Advice - Cruise delay or cancellation

[Cruiserhel]

Hi,

we are a group of 8 due to travel on Aug 20th this year on the Thomson Spirit. We have recently had some bad news about the health of one of our party. because we booked through Thomas Cook yesterday we went in yesterday to see how we stood with regards to this. They contacted Thomson who said if we cancelled we would lose 50% of holiday amount and that if we wanted to swap dates it would be £50 admin fee pp, but that this could only be done yesterday, however we are awaiting more test results and did not want to go ahead without need to.

Has anybody had experience of this? or can offer me any advice?

Much appreciated

[vwgolf]

The usual response to cases like this is to check your insurance policy wording. if you want to cancel because a member of your party is ill then you may be able to make a claim on the policy

[Huddersfieldtourist]

Hi,

we are a group of 8 due to travel on Aug 20th this year on the Thomson Spirit. We have recently had some bad news about the health of one of our party. because we booked through Thomas Cook yesterday we went in yesterday to see how we stood with regards to this. They contacted Thomson who said if we cancelled we would lose 50% of holiday amount and that if we wanted to swap dates it would be £50 admin fee pp, but that this could only be done yesterday, however we are awaiting more test results and did not want to go ahead without need to.

Has anybody had experience of this? or can offer me any advice?

Much appreciated

The 50% applies for period 36 - 55 days before departure so that stands until the middle of next week. The £50 fee is actully a generous offer in your case as you are less than 56 days from departure and contractually they do not have to do this now. You may find that this £50pp option is now no longer on offer and to be blunt they are entitled to say so.

You will need to check your insurance as if the person who is ill is not a relative etc of you or any of the others then you may find that your insurance will not pay for you to cancel your own cruise but may pay to cancel the person who is ill only - ie the rest of you can not claim. It is impossible to answer this on this forum without reading your policy or knowing who the eight passengers are and how they are related if they are.

[Julessmiles]

Hi,

we are a group of 8 due to travel on Aug 20th this year on the Thomson Spirit. We have recently had some bad news about the health of one of our party. because we booked through Thomas Cook yesterday we went in yesterday to see how we stood with regards to this. They contacted Thomson who said if we cancelled we would lose 50% of holiday amount and that if we wanted to swap dates it would be £50 admin fee pp, but that this could only be done yesterday, however we are awaiting more test results and did not want to go ahead without need to.

Has anybody had experience of this? or can offer me any advice?

Much appreciated

Can't really help you other than what the others have said that you may be able to do something with travel insurance although whether they would pay for all 8 to cancel, I don't know. You must also be careful if the condition was a pre-existing condition (or possibly connected) that wasn't notified to the Insurer's at the time of booking the cruise.

Just wanted to say sorry to hear this news, obviously don't know the situaiton but maybe you will still be able to go and the person concerned might be able to have treatment before or after if treatment is necessary but please take my advice if you do still travel - please make the insurance company aware of any change in health circumstances for the person concerned - won't go into it here but good friends of ours didn't and this ended up invalidating their travel insurance which they didn't know about until too late.

[Cruiserhel]

thanks for that. Will just have to keep fingers crossed