal team has been developing new procedures and policies that will support all public health and regulatory requirements and to ensure our guests’ vacations continue to be not only relaxing and pleasurable but safe and healthy. Each protocol will be continually evaluated as new information becomes available.”

P&O Cruises pledges to speed up refund payments

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P&O Cruises Announces Huge New Ship Coming in 2022!

The boss of P&O Cruises has pledged new technology and resources to speed up the payment of refunds for cancelled cruises.

President Paul Ludlow took to social media to outline measures the company is making to speed up the refund process.

The Facebook posting, which came after parent company Carnival UK confirmed staff consultation on redundancies after a pause in operations, had attracted 1,700 views as of Thursday morning.

Ludlow said he was “very aware of how imperative it is that those of you who opted for a refund, instead of an enhanced Future Cruise Credit, receive your money back as swiftly as possible”.

He added: “We are proud to be a travel company which is able to offer refunds but the impact of Covid-19 upon our business, your businesses, and all of our lives has been devastating, and therefore the complexity and scale of this task has been unprecedented for us.

“At P&O Cruises, we have had to adapt our ways of working very quickly as we set up new systems and all our colleagues began working from home.

“I understand that some of you see us as a big business ‘holding on to your money’ as some of our guests have been commenting publicly, but I assure you I am very aware of the financial constraints everyone is under at the moment and we are not delaying this intentionally.”

The first cruises were cancelled due to Covid-19 in the middle of March “and whilst we expected to process the first refunds sooner, we revised that to ‘up to 60 days’ when we realised the impact the pandemic was having on our wider business and teams,” Ludlow said.

“I know that ‘up to 60 days’ is not ideal and it is certainly not the service you would normally expect from us but sadly ‘normal’ has taken on a new meaning.

“In the past few weeks, despite the challenges, we have been able to put new technology and systems and also an additional resource in place which will result in more refunds being processed more quickly and I hope this will improve the situation daily. We will also be contacting all of you who have requested a refund.”

The line’s systems are also being amended to allow enhanced 125% FCCs to be able to be redeemed online without the need to call, with more details expected at the end of May.

Customers now have until the end of December 2021 to put their FCC against a booking for any holiday on sale during that period.

FCCs may now be used to upgrade or for a second cabin for any booking in 2021 or 2022 departure period currently on sale and may also be gifted or transferred to someone else.

“This option too will apply to further out departures as and when they go on sale, until as stated above, the end of December 2021,” Ludlow said.