Cancelling cruise

[overthesea]

Unfortunately I will have to cancel our upcoming cruise. The penalty date is
a little over a week away. The contract says to notify in writing with a return receipt requested on any cancellation. What is the best method to notify. Does UPS give a return receipt? I know that they leave items at our home without us signing since we gave the OK. Any suggestions? I don't want to be charged a penalty due to not handling the cancellation correctly.

[dakrewser]

Unfortunately I will have to cancel our upcoming cruise. The penalty date is
a little over a week away. The contract says to notify in writing with a return receipt requested on any cancellation. What is the best method to notify. Does UPS give a return receipt? I know that they leave items at our home without us signing since we gave the OK. Any suggestions? I don't want to be charged a penalty due to not handling the cancellation correctly.
Go to the post office, tell the clerk to send it "return receipt requested". You can also request to be informed of when its delivered....

[Sierrachik]

I would suggest using Express Mail from the post office, they will receive the cancellation the next day and you will get a return receipt from the post office automatically. I believe the charge is $13.85, or close to that. They will provide the envelope and address label with a tracking number as well. You are also less likely to risk having it lost in the mail.

[CaptData]

Did you go directly from the cruise line or a TA. If either phone immediately, then follow with letter. :(

Sorry, to hear you have to cancel your cruise.

[overthesea]

I went with a TA. I will call them in addition to letter. Thanks everyone for the advice.

[OCruisers]

overthesea .... So sorry you have to cancel your cruise. Hopefully, you can book another QUICKLY !

Though the years we have HAD to cancel a couple! Go to you TA immediately for the help you need!

Happy Future Trips on Many Ships! OCruisers :)

[sail7seas]

Very sorry to hear you have to cancel your cruise.

You must notify your TA. I would telephone or e-mail to start out with and follow up with a mailing.

You must notify HAL.

If you use United States Postal Service certified mail, return receipt requested....what that means is the Post Office tracks the letter; there is a certified number on it which identifies that particular piece of mail. Someone at the addresseee (HAL) must sign for the letter. The card the person at HAL signs is what is returned to you as written evidence of the mailing and receipt of same. Obviously, you should keep a copy of your letter.

If your TA is relatively unknown to you and you have any "quibbles" about not totally trusting they will be prompt and efficient about notifying HAL, you should send them a carbon copy of the same letter you send to HAL.....also send the TA's by certified mail.

[sail7seas]

Go to the post office, tell the clerk to send it "return receipt requested". You can also request to be informed of when its delivered....

The RETURN RECEIPT is the notification of the delivery of the article. They ' return the receipt' to the sender showing signature of who accepted delivery and the date.

[Travel Angel]

Unfortunately I will have to cancel our upcoming cruise. The penalty date is
a little over a week away. The contract says to notify in writing with a return receipt requested on any cancellation. What is the best method to notify. Does UPS give a return receipt? I know that they leave items at our home without us signing since we gave the OK. Any suggestions? I don't want to be charged a penalty due to not handling the cancellation correctly.

Maybe I am missing something here.... "Penalty date is over a week away" ??? If you are referring to final payment date is a week away, then just notify your TA and they can cancel for you with a full refund and no letter is required.

I am not trying to sound dense here, but I just don't understand the "Penalty Date" you are referring to.

[sail7seas]

The reason for the written notification is to avoid,
AFTER PENALTY DATE, any claims that they did not cancel
prior to expiration of no-penalty time and they might lose their deposit.

If you totally trust your TA, I agree no letter should be necessary.
If you have an on-line TA or one you do not know very well, protect your deposit and 'follow the rules'.

[Cruiseoften]

Originally Posted by overthesea
Unfortunately I will have to cancel our upcoming cruise. The penalty date is
a little over a week away. The contract says to notify in writing with a return receipt requested on any cancellation. What is the best method to notify. Does UPS give a return receipt? I know that they leave items at our home without us signing since we gave the OK. Any suggestions? I don't want to be charged a penalty due to not handling the cancelation correctly.


Sorry you have to cancel - that's always a 'downer'!

If you booked with a local TA you must advise her/him because it is through the TA's office that balance payment will be made - an on line agency should also be advised. If you have already made your balance payment, it is extremely important to advise the cruise line as soon as possible.....and also your insurance company.

At this point I'd assume you have some documentation and a booking number should appear somewhere. A phone call or Fax, giving the booking number, to the concerned Cruise Line should also suffice. In the case of a phone call, make sure you make a note of date, time and name of person with whom you spoke. A letter to the Line via UPS, Fedex with guaranteed next day delivery is another option. Cruise Lines are pretty quick to cancel bookings if that balance payment is not received on or before the due date.

Do hope you will be able to cruise at a later date.

[stillfrantic]

If the cut off date is just about a week away, with appologies to any mail carriers here, I wouldn't use the postal service. Use FedEx. The cruise line doesn't send our valuble tickets and documents via the mail.

[Catnip]

If you have NOT made your final payment yet, a call to your TA will be enough. He/she will notify the cruise line. THere is no need for a letter if you have NOT made your final payment.
I have had to do this for clients many times before. Their deposit has always been credited back with no problems. Just to be sure your TA made the cancellation, follow up with a call the very next day to be sure.

[vjb223]

Wish you could go , maybe so other time. Your TA can handle it for you and you can send a fax...

[jazzsea]

I totally agree with Catnip.

For others reading this post. The more info you put in the first post the better. We could all give exact advice if we knew the sailing date of the HAL ship. Also if the sailing was part of a large group or charter. Sometimes the large groups and charters have different penalties.

[Krazy Kruizers]

We had to cancel a cruise once - 10 days before we were to leave.

Our TA took care of everything. We didn't have to write a letter - nothing.

All we had to do was turn in the airline tickets. We didn't even have to return our cruise tickets to her - HAL didn't ask for them back.

[boards]

We had to cancel a cruise on the Jubilee (Carnival Line) in 1992, due to our plant closing. We had booked through Sears. We called them right away, it was 3 months before we were to cruise, and they cancelled it for us with no lost of funds. Of course we had the insurance, we lost that but not the deposit. Just a simple call to Sears and they handled it.

[iluvcruzin]

I'm glad others posted that a simple call to the TA does the trick. I thought it was something unique to HAL that you had to contact the cruiseline. I've cancelled in the past and never wrote a letter to the cruiseline before even after final payment. My TA took care of everything. Maybe the e-mail was enough for "in writing".

[imsulin]

I've never heard of a letter needing to be written. When my clients called to cancel before final payment, they either came into the office or called/e-mailed me. We sent them confirmation of the cancellation as well as a time frame for their CC to be re-credited, or the agency check for their deposit to be sent to them.

[imsulin]

Oops...forgot to add this. If you bought 3rd party trip insurance, you can call them to tell them you had to cancel, and then make up a future date of cruising way in advance to protect your policy. Then, one you've booked an actual cruise, call them back again to change the dates to the real ones. I've done this several times with Travelguard and have never had a problem. At least you don't lose your insurance that way.

[Cruiseoften]

Krazy Kruizers - you don't mention it but it's a safe bet your excellent TA handled all the details of the insurance claim. :)

[Cruiseoften]

Oops...forgot to add this. If you bought 3rd party trip insurance, you can call them to tell them you had to cancel, and then make up a future date of cruising way in advance to protect your policy. Then, one you've booked an actual cruise, call them back again to change the dates to the real ones. I've done this several times with Travelguard and have never had a problem. At least you don't lose your insurance that way.

With cruise lines that allow cancellation without penalty and full refund of deposit money, you really don't have to buy insurance until you make the balance payment.

All Lines are not the same so be sure what your Line does.

[sail7seas]

I think there may be some people who still buy HAL's insurance.


IF they purchase HAL's, it has to be bought at the time you place your deposit.

[sail7seas]

Sorry......Meant to add that with some of the third party insurers, you need to purchase the insurance within 7-10 days (it varies) in order to have pre-existing conditions covered.

[Travel Angel]

With cruise lines that allow cancellation without penalty and full refund of deposit money, you really don't have to buy insurance until you make the balance payment.

All Lines are not the same so be sure what your Line does.

Yes but if you wait until 14 - 21 days after deposit has been made and used an alternate insurance carrier i.e. TravelEx, AccessAmerica etc.... you will not get the pre exsisting benefits clause which could effect you in the end should you have to cancel after making final payment and have a pre exsisting medical issue that caused the cancellation.... insurance would not pay in that instance.